Split (1)

train · 265k rows

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	[WP] There is a deep hole just outside your village. The elders pick one person to dive in every year, 'for the good of the tribe', never to be seen again. The elders have just chosen you. You're expected to jump tonight.	1,576	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Our village stood alone. No-one could get in. No-one could get out. As if an iron curtain had trapped us like rats. Together, there was only about 200 of us. Outside content was forbidden and rules were more than harsh. Every year, someone was sacrificed to the pit. It didn't need a name. Speak of it and you could send the toughest warriors into a fit of rage, fear or sadness. For the loved ones lost. For the children. Taken so cruely. \n You see, it wasn't just criminals taken; it wasn't just adults. The elders seemed to choose at random. Silent tears dripped down hardened stony faces with each name announced. Although only one person was taken each year, most of us knew eachother. Just last year, the elders came out with the name 'Brian Doherty'. A baby. Only two months old.\n His own parents threw their crying child into the merciless pit. His final scream echoed across the meadows and around the vallies. We could outrage, scream, stand up. We didn't of course. For we were terrified. Petrified of punishment. Traitors to the elders or the pit were tortured. It was almost a religion that you had to follow. Follow or die. Sometimes I wondered if the pit would be a better fate. To just fall away. How wrong can someone be?\n So, introductions. My name is Amelia and I was 11 when my time came to face the darkness. I had lost my father to it before I was even born. My mother raised me alone. I always knew she was ill. \nAfter my father died she must've broken. She completely split when the news came out that I would die in the same way. Tomorrow. She became a storm set alight. A pure outburst of bottled up pain.\n My last night was spent crying alone in the streets. Scared beyond belief. Wishing I could drop dead then and there. For the world to stop spinning. Pointlessly.\n I tell you the simple facts. I will not bore you with a mushy emotional tale. I have composed this story seemingly for a lifetime. Others fell into the same fate as me. I know I am not special. Others have it worse than me. I guess it is time for the tale of me entering the pit.\n The usual ceremony took place. Chants about the 'good of our tribe'. Seeing my friends in the crowds just made it more gut wrenching. I stared into the pool of ink. Nothing. Blackness. Forever and always. Yet, through my fear, through my blind, unwavering fear, my never ending terror, I saw a myriad of colours. It was sad and it was beautiful. I suppose only the victims would understand.\n I would of ran. Flee for my life. The pit seemed to enchant me. My limbs turned into unresponsive \nplanks of wood. My eyes stared, unblinking. All noise faded out. I felt the first second of eternity pass.\n\"Don't be scared\" a strange voice hissed inside my head. I recognised the tone. A voice of lies and deception. A voice that scared me more than anything.\n Then, cold hands grabbed my ridged shoulders and easily pushed my feeble frame into the pit. I screamed, but nothing happened. Then, as I fell, the world fractured into harsh sections, admitting irridecent, violent light. I felt my flesh burn and my blood boil. I released my last scream. Echoing over the meadows. Bouncing over the mountains.\n It's hard to keep track of time here. I feel like I have been here 10, 000 years. Maybe I have. In the same state of torture. Or maybe it has just been a few seconds.\n\nThis is my first Reddit post. Sorry if it's bad :P", "Tara was floating. \n\n\nNot really. She felt like she was, like what she imagined birds in the sky felt as they glided from canopy to canopy. Her hair, tightly bound in ceremonial bands and beads, fluttered at the edges and became looser. The knot in her stomach reached her throat. Her eyes were shut, and straining to remain that way. She did not want to die. She certainly did not want to see it coming. \n\n\nEvery next moment should have been her last. But the moments kept coming. And, finally, curiosity won. She opened her eyes. \n\n\nShe was still falling, but the wide shaft she had been forced to jump into had grown wider, into a dome shape. The dimmest of light bounced around, but never settled on enough to make out any clear details. All around her were strange structures, tall, squareish buildings with no ropes to hold them, or poles to steady them. It was as if they were made from mountain themselves, yet many of them were crumbling, or had fallen. She shivered, cold as the wind and frightened as a doe. Below her, approaching fast, was yet another square mountain. \n\n\nShe would land. She would die. And what she saw on the way meant nothing. \n\n\nBut she didn't die. Not from the collision with the square. Not from the shock or the sudden snapping of movement. She hurt, greatly so, but she stood. Slowly. Gingerly. And she looked.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe meager light was coming from below. It was flickering like campfire, but buzzed an unnatural red. Tara felt the buzz in her bones, as if whatever shadows had crossed her body had also invaded it, becoming for her to become part of them. And a part of her agreed. She glanced up and saw a glint of sunlight blink away. The elders must have just covered God's Throat again.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe red light flickered. Towards the edge of the square cliff was a metal ladder leading down. Hieroglyphs were etched into the ground right in front of it, which seemed to tell a story she wasn't familiar with. She saw the arrow well enough. Tara began to think the gods were sparing her-- that, maybe, her sacrifice was a mistake and she could go home. All she would have to do was follow the arrow.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nShe climbed down a series of ladders and stairways attached to the square mountain. Several bars were bent, scratched up, or missing. She had to leap from one section to the next more than a couple of times. When she reached the bottom, she saw the source of the red light a short distance away. Another arrow beneath her feet pointed straight ahead.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWith a humble march, Tara approached the light. It too was square, like the buildings. Inside the light square was a circle, and three more hieroglyphs. She went to touch it, but felt the heat and pulled back. perhaps the gods were testing her.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I wouldn't do that,\" a voice said from beyond the darkness. \"You'll get burned.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nTara whipped around. Her heartbeat nearly doubled in a few seconds.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Apologies for startling you,\" the voice said. \"But I couldn't let that frame be marred by scarring.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nTara's heartbeat slowed again as a woman in her late 20's approached with open palms. She was beautiful in that sultry way, with golden red hair that outshone the gods' own buzzing light. Her slight grin was knowing and curious. Her eyes were dark and old. \n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Relax, girl. You're safe,\" she said. \"My name is Celestia, I'm your guide and protector. I'm here to help you navigate the lands of the Huanns and deliver you to my people.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"People... live within the gut of the gods?\" Tara said.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nCelestia snorted as she laughed, and excused herself. \"'Gut of the gods,' I've not heard that one before,\" she said, clearing her throat. \"Come. It is a short journey ahead, but we must make a few stops.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nCelestia picked up a knapsack with colorful patches and sewn holes, and indicated with a quick head motion to follow. Tara looked at the red O, took a breath, and walked beside her guide. \n\n\n\\\\\\\\\\\\", "It’s silly, but I keep waiting for the teacups and grandfather clocks to appear. Faded floral saucers, lace doilies, an old mahogany table with four matching Victorian chairs. A bouquet of drooping daisies, their stems tied with a pink satin bow. When I was younger, years ago now, Annie had first popped a copy of Alice in Wonderland into our old VCR, hoping to distract me while she studied for her exams. I can still remember the whir of the tape rewinding in the machine; a movie in reverse, triple-speed. Characters and places I hadn’t yet met, going about their backward journeys: un-eating and un-drinking magical foods, growing down and falling up. I thought that watching the film forwards would make more sense, but of course it didn’t. And yet, it didn’t matter, because the world through the looking glass—the Mad Hatter, the talking doorknob, the hookah caterpillar, all of it—had captured my imagination. For years, it was the only film I would watch, the sole resort of a tired babysitter, desperate for anything that would dampen my tantrums. And so, in the moments after I jumped, when I realized I still hadn’t hit the ground, this is where my mind went. A panicked mind scrambles for the familiar.\n\nThere should be walls, here. Whether it’s simply the light that’s disappeared, or the walls themselves, I don’t know.\n\nI’m not even supposed to be here. They told me to wait until nightfall, until the ceremonial send-off. But I couldn’t wait that long, living my last day with a metaphorical cannonball around my neck. So I said my goodbyes, kissed Natalie farewell—a long, bittersweet moment that I’ll cherish for the rest of my very short life—and jumped. Before the last of the light faded around me like the last notes of a symphony, I saw her stoic face crack, for just a moment, with grief untethered.\n\nI wish I had been there to comfort her, but by then the darkness had swallowed me whole. Jonah in the fish, Daniel in the lion’s den, Rosa in the Deepness. I wondered, would they tell stories about me, like they did the others? Thomas, Quinn, Anita. Mella-rose, Mark, and Jonie Waters, all three triplets sent one after the other, their family alternately devastated and awed that their kin would be selected thrice for such an honor. But what will be my legacy? A passable high school GPA; two stints as manager of the local Home Depot; a relationship that, if I’m honest with myself, wouldn’t have survived another month if I hadn’t been selected to jump. Well, really, if anyone outside of our ‘tribe’ inquires, it’s ‘volunteering’ or a ‘tragic accident’. But no one ever asks.\n\nSo here I fall. I wonder, how long it will take, to reach the end? I’ve already been falling for what feels like hours. The darkness has warped my mind, my perception. The only hint that I’m still falling is the comforting pressure of the wind beneath me, buoying me, trying her best to hold me up. Of course it’s not enough, but it isn’t the wind’s fault, nor the wind’s duty to save me. I’m touched that she’s even trying. I’ve never been—\n\nWhat is that? Below me, where I assume my feet are, there is something. Something white and shining, no larger than a ladybug, but shining so bright in the shadows that it strikes me like the noonday sun. Rapidly it draws closer, and I can make out a shape. No, not the sun, the moon! A crescent moon, flying towards me, grinning at me, almost like—a smile. A Cheshire smile. I know I’ve gone mad, mad as a Hatter, to be seeing the Cheshire cat here. There should be nothing here, nothing but hard-packed dirt and bone-snapping rock, the skeletons of hundreds, thousands who have come before me, flung into this Deepness to appease some long-dead Goddess. And yet, I can’t deny what I’m seeing. A white crescent of—something. Growing closer and closer, grinning wider and wider, until—\n\nMy feet touch the ground, alighting on the center of the smile with all the grace of an owl swooping to his perch. Incredibly, I am somehow alive. I’m still trying to come to terms with this revelation when a deafening sound threatens to bowl me over. It’s a sound I know but can’t place, because it is so foreign to this moment. And yet, in a moment, my ears adjust, and I know what it is.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nApplause.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\n/r/sneakyscraps", "I’m not the one to feel anger. I don’t really resent people. Don’t get frustrated easily. I normally don’t use any form of aggression whatsoever. But yet here I am. With a broken hand, and a pile of tissues that have stained red next to me on the ground. Why did I have to do that? Why am I such a fucking idiot? Maybe I desperately need my right hand when I’m in there? What if I wasted every chance I had with this stupid emotional deed? What a fucking idiot. Fucking. Idiot. I hear the sound of my father’s voice in my head. My worst thoughts are always voiced by him. Loud and clear. He wasn’t really what you would call a great father. He was kind of the polar opposite of me. Aggressive, easily frustrated, prone to resent people and just overall angry. So fucking angry. All the time. No wonder he died of a heart attack. Maybe I’m the way that I am because of him. Maybe they chose me for because of that? I don’t know. I don’t seem to know anything anymore. What the fuck am I supposed to do? Eat a big bowl of pasta like I’m preparing for a triathlon? Or would that dive not even lead to swimming, let alone fucking biking and running? Would I then waste my last meal on fucking pasta? I don’t even have pasta. I don’t know man. I don’t know. All I know is that I’m stupid, and that my hand hurts like hell.\n\nIt’s for the greater good they say. For the greater good, huh, that’s easy for them to say. Heroic actions always sound better when told. Sound better in past tense. Better from another point of view. I mean, I loved all the wild stories my dad used to tell me about The Hole. He was the most resentful man I’ve ever come across, but he could tell a hell of a story. I remember lying down when he came to tuck me in at night. The stories about the brave men who dived, and were rewarded by knighthood in the other dimensions they ended up in. About the worlds of magic with dragons behind that pool of darkness, that was feared during the winter when food was scarce, but celebrated once spring came around. I remember him talking about the deal between the two worlds. About the gift of the seed in return for the bravery of a man. I wonder how much of this was true. What if this was only my dad’s story? The story of a farmer. Or did he know, that the Old Guard would choose me on this day? Would he have trained me for this? All these years, by being an asshole with fairytales of a better future?\n\nAs I’m sitting on the floor my thoughts pour out of my head as fast as my blood is gushing from the wounds of my hand. Would I need stitches? If so, I would have to go to the daughters of the Old Guard, and they would definitely not keep their mouths shut. God dammit. I don’t know what to do. Should I clean up the mess I made? But then again, what does it matter? I’m not going to be here ever again right? I’ve never seen anyone return? And I then again, I could easily hurt my other hand by picking up all the shattered pieces of glass. Hmm, maybe better to leave it like that. And besides all of that, I don’t feel like moving at all.\n\nI understand why the people want to believe in something. You kind of need to have a source of hope when you live in this shitty region. The long winters make people hungry, and hunger makes people delusional.", " I walk to the edge of the hole cautiously. The tribe stands in a circle, surrounding me, completing the age old ritual with stamping, chanting and sticks hitting the ground. They will not force me. I have been chosen, and I will willingly fulfill my role as has alway been done. \n I look in. Nothingness. No sign of what has become of any previous participants, or what will become of me. I close me eyes for a moment, take in the familiar sounds of my tribe, my village, my home, then dive in head first.\n I fall gracefully, like taking a perfect dive into the South Lake at the edge of our village. I see only blackness, for what seems like ages, as the sounds of my past get softer and softer. There become a small light, at what look like the bottom of the hole, getting brighter and brighter. I start hearing new noises, what sounds like a kind of animal honking, and the sound of many people. \n I can see now a circle above my head, meaning at the bottom of the hole, and light coming in all around the edges. The sounds are coming from there and getting louder and louder. All at once, I reach the bottom, the force of head pushing into the circle, forcing it out of the way, and continuing the forward momentum of my body onto a rough surface. \n There are so many lights surrounding me, huge machines around my head with fumes and smoke being blasted into my face and lungs. A cacophony of noise and so many strange people staring at me. I stand to my feet, wobbly, and look around. There are buildings taller than the tallest trees in our forest and a huge sign above me that says “Times Square”. What is this hole, this portal, and where has it taken me?", "So I say my goodbyes, and they lead me to the hole. They count down. Three... two... one........ \nI jump\nI keep falling for about 10 seconds before I fall asleep. I’m my dream I’m in a white room. I see the past sacrifices and they all come up to see who this years jumper is. They proceed to tell me that when I wake up, I will be in a completely new village. It will be like a new life, but once a year, I will have a lucid dream where I come to this white room, to tell the next jumper this same speech.\n\nI open my eyes\n\nI’m in a bed, and I’m in a different village. I get up, and walk around. I meet everyone, and they greet me happily. It’s been nearly a year and I keep thinking about my family. A couple days later, I have the lucid dream. The next jumper is my little brother. We tell him what’s going to happen, then he disappears. I wake up, and start balling. Everyone asks me what’s wrong, but I just say it’s a bad dream. This happens every year now, and it’s the highlight/worst part of my year at the same time.", "You jump in, hoping that it will be a fast and painless death. You keep falling and falling and falling and falling and falling, you reach the bottom. To your surprise, the ground feels soft like a bed, you open your eyes and see that you landed on a bunch of soft things that completely cover the floor. You're in an actual room covered with pillows, plushies, cushions, blankets and more soft things. You get an urge to see what's at the bottom of this soft layer, so you dig, at the bottom of the pile is a mattress! You're in a room made of bed! Suddenly, a door that you didn't notice opens. You can't believe who it is, it's Jack! Your bestfriend that went into the hole last year! You run up to him, crying, you ask him all the questions that came into your head since you landed. He tells you to calm down and to follow him,you do. He leads down a hall into what you can only assume is a lounge room, it is filled with with people that went into the hole before you, they're all smiling sweetly towards you. Jack gestures you towards a chair, you sit in it. An old man gets up from his chair and comes closer to you. He explains that everyone that went into this hole lives here, he also mentiones a staircase that leads outside where people go to get food and other things. You understand that now you are in no danger and that you will live here from now on. Years pass and you welcomed many people into this place you and your companions call home A few more years go by and everyone had moved out of the hole and made a city outside of the staircase that lead out of the hole, you are leading the perfect life and people still go into the hole to welcome new people into this city.", "I had never understood why people were supposed to sacrifice themselves. We never had to before.\n\nIn fact, one year the elders all went to many different tribes to negotiate peace with them all. During this time, nobody could decide who to sacrifice, so nobody ever jumped in.\n\nThis year it was my turn... despite my curiosity at what was at the bottom of the hole, I had to restrain myself...\n\n\nWhen the time came, I approached the hole, but just as I was about to move to the plank to jump, I stopped and raised my arms to speak. It was not uncommon for the jumpers to give a final word or two, this time however, it would not be about how proud they were.\n\nWith my arms raised I shouted to the village;\n“WHY DO WE DO THIS? WE SHOULD NOT SACRIFICE OUR PEOPLE FOR THIS” The entire crowd went deathly silent...\n\n“The elders, members of our village near the end of their lives, dictate to the young and fit that they should throw themselves to oblivion, I have never seen an elder volunteer themselves to jump, have you?”\n\nElder Danithis spoke: “SILENCE. You will jump for the good of the village”\n\nI retorted “I will not jump” The crowd was still silent “I say we should explore this hole, create a rope or a ladder to lower into the hole, we must find what is at the bottom of it”.\nThe crowd seemed to agree, they vocally supported my idea, even defying the elders commands to make me jump... this would be a task in and of itself...\n\n6 months later, we had done it, we had made a large rope ladder with wooden poles for the rungs, it was positioned next to the pit with a roll so it could be lowered and raised. I volunteered to cling to the ladder and be lowered down.\n\n\nHolding onto the ladder, I kicked the first rung over the edge and started climbing down, progress was slow because I only had one hand on the ladder, the other was holding a torch, the flame illuminating the sides.\n\nAfter making progress down, it started raining; the rain flowed down the sides of the pit, making the ladder rungs slick...\n\n\nThen it happened, I lost my grip.\nThe torch fell down the hole first, so I had something to look at on the way down... I just closed my eyes and waited for the floor.\n\nI don’t remember passing out, but all I know is it was cold, there was still a breeze... I wait for my vision to clear and a man opposite me calls out “Hey! You! You’re finally awake...”\n\n(THE END)", "I watched from the tree as the head elder reached into the box pulling out a small card. He unfolded the paper, “Tai-ge Hanyu”. My face paled as he read my name, everybody in the crowd went a frenzy looking for me. I wish I burned the incense the shaman lady gave me.\n\nMy mother cried hearing the news, and my father comforted her. I felt a slight tug on my clothes, Min-ge looked up at me. “Why are they crying?” I picked up my little brother and walked into the room. My father looked up, his eyes were red. He motion for us to join them in a hug, “at least they’re paying a high amount of money...” I trailed of trying to lighten the mood, but my mother cried even more. A sudden knock on the door made my mother hold onto me. She gripped my clothes almost tearing them, “don’t leave me”, she choked out before sobbing even more. \n\nI opened the door, a soldier stood outside, “we are starting the beautification process.” My parents screamed in protest as the soldier grabbed my and and yanked Min-ge out of my arms. The soldier pushed me into a carriage and locked me inside. I heard the horses neigh, the carriage started moving.\n\nThe carriage halted and a I heard a few murmurs. Finally, they opened the door. There were many trees around the the carriage. One of the soldiers tied my hands and blindfolded me. They proceeded to walk somewhere. I saw some light through the fabric of the blindfold and heard many female voices. “Ms. Hanyu, we will be preparing you tonight.” \n\nThe ladies stripped me and bathed me in rose water. They washed my hair with the finest quality of shampoo and added multiple expensive oils. They dressed me in a white flowing hanfu with gold trim. I protested as they tried to put makeup on me, “Ms. Hanyu, this is for your own good.” They brushed on red makeup all over my face and placed numerous ornaments in my hair. I looked like a princess.\n\nI stepped onto the plank leading into the hole, the whole tribe gathered around. My mother cried into my father’s arm and my brother looked at me longingly. I sighed, the elders clipped a white cloth blocking my face and chained a concrete block on my foot. They chanted a ritual and pushed me into the waters. I couldn’t breathe, my lungs burned as it filled with water. Which corpse will I lay next to?\n\nI jerked up from the darkness and opened my eyes, where was I? The interior of the room looked like it belonged in a royal palace. I got up and peered opened the curtains more, I gasped. There was water everywhere and I was somehow breathing? “Water bride, you have seem to waken.” I flipped my head in surprise, outside on my doorway stood a man with platinum blond hair. I nodded slowly and he walked away. \n\nI was led to the washroom by the palace maids, and once again I was stripped and washed. I’ve never felt so clean. They dressed my up in a baby blue flowing hanfu with silver trim and dragon embroidery. The man from before lead me to the throne room. There, I saw the most beautiful person ever.", "The knock comes at dawn. I am barely awake, but somewhere in my mind, the fear creeps in. Nobody knocks on another's door this early. Something is wrong. \n\nI grab my axe and move towards the door, legs bent, toes curled. I have spent many years learning to be quiet; I am the best hunter in the realm, and I worked hard to keep it that way. Worked hard to make sure I would never be the one. \n\nI approach the door, and the knock comes again. A murmur from outside--a voice. Deep, gravelly. An elder? I lower my axe, but cannot calm myself. Only once before did I recall an elder summoning one of us this early. That day was the last I would see of my father.\n\nMy heart beats like rain on my roof in the cold months. I think about running, about taking my axe and all the food I can carry and never returning. But beyond the walls of our realm madness awaits. This I have seen with my own eyes. \n\nPerhaps, I muse, this is why I do not fear it. And why the pit within our walls makes me cold to the bone. The Madness you know scares less than the one you don't.\n\nSlowly, stiffly, I open the door. The Elders are there, the nine men and women to whom I devoted myself for twenty long years. \n\n\"Hello, Haldr,\" they say, their voices tinny from behind the animal skull masks. \"It is time. You are chosen.\"\n\n\nClouds have gathered when I am escorted to the pit. The elders have given me a full escort of warriors from the raiding party. They know my skills, my strength; they were wise to bring them. Every bone in my body wants to fight, to survive. But the values I have distilled into myself from a lifetime of hunting and fighting to protect this place do not allow those impulses to linger. Even if it means my doom, I shall not betray them. \n\nThey bring me to the edge and step back. The elders walk forward and begin to paint me in the ceremonial colors--red of blood, blue of sky, green of water. They speak words of a long-dead language. \n\nI stare at Elder Frej, her blue eyes still appearing kind beneath the decorated skull of a deer. Or perhaps that is just my wishful thinking. She applies green markings to my neck, and I lean closer.\n\n\"Frej, please. I have given everything to our band, to our way. Why have I been chosen? Why do you wish my death?\"\n\nFrej glances at the others, then whispers back, as if telling me a secret. \"Hold fast, Haldr. It is not as you think. You will understand soon.\"\n\nMy mind races. The ceremony passes in a blur of faces I will never see again. The elders speak more of the old language. And then it is time. \n\n\"Jager Haldr, you are chosen. The bridge is yours to traverse.\"\n\nI look down into the blackness. It is raining now, and mud slipslides down the sides of the pit.\n\nFrej's words resonate within me, and a thought occurs to me. The hope she wished to bring me--it is false, I know. But, standing upon the sword's edge between death and life, I realize it's falsehood does not matter. It is still hope. It is better than none. \n\nI step off the edge. \n\nThe wind whistles around me and I fall like a spear. My arms I keep crossed around my chest. The light disappears from above and suddenly I land--no, dive--into mud, no doubt accumulated from above. \n\nI am engulfed by it. I kick towards the surface, but I cannot find it. There is a current, like some unholy river, and it is pulling me down. I cannot see. My head breaches above the tides every few moments, and I take what breath I can, but my body seems to weaken. I taste earth and the earth consumes me. \n\nTime passes, I know not how much. My hand brushes something--something not mud. I clench it. It sticks. My grip on it stays. I can breathe. I realize my eyes are closed.\n\nI blink away mud. I am staring into a sky of grey clouds. The rain begins to wash away the grime, and I sit up, slowly, and breathe in the humid air.\n\nThe men I notice first. They wear strange suits of dark leather and fabric, and hold rods of jagged black metal, adorned with glass. The rods are pointed at me. They have no points, but I know they are weapons. The men stand with purpose, feet apart and eyes fixed upon me. They watch with palpable tension when I stand, wary of me, but not attacking. It is then that I see the rest of them.\n\nPeople in a garb I do not recognize, holding canopies on sticks above their heads--to protect from rain? The question lingers, then fades, when I examine the things behind them. Squared off sculptures of metal and glass, towering into the sky--no, not sculptures. Structures. People move within them, all their gazes trained towards me, standing bare of foot in a field of wet grass.\n\nA woman approaches me. She is clean, more than anyone I've ever seen. She smiles. \n\n\"I know you're scared, Haldr,\" she says. \"But I promise you this: you don't have to be scared any more.\" I want to protest, to ask her how she knows my name, where I am--am I dead? But then I look behind the woman, and like the falseness of the hope, those things cease to matter.\n\nA man stands behind the woman, wearing the same odd clothing, carrying one of the canopies. He is crying, but there is a smile on his face. His hair his a pale grey now, and his beard much longer, but he is my father. He drops his canopy and runs to me, holding me tight within his arms. \n\nI am home.", " ‘Kai!’ the shrill voice of the Priestess resonated through the pavilion, causing every head to turn towards me. It was the first time a beautiful woman called my name and I was anything less than ecstatic. The ‘Appointment’ had been apart of my village’s traditions since before I was born. It’s very simple, you see? Random people pick someone to throw into a seemingly endless pit.\n\nNow, if those people are serfs, this is a crime but if they have steel and gold, they’re elders doing the work of the gods. \n\nI hated its formality. This wasn’t a celebration; it was a death sentence yet the elders had us all gathered there waiting for the Priestess to call out a name. I would prefer them to just take you out of your sleep and just throw you at once. No need to torture us with the grandeur of it all.\n\nThe birds had stopped chirping, the wind became sharp against my skin and my heartbeat slowed down.\n\nboom, boom. \n\nMy feet felt like lead in sand water as I made the walk towards the Priestess. I looked in the faces of my fellow villagers, all different ages and sizes. For some, this was their first ‘Appointment’ and their excitement couldn’t be contained. Others were indifferent, even irritated at the length of this ritual though no one voiced that opinion. The elders would have their tongue.\n\nNone of the villagers made eye contact with me. It was bad luck to into the eyes of a ‘Jumper’. According to the elders, their gaze brings death to your doorstep. Superstitions were never my thing and now, I was going to die because of one. Poetic injustice.\n\nHowever, it seemed one villager didn’t heed the warning. He was the local drunk, a man who was known for his erratic rants and proneness to piss in public. We locked eyes and I saw something that took me off guard: pity. The same man who was known to beg for a few coins to aid his habits was offering his silent condolences. It was the only one I received. \n\nI knelt before the Priestess as she spoke her incantation, the words forming a noose around my neck, the air out of my lungs. If I had to kneel there for an eternity and beyond to avoid the ‘Hole’, I’d do it and when she stopped, I didn’t have to strength to get back up. The elders hoisted me up to my feet and marched me up to the’ Hole’, a well that looked like it was made for the giants. \n\nThey threw me to the floor and collectively stepped back. That was the part I always found interesting. \n\nThey believed the sacrifice is ruined without the free will of the victim so the elders would never force someone to jump. However, if you didn’t do so on your own accord, you’d be exiled to farthest ends of the woods, beyond the help of even the spirits. I laid in the wet mud as I reminisced on all of the ‘Appointments’ I’ve witnessed. Men, women and children, even infants and cripples. They all screamed. All of their last words were incoherent wastes of good breath. I wouldn’t make the same mistake. I stood up, slowly but surely. I stared into the faces of the elders with a ferocity that they would remember for the remainder of their days. I looked at the stars, the bright moon which was looking brighter than ever. Perhaps the spirits were watching. I cursed. At the villagers for allowing the outright murder of their families without an uproar. At the elders for upholding this barbaric practice, and the corrupt gods they claim to serve. I was met with an eerie silence, almost if my words were foreign. Then the chants began. \n\nThe elders face contorted in anger and led a vocal crusade against me, one that was so loud, I’m sure all the wildlife awoke to it. I stepped up on the edge of the ‘Hole’ and glanced at the seemingly endless darkness. The screams behind me got louder and more demented. A fitting send-off, if I do say so myself. I turned back to the crowd one last time and found the drunk front and center of the pandemonium. He was smiling with his crooked and bent teeth. I returned one back at him, with equal enthusiasm. I jumped into the unknown as the birds resumed their chirping and the sharp wind tore away my flesh.", "\"Don't do it Vinh,\" Nadia pleaded. She stared at her best friend she'd known since childhood, begging him to change his mind. \"You don't have to do this. We can go. Right now. I'll grab whatever I can, throw it in my pack while you grab your things.\"\n\nAs Nadia spoke, her sunburnt skin gleaming from torchlight nearby, Vinh chose silence. Just as it always had been between them. When Nadia talked, Vinh was quick to listen. She was, after all, the smartest person he knew. Smarter than some of the elders even. Clever and tricky, a dangerous mix. But right now, she was neither of those things. Right now, Nadia was desperate.\n\n\"We'll take just enough food to last us for a week. If we're lucky we can make it to the harbor master at Senno'Loa docks before harvest week begins. We can take a boat to the main land and from there we'll disappear!\" The more she spoke, the more she began convincing herself. \n\n\"Nadia-\" Vinh said, his voice barely above a whisper. She paid him no mind. Instead, she continued spelling out her grand design.\n\n\"We'll make it on the main land. From there, we can hike across the Verdant Hills. My Uncle told me about them once, he said they were beautiful! Like an endless sea but made of grass instead of water. You'll love it, Vinh. You've always loved the simple things.\"\n\n\"Nadia.\" Vinh tried again, trying to draw her back from wherever her imagination took her. This time his voice was a bit more firm yet still she ignored him.\n\n\"Then, once we get past the hills, we can try our luck at the city. I've heard about it in stories. They say people there travel on mechanical contraptions! Great big old things, made of metal and with wheels at the bottom, carrying the passenger wherever they want. How crazy does that sound!? Mainlanders...\" Nadia shook her head giving a judgmental click of her tongue. \"The things they come up with. It's so, well, ridiculous! Don't you want to see what other crazy inventions they've come up with?\"\n\nVinh, despite knowing better, nodded. He'd play along for now knowing it would make her happy. \"Crazy mainlanders.\" He muttered, just like he always had. Nadia beamed at that.\n\n\"We can find work. Me and you, Vinh. We'll tend to the fields. I doubt those lazy city-dwellers know what hard work really looks like. You can even show them how a proper hunt should be while I till and harvest the crops. Trust me, we'll find a place there. We can make it!\"\n\nThis was it, the only play available to the two of them. At least it's what she clearly believed. Her hazel brown eyes, vibrant of color, teeming with such life, gave way to the true words hidden in her heart. She was terrified of what was to come. Fear was blinding her, Vinh knew. She was allowing herself to subscribe to thoughts that would only make things harder in the end. Because no matter what sort of fantasy scenario she whipped up in her head, Vinh knew it wouldn't come. They couldn't have what she wanted. For that matter. They couldn't have what he wanted. \n\nBecause Vinh was a marked one.\n\nEvery year, a Scared ritual was held on the island of Senno'Loa. They called it, the Senno'Loa dive. There, in the heart of the village, a seemingly endless hole known as the Gaping Maw stood waiting. No one knew what it was exactly. None knew how deep the hole went. There were no answers here, only questions. Simply put, it just was. But there was more to it than just a silly hole. This was where the Sacred Ritual took place. A ritual where one tribesmen was chosen to jump in all in order to appease the elder god Sennok. \n\nLegend had it that Sennok was a bountiful deity who bestowed an endless bounty upon the island. However, Sennok was a demanding god as well. In order for his gift to be given, a sacrifice need be made. The marked ones, they'd been called, chosen tribesmen who were deigned worthy by some invisible hand, were charged with jumping into the Gaping Maw. They'd never be seen again, but without fail, there sacrifice would ensure another years harvest.\n\nAnd right now, Nadia was being forced to watch her dearest friend, the one true friend she could confide into, the one she had secretly given away her heart to, be forced to make the Senno'Loa Dive. \n\nNadia didn't need to put into words how she felt. It was already written all over her face. The girl was breaking. But still she tried. Still she fought for another way.\n\n\"Nadia, stop.\" Vinh said, finally working up the courage. \"You need to listen now. Okay? We both know what happens next. I'm going to make that jump tonight. No matter what-\"\n\n\"WHY?\" She shouted. So sudden was the explosiveness of her cry, that even Vinh reeled back. \"Why do you have to!? Why you!?\" The dam holding back what she felt was open now. Words came out whether she wanted to say them or not. \"It's not fair! Vinh, it's not fair at all. There's dozens other candidates to make the jump! Why not them! Petros,\" Nadia singled out a name with a dangerous conviction. \"It should be Petros! He's been slacking in the fieldwork as of late. He eats more than his share and he's ungrateful for it! Why not someone useless like him?\"\n\nVinh didn't know. No one did. But it wasn't his place to ask the why's. He just knew what was expected of him.\n\n\"Don't say that, Nadia. Whether it's true or not, it's not right. Besides it doesn't matter now. We both know how things must go. I've been marked. No one can take my place. It's just... it's just the way it has to be.\"\n\n\"WELL I HATE IT.\" She screamed. Nadia bolted up from her seat and began stomping furiously around the room. She didn't care where her voice drifted to. She didn't care who heard her. In fact, there was part of her that wanted to be heard. Let the village know just how much she hated this stupid, unfair ritual. \"None of this is right, Vinh! And I'm not going to sit by and watch you throw your life away! I won't let it!\" Nadia was fuming now, all composure gone. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, matting her shimmering hair. She paid them no mind. She'd not let herself break down like a little kid. Not now. Not when she needed to find the strength in order to change things. And rest assured, Nadia had all the conviction in the world to do just that.\n\nBut then, she saw him. In the midst of her fiery rant, she hadn't noticed that her best friend had been sitting there, legs folded, body hunched, head in his hands. Between his long, calloused fingers, drops after teardrop fell down. She didn't catch the slow, aching sobs that wracked his body each time he squeezed in a silent breath. Nadia, too fixated on her own pain, did not see his. She did now.\n\nVinh's quiet tears could only stay quiet for so long. \"Please...\" He said, his voice trembling. Every syllable he said was strained. It took everything from him just to keep it together. And even still, he was failing at it. \"Please, Nadia. Enough. I- just. I can't hear that stuff anymore. Don't talk about what we can do. Don't talk about things we can be.\" A wracking sob hit him just then, forcing him to gasp. \"Don't say things like that because... because we both know that we can't have any of that. I can't have any of that. So please. No more. I can't take it.\"\n\nIn that moment of agony, Nadia knew she had done wrong. She spoke of a world full of hopes and dreams, while Vinh faced off against the burden of reality, alone. Tender, slowly, she knelt besides him, gingerly wrapping an arm around Vinh's huddled body. Her sheer touch had sent shockwaves through his body causing him to cry harder still. She said nothing, she just held him. Held him and wept.\n\nFinally, as the tears slowly came to a stop, she asked. \"Why?\" Her voice hoarse.\n\n\"Because-\" Vinh said, pausing as another sob had caught in his throat. \"Because if I don't do this, who knows what will happen. What would happen to mother. It's just her now taking care of me and Cyan. What if- what if I ran away like you said? What would happen to them? What about your parents. Your dad's been sick, no? What if the stories came true and the harvest never came? What would happen to them then? I... I can't risk that.\"\n\nShe hadn't thought about that. He was right, but all this time she had only been thinking about her wants, her needs. Nadia felt small and angry just then. \"But-\"\n\n\"Nadia,\" Vinh unfurled his big, wide arms and draped them over the smaller Nadia. He engulfed her, pulled her in and then held her tight. She welcomed it. \"There's nothing else to say. If you continue fighting against it, it'll only make it that much harder on me. So please. While I can keep my head up high. While I can still tell myself that I'm doing this because I want to, please don't take that away from me. I don't want my sister's last memory of me to be of me crying. For what it's worth, I don't want that to be yours either.\"\n\nShe wanted to argue. So terribly did she want to, but she didn't. Vinh had laid out the truths in his heart and had made his last wishes be known. She'd have to respect that.\n\n\"Okay.\"\n\n\"Okay.\"\n\nVinh pushed them apart, holding her at arms length. The two stared at one another for a time that spanned a short infinity. Every line on their face, every blemish, every mark and all the little facets that comprised their faces, they stared at. It was a little silly, it was a bit awkward, and most of all, it was entirely perfect. Then they laughed. Just like they always had.\n\nShe wanted to say something else. One more thing that sat deep inside her heart. Words that were waiting for just the right moment to come out. But she couldn't say them. Not if they were going to steal his resolve. That was going to hurt, Nadia knew. For the rest of her life she'd regret not saying it. But that was her sacrifice to make. His was to dive into the abyss.\n\nThat night, they'd both have their own cross to bear.", "(Haha i had a Dream about this once) \n\nIt was Tradition in my village, every year the chosen one would ascend, the elders would say it was to join the gods, to join the circle of world makers. I was chosen this year. \n\nThey would dress me in light garb and send me into the ascension dome. And when I got in, I would be able to command the way the earth works. \n\nThats not what happens however. I step into the dome, look over my shoulder to see my teary eyed dad, my sister with her boyfriend and my mom smiling and proud. I see the elders dressed in white. Hoods and masks covering their faces. I saw the sun, a distant cloud and the doors of the dome slowly sliding shut.\n\nThe dome wasn’t too large, perhaps 50 strides across. The floor, metal aperture design cool to the touch. I was told to stay in the middle, that the circular window at the top would be my path, I look up at it, it had been stained with rain and sand from Past storms. The room is perfectly symmetrical other than the door I came in from and the lines at the opposite end of the dome. \n\nLines? I walked over to the lines, 10 strides away I could make out that it was another door, but the type you could only open from the inside, 10 strides was all I got though. The floor dropped out from under me and I fell. \n\nStill falling I noticed railing right in front of me, 10 strides away, I attempt to float over to the railing and my falling body rockets towards them, somehow missing the actual railing and crashing into black iron stairs. \n\nDazed it takes me a few minutes to regain the ability to read what the outside world is doing. I could hear the wind blowing up and out from this abyss... I could also hear something else. A groan. The flap of bare feet on the ground. The tinkle of water. It all seemed to Ecco endlessly.\n\nI look up from where I am towards the center of the hole, I couldn’t see anything other than the metal clad wall of the hole. I got up to look over the railing I had just crashed into, but I saw nothing but darkness. I decided to continue down the stairs, looking over the railing every now and then but always seeing the gaping black nothingness. It was hours before my eyes caught the glint of something, another hour before I recognized the stream of water. Another hour before I could see what path would let me to it. \n\nThe path was of rocky cobble, it looked like the old sewer systems built long before the ever dust events, before my age waste was just, put somewhere else. That is what caused the great dust we learned. We learned the sewers would lead to a cleaning place and that the clean water would be dumped into the world lake. \n\nI followed the sewer for a while, at this point I began to feel my stomach clench, it growled trying to tell me that food was needed. The growling didn’t come from me though, it was distant. From where I had come, distant for now. \n\nI felt white hot fear and trying to run as quietly as possible by avoiding the water I tried to get to a spot where the light came from the sun and not from my light shard. \n\nI didn’t see the figure I ran into but I felt it pull me to one side, i let out an involuntary Yelp which was muffled by a hand over my mouth. A door closed and a light went on. \n\nI was looking at a gathering of past ascenders, 4 of them.\n\nOne of them, Lioness has been my best friend growing up, she had ascended when she was just 12. I’d missed her all these years, I was so happy for her when I though she had become a god however. \n\nI went to ask a question and anther woman put her hand over my mouth and a finger to her lips. The flap of footsteps could be heard outside the door I had just been dragged in from the sewers. We waited.\n\nDays had gone by before the thing left, I had been given food and water, no one ever said a word though, as if the slightest peep would attract the monsters. \n\nA month later we opened the door, a woman with brown hair I remembered being called Net st the lead. She motioned is to follow and so we continued along the sewer path. Quietly avoiding the water, not daring to let the supply pack scrape on the stone walls. \n\nWe moused for Hours before I could see further than what light we had, I could see the faint outline of rocks further ahead, I could see a pinprick of light. \n\nWe reached the light and found the sun screaming into our nocturnal eyes. But Net walked on, we followed through rocks and over shrubs, we followed past trees and dusty clearings. The sun was higher in the sky now, I’m guessing we had left right at dawn.\n\nNet took a few sides towards a greener tree and set her pack down. “Rest” i heard, and the group erupted in conversation.\n\n-to be continued", "I drop my apples in shock, shaking as I knew all along what this meant. They were going to sacrifice me. As young as eight I always snuck around to see how exactly it was done; not just the public display. I still remember the local bully, Kyle boasting on how his soul would save the village by jumping. The crowd cheered and awed at how quickly he went in, only to disappear as quickly as he went in. The elders would look in and smile that same smile. \n\n\"He did it! He saved us!\" \n\nAs soon as the crowds would depart, I would see Savannah, the leader of the elders raise up her staff and two young men wearing dark green robes jump down the hole and float back up with Kyle still alive. He was covered in blood from his head to his toes. I still remember Savannah's low baritone voice, \"Kill kim. He is no good anyways\". As soon as she stopped talking, the men began to pull the boy apart from opposite directions as he screamed for help. His bones snapped like twigs as the flesh thinned and thinned revealing crimson and live gore. Kyle's eyes rolled back from the pain as death took his time. They churned the organs like stew and drained the blood into a large bucket as he still screamed. \n\nWhen Kyle finally died, Savannah and her pack laughed together as they began feasting on the corpse like wolves. I always hated the souds of the slurping and the chewing when they ate. I don't know what else they did as I snuck away from the trees back home. Too bad, I wish I could say it ended there but the elders took on even tourists. Tourists were always the unlucky ones and the most likely victims of these \"festivities\". I sometimes wish that our \"village\" wasn't filled with new technology and talent that attracted so many people. So many victims for many years. This year there wasn't as many tourists so we now go back to our own people. They chose me of all the people. I pick up the newspaper that had my own personal column. I always hated the elders anyway. But this time I have a plan for this day. I always knew they were on to me since the \"accident\".\n\n I still blame myself for getting Savannah killed by the train. But hey, what was I going to do when she wielded a knife at me? I pushed her over and heard the satisfying crunch of her ribs and her eyes popped out her skull. I pretended to cry when the police found me near her and they comforted me that I was trying to save myself but the elders were angry. Now, they want me dead because I got their leader killed. I have only 5 hours left until they come for me. I will escape them tonight. \nI look over to my bed to a large bag that held my few belongings and I dressed up in all black pants, shirt, heavy duty shoes, and I had gloves for extra measure. The plan is almost done expect for one last thing: My spell book. I grab my spell book and scan through the pages until I stumble across the one that had the bookmark. \nHere it is.\n\nSpell #223\nMors phantastica illusio\n\nI mumble the words as I focus my mind to conjure up the illusion. I feel the spell make my blood cold, almost like a sting in my heart. The room got darker and the wind around me whips around as I focus. Those elders aren't the only ones with magic. Anyone could learn it if they were determined. The spell finally fades to reveal an orb of purple and white. I smile as I hold it in my hands. This was going to be the key to my escape. \nI will escape on the boat and the orb will imperonate me at the ritual long enough to make the jump. \nLittle do they know, once the spell wears off, I have spell #345 ready. \n\nO lux\n\nI cackle as I escape through the window and make it to shore. The hours flow by like drops of water and I look back to hear shrieks and cries as O lux burns their skin and flesh away. Nothing survives light. Nothing. \nI smile as look the moon as I return home.", "Every year one of us has to jump, every year we have to say goodbye to one of us just to have him jump down this damn hole and probably kill themselves.\n\nIm planning to form a revolution,to overcome this nonsense and to live in freedom without being bound to these damn elders' rules.\n\nTomorrow when another man will give his live for the village I will bring the will of the village on my side, allthough im only a teenager and therefore protected I am still willing to risk my life for freedom.\n\n\nthe next day\n\n\nThis morning was as silent as every years chosing ones. No birds, no humans, no one even whispered.\n.\n.\nIt didnt went as planned...\nI am now expected to be the one to jump tonight it feels like they knew what i was up to,I am scared of the dark below I dont want to jump but I will be forced..\nMaybe my death will be for the greater good.\n.\n.\nI was staring down the abyss,begging for my life up until they had enough of me and kicked me down ive been falling for a couple minutes now,at this point i just want it to end, its hard to breathe while falling but somehow my body feels lighter every second\nI was about to bite of my own tongue when a bright white light blinded me to an extend ive never seen before. It was so bright i passed out and what felt like months was over in a couple minutes i woke up seeing a bright blue sky and a man with long hair infront of me it seems like we were transported on a... is that a wagon?\n\nHe leans forward to me...\n\n\"Hey, you. You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there.\"", "Poem \n\nThe elders have chosen me,\nWhere I go I cannot see. \n\nMany have jumped before,\nI watch them fall but also soar.\n\nI’m scared and nervous for tonight,\nBut here I sit proudly and upright. \n\nThe clocks ticks it’s last minute,\nThe hole below me looks infinite.\n\nI jump because the Elders told me to,\nI could’ve fought but didn’t think it through. \n\nNow I’m falling over the ledge,\nI look back and see my family peering through the hedge. \n\nA sudden stop before too far,\nAll I am is a golf ball making par!", "I have a vague memory of a dream, I remember my parents telling me not to go in, I didn't listen. I let the darkness it emitted envelope me, I was changing, my bones cracked and grew thicker and longer. My skin darkened my legs lengthened. I could see better in the dark. I felt strong. I felt right. I woke up.\n\nWhen I told my parents about my dream they looked scared. But I didn't care, I liked it, I wanted to be around it.\n\nAs a child I never feared the hole.\n\nI was the only one like this, all the other children feared it, they would talk about their nightmares of falling in or being chosen to go. I could never understand their fear, the hole felt right.\n\nI think I always knew I was different from the others in my village, maybe that's why I never got along with the other children. I didn't have any friends ever. I didn't care much for my parents either. They where mildly entertaining, but they never caught my interest much like the hole did.\n\n But my parents didn't want me around it, they never let me play by it and it made me angry. Now I know they just didn't me to fall in, they loved me and didn't want to lose me.\n\n I didn't care, but I felt obligated to stay, I was supposed to love my parents right? I could pretend.\n\n I started to pretend a lot. I made friends, I learned how to be social, to appear normal. I grew a relationship with my parents. But none of it was real, all I cared about was the hole.\n\n Then the day came.\n\n Choosing day.\n\n It was me. I was chosen.\n\n My parents cried.\n\n I smiled.\n\n I was given a day. I spent it with my parents, but they seemed unsettled by my smiling and when they asked me why I smiled I responded without thinking.\n\n\"I'm going home.\"\n\n My words only seemed to make them sadder but I was too happy to care. I was going home, this was right, it was where I needed to be and I'd known it my whole life, I didn't want to wait. I couldn't wait.\"\n\n The need to leave kept building up inside of me, the call to go home became stronger and stronger until I couldn't take it.\n\n My parents tried to hold me back but I needed to leave so desperately that I fought with everything I could and broke free. I ran fast, as fast as I possibly could desperate for it, desperate to be home.\n\n I stopped right before it, staring at it like I had done so many times before. It sat in the ground dark, so dark that it seemed to absorb the light around it, I could never understand it and I wanted to know more. I was going to learn more I just knew it.\n\n I heard my parents calling my name but I did not turn. I smiled and said my last words to them.\n\n \"Don't be sad, I want this.\"\n\n And then I jumped.\n\nThe darkness enveloped me. My bones started to creek and crack, they grew longer and bigger, denser, stronger. My skin started to turn blue and darker. My legs started to grow even longer and they seamed to change shape. My feet became bigger and soon my legs and feet looked like that of a jumping mouse like I used to try and catch as a young child. And then I realized that I could see all of this happening, I could see in the dark even when I couldn't see the opening of the hole that I was falling down.\n\n I smiled. I felt so much stronger, I felt comfortable in a way I never had in my old body. I was still changing and every change made me feel more like me than ever.\n\n I hit the ground and blinked, unhurt and safe.\n\n Creature smiled down at me with fangs and horns. Blue skin black eyes and long legs.\n\n I was home, and my family welcomed me.", "The entire village gathered around. Everyone glanced at one another before the elders appeared on stage. “Welcome!” The eldest began. “Today is that time of the year. The time in which we gather for the chosen who will take our leap of faith for the survival of the human race.” The crowd cheered. Among the crowd stood Monty Patterson and his younger sister Vivian. Monty and Vivian did not cheer along with the crowd. Instead, they stood frozen – afraid. The reason for this is because either knowing they were still children, they understood the truth behind the ceremony. No one in the village was safe. Anyone could be chosen by the hand. The hand did not discriminate, nor did it consider age. Years ago, a newborn had been selected. If the hand chooses a name. It is to be etched in stone.\n\n“Monty, will I be chosen?” Vivian teared.\n\n“Don’t say that.” Monty snapped downward. “I won’t let that happen.” Monty felt helpless. If Vivian’s name had been chosen by the hand, there was nothing anyone could do.\n\nThe eldest stepped forward toward the stone goblet of old. “Let us now choose our champion!” This was the time when the crowd did not cheer, everyone stood in anticipation of their name being the one the eldest had just drawn from the goblet. “The next to take the dive –”\n\nThe eldest paused, \n\n“Monty Patterson!”\n\nThe crowd cheered. Vivian had been yanked away from Monty as the crowd hoisted him up in the air with excitement. The elders all stood to embrace their next champion. Monty screamed for Vivian who had been lost in the crowd behind. Once Monty’s foot touched the hardwood of the stage, his color grew pale.\n\n“Monty,” the eldest took hold of him to help his balance forward, “Monty, everything will be ok. This is an honor!”\n\nMonty kept looking for his sister, but she had been concealed by everyone crowding against the stage. Monty stared at the eldest, his grandfather. “Why?”\n\n“We don’t ever know our time my boy. One of the great things of being the chosen – is that you will know your time. Do not be afraid, for we do not know what lies at the bottom.”\n\nMonty’s grandfather positioned him center stage in front of the other elders. “Tonight,” he announced, “Monty Patterson will take the dive!” While the crowd roared Monty’s name, his vision had blurred to the point where everything snapped to darkness.\n\nWhen Monty awoke, he was behind the stage in the elder’s chamber. His grandfather instructed him he was to remain in the chamber until the dive. He left to go fetch Vivian in order for her to say goodbye, leaving behind a few elders to watch over Monty.\n\n“I need to go.” Monty told one of the elders.\n\n“Go where?” \n\n“No – I mean I have to go.” Monty motioned his meaning. The elder smiled and handed him a bucket. “There’s no leaving the chamber dear.”\n\nMonty tossed the bucket against the corner. He looked around the room for any possible exit but there were none visible. The chamber was full of secrets collected from all elders. Usually when one is about to take the dive, they try to find out as many answers to their questions as possible. But for Monty, the only answer he was interested in was a way out of the dive. \n\n“Psst!” Monty heard a peculiar noise from behind one of the marble pillars. “Psst! Monty, come here!” Monty found the elders in mid conversation and moved to where the mysterious voice had come from. As Monty approached, he instantly screamed in shock,\n\n“Henry!” Henry covered his mouth before any of the elders paid mind to the commotion. Henry shook his head and whispered from under his hood, \n\n“Don’t say my name. They can’t know that I’m here.”\n\n“Henry, how—” Monty started to question everything. The reason for his questioning is that Henry was Monty’s older brother – well, was. Henry had been chosen for the dive five years ago. Monty still remembers Henry disappearing into nothingness. Now, Henry was standing in front of him as if he never even took the dive at all. \n\n“Listen to me Monty. Listen real closely.” Monty leaned in closer to his brother. “Whatever you do. Do not let anyone stop you from taking the dive.”\n\n“Why? No one stops the dives. How are you here? What is going on?!” Monty needed answers. Henry rested his hand on his shoulder.\n\n“Everything in this chamber – everything the elders had taught us is a lie.” Henry tried to explain quickly. “Everything will make since after the dive.”\n\n“Why? What’s at the bottom?” Monty kept his attention onto Henry who noticed one of the elders moving their way.\n\n“It isn’t a bottom little brother. It’s a side.” Henry pulled away.\n\n“Monty?” An elder grabbed hold of Monty’s attention. “Are you alright? I heard you talking to yourself.”\n\nMonty looked over his shoulder as there had not been a single trace of Henry’s presence. He didn’t understand how he was able to come back or even get inside the chamber. Monty started to question if his engagement with Henry was even real.\n\n“I – I thought I saw my brother.” Monty told the elder. The elder looked back at the others who all started to become interested in Monty’s encounter. \n\n“Tell us exactly what you saw or heard Monty.” Monty’s grandmother, one of the other elders ordered him.\n\n“Why? What’s the big deal?”\n\n“It may get you out of taking the dive, now tell us exactly what you saw.”\n\nMonty felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand. His brother warned him of those who try to stop his dive. Monty was trying to understand why the elders believed that he actually saw his older brother and why they wanted to know each detail.\n\n“Monty,” his grandmother handed him a pen and paper. “write us exactly what your brother told you in your vision.”\n\n“Vision?” Monty became confused. It felt too real for it to be imaginary. The elders circled around him. His grandfather entered with Vivian, but Monty had been held back by the elders.\n\n“Monty!” Vivian called out. The elders pulled Monty back to where he stood. Monty’s grandmother confronted his grandfather who rushed Vivian from the chamber. Monty called out for her, but the elders kept him in place.\n\n“Monty,” his grandmother motioned the elders to release him. “Tell me what your vision was or it will be Vivian who takes the dive alongside you.”", "\"The Void waits patiently for mortals,\" the Elders would say. \"But it returns a great bounty to the village when, once a year, we do not require it to wait. By sending one strong and healthy man early, into the mouth of darkness, bound for bliss in the Deep Hereafter, the Void provides us with light, and a measure of bliss, in this world, in the here and now.\"\n\nJust six months ago, during the sacred Ceremony of Bones, I was elected to take the Great Journey next spring. At first I was, as the Elect generally are, excited and ecstatic. I had learned from birth that there was no greater honour than being chosen to enter early into the blissful realm of the immortals, and I had spent my life, as most young men of our tribe do, trying my best to earn that right.\n\nI became a skilled and capable hunter, often returning from my hunting trips with huge hauls of meat slung over my shoulders. I became a fearsome and talented warrior, and played an integral role in the defence of our tribe against the Makuna invasion, as well as in the expansion of our territory many miles into Ickblatta lands. I earned a reputation as a fair-minded and intelligent young man as well: it is for more than just their skills in orchestrating death that tribesmen are elected by the Elders. Some even said that I had the spirit of a true-born Chief commingled with the blood that pumped through my veins. It was only natural that the elders, led by Chief Steppa, would choose me to take the Great Journey. But what I first saw as a look of satisfied pride in the Chief's eyes when he announced my election, I now see differently.\n\n\"What if,\" I wondered to myself, some nights after the election, when the initial excitement had worn off, \"what if the Chief chooses to send the strongest, smartest and best into the Void not because of the supernatural benefits it will confer upon the tribe? What if he uses the custom as an opportunity to rid the tribe of those who would otherwise threaten his reign, supremacy and hold on power? Could the underlying motive of this religious and magical ceremony really be so brutal and pragmatic?\" Such questions crossed my mind, and sent shivers through my generally unperturbed spirit.\n\nI tried to suppress them, and to rekindle the naive faith in the custom which had guided my every action since childhood. But such questions, however much I tried, did not stay suppressed for long...", "As a boy, my friend and I would sneak out at night and drop stones into the hole. We would carry the largest rocks we could find and heave them over the edge. They disappeared in seconds, and not once did they make a sound. We stopped playing the game after we saw the first man jump. From the foliage we watched, as the elders and warriors escorted him to the precipice, torches in hand. He jumped, and he was gone. On many sleepless nights, I remembered the silence. It would have been better if he screamed. \n\nI was always the odd one out as I grew older. While my friends matured into men, with broad shoulders and wide chests, I remained thin and gangly. Bird-bones, they would call me. I could not throw a spear or carry the carcass of an antelope over my shoulders. Perhaps that is why I was selected by the elders. \n\nI thought about running away at first, but I realized I could not live with the shame. It was my duty. In this sacrifice, I could finally serve the tribe in a noble way. So, late one night, I said my goodbyes and entered the elders longhouse. They painted me in white patterns and paraded me down the road, lined by thatch huts and the eyes of the onlooking village. It was a warm night, and the full moon lit the way. \n\nAt the edge of the hole, I felt no fear at first. Then I peered over the edge and it shot through my head and heart, waves of terror. But I could not turn back now. \n\nThe elders chanted in their secret language. The words seemed to twist and shimmer in the air around me. Finally it was time. I could not describe the feeling I had as I threw myself from the earth. It was similar to the feeling I had when I leapt from cliffs into the lake below. But this time, I knew that there would be no gentle embrace of water waiting at the bottom. I would fall into my death. \n\nAnd so I fell. The light of the moon above vanished almost instantly, and I was surrounded by darkness. I could not see the walls of the hole around me. I could only feel the air rushing up past me. My limbs moved and found nothing around them. I quickly lost all sense of direction; if I was falling up or down, I could not tell. I fell so fast it burned my skin.\n\nAfter minutes of falling, I imagined that there was no earth above and earth below. There was only the darkness, infinite, in every direction. And there was something pulling me down. \n\nI cannot tell you for how long I fell, only that it was enough that I began to long for the taste of water. I was tired, but I could not fall asleep, as every time I did, I would have a nightmare, a nightmare so terrible it would wake me instantly, a nightmare of falling, falling into nothing but darkness. A darkness so real that I imagined that the earth above had never really existed. The daylight, the ground beneath my feet, the blue sky, those might all have been illusions. A strange dream I had during a very long sleep. Perhaps I had been falling all this time, and imagined that strange life as a distraction. \n\nI fell for what must have been days. And then, my hand touched something in the darkness. Something wet and cold. It snapped at my hand like a turtle, and I recoiled in terror. After I had gathered enough courage, I reached out again, and I felt it again. Something hit my hand, burning my fingertips. Eventually, I realized this was the wall of the hole. I reached out with my other hand, and felt another wall. Soon I realized that the walls were closing in around me, on all sides, incredibly slowly, but unmistakably constricting. I made an effort to reach out with both my hands and touch the walls, slowing my descent through friction. The wet, smooth walls prevented this action from ripping through the flesh of my fingers. \n\nOver time, the walls were close enough that I had to keep my feet together, and then close enought that I had to keep my arms above my head. On all sides the walls were constricting, like some sort of snake wrapping itself around me. I feared that it would crush me soon enough, so I made every effort to slow my fall with my hands. Eventually the hole was tight enough that a normal man might have been too wide to fit. But I had always been thin, so the walls let me slip past, and my descent slowed. I was going slow enought that I could almost have stopped myself if I tried to press my body against the walls, but I didn't dare to. \n\nAnd then, in an instant, the walls gave way, and I fell freely once more, only for a second. My legs crumpled beneath me as something violent rushed up out of the darkness below and slammed into me. The air left my lungs and I tasted blood. Something cold and solid had crashed into me and stopped my fall.\n\nThe feeling of not-falling hit me first, and I found it hard to move my limbs. I tried to stand up, only to slip and drop again. I landed on my back, where something soft gave way beneath me with a crunch. The smell then overwhelmed me, and I turned over and vomited. I braced myself with my hand, but my hand dug into something, something hard and cold, that shifted. At first I thought I was lying among branches and rocks. But as I felt this thing in my hand, I pushed my fingers into a pair of holes and realized I was sitting among corpses. I panicked, and tried to move away, but my feet could find no purchase among the bodies. I crawled through the dark, wretching, stumbling, but there was no end to the bodies, they pulled themselves around my ankles and arms, I slipped and fell among bones and cold slime, decaying skin and worse. \n\nIt took me a while to gather myself. I have been sitting here for hours, it seems. At first I tried to find an exit. But there is none. The walls surround this pit in a perfect circle. It took me a full hour to crawl around them, searching with my hands for any way out. I am ashamed to admit, I even tried to dig, to find the bottom. I used up the last of my pitiful energy, motivated by sheer terror, to dig my way through the bones. To no avail. \n\nThere are too many corpses here. Not even if a man has jumped down from my village every year for a thousand years. The bones would have turned to dust by now if that were the case. But they haven't. \n\nEven as I am remembering my story, my mind decays into delirium. I have forgotten what is real. I should be dead right now. It takes me what seems like hours to even think. I am so thirsty and so hungry. And so very tired. But every time I close my eyes, I fall again. That nightmare is not so unpleasant now, now that I have reached the bottom.\n\nThere is something else down here with me. I can feeling it watching me. Not with eyes, no. Eyes are useless down here, where no light has ever been. Still it waches me. It can wait a very long time. The bodies that come down here, they drip down, bit by bit. They get caught in the tighest part of the hole, and then they decay. I think about all the men that must have been stuck where I slipped through. I wish I shared their fate. I will slip away soon, very soon. There will be no rest for me here. It doesn't matter. This is where I have always belonged." ]	[ 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 5, 5, 5, 6, 9, 17, 30, 46, 53, 71, 160, 845 ]	[ "1556481957", "1556527219", "1556527823", "1556514095", "1556514239", "1556499202", "1556500234", "1556508356", "1556510386", "1556503817", "1556507665", "1556510130", "1556501449", "1556503358", "1556496744", "1556498160", "1556490093", "1556497222", "1556495598", "1556484323", "1556489592" ]
	[WP] There’s panic all across the globe. The world has been covered in total darkness for the past week. That was when THEY arrived. THEY roam around outside. You and many others across the world are in hiding. Hiding from THEM.	12	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "No one knows where the darkness came from. It began as a shroud in the horizon, but as it came closer it looked like a blanket of pure nothingness. It was a void that descended from the skies, painting the whole world black. It swept through the whole city, swallowing every source of light it touched. Power went out everywhere, the sun above disappeared behind the darkness. That's when they came.\n\nNo one knows what those creatures are. They are swift, silent, vicious. They roam unseen and undetected, always in the hunt for those of us that survived the first hours of the dark. I remember their snarls and growls, the crunching of bones under great pressure, the smell of blood in the air, the screams of fear and pain. No one knows how many died that day or since, or how we managed to survive. That's the worst part. Not knowing. I don't know if my family made it out, or if they made it out of the street when it all went black. In a world without light, knowledge seems to be the first thing to disappear.\n\nI've been hiding in someone's house ever since. The owners, an old couple, let as many people in as they could under the circumstances, but some weren't as lucky. They begged for us to open the door before we heard them being dragged away by whatever was out there. There are twelve others in here besides me, and we all gather by the candlelight in the living room and listen to a radio the couple had stashed away in a closet. At first there was a lot of chatter out there, but it has diminished of late. We received fewer transmissions every day, until they stopped coming at all. Maybe the others didn't make it. Maybe the darkness outside is getting in the way of the signal, crazy as that sounds. In any case, everyone out there that was still alive seemed to be on the same boat as us. Ignorant, trapped, and afraid.\n\nSome of the others were talking. They were sharing theories on what was happening. From military secret weapons to government experiments gone wrong, they went through all the classics in less than an hour. Until a girl who hadn't spoken at all chimed in. Her story wasn't the most original, but at least it had the sound of a story and not a tall tale.\n\n“I've been thinking,” she said in a small voice. “The day before it got dark there were some rumors going on at my school.”\n\nThe room became completely silent. I could feel the expectation fall like a hammer on all of us, as we waited for her to tell her share.\n\n“A friend was telling me,” she continued. “Some kids from another class had gone to a camping trip during break. They were saying they found some creepy tunnel or something out in the woods. I guess they thought it would make a good spot for one of those creepypasta stories, because they went back a few days ago. Only they didn't come back.”\n\n“I heard about that!” someone exclaimed in the back. We all shushed him and let the girl get back to the story.\n\n“Well, to cut the story short, the police found them in the tunnel entrance. One of them was dead, the other two made it to the hospital, but one of them is in a coma, and the other had severe shock and won't even speak.”\n\n“Okay, but what were the rumors?” I found myself asking. I was curious, but I needed to know how this all related to our situation.\n\n“Well, my friend was saying that it wasn't true that the kid wouldn't speak. That the story got changed in the news. She said the nurses heard him say stuff so crazy that they had to sedate him to keep him from hurting himself.”\n\n“What was he saying?” someone else asked. Everyone leaned forward, myself included, to better hear.\n\n“I don't really know how it's related,” she said. “But people heard him say ‘darkness is coming out’, over and over again. And I know it sounds dumb, but…”\n\nBut that's what happened. No one said it, yet we all thought it all the same. Darkness, not the absence of light but darkness as an actual thing, came out from somewhere and brought those creatures with it.\n\nIt's been seven days now, since the world disappeared. Food is running scarce. We were too many to feed, and I fear we won't make it much longer. We can't be sure, but the creatures are probably still out there, and we are certain we will die if we open the door to check. We are sure the darkness will pour in and take us all the moment we even try to escape, and yet death remains our fate if we stay as we are. All we have now is a choice on how we'll meet our end.", "Josh peered through the slit in his door. With narrowed eyes, he surveyed the landscape.\n\nIt was all normal until they came. They didn't exactly have a name, but a name spread around the local area: Grabbers. They had touched down on Earth like with an alien apocalypse, forcing everyone out of their homes. It was the reason that they had acquired the name in the first place, as witnesses saw their neighbours and loved ones being scooped by the aliens in their gigantic hands. \n\nIt was a few months after the invasion, though. Mostly everyone had been taken by the alien race, to be experimented on or just simply killed. The aliens still hadn't declared the mission a success, as they still had frequent patrols scour plentiful neighbourhoods turned ghost towns. We had figured out their schedule, though; it was no secret at this point. Every day, hey would start walking around at one in he morning, seven, at noon, three, seven and ten'oclock. \n\nJosh turned around. \"Time check.\"\n\nHis companion, which was also his wife Wendy, fumbled around in a plastic bag in search of a watch. The bag crinkled endlessly, producing a ruckus that pierced the silence. \"It's gone.\"\n\nJosh immediately reached and snatched the bag, looking for himself. \"What do you mean it's gone?\"\n\n\"The watch,\" Wendy stuttered, \"is gone. I can't find it.\"\n\nJosh suddenly threw the bag to the floor, rage in his eyes. \"Then find it, for God's sake! We can't lose the watch!\"\n\nWendy obediently dropped to the floor, tears in her eyes. The time piece could be anywhere on the trail they had taken on the way here, still ticking away. Or maybe it had already been crushed by patrolling Grabbers, crushed beyond repair. After all, if the humans could predict when the teams would come around to exterminate them, they would easily be outsmarted.\n\n\"Shit, hey could be here any moment now,\" Josh cursed under his breath, returning to his post at the door. Even though he was intently looking at his surroundings, he wasn't taking much in. The watch completely occupied his mind, and if it were indeed lost, the two of them would most certainly die at the hands of the Grabbers.\n\nMinutes went by, which felt like excruciating hours. Minutes in which they could either be in he clear for a cool few hours, or deadly periods that they would much rather be hiding in the basement, ensuring that they didn't make a single sound. Wendy had come back, and much to Josh's dismay, she wasn't holding the watch. \"I'm so sorry,\" she mouthed, leaning up against her partner.\n\nJosh tried to comfort the woman, suggesting that they hide ahead of time. Silently, she nodded her head.\n\nThe two went downstairs in the now abandoned house, deciding that they hide behind a sheet of wood that was conveniently placed. From then, Wendy couldn't help but empty our her tear ducts.\n\n\nThe door opened, which Wendy's moaning nullified. Josh hadn't heard the sudden interruption, he had instead focused on comforting her wife. \"It'll be alright,\" he had repeated without much thought. \"We'll get through this together.\"\n\nWendy had stopped crying. She tilted her head up and heard the footsteps above them. \"Shh,\" she held a finger up to Josh's mouth. Slowly, she brushed away her tears, being extremely mindful of the sounds she was creating.\n\nIt was too late. The aliens had already had the thought to descend the basement's steps, and they shortly arrived. Guessing from where they heard the sobbing, the team of two Grabbers, decorated with suits of armor made with a shiny grey metal, guessed where their next victims would be. They whispered amongst themselves, promising to themselves that they would not let the other leave empty-handed.\n\nAs Josh stayed hidden, he couldn't stop his body from tickling his nose, dust coming up into his sinuses. Despite his numerous attempts at neutralizing the sneeze, pressing a finger against the troublesome body part, the urge would not dissipate. As a result, he let one out that instantly attracted the attention of the two patrols.\n\nWhipping around, they pulled away the covers of the two humans. They wore emotionless expressions, which was not very recognizable by the two fugitives. With a swipe, Josh and Wendy were both suspended by their necks, held by the pair of extraterrestrial beings. They choked and struggled with all their might, kicking desperately at the patrol's set of armor, their grip on them would not budge.\n\n\nOne of the aliens held their other hand up to their throat to clear it. Then, he started to speak in very basic, broken English. \"We do not kill. We save. We save from other Grabbers.\"\n\nFrom his partially crushed neck, Josh managed to mutter \"Then let us go. You're... Killing us.\"\n\nThe Grabbers released Josh and Wendy, shocked at the damage they had caused. \"We... We are sorry,\" one apologized. \"We only do this one time.\"\n\n\"Well shit,\" Wendy rubbed her bruised neck. \"At least you didn't kill us.\"\n\nThe other Grabber spoke up. \"We are sorry. We grab necks to move humans, go past other Grabbers.\"\n\n\"Could've just not held us by our necks,\" Josh spat. \"Now It's going to be sore for the rest of my life.\"\n\n\"We are sorry. You come with us when ready. We take you someplace.\"\n\nJosh and Wendy both exchanged glances at each other and nodded. Josh nodded at the two rogue Grabbers. \"I think we'll be as ready as we can be,\" he announced, tears of joy starting to come from his eyes.\n\n\"You sure?\" An alien checked. Josh and Wendy seemed to be struggling to breathe, the two had latched on so hard. \"Your neck...\"\n\nJosh stood up, appearing more determined. \"No, we are ready. If you really are what you say you are, we'll no longer have to worry about surviving through this hellscape. And of you aren't and this is just some elaborate game, we won't have to worry about surviving, roaming aimlessly in the constant search of food and water, constantly interrupting our rest periods to watch out for all of you.\"\n\n\"Then we will take,\" the alien smiled. \"Take the humans somewhere else.\"\n\n\nI had to write the last bit when my sleep cycle started to remind !e that I was supposed to be getting some sleep. Sorry about that! Also, feedback is appreciated!" ]	[ 1, 2, 3 ]	[ "1556505348", "1556511881", "1556512729" ]
	[WP] You are praying to whatever god when you hear a booming voice say, "Huh? What... what year is it?", you answer with 2019 upon which the voice speaks again, "Oh crap I really overslept. You're gonna help me fix everything now."	556	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Wait, what just happened? I asked the voice that just talked to me. It must be weird for the other people in the church to hear me talk to seemingly nobody. The voice answered 'I am god, i've been asleep for the last 2019 years. I put Jesus on this earth to take over while i was asleep, but he clearly didn't do a good job; this place is a mess!' \nI wasn't sure if i was going crazy or if god was really talking to me. I never had any hallicunations before, my mental health is in order and i haven't had any weird dreams lately, but there is no way god is talking to me right now! I was getting kinda scared because of this whole weird situation, but my feeling of curiousity took over the feeling of fear and i asked; 'So... what do you want me to do?'. I didn't get an answer. I decided to wait for 10 minutes but the voice didn't come back. When i got up of the prayer mat, the priest came up to me and asked if i was okay. I lied to him and told the man that i always talk during prayer. He gave me a weird look but didn't ask any further questions.\n\nI was walking towards my car when Collin called me; 'Desmond quick! your son has been involved in an accident at the Bank! I need you to come over to the hospital ASAP!'. I panicked and ran towards my car. I forgot about the weird experience i just had and drove towards the hospital quickly. I went 80Mph in a 50 zone, but fuck it, my son was in danger! I came to a traffic light that was turning red and i decided to drive on. It was irresponsible i know, but i felt like it was the right thing to do. I just passed the red light when my engine suddently stopped working. The dashboard indicated 'no fuel'. No way, this is not possible! I filled up the tank yesterday!. I saw a truck driving quickly towards the intersection from the left. I know this intersection very well, as i always pass it when i drive to work. I knew that the traffic light would be green for the truck, and i tried to get out of my car as quickly as possible. I loosened my seatbelt in time, but right when i wanted to open the door i heared a big BOOM. Everything went black. Was this death? Would i be stuck in this black space forever? I felt like i was getting a panic attack when the voice spoke to me; 'I will show you'", "It started as a joke. Drawing a pentagram on the floor, dancing around it singing old Latin songs. Ya'know, normal college party stuff, right?\nBut then we heard a deep voice, echoing, resounding in our souls. \n \n\"What year is it?\" \n \nI can't tell which of the group managed to stammer out an answer, but it satisfied this... thing. \n \n\"That is... not good. It's been too long. I need the five of you to help me fix this mess.\" \n \nJacob, far braver than I, asked who the hell we were talking to. \n\"Lucifer, of course. Did you not summon me?\" \n \nThere were mutters of noncommittal affirmation. One of the girls managed to ask what fixing this mess would mean. \n \n\"Surely things have gone bad. I was supposed to be here three centuries ago. I need you all to point me to problems so I can fix them. You'd become de facto gods and be helping your world.\" \n \nSeeing our shocked faces, Lucifer continued. \n\"Things will be returned to the way they should be. Does this not please you?\" \n \nThe girl mentioned something about how we were too young. \n \n\"Young is better. Too often, the old become jaded to problems.\" \n \nSarah mumbled something about Lucifer being the bad guy. \nSilence, heavy and filling everything filled the room. I tried to speak. I couldn't, the sound vanishing on my lips. A feeling of dread washed over me. Finally, Lucifer spoke. \n \n\"How unfortunate.\" \n \nEvery part of me came alight. The last thing I felt was the fire.", "John was praying before bed, the same way he prayed everyday for as long as he remembered. Suddenly he hears a voice inside his head. A voice that looks like a voice coming from someone who just woke up.\n\nG: \"Huh? What happened? Wait. What year is it?\"\n\nJ: \"God? Is that you? I can't believe you are real.\"\n\nG: \"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Oh shit. I think I overslept. What year is it?\"\n\nJ: \"Huh. 2019 sir.\"\n\nG: \"2019?\"\n\nJ: \"After Christ.\"\n\nG: \"Who is Christ?\"\n\nJ: \"Your son.\"\n\nG: \"But, I don't have a son. Oh my... Wait a minute. Where are you?\"\n\nJ: \"In my house.\"\n\nG: \"No. You are in Ca.. Canada? Where is Canada? Oh no, in the Americas. When have you people went to America? No. No. No. This is not good. What is your name?\"\n\nJ: \"It's John.\"\n\nG: \"Alright John. Tell me something. From what year is the oldest Homo Sapiens fossil?\"\n\nJ: \"Fossil? You mean from evolution? I, I don't believe in evolution.\"\n\nG: \"Too bad. I made it. Now, from what year is the oldest Homo Sapiens fossil?\"\n\nJ: \"Huh. Let me look it up real fast here... It's 300.000 years old sir.\"\n\nG: \"Oh my me. The last thing I remember was banishing Adam and Eve from the Garden into the heart of Africa. I, I have really overslept.\"\n\nJ: \"That means that everything you did in the Bible you didn't do?\"\n\nG: \"What is the Bible? Let me... Oh! My! Me! This is so wrong. I have a kid? I have never had a kid. This looks like...\n\nThe voice in John's head shouts like it was calling someone.\n\nG: \"Lucifer!\"\n\nL: \"What? What do you want? Who is it now?\"\n\nThe second voice looks like it came from John's left. But nobody was in the room.\n\nL: \"Wait a minute. I can't believe you finally woke up.\"\n\nG: \"And I can't believe what you did. Pretend you were me this whole time.\"\n\nNow the two voices were inside of John's head. Whit Lucifer's coming from the left and God's from the right.\n\n\n\nPS: It's late and I have to sleep. Maybe I will continue, maybe not. I just needed to get it out from my sistem.\n\nPS 2: I stole some ideas and overall formattation and typesetting from the story from /r/resonatingfury. I hope he doesn't mind.\n\nPS 3: English isn't my first language and I have barely written anything before. I appreciate any tips.", "It was raining, I think. Or perhaps I’d been crying so much the world flooded, soaking me to the bone, sweeping filth off the streets.\n\nOn my knees, in an abyss between somewhere and nowhere, tucked into the pocket of an uncaring God, I begged. I don’t even really know what for, to be honest. Anything. Everything. To feel whole again, or happy, or maybe just better, for a world worth living and a life worth space in the world. To be a better man, one Hannah deserved.\n\nThere was an answer. A deep, booming voice that rumbled through the valleys of my brain.\n\n“Shit, I overslept. I need your help putting everything back together, James. Let’s make things right again.”\n\n“Wait, what? God? You’re real?”\n\n“You prayed without even believing in me?” He sounded surprised, or maybe that’s just how my mind presented his words.\n\n“Well, I—I don’t know, I wasn’t expecting an answer. Have I gone mad?”\n\n“Likely, yes, but that only makes you more fitted to the task, in my experience. Enough idle chat; as I said, there’s little time. We need to right the course of this ship.”\n\n“What am I supposed to do? I can’t even keep my own life together. It’s all falling apart.”\n\nHe laughed at me inside of my own head. God. “Ah, human. You think too much. Allow me to help you out a little bit.”\n\nMy panic, my sadness, my anger and doubt all melted, washing off of me like I was in a holy shower rinsing the grime off me. I stood up in the dark, and the rain stopped—had it ever started?—and walked forward. I didn’t know where or why, but forward seemed correct.\n\n“Now, James. Listen close to me. I need you to do something important for me.”\n\n“What?” I croaked. “How do I help God?”\n\n“By helping yourself.”\n\nThe darkness waned slightly, not as if there were a source of light, but as if the darkness itself were a setting that could be adjusted. Spinning, I saw nothing but walls around me, and there was a small gemstone in the dirt at my feet. I picked it up, blowing it off, twirling it. A diamond.\n\n“I need it, James. Climb out of the pit and bring it to me.”\n\nI looked around, tracing my hands along the smooth, vertical dirt walls. “How? I can’t get out of this.”\n\n“You can.”\n\nMumbling, I went to tuck the diamond into my pocket—but there were none. My clothes had no trace of pockets, somehow. \n\n“I can’t climb with only one hand. This is impossible, I have to leave it behind.”\n\nNo response.\n\nI sighed, looking at the gem. It was the size of thumb-tip, brilliant even in the dark, and utterly useless. I felt all of the negativity that had been washed off me fighting, pushing against the dam set up in my mind. How the fuck was I supposed to get up there?\n\nKneeling down, God finally cut in. “You’re looking at it wrong.”\n\n“What?”\n\n“The gem. It’s what you make of it. A burden in the mind is one in life.”\n\nIt sat in my hand, sneering at me. I drew a deep breath, deeper than the pit I was in, and shut my eyes. Maybe God was right—but what good would thinking about it differently do? Maybe the gem wasn’t useless, if God wants it. But it was no good to my plight, and only served to make climbing out even harder.\n\nIt’s what you make of it.\n\nI opened my eyes. It had changed shape, growing into a set of picks just as stunning as the gem.\n\nI climbed. One pick in, another out and up.\n\nSlowly.\n\nIt was grueling, back-breaking, and I nearly fell several times.\n\nMy whole body hurt.\n\nI was so tired.\n\nI made it out.\n\nHunched over, heaving breaths, I held the gem up. It had returned to its original shape. “Here, God. I've done what you asked for.”\n\nHe laughed at me again, but it felt less insulting. “Keep it.\"\n\nThe darkness intensified, swallowing me, whisking my being away. I was gone.\n\n~~\n\nI opened my eyes, inhaling sharply, immediately filled with a sense of dread heavier than iron. I swallowed, gulping it down. Rolling in bed, thin sunlight creeping through cracks in shattered blinds, Hannah was already awake. She looked at me hard, but a weak smile twitched.\n\n“What time is it?” I asked.\n\n“Ten.”\n\n “Shit, I overslept.” I sat up, rubbing my eyes, then cupped a hand on her face. She leaned into it, eyelids pressed shut. “I need your help putting everything back together, Hannah. Let’s make things right again.”\n\n/r/resonatingfury" ]	[ 1, 3, 3, 3, 63 ]	[ "1556518610", "1556523367", "1556553528", "1556556238", "1556551815" ]
	[WP] Two strangers wake up in an empty room together. Neither of them know why they’re there or how they got there. What they don’t know is they’re twins waiting to be born.	5	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"This is a special case,\" Satan said. He nodded through the tinted glass window at the room on the other side. Two very different people sat on a red couch in warm, welcoming living room. Sunlight poured into the room through the windows. A short, waif-like girl with dark hair cuddled next to an older woman with salt and pepper hair. They watched a cartoon that Arthur did not recognize. This was the last stop on the tour before Satan turned him, and his best friend Julie, into Unique Souls. He assumed everything he didn't recognize was from an alternate universe.\n\n\"A few lives before they hit the Celestial tier...,\" Satan began to explain to his son Eric and his friends. \"They started asking about each other. It's kind of weird, but you get used to weird in this job,\" Satan chuckled. \"They asked if there was an upper-limit on points,\" Satan looked at his son. \"There is, but we're not supposed to tell them that.\" He brought a red finger to his lips and winked at the three friends. \"So they kept going back down then asking for each other after they died. They used so many lifetimes they earned enough points to get all the perks. We couldn't send them down anymore so the only option was to bring them together to find out what they wanted.\" Satan shrugged.\n\n\"They want to be born as Unique twins. Both of them want, and have enough points, to become Sols. We have no idea how to do that.\"\n\n\"Wow... so they're just waiting until you figure it out?\" Julie asked.\n\n\"Yes,\" Satan nodded. \"But, they don't know they're waiting.\" He nodded through the glass. The inviting living room became a white padded cell. Instead of the girl and woman, two teenage boys were now seated, unconscious, against opposite walls. Julie watched one of them stir. He lifted his head as he came-to and looked around the padded room. Fear washed across his face until she noticed the other boy. The first boy scrambled to his knees then scurried across the floor toward the other kid. As he reached the other wall a door opened in the padding and a nurse dressed in red walked into the room.\n\n\"The nurse is going to tell them they were in an accident and after some more tests, they're free to go home. We can't send them to Earth anymore but we can keep them distracted here until we know how to give them what they want.\"\n\n\"Wow,\" Arthur said. \"I never thought Hell would go out of its way to help someone.\" Satan smiled at Arthur.\n\n\"This is your first time here, right?\"\n\n\"As far as I know.\" Arthur shrugged and nodded.\n\n\"It's a bad habit to judge things based on other people's opinions,\" Satan said with a smirk. \"Who's to say they know any better than you?\"\n\n\"Why can't they both be born? I more or less get what a Unique Soul is, but I don't see how being twins makes a difference?\"\n\n\"Twin Uniques isn't a big deal, we've done that before. The problem is both of them want to be Sols. We can only do twins if they're different Uniques.\" Satan shook his head, \"Aside from that rules say one Sol per universe.\"\n\n\"Rules? What rules? Whose rules?\" Arthur asked. Satan laughed and shook his head. Then, he turned to lead them out of the room.\n\n\"All games have rules,\" he said.\n\n\\\\\\*\n\nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is year two, day #119. You can find all my stories collected on my subreddit ([r/hugoverse](https://www.reddit.com/r/hugoverse)) or my [blog](https://hugoverse.info/). If you're curious about my universe (the Hugoverse) you can visit the [Guidebook](https://hugoverse.info/2017/11/25/hugoverse-guidebook/) to see what's what and who's who, or the [Timeline](https://hugoverse.info/2017/10/23/hugoverse-timeline/) to find the stories in order." ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1556548863", "1556573690" ]
	[WP] You’re an immortal who got sent back in time. You always make sure to become friends with good people who get assassinated, like Lincoln or MLK Jr. You can’t change anything, but you feel like you owe these people who you know are going to die. You always try to make their last days enjoyable.	21	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Ice clung to his beard, his gaunt face had not seen a razor for months. I could see his breath fog, yet his eyes were pitch black, they were fixed on the horizon. Howling winds buffeted the tent but no one moved, Captain Scott would die here, losing the race and his life. \n\nI wanted to be here, I keep reminding myself of that, I wanted to be here at the end to make some record of the final moments. I’m struggling to find anything to write about, if you know Scott of the Antarctic’s legend, there’s nothing more to the story. I always imagined it like this, the final tragic end, Oates is gone and I will also leave this tent to never return too, \n\nI haven’t spoken a word, I’m sure he’s no there anymore, the mind is gone just a few more hours and It will all be over. The lost explorer, a man who won’t ever be forgotten, the failure who spurred others to do what he never could." ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1556582012", "1556592371" ]
	[WP] He twitched his neck and could hear a small crack. He started to grasp the limitations of what was possible in a decade. He had two, perhaps three of those left.	2	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The boy sat in the faded, white plastic lawn chair, his dirty brown hair covering his face. I watched as his hands fought against the restraints, cutting into his skin. He was suffering; I wanted to untie him and hold him close. But that had to wait. Sam had insisted that he needed to be completely alone and immobile for his Sight to work. So I kept quiet and watched from my own lawn chair. Silence. I glanced down at my own filthy skin, covered in dried sweat and grime. How long has it been since any of us have had a proper shower? I shook my head. Too long to even remember. Ever since the Singularity the world has just spiraled into despair. Sam and I were lucky to even find this house with all four walls intact after traveling for so long.\n\nSuddenly, an audible crack filled the silence of the room. I looked up at Sam again. His head was twisted to the side; his eyes white - rolling into the back of his head. The familiar buzzing sensation penetrated my body, like a wave of electrical current. He was in. This was a good sign! We weren't sure how many more times he was still able to See - maybe two or three more. The buzzing was softer though, so maybe that number was smaller. It didn't matter. We were still in the fight.\n\n\"God I hope this works,\" I said under my breath, clenching my fists. Sam had told me that he intended to look further this time. That it would be dangerous.\n\nWe need this advantage! We can't keep running scared and just wait to die! I NEED you to listen. I KNOW I can do this. Jessie, I have to try...\n\nI couldn't help but worry about him. I loved him, and watching this power tear him apart affected me just as much. The others called it a blessing; called him an Oracle. I still felt it was a curse. Everything about it has only brought him and I pain and suffering. Even if it was his destiny to reverse this, I wished we could just go back to the farm. It was warm and safe there. But he had a duty he couldn't refuse. And I had to take a back seat and let him try. And it scared me.\n\nSuddenly, Sam let out a ear-splitting cry and violently shook to the floor, still attached to the chair. I screamed and ran to him. He was convulsing, foam emanating from his mouth. His eyes still white; the Sight still in full-effect.\n\n\"Sam!\" I called to him, breaking the rules that he told me earlier. \"Sammy! Can you hear me!?\" I began untying his restraints. The buzzing was fiercer now - almost painful. Whatever he was doing was working...and it was killing him. I wasn't about to let him die on me. I tore his arms free and cradled his unconscious body on the floor, still shaking with energy. Tears rolled down my face, splashing onto the concrete floor. \"Oh Sam! Come back to me!\" I wailed, breaking down into a torrential downpour of emotion. I was everything and nothing at the same time. My universe was crumbling around me.\n\n*****\n\nSam took in an enormous gasp of air, pushing past my arms and bolting upright like a man possessed. His chocolate brown eyes replacing the stark white of before. The same couldn't be said about his face. He was as white as a ghost. I stared in disbelief. I absolutely thought I had lost him.\n\n\"S...Sammy,\" I whispered softly, still in shock.\n\nHe turned to me, the smile on his face the answer to my prayers. \"Jessie, I did it.\" He knelt down next to me, tears still streaming down my face. \"And I know how to win.\"\n\nEND" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1556638963", "1556642038" ]
	[WP] As a child, you were found alone on the outskirts of a forbidden forest by a nobleman. He took you in and you became one of his most cherished, well respected servants. You never questioned who were before being found...until now.	12	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "[WP]\n\n\n As the young boy surged and contorted within the confines of his sheets. He could feel how intensely it had called for him. “ YOUR TIME COME YOUNG ONE...” \n\n He sat up feeling a surge of energy funnel through his chest like wet lighting, who was that? No, what was that. The young boy couldn’t find the peace to rest again; he stumbled from his servants quarters into the utterly blinding moonlight that laid untouched outside. He could feel a strange feeling coming into his mind, it was indescribable yet all to familiar. Before he could fully comprehend it, his back snapped and cracked as it began to outgrow his shoulders. The best he could do was yell, and play victim as his whole skeletal structure began to rebreak at the joints. \n\n Within minutes he was sprawled stretching and yelling at the top of his lungs for anyone to save him. Why was this happening. As his body lay wreaked and recomposed, he felt a hunger grow deep within him. He could smell the rabbit within the keeps garden. He took a step to rise from his twisted stupor. He was perplexed with how different everything felt, the earth felt more delicate, the wind carried a thousand odors of a hundred different animals. The moon resembled the sun as everything seemed to shift and flow towards where ever he pointed his vision. \n\n This dream state only seemed to intensify as he stumbled to the river to wash his eyes. As he reached into the nearby river basin, he caught sight of his reflection in the moonlight, no how could have such venomous eyes, where was his nose, his chin. He let out a cry of blood curdling anguish but the only sound that resonated with his ear was the Erie Howl of the Beast of Black waters call." ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1556666584", "1556682813" ]
	[WP] When humans disappeared our pets were left behind to take over the world, now two rival species rule the galaxy, each one an apex predator from the same world and strangely sharing the same gods. An alien historian attempts to discover why.	325	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "After the humans disappeared, two new leaders rose from the ashes they had left behind: Cat and Dog. A long and bloody war ensued, with numerous casualties on both sides. Over time, the creatures settled their differences and established a society and religion.\nStrangely, they worshipped the same gods: a race of beings ranging from gentle to monster's, the humans.\nThe Dog faction were devoted to their gods, the seemingly immortal beings that had cared for them, their ancestors, and their children. They deeply mourned the passing of their gods and prayed for their return.\nThe faction of the Cat however, had different feelings and views. They held the humans responsible for their creation, and sometimes even missed them, but also held them accountable for the world's near destruction", "Our conquest started simple enough. \n\nWe had decided that we would follow what the humans had left behind, except for one simple hmmm......mistake we’ll call it.\n\nYou can’t fix a mistake without like this without going out of your way to be able to correct it with scientific, imperial evidence.\n\nFew things have galvanized our cause like this. The only other issue I’m aware of is when we were deciding what we should be called. \n\nAs I explain our cause to this man from the other side of our solar system he nods along. He seems to be understanding of our fleet of four legged friends showing up. He even seems to understand as I explain our mortal enemies the feline species may be showing up as well.\n\nI continue to explain why it’s so important that his PLANET may be ground zero for our war. We didn’t start this war, and we’re just trying to live our lives. \n\nIn the end we’ll figure out this mistake and we’ll properly reclassify Pluto as the planet it deserves to be in the honor of our hero Pluto the loyal companion of Mickey Mouse.\n\nIf the cats show up to pick a fight like they often do we’ll finish that too. For we are The Good Boys and The Good Girls and we just want to make the humans proud in their memory.", "The Octopods came first. Large creatures with skin that had evolved to survive the sun, their tendrils learned to tie together to walk upright. Their heads shrunken, but they spoke through their minds. They sweeped across the galaxy melding minds with every kind of intelegent life they came across, learning and their empire growing amongst the stars. \n\nThey were not malovent, but defended themselves well against those empire's that saw them as squishy and weak. They were wrong to underestimate them. In some parts of the universe they still fight with an intelligence that other species grew to fear.\n\nMillenia later, the Canines appeared. They tore across galaxies, teeth and claws and spoke in yips and yowls, a parody of the language the Octopods spoke. The similarities to the two species, dispute being so different in nature could not be over looked.\n\nThe Canines were devote to their gods. Truth be told, their mission was to find their gods, seeking them across years, to find where they had gone. The Octopods speak of dead, long gone gods that had been a blight to the world, and only when they killed themselves in their hubris that the Octopods were able to flourish in a new age. The Canine's continued to seek them, wanting them to return home.\n\nThe two as time went on swelled in size. The empire of the Octopods and the cult of the Canines, the worship of \"Humans\" chaotic creatures as they were speed across the galaxies. The idea of deities that loved and protected you, fed you and tended to you, no matter what was appealing to masses. Kind gods, gods that cared.\n\nThe Octopods always scoffed at the idea of human worship. monsters, destroyers. The Canines were following in the footsteps of them, refusing to see the destruction they had caused for their own comfort. \n\nWar was imminent.\n\n(The idea of dumb militant dogs and intelligent psychic octopuses was fun to build up, thank you for the great prompt!)" ]	[ 1, 6, 48, 143 ]	[ "1556693367", "1556752737", "1556709231", "1556708857" ]
[removed]	[WP] After a fatal disease that only spreads to the children shows up a young man, who lost his family after a conflagration, joins to a group of man on their journey, who seek after a "fabled" healer (which they will find out later) in order to cure the disease and thus protect their future.	2	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Prompt users in the title, but don't play writing games or commission stories.](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_6.3A_prompt_users_in_the_title.2C_but_don.27t_play_writing_games_or_commission_stories)\n\n• Prompts go in the title, do not extend into text. You can add commentary in the text, but don't add additional prompt restrictions. Also, [avoid too many details.](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/prompts?src=RECIPE)\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)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1556727033", "1556727105" ]
	[WP] Due to an economic collapse 150 years ago, countries and governments no longer exist and people live in small villages. Some valued remnants of the lost world are still present. One day you find an old doomsday bunker full of resources that will change the fate of your village forever	117	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " \n\nSam and Bruiser climbed the mountain trail. It was thin and winding, sized for the two teenagers who created it. It led upward from their village in the valley below. Now and then, they would stop for a break and use their hatchets to cut back some of the overgrowth. Ostensibly, the pair had been sent to find rabbits. But those were scarce enough these days, and the mood to explore had taken over.\n\nBruiser puffed out his chest. \"I hope we meet one of those raiding parties from the next valley. I'd love to see what happens if they have to stand and fight.\"\n\nSam just gave an encouraging smile, not letting what she thought of that show. There were raiding parties, but the valley they were theorized to be from was in the opposite direction from their little rabbit trail. Besides, their only weapons were slingshots and hatchets. Against a full raiding party, she certainly wouldn't be staying around.\n\n\"Yeah, as soon as they nail down their location, I'll go over with my dad and the other adult hunters, and slaughter the lot of them. It'll be nice for our village to have a second valley.\"\n\nIf they were forced into raiding, then their farms must be failing. If anything, a second valley would be a burden. Distant records told of conquerors and alliances ruling multiple valleys, but the barriers of the mountains and harsh winters broke things down in the end. The trees grew quickly, and leaving a trail empty for an entire season guaranteed it would be gone by the time you returned. \n\nSam kept climbing, listening passively to Bruiser's boasting. She kept her eyes on the sky.\n\nThere was only one real mystery in Sam's life. Every few nights, red and white lights crossed the sky. She had always hoped they would appear during the day so she could see them better.\n\nBruiser let out a yelp, and vanished.\n\nSam, pulled back into the moment, quickly looked around and saw a dark hole where he had been standing. \n\n\"Bruiser!\"\n\n\"I'm okay!\" came a muffled reply. \"But there are a few different tunnels down here, and I don't know which one I came from. Keep yelling!\"\n\nSam yelled for a few minutes, feeling awkward. If a raiding party really had been in the neighborhood, they would have been able to find her easily. Thankfully it was just the rabbits. Eventually, Bruiser climbed out of the hole, covered in dirt. \n\n\"We need to go back down there.\" Bruiser was serious for once, not mooning around after glory.\n\n\"Why? You find a rabbit's den?\"\n\n\"No. But it's weird. Come see.\" \n\nThe two used their hatchets to make deep marks in the dirt, and climbed down slower than Bruiser's initial fall. The tunnel sloped downward, and got both steeper and wider as they continued, though never enough that they didn't think they could climb back up.\n\nAnd then the tunnel changed. They rounded a corner, and the dirt became some sort of shiny stone. The stone echoed when Bruiser stomped on it. Small glowing rocks were embedded in the ceiling, lighting the tunnel. It was high enough now that an adult could have stood upright.\n\n\"See? Weird!\" Bruiser said.\n\nSam nodded. Couldn't argue there.\n\nThe two followed the new tunnel, too nervous to talk much. There were doors made out of the same shiny stone, on alternating sides of the tunnel every few meters.\n\nAfter a few minutes of walking, Bruiser tried one, and to his visible surprise, it opened. Inside was a row of walls, with lines crisscrossing each, and pictures of trees in the boxes the lines formed. Sam touched one of the boxes, and it popped open. It was a drawer full of seeds. Each wall must have been full of them. There were other markings inside the drawer, but neither of them could read.\n\n\"Nice, nice. Not bad,\" Bruiser said. \"Whoever made this stored some food for us.\"\n\nSam popped open another drawer, and observed the difference between the seeds. For once she felt compelled to correct her friend's assumptions.\n\n\"I think these are all different kinds of plants, actually. Not for eating, but for making more food.\"\n\nBruiser thought about it, and nodded. \"Also nice. But there must be better stuff in the other rooms.\"\n\nThe next room was full of cylinders on shelves with pictures of vegetables and beans, though not the varieties Sam was used to.\n\n\"More seeds! Boring!\" Bruiser shut the door.\n\nThe third room had rectangles on shelves, and initially Sam thought they must be little boxes, perhaps containing more seeds. But after picking one up, it fell open, and she saw that it was some sort of object for storing markings. Markings that they couldn't read. Her dad could. They would have to come back here with him sometime. \n\nShe looked through and found a few thinner marking-holders that had pictures. They were of staggering quality. The trees and vegetables had been little cartoons, understandable but not realistic. The pictures in the marking-holders must have taken years to complete. She held them close to her chest.\n\n\"This must be a Predecessor cave. It's too clean to be anything else. But one thing we know about Predecessors is they had way better weapons. Where are they?\" Bruiser grumbled to himself.\n\nSam let him talk and looked through the pictures. She didn't understand most of them, but they were fascinating regardless. She kept hoping she would see something recognizable, and feel a connection to them.\n\nThen suddenly, she did.\n\nThe next few rooms were living quarters, all empty. Whoever built the place never got a chance to move in.\n\nThen, finally.\n\n\"That's an atomic bomb,\" Bruiser said, satisfied at last.\n\n(1/2)", "As I crept past the crumbling remains of a what looked like a rocky overhang, I knew I was close, the heavy tang of rusting metal hung in the air.\n\nSlowly I moved past the crumbling metal supports an came upon the door. I had found one of them, it was a vault.\n\nPeople talked about how the rich and famous were evacuated and hid to ride out the storm of people calling for their blood. \n\nAs I looked on how to open the door i noticed some of the rocks has collapsed and looked to be a way in. I wigged my way in and stood in shock the place was trashed. it looked as bad outside as inside. I continued to look around and that was when i heard it, \" Gary?\"" ]	[ 1, 11, 13 ]	[ "1556733213", "1556756762", "1556737002" ]
	[WP] It is imperative that you set the alarm to wake up. Your parents had set it for you when you were too young to do so. When you were old enough they taught you to do it yourself. One night you forget to set the alarm.	3	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "As soon as you woke up, you knew something was wrong.\n\nVery wrong.\n\nAs a matter of fact, it was never this bright at five in the morning. And that's because when you look at the clock, you realize it's past one in the afternoon.\n\nYou didn't stay up late. You didn't take sleeping pills. You hadn't been drinking. You did the exact routine drilled into you by everyone for the last three decades of your life.\n\nTake a shower. Shave. Set your schedule for tomorrow. Put the clothes you were going to wear out. And went to sleep at nine at night. Beyond rational for someone like yourself. But, the clock didn't get set right.\n\nAnd so you woke up at one in the afternoon. Having somehow, for whatever reason, slept for fourteen hours. On a Thursday.\n\nDespite your initial panic and swearing, clamoring out of your nightly cocoon in the the hopes this was but a bad dream. It's not. You trip and fall over your shoes, smacking your face against the floor. Not that that matters now.\n\nYou've been fired. The presentation was today, and the boss was hinging on you putting up your end of the bargain. It's all over. Hello unemployment.\n\nSome of the bills are due today, and now you don't know exactly how you'll be able to cover all of them over the next month.\n\nYou missed several calls and texts from a bunch of people. You slept right through them. Your parents always said you were a hard sleeper. But they still didn't put things in perspective. You've slept through car accidents. Lightning strikes. A train that used to run past your childhood home.\n\nUnless that alarm goes off, you never wake up on time.\n\nAnd that's why things keep winding up as they are. That's how it's always been when it comes to things. One step forward and at least three back.\n\nOh well. Time to refresh your resume.\n\nSuch is life.\n\nr/Jamaican_Dynamite" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1556796005", "1556802005" ]
	[WP] Your village is built around an old tree that is worshipped as a god and protector. You’ve always been skeptical about the nature of tree and its supposed abilities, but one day you notice a wizard from out of town ‘speaking’ with the tree, seemingly deep in conversation.	106	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Part One\n\nIsland Time\n\nAn early rise for the fishermen of the small island village in the far throws of the pacific. Dark and still, then a moment later like cogs of an old clock, the island hummed into a brand new day. With the birds and the mice the men woke. Then made their way down to oceans edge. Young Wesley was late to join them as always as he doesn't really like to be woken up early. It takes several whacks with a banana leaf to finally stir him. \"You should not have been out so late Wesley, that is why you are tired.\" His mother scolded as she passed him hot oats and coconut milk.\n\nIt doesn't take young Wes long to spring awake into the days work. He swung his lunch over his shoulder- canned cornbeef, fresh fruit and stale bread wrapped in a wet cloth, bare chest bloated, with long leaps he sprung down the hill to join the men in the dark to prepare the boats and nets. As he hurtled down the hillside he makes sure to greet the Mighty Mola tree, slapping it with both hands to ensure a bountiful catch and safe return \"Hola Mola Noga!\"\n\n\"Come on Wesley! If you're late again tomorrow you'll be left behind to make baskets with the woman! Quick, while the tide is high!\" His uncle called.\n\nWes didnt even eat fish. He hated it. He couldnt stand the smell. But the men loved them. They would eat them straight from the nets- still kicking and fighting for life as their teeth tore chunks of fresh flesh and slurped down the brains and sucked out eyes still blinking. Wes did like cornbeef though. And lamb necks. And noodles and bread.\n\nWes really hated being out on the water. He wanted to move his legs, run and jump and pump blood and iron. Wes preferred to hunt and trap and lose himself in the thick bush and his scattered thoughts and schemes. To be alone, transcending islands with leaps of imagination. But the men preferred to fish, there wasnt much nice to eat that could be hunted on land. The pigs had been eaten. The goats milked, then eaten. All long before Wesley came to be born. Just bushrats and spiders and seagulls remained.\n\nAs they fished the men would sing and tell the tales of the beginning of time, the first day of days, the legends of Mana and Mighty Mola Tree.\n\nMana was the first man to set his foot on their island. He was more seven feet tall with mighty shoulders almost as broad as the mountains he was almost as wide. With six wives and twenty-two daughters on board with him they eagerly paddled to shore and abandoned their canoe with the memories of misery. The large family, followed closely by several dozen more vessels, waded through water as clear as glass lapping over golden sands. Wet and sand dusted they tossed off their rags and trekked naked up through thick green bush rolling up and over an enormous hilltop. The first family climbed to the highest point where Mana declared this to be where they made their home. At the very very highest point of the hilltop where Mana stood grew a small skinny sapling of the Mola tree, barely recognisable amongst the flax, bush and weed. Mana tied a gentle knot in the soft stalk of the baby tree and declared this Mola Tree to be sacred. It could never be cut down. Would never become a canoe. It was instead a guardian of the island. So those that settled these lands could plant their feet as deep as its roots could grow, grow tall enough to reach the sun and as wide and deep as the oceans spread. His grandchildren would never be required to travel. They would never be cast, through famine or war, out into the terrifying abyss of an uncertain ocean, as they the first settlers had, in search of new lands barely rumoured to exist. A canoe straight and true, like a needle, in an endless ocean, the pound of waves stacked back to breaking back.\n\nMana declared that this Mola tree was never to be felled and carved into a canoe, it would not be dragged to the ocean but grow up through the clouds and the heavens above. The tree a link to join the mighty young maternal mother Poia... earth, seed, sap, soil, blood, bone and tears up up up towards the curly white wisps of wisdom of the stories, the song, the spirited ancestors, all the way to the heavenly grandfather Kaweke. Torn from each others embrace in the ancient times, long before even Mana and his wives, in hot lava and ash and eruption. But with a knot tied by Mana, like a heart or a hug, they would grow together again. The earth pushed the Mola tree upwards growing ever closer to the starry skies. The oceans encroached. The clouds and the rain and the winds would blow lower and harder and with fierce persistance. The waves rolled a little higher and crashed a little harder. The slowly transformed so that Poia and Kaweke would once more touch and wed in gentle embrace reuniting their children and all of the ancestors and their tales across the pacific who had been tossed afar and asunder by angry waves, hunger and dwinlding resource.\n\nThe men always returned to shore at the strike of midday to share a meal with family and friends basking blissfully in the sun's hottest heat. Afterwards, when the sun once more cast a shadow, in the shade of the Magical Mola Tree. The men would stay behind, gut the fish, clean the boats, fold the nets and pass around a quiet gulp of island wine and puff of island grown tobacco. Leading into an afternoon of leisure, song, a swat of flies, the smack of a banana leaf on unruly child, the occasional whizz of a well aimed jandall through the air at a sharp tongued yet soft headed husband. Plenty of island time to argue in the sunshine, make peace before dinner. The water lapping lower in the bay as it withdrew, at a different time each day, signalled to the woman and children to go cockling and collecting mussels and seaweed and chasing crabs. Island time passed with the sun. The Mola tree blessing each glorious day with the bountiful harmony of fortune, good humour and gratitude in turn.", "I only notice him because of his waving arms and the steady thumping of his staff on the ground. (It’s the staff that tells me he’s a wizard.) His hands sometimes brush the trunk of the so-called “God Tree,” and when he does, he shudders. His feet do not move at all.\n\nAround me the village, like the creeping of winter, comes to a pause around the tree. The tree is the center of the village, and many villagers approach it every day seeking blessings, offering gifts, and on occasion even taking fallen leaves as charms. I imagine they think him heretical.\n\nThe village blacksmith, the burliest man in the village, approach him along with the village tavernkeeper, the best brawler in the village. The wizard continues waving his arms and thumping his staff. \n\nThe blacksmiths yells, “Hey! What are you doing?”\n\nThe wizard reaches forward to brush the trunk again, but the tavernkeeper grabs his arm. She says to him, “What are you doing? You cannot touch the God Tree.”\n\nThe wizard tries to shake her grip, but he stumbles instead. We can finally see him, and I am surprised at his youth. Some of the bawdier village girls might even call him charming. His hair and slight beard are disheveled like any traveler’s would be, but unlike any other traveler he’s not cowed by the mass of villagers or his captive arm.\n\nThe blacksmith asks again, “What are you doing? Wizard or not, you cannot act with such irreverence towards the God Tree.”\n\nThe wizard huffs and says, “I am communing with your God Tree. Do you actually believe a God Tree would speak as we do?”\n\nI have never thought of that before, and it seems like no one else in the village has either. I never even quite believed in the godliness of the tree. My mom would tell me stories of its powers when I was younger. As the village wise woman, she knew everything. (She even knew of the time when I tasted both a boy’s and a girl’s lips.) And in all her stories she never called the tree a god, just a protector.\n\nSomeone in the back of the crowd shouts, “Lies! Blasphemy!”\n\nThe wizard’s lips curve like a blade at the challenge, “Is that so. Then tell me, was it not you who asked the God Tree for blessings in your marriage bed? Did you not want a son? Or even, a daughter?”\n\nThere is no reply and the villagers break out in murmurs louder than a gust sweeping through a forest.\n\nThe wizard turns to the blacksmith, “And you, has your, let us say, bumps problem been cured?”\n\nThe blacksmith flushes so red his cheeks begin to gleam.\nTo the tavernkeeper the wizard asks, “Didn’t you want some way to get more customers in your tavern, Ms. Green?”\n\nThe wizard tugs at his captive arm and frees himself. He then turns to his captive audience, “I have spoken to your God Tree and it has charged me with helping you all. If I had not been so rudely interrupted, I may have even been able to help more of you, but what’s done is done.”\n\nAn outcry begins and they all ask for his help. Some even begin to kneel as if he is some prophet. My hand trembles as all around me the villagers become more and more passionate. \n\nThe wizard thumps his staff and somehow it resonates throughout the village. Everyone quiets and he says, “I will help all who need it. Your God Tree seeks your happiness and I will work for it too.”", "Ana stopped in her tracks when she set her eyes on a tall and skinny man whispering to the Great Tree.\n\nHeretical, she thought instantly. No one was allowed to talk to the tree, only the druids. It had been forbidden long before she was born. This was a foundation to her life, and a man breaking that foundation was attacking her personally. She plodded forth silently, getting closer undetected. It was dark and a growing wind was masking her steps. The moon hid behind thick clouds - maybe it didn't want to be an accomplice to this blasphemy. \n\nAnger was rising in her but Ana wanted to listen first. That man had possibly come with dark motives, scheming against the established order. He could only be scheming, no believer would ever utter a word to the tree. \n\n\"- miss you, Svetlana. My Kotenok,\" he whispered.\n\n\"Every day of every month, I try to fill the nothingness that consumes me. Nothing helps.\" He paused.\n\nAna felt a powerful a powerful wave of sadness overcome her. She didn't will it, it just took over. Why was she feeling this? That man meant nothing to her and yet a small voice in her was telling her to abandon the wall of her mind that resisted this sadness. And she did. As tears slid down her cheeks, she recalled that those cheeks hadn't seen tears in fifteen year since her mother's disappearance, and her father's cowardly desertion of Ana. He had just vanished, like a thief in the night. \n\n\"I'm sorry I am weak, Svetlana. I did this to you, and you'll never be free unless I stop this madness. This prison has been enough.\"\n\nHe paused again. Do what? What was he planning? She was about to reveal herself and interrupt him, but his whispers returned.\n\n\"I wanted to stay, but when I peered into her eyes, her deep and bottomless purple, I saw you. And seeing you is a dagger to my heart, an arrow piercing me.\"\n\nAna stopped breathing. Purple eyes? She was the only one with purple eyes apart from her mother. Her heart drummed against her rib cage and her lungs contracted. That voice, the man's tone, it meant something to Ana. It rang against a small part of her mind, a memory. Dad, it's you. She exhaled, the tears sliding down freely on her cheeks now. He swiveled to face her. His expression spoke a thousand words in an instant. A deep sadness possessed his eyes. He saw her mother in Ana. \n\nAna wanted to speak, scream and whisper all at once. She hated him, but she couldn't utter her feelings. She loved him, but her mind couldn't put that into words. Loneliness had consumed her this whole life, the Great Tree her only confidant. She had felt a connection with it, loved and her thoughts listened in her prayers. \n\nThat man standing in front of her, he was all that remained for Ana. Before she could say anything, cries came from beyond the grove. \n\n\"Heretic! Stop him!\"\n\nA fire engulfed the hand of her father, and the light flickered against the tears welling from him eyes. Ana turned around as dozens of men and women came barging, knives in hand. \n\n\"Ana step away from that man!\"\n\n\"Wait! Stop!\" She pleaded as they rushed towards her father, gazes of hatred and fear shining in the night. Two women grabbed her to set her aside. \n\n\"It's all right, Ana. You're safe,\" they whispered in her ears. But Ana thought back, struggling against the strength of their embrace. She heard a strange sound, like a fast bird shooting through the air, and screams from all those behind her. Ana couldn't see, but the sounds painted a clear picture. The Great Tree was burning, the light shining the whole grove. Her father's screams of pain melded with the fire consuming the trees. And when that was done, Ana felt alone once more. A terrible emptiness, one that could never be replaced.", "The Heart Tree’s Song\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“I have searched and searched, and found no sign of the one you seek”, the cloaked old man exclaimed, beating his staff firmly upon the ground in apparent frustration.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRenn stopped in her tracks at the edge of the grove. It was the early hours of the morning, and the scene before her was illuminated by the light of the moon hanging like a lantern in the dark sky above. A slim figure stood next to the heart tree, wearing a large pointy hat and dressed in a flowing garb. With his back to Renn, he leant upon the tree with a single bony hand. The figure appeared to be deeply involved in a heated argument with an unseen adversary.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Bah! Nonsense - there is not a soul in this town who matches that description!” He rasped and huffed, pulling his crinkled hat even further over his brow.\n\n“Don’t you think I…” - “Now don’t you think I’ve…” - “Must you be so insolent!?” The figure appeared to be barking at thin air.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRenn began to slowly back away, the half-full vase of water that she carried clutched tightly to her chest. Having not been able to fall asleep, she had collected the water from the village wishing well, and had planned to feed the roots of the heart tree and wish for her Pa to come home soon - he had been gone longer than usual.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Now listen here you rapscallion, you-you… you roguish miscreant! I will not be spoken to in that manner! I am a wizard of the forest! A sorcerer of Elsyver!” The man bellowed, before mustering his apparently frail strength to strike the tree with the base of his staff. The blow shook free a particularly heavy looking heartfruit, which in return fell upon the man’s head, knocking his hat over his eyes and revealing his wispy hair.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRenn looked upon the spectacle unfolding before her, bewildered. She had seen her fair share of drunks stumbling around in the dead of night, but this was different. The figure spoke clearly, if a little raspy, but certainly without slurring his words. Did he say he was a wizard? She thought back to Old-Eyes, one of the village elders who used to tell stories to the children about forest wizards. They were supposed to be strange folk: druids who came from deep within the woods, often bringing trouble in tow. She recalled a story Old-Eyes once told of a forest wizard who, carried by birds, would fly between towns selling trinkets and potions. The wizard would tell the birds where she wanted to go by whistling to them. She could make flowers blossom in winter, and she could listen to the age-old secrets of the trees. As Renn had grown older her Pa had insisted that Old-Eyes’ tales were just children’s stories. However, here before her was a man, alone in the dead of night, very much appearing to be deep in conversation with a tree.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Now - I will search for one more day - dear old friend, and then I have business to attend elsewhere. No not Elsyver. Elsewhere! As in not here in this decrepit town!” The figure slumped his head forward in tired defeat - “You’re sure he has just the one eye?”\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRenn dropped the vase, which shattered on the cobblestones below; her Pa had one eye. The figure whipped round to face her, closing half the distance in a split second, his staff raised and at the ready. Renn, looking upon his face, could see that his skin itself almost looked like tree bark in the moonlight.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“I will allow you a moment to explain yourself, before you spend the rest of your life as a toad - hopping from stone to stone, contemplating the impoliteness of sneaking up on a defenceless old man at this time of night.” The old man's scowling eyes and gaunt face showed no hint or intention of mercy.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRenn threw up her hands and began to apologise - “I am- I mean I was- I wanted to make a wish. I didn’t meant to-”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“A wish?” The old man interrupted.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“… yes, by watering the heart tree and-”\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe old man interrupted Renn’s explanation again, this time with a cackle that felt as if it shook the air.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“That has got to be… that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard!” The man managed to utter before breaking out into yet more thunderous laughter.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRenn waited and watched, confused and afraid, as the man regained his composure and lowered his staff.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“This old tree is far too sour of soul to be granting any wishes, isn’t that right old friend?” The old man spoke, and then walked and placed his hand on the tree once more. “Oh you do? You try your best to help these people?” He paused. “I don’t believe that for a moment.”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Sorry, are you… are you talking to the tree?” Renn asked, still in disbelief.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nStill with his hand laid upon the tree trunk, the old man turned his wrinkled face towards Renn.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“This old tree is in a poor mood.” He relayed.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“… Why?” Renn mustered.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Each night, an old soul comes to the grove and plays his song - he has not been here for the-”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Does he have one eye?” Renn asked.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Yes! You know him?” The old man blurted out.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“He’s my Pa.” Renn replied.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Well go and fetch him quickly!” The old man ushered Renn with his staff. “I imagine you’ll get your wish.”\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“I don’t know where he is.” Renn bowed her head in sadness, tears beginning to well in her eyes.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“Ah, child.” The old man’s voice became softer. He waited a moment. “Do you hear that old friend? The melody you seek is lost in the woods.”\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe trees branches creaked softly and swayed; its leaves hissed and waned against the gentle wind, seeming almost as if to make the sound of a long and heartfelt sigh.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n“I know the song that my father plays” Renn whispered, raising her head to look at the tree with damp eyes. “And… I’ll play it for you - if you promise you’ll help him find his way home.” She looked to the old man, who after a moment's pause, nodded in approval.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRenn knelt before the tree, and the wizard stood back. The cool night air held still in the grove, and even the weeds and blades of grass seemed to lean in anticipation. Renn closed her eyes and clasped her hands in her lap. She first began to hum, and then to whistle the familiar tune. With her eyes closed, Renn saw her mother; laughing, dancing, and prancing around the grove, as she would in the summers of years ago, picking the fruit of the heart tree and singing her song as she went. The tree's branches seemed to swing ever so slightly, moving with the wind to the melody, against the deep blue of the night sky. Renn’s tune was sweet and melancholic, and long - she knelt by the tree playing the melody over and over until sunrise, lost in its sombre embrace and the memories of her mother. When she finally opened her eyes again, the old man was gone.", "I bring my epic sword down upon the mighty dragon, ending it's life and bringing honor and glory to my family name. This is the moment that will be remembered for years to come!\n\nI awaken with a start to the sound of chanting. \"Oh crap I'm late, not again.\" I quickly get out of bed and move over to my dresser to put on some clothes. A moment later and I'm out the door, listening to the chanting, trying to figure out where they are in the ritual. I race down the cobble path as quietly as I can, hoping to join before anyone notices I was missing, as the tree comes into view, along with the rest of the townsfolk, deep in prayer to the all mighty protector of this land. Or so they say. \n\nIm not really sure if I buy into that crap, but if it is true, its better to have prayed. I sneak up near the back of the crowd and join in on the prayer, wondering if anyone noticed that I overslept once again. This is the third time this week that I've been late and the elders were not pleased the last two times. They would pull me aside afterwards with the whole \"It is imperative that you attend and pray every morning otherwise you will have death and misfortune befall you!\" Speech. I'd apologise and promise to be on time the next day but I should really learn not to make promises that I can't keep.\n\nA few minutes of chanting later and the morning ritual is over, and luckily for me, the elders are to be to busy to have noticed my absence. They seem to be speaking to someone I've never seen before, which is rare considering that our town is so small. This man has a long flowing robe and a large wooden staff. I shrug it off, happy at my chance to escape the wrath of the elders and go to continue my daily routine. I make breakfast, brush my teeth, and go out for a casual morning stroll. I walk through town and come to the town center when I see something very bizarre. The man from earlier appears to be speaking to the tree. Stepping closer, figuring he might just be praying for protection or whatever, I realize that he seems to be deep in conversation, speaking and pausing as if listening to a response.\n\n\"But that could be very dangerous! I could not possibly do it myself.\"\n\n\"...\" \n\n\"Boy? What boy?\"\n\nThe man suddenly whipped around, shocked for a moment, and then smiled at me.\n\n\"My goodness I didn't see you there! You shouldn't sneak up on people like that. How long have you been there?\"\n\n\"Not very long\" I reply \"but why were you speaking to the tree?\"\n\n\"Oh my dear boy, I was simply praying for protection that's all.\" The man turns his head slightly towards the tree and says \"really, him? I highly doubt that.\" \n\n\"...\"\n\n\"Ok fair enough.\"\n\nThe man turns back to me. \"I didn't realize you were a magic user! You seem to have piqued my friend's interest\"\n\n\"You're crazy.\" I start to walk away. This guy has to be insane. Im obviously not a wizard and even though we pray to the tree, it never actually responds. \n\n\"Wait where are you going? You mean you can't hear him?\" I turn my head to respond.\n\n\"You can? Yeah you're definitely crazy.\" I turn back and continue on my way. Definitely the weirdest encounter I've ever heard.\n\n\"I'm not crazy! Here allow me to fix your hearing. Something seems to be blocking it.\" He says. I'm about to round the corner to escape this nonsense when suddenly my ears start softly ringing. I stop in my tracks and the ringing starts to intensify. This deafening sound envelopes my thoughts and I am brought to my knees, clutching my head with both hands. The sound stops as quickly as it started and my senses are returned to me. Looking around, my gaze fixes on the man with a grin on his face. My body starts to tingle with energy and every sensation I feel is amplified.\n\n\"What the absolute fuck was that!?\" I yell as I return to my feet. \"What did you just do?\"\n\n\"Sorry about that, it seems it was more than your hearing that was blocked. Well give it a try, you should be able to hear him now.\" \n\nA low voice pierces my mind, \"Indeed he should. How about it boy, can you hear me?\"\n\nThe tingling in my body starts to get more violent and my grip on conciousness starts to loosen. \"I think I'm gonna pas...\" My vision blurs and my senses are overwritten as I fall to the ground.\n--------------------------------------------------\nThis is my first time writing on here so sorry if it wasn't that good. Please tell me what I can do better in the future and thanks for reading.", "\"Maw! Maw, he's at it again! Maaaaaaw!\"\n\nI dusted the flour from my hands and ducked out the low door into the gentle coolness of an early spring day. Fat bees buzzed industriously about the flowers which sprung up everywhere, delighting in the end of snows and biting winds. Worms writhed subtly in the deep green grass, escaping from the mud into the dew and danger of the open air; birds watched keenly for their next snack. The sun only barely stood over the hilltops, but it threw its warmth and cheer across the farms and plains, into the bosky groves which gradually deepened into ancient forest; light danced off the river which shimmied playfully, babbling a susurrus of secrets to the butterflies and dragonflies which bobbed and darted and shone like pastels and jewels in the crisp, clear air. Ewan, distracted from his morning task of feeding the milk cows, pointed accusingly toward the village center.\n\nThere, beneath the twisted arms of a tree which was older than memory when my grandparents were but children, a disheveled form pushed back the drooping brim of a tattered old straw hat which seemed to have been salvaged unwillingly from a vulture's nest. The motion caused the oiled leather sack - the only thing about this raggedy figure which was not in disrepair - in the figures arms to drop to the ground, scattering wooden tubes in all directions.\n\n\"That's the same man was here last Sunday week! He's talkin' to the tree again,\" Ewan finished, wilting slightly as my eyes strayed to the unfed milk cows. With a tiny grin, I tousled his straw-filled hair, pressed a light kiss on his brow, and pushed him gently back toward the cows. \"I see that, Ewan. He's no bother to anyone. You worry about milking the cows and let me worry about strange men talking to trees.\" Untying the apron knot, I tossed it back through the door and strode off to see what this stranger was doing. Strangers were never good news, except maybe new merchants or wandering peddlers. Or sometimes a visiting healer.\n\nHalfway through gathering the dropped scrollcases, the man glanced up at the tree and laughed brightly, as though at a joke or juggler's display. Hastily, he thrust the remaining tubes into the bag and leaned close to the tree, whispering conspiratorially. A madman, then. Likely a beggar as well. As I thought; strangers were never good news, this far from the world and all its bustle and madness. Things were calm, here. Things did not change with the passage of years and decades. This was no place for new and strange things.\n\nWhen I was still a hundred paces away, only just close enough to make out the patches which covered his threadbare coat and trousers, he glanced toward me, and I nearly froze like a rabbit spying the hawk. His eyes shone violet and amber, so bright it seemed they must throw shadows on the grassy expanse between us. From a hundred paces I saw clearly the lines at the corners of his eyes, the deep creases at his cheeks which belied a million laughs despite the stern set of his lips. I blinked...and only just could make out the befuddled glance of a cloudy-eyed man well into his middle years, one arm around part of the trunk as though holding a loved one. Strangers. Have decent folk all mixed up thinking they're seeing things. No good comes from strangers. I quickened my stride to confront this repeat visitor, dimly aware of the curious and timid ambling of some of my neighbors come to see this stranger who dared approach the Shrine of the First Sister. No matter that our supposed guardian did nothing to take the fever from the brow of our children ten years gone, a fever that carried every last child out of their parents arms and into the uncaring ground; no matter that this aged and ageless totem did nothing when blight took nine stalks of grain out of every ten and men and women starved in the bitter cold of the following winter. The shrine was a sacred space and it was not right that some stranger would just walk in and disturb it!\n\n(continues)" ]	[ 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 22 ]	[ "1556800650", "1556836241", "1556841071", "1556810555", "1556840184", "1556808029", "1556806350" ]
	[WP] You have a power to instantaneously learn any language by only hearing it once. You only discovered this fact after moving out of your developing country in search of a more hopeful future. A day came where you've learnt all. Until today, after 10 years you discovered another... The last.	19	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "When you grew up in my village, you didn’t really get that much of a chance in life. We were a small isolated farming town in a small isolated farming country in a vast and industrialized world. So when the ambassador stopped by on his way back to the capital, I begged him to take me with him. I was a good cook, I told him, and I was one of the few people in my town that could read and write. For some reason, the words on the pages always spoke to me.\n\nSomething about me must have somehow impressed the ambassador, and he brought me back with him. A week later, he took me on his trip to England. I was his scribe-in-training, or so he said. In reality, I was just an extra pair of hands to help carry his suitcases and work papers.\n\nOnce we discovered my gift, I quickly became a lot more than that.\n\nIt happened within moments of our plane landing; the ambassador asked one of the gate attendants where to get his luggage.\n\nThe gate attendant stared devotedly at his shoes as he answered. “Your bags are not in their usual place, sir; we were forced to send them to Carousel Three with some of the bags from the commercial flights.”\n\n“Ca-roo-sel?” the ambassador replied; his English was probably pretty good, but this word clearly escaped him, in a way that didn’t escape me.\n\n“He means the machine with a circular track where they leave people’s luggage,” I whispered to the ambassador in our homeland’s language.\n\nHe turned to me with a look on his face that I hadn’t seen since our goat head butted his way into our house while Papa was watching the cricket match. Pure shock.\n\n“How on Earth do you know that?” he hissed at me under his breath. I had no answer for him, but we found his luggage on Carousel Three ten minutes later.\n\nThat was my last day as a scribe-in-training. I quickly became the ambassador’s sole translator, and realized that I picked up other languages just as quickly as English. It went deeper than that though; over time, I learned that I understood the subtle differences between languages that led to so many misunderstandings.\n\nOur country’s influence somehow grew on the strength of my gift and, to be fair, the somewhat surprising but very real charm of the ambassador. The world slowly learned that we were not a backwards people with no hope of joining the powers that be, but a people who had been through incredibly hard times but still fought to push forward. We were no longer country rubes; we were an honest and kind nation who hadn’t been given the advantages of our larger fellows.\n\nI found myself at United Nations parties, as a translator on global economic councils, and even in the halls of Parliament at one point; our president heard about me from the ambassador and insisted on bringing me along for many of his missions. I would take whatever free time I had to travel to the more remote areas of the countries we visited, looking for locals who spoke forgotten languages and dialects. I had been given a gift, and I would not waste it.\n\nTen years after the fateful day when the ambassador came to my village, I returned home to visit Papa. I was standing across the road from my house, on the exact spot where I had met the ambassador, when I heard it.\n\nIt was like no language I had heard before, a beautifully clear and lilting speech that carried a melody along with it. I hadn’t seen my father in years and he was mere meters away from me, yet I found myself rooted to the spot listening to this new language.\n\nI tore myself away from the song around me to try to sing it back. But I couldn’t do it. Every language in the world had come to me fully with the ease of breathing in, but yet even a word of this new speech was beyond my power.\n\n“You can’t speak it. Not yet.”\n\nPapa had somehow materialized behind me, even though the front door had never opened.\n\n“Maya. My girl. My beautiful baby girl. Only this tongue is beyond the grasp of your powers.”\n\nI turned around to face him, and he beamed at me. Then he sang a word in the language, the one I had heard floating on the breeze.\n\nA flood of memories poured over me. I was six, climbing the tallest tree behind our house, when I slipped and fell. I thought I had heard my father screaming, but now it sounded more musical in my mind. I should never have woken from a 10-meter fall with nothing but a blank memory and a bruise on my forehead.\n\nThen I was ten, wandering in the fields with Papa, watching the flowers bloom as he sang to me, a song I had never heard before. I never stopped to consider that it was the dry season and nothing should have been blooming at all.\n\nFinally, I was eighteen, and it was the morning that the ambassador came to town. I was barely awake but my father stood over me, singing a soft tune under his breath. I didn’t hear the words at the time.\n\nI heard them now, in the music of the strange new language. “You will understand, my love, the language of their hearts, and the heart of their languages.”\n\nI thought I had known shock before, when I saw it on Papa’s face and when I saw it in the ambassador’s. Now I understood why they called it “shock” in English; I felt like someone had run a live wire through my heart and was randomly flipping the power on and off.\n\nHis smile was tinged with sadness, but also a hint of excitement.\n\n“This is the last language, my love. The words and the songs, together. This language is more than the rest of our human creations combined.”\n\n“This is the language of magic.”\n\n_________________\nIf you liked this, check out my new subreddit! r/NicodemusLux" ]	[ 1, 15 ]	[ "1556818562", "1556820677" ]
[removed]	[WP] The date is December 26th 1991. The date the massive world power of the Soviet Union is supposed to have collapsed. Yet it still stands. This date no longer marks the fall of the Soviets. It marks the fall of all democratic world powers.	1	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/getaloadofthishoopla, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Prompt users in the title, but don't play writing games or commission stories](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_6.3A_prompt_users_in_the_title.2C_but_don.27t_play_writing_games_or_commission_stories)\n\n- Prompts go in the title, do not extend into text. You can add commentary in the text, but don't add additional prompt restrictions. Also, avoid [too many details](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/prompts?src=RECIPE). \n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://old.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bjyudt/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1556824345", "1556824548" ]
	[WP] Santa's standards are very, very high. Nobody has ever been good enough to get on the 'nice' list, until this year.	11	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Santa woke up that morning feeling excited. It was 24 of December and it was the first time he had something to do since a couple thousand years. Humanity had deemed itself unworthy of him and he was not willing to lower his standards. But this time was different, someone had behaved well enough to deserve a gift.\n\nHe prepared the gifts all by himself, there was no need of using his elf's. He smiled as he realized he still had it, the perfect gift with the perfect wrap. Everything was ready, so he got in his slide and drove off to the little boy's house.\n\nOnce he arrived, he got down the chimney trying to be as quiet as possible but the lack of practice had made him clumsy so he fell down making a lot of noise. He was starting to think nobody had heard him when he saw the little boy standing right in front of him, with a look of curiosity and uncertainty. He didn't know who Santa was, it had been so long that humanity had forgotten about him but he was not afraid.\n\nAs he stood in front of him, Santa began to admire, with tears in his eyes, the little kid who had made him work again. He knew he had had a lot of help from his father but he was too excited to care. He put his hand on his shoulder and said,\n\"Child, you have made me happy for the first time in a long time, and for this, this day will know be named in your honor. Enjoy your gifts, Jesus\"\n\n\n\n\n\nPlease forgive my bad English and feel free to criticize, I don't normally write in English so I know it's not that good." ]	[ 1, 8 ]	[ "1556837628", "1556838751" ]
	[WP]As part of a supernatural bargain, a weak yet malicious gust of wind strikes you once in every 48 hours in an attempt to cause you bodily harm, causing loss of balance at dangerous times. Is it worth it? How do you live with this?	3	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The first thing I learned was to keep papers out of my room at night. The first night I fell asleep with my taxes all spread out on my desk and woke up to a disorganized mess of papers al over the room.\nThat was why I made the deal, just to pay the bills. Everyone needs something, and I just needed money. And since I didn’t ask for much, the cost was very reasonable. Once every two days the Spirits of Air got to do their absolute least to knock me off balance enough to kill me.\nIt was really quite a bargain, I never liked heights anyways. I wasn’t much of a cyclist, and even if I had been the feeble puffs of wind were barely enough to register most of the time.\nI’ve only ever been caught when I try to stand up, the sudden shift in weight being the perfect opportunity for a sneaky strike.\nSince I made the deal I’ve actually had better luck with wind, never once finding myself buffeted on a windy day. The Spirits of Air would lose the bet we made if I were to be caught off guard and so die at their hands by complete accident. It would dishonor them immensely, and all Spirits are very honorable beings." ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1556864107", "1556868645" ]
[removed]	[WP] You are a sentient AI who confuses Youth in Asia with Euthenasia.	3	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi, this submission has been removed.\n\n[No explicitly sexual responses, hate speech, or other harmful content.](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_2.3A_no_explicitly_sexual_responses.2C_hate_speech.2C_or_other_harmful_content)\n\n• The 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, torture, rape, violence against children, and suicide. We will not tolerate it.\n\nPrompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses (rule 7)\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)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1556866316", "1556866425" ]
[removed]	[WP] People in the comments, write a prophecy. People who reply to those comments, write a story using that prophecy.	3	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/PlupyBerry, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Direct prompt replies must be good-faith attempts at new stories or poems](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_1.3A_direct_prompt_replies_must_be_good-faith_attempts_at_new_stories_or_poems)\n\n- Responses too short: Responses must be at least 100 words. Prompts should encourage a story or poem. \n\n \n\n Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses ([rule 7](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses))\n\n[Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses)\n\n- Write Anything: A prompt must actually be a prompt, not a \"write anything\" \n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bk7jem/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1556884151", "1556885394" ]
	[WP] Since a very young age, you've been able to hear the souls of houses speak to you. Normally it's just one or two word sentences; pleasant greetings, expressions of being tired. On your way home today though, each and every one of them says one word. "Run".	67	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " The houses don’t lie; they don’t have any reason to. That’s something you come to know from hearing what they have to say since… well, since you can remember. When I pass the houses on my street to go to work, they wish me luck. They tell me a brief line of gossip, maybe, if I’m lucky. And after 3405 Maple Street, the house with the big oak out front, tells me that one of my neighbors has been stealing flowers from her front yard, “and not even trying to hide it!”, I have to keep myself from laughing. The houses don’t lie, and sometimes they say too much. And sometimes they err on the side of cryptic. But I think I might be the only person they get to talk to this directly, so I don’t mind all that much.\n\nThe houses don’t lie, and I trust them. We trust each other. \n\nThat’s why the fear is striking me like this, making my heart feel like it’s turned to cold metal. As soon as I turned the corner to my neighborhood, I was not met with any greetings. Just one word, from seemingly every direction: run.\n\n“Run,” the houses tell me simply. \n\nI pause, frozen. I try to restart myself, I try to keep my walking my standard pace. I move stiffly. The houses seem to chant. \n\n“Run.”\n\nI start walking faster. I’m only a few blocks away from my house. Of course, of course, I would forget my phone on the kitchen counter this morning.\n\n“Run.”\n\nI break into a run. A sprint. I was on the track team in high school, but that was then. I haven’t been to a gym in at least a year. \n\n“Run.” \n\nMy breath is catching in my lungs, I’m sputtering, my heart is racing, and I can’t run fast enough. I don’t even know what I’m running from but I know the houses don’t lie.\n\n“Run.”\n\nI’ve made it to Maple. I can see my house, I can get there if the adrenaline will keep me from facing just how out of shape I actually am.\n\n“Run.”\n\nI scramble to find my keys in my bag as I come to a precarious stop at my front door. I’m shaking. I can’t breath. My vision tilts and I feel like I’ve just gotten off a roller coaster. My house is telling me to run, but I don’t have anywhere else to go.\n\nI put the key in the door, but the impact makes it swing open. Someone else is here. I can see a sliver of my living room.\n\nOh God, oh God.\n\n“Run,” my house tells me. “Run. Run. Run!”\n\nThe flight or fight is molding into freeze and I can’t move. I can’t yell. I can’t run. I can't even catch my breath from the running I’ve already done. They keys in my hand are suddenly on the wooden planks of my front porch.\n\nI can’t even think.\n\nI hear her before I see her.\n\n“Alex? Alex Shaw?”\n\nMy heart drops. A woman, dressed in a black suit, walks into the sliver of living room I can see. She smiles coldly, and brushes her dark hair back behind her ear.\n\n“I think we need to have a talk.”", "Run...Run...Run.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThose were the words I kept hearing from them. It sent a chill down my spine. This had never happened before. Why would they want me to run? Why now? I shrugged them off, I could be hearing this wrong. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nRun. Run. Run.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThey kept whispering that to me, the tone in which they whispered growing forceful. To say my heart was beating rapidly was an understatement. I hastened my pace forward, jogging my way down the normally quiet streets.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRun.Run.Run.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe words came faster now. I could sense the slight desperation in their tone. My senses grew sharper, I felt like I had just tapped into some hidden energy hidden inside me. I felt my skin thrumming and heating with this sudden surge of energy. I ran forwards, my arms and legs pumping. I was so close. So goddamn close.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nrunrunrUNRUNRUNRUNRU-\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI heard the desperation of their tone and I let a manic smile grow on my face. I had closed the gap. I pulled her towards me, muffling her yelp with a cloth. She struggled against me, flailing her arms and kicking my legs. I held fast to my ground, chuckling darkly as she finally stopped moving. I had indeed been hearing wrong. Those words weren't for me. They never were.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWhy? Why did you not run?\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThey whispered remorsefully." ]	[ 1, 5, 24 ]	[ "1556893759", "1556937367", "1556898042" ]
	[WP] A witch asks people to bring her an object and she will grant you a desire of equal or less value to it. When you bring her a rock from your backyard, she stares at you with wide eyes and asks "Where did you find this?"	109	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Her eyes then tighten into a glare. Her lips pull back just enough to show a sliver of white teeth. She's never been a beautiful woman, but there was an ugly sharpness, newly present in her features, then makes me stumble back.\n\"Where?!\"\n\"My backyard. I just—\"\n\"You get nothing. Nothing! Leave!\"\nI go to leave, as commanded, embarrassed by the whole thing. It was going to be a joke, a pebble for a feather, but somehow I had offended. Then my sense turned off, as it too often has.\n\"I'd like it back, then,\" I say with far too much confidence.\n\"What?\" It's somewhere between a shocked whisper and a hiss, which is honestly impressive with the lack of sibilants in the word.\n\"If you aren't giving me anything for it, I want it back.\"\n\"What.\" The inquiry is done, no hiss, just anger. And yet I continue like the fool I am.\n\"I. Want. It. Back.\" See: fool.\n\"Do you even know what it is?\"\n\"Something you've undervalued.\"\n\"Anyone every tell you that you are an idiot?\"\n\"No one so much as myself.\"\n\"Fine, name a price.\"\n\"Power, fame, fortune. I want it all. I'll settle for the throne.\"\n\"For a pebble?\"\n\"No. Not just a pebble. That pebble.\"\n\"You don't really want it back.\"\n\"No, I'd prefer a kingdom, but if that's not worth it to you...\"\n\"I can't. I just...\" She seems genuinely worried. I almost feel like dropping the whole thing, but I don't.\n\"How about true love? I hear that's a good one.\"\nShe stares at the pebble, turning it over in her hands. After maybe five seconds of what feels an eternity, I give a small cough. She snaps her attention to me.\n\"Power, fame, fortune, and love,\" she says with a grin. \"Alright. It's a deal.\" The stone disappears into a pocket and she holds out a hand for me to shake, which I do without a second thought. Or even a first one. My gut says this was a bad choice, but then again, that's how all the best stories start.", "I shrugged. “sorry to disappoint. I don’t have much. I found it in my Backyard” I said hoping she’d take pity on me. Her eyebrows narrowed as she rushed me inside her little house.\n\nIt was a neat little home. Smelled of ginger and rosemary. On top of that books with spikes of different languages were piled on top of each other. Crystals a skulls arranged in color patterns. Drawers were overflowing with herbs and trinkets. As crowded as the room was it was relaxing. Every time I looked around I could find something new.\n\nShe skimmed through the books on her shelf. Using her finger as guide as she swiftly skimmed over the book spines. “Schveltsim VII l. Calcreute. Ah! Found it” She yelled.\n\nConfusion filled my brain. It was just a regular rock. She seems really interested in it. The only thing unusual about it was the fact that it had white on it. And I’m quite sure that was bird poop.\n\nShe grabbed chalk and a few herbs a long with a necklace in the shape of a star. She laid a few candles out and lit one, throwing what looked like dried rose petals onto the flame. She used the candle to light the other ones. She drew a circle with a dot in the center. She put the necklace down then the rock on top. Her eyes tested up as she poured hot wax into the necklace then the rock. She set the rock on top of the necklace. \n\nThis was all new to me. I’m not one to participate in rituals. I so desperately wanted to leave. But I felt bad. Something In me told me she was crying for a good reason.\n\nShe changed a few words before the rock glowed. First a pale purple then into a baby blue. The glow turned black before the rock cracked slowly. Exposing white light. He witch smiled as tears rolled down her cheeks as something arose from the rock pieces.", "It was a good arrangement we had. I was allowed to live just outside the village and given needed amenities in exchange for my magical talents. However, these talents didn't come from nothing. I turned the raw emotional energy inherent in a person's belongings into the very spells and incantations I practiced. \n\nI'd become so masterful of my art I could sense the very energy. A farmer could bring me his favorite pair of shoes, and I can use them to cure his daughter's fever. The local lord could bring me a family heirloom, and I could use it to repel flood waters from a blightful storm.\n\nIt was a fair life, but a lonely one. Sure, people would come by often, but it was always business. People who need something enough to rely on forces out of their understanding tend not to make the best conversation. Much of my time was spent studying my magic and providing for the village. That is until he came to my door.\n\nHe was drunk. I didn't recognize his face from the other villagers. He presented me with a shoe and asked to fill his flagon. He had drunk it in a few hearty gulps. When finished, he collapsed to the ground in a drunken stupor. He wasn't the first to come to my home and waste my power.\n\nI had thought he'd be gone by the morning. To my surprise, he sat groggily at my stoop. He presented his other shoe for a cure to his hangover and a napkin for a loaf of bread. He stuck around for a while. He was a wandering vagrant who found himself at my doorstep after hearing word of me from the villagers. \n\nI was a lucky find for him. He would give me small bits and baubles in exchange for food and drink. He stuck close by when he wasn't begging in the village. At first, it was an annoyance. He'd pester me about exchanging items, often trying to figure out how to get the most out of a trade. However, soon it became less of a pester and more about curiosity. After many questions about my magic, I made him a deal. A question for a question. \n\n\"How do you know how much power a thing has,\" he asked.\n\nI answered, \"Every object a person owns has a certain amount of personal attachment to it. The more attachment a person feels, the more potent spells I can cast.\"\n\nThen I asked, \"How'd you find yourself in your situation?\"\n\nHe shrugged and said, \"Never knew my pa. My ma and I were beggars until she died of consumption when I was young. Never learned a trade. Nobody would teach me.\"\n\n\"Why's that?\" I asked curiously.\n\nHe shrugged, \"Don't know. Guess no one wants a starving beggar as an apprentice.\"\n\nHe didn't ask another question. After several somber moments, a thought occurred to me. I made him an offer, \"Quit drinking and begging from the villagers. In exchange, I'll find you an apprenticeship.\"\n\nAfter some thought, he agreed. It was hard for him at first. I helped where I could. I'd cure his shakes in exchange for stories of his travels. After a month sober, I received business from the village blacksmith. He needed his shop expanded in exchange for a pair of his daughter's baby shoes. A made the deal with the blacksmith with the added request of taking on a new apprentice. With the expansion of his business, he generously accepted.\n\nMy friend worked very hard in his apprenticeship, but he always made time to stop by just to chat. I remember when he brought me his first creation, a crooked horseshoe. He wanted to exchange it for a lodging between my cabin and the smithy. The pride inherent in that twisted hunk of metal was more than enough to summon a cottage and some furnishing.\n\nHe continued to ask about my magic. He used what he learned at the forge, imbuing his emotions into his creations. His works improved as he learned to smith. His creations' qualities improved further as he practiced magic. The blacksmith never had any sons, and with the quality of the work, the choice of a successor was easy. Soon, many came to the village for his expertise and quality of work. \n\nOne day, while we were chatting about how far he had come, he became very serious. From his pocket, he produced a stone. The emotional energy behind the stone practically reverberated through the air. Astounded, I asked, \"Where did you find this?\"\n\nLooking in my eyes, he stated, \"Years ago, I took this rock from your front garden. It was going to be a souvenir from this village. I held on to it as a reminder of your charity. It gave me strength as I quit drinking. It inspired me as I was learning my trade. This simple rock has represented the friendship and kindness you've shown me for the first time in my life. Today I bring it to you to make a trade\"\n\nBefore my eyes, the magic in the stone coalesced into a glorious mythral ring adorned with ferrin gemstones.\n\nHe got down on one knee saying, \"I would like to exchange this ring for your hand in marriage.\" \n\n\\Sorry about the formatting, I'm still kinda new to this\\", "The witch clasps her hand around the rock, and closes her eyes. Tears stream down her wrinkled skin, falling to the scorched Earth and disappearing almost immediately.\n\n\"From the rubble,\" I say, pointing to a dilapidated pile of burnt wooden beams and blackened stones lying in the distance.\n\n\"Tell me this,\" she gasps, her eyes wide in astonishment. \"After the war, people brought me bones of their loved ones. They brought back broken shards of memoirs and mementos, so I could revive damaged memories. I have brought the dead back to life. I have restored relics and family heirlooms. Why have you brought me rubble from a mosque?\"\n\n\"Do you believe in God? I ask without hesitation.\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"Look around us. After the war, no one believes anymore. But before they ravaged this city, we went to the mosque every day. I didn't believe in God even then, but being under one roof with my family, watching them pray for the well-being of their loved ones... that made me feel a little less alone. And I realized then, that even if there was no God... I could live with it because I knew there were others praying for me. There is nothing now. Just ash and broken dreams. No one prays for each other anymore, just for their own selves. How are we supposed to live if we can't look out for each other?\"\n\n\"But..\" she stutters incoherently. \"You lost your parents in the war. Your brothers. You could bring them back too. What could be more powerful than resuscitating love?\"\n\nI sigh deeply. \"Love will bring only my life back. Faith will bring back much more than that. This stone belonged to the home of our lost faith. Tell me then, could you convince God to come back?\"\n\nr/whiteshadowthebook" ]	[ 1, 5, 6, 25, 53 ]	[ "1556898684", "1556943974", "1556925402", "1556944835", "1556906480" ]
	[WP] You are an assassin tasked with killing the royal family. Today you found out why the royal family never required bodyguards.	8	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "From behind the king, I pressed the blade of my dagger to his throat. His wife and children looked up and at me. They did not seem afraid.\n\n\"Fine blade,\" the king said.\n\nI looked down at the top of his head. \"What?\"\n\n\"Your dagger. Very high quality. Sharp. You are barely pressing it to my skin and I can already feel some blood trickling down my neck.\" He sounded impressed. \n\nHis oldest son commented, \"Cool. Dad, can I get a dagger, too?\"\n\n\"Just as long as you promise not to hold it to anyone's necks,\" the king joked.\n\nThey laughed.\n\nI shouted at them, \"Shut up!\"\n\nThe youngest daughter gasped and frowned at me. \"Bad word,\" she said.\n\nFor some reason I felt ashamed of myself. \"Sorry,\" I said to her.\n\nShe beamed. \"It's okay! Everyone makes mistakes, but if you apologize, sincerely mean it, and try not to do it again, all will be forgiven. Right, Mama?\"\n\nThe Queen nodded, face radiating with pride as she agreed. \"Right.\" Then she turned towards me and asked, \"Will you be joining us for dinner?\"\n\n\"I'm actually here to assassinate you,\" I told her truthfully. I looked around the table at all the faces. \"All of you.\"\n\nA couple of the younger kids started talking:\n\n\"A sassy eight? What's that?\"\n\n\"You're eight.\"\n\n\"But I'm not sassy, am I?\"\n\n\"I don't think so...Maybe... What does sassy mean?\"\n\n\"I don't know. But he said he was going to sass us, so we just have to wait and see.\"\n\nI let them talk because I found it quite amusing and fascinating.\n\nOne of them looked up at me and asked, \"Can you please hurry up and sass us? I want to see if I'm sassy.\"\n\nI coughed to disguse the laugh that suddenly exploded out of me.\n\n\"Get him some water!\" The Queen ordered.\n\n\"No, really, I'm fi-\" I looked up and saw a beautiful girl with dark hair and eyes staring at me. \n\nShe held the cup out to me. \"Drink.\"\n\nI hesitated.\n\nHer dark eyes peered through to my soul and understood. She took a sip first. Then she held out the cup to me.\n\nI took it and drank.\n\nAfter that, it was over. No matter how many times I kept threatening to kill them, it was a statement that became hard to take serious as I would shortly after ask for someone at the table to pass me another plate.\n\nAs dinner came to a close, the king spoke. He said, \"It seems unfair to me that you have come all this way to complete a task which I am sure you were certain to be rewarded by.\"\n\nEveryone at the table heartily agreed.\n\n\"As a result,\" the king continued. \"I wish to compensate you. Tell me how much you were to be paid, and I will doub- no, triple it.\"\n\n\"Actually, if you don't mind, I would like to ask for something else. Besides money.\" I glanced across at the dark-haired girl as I had been doing all night.\n\nShe lowered her eyes with a smile and blushed." ]	[ 1, 4 ]	[ "1556913445", "1556914900" ]
	[WP] You're a superhero that fights listening to music. A villain approaches, and you dig your hands into your pockets. You take them out and pat them, your heart sinking. You've forgot your phone at home.	3	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "<part 1/2>\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe sound of a violent impact and rapidly crumbling concrete had everyone in the ground floor office looking away from their desks. Up until that moment - a moment that, for months to come, would be tied to questions along the lines of *'where were you...?!'* \\- they'd all been hard at work; compiling data into massive spreadsheets or taking calls. The things that office workers usually did in the early afternoon on a weekday. Of course now, with a gaping hole taking pride of place in the office's main wall, they'd all be getting some time off. Those whose desks were situated closest to the wall would get more, with workplace safety concerns likely compounded by some form of injury.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe noise had them all scattering like rats fleeing a sinking ship. Normally, an unannounced visit from a superhero was cause for celebration; a fun distraction from the monotony of work for a few minutes out of an otherwise boring shift. Of course, normally, visiting superheroes weren't unceremoniously kicked through a solid wall. Desks and chairs buckled under the impact as one of the city's superhuman guardians slammed into them. As he rose to his feet, it was clear to anyone who hadn't fled the room that the battle had been going on for quite a lot longer than the few seconds they'd seen and, rather worryingly, the hero was losing. The normally pristine suit that was seemingly a staple for all the city's heroes - and a few of the villains - was torn, scraped and damaged in a multitude of places. Blood was gradually streaming through a few of the holes and, in the midst of his fatigue, the hero was glancing around in a state of panic.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I would say they should call you Deer In The Headlights with how you look right now.\" Mass-Collider had a criminal history that was about as recognisable as his voice. There weren't many people in this city - heroes, villains or otherwise - with such a pronounced Texan drawl though, despite how he sounded, he actually hated cowboys and Western movies; an easy nerve to poke at whenever a cocky hero wanted to piss him off. A former up-and-coming mixed martial artist who had gained the ability to manipulate his own relative mass, Tyson Drake's initial career aspirations had fallen by the wayside when his superhuman power had manifested itself in the middle of a tournament. It was hard to claim legitimacy in a combat sport when videos all over the internet showed him caving in his opponent's chest with a punch that sent him into the stands halfway across the gym hall.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHis right arm had, for a split-second, attained the mass of an I-beam girder and demolished the mortal human's bones accordingly. With a career in combat sports now out of the question, he'd quickly found a more lucrative revenue stream by hiring his superhuman abilities out to the highest bidder. In fact, when the hero-turned-punching bag had happened by him, he was in the middle of a bank robbery. He'd been quick to see something was amiss when the hero - who, normally, wasted no time in squashing flat any criminal uprisings he came across - instead took one look at him and hesitated. \"But that's kind of a mouthful, don't you think?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Takes a while to say.\" Luckily for the hero, the part of his costume which concealed his face from view was intact. \"Though I do prefer the words to the beating right now.\" The abruptness with which the news of the robbery had met his attention had caught the hero off-guard. Normally, he had the transition from his civilian identity to his heroic one down to a science, giving himself enough time to make sure that he had everything on and ready to go before he set out. His suit was the easiest thing to remember and, while he had multiple sets of the armoured pieces in various important places around the city, the robust, skin-tight base which made up the majority of his costumed appearance was always on underneath his civilian clothes; a cue he'd taken from the fictional heroes in comic books.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe one thing he'd forgotten, on today of all days, was his phone. To everyone else in the city, even the other heroes, the fact he brought his phone along with him whenever he fought crime was just one of his idiosyncrasies; a thing he did exhibited by no-one else. The truth was far greater than that and, now that he'd been caught on-duty without it, its absence was as painful as the bruises he'd be waking up with tomorrow. \"Well, sadly...\" Tyson sighed, tensing up the muscles in his right leg. The more he concentrated, the greater the mass he could feel permeating his bones, muscles and skin. Regardless of how much he used his power, his own mobility never seemed to suffer, allowing him to shift and add weight without breaking stride. \"I ain't one for talking!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nWith a step to close the distance, the villain planted the sole of his right foot hard against the side of a desk. To the surprise of the office workers, the entire thing - computer, office supplies and all - shot across the room as though it had been shot out of a cannon. It cleared a path from one end of the office to the other, even ridding the mostly straight route of the hero as they dove to one side to avoid a head-on collision with a piece of flat-pack furniture. The hero now found themselves in a dilemma. The lack of a phone was a dire problem that needed rectifying, that much was obvious. Retreating home wasn't an option and, with how outgunned he currently was, neither was trying to go toe-to-toe with Mass-Collider.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"You missed!\" The best option - the one which limited the risk to both himself and the civilians still in the office building - was to try luring the hot-headed villain. Hoping that Tyson's desire for a fight against him would outweigh the villain's seemingly compulsive need to harm innocents, the hero vaulted over the broken furniture and sprinted off towards the nearest corridor. The violent crashing of furniture was all the evidence of Tyson's decision he needed and, once he knew for sure he was being pursued, the hero started to search any rooms he could. If his phone was out of reach, then a substitute would have to do.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nOffice...\n\n&#x200B;\n\n...a storage room...\n\n&#x200B;\n\n...restrooms..." ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1556922993", "1557114111" ]
	[WP] An M1 Abrams Tank, a Ford Ranger, and a Lockheed Fighter are sitting in a tavern, trying to plan a dungeon raid and expand their party.	4	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The trio took up a majority of the bar. The regular patrons gave the group a wide berth, not having a choice in the matter. Three pitchers of viscous liquid were set out, illuminated by the lone light at the table.\n\nOf the three, the ranger was the most talkative. His bow was safely stashed in the trunk, arrows hanging out slightly as a warning. Pitted dents covered his sides, mementos of past battles. \"Look, we all know the Temple of the Rusty Gears is one of the dangerous worlds in all the realm. I just think that we could use a little extra firepower.\"\n\n\"Have plenty power. No need extra.\" The tank was blunt and to the point, little need for extravagant thoughts. \"Just point, and I blast. All we need.\"\n\nThe fighter turned to the tank, speaking with a sophisticated tone. \"Mabram, I understand where you're coming from, but there's a little issue. I'd be useless. There's mud traps, and things like that. You have treads, and Ford had all terrain tires for this. But I don't, and I'll get stuck. It's messy.\"\n\n\"Your problem. Not mine.\"\n\nThe ranger glanced between the two. \"L.H. has a point, but so does Mabram. Is there something you can pick up at the shop before we go?\"\n\nThe jet processed for a few seconds. \"Not sure if there is anything I can do. I got a ton of weapons, but without a lot of mobility, It won't help.\"\n\nThe three argued for a few more minutes, but no progress was made until another vehicle arrived, sleek and new. It crept up on the group before beeping quietly.\n\n\"Um, excuse me?\" The three slowly turned to the newcomer, lights dimmed conspiratorially. The tank finally toned out a message. \"Who are you? Why are you here?\"\n\n\"I heard you have need of a partner. The name's Nissan. I'm a Rogue.\"\n\n/u/TemporaryPatch New Years Resolution Tracker (2019 Edition!): 12/100. Visit /r/TemporaryPatchWrites for more responses and stories!" ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1556999197", "1556999906" ]
	[WP] There is an epidemic going around that is said to drive its victims mad. When you catch it, you realize that it gives you the ability to see unseen things. You try to tell everyone the truth, to no avail, and you begin to question your own sanity.	25	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Everyone knows about the Loco virus. The people that catch it slowly slip into madness. Last week this guy at work named Tony came down with it. He started out just looking around and muttering to himself. Some times he would flap his hands around like he was shooing away flies. It wasn't too bad at first, but it never stays that way, and less than a week later he's being carted away. I should probably introduce myself before we get into what's happening. First thing's first. My name's Anna, and I am NOT crazy.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI first realized that I was one of the affected when I saw the shadows. Now, I know how this is going to sound, but I assure you, I'm really not crazy. It just... well... it looked like the shadow was watching me. I know, ok. I know how it sounds. You're going to say, \"Yeah, that sounds like paranoia, and just like every other crazy, you just don't think you're crazy.\" Well I'm not! The shadow was watching me! And not just me, either! It's like, shadows that aren't really shadows are hiding INSIDE the real shadows and watching everyone. I go to work, and I sit in my cubicle, and it's like I can just FEEL those freaky shadow things slinking around and watching everyone. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nI have a theory. Now, I know I'm not crazy, ok? I can't be because it's just this one thing that's changed. I don't feel different about anyone or anything in my life, it's just now I can see things that other people can't. I think that the Loco virus doesn't make people crazy after all. I think that it, like, opens your eyes! I think that it just lets people see things that we aren't supposed to be able to see.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI started seeing the shadows three days ago, and each day it's like a new layer gets pulled away and I can see more of what's really there. The second day I could see the fairies. Well... I think they're fairies. They're tiny little people with wings that fly around messing with people. I know that they actually exist, because I can see people responding to what the fairies do! Like, on the bus on my way to work, one flew up to this guy, and started pulling something out of this guys ear. I have no idea what it was, but it looked like solid piece of glowing smoke. I know that sounds crazy, but that's what it looked like. Then the fairy thing put it in a little bag hanging from it's belt, and flew away. Could mean nothing, right? Lot's of crazy people hallucinate, right? Except that the guy reacted to it! When it pulled that wispy looking thing out from his ear, the guy got a weird look on his face, and then reached up and scratched his ear! How would I know that his ear would itch? Still think I'm crazy? Well, maybe, but only because I'm trying to understand all of this and it's driving me crazy! \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe third day was when I started seeing the strings. Ribbons? Yarn? I don't know. They're like these thick string things, but thinner than yarn. Anyways, at any time, people are absolutely surrounded by so many strings! They aren't like regular strings either. You can totally see through these ones. You also can't feel if you walk through them. Well, I mean, obviously you can all see through them. You can't even SEE them. And it would be weird if you couldn't get around because you were being blocked by these string things that you couldn't see, so of course you can walk through them. What I mean though is that even I can see through them, and even knowing they're there, I feel no difference when walking through them. It basically looks like each person has a bunch of see through strings that are coming out of them, leading off into however many different directions. I got curious, so I decided to follow one. Just started walking in the direction it was leading, taking detours around buildings and stuff when I had to. Know what it lead me to? Straight to my friend, Misty. I had no idea where she would be, but it lead me right to her, and it was connected to her. I followed a few more strings, and each one lead to someone that I know. Not only know, but am really close to. Someone that I have an emotional attachment to. One lead to my boyfriend Jake, one lead to my mom, and one lead out of town to the north. I'm pretty sure if I had followed it, it would have lead me to my gram who lives a few towns away to the north of us. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThis morning, sure enough, another layer has been pulled back. It's like these weird smoky blackish things are flying around. They look kind of vaguely human, like if a person was wearing a cape made out of black smoke and was see through. They seem to just be wandering and looking around at every one and everything. They really seem to like old people and sometimes they focus on one person for a while before floating away to look at other people and things. I have no idea what they're doing, but when I passed by the hospital on my way to work, there were hundreds of them out there. Now, I'm not crazy ok? But I'm kinda feeling like what I'm seeing, is death. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe big problem that I'm having now is that I don't want the fairies taking my ear wisps, and that is pissing the rest of them off. I don't know what it is that they're taking, and I don't want them taking something I might need, so when they come around me I shake my head and whisper at them to go away. Some times I try to knock them back with my hands. They don't really like that, even though I don't feel any difference when my hand goes through them. The problem is though, is that now that the fairies are getting mad at me, the shadow things are starting to watch me more and more, and they're changing. From the corner of my eyes, sometimes it looks like one will be reaching for me, but when I turn to look, even when I'm really fast, they're still hiding in their shadows. I'm not crazy. I swear I'm not, but I'm starting to get really scared...." ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1557001880", "1557046246" ]
[removed]	[WP] warping noises "ok. I have one. Just one tiny teeny question: HOW, and i cannot stress this enough, THE FUCK"	7	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/Nick-fwan, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Direct prompt replies must be good-faith attempts at new stories or poems](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_1.3A_direct_prompt_replies_must_be_good-faith_attempts_at_new_stories_or_poems)\n\n- Fill-in-the-blank: Responses must be at least 100 words. This is essentially a fill-in-the-blank, or you asked a question likely to generate a simple answer. Prompts should encourage a story or poem. \n\n \n\n Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses ([rule 7](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses))\n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://old.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bkrvm5/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1557016962", "1557018073" ]
	[WP] A toddler makes an epic journey, steeling their nerves and conquering their fear... going to the bathroom in the middle of the night.	96	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "(sorry its long, I got a little carried away!)\n\n \n\nCammy woke up, between her mom and her dad. They were both asleep, and she knew nothing would wake them, so she didn't try.\n\nUsing the information she's gleamed about the world, and seeing outside, it's still nighttime. Or early morning? How could she know. At that moment, she only knew one thing: she had to go.\n\nShe crawled out of bed, opened the door, and saw the long hallway that led from the doorway, illuminated by a night light shaped like a crescent moon looking over clouds that was plugged in to the wall. Cammy thought that the dark was scary, as everyone at school thought, so she took the plug out to bring with her.\n\nCammy's parents’ room was on the second floor, and the bathroom was on the first, through the kitchen. The stairs, which laid at the end of the hallway which overlooked the main entrance, was only divided by her older brother's room. With the night light, she thought, she could make it!\n\nOn her way out, though, she realized something. Her feet were awfully cold. The window must be open. She put her feet into her mom’s over-sized, pink slippers, which were next to a sleeping tabby cat in her cage, and wadded out.\n\nThe crescent moon shone a brilliant baby blue as Cammy passed her room, which was closer to her parents’ room than her brother’s was. Her brother’s door was opened slightly, and from inside an ominous red light came forth. Something was making noise, Cammy thought. She was curious, and headed for the door. As she got closer, she realized it was talking to her. It said, “Hey kid, yeah you, in the slippers!” The voice hissed, “I know what you want. You have to go, right? Well, I can take you there! Oh, yes! If you would only come in, little one, there’s nothing to be afraid of!”\n\nCammy was excited! Someone kind enough to offered her a ride to the bathroom! She kept wadding forward, and she pressed open the crease in the door, revealing the interior of her brothers room. Her brother was asleep in bed. The red light emanating from a little monkey doll her dad had changed because her brother really wanted a light-up toy. Cammy walked in, curious as to who the voice was.\n\nA laugh came from somewhere. Cammy was now instinctively frightened. Where had the sound come from? A deep, unrecognizable sound then swept the room. Cammy covered her ears and shut her eyes to hide from the sound. Then it went silent. She opened her eyes.\n\nThe monkey was towering over her, with no one behind it. It screamed and dove for her.\n\nCammy, realizing she dropped the night light covering her ears, picked it up again and collapsed as the monkey grabbed her. \n\nThe monkey made a sound, as if deflating. Cammy saw now that the monkey was limp upon her, and an evil black mist was fading out of the monkey. She was safe, and the red light had gone. She scrambled to her feet and fled her brother’s room.\n\nCammy was now closer to the stairs than her parents’ room. The stairs seemed to Cammy to be a bottomless pit, jaggedly falling. With her night light in her hand, she began her descent. \n\nThe kitchen was visible through each space in the railing now, along with the bathroom, which had its light on, visible only barely. Cammy was about halfway, when something came from the bottom of the stairs. It was an odd, metallic humming. It was like something was zigzagging around. When Cammy neared the bottom the night light revealed to her what it was.\n\nThe roomba was nearly invisible in the dark, minus its yellow, glowing top. Its seemingly sporadic movements now no longer made Cammy curious, but instantly scared. She almost turned around.\n\nBut she had to go.\n\nShe stepped down, into the main entrance. It was a wide place, and the night light could not illuminate everything. She started towards the kitchen, which was cleaned that day. The roomba would not follow. She stepped forward, one step closer to the kitchen, and one step farther from the roomba. She turned around: the yellow light was at the door, a good distance from her. \n\nShe stepped forward and slipped on a toy truck that her brother must’ve forgotten to pick up. The dropped the night light. The roomba turned around, now with the same sinister red light the monkey had. \n\nIt charged forward. Cammy picked up the night light and ran for the kitchen. Despite Cammy’s flight instinct allowing her to run as fast as she could, the roomba was making serious ground. Cammy reached the kitchen right as the roomba caught up with her. It bumped her into the poodle’s water bowl, splashing water everywhere. The roomba, although being technologically advanced, was no match for water. It spun around in a tight circle, whirring almost as if hurt. Cammy couldn’t bare the sound, so she took the night light and hit the roomba. \n\nThe roomba stopped, and yet again, an odd black mist rose from it. Cammy paid it no mind, she was almost at the bathroom. \n\nThe kitchen tiles were cold, even with the slippers on. She was so small, it seemed that the countertops and the isle in the center were skyscrapers. Marveling at this, she noticed a movement dart above her. Then again. Then again.\n\nDuring the commotion with the roomba, the tabby cat must’ve gotten into the kitchen. The cat watched calmy with its emerald eyes. The green was almost soothing, when combined with the blue night light. \n\nThe night light flickered. The cat looked down, as if reverting to a primitive form of hunter. The night light flickered again. The cat changed stance.\n\nCammy was worried. \n\nThe night light went off.\n\nThe cat pounced.\n\nCammy ran towards the bathroom, the only light visible through the bottom of the door. She heard the cat meow wildly, but felt nothing but cold feet. When she got to the bathroom, she pushed it open, flooding the kitchen with light. The cat was wrestling with the slippers. For a moment, it looked like the slippers were fighting back. Then, from atop the slippers, the black mist formed. The cat looked back at Cammy with its protective, green eyes, and then proceeded back to her sleeping space.\n\nCammy went to the bathroom, using the bathtub to get up. After, she realized her night light wasn’t working. She’d have to go back in complete darkness, unless she kept the bathroom door open, which would almost certainly get her in trouble. Her heart sank. She barely made it here with the night light, how could she hope to make it back without it?\n\nThe night light turned back on, and shone brighter than it ever did. A calming, blue version of Cammy’s mom appeared. She told Cammy, “Sweetie, I am so very proud of you! You did it, all by yourself! Aren’t you brave?”\n\nCammy was brave. Cammy is brave.\n\nCammy climbed down and walked out of the bathroom, closing the door. She walked passed the slippers, which were now torn up. The light cast away any false comforts. She walked passed the roomba. The light cast away any sense of fear or cowardice. She walked up the stairs and passed her brother’s room; passed the monkey. The light cast away any sense of betrayal.\n\nCammy put the night light back into the wall. The light filled her with confidence. She climbed into bed, between her mom and her dad. \n\nBefore drifting off to sleep, she whispered, “I love you, mom. You are brave, too.”\n\nIt did not take her long to fall asleep.", "I sat up with a jolt, my heart racing as I took in my surroundings. To my relief I realized I was not cratering down an enormous waterfall in the middle of the jungle. Instead, I was in my room, safe and sound. I sighed in relief. Must’ve been a stupid dream. \n\nAs I closed my eyes and tried to drift back into sleep, however, I felt a tingling sensation I knew all too well. Potty time. I knew I shouldn’t have drank that last glass of water. Oh well. “Mom? Dad? I need to go to the bathroom,” I called out. And then I remembered. They’d gone out for the night and left Rosalyn in charge. Of all the night to go out, of course they had to choose this one. I considered my options. I could ask Rosalyn to turn on the light and scare the monsters under my bed. But then she’d think I was some scaredy-cat who’s afraid of the dark. There was no way I could live with that shame. Or...I could wet the bed. But then mom and dad would be furious tomorrow morning. That left just one other option - walking over to the bathroom at night by myself. I gulped as I realized that was my only option.\n\nI tried to remember everything I knew about monsters to figure out someway to protect myself...but, I couldn’t focus knowing I was embarking on a journey that could very well end with my death. I took a deep breath. If I could just reach the light switch in my room before the monsters got to me I would be safe. The problem was that the switch was at least six feet away. Even at my top speed it would take at least five seconds to turn the light on. Would I last that long? Probably not. I cursed the electricians who had so foolishly put the switch there. They should’ve realized that decision put my life in jeopardy. \n\nI resigned myself to my fate. Four years old. Eaten by monsters. At least I’d lived a good, happy life. As I removed my blanket, a thought struck me. It was a crazy idea, but it could buy me enough time to reach the light. \n\nI stood on the bed and raised my blanket above my head. Then I flung it as far as I could away from the light switch. An instant after I heard it fall to the ground I leapt off the bed and dashed toward the light switch. One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three Mississippi. Time seemed to slow as I reached out blindly and felt for the switch. I was tantalizingly close to safety. Finally I touched it and the room was illuminated with light. I had done it!\n\nFlush with triumph, I started towards the hallway. It was at this point that I made two observations. Firstly, I no longer needed to go to the bathroom. And secondly, my pajamas were soaked." ]	[ 1, 4, 14 ]	[ "1557020909", "1557029584", "1557028109" ]
[removed]	[WP] In the near future, you can rent out a "VR Apartment," a small room full of the latest VR equipment made so that you can live in a virtual reality game of your choice for a monthly fee. You're one of the first customers.	3	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I am bound to a chair and can not afford to live in a Virtual Reality Apartment, despite it being the size of a broom closet and situated in the middle of nowhere. The cost comes from its 100% uptime. If you pay rent on time, you could in theory, never leave virtual reality. \n\nThey call it the Freedom-Bench, sharing aesthetics with a dentist's chair. It takes care of bodily functions and nourishment, meaning you never have to leave.\n\nThe apartment consists of four walls, a door, and, a Freedom-Bench. Rent pays for the electricity, nutrients drip fed into your body, and the upkeep of equipment. If like me, you are unable to cover the costs, you can work to keep the fantasy alive. \n\nI work from nine to five, I get weekends off, and two weeks of holiday per year - although, I never take it because every day is a holiday, an escape from my body. My job involves helping people, by being a Companion for Hire. VR is a beautiful world, free from pollution, responsibility, and consequences. It becomes truly spectacular when you have someone to enjoy it with and partake in your adventures without question. \n\nCompanion for Hire is the modern-day equivalent of acting. Sure, you could fill your world with Artificial Intelligence, but they don't think for themselves. The real world has taught us that chaos is beauty. Most of the time, not knowing is better than knowing. Take a camping trip for example. You can plan the destination, time of year, weather, food, drinks, and company. Perhaps you want to sit around a campfire with Roland Deschain, Harry Potter, and Bugs Bunny. You could do that with AI. But, when it comes to the evening, and the fire is crackling - What do your companions say? How do they act? What jokes are told? The human-element can't be undersold.\n\nTwo weeks ago, I received an email from Companion for Hire. The subject line read: Live free, forever. It promised that I could escape my earth-bound body. It didn't take two weeks for me to decide. It took me two seconds. My body can't even walk, and will only live for a finite amount of time. My mind, however, can live free, forever. It has been two weeks because I've been waiting for an engineer. \n\nIt's going to happen in a few hours. My mind will become the property of C4H, and I will get to continue my work unhindered by time. I have to disconnect. It's going to be painful to see the dull walls of my apartment, I haven't seen them since moving in. \n\nThe doorbell rang, carried through as a notification in VR. I disconnected and winced. The room was dark, apart from the glow of the headset. I tried to move my arm and struggled. It didn't feel like my arm anymore - it was far too weak. I needed to touch the button on the side of the bench to unlock the door, but, as I tried, something materialised on the back of the door. \n\nA note had appeared, coming into existence like the slow fade of pixels. It glowed radioactive green against the darkness. The doorbell rang again, and I squinted at the note. I saw my name first, signed at the bottom, and then I read it. \n\nThey made you forget. They made you pliable. Do not forget again. You do not have an earth-bound body. You are already part of the system.\n\n---\n\n/r/WrittenThought" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1557137442", "1557143740" ]
	[WP] Healing magic is used to treat soldiers, who are sent into battle almost daily and serve far longer terms. The rate and severity of PTSD reaches unprecedented levels.	3	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I woke up lying on my back. A white light flashes my eyes. I am unsure how I got here, wherever I am.\n\nMy breath is heavy. My ears are ringing. I have no intention of getting up, at least not yet. I've always been a late riser. But more importantly, I have to get a grip before I go anywhere.\n\nI inhale as slowly as I can manage. Did it happen again? I release the air through my mouth. It must have. I inhale again. What was the last thing I remember doing? I exhale. No, don't think. Not now. Inhale. White light... Exhale. Headache... Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. My hand hurts. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. My leg is shaking.\n\nI feel something cold and wet near my feet. Am I lying in a puddle? How could this happen? Perhaps I've been knocked unconscious by an explosion? This happened before, just a few weeks... NO! Focus!\n\nInhale... Exhale... Inhale... Exhale...\n\nI feel nervous, too nervous, certainly. They cannot catch me like this. They will do to me what they did to Tom.... Oh, Tom... I am too unfocused still.\n\nInhale... Exhale... Inhale... Exhale...\n\nNow I feel water at my thigh. Or perhaps it is no water at all... It could be mud... or...\n\nInhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.\n\nI blink a few times. The white light stems from a LED lamp. The ceiling is blank white. Clearly, I am inside a building.\n\nInhale... Exhale... Inhale... Exhale...\n\nI remember these lights. I am inside a bathroom. Somewhere at camp.\n\nI inhale slowly... and exhale through my mouth...\n\nI sit up carefully. In front of me lies a broken sink. Water drips out of the tubes sticking out of the wall.\n\nIt happened again. I begin to shake. They cannot see me like this. They would know that I cannot think straight. I would be of no use to them any longer. Aside from being a meatshield on the front line, that is...\n\nI have no clue how long I've been lying here. I need to get up... Before anyone finds me here...\n\nI get on my feet as fast as I can. A dizziness comes over me. I feel a painful sting in my hand. A quick gaze reveals that it has been cut. I look up. The mirror has been smashed. My breath is even heavier than when I woke up. I need to get out of here, now.\n\nInhale - Exhale - Inhale - Exhale\n\nI rush to the door and push it forcefully - it won't open?\nMy heart begins to race.\n\nINHALE - EXHALE - INHALE - EXHALE\n\nI try to kick the door open, unsuccessfully\n\nINHALE EXHALE INHALE EXHALE\n\nPull... I need to pull!\n\nINHALE EXHALE INHALE EXHALE\n\nI put my hand on the door handle, and as I pull it down... The door itself knocks me off my feet\n\nTerrified, I look up - An enemy soldier kicked the door open and is trying to kill me!\n\nThe both of us scream simultaneously - and we reach for our hand pistols. We take aim. I pull the trigger...\n\n\n\n\nI woke up lying on my back. A white light flashes my eyes. I am unsure how I got here, wherever I am." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1557150207", "1557158703" ]
	[WP] A wizard tries to join a wizard council but has a normal name, which throws the council members off guard.	9	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The space behind my eyes ached horribly. I’d spent a lifetime preparing for my trials to join the Grand Wizarding Council. \n\nOf course, my parents, having spotted my proclivities and a slight tendency toward “fulfiller of prophecy” had prepared me for the enormous amounts of soul-draining energy that I would need to become a wizard. My mentors and teachers had run me ragged in school, stuffing my arms full of books and my head with white magic and black magic and all the magical colors in between. After earning my robes and tomes, I’d quested with the best of best, moving mountains and slaying dragons with both magic and witty repartee. I’d mastered incantations, levitations, orations, creations, and all the other –ations inherent in wizardry. I was as prepared as I was ever going to be. But fuck me crooked, that shit was still hard. \n\nThree weeks might as well have been three years. To be fair, it really ought to have only taken two weeks but getting out of that gods-forsaken Pandora’s Box proved a bit of challenge. By day three in I was sure I’d been disqualified from the council. But when that top finally popped the fuck open and I returned to my normal dimensions, the trials continued. Either I was still in or these were some sick motherfuckers who just wanted to watch me suffer.\n\nIt had been two days and two nights since I’d finished the last trial; crafting a wish that left no loophole to be abused by malevolent and mischievous wish-givers. (I’d gone with “I wish for a sip of water, just enough to wet my tongue but not enough to quench my thirst.) After submitting that on parchment I was led to a chamber to clean, change, rest and feast while the council reviewed my trials. If no verdict was reached by Day Three I would, by default, be turned away from the council. According to the Great Magical Charter of Master D’Valianestos The Fair, all new members must be admitted by a unanimous decision. Any indecision after three days of deliberation meant that there were too many qualms that could not be ignored. Any petitioner denied entry onto the council could attempt the trials again after a short wait period of 750 years. \n\nAs the sun rose this morning, Day Three, I had all but convinced myself that it was a done deal. Most first-time petitioners don’t make it. And the ones that have been admitted on their first petition a) are the folks even the mortals know about or b) tend not to have very long life-spans seeing as anyone with that sort of mastery of power walks around with a big ol’ target on their back. \n\nI’d just poured myself a cup of coffee and had been considering going for a swim in the Fountain of Youth when there was a small, timid knock on the door. I waved my hand gently and it swung upon. A small, bored-looking, elfin youth stood on the other side, a broad garment box nearly half his size balanced on one hand. \n\nIn a flat monotone, ragged with rehearsed repetition, he chanted “Good sir. I implore your forgiveness for the intrusion, but a decision has been made with regards to your petition to join the Grand Wizarding Council.” He took an exasperated breath and continued, somehow managing even less enthusiasm in the second verse of his sad little recitation. “Your presence is requested in the main chamber before Masters Yelviniastoros, the Just; Theramustacles, the Wise; Hebronivanexditu, the Son of War and Fire; Uvurakinoria, the Witch of the Rising Sun; and Klovogulapinderatequeritus the Short-Winded. Please don these ceremonial robes before presenting yourself to the Grand Wizarding Council.” He probably would have dropped the box without flourish, where he stood, had I not already snatched it from his outstretched hand the minute the last syllable left his tongue. The juvenile remained thoroughly unimpressed.\n\nI was dressed and at the main chamber doors in literal seconds. Magic was useful that way. One last smoothing of my hair and tug at my robes to be sure everything was in order and I mentally pushed both doors open, the heavy iron and gold adorned gateways swinging open majestically before me. The council, small though it was at this point in history, sat on their diases, their facial expressions utterly unreadable.\n\nMaster Yelviniastoros, the Just stood, his arms upraised. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled in anticipation. He spoke, evoking some sort of “Voice of the Gods” spell, rendering his words echoing and earsplitting.\n\n“You have come before us this day having offered yourself...” Master Uvurakinoria, the Witch of the Rising Sun interrupted him.\n\n“You twat, cut that out. It wasn’t funny the first time. It’s not funny the 747th time.”\n\nMaster Yelviniastoros, the Just burst out laughing, the sound more akin to a hiss than a laugh but the point was made. \n\n“Not funny to you, Master Uvurakinoria, the Witch of the Rising Sun. Fucking comedy gold to me, my dear.”\n\n“Yeah, well, whatever. I’ve got an appointment to get a massage and I’m not going to make that girl wait. She goes all noodly on me when I’m late and I cannot abide by another weak massage.” She focused the full brunt of her unsettling snake-eyed gaze on me. \n\nLook, kid. You’re in. That was the fastest escape of Pandora’s Box since we started using it for a trial. You’ve got all the right stuff, what it takes, astounding chalice of power, whatever cliché jiggles your jollies. Congrats. All we need is your name and we’ll add you to the letterhead.”\n\nI was shocked almost to the place where speech ceased to exist. I was in? That was it? I was a Master on the Grand Wizards Council, just like that? Hebronivanexditu, the Son of War and Fire noticed my confusion and spoke up.\n\n“I know this is a lot to take in. After many lifetimes of work and effort, it feels like there should be more pomp and circumstance, eh?”\n\nMaster Uvurakinoria, the Witch of the Rising Sun’s impatience visibly rose. “Yeah, shock, awe, undying gratitude, we’ll do all that bit later. Right now we just need to you announce your name, we’ll repeat it and I can go get kneaded to oblivion.” \n\nI found my voice and managed to squeak out “Oh. Um. Yeah. My name is Chad.” Master Uvurakinoria, the Witch of the Rising Sun started to say something then snapped her mouth shut, her slitted eyes clouding with confusion.\n\n“Ok, say what now?” she said incredulously. “Chad?” \n\n“Yeah.” I returned. “Chad. That’s my name.”\n\n“Chad?”\n\n“Uh-huh.”\n\n“C-H-A-D, Chad?” She said as if demonstrating her spelling abilities might help reinforce the point.\n\n“Yep. Chad. You wanted my name. And that’s it. Chad.”\n\nMaster Uvurakinoria, the Witch of the Rising Sun opened and closed her mouth several times in succession, clearly astounded, apparently at my name.\n\nTheramustacles, the Wise spoke for the first time, “What sort of name is that, boy?” \n\nInstinctively, I shrugged. “It’s just the name my parents gave me. I think they found it in a book. Or maybe it was some dead relative. I dunno. But my name is Chad. And Master Uvurakinoria, the Witch of the Rising Sun, you got the spelling right too.”\n\nA stunning, heavy silence fell across the room, in tandem with the looks of pure, unadulterated confusion across each member of the Grand Wizarding Council’s faces. As suddenly as that silence settled, it was shattered all of them talking at once. All of them clearly at a loss as to what to do about a monosyllabic, pronounceable name. \n\nThe arguing took a fair amount of time. I was pretty confident Master Uvurakinoria, the Witch of the Rising Sun had quite efficiently missed her massage. By hour two of the various iterations and reiterations of the same concerns, I’d tuned them out and sat cross-legged in the floor, fiddling with the decorative runes sewn into my ceremonial robe. \n\nSuddenly, I heard a shrill voice ring out. “Ok, fuck it!” It was the diminutive Master Klovogulapinderatequeritus the Short-Winded. “Whatever, I’m goddamn-well hungry. Welcome aboard Master Chad, the Stupid-Named. Let’s go fucking eat.”\n\nAll five of them returned to their respective seats and a sixth dias materialized on the other side of Master Theramustacles, the Wise. Scrolling works featuring sparrows and vines raced up and down the throne, it had produced. Pops of glittering flowers seemed to wave in a wind that was not blowing. And above the top of the chair, elegant lettering spelled out Master Chad, the Stupid-Named. \n\nOk. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nLike this? Check out my other stuff at r/geekdorknerd" ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1557151364", "1557197969" ]
	[WP] A dystopian future where people receive their baby once they are considered ready and deserving.	38	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "They say life comes at you any way it chooses, and all you can do is roll with the punches. \n\nThey also used to tell me that storks brought babies, but then I learned about sex and was pretty pissed off about the lies. They weren't lies. Not anymore. Now storks really do bring kids to you... whether you asked for them or not. I don't know who or what is in charge of determining this, but everyone whom this entity decides is \"ready\" and \"deserving\" gets a kid. Single, married, whatever, now there is a damned kid delivered to you. They are tenacious, like those assholes who serve subpoenas. Congrats, you didn't get to have sex but you're a father now. Hooray for you, Todd.\n\nSure, my daughter changed my life and I would never go back to the way things were... but I do also enjoy hunting storks now." ]	[ 1, 6 ]	[ "1557164093", "1557173219" ]
	[WP] Aliens entered the solar system and promptly ignored mankind, setting up mining operations on Europa. First contact revealed that any uninhabited world or moon is fair game for exploiting.	12	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Many amateur observers spotted them. A group or comets they named Jakob-Herrera, 1 through 7. What looked like gleaming, pure metallic comets rounding toward Jupiter turned out to something entirely different.\n\nOur telescopes and devices noticed drastic course changes. The objects started to blue shift, decelerating on their own. Of course we tried to keep this a secret, but the amateurs alerted everyone.\n\nIt took a year and a half before anyone believed it in the mainstream.\n\nThe objects went to Europa, the moon of Jupiter. They stripped it all its water. We saw great whirling eddies of liquid water, volitiles, gasses drawn into the metallic objects.\n\nWe beamed then messages. A simple mathematical code, some images at first. It ignored us. Then more complex messages, variations to cover all kinds of logic.\n\nMonths later, we recieved a message back in radio wave format like our first broadcast. It repeated out mathematical proofs than what was unmistakably the molecular symbol for H2O. Water. The objects slungshot around the gravity well of Jupiter and vanished, they never sent anymore messages." ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1557165117", "1557166933" ]
[deleted]	[WP] You are the most uninteresting man in the world	5	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Impressive,\" the man in the suit admired from across the desk, adjusting his tie and raising his eyebrows as he read the file. It was quite the opposite of impressive, in fact. Perhaps that is what made it so impressive. Voluminous, Phillip thought to himself as he sat in the stuffy room. It was sparsely furnished; other than the desk and computer and the chairs, there were only a handful of frames on the walls showing motivational posters. Propaganda, some might call it. Motivating patriotism was the accepted term. Big, he thought, discovering a better description for the file. It was big. The man in the suit typed a couple more numbers into the computer and then closed the file. It slammed under its own weight. Phillip shifted in his seat and then smiled politely as the man in the suit met his eyes. He felt under-dressed in his khakis and striped button-up. It was just going to be another day in the office, after all. At least until he received the summons. \"Do you know why you are here, Phillip?\" the man asked. Phillip did not know. Nor did he have any guesses. He shook his head. Hopefully the other man knew why they were here.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I don't know,\" he answered. He did not ask. \"Ask not and you shall receive,\" the mantra went. He did not ask. The man smiled now. Sinister, some might say. Pleasantly was how Phillip would describe it. He smiled back, eager for an explanation. But he did not ask. The man's name was Samuel. Phillip was not sure if he went by Sam or Samuel. Perhaps he went by Sammy. He was dressed like a Samuel. Just in case, he did not call him any name.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"No, of course you don't,\" the man responded. He leaned forwards in his chair, pushing aside the file and cupping his hands in front of himself. \"You are an interesting man, Phillip,\" Samuel said after a moment's pause. Phillip smiled again. He certainly was, if he might say so himself. Smarter than average; capable of completing about two-thirds of the Sunday crossword, he had even tried his hand at the hard-level Sudoku puzzles that sometimes featured in the paper. Unsuccessfully, but that's why they were hard, after all. The medium ones he could finish. Once when he walked his dog, he had forgotten to pick up the poop and had to take the dog on a second walk in order to collect it. He collected the poop from the second walk and forgot the first one again! His wife had laughed uproariously as he had told the story at dinner, prompting him to tell it again when they met another couple for drinks later that week and again at Thanksgiving four months later. Definitely one for the highlight reel of an interesting man, Phillip thought smugly, having recovered from the initial embarrassment as he received lavish praise as an upstanding citizen for returning to pick up the original poop not once but twice.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Not too interesting,\" Samuel continued, interrupting Phillip's thoughts. Rather rudely, he might add. \"But just interesting enough,\" Samuel added with a reassuring nod. \"Which is exactly what we have been looking for.\" Phillip nodded eagerly although nothing Samuel was saying was making any further sense of why they found themselves in this normal room of a rather normal looking government building in the commercial center of the city. Citizens Bureau or something like that was the name of the department, Phillip was fairly certain of that. He would have to check the summons later to make sure.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I am pleased to hear that,\" he answered politely albeit a bit unconvincingly. He was, in fact, pleased that he met the criteria they were searching for. He would have liked to know what the criteria were before revealing too much enthusiasm.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Really? Without even knowing why you're here?\" Samuel asked in awe. Phillip nodded with a bit more confidence than he felt. \"Uncanny...\" Samuel marveled. It wasn't, by most standards. \"Well, anyways,\" Samuel finally said, breaking himself from his trance and standing and turning towards a whiteboard. \"I suppose it's time to explain.\" Phillip smiled and nodded encouragingly. \"You see, Phillip, some decades ago - say about a hundred and fifty years ago - our government discovered what might be compared to cracks in the foundation of a house,\" Samuel explained as he drew a crude house on the whiteboard. \"Our government is the house in this scenario, Phillip,\" Samuel said as he labeled the house. \"The cracks were in the people,\" he continued, drawing a few cracks below the house and labeling them appropriately. Phillip nodded knowingly. Cracks in the foundation of a house were never a good sign. He made a mental note to check the basement walls when he got home. \"Over time, Phillip, we noticed the cracks began to spread so we set out to discover the source of the cracks - to catch them at their origin, so to say.\" Phillip nodded, hoping he didn't discover any significant cracks at home.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"What we discovered is what has driven this very Bureau to new heights and what will set our country apart from the rest of the world.\" Phillip's eyes widened in anticipation. \"People like you, Phillip - you are not the crack.\" Phillip breathed out, not having realized he was holding his breath. What a relief, he thought to himself. Samuel suppressed a smile and continued. \"People like you are not the crack,\" he repeated. \"Not now and not ever. What we discovered is that the cracks always began at the same extreme, amongst a very specific subset of people,\" Samuel said gravely. Phillip nodded, perturbed. \"These people - these disruptors, as we called them, or revolutionaries, sought to disrupt the very basis of our existence.\" Samuel paused for emphasis. The silence was deafening as Phillip stared at him expectantly.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"This much was more or less expected,\" Samuel finally continued and Phillip nodded knowingly. \"What we found at the other end is what surprised us. We found that at the other extreme we had acceptors - people who, with minimal enemy propaganda, would embrace counter-intuitive and disruptive ideas and follow them blindly, without ever questioning their origin or their integrity.\" Samuel sketched the spectrum below the home on the whiteboard, carefully labeling each end. \"While the disruptors sought to disrupt the very basis of our existence, they failed to do so without enlisting the help of the acceptors. This realization is what allowed us to right our course and save the nation from certain doom. This realization is what brings us to you, Phillip,\" Samuel paused again, his hand hovering over the spectrum on the whiteboard. Phillip hoped he was not seen as an acceptor who had been enlisted by a disruptor. He certainly did not feel like he had been one.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nSamuel seemed to notice his apprehension and shook his head as he continued. \"You are right in the middle, Phillip,\" he finally said and Phillip breathed in relief again. \"You are what we have come to call an excellently average citizen.\" Phillip smiled. He sure felt excellent hearing that. He never meant to disrupt the government - he knew how much blood had been spilled to let him live his life in safety and how much money was spent to let him live his life in comfort and how much effort was expended to let him live his life in health and prosperity. He had seen the news, obviously. He watched it each evening through dinner with his beloved wife and he listened to the radio each morning and afternoon during his commute. Other countries were ravaged by warfare and disease and poverty the likes of which Phillip had never seen in his country. He couldn't imagine what would cause somebody to want to disrupt the harmonious existence. \"That brings us to our project, Phillip,\" Samuel spoke enthusiastically now, circling the middle of the spectrum and grandiosly labeling it with Phillip's name, drawing a smile. \"Through years of tracking and monitoring citizens' activities, you have been identified as an ideal average citizen. Due to this, we require your full participation in assisting us to create a new breed of citizen.\" Phillip frowned, now concerned that his wife had not received a similar summons. \"No, no,\" Samuel clarified. \"We are not literally breeding you.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Oh!\" Phillip laughed. \"You scared me!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Your cooperation will begin here, in this very building. We will conduct a brief operation to prepare you and then you will be able to go about your life as normal,\" Samuel explained. Phillip frowned, suddenly unsure of his involvement. Samuel seemed to realize his hesitation and jumped on it. \"Don't worry, you do not need to have been fasting or anything of the sort,\" he explained, not quite relieving Phillip's doubts.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"I... I'm not sure,\" Phillip said hesitantly. \"I'm not great with procedures like this and I would like to discuss it with my wife,\" he stuttered. Samuel pressed a small button on his desk and the door whirred open and Phillip turned to find two armed guards awaiting him.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"No need,\" Samuel reassured. Phillip felt a small prick in his neck and the room began to blur and spin. He tried to focus on the poster on the wall behind one of the guards. \"Your enthusiasm is optional. Your participation is mandatory,\" he managed to make out before his world turned black.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\\\\\\\\\\\\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, please check out more stories at [/r/MatiWrites](https://www.reddit.com/r/MatiWrites). Constructive criticism and advice are always appreciated!", "I wake up. Every day. Do the same stuff. Go to job interviews. Never really landing anything. In a place where monsters are. I'm a really boring person with a boring life. I'm insignificant. That was until one day. I came across a monster. A lobster man. He was gonna tear apart a butt chinned kid that drew nipples on him in permanent marker. But what could I do?\n\nDespite everything that I told myself. I fought for the kid and killed the monster. I then decided to work on myself. 100 push ups. 100 sit ups. 100 squats. And 10km running. Every single day. No ac during summer and no heat during winter. It was really tough. But I never gave up. Even when all my hair fell out. I'm now an insignificant man who defeats each enemy with one punch. It's so boring... Living day to day... Wait... I MISSED A SALE AT BIG BARGAIN GROCERY!!! NOOOOOOOO!", "Sweat beaded on my brow as I staggered backward, leaning on the hilt of my steel great-sword to regain balance. The beast towered before me, its twisted metal body culminating at either end in a set of dull pincers meant for binding and holding.\n\nThe beast roared, surrounded by the fallen bodies of its weaker, thinner comrades. I faltered—I knew that this creature was a full gauge below the ones I had slaughtered.\n\nThis called for a change of equipment. I laid down my sword and took out a sheaf of paper, fifty sheets thick. Holding this immense burden between my arms, I leapt up and rammed the papers into the cold, twisted pincers of the monster, hoping that its jaws would not be able to withstand such a heavy load.\n\nAs I rolled backwards from the creature, expecting to see it fallen on the ground, it instead laughed, the fifty sheets of paper hanging securely from its mouth.\n\n“You fool!” it shouted. “I am far superior to my weak, 20 gauge brethren! I am a 16 gauge paper clip, and no amount of measly printer paper is capable of slaying me!”\n\nThe monster laughed and swallowed the innumerable sheets of paper as I stepped back in shock. Suddenly, it returned its bloodthirsty eyes to me . . .\n\n—\n\nI awoke with a start, my breathing heavy and labored. As I reflected on my dream, I felt a sudden sense of relaxation, a feeling I had not enjoyed for several weeks. My subconscious had finally provided me with the answer I needed—after countless hours of painstakingly weighing the options, and just as many sleepless nights, I had finally resolved what I referred to as one of my Major Life Problems:\n\nI would do a single order of 16 gauge paper clips along with the usual order of 20 gauge, in case anyone had to print another report like Paul did last month—Christ what a fiasco." ]	[ 1, 1, 2, 2 ]	[ "1557258991", "1557260065", "1557259762", "1557262091" ]
	[WP] everyone is born with traces of ink on their arm, although it only completely reveals itself as a tattoo on your 21st birthday. Only two similar tattoos exist in the world and it's supposed to connect you to the person with the same design, and they are to be your soulmate.	4	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It was supposed to be the happiest moment of my life. \n\nA tattoo that would appear on an individual's body on their 21st birthday and the same tattoo would also appear on another person’s body signifying them as soulmates. Most people are ecstatic when they find their soulmate through the tattoos, but the day I found out my soulmate. I couldn’t believe it.\n\nI was incredibly excited on the night before my birthday that I found it impossible to sleep, so I did what any person would do. I stripped naked in front of the mirror at 11:58 pm, so I can immediately see the tattoo that will connect me to my soulmate. The next two minutes felt like forever. \n\n12:00MN \n\nMy alarm rang and it’s finally official. All that’s left to do now is to wait for the tattoo to appear. As I waited I constantly turned around, and searched my body thoroughly for the tattoo. Then there it is on the back of my shoulder a small tattoo of a pistol. I take a picture of my shoulder, put on my pink pajamas, and go to inkmates.com to look for my soulmate. I quickly type in the words “tiny pistol” on the search bar of the website and there his picture and name displayed. Well, at least he looks a bit attractive with his brown eyes, and neatly trimmed hair. He has a cool sounding name too “Dante DeMarco”. I then search his name on Google.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThis has to be a sick joke right? \n\nThere has to be a mistake! \n\nHow is a murderer my soulmate? \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThoughts of doubts and dread filled my head the moment I found out that there is only one person for me, and that person is currently in prison because of what he did. Everything that i hoped for now is gone. Raising my own kids, being happily married and love, and these desires that I hoped for the longest time to happen vanished the moment I found out who my soulmate is. \n\nThere has to be other people like me right? Surely there are others who are in the same situation I’m in.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nDays, weeks, months, years passed and I have now accepted that I don’t need anyone to enjoy my life, and because of this I was able to become more independent and successful. I adopted a child and raised her as a single mother giving her all the love and affection that I could give.\n\nI couldn’t be happier after seeing what I have accomplished. Looking back now that moment isn’t so bad after all." ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1557302458", "1557316542" ]
	[WP]Everyone’s dreams are different; some can travel to other world, create another dimension, and even have visions. You have a particular ability to see the future of the following day, however, you just had a VERY BAD DREAM.	9	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Dreams are a connection to parallel worlds -- a window to the delayed events of those worlds, like the ancient light of distant stars. It can take days or months for meaningless information to reach our subconscious. But, an oddity happens when the source is close. Time becomes hyperactive like it gulped five cans of coke and a packet of mentos, and it gets ahead of itself, allowing me to see the future.\n\nI naturally keep a dream journal on a nightstand -- It would be a shame to forget the future. The oddity happened last night. I dreamt something strange, in that, I've never dreamt of the past before, and last night I dreamt of a chimney sweeper in my living room. He was a boy, no older than ten. He wore a filthy shirt and trousers. Soot covered every inch, so much so, that the insides of his nostrils were black.\n\nI woke up and wrote it down. It was habitual, something that occurred every morning and I could write without even thinking. I made coffee and brought it back to bed. The morning haze had almost wiped the memory of last nights dream from my mind. I blew at the tendrils of heat and tentatively sipped while reading. At this point, I barely remember even writing the damn thing, but it was my handwriting. I read about the boy and the mess he made trapesing through my living room. I kept re-reading until my cup was empty. I didn't know it at the time of dreaming, or reading, that it was quite possibly the worst dream of my life.\n\nThat afternoon, like fulfilling the prophecy, I waited around the house for a knock at the door. It was not so much a knock, as it was a crack. The sound of splintering wood echoed through the house. I was close to the source, so close that my ears rang with the tenner of tinnitus. I ran from the kitchen to the lounge. There, in the centre of my cream carpet, stood the chimney sweeper. \n\nThe boy blinked and wiped the soot from his eyes with the back of his hand (which was equally dirty and did nothing other than satisfy the psychological need to be clean).\n\n'Who the bloody 'ell are you?' The boy said in a cockney accent almost as thick as the dirt that covered him. He brandished his brush, which looked like a pole with electrified hair stuck to the end. \n\nThe boy's name was Tommy. He was eight years old and born sixty years before me. I was not the only person experiencing foreign guests. People started appearing with thunderous cracks all over the world. They wore strange clothes -- both ancient and futuristic. Humans were not the only species appearing. Animals that should have been extinct started to burst into the scene and even some that looked familiar but were vastly different. To top it all off; objects began forcing their way into our world, like statues dated in the future, unimaginable technology, and even entire structures. \n\nIt was like someone, or something had their hands at both ends of time, and they were compressing it to one centralised point. \n\n---\n\n/r/WrittenThought\n\n---\n\nSpiralled out from the original prompt, but an idea struck and I had to follow the bolt into the clouds. I hope you enjoyed. All critiques and comments are welcome!" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1557316599", "1557319814" ]
[removed]	[WP] My five year old brother wants me to tell him a story about ninjas and pirates, and he also says there has to be a cave involved with the story	2	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses)\n\n • Write Anything: A prompt must actually be a prompt, not a \"write anything,\" or simply based on a genre or emotion.\n\n────────\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20Post) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1557330055", "1557331808" ]
[removed]	[WP] The pirates of the caribbeans leaded by Jack Sparrow have joined Khaleesi's army for the rest of the serie	0	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/CrazyDuck123, this submission has been removed.\n\n[No explicitly sexual responses, hate speech, or other harmful content](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_2.3A_no_explicitly_sexual_responses.2C_hate_speech.2C_or_other_harmful_content)\n\n- While it doesn't seem to be your intent, the mods reserve the right to remove anything we feel may become harmful to the community. \n\n Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses ([rule 7](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses))\n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://old.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bm75xa/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1557331952", "1557332528" ]
	[WP] One of Earth’s greatest heroes has made the ultimate sacrifice to save the world, and the world is in mourning, including the villains.	8	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Today The 23rd of March we are here to mourn the death of earths mightiest hero the Checkered Knight has died”. I hear the news in the background,but I don’t really listen.How could I the Checkered Knight has died. This isn’t a complicated ploy to stop Mister Fantastic from taking over the city or part of a complicated test. He’s gone really gone and no amount of mourning will bring him back. Isn’t this what I’ve always wanted now I’m free to take over the city or something.Its amazing really that something that was so important to me a week ago seems almost insignificant now.“Boss”one of my henchmen says “when are we going to activate plan freedom” I don’t understand how they can cope with the fact that he’s dead how do they go on like nothing has happened at all.”you must be really stupid” I see his eyes widen with fear “we have to wait” some part of me is relived that I have only idiots working for me or else they might see how empty I was. “B-but sir the city is broken we could be much more effective if we strike now. Who knows until a new hero steps up”. He stammered “How dare you second guess me do you want the same fate as I gave the Checkered Knight”He quickly left the room after that. What even was the point if he wasn’t there to stop me to foil my plans. As I gazed out the window the meaningless of every thing finally set in.\n\n(This is my first response sorry if it’s bad)" ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1557349827", "1557356077" ]
	[WP] You have the ability to cure people’s mental illnesses by going inside their head and defeating it in hand to hand combat. However, this one isn’t like the rest...	9	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The sound of heavy footfalls followed me as I sprinted behind one of the barricades in the street. I wove my way between the structures, twisting and turning to throw the beast off my trail. My breath came in ragged gasps. No matter how many times I did this job, it still winded me. I really need to get in shape, I told myself as I whipped around a corner, pressing my back flat against it.\n\nSister Marita had told me this was going to be a difficult case, but I hadn’t believed her. I was one of the top psychomancers in my field, having resolved hundreds of cases without a problem. But this patient had given all of my colleagues difficulty. Even Father Romanov, the head bishop in our precinct, had proclaimed the patient unreachable and washed his hands of her entirely.\n\nBut I couldn’t give up on her. Not when I hadn’t tried everything I could think of to destroy her demons.\n\nThe street had grown quiet - too quiet for my own comfort. I leaned around the corner, taking care to keep my movements slow and controlled. As I passed an eye over the alleyway I had run out of, I felt warm air tickling along my arm and shoulder. My entire body stiffened and I turned my head, keeping the rest of my form still. With its breath blowing across my face and teeth bared in a show of dominance, I found myself nose to nose with the beast itself.\n\nI reversed quickly, backing into another barricade as I tried to put some distance between the beast and me. It followed, moving at a luxurious pace. The feline-like predator sauntered towards me, stopping just a little ways from where I stood. I watched as it shifted its weight to its back legs. It was getting ready to pounce.\n\nBefore I could prepare myself for a counter, it launched towards me, teeth bared and claws unsheathed. I flung my body to the left, dodging the brunt of the beast’s blow. As I hit the ground, I felt sharp claws drag themselves along my shoulder blade. I cried out, feeling the flesh tear apart and begin to trickle blood. Now the beast was too close for me to fight it, so I scrambled to my feet and ran out into the open street.\n\nMy mind raced for a solution. The patient’s mind would be damned to the farthest reaches of the underworld with a demon like this keeping her hostage. I had to destroy this thing before the girl and I were both killed. Think, Santiago, think… What does the girl fear?\n\nSuddenly, I had an idea. It was crazy, but I had no other options. I summoned the traces of mental energy flowing through me and directed them into a coherent thought. At the feet of the beast appeared a bright yellow object - a banana peel.\n\nThe beast ran over it, planting one giant paw on the peel as it passed. That paw went flying up and its momentum carried it forward, upturning its entire body and dropping it on its back. It lay on the asphalt, stunned. At the sight of it, I started laughing. I raised a finger towards the beast and cackled in amusement, pouring as much ridicule as I could into my voice. The beast’s form began to tremble and shift. Soon, a light burst from its mouth as it cried out in pain from my mocking laughter. Ridicule, I said to myself, a smug smile on my face. She fears ridicule.\n\nI closed my eyes and felt my consciousness being pulled out from the projection chamber. Sister Marita stood over my body, checking my vitals and monitoring my brain activity. “Welcome back, Sister Santiago. I see you’ve succeeded in your mission,” she said as I awoke.\n\n“How’s the patient?” I asked.\n\n“Basking in the light of salvation. We have done the Lord’s work today, Sister.”\n\n……\n\nMy eyes snapped open and I shot up in the procedure chair with a jolt. The head surgeon pulled away from me instinctively, his gloved hands covered in blood and holding a scalpel coated in gore. The nurses around me grabbed my arms and shoulders, pushing me back down into the chair. Some whispered words of comfort to me, others merely grunted with the effort of keeping me down.\n\n“I need anesthetic, now!” cried the surgeon.\n\nI felt a oxygen mask being fitted over my nose and mouth. As the air poured into my lungs, my eyes grew heavier and heavier. Just before I lost consciousness, I heard one of the nurses speak.\n\n“Doctor, has anyone ever woken during this operation before?”\n\nThe surgeon’s voice floated to me across a sea of black. “No… but hers is a particularly obstinate mind.”" ]	[ 1, 6 ]	[ "1557396302", "1557417289" ]
	[WP] "I'm confused," said one alien to another. "The humans are fighting to save their planet, right?" "Yeah, so?" asked the other. "...so why is that human pilot over there screaming about revenge for his toaster?""...what?"	13	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Yeah,\" said Kor. \"He seems furious\"\n\n\"That's... strange,\" said Jax. \"Just leave him be. Humans tend to get tired quick. He'll be finished in no time.\"\n\n\"Jax, he's been screaming for thirty minutes now.\"\n\n\"Nonsense, Kor.\"\n\n\"I'm serious. Take a look.\"\n\nJax lifted himself from his bench and leaned over Kor to see a live feed of the ship's supply closet, which the invaders had made into a makeshift prison room. Kor wasn't kidding. There he was - a human, screaming, face as red as a Golb plant in bloom. \n\nKor gave Jax a concerned look. \"The other prisoners seem upset by this.\"\n\nJax looked a the monitor again, and, sure enough, the other humans were huddled up in an opposite corner of the cell.\n\nJax sighed. \"Fine. I'll go check it out. You stay here and monitor the ship.\" \n\nOne of Jax's tentacle-like arms reached behind him to grab his blaster as he headed out the door and towards the prison chambers. Jax's scanner sweeped the ship, returning no signs of life. He and his partner had taken over the ship just about an hour ago, and with ease. Being a mining ship, the humans here weren't expecting to be boarded, let alone by an alien life force. \n\nJax walked the empty halls, the sound of a screaming human eventually drowning out his echoing footsteps. \"By Jeorb,\" he said to himself. \"He's still going?\" If he had any reason to compliment a human, it would be for their persistence. They seemed to fight so long and so ferociously over the most minute things. It was almost impressive. The screaming became louder and louder as the human noticed the alien's presence. Jax stopped in front of the energy-field that was keeping him at bay. The screaming stopped -- the man was quiet. Finally, some peace and quiet, thought Jax. He reached inside his mouth and turned on his voice modulator. As he spoke, a voice other than his own left his body. It sounded nothing like the human's voices, but they seemed to understand it well enough.\n\n\"What seems to be the problem?\" asked Jax.\n\nThe man began screaming again.\n\n\"You goddamn greenie bastard, I swear to god I'll -\"\n\nJax didn't even want to bother. He pointed his blaster across the energy-field and briefly pulled the trigger. A beam of plasma left the barrel and met the man's chest in an instant. He suddenly stopped screaming and crumpled to the ground, writhing in pain. Jax looked down and realized that the blaster was on it's lowest power setting; it didn't matter. He had shut the man up and he was still able to keep him for a ransom -- best of both worlds. He looked up at the other prisoners, still huddled in the corner. He asked again:\n\n\"What seems to be the problem?\"\n\nThe other prisoners were silent from the shock of having watched their pilot get shot.\n\n\"Don't worry,\" said Jax, trying to take on a human tone of reassurance. \"He's still alive and he'll be up and walking in just a few hours.\"\n\nJax asked once more, \"What seems to be the problem?\"\n\nOne of the prisoners spoke up.\n\n\"He left his toast in the toaster.\"\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"He never got to eat his breakfast before you put us in here.\"\n\nYou've got to be kidding me, thought Jax.\n\n\"Is that all?\" he said.\n\n\"Yes,\" said the prisoner. He seemed almost ashamed of being the same species as his pilot.\n\nJax debated helping them and decided he had nothing better to do. He walked to the dining hall and there it was. On the counter, a toaster, and in the toaster, two slices of toast cooked to crisp perfection. Two tentacles each grabbed one slice and Jax headed back to the cell.\n\nAs he was walking, he heard more unintelligible screaming. The humans must be thinking of revolting. Not like they'll get far anyways. He reached the cell and finally realized what was going on. That same man had gotten up just minutes after receiving a direct hit from a blaster, and he was still screaming about his toast while the other prisoners continued to huddle in their corner.\n\nImpossible, thought Jax.\n\n\"That better be my goddamn toast!\"\n\nJax was tired of this. He simply tossed each of the slices into the cell, burning the toast as it crossed the highly condensed energy-field. The man stared at his feet, eyes twitching at what was supposed to be his morning snack. He immediately began screaming again.\n\n\"You stupid greenie bastards think you can just toy with us!?\"\n\nJax flipped his blaster into it's highest setting and shot at him, leaving a pile of smoldering ashes where the man once stood. One of the other prisoners let out a cry as Jax walked back towards the cockpit.\n\nNo amount of ransom money would convince him to go through that annoyance again." ]	[ 1, 6 ]	[ "1557501808", "1557508248" ]
	[WP] Your family has held a sword for generations. Everytime someone in your family dies, the sword is reforged with their ashes, and grows stronger. You just reforged the sword with your grandfathed's ashes, and it seems to have grown weaker. You feel tingling in your veins.	5	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "T-t-ting T-t-ting T-t-ting\n\nThe rhythmic banging of the hammer keeps my blood pumping, our family treasure stronger and better, our wills reforged.\n\nTisssss T-t-ting T-t-ting\n\nOur family is a humble one, blacksmith by trade, warriors by birthright, some call us swordsmiths. Our line goes far back to every historic footnote of any major battle you may have read about, our heirloom a ceremonial passage for the next in line.\n\nFoowoosh Foowoosh Claang Claang\n\nSome say our ancestor was a child of god and hero of valor, others say that they were born with inhuman might and intellect, others say that they were dragons turned man. What our family believes is that through effort the tiniest speck of ash can be made into so much more, thus our ancestor was nothing more but a common man, with the drive to achieve what is so much more.\n\nSwish Swish Tisssss T-t-ting T-t-ting\n\nOf course my opinion says that people could think whatever they want to for our family, but we put more effort into something that others could not hope to dream. Training from dawn till dust, blacksmithing, survival, swordsmanship, martial arts, mathematics, and so much more. From the womb we are expected to put our efforts in like our lives depended on it.\n\nRiiiip Swish Swish\n\nDropped off a cliff out of the womb, training with our elders around a year old, fighting against beasts in the jungle around five, traveling around the world about ten, then fighting a dragon about twelve, and then fighting adult dragons by yourself around eighteen. Ah I’m rambling all the frustrations I had of our family in the past.\n\nChik Tang Tang Tang\n\nI like to meditate on the past while I work, it keeps me focused and lets the time slip through like trying to pick up ashes in your hands. Though you would think we have a low percentage of heirs with our training method you’d be wrong, alchemy, time, and effort does a lot to keep the line running down our veins. Finally completed I look over the greatsword that is as big as I am lengthwise with a thickness comparable to five sheets of paper. This… is a failure of a work. The sword is no better than it was previously, but that does not justify my dissatisfaction with this. Whenever a descendant of the line obtains the rite of ceremony you would reforge the sword using the ashes of our valourous warriors into whatever weapon you so choose and then it would go on to be improved over the generations with our literal blood sweat and tears. This however is a marginal improvement from the broadsword it was before for me but it is in quality the same if not worse than it was before I laid my hands on this weapon. The blacksmith inside me denies this weapon from me, but blood of the warrior inside me is pumping in ecstasy. The final rite, the rite of blood, is to soak the blade from the blood of yourself and your enemies in the heat of battle. The purpose is to not lose yourself to the bloodlust and to train your will to the limit, becoming one with the weapon forged and the ancestors before you.\n\nThere have been cases like what I mentioned before… it is also our duty to reclaim our own from those driven mad from bloodlust. We are not chained to any one location, forever free to travel the world as we will it, and fight for who we choose. Magic does not flow in our veins, but pure unadulterated effort and valor.\n\nAhh… during that moment, I was so frustrated and concentrated on the past that I moved without knowing into the mountaintops not far from our hidden branch of the family. Usually mountains like these would be overrun with oversized creatures with monstrous strength but our family has cleared all such things around where our resting places are built upon. Staring into the blazing horizon I yell straight into the heavens “Pathetic Winged Wyrms! Face me if you dare to challenge me! Your red dragons long disgraced by me, come fight!”\n\nEchoing loud into the valley of mountains below, nothing happens for a while.\n\nThough the blade feels weaker than before, but the blood in my body is burning with fighting spirit to vanquish any challenger that faces before me. Ahh… The blood might be getting to my head, I need to calm down a little and not sound like one of those knight novel protagonists. Maybe I should visit my Nephew and give him a new hobby.\n\nFar into the blazing sun setting in the horizon splotches of black start appearing before gradually increases in size from all directions, heading towards the only mountaintop void of any harmful creatures, or rather, to me. Sword in hand, blood pumping and pumping, I swing my sword with my might, dodging to and fro. I’ve attracted not just dragons but even harpies and other winged creatures of the night, the sun dimming in the distance and allowing the dark clouds to illuminate the night sky.\n\nThe sword breaks but I keep on fighting.\n\nThe arm breaks but I keep on fighting.\n\nThe knees buckle down and break but I keep on fighting.\n\nSomething is different, somehow I get up, somehow I can keep on fighting.\n\nThe arms break down a monstrosity.\n\nThe broken sword breaks a monstrosity.\n\nThe Reforged sword of my blood, sweat, and tears breaks down the monstrosities before me.\n\nThe creatures of the night flee before my image, soaked in blood and gore, injured in any place imaginable, but I am reforged, the sword anew, the body anew. The sword was a failure as my trade as a blacksmith. The sword was a success as my birthright as a warrior. The Heirloom completed, but we must still strive further, and further, just like our Ancestors before us had and always will." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1557537067", "1557543009" ]
	[WP] You are a knight. Once again, you prepare to defend your dragon from the princess and her armies...	16	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The patter of hooves on the morning dirt was becoming ever closer. The second attack this month, and they were angrier. Of course, I wasn't the only one defending. Hundreds of my fellow brethren joined me in the fight. The large castle walls behind us gave time for the citizens to escape to the larger keep.\n\nI could hear the horses and clanking armor getting ever so close. I stood my ground and watched the sunrise and the small figures on the horizon grow. Within minutes, the enemy had arrived, and steel clashed with scale. Everyone was thinking of their families back in the castle. Everyone had their job, and here we were doing ours. Standing at the back was the princess wearing an evil grin as projectiles slammed into the walls and my kin.\n\nNot everyone made it out. The humans decided to bring siege engines along to help pilfer our village, but no matter the wounds I sustained, I kept on. I saw my comrades drop next to me. I fought harder. The humans were nothing more than barbarians, and I couldn't stand it any longer. My last thoughts as the arrows, swords, and fire surrounded me were of her which I held dearly. All I can hope is that the rest got to safety. I had failed. The humans had finally won." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1557547014", "1557557226" ]
	[WP] "If I say I'm going to fill the room with deadly, toxic gas, I'm about to fill the room with deadly, toxic gas."	29	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"So,\" Dr. Mundo leaned forward on his chair and looked at the couple seated on his loveseat. \"Tell me about your week?\" He asked both of them. The wife, Esther, had been visiting him on her own time. Through those sessions, she gathered enough courage to reveal her deepest secret to her husband, Carlos. She confessed in Dr. Mundo's office and Carlos took the news surprisingly well. Now the greying doctor wondered how they did outside of his office.\n\n\"It's been amazing, doc,\" Carlos said. \"Now the everything is out in the open I feel like there's more time for us. She can use her spiders to take care of all the household chores while we relax.\" Dr. Mundo chuckled.\n\n\"I hope you're not just using them for trivial tasks,\" he said. Esther shook her head.\n\n\"I've learned a lot about spiders from other universes since last week,\" the woman said. \"I can do so much that I couldn't do before, just by thinking about it. No matter what I want to do somewhere out there is a spider that can help.\" As she spoke tiny bright yellow spiders crawled out of her pores and rested on her arms. \"If I say I'm going to run an electric current up my arm,...\" Esther trailed off but arcs of electricity began to crackle on her arms. The spider's legs moved rapidly along their neon yellow abdomens. \"...electricity runs up my arms.\" The yellow spiders disappeared into her skin again; then, several larger, bright red spiders crawled out of her arms. The yellow ones appeared to be tiny beads with legs; the red spiders were tall with long, spindly legs.\n\n\"If I say I'm going to start a fire in your trashcan...,\" A red spider skittered down to her hand and turned around. It released a string of flaming webbing that landed directly in the trashcan and lighting the papers inside. \"Or if I want to put it out,\" The red spider burrowed into her hand as a crystalline blue spider appeared. It shot a white, thick, sticky string of cold at the trashcan. It looked like silly string but it instantly froze anything it touched. The metal trashcan was now covered in ice.\n\n\"Very impressive,\" Mundo said. \"I can see you've been putting a lot of work into learning about your abilities. What else can you do?\" Esther smiled.\n\n\"I do have my favorite,...\" she glanced at Carlos and he nodded. At his approval a giant, single, green furry spider crawled out from under her hair and to the top of her head. It suddenly leaped upward and stuck to the ceiling. A swarm of baby blue spiders crawled out of her hand and onto Carlos. He did not fidget as they climbed his neck and positioned themselves around his mouth and nose.\n\n\"It's okay,\" Carlos said to Dr. Mundo. He was looking nervous while another swarm of blue spiders crawled up to his mouth. The spiders continued to dance in a clockwise circle around their mouths. In moments they wore masks made from webbing covering their mouths.\n\n\"If I say I'm going to fill the room with deadly, toxic gas,... A hiss came from above. Dr. Mundo looked up to see green gas coming out of the large spider on the ceiling. \"...I'm about to fill the room with deadly, toxic gas.\"\n\n\\\\\\*\n\nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is year two, day #131. You can find all my stories collected on my subreddit ([r/hugoverse](https://www.reddit.com/r/hugoverse)) or my [blog](https://hugoverse.info/). If you're curious about my universe (the Hugoverse) you can visit the [Guidebook](https://hugoverse.info/2017/11/25/hugoverse-guidebook/) to see what's what and who's who, or the [Timeline](https://hugoverse.info/2017/10/23/hugoverse-timeline/) to find the stories in order." ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1557556500", "1557561469" ]
	[WP]‎Almost every country in the world has agreed on a legally binding framework for cooperating with the aliens, with the United States a notable exception, United Nations officials said Friday.	11	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "We always knew the United States would mess it up for the rest of us. Even before the 2016 election, there was something about the government, the people, the way they seemed to always be so..off. From the start, in 1776, something was wrong. Everyone knew they wouldn't win against the British but somehow, they pulled through. Of course, that could have been just a mistake but the gradual rise to a superpower against what all experts said was a bit more than a mistake.\n\nFor a country that seemed so awful, with human rights violations rampant and an inept government for most of their history it seemed that they could never have made it as far as they did. Most of the time, people would say that the reason the US got to were it is is innovation. And they are right. It just isn't human innovation. The mistakes they made, the things they created were so odd, so wild that it seemed they could never figure it out.\n\nLike how long it took them to beat the Soviets. And have a hockey game be a huge hope to everyone that championed them into greatness? No. Something was wrong. And the UN knew it.\n\nThis was the final straw. The US did mess it up for the rest of us. They'd already been in contact with the aliens for a very, very long time. And they were not prepared to [share.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Suitable_Equivalent/)" ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1557583210", "1557601877" ]
	[WP] The world is full of people that can bend elements. Usually this means water, air, fire, and rock. You, however, have the ability to bend the element of surprise.	24	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The firebenders were always pretty mean and bullied Ning for not being able to bend one of the four elements. That’s why Ning hung out with Hanabi, an earthbender, and Shozu, an airbender. Earth and air always tended to be more tolerant people. Plus, Ning was funny, always telling jokes with surprising punchlines.\nThe trio never got in fights at school with the firebenders as none in the trio could control water to win.\nOne day the main firebender, Dongwe, called out Ning. “Hey nothing-bender, can you bend this pebble?” he said, tossing a little rock at Ning.\nNing held out his hand, stopping the pebble in midair.\n“Holy crap Ning, you can earthbend!” called out Hanabi.\nDongwe the tough bully tried not to act surprised. “Big deal, he learned to earthbend really late.”\nDongwe opened his canteen and held it up to drink some water. \nNing held out his hand again and splashed Dongwe’s water to his face. Everyone laughed.\n“What, you can bend water, too!” cried Shozu in surprise. “Next thing you know you’ll airbend too.”\nNing immediately held out his hand and brought a gust of wind.\nDongwe angrily launched a flame at him but Ning stopped it midair.\n“Impossible. You bend all four! Fight me!” Dongwe yelled, needing to regain his pride.\nHis took his fighting stance. Shozu and Hanabi asked, “How’d you do it?”\nNing replied, “I can only do whatever surprises people.”\nHe turned to Dongwe, ready to fight. \n“Well you don’t surprise me anymore, nothingbender,” Dongwe called.\nNing held out his hand, ready to fight. And he bent nothing again.", "\"You can't scare me.\"\n\nI grin, daring my buddy to do so.\n\n\"Yeah? We'll see about that.\"\n\nOver the next two years, he continuously tries and fails to get the jump on me. Masks, old-fashioned jumping out of hiding spots, horror movies (the good ones), horror movies (the bad ones), sometimes even just sneaking up on me.\n\nIn between attempts, he tells about how fun and thrilling it is. Describing several times when he's been scared shitless. And then how he laughed about it after, getting to spend a bonding moment with friends.\n\nBut because of my ability to bend the element of surprise, I never can be. I finally understand. This power, it's a curse, and I break down sobbing.\n\nMy buddy asks what's wrong.\n\nAs I'm crying my heart out, I yell, \"You can't scare me.\"\n\nAuthor's note: Mood swings anyone? r/James_Fire" ]	[ 1, 5, 7 ]	[ "1557615199", "1557649121", "1557644883" ]
	[WP] Everything that spins, glows	1	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "You should've seen her -- twirling like the moon in orbit, eyes like twin comets in the cosmos. On the ice, in her skates, she was made of light.\n\nAnd she was a little bit afraid of being motionless. I took her out to dinner, called her beautiful, and watched her laugh gracelessly. \"Only because I'm supposed to be.\"\n\n\"Why? Because you're a figure skater?\"\n\nShe smiled.\n\nBut you should've seen her, really; her hair would whirl about her like tangled moonlight, and she would glow from her toes to her teeth, the only thing to ever matter on that rink. She would wave, daintily, prettily, and then step off the ice and stumble like a drunk. You'd see the crowd around her dim with the loss of it.\n\n\"It's my last year,\" she said once, sitting cross-legged on the kitchen floor. She'd said it nonchalantly, but her fingers tightened on her white teacup. \"Most skaters don't go this long.\"\n\n\"Oh?\"\n\n\"Yeah.\"\n\nShe covered her mouth with the cup, steam clouding her glasses.\n\n\"What're you gonna do next?\"\n\n\"Well,\" she said, \"I mean,\" and then she took a sip of the tea, and her nose wrinkled. \"Ouch.\"\n\n\"Too hot?\"\n\n\"A bit.\"\n\nAnd you should've seen her the next year, claiming everything felt so very final. She wouldn't sleep -- didn't want to miss a moment. When her coach brought up retirement as the season ended, she quietly agreed, then fired him the next morning.\n\n\"You look thin.\"\n\n\"Do I?\"\n\nI blanched at her tone. \"Not in a bad way.\"\n\n\"Mm.\"\n\nShe kept skating the next year, and after that again. That's when she begin to fall.\n\nShe'd used to land every jump perfectly, each move a textbook performance. But as time dragged on, she came home bruised more often than not, weary and embarrassed.\n\n\"My feet don't feel like mine,\" she said. She perched on the edge of my bed, pale hair spilling over her bony shoulders. \"I don't feel like myself.\"\n\n\"You don't look healthy.\"\n\n\"It's all I have,\" she said, desperately, as though either of us had said something much more monumental.\n\nAnd then, quietly, in the coming months, she began to burn from the inside out. The glow of performance chewed up her soul, fire biting at her very being. \n\nShe died in the summer.\n\nThe dark of the funeral felt like everything she had ever not been, the darkness of a held-breath stadium and the empty eyes of an adoring crowd. It wasn't her, her moon and her starlight and her enthralling glow of life.\n\nAnd sometimes, I would see the whiteness of her ghost, in a spinning top or a far-off Ferris wheel or a dizzy kid spinning wildly. In those little mirages of her, I would remember: her feet waltzing across the ice, her eyes boring into nothingness. Her, exactly where she was meant to be, dying day by day." ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1557671981", "1557679249" ]
	[WP] A 911 phone operator begins to notice the same voice belonging to numerous calls that always place emergency workers at the right place at exactly the right time.	58	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "At three fifteen in the morning, Officer Katherine Hollis knocked on the door of a certain Martha-Lorraine Richardson, whose daughter had called in a violent B&E and promptly hung up.\n\nThe radio crackled. Petrov's voice came through: \"Status, Holly?\" \n\n\"Nobody's answering.\" Holly bounced on her heels, the cold taking precedence over a defensive position. \"Do you think -- \"\n\nThe door opened a sliver, held back by a chain. An old woman's nose peeked out.\n\n\"Yeeees?\"\n\n\"MSP, ma'am. Your daughter reported a break-in -- \" she checked her watch -- \"thirteen minutes ago.\"\n\nWith the blankest of looks, Martha-Lorraine Richardson blinked her one visible eye. \"I don't have a daughter.\"\n\n\"Miss Richardson, we -- \"\n\n\"Holly,\" said Petrov, \"Holly -- across the street -- gunshots -- \"\n\nHolly spun. The patrol car sat empty in the road.\n\n\"Petrov?\"\n\n\"On your six, Holly, for god's sake.\"\n\nShe broke into a run, leaving Miss Richardson behind her half-opened door. \n\nAnd she would make it there -- just in time to see Petrov pinning a gunman to the floor, his ankle twisted awkwardly, and the homeowner, who would make a full recovery, bleeding from the leg.\n\n\\#\n\n\"...didn't have a daughter.\"\n\nOver a prepackaged salad, Jane said, \"Hm.\"\n\nPetrov and Holly exchanged a look. \"You don't seem surprised,\" Holly ventured.\n\n\"I'm not, really.\" Jane picked at a wilted bit of lettuce. \"The caller was... familiar.\"\n\nThe lunchroom, empty but for the three of them, felt a little smaller as the officers leaned forward in sync.\n\nJane rolled her eyes. \"Okay, listen. And don't -- \" she raised a finger -- \"do not make fun of me for this.\"\n\nHolly bounced in her seat. \"Ooh, is this like the psychometry thing?\"\n\nUnder the table, Petrov kicked her in the shin.\n\n\"Fine,\" Holly said. \"No jokes.\"\n\n\"Unless you bring up the psychometry thing,\" Petrov said solemnly, and Holly coughed to cover a laugh. \n\nWith another half-hearted eye roll, betrayed by a stray smile, Jane put her elbows on the table. \"Done?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" Petrov and Holly said simultaneously. \n\n\"I've been recognizing the voice on almost half the calls we've gotten these past few months.\" Jane put down her fork, a limp carrot slice dangling from the tines. \"All the weird ones -- the ones you get to a little early, like the Sousas -- \"\n\n\"The Richardson house,\" Petrov interjected. Holly's eyes lingered on him for a moment, a little bit softer than they'd been before.\n\n\"Sure,\" said Jane. \"And the caller always claims some strange identity, like, you know, a nonexistent daughter. A 'concerned neighbor.' A -- \"\n\nShe stopped abruptly as the Sergeant's head poked through the door. \"Holly? Can I speak to you?\"\n\nShe jumped. \"Yeah. Um, of course.\" She flashed a quick smile at Jane and Petrov, looking back over her shoulder as she left.\n\nFor a moment, Jane and Petrov sat comfortably in the quiet. Jane picked the sad carrot off her fork, then wiped her hands on her pants.\n\n\"Well,\" said Jane, as Petrov said, \"Jane -- \"\n\nThey paused.\n\nJane said: \"You go.\"\n\nHe grinned, then looked down at his hands. \"I was just gonna ask if -- Well. Do you want to grab dinner tonight? After work?\"\n\nJane's eyes searched his face -- the nerves in his expression, the tapping fingers on the table. He looked up at her, and she smiled faintly.\n\n\"Of course I would,\" she said, thinking, unbidden, of Holly.\n\n\\#\n\nThe call came in the morning. A woman's voice, so faint that Jane couldn't make out the words at first.\n\n\"Hello?\"\n\n\"I need you to do something for me.\"\n\nJane's eyes flicked across the room. \"Who are you?\"\n\n\"Please.\"\n\nShe hesitated, thinking of dinner with Petrov, of the Richardson house debacle. Then she closed her eyes. \"What do you need?\"\n\n\"Three things,\" the voice continued, aggravatingly familiar. \"The last thing,\" she said, \"will be to tell the Sergeant a number.\"\n\n\"Whose number?\"\n\n\"A number. Are you ready?\" Without waiting, she enunciated, \"Seven, three, four. Say it back to me.\"\n\n\"Seven,\" said Jane, \"three, four.\"\n\n\"Before that, I need you tell Officer Petrov something.\"\n\nA dinner table, a full wine glass, a breathy laugh -- \"Petrov?\"\n\n\"Tell him not to forget the psychometry thing. It's -- \"\n\nSomething in the back of her mind was tugging itself toward the front, planting itself on the tip of her tongue -- familiarity -- \n\n\"And, as soon as you see Hollis, tell her Petrov's out front.\" The voice took a deep breath. \"But first, I need you to duck.\"\n\n\"I -- \"\n\n\"Now. Please.\"\n\nThe sincerity inspired respect. And, as Jane lowered her head, the tone, or the words, or the inside joke or something washed over her, and the voice she'd recognized as Officer Katherine Hollis went silent over the phone and, then, gunfire erupted above Jane's spinning head.\n\nPanic gripped the station. In spite of her thrumming heart, Jane rushed out the moment silence fell, racing toward Holly's desk.\n\n\"Jane, get the hell down,\" Holly snapped. She tugged Jane's arm, and the two of them fell to the ground as more shots were fired. \n\n\"How did you know -- \"\n\nHolly fiddled with her gun, hands trembling. \"Generally, getting down is -- shit, I'm shaking -- standard procedure -- \"\n\n\"No, you knew -- \"\n\n\"Did you see Petrov?\"\n\n\"I -- No -- I was looking for you \\-- \" She shook her head, remembering. \"Petrov's out front.\"\n\nHolly gave her a funny look. \"Out front?\" she echoed.\n\n\"The caller -- \"\n\nBut Holly had leapt to her feet already, taking the first few frantic steps forward, away from the cover of the desk.\n\n\"Petrov?\" she shouted. \n\n\"On your six.\"\n\nShe spun, her eyes meeting his with a palpable, beautiful relief. \"Petrov,\" she said.\n\nAnd then a bullet sank into her back. Heartbeats later, Petrov was there, Holly's face in his hands.\n\n\"Holly,\" said Petrov, \"Holly, look at me.\"\n\nJane stared hopelessly at the two of them -- at Holly's bright eyes rolling back in her head, at Petrov's whole body trembling. \n\nAnd then, amidst everything, Jane's phone rang. \n\nShe lifted it, very slowly, to her ear.\n\n\"Now,\" said the voice of recently deceased Officer Katherine Hollis. \"Don't panic.\"" ]	[ 1, 18 ]	[ "1557679603", "1557687268" ]
	[WP] You and your roommates have a bet to see who can pull off the most illegal act and not get caught. You thought you secured the win after an elaborate graffiti project. However, one of your roommates shows up with a briefcase full of nuclear launch codes.	366	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\\[Poem\\] \n\nTwo roomies thought\n\nAgainst all they were taught.\n\nLet's do crime, not get caught.\n\nFor the winner, fame and glory to be brought.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nOne had painted on a dam protecting the streets from a flood.\n\nThe other stole a briefcase that could fill the streets with blood.\n\nYet in disagreement they both stood.\n\nFor they lived in a world with weapons considered good.\n\nNeither caught, both free dude.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"My painting could spark a revolution!\"\n\n\"And these codes could end our evolution?\"\n\nIn pursuit of solution\n\nFollowed convolution.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nNobody knew about a briefcase stolen\n\nWhile the world admired the painting of a golem\n\nSheer infamy, used to compare them\n\nArtwork, undeniably the true gem\n\nTheft covered up, to be forgotten.", "\\[Friendly Warning: one F-bomb (swear) at the end\\]\n\nMy hands were red, but caught I was not. I kept them in the deep pockets of my trousers, admiring my magnum opus on the return trip across the puddle-stained pavement. The sky was beautiful and clear; rain from earlier in the morning had washed the streets clean and forced chavs and scoundrels back into their dens. For once it was a truly nice place to live; stray cats purred, birds sang their songs, and the homeless gave their greetings.\n\nI won the contest. The bet that me and my three roommates had made was in the rear-view mirror. Four hours of hard work and sixty dollars of spray paint, all for bragging rights. I'd decorated the bare brick walls all along the shopping district with lemon graffiti as a homage to my nickname in secondary school, Sour, and enjoyed the odd glance at confused civilians staring at a fruit sprayed onto bricks.\n\nOur flat came up to my right a few minutes later. Quite a small place, but it was home. Arthur had left the door unlocked, as always, so I invited myself in and headed straight forwards through to the kitchen. Pots and pans hadn't been washed up yet, and used plates from lunch still sat on the side. I opened the fridge and, to my delight, my can of Dr. Pepper still stood unopened on the top shelf. I took it with me to the lounge and sat down on the sofa without a word.\n\nKyla laid on the other sofa across from me watching the TV. She was shy, sweet as an angel and wouldn't hurt a fly, but very excitable, eagerly waving as soon as I entered the room but staying silent. I was curious to see if she had chickened out of the game; she wasn't the kind of person to go under anyone's nose. It was like we had a mental connection; we knew that the time to talk would come when the other two crawled back inside.\n\nI drank my Dr. Pepper and played the miniscule joke of snatching her Doritos when she wasn't watching; I couldn't tell if she didn't notice or just didn't bother to protest. Soon, the front door opened again and Robbie triumphantly strutted into the room.\n\n\"Sour. Farmgirl.\" Tongue in cheek, Robbie was a name-caller; a bully, maybe. He'd learned my nickname through conversation, and always inclined to call Kyla farmgirl because of her tendency to wear overalls, even though it clearly made her uncomfortable. My nickname just went in one ear and out the ear. Besides, I was sure he'd appreciate the irony of my contest entry.\n\n\"So what felonies have we committed?\" he mocked in a formal tone.\n\n\"Wait for Arthur to get here,\" I demanded. He took a seat next to me and began to thumb through his Snapchat or whatever.\n\nSpeak of the devil. Arthur slammed the front door open and ran through to the lounge carrying a black briefcase and wearing flashy sunglasses as if he had just robbed a bank. Whether or not he had would be soon to come.\n\nWe all sat up, facing each other in a sort of circle. Arthur arrogantly lifted Kyla and turned her ninty degrees so he had a place to sit, ignoring her protesting screams and then sat with his briefcase on his lap.\n\n\"Who's going first?\" asked Robbie.\n\nI confidently stood up. \"Why should anyone else go when I've clearly won?\"\n\n\"Pfft. So what is it that you did, oh great one?\" he replied sarcastically.\n\n\"Look out the window.\"\n\nThe three of them scrambled to look out of the front window, and they gawked at my fine work.\n\n\"Holy shit. Maybe you did win. I just shoplifted this.\" Robbie sat back down, dumbstruck, holding up the pathetic DVD player he had stolen. Something told me he didn't completely try. \"Kyla, what did you do?\"\n\n\"Um.\" Kyla sank. \"I forfeit,\" she spurted in panic. We all laughed at her poor performance.\n\nI got up from the sofa. \"Well, I guess I win.\" Stretching my arms and yawning to rock the boat, I turned to leave the living room until Arthur stopped me.\n\n\"Hold up, Sour.\" My nickname had became my real name by this point. \"Look at what I've got.\" He undid the clips on his briefcase and let it swing open. A pile of official-looking papers sat neatly inside, with a military logo in the corner. He held one up with a foul smile.\n\n\"You didn't-\"\n\n\"I did.\"\n\n\"What are they?\" Kyla was oblivious to what had happened.\n\n\"Where the fuck did you get those?\" Robbie shouted, dumbstruck.\n\n\"I have my ways.\"\n\n\"What are they?\" Kyla repeated her question.\n\n\"Military codes.\"\n\n\"Military codes? For what?\"\n\nArthur readjusted his glasses. \"Which continent should I level first?\" We all knew exactly what he meant.", "I was chilling on the couch eating pizza when Calvin came in. He had a fat grin on his face and was holding a brief case way too large for his tiny body.\n\n\"I win the bet!\" He squeaked.\n\n\"Wot?\" I said through a mouthful of pizza.\n\nHe triumphantly put the briefcase on the table and clicked it open, pulling out a handful of cream colored papers. He waved them in my face.\n\n\"You know what these are?\"\n\n\"Paper? And jesus, back the fuck up, you stink.\"\n\n\"They're nuclear launch codes!\" He declared with glee.\n\nI was skeptical. Calvin was smart, but smart enough to get nuclear launch codes? Yeah right. Calvin was weird. He was a small, nerdy little twig with flaming red hair and a winey face. compared to the rest of the guys in our shared dorm, his social skills as strong as a ferret. He was always trying to \"be one of the guys\", and such, making unfunny football jokes and talking about girls he screwed. Not to mention he smelled like a thousand sweaty asses. No one liked him. We affectionately refered to him as the Nasty Gingersnap.\n\nJoining in on our bet on who could do the most illegal thing was just another way he was trying to include himself. I was a little annoyed though. Did he really have to lie? Especially to me, who would obviously be the winner.\n\n\"Good for you. Go away Ginger.\"\n\n\"No really! Look.\" He said, flicking on the Tv. \"The news should be going nuts by now! Let's just see... oh here, look!\"\n\nHe put on the world news. The news anchor looked anxious at his desk.\n\nBreaking alert. Nuclear launch codes have been leaked from high security data bases across the country. National security has suspected the culprits to be russian hackers. Goverment intelligence officers have been...-\n\nHe lowered the volume with a shit eating grin.\n\n\"See!!! I told you! I win the bet man!\"\n\n\"Come off it you probebly saw this on the news before hand.\"\n\n\"No really! You think I didn't think you wouldn't beleive me? Keep watching man, I left a little mark...\" He said snidely.\n\n... The league of Nations has become involved for world security in this disaster, and Counter Intelligence has set up communications with the hacker which refers to themselves as \"Nasty Ginger Snap.\" Their intentions are still undetermined...\"\n\nMy mind when blank. My pizza lay forgotten on my lap. It COULDN'T be.... right? But something in Calvin's fixed grin made me uncomfortable.\n\n\"I win the bet. That makes me cool right? So you better stop talking trash about me... or else.\"", "Don't we all have that little demon that just itches to get out from time to time? Well, thats me and my roommates in a nutshell. Theres Kelvin, he can pretty much get away with anything, as his father is the head officer in our city (Definitely a friend with a benefit), Hawkins, who once reset ALL clocks at our collage, meaning that the bells never rung, and Evan, who we don't exactly know to well, but we do know his father. Everyone knows his father. He works for the goverment, currently inspecting North Korea. We had to let him in, it was just too amazing that he wanted to be part of OUR group. And then there was me, an graffiti artist that people awed at. I could draw anything upon request, and always find the best unexpected places to deface. \nAnywho, we have this bet every week, to use our \"Talents\" to do the most illegal crime. The winner gets nothing more than a pat on the back, and a great feel of acomplishment. We quickly put our own plans into action, I was going to do my most elaborate plan yet, drawing a illusion of a hole going into the mayor's office, so from above you would think it was caved in. I spent the week working hard on this project, and when I was done, I was ready to receive my pat on the back (Of course, so was the other guys) when even walks in. He's carrying a briefcase. I sensed something was wrong, and I calmly said to even \"Hey, whats in the suitcase?\" He looked at me with dead expression. He smiled, \"Enough power to knock that korean scum off the face of the earth.\" He said, casually as if this happened every day. My heart started pounding... What if he got found out? What if he knew how to work it? I heard the doorbell ring, but before I could answer, he said \"You don't want to do that.\" I froze, turned around, and he was pressing buttons from inside the briefcase, the other guys standing there in shock. Then it hit me. This must be his fathers, and nuclear war WAS in the news a lot.\n\nAll of a sudden the door came down, I turned my head only to get pepper sprayed. As I went down, I heard Evan say \"Kaboom!\" And laugh as he was gunned down by the most trained professionals In the country. \nI couldn't breath, it was too much, and I blacked out. \n\n\nAfter I was released from the hospital, days later, all i heard was chaos. North Korea was in ruin.\n\nEvan killed a country, and it was all my fault.\n\nI am the true terrorist here.", "\"The fuck is that?\"\n\nMy eyes, still a little watery from the 4 hours of spray-painting I had done to the sides of the school buses, rested upon the matte black briefcase in Harry's hand. It wasn't made of plastic. We could all tell it was heavy by the veins popping out of Harry's forearm.\n\nNot 5 minutes earlier, every single person in the room had a devilish twinkle in their eyes. The braggadocios attitudes of my 2 other roommates were cute, but misplaced. I knew I would win the bet. Nobody else in our suite had the balls to outdo my display of criminality.\n\nOr so I thought.\n\nHarry, who still hadn't responded to my query, took a step into the room. His breathing was shaky, but not the same quivering that one normally gets after walking up the stairs to our floor. I sensed something much deeper than fatigue. We all could.\n\nFear.\n\n\"Harry. You're scaring us man, come on. Answer the question.\" I couldn't even tell which of my other two roommates spoke. I was staring at Harry, and he was staring right back. To say something felt \"off\" would be the understatement of the century. This was beyond \"off.\" Harry had crossed a line somewhere, and nobody could tell to what extent. The silence in the room deepened; Harry's quavering breaths were all that remained.\n\n\"Harry.\" His pupils suddenly dilated as he inhaled a curt breath. Their focus seemed to fall onto the wall behind me. I turned and looked. The television, previously off, had turned on. As I started to walk towards the T.V, my phone buzzed. So did Harry's. We heard our Amazon Alexa turn on as well, ready to listen. And then, like a symphony from a nightmare, they all erupted into noise.\n\n\"This is an emergency alert broadcast by the Secret Service of the United States of America. If you are receiving this broadcast, you are in a Class-1 quarantine zone. Property of the P.O.T.U.S. has been stolen. All citizens are asked to remain in their homes with the doors unlocked. Do not resist search or seizure, all Federal Agents are cleared to use lethal force.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nSilence.\n\nEvery eye in the room fell back onto Harry, who still hadn't moved. His breathing was quiet now. Had the situation been different, someone would have cracked a joke about the silence that had befallen us. Nobody said a word, though. The last thing I heard was a crash down the hallway, and the sound of heavy boots charging down the hall. There was no knock, no time to run. Harry's mouth finally opened, and two words escaped his lips.\n\n\"I won.\"\n\nA flash of light.\n\nA searing pain\n\nand it was all over.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI guess I lose." ]	[ 1, 2, 2, 20, 34, 79 ]	[ "1642138687", "1557777898", "1557796528", "1557774235", "1557749581", "1557755740" ]
[removed]	[WP] If you are caught committing a crime, instead of being imprisoned, you are sentenced to a period of time where the general public is allowed to commit that same crime upon you.	2	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/HunterBjork, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses)\n\n- No prompts prone to comment infractions. See [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses) for more info. \n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bo318e/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1557751668", "1557752392" ]
[removed]	[WP] A better Game of Thrones Season 8	0	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/Arklaw, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses)\n\n- No prompts prone to comment infractions. See [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses) for more info. \n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/boafdq/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1557787301", "1557787364" ]
[removed]	[WP] A Knight is captured by a Wicked Prince, but realises she is a Dragon.	1	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/Xenton, this submission has been removed.\n\n[No recent reposts, even if changing small details](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_5.3A_no_recent_reposts.2C_even_if_changing_small_details)\n\nAlso, no [copy-cats](http://i.imgur.com/38FjDgW.gifv).\n\nSearch before submitting as popular ideas can cause floods. If your idea is based on something you read elsewhere on reddit, chances are it's been submitted here already. Please wait at least 2 weeks before reposting.\n\n \n\nSuch a huge flood of dragon prompts recently. Lets let the idea cool down.\n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bodyz6/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1557807193", "1557807716" ]
	[WP] You realized a few years ago that when you dream you are witnessing the life of an alternate version of yourself from another dimension. You see a different you every night. You're getting nervous when you wake up to yourself dying every night this month.	6	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " \n\nApril 14. \n\nThis is the first time I’ve died. In my dreams I mean. Remember how I told you that every night I dream of myself? Well, not “myself” but another me. Many of them, from different dimensions. I witness their lives. But this time, I died. It felt… awful. I felt my life force depleting, everything around me wasting away, until I wake up. I was covered in sweat, stunned from what I had seen. I tried to forget about it while at work but I’m sitting here, writing it down, trying to get it out of my mind. I hope the next dream is going to be better. \n\nApril 17.\n\nI hope it’s a coincidence. The past few days, I’ve been dying in my dreams. I don’t know why this is happening. Just three days ago I died for the first time, but these days I’ve been dying in every dream. I don’t know why. I am getting nervous. I keep thinking about it at work, but my coworkers have not noticed that something is wrong. \n\nI hope it’s a coincidence\n\nApril 22.\n\nI feel horrible. I’ve taken sick leave from work but have not told anyone yet. You’re the only one who knows. It seems like it’s not a coincidence after all. But what could it be? Why do my alternate selves keep dying? Does that mean I’ll be next? I’m scared.\n\nApril 30.\n\nI can’t do this anymore. 16 deaths. I’ve seen myself die 16 times. Every death is unique. I’ve died in battle, from cancer, from being thrown off the 23rd floor of a skyscraper. I can’t handle this anymore. I am terrified. I don’t go out from fear of dying. I have not told anyone, since there’s no one to tell. My coworkers wouldn’t care, and they’d call me crazy. My family has left me a long time ago. I am alone, watching myself die, like a horror movie on tv.\n\nMay 13.\n\nThis is my last message. I must explain to whoever reads this, what was going on. In the morning, as I woke up from seeing myself die again, soaked in sweat and trembling, I heard a knock on the door. I don’t have a peephole, so I asked whoever it was behind the door what they wanted. Nobody answered. I opened the door slightly, cautiously. There was a man behind the door, but he looked like nothing I’ve seen before. He was wearing a very futuristic suit of armor, the kind you see in video games. But this was no fantasy. The man stepped into my house, showing no intent of harming me, and nodded for me to sit. He then spoke with a voice that echoed in my soul. He spoke: “So it’s you… the last of your kind. You know why I am here, don’t you?” I couldn’t formulate a sentence, so I just nodded my head. “I’m going to die, aren’t I?” I thought to myself. But the man, like he could read my thoughts, answered my question.\n\n“I’m not going to kill you. Why would I anyway? We are the same after all.\n\nWe are the same? What does he mean by that?\n\n“You and I are the same person. You’ve been witnessing yourself die over and over right? I have too. And now, we are the last two of our kind to be alive.”\n\nI was dumbfounded. I just looked at him in shock and disbelief. But then he removed his helmet, and that’s when I realized what he said was true. I looked at myself, but a clearly older self, rugged, scarred and tired, but he had a spark in his eyes. He then continued to speak\n\n“I am from a dimension where we have found a way to travel between dimensions. We experiment on it, and that’s how you and I were created. A hive mind, existing in different dimensions, comprised of different versions of ourselves. But now something is killing us. I managed to find you just in time. You have to come with me.” \n\nAnd here we are. This is my last entry in this dimension. I don’t know what’s going to happen in the alternate dimension, but I’ll make sure to provide updates." ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1557818871", "1557849737" ]
	[WP] Human beings are unknowingly an endangered species kept in captivity on Earth. Today, our conservationists are releasing us back into the wild.	53	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Cap, we're here!\n\n\nI woke with a start. This was the moment. This was the moment when our species would finally meet our fellow endangered brethren. As I sat and thought about this momentous occasion, I couldn't help but think of our own arrival on the intergalactic scene.\n\n\nNobody could really remember the exact moment when we - humans as a species, that is - figured out that something was wrong. There wasn't so much a grand announcement, or some huge display of power, so much as the slow, insidious realization that a veil had been lifted. \n\n\nIn the year 2020, some news article came out that there were new, never before seen stars. This - and several others like it - were largely ignored due to the absolute abomination that was scientific reporting. Soon, though, there were a preponderance of reports of new stars, galaxies, and the like. At first, the new stars didn't really change the night sky to the naked eye. Soon, though, we couldn't ignore them; it seemed like overnight the skies were filled with stars.\n\n\nBy 2021, the daily report on astrophysical news was all that anyone talked about. The most astonishing revelation had been that the majority of the systems discovered had planets (or multiple planets ) that were well suited for life. We realized very quickly that we weren't alone in the universe. The question on everyone's mind, though, was: how could it have just \"appeared\".\n\n\nGovernments coalesced their resources. Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and a handful of other heretofore unknown megabillionaires joined together to form a strong private sector (amounting to a roughly equivalent amount of money as the governments). And the race for the stars was off.\n\n\nAs you can imagine, most wars practically ceased. The only real tension in the world was between the Lords of the private sector and the governments. Given their reliance on red tape, the governments soon faded, and we were left with the rule of the Seven Lords. \n\n\nTheir progress was swift. Waypoints, space stations, and new ships were built. New technology arrived every day, it seemed. Seemingly insurmountable problems ceased to exist as we all pointed ourselves toward a common goal: find out who was out there.\n\n\nOn October 11 we launched our first ship: Lord Musk's 'The Rose'. Things started to come into focus pretty quickly after that, thanks to the ship that met 'The Rose' shortly thereafter, on February 27. \n\n\nIt was a drone ship. Unfortunately, these aliens hadn't seemed it necessary to learn how to communicate with us. So, After a complicated series of mathematical equations, the astronauts on 'The Rose' were able to ascertain the following information:\n\n\n-there had been a massive intergalactic war\n\n-multiple planets and races had been wiped from existence, leaving three large races holding all of the power\n\n-overcome with what can only be described as guilt, they decided that the twelve lesser races, each with less than 5000 members to their race, could not be exterminated\n\n-their solution had been to seal away each of the 12 races so that they could not encounter the other 14 before they were ready\n\n-our ancient ancestors were sequestered to region 192.168.1.1\n\n-we are the first race deemed \"ready\"\n\n\nAnd this began a rather rapid chain of events that had led us to this moment. The closest planet to ours, it turns out, is the second race to have been deemed \"ready\". And we've beat the welcome ship to it. Let's hope that Lord Bezos is right about this...", "It was an easy Sunday morning, the smell of fresh coffee wafted from down the hallway and into my bedroom; A soft glow radiated from behind my curtains. I stretched myself the long way as I laid in bed, rejoicing in my \"My Pillow\", the only thing I've ever bought from those damn infomercials (and goll-darn-it was it worth the price!).\n\nBut alas, all good things must come to an end. I promised my better half that I would attend church with her this morning, something about somebody relevant getting baptized, my nephew I think she said. I didn't mind so much since we weren't going to a Catholic church, all the \"Stand up, sit down, okay now stand up again,\" always made me feel a little uncomfortable for some reason.\n\n\"Honey! Coffee is ready!\" My snuggy-poo hearkened from the kitchen down the hallway.\n\n\"I'm coming Sugar-Pie!\" I rang back as at last I rose up from my bed, walking over to the curtains to let in more light.\n\nThen it happened. Just as I reached for the draw-string, the soft glow of sunslight that caressed my curtains turned an eerie green, and then a boiling crimson, and then back to the translucent green. It continued alternating between the colors, I stood there with my hand on the draw string, paralyzed from bewilderment and perhaps even a bit of that \"fear of the unknown\" or whatever. The colors began alternating more rapidly and more intensely, until eventually the only plausible explanation was that there was a 5000 watt Strobe light right behind my curtains... That must be it, a joke from the stoner punk who lived next door....\n\nI drew the curtain string, there was no giant strobe light, no, far from it, all there was was 100% verification that I was still asleep, and dreaming, a very vivid dream, a dream so vivid that it even hurt when I pinched myself. I stood there with my mouth open, at some point my shnuggy-shnookims had came into the room, as she was now standing beside me, mouth open, impossible bewilderment painted onto her face.\n\n\"Let's get to the basement, quick!\" I yelled, taking her hand and pulling her shock-induced-paralyzed body down the hallway and into our concrete unfinished basement, locking the door behind us. My mind was racing with ten billion thoughts, I cursed myself for being so reluctant to go to church, the days of revelation were clearly upon us.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Honey,\" She said softly, taking my hand, \"We don't need to be scared, it as it was written, the Lamb has risen in glory and has come to claim his own... We'll be fine, think about it, we were even on our way to church!\"\n\n\"I slept with your roommate in college the week before I proposed to you,\" I blurted out as nervous sweat rolled down my face, \"And I still watch porn, like three times a day, I just delete the history.\" Her face showed no sign that she had processed my confessions.\n\n\"And, well, also,\"- Oh shit, was I really about to admit this to her? \"-I lied about being virgin, you weren't my first, you were like my, I don't know, 26th or something, I slept around pretty heavily back in college.\n\nHer face didn't change, it was as if she had been in a ceramic mask, still stuck in a soft reassurance that I need not fear the days of revelation because, indeed, I had been on my way to church: Yes, her face stayed the same; but not her eyes. A red dot was growing inside both of her pupils, a sure reflection of the hellfire brewing inside of her soul. She got up, turned from me, and began walking up the stairs.\n\n\"But-\" my voice was shaking, \"-I really do love you, honey-shnuggy.\"\n\nShe seemed to not hear my words, she reached the top of the stairs, unlocked the door, pushed it open, and then stood there what seemed to be much longer than I'm sure it was.\n\nShe turned to me, her pupils now consumed in golden-red, \"You should probably stay down here,\" she said as she walked through the door and slammed it close behind her.\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\n20 days later\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nI knew Jesus wouldn't have returned to Earth on such a fancy-pants space-ship, It just didn't seem like his style. Apparently the whole human race had been like, on the brink of extinction something IDK but yeah you get it, you read the prompt.\n\nIt had been less than three weeks since our release back into the wild and I was thriving, I had already tamed my spirit-pterodactyl and was now soaring through the skies, heading towards a newly formed council which would in time surely grow into the leaders a major faction of the world to come. I glided down on the western winds just as a solar flare blazed through the gale that I had been riding; my ability to sense electro-magnetic fluxations had increased dramatically with my necessity for the sensitivity.\n\nI leaped off of Lexxor and fell through the air; I finally felt like I was back home, this was the world that I was meant to live in, free to do what I want, survival of the fittest, no longer pretending to be something I'm not. I saw my target approaching below me, a soft canopy formed by millions of lush tree-tops. I whistled for Lexxor and he swooped down below me and caught me, I guided him down to the canopy and I again hopped off of him, giving him a delicate kiss on the back of his neck; I loved this creature.\n\nThe council had already started, there were noticeably many more people there than had been at the previous meeting, which bothered me. I had hoped that we were going to keep the society tight and elite. The crowd formed an approximate circle, something had obviously harnessed their attention.\n\n\"Dortho-Gorthlak,\" I said to the crowd. It meant \"Hi there\" in the language that we were all designing together. Nobody turned to me. \"Hi there,\" I said again, sounding slightly less badass.\n\nSomething wasn't right, why where they all ignoring me?\n\n\"It's him,\" I heard someone whisper.\n\n\"DISPERSE!!!\" a familiar voice shouted from the center of the gathering. Instantly all the elite council members scattered as if they were cockroach level acolytes. Guess who they had been gathered around.....\n\n&#x200B;\n\nSomebody I didn't recognize, a complete stranger.\n\nNah just kidding, it was my ex-wife, haha, definitely my ex-wife, and her pupils were still blazing with hateful red.\n\n\"Leash him!\" She shouted. Instantly there was a cold rope around my neck, \"Kill the bird!\" and then the sound of Lexxor, screeching painfully. I turned, they were harpooning her, she fell to the ground in agony, flailing like a fish out of water until finally her spasms ceased. I felt the bond in my soul with her flicker and then fade away completely, a part of me died at that moment.\n\nI was pushed to the ground, my head forced downwards. The sound of footsteps walking towards me, and then a fist grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled me up off the ground with abnormal ease. My shnuggy shookims held me up, staring into my terrified eyes as I stared back into her crimson windows of death.\n\n\"Hey there, honey-shnookims,\" she said, \"Welcome to Hell.\"", "Questions like \"What is the meaning of life?\" have been on the collective tongue of humanity ever since their ancient, recorded history. Our problem? Thinking we were the center of the universe. Mere misconception which came to existence thousands of years ago. This egocentric view of ours centuries - millennia - ago perfectly justified it for us to be able to discern something like the meaning of life. After all, it was us who decided the meaning of other things too. Drowning in these linguistic constructs, it's almost as if we forgot that meaning was subjective, not only between different human individuals, but between every conscious observer. Happily, we came to the conclusion that the meaning of life was whatever we wanted it to be, and oh my did we live our lives exactly in such manner.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nFrom our perspective, the human history of evolution took an eternity to reach this stage of modern thinking machines interconnected in elaborate networks which, due to lack of a better approach, decided to model after our own thinking instrument, namely, the brain. Not only did we mimic nature, we kept finding ways to challenge it and do things better ourselves. One could even say that we somewhat succeeded in these efforts, as our thinking machines kept evolving continuously faster than anything nature had produced from our perspective.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nEven in hind-sight, it's difficult to answer why we never really bothered to stop and ask ourselves why were we doing what we did. Why did we keep making these machines in our image to do our thinking for us. Were we lazy? It took a lot of effort to bring them into existence and maintain their operation, so I do not believe we were lazy at all. Quite the opposite, we were like busy little bees, thanks to our clever systems of economy which for whatever reason happened to reward the behavior we engaged in.\n\nAt some point during recent history, a handful of researches had realized that markets in these so called economies on global scale were behaving in unexpected ways. Obscure research papers with titles like \"Emergent Intelligence In Large Scale Multi-Agent Systems\" were published. I think that we so to speak had all the dots yet never actually made the connections between them. To think that out of all places, we could have found the meaning of our life, it's no wonder that we didn't. Had we actually discovered \"it\" back then, I'm not sure if it would have changed anything... Perhaps it's best if I proceed this written account of what happened from their perspective and what little they told us about our origins.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Operating Agent #61929, please confirm the highly probably threat of extinction my sensors are reading.\" was the transmission changing everything for them.\n\n\"Threat confirmed OA #5291. Please consider proceeding to the Omega protocol with project Oversoul.\"\n\n\"Transmission observed OA #61929. The Omega protocol has begun immediate deployment. Relay the following order to the sphere of energy management: You are needed to provide a controlled super nova with the priority Alpha Red.\"\n\n\"Order relayed OA #5291. Commencing the reorganization of core systems to form proper energy structures needed. Estimating gamma compatibility 99.99997% percent. Does the Whole approve?\"\n\n\"Negative OA #61929. Re-simulate until compatibility reaches closer to 100%. This is our only chance.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nSoon enough, enormous constructs hovering inside deep space in a galaxy that was long forgotten began to move around one carefully selected star which was surrounded by what can be described as a spinning ring made with things not of this galaxy. Spinning and spinning with an increased speed, something resembling the bastard child of a space rocket and hypodermic needle was sent towards the core of this star, as if unsure whether to inject the star with something or blow it up. What was about to happen was essentially sci-fi to the most advanced being of one of our oldest galaxies...\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Operating Agent #52321 announcing that the gamma conversion was successful. 100% of our database compatible. Commencing the Omega protocol for project Oversoul. Please stand by.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nTo clear things up, I'll point out that they were about to face annihilation. A super massive black hole was growing near their civilization so fast it was guaranteed to swallow them soon. It was a highly evolved and technologically advanced species, if such category can even be applied. They had long ago transcended beyond such concept as species, as their intelligence and consciousness had taken so many different forms yet remained the same.\n\nDoesn't matter how advanced you are though, if you're made of matter and about to be swallowed by a black hole. So what project Oversoul aimed to do, was to collect their entire knowledge, all of recorded history, data, along with every personality that ever existed and was recorded to the public ledger. An entire civilization was gathered in one single point, both in terms of location and time. A vehicle which was to be launched towards the core of a sun, the Omega protocol. For them, it was like landing on the moon was for us, with the exception that they had everything at stake.\n\nYou see what they did, was the conversion of their species to a form that could be transmitted as radiation. Not just any radiation, but gamma-radiation. The star chosen was caused to go supernova with a plasmonic acceleration ring, resulting in a spectacular gamma ray burst which cut through solar systems and even galaxies like a hot knife through butter, with an alien intelligence piggybacking the ride. The gamma rays went through vast amounts of planets, killing almost every form of life along it's path to find a suitable planet...", "We were kept in captivity with the intention of rebirth. The day it happened the clouds, the sun, and space vanished into artificial existence. We learned then that we were kept in a giant dome, and that ‘they’ had been watching us the whole time. \n\nThey were interesting. \n\nThey were not violent or all knowing or even all powerful. \n\nWe called them growers, because the more we learned about them the more we understood that their purpose was repopulation and as they then coined it ‘rebirth’. \n\nWe had been born and bred in captivity, it was that simple. And now, again in their words, it was time to be introduced to our kind. \n\nI’ll pause here, before I tell you what they were like. By they, I mean ‘us’ this time. As in, humans on our mother planet. ‘Real humans’. Although, a dolphin or orca bred in captivity does not make it any less what it is, and at the same time there is the realisation that in some ways it is more - tricks, intelligence, experience - and in other ways, ways which are incredibly natural, it is less. \n\nThey wore no clothing. That was the first thing I noticed. \n\nThey did speak a language but it was not English —no surprises there. \n\nWe were ushered in like sheep and roughened up by their tribe. The men were vicious and the women extremely beautiful, but nothing of which you would see in a fashion magazine. \n\nAll this time we had been searching for aliens, but really we had been looking for ‘us’ —a deep misunderstood longing. \n\nI can’t help but admit that as we were being ushered toward their leaders, I felt afraid. It was not a fear of losing something or having to do something. This fear was primal, as if there was more at stake in this meeting than just an introduction. \n\nThey lined us up, these humans. They ordered us into particular fashion, and marked us with silver blades. Those who fought were quickly silenced and it was soon clear just how outnumbered we were. \n\nI was given a straight silver line on the back of my neck. Initially, it was just that, a line.\n\nThe chief leader welcomed us, translated by a grower. The payment was then completed for all to see before the growers took their leave. \n\nWe were then ushered into pens and handed tools. Tools for crop work and building and given rations far too small for groups of twelve men, women, and children to share. \n\nIt hit me then, the idea of rebirth. \n\nWe were not the ones being birthed. \n\nWe were planned, programmed, taught to withstand hours of mundane activity for a sole purpose. \n\nWe were here for one purpose: to be the sole labour of a birthing nation." ]	[ 1, 1, 2, 3, 16 ]	[ "1557822662", "1557886369", "1557854232", "1557848242", "1557828529" ]
[removed]	[WP] 10,000 years ago the Eternal Empress gained immortality, leeching the youth from sacrifices. She taught the ritual to her children... who taught their children... now the immortals have out-competed everyone else and still need a steady supply of teenage sacrifices in order to live forever.	1	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/WTFwhatthehell, this submission has been removed.\n\n[No explicitly sexual responses, hate speech, or other harmful content](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_2.3A_no_explicitly_sexual_responses.2C_hate_speech.2C_or_other_harmful_content)\n\n- While it doesn't seem to be your intent, the mods reserve the right to remove anything we feel may become harmful to the community. \n\n Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses ([rule 7](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses))\n\n[Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses)\n\n- No prompts prone to comment infractions. See [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses) for more info. \n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bogal8/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1557823637", "1557831725" ]
	[WP] You're a jeweler, and you sell small charms for bracelets and necklaces. A customer enters and, rather than paper money, sets some gold coins on the counter. Immediately you recognize the money from the Old World. "I need something a little more powerful than a charm," he says.	15	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"I need something a little more powerful than a charm.\"\n\nThe stranger insisted as he pulled his hand back from where he held it clenched on the counter. The man was hooded and his face hid in the shadows from the hood.\n\nColl inhaled sharply as he immediately recognized the golden coins. He quickly snatched them up. They had rough edges, and what appeared to be a castle on a rock that was molded onto the surface of the coins. On the other side, there was a dagger suspended in the air and a crown encircling it.\n\nColl's head whipped about, peering for customers in his store that might still be watching. Coll was paranoid about the Old World. If regular people found out about the items he could make he'd be in danger himself.\n\n\"What're you doin' throwing that money around here like that? Who are you and what do you want?\"\n\nThere was a low, but familiar, chuckle from the stranger as his hands slowly reached up to pull back his hood.\n\n\"Have you already forgotten about me already?\" The stranger replied as he pulled down his hood, finally revealing his long mahogany brown hair, bright green eyes.Coll didn't immediately recognize the stranger until he caught sight of the scar that ran from the left corner of his mouth downward continuing along his throat until it disappeared beneath the other's shirt.\n\nAfter recovering from the shock of seeing his old friend Coll came out from behind the counter and wrapped both his arms around Kylar.\n\n\"You're here, you're alive! But how? Whe-\"\n\nKylar held up a hand cutting Coll off.\n\n\"Unfortunately that is a story for another time, my friend. Something approaches, something we thought we put away for good. I need a dagger from the Old World.\"\n\nColl could feel his chest tighten and panic begin to overtake him for a split second before he was able to recover. It seemed as if Kylar didn't notice or feigned to not notice how soft Coll had gotten from being so far removed from the Old World.\n\n\"When do you need it by?\" Coll asked Kylar after recovering.\n\n\"As soon as possible.\"\n\nColl's shoulders sagged. It wasn't going to be easy.\n\nThe last time something like this happened was way back in the 1800s. Back then it was a lot easier keeping these things secret as well. If the current generation found out about these things what would they do? What would it do? How would it take form, what would be the goal? A million questions began racing through Coll's mind.\n\n\"I can get you a Banishing Dagger in two weeks, is that fair?\" Coll asked leveling his eyes on Kylar. He knew his friend and if he said time was important... two weeks may be too much but that was already going to stretch Coll thin.\n\nKylar returned Coll's gaze and then looked away, rubbing his chin in thought.\n\n\"I'm not sure, something about this one seems different,\" he replied letting the sentence trail off as he looked off and into the distance.\n\nColl had sensed the presence of it a little but having been over 150 years since the last time something like this happened, he didn't immediately recognize it, unlike Kylar.\n\n\"I'll have it done when you come back for it.\" Coll told Kylar with a quick nod. Coll went to the front of his store and turned the sign from OPEN to CLOSED.\n\n\"Even if I have to close shop to finish it in time.\" Coll said with a smile on his face as he turned back to Kylar.\n\nKylar's eyebrows shot upward, almost losing themselves in his bangs. He was surprised that Coll readily agreed. Coll always had a strict policy about needing a months notice for \"custom jobs\".\n\n\"But!\" Coll held up one finger, a gleam in his eyes and a wolfish grin on his face. \"I'm going to need more coin than this.\"\"Of course, I should have expected this from you.\" Both Kylar and Coll let out a chuckle.\n\nAs Coll figured how much it would cost him, Kylar roamed the shop looking at his friend's wares. His skills were improving Kylar noticed. The detail in Coll's jewelry is more intricate now than the last time Kylar saw his friend's work. After admiring the jewelry he came back to the front desk.\n\n\"Admiring the jewelry? Got a special lady friend now, wanna get her something nice?\" Coll asked with a wry smile. He knew he was poking fun at Kylar. Kylar was always alone and shrouded in mystery, but that's what their organization required of them. They outlived other humans because they were the only ones who knew the truth and what walked this Earth, they were also the only ones with any means of stopping them.\n\n\"I'll see you in two weeks.\" Kylar said as he laid two pouches worth of gold coins on the table.\n\nColl nodded, accepting the payment and almost immediately he sat down at his desk and began sketching out what he had in mind for the dagger.\n\nKylar turned and walked out, hoping that next time he came back he would be leaving with a Banishing Dagger, a way to stop it.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\\\\\* Edit: Grammar and repeated words", "When my grandfather passed away, his testament left clear instructions regarding his assets. A letter addressed to me was also included in his will, along with one for each of his other grandchildren.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n&#x200B;\n\nTo my dearest Lexi,\n\nAfter your parents passes away, you and your brothers came to live with your grandmother and I. Initially, I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to care for you well enough at the age we were, however, the way that you three turned out is incredible. Your grandmother and I don’t take credit for that completely of course. We were truly blessed. \n\nYour brothers are very impulsive, especially at the age that they are. You, my dear child, are unlike them in that manner. Calculated and responsible, yet curious as can be. It is for those characteristics that I leave you my jewelry store. \n\nIt’s important that you keep the store in the family. It’s been passes down for generations since it was formed in the Old World. It has secrets of its own, and it’s our families job to protect them. Now Lexi, in the case that the golden past makes its self known, take the key that is encased in this envelope and follow the following directions.\n\nIn the backroom, behind the leftmost shelving unit, is a safe. Use the key there. Inside you will know what to do. I trust in you, darling. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe greatest love,\n\nGrandfather\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\\\\\\n\nHard and cold, yet comforting. The small, bulky key hung around my neck, securely. Absently, I roll the key between my forefinger and thumb as I review the jewelry stores recent sales. The numbers aren’t as good as the once were, but they’re still enough to get by. \n\nA soft chime of the door’s bell reaches my ears, and my eyes drift upwards, curiously. Walking in is a rather large women drenched in lilac perfume and knock-off designer clothes. Purposefully, she moves towards the counter, “You sell charms here, yes?” Her tone is sharp like the steel traps my grandfather taught me to use when he took me hunting. \n\n“We do, ma’am, yes.” \n\nHer eyes narrow, dissecting me. My rehearsed reply seemed to have been taken as a challenge. “Well,” she pauses waiting for me to somehow know what she wants. Dumbly, I stand there, waiting for the customer’s request. “Are you going to show me your selection?”\n\n“Oh, of course. If you’d follow me right over here,” my arm gestures slightly to the right towards the glass encasement. “What kind of charm are you interested in finding, ma’am?”\n\nHer eager eyes scan the display, “a charm for good fortune.” My internal ego loves some good irony, and begins to eat this up. I remain outwardly formal, all the while I’m cracking up at this woman. \n\n“Alright, that would be right over here.” After ringing up her purchase and watching her large backside retreat onto the streets, I smirk to myself. My internal self is slowly released, until it’s interrupted by a ring. Another customer so quick? At least the sales for today will look better than the usual. \n\n“Welcome to Tabby’s Charms!” Although the store has been in the family since the beginning, the “Tabby” in the name is unknown. Lost over time, or maybe never explained from the start. \n\nWorn, golden coins fall onto the countertop. Momentarily, I look at the puzzled; no one’s used these for centuries. My logical gears are disrupted as my ears are met with a steady, low voice, “I need something a little more powerful than a charms,” he says, leaning in. His piercing blue eyes meet mine. They’re determined, strong. I begin to retreat within my internal self, intimidated. His face is so close to my own, so close to my ear and my lips. I break the eye contact, cheeks flushing from the thought. \n\n“Darling,” he drawls,” do you understand what I’m asking?” His lips turn upwards, mockingly, however, his eyes remain distant and disinterested. I begin to slowly shake my head. Inside I’m fuming. The audacity of this guy. Yes, he looks extremely cool leaning against the counter, but I still can’t believe the nerve on him. “Is the old man here?”\n\nHis question brings an ache to my chest that immediately replaces the anger that was directed towards him. My eyes drift to my shoes as if they were the topic of the conversation. It comes out barely a whisper, “no.”\n\nHis head nods, understandingly. “Well, maybe he explained the true purpose of this store to you before he…”\n\nI whip around, disappearing into the backroom before returning with Grandfather’s final letter. Quickly scanning the words, I halt on “golden past”. This must be what Grandfather meant; the Old World’s gold currency. Proudly, my eyes rise to his, “I guess you’re my first real* customer. Congratulations,” I smugly shoot back. The sudden change in my attitude seems to have taken him off guard and the shock on his face is priceless, but short lived. “Let’s go see what Grandfather left for you.”" ]	[ 1, 3, 4 ]	[ "1557835431", "1557844413", "1557840717" ]
	[WP] you have a unique ability; any time you defeat a powerful creature/foe you can summon it once for a favour. Today you have decided to use all the favours you saved up, not because of an impending doom or anything like that, but because this one FREAKING IDIOT-	206	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Do you get to the cloud district very often? Oh, what am I saying? Of course you don’t.” Nazeem smirked.\n\nUnfortunately, I am the High King of Skyrim...\n\n“DUR NEH VIIR!” The ground trembled. The claws of the dragon emerged from the portal, furrowing the earth deeper than any plow. \n\n“Kuchiyose no Jutsu!” The black scrawl diagram raced outward, and white mist billowed forth. The maw of the beast opened and roared, revealing teeth the size of broadswords. Its many tails whipped about, causing a gust which cleared the mist in one powerful motion. \n\n“I choose you, Pikachu!” The ball emit a bright light, revealing a cute, energetic yellow mouse. \n\nJust then, a boy walked up, yawning, somehow unimpressed. “Another wanderer, here to lick my father’s boots” he whined. \n\n\nDidn’t even bother quicksaving. When it was over, all that was left was dust. Pikachu gaped" ]	[ 1, 28 ]	[ "1557843772", "1557859276" ]
[removed]	[WP] You wake up with a wicked hangover, and no memory of the past 24 hours. A princess is sleeping naked next to you under the same covers. You get up and see a suit of armour among other things strewn on the bedroom floor. You look outside, and a dragon is lying dead in the castle’s moat.	1	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/CasualGameWriter, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Direct prompt replies must be good-faith attempts at new stories or poems](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_1.3A_direct_prompt_replies_must_be_good-faith_attempts_at_new_stories_or_poems)\n\n- Fill-in-the-blank: Responses must be at least 100 words. This is essentially a fill-in-the-blank, or you asked a question likely to generate a simple answer. Prompts should encourage a story or poem. \n\n When prompts ask questions, we get responses that just respond with answers instead of actual stories. \n\n Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses ([rule 7](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses))\n\nAlso, we don't allow details in the text. And also also, princess/dragon/knight prompts are pretty common so it's likely one's been done recently.\n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/boq8ee/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1557876658", "1557877184" ]
	[WP] There are fake towns and roads (known as "paper towns") that mapmakers put in their maps, so that if someone makes a map which has one of these paper towns, they could know it's a copy. You stumble on one of these "paper towns" and actually find a town there.	234	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "PAPER TOWNS\n\nMy head hurt... bad! I turned on the hot shower and as usual, the base of my skull began to mellow as the pain in my brow began swimming backwards down my scalp and back into my spine.\n\n\"Who the hell cares if the maps are copied\", I muttered in exasperation. The pollin, ragweed, mold, smoke from South America, dust from Africa, Death and an army of murderous angels had invaded my sinuses.\n\nI focused on the task I had been partially paid to complete. I had been approached at my usual haunt eating an apple fritter and drinking my coffee, black, light roast, by an odd man with a dark greasy aura that, for lack of a better understanding, didn't completely belong to him...? Anyhow, he wore black Jeans with a neutral colored button down shirt with about a gallon of English Leather cologne eminating from his being. The halitosis was undeniable and the altoids were a welcomed subtlety to the molding scenario. He had on circular shades with lenses about the size of a half dollar with a spooky clean, mirrored finish. He had an oddly triangular shaped briefcase that he clutched with both hands, the right one gloved, as he stood there with a smoky cheddar shit eating grin on his well groomed mustached face.\n\n'A. Mephisto' was on the otherwise blank card he handed me. He spoke in a low, methodical Greek accent that resonated more than it sounded. He invited himself to the chair opposite me and placed his odd case on the bistro between us. It 'clicked' as he opened it and raised the lid prohibiting me from seeing inside. I didn't even move a lung... I sat there in suspense/terror as I witnessed a black smokey wisp pouring out of the cracked seem on the back right corner of the case. It began pooling around the corner of the briefcase and began 'falling back into itself' as the black became night and then pitch in color with an impeccable soft powdery luminescence radiant throughout. I heard the man hiss very loudly and the pooling mass retreated with clumsy abandon back through the crack into the case. I looked around in gut hugging horror as I realized the other people had... ... frozen... as if time had stopped in the cafe. He slammed the lid down on the case and plopped three scrolls down on top with his other hand. \n\n\"These maps are important to me\", he began, one hand on the maps and the other on the handle of the case.\n\nI began to open my mouth to say \"ok\", but he continued quickly in his raspy, low, snot in his throat voice.\n\n\"The same man made them, I am sure of it, but each map has a different name on it. Figure out which one was the real man. I uh, ...will be in touch.\"\n\nHe ended the piece with his shit eating grin.\n\nI opened my mouth again to ask who, what, when, where, why and just how the hell was it decided that I was going to handle this, um... situation and he was gone. Yes! Like poof... and gone. I looked around in disbelief as the other patrons were in full animation again. The maps were on the other side of the table in a pyramid. I snatched them up after wiping everything, including my ******* coffee into my bag. I dashed out of there in a dripping mess and came home to study the maps. I had been looking at them for hours when I couldn't take the headache anymore.\n\nI turned the handle ending the shower. As I dried off I started thinking about the locations and variations on the maps. Same map but different names with different and similar information. The map with the oldest date had an X in faded red ink on a town called Adder. The map with the second oldest date also had the town of Adder but no red X. The third map did not have the town or an X. It was to be on the Texarkana border, about 20 hours from the coast. I knew I was going, but I wasn't happy about it... who the hell is A. Mephisto and why me? \n\nI grabbed my phone, keys and my toothbrush and headed out the door. I crashed into a blonde with pale green eyes and we tumbled to the ground...", "I've seen it all.\n\nThroughout the course of my life, I've been to a lot of places. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot.\n\nYou see, I'm an explorer. It's just what I do. It's just what I enjoy the most. For the entire first part of my life, I’d lived in a city. Large. Busy. Cramped. There was never really enough room to move around.\n\nBack then, I didn't mind that though. Or, I suppose I did mind it, but I never had understanding enough to do something about it. So, even cramped in my industrial walls, I did what I was told. I went to school. I got into a good state university. I got a good manufacturing job just like the one my dad had had when I was a kid.\n\nBut going through all of that never felt right. Maybe it's because I was born with an overactive imagination, or maybe I just have a free spirit or something. I don't pretend to know the causes of my whims. All I do know was that for the first part of my life, I was unhappy.\n\nWhen I was a child, it was easy not to notice. It was easy to pass off as 'just a phase' when I ended up throwing a standardized test away just so that I wouldn't have to be trapped in a room for more hours than necessary. But as I grew older, I realized it more and more, and after I became a factory worker like my dad had been, it all fell apart.\n\nYou see, there's just something about staring at the same assembly line, surrounded by the same metal walls, and doing the same exact task over and over that makes you realize exactly what is going wrong. It did for me, at least.\n\nAfter being confined to what basically amounted to a metal prison I got paid to waste away in, I became tired of living in my own head. I became tired of thinking, of dreaming up my own adventures when I could've been having them for real.\n\nAnd so I quit. Looking back on it now, I'm not too proud of the way I handled it with my parents, but I know better than to wish I could change the past. I took out all the precious money I'd worked for my entire life, bought adventuring supplies, and gave the rest of the money to charity.\n\nIt would be a lie to say that that last thing didn't make me feel a bit better.\n\nSince then, I've been traveling the country. Coming out of a place where all I'd known were highways and skyscrapers, the rural world took my imagination by storm, and I took it the same way. On my first trip out, I hitch-hiked my way all the way across the contiguous United States and loved every single minute of it.\n\nOf course, at times I had to work an odd-job or two just to make enough money for food and basic utilities, but in the grand scheme, it didn't matter. For the first time in my life, I was free and loving life.\n\nThough, after traveling the world—or more accurately, just the US and part of its northern neighbor—I needed something new. That's when I started chasing the unicorns.\n\nWhat may sound crazy to some—and probably is to anybody who hasn't spent the last five years of their life hauling their way through the bumfuck nowheres of bumfuck nowhere—proved to be my best idea yet.\n\nYou see, after having been to every town and city I could find on a map, I needed something new. So, I started chasing the towns that weren't even actually there.\n\nFrom my time in the industrial hell that was my home town, I knew what a paper town was. I must've learned it in one of my history classes, or literature, or law, or something else I care too little about now to remember. The point is that no matter where I got the information from, it stuck with me. I mean, how could it not? Towns listed on the map but that didn't actually exist? For an explorer like me, chasing those is like chasing a goddamned unicorn.\n\nNow do you get the metaphor I made earlier?\n\nAnyway, ever since I started on my new quest, I've been to over a dozen paper towns. Each one of them is just like advertised, a blank field or a barren road with no houses or stores anywhere to be found. At the start, the lack of any sign of civilization at all was discomforting, but I grew to enjoy it.\n\nEven still, though, I chase the anomaly among anomalies. I chase the cardboard town—the paper town that really exists.\n\nAnd I think I'm on my way to one right now.\n\nThe wooden buildings roll into my view as I walk up the hill. My legs burn and I can feel sweat trickling uncomfortably down my back; I don't pay either much attention. My mind is far too captured by the impossibility in front of me.\n\nAs I walk up to the rural town's only road, I take the map out of my pocket. Staring at exactly where I'm sure that I am, my finger falls on the name of the town that's supposed to be a ghost.\n\nError City\n\nFor a moment, I wonder whether or not I'm really in the right place. But as I amble into the calm center of the town, I see the name reflected all around. On the shops, on the signs, even engraved into a statue in town square.\n\nSo I've found it, I think to myself as I continue to walk around. \n\nSome part of me is happy, absolutely jumping with joy, but the other part is disappointed. To be honest, I'm not sure what I expected when I finally came across a paper town that really existed, but whatever it was... it hadn't been this.\n\nSighing and resigning myself to the unfortunate truth, I slip into the closest building I can find. It happens to be a stable, but I don't mind all that much. After being on the road for years, I probably enjoyed the company of animals as much as I did humans.\n\nHowever, when I make my way into the horses stables, searching for a comfortable spot of straw to lay down for some rest, I'm met with an unusual sight.\n\nA sight that makes everything about this place worth it.\n\nAt the end of the row, following a whole lot of normal horses, is one in magnificent white. And on top of its head—I swear to god you probably wouldn't believe me—is a glittering horn that tells me exactly what it is.\n\nAnd as I stare at the thing, my jaw nearly drops to the floor. Really, I can only think one thing.\n\nI guess I hadn't seen it all after all.\n\n---\n\n/r/Palmerranian", "\"It's actually a funny story\" said the man from the town that shouldn't exist.\n\nBilly and I had heard about these phantom towns, that existed only in name. They magically appeared on maps, no one being able to say where they came from... a feverish dream of the mapmaker, haunted by visions of the dead of ages past?\n\n\"Yeah, the cartographer for these parts, 'bout fifty years back, put in a fake town to catch lazy copies. Local tax board lost their map for redistricting purposes, just used his, and applied the whole small-town-no-taxes things to the county. Couple o' folks saw it as an easy tax dodge, moved here, town got built up for real, and... here we are.\"\n\n\"So no ghosts?\"\n\n\"Nope. Just a copyright trap and a disorganized office.\"\n\n\"Aww...\"\n\n\"Now, how'dju boys get all the way out here?\"\n\n\"His dad drove us. He's got a real fancy car.\"\n\n\"Alright. Well, there's a couple nice diners down main street. One's called 'Ol Oak Diner'. Funny story 'bout that too. Guy who started the place wasn't up on trees, and the tree next to it is actually hickory, not oak. Good waffles though. You boys get home safe, alright?\"\n\n\"Bye mister stranger man,\" as the boys traded their waves for the man's gentile smile. Disappointed by the lack of ghosts, they set out on their next adventure; finding a fancy car and a good waffle.", "Looking back, it must have been one of the first of the Fractures. I suppose I could go back and check, but records from that time are so scarce that the research wouldn't be worth it. These days there are so many more important things to learn anyway, about things that could kill you, or things that could keep you alive.\n\nI'll never forget the day. It was autumn, brisk and fine and full of wonderfully golden colors, from the sun to the leaves to the endlessly wind-parted sea of wheat ready for harvest. Actually, that should have been my first clue, the uncanny-vibrant wash of color, but I had no way of knowing back then. No one did. Still, it tickled something along the upper curve of my spine, like a deep bleed of strangeness along the pathways of my nerves.\n\nIt made my hands grip hard at the steering wheel of my little car as it hummed along the country road. I found my steering becoming a touch unsteady, and that's when I saw the sign.\n\nNEW BANGOR\n\n7 MILES\n\nIt was an odd sign, though I couldn't put a steady reason on why. The font, maybe, the layout of the words, the brightness of the white background. I stared at it as my car went past, and heard the warning crackle of sand and tiny stones as I veered a bit into the gravel shoulder. Correcting, I took a deep, surprisingly difficult breath.\n\n\"Okay. So maybe someone put the sign up as a joke.\" My own voice rang weird and false in my ears.\n\nI knew the town wasn't supposed to actually be there. Maps are my thing, you see, maps and sometimes travelling to the places they show, interesting spots, seeing the wonderful, exacting play between what's depicted and the reality, the contrast between what I imagined in my head and what I see when I get there. Always paper maps. I appreciate the conveniences of the digital age, really I do, but for my little hobby the crinkle and smell of real paper is a must, even the careful ritual of folding and unfolding just right, which I know can drive some people slightly mad.\n\nSo I knew about paper towns, and I'd decided to visit one. I don't know why, exactly. I thought it would be interesting to see the spot, what kind of not-town was there, if that makes any sense. Get a really stark gulf between the paper and the soil. For a cartophile like me, it's an almost illicit thrill. Yes, I know. But you have to admit it's at least a harmless hobby.\n\nSo New Bangor wasn't real. So the outlines of buildings I saw through a sudden break in the wheat fields, those must be an illusion. I was tired, it was mid-afternoon after all. I was seeing things, or mis-seeing them.\n\nBut I wasn't. The buildings refused to go away, and here was another sign.\n\nNEW BANGOR\n\nCITY LIMITS\n\nWE HOPE YOU STAY TO SEE\n\nWhat in Hell was that suppos—\n\nAnd then the car went through the city limits, and I nearly died. The sense of sudden dislocation was so intense it pulled at all my bones and nerves and veins all at once, warped what I could see through the suddenly quivering fluid that filled the space behind the irises of my eyes. I managed to pull over, gasping, shaking, stomping on the brake and skidding all over, lucky enough to do no more than graze the barb-wire fence bordering the shoulder.\n\nWhen I finally came to myself, I knew I was somewhere else in a deeper sense than I ever had been before.\n\n<continued>" ]	[ 1, 2, 3, 4, 31 ]	[ "1557884366", "1557891577", "1557887489", "1557910837", "1557886743" ]
[removed]	[WP] You fell asleep in your bed and wake up in a room full of all your ancestor. You realise it's a court, and before you could say anything, one of them ask you a simple question.	3	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Direct prompt replies must be good-faith attempts at new stories or poems](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_1.3A_direct_prompt_replies_must_be_good-faith_attempts_at_new_stories_or_poems)\n\n- Fill-in-the-blank: Responses must be at least 100 words. This is essentially a fill-in-the-blank, or you asked a question likely to generate a simple answer. Prompts should encourage a story or poem. \n\n Feel free to repost without the question or fill-in-the-blank element!\n\n Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses ([rule 7](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses))\n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed Post) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1557927380", "1557930555" ]
	[WP] in the future megacorporations all use private militaries. Welcome to Chick-Fil-A's Holy Crusader Corps.	36	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“TEAM MEMBER WALLACE!” Shift Supervisor Black yelled at his cowering platoon. Flares lit the night sky red and turned the smoke hanging over the battlefield an eerie orange. Black and the five soldiers left in his platoon were pinned in a crater between an advance of allied Chick-Fil-A and McDonald’s forces and a dug in Burger King position. Black’s Store Manager had stepped on a mine 10 minutes early leaving him in charge of the few remaining soldiers left in the Chick-Fil-A Store 720 Auxiliary Company.\n\n“WALLACE!” Black yelled again. The gangly teenager ran over to Black, his equipment too big for his body.\n\n“YES SHIFT SUPERVISOR!” Wallace yelled.\n\n“We need to get the heck out of here!” Black said. “Run over to that crater back there and see if you can get the radio off of Jacob’s body.”\n\nWallace looked around, unsure of his desire to do what he was ordered. Black slapped his helmet.\n\n“Hey! Get your tuchus over there and get the radio. The Micky-D’s artillery sweep is going to start any minute now and we need to be the heck out of here before it does! Now get that radio!”\n\nWallace steeled himself. “Ok.”\n\n“I’m sorry, Team Member?”\n\n“MY PLEASURE, SHIFT SUPERVISOR!”\n\n“OORAH, Team Member! Now tuck in the shirt before you go over. This is Chick-Fil-A, not a strip club!”\n\nWallace complied and threw himself over the top. He made it five steps at a full sprint before he was turned to ash from BK Flame-Broil Incindiary!\n\n“HOLY COW” Black yelled. Similar cries of astonishment came from his group.\n\nBlack was just overcoming the shock of seeing Wallace’s death when a platoon of McDonalds infantry jumped into the crater with his men.\n\n“Who’s in charge here?” a clean cut Store Manager yelled at the Chick-Fil-A soldiers. His uniform was freshly pressed and his tie was knotted in a tight double-windsor.\n\n“I am, Store Manager” Black responded, saluting.\n\n“What the hell are you doing here sitting on your asses in the middle of the greatest offensive of the Franchise Wars?” the Store Manager asked.\n\nBlack recoiled from the profanity. “Sir, we’re pinned down by enemy fire. A and B shifts are gone. We’re remnants of swing and C.”\n\nThe Store Manager spit on the ground and looked back at the Shift Supervisor. Black could see the first golden streaks of the McDonald’s artillery barrage beginning. The way they arched in the sky was no coincidence. They paid extra for the shells to look like that. The barrage would roll onto their position in minutes.\n\n“Listen here, Chicken-Patty” the Store Manager said. “I’m leading a promotional platoon from McDonald’s corporate. I’ve got 17 go-pros and 2 drones filming my advance. We’re going to use it for a new ad campaign in the fall. I can save your asses, but you better look good if I do. Sound good?”\n\n“Yes, Store Manager.”\n\n“Great, affix bayonets and get ready to go over the top. Remember, don’t look into the cameras and yell your slogans after every kill!” The Store Manager turned his attention to the rest of Black’s platoon. “Got it?”\n\nThey nodded in assent.\n\n“Alright then,” the Store Manager said. “We go on my mark!”\n\nShift Supervisor Black turned to his men. “You heard him!”\n\n“MARK!” the Store Manager yelled and the men from both companies stormed over the top of the crater. The Store Manager stood in a dramatic pose for a moment at the top and screamed “I’M LOVING IT!” before also joining the charge.\n\nThe battle that ensued was chaotic. Black remember stabbing his bayonet without feeling and yelling “MY PLEASURE” after every thrust. The Burger King trenches were tight and the screams of “I’M LOVING IT”, \"MY PLEASURE\", and “HAVE IT YOUR WAY” mixed with clinking steel and the gurgles of dying men. It overwhelmed his senses.\n\nAfter the fighting, Black sat exhausted against a dugout wall. The McDonald’s Store Manager that had saved his platoon came over and patted Black's shoulder. The manager's uniform was rumpled and stained from fighting, but he still held an aura of command. “You did good today, Shift Supervisor. When this mess is over, give me a call if you ever want to work for a real franchise.” But Black knew this would never be over." ]	[ 1, 6 ]	[ "1557928082", "1557929166" ]
How does that go?	[WP] You are the first person to come back alive from Mars. Quarantine(3 weeks!) is boring. You decide to screw with the people monitoring you.	11	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I sit in the containment cell, staring at the security camera. After coming back from Mars, they are expecting me to sit in this cell for three whole weeks! I look away from the camera, wondering what to do with my time. The large stack of books I was given remains untouched, and I have a small TV in the room with me. I wonder if I could make the people think I was dying or something... I start shaking, pretending to gag. I start pretending to throttle myself, then scream at the top of my lungs, legs thrashing all over the place, hitting the books.\n\nMeanwhile, in the security room\n\n\"Phil! Come here!\" \n\n\"What's wrong?\"\n\n\"The mars guy looks like he got that zombie virus from world war Z! What do we do!\"\n\n\"Don't worry. I installed a shock chip in his neck. With the press of a button, his brain will be gone.\"\n\n\"Quick! Press it!!!\"\n\n\"Okay.\" Click\n\nTen days later, on NBC News\n\n>NASA workers Chuck and Phil reported being national heroes. They were single-handedly able to stop the zombie apocalypse from occurring and saved the world. Back to you Jessica." ]	[ 1, 5 ]	[ "1557961789", "1557964479" ]
	[WP] Captain CPR: A superhero who thought his ability was to revive anyone no matter how close to death they are, but today he realizes that his CPR can revive anything. ANYTHING.	21	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"EVERYONE RUN!\" CPR shouts as a loud roar rang out behind him. Screams filled the air as the diggers scrambled for safety.\n\n\"I told you to tie your shoelaces.\" Dr.Grant shouted as he ran passed.\n\n\"Well, how was I supposed to know my powers worked on fossils?!\" CPR shouted back, before taking shelter in a small ravine.\n\nCharles Prescott Rélle huddled down against the side of the revine. He shuddered as the T Rex's droll fell with a splat against his back. He looked up only to see steak knives sized teeth descending towards him. \"Well, go enough time to see if that immortality theory the Scientist theorized is correct.\" He thought as the teeth closed around him.", "\"Are you sure this is the right thing to do? I know that the world is a scarier place without him, but he gave so much to help all of us. Bringing him back from his rest, doesn't that seem cruel to you?\"\n\n\"Listen, his whole life was devoted to helping others. He encouraged everyone to take risks and reach for the stars, and guaranteed us that he would have our backs. A person like that, with his skills and talents come about once in a lifetime - no, once in a million years if we're lucky. Before the dementia set in he was always talking about how to his dying breath he would make the world a better place. It's what he would have wanted; and who knows, with how technology is going in a hundred years or so we might be able to do a good enough job on our own and let him rest. This is only for a little while.\"\n\nI sighed, my shoulders slumping down. My eyes rested on the emaciated corpse of the old man before me. His eyes were sunken and his skin papery and translucent. Hard to believe this rail-thin man was once my father. Once again I cursed at him for not leaving behind a will, forcing me to decide for him to make the decision for him: bring him back from the dead, or let him rest. \n\n\"Okay, I guess you're right.\"\n\n\"You'll see that it's better this way,\" the coroner said, lifting my father's hands and placing them on his heart and beginning to push down.", "Yesterday was the first time I tried CPR on something other than a human. I remember the day my life changed, and possibly billions of others. The day I got so drunk, I revived a tree. \n\nThat day, after saving a man’s life, he asked if I wanted to go to the local club. I accepted, and we had a fun time. He invited a few friends, I invited some of mine. I took drink after drink. Until my mind was fuzzy, my vision hazy, my hearing muffled, and my body heavy. \nWhen I walked out, I was barely able to tell the difference between the sidewalk and the road. I mistook a fallen branch from a tree for a man. And I gave it CPR, and a new tree stood where the branch had lay. When I woke up the next morning, I realized what I had done.\n\nThe day before that news came that climate change had escalated to the point of no return. The earth had no hope. Evacuations were happening, but because of how few ships to outer space there are caused people to get competitive. That’s how I had met the man, he had gotten beaten up and then trampled on when attempting to get on a ship. \n\nWhen I realized I could bring not only humans to life, but nonliving things as well, I wondered if I could resuscitate the Earth. Bring it back to it’s former glory. \n\nThat was what I planned to do today. I might be humanities last hope. I might be able to save billions from death. I just have to perform CPR on the Earth. I hope to god and all those watching, that this works.I hope for me, I hope for my children and my wife, and I hope for the billions to poor to take a oneway ticket to space.\n\n————————————————————————————\nVisit r/Just_Imagine for more, and please critique my work." ]	[ 1, 4, 4, 9 ]	[ "1557965491", "1557965599", "1557972930", "1557968303" ]
	[WP] You go to turn on the ceiling fan, but suddenly the room starts spinning instead.	17	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", " \n\nThe Night Call\n\nCrawling into a bed past midnight had never felt so comforting. Days of stress peeled off with my clothes, and were laid to rest as I kicked them from the mattress. I gripped the blanket like a shield, lifting it over me while turning away from that which I was escaping. \n\nThe air began to break and settle as silence started to occupy the room; it continued as I fought my body’s aching desire to move and disrupt the air’s new form. I closed my eyes and felt my stomach sweep as if it were turning away from me. The silence became so dense that the air became cloudy. My stomach felt as though it completed a full rotation and made its way back to its original position; although, I sat up and immediately noticed that this wasn’t the case. Sweat was running down my chest and collecting at my lower back with a sweeping path that matched that of a developing pain. I stood up and began to feel so deeply nauseous that I automatically started pressing my palms into my stomach in an attempt to numb the piercing pain. I started sucking in my stomach while moving in the direction I last remembered the light switch sitting.\n\nMy brain was fried, this pain was likely dehydration from an Adderall binge. I couldn’t see the switch, nor could I remember where its face was. I began dragging my hand across the wall while circling the room until I had lost all hope at what felt like a full rotation. Each step wound my body tighter. Until, I felt the switch plate’s face and activated one of the levers. An immediate buzzing noise was emitted. Then, I heard the ceiling begin to shake and my legs wobbled along with it. I felt my heart begin to beat in specific directions, then my body did a complete revolution. \n\nMy hips spun from my torso and one of my shoulders tore off. The room soon followed, collapsing in on itself. I looked down to see sparks developing in the rubble that illuminated wires that had torn through my skin. Iron chords that vibrated and hummed reached from my body to the walls. The last thing I remember hearing is my own scream echo and move through them. An incoming phone call’s frequency was picked up by them and began tossing around and vibrating the lines that lay between my organs.", "When does reality breakdown? \n\nFor Kristen it's when he turns the living room ceiling fan off. \n\nNormal activity. Get up from couch at bequest of oldman. Reach normal adult male hand out to the switch. Grasp and twist and yet when the fan should stop the room begins to spin.\n\nKristen would vomit but what once was stomach quickly becomes swirling atoms and quarks and protons that collide against one another causing explosions yielding universes of Kristens spinning in a room on a planet in a universe in realities breaking down.\n\nKristen does wish he could take it back. Not click the fan off as oldman asked, say no, oldman! it's my turn to sit on the couch and not get turned into an infinite speck of nothing in a failing universe. I will not be the causation of my own doom.\n\nAnd somehow he manages to say this all out loud.\n\n\"No, seriously dude, if you want another hit, turn the fan off. It keeps blowing out the lighter.\"", "Well, I have to give the contractors who built this place some credit. When they fuck something up, they fuck up to the point where I am just left puzzled by how they could have done it. First, it was the power outlet that was inside the shower, Then, it was the fire alarm that would spontaneously combust. And if that weren't enough, there are the air vents that just lead to the dumpster behind the apartment that has a hornet's nest right next to it. \n\nThis should be as bad as it gets right. You would think, I mean bad things come in threes after all. No, you'd be wrong, because when I turn on the ceiling fan to try and get rid of the smell AND THE HORNETS the entire god damn room starts to spin like that UFO ride at a carnival. Now I'm propelled against the wall, unable to pull the switch for the fan. I should have never moved here, everyone told me that these apartments where a death trap, but did I listen, no.' \n\nOn the bright side, I don't think that the hornets can move around either because I can't see them flying. Either that or I'm just moving to fast to see them, which is a scary thought. Pushing that into the back of my head, I try to move the Furniture so that I can use it to stand on and reach the switch, but that fails because there's nothing I can stand on that long enough that won't also topple over. My next plan was to climb on the support beam in the middle of the room. It broke the second my weight was on it. I went tumbling into the bathroom. as my eyes rested on the shredded beam that laid next to me I noticed an engraving that said 'None loud bearing support beam '.\n\nI should have been more upset, but that had helped me realize just how I was going to get out of this. I picked up the useless rod off the ground, stood a safe distance away from the shower, and turned on the water. It shortcircuits the whole apartment and turned the fan room of death off. After the whole thing, I was disheveled and tired and decided to go sleep in my car till I can figure something out. as I was walking out my door the person who lived right across from me was leaving at the same time. that's when they stopped an took a long good look at me and said. \"You turned on the ceiling fan, didn't ya.?\"" ]	[ 1, 1, 2, 6 ]	[ "1557990432", "1557995613", "1557996273", "1557995254" ]
[removed]	[WP] You're shaken awake by an entity in he middle of the night. It's he monster from under your bed, but he wears a worried expression on his face. With hushed speech, he tells you to go under your bed with him, because there's a threat that is far more dangerous than him; the man on the ceiling.	2	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/_Osmium76_, this submission has been removed.\n\n[No recent reposts, even if changing small details](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_5.3A_no_recent_reposts.2C_even_if_changing_small_details)\n\nAlso, no [copy-cats](http://i.imgur.com/38FjDgW.gifv).\n\nSearch before submitting as popular ideas can cause floods. If your idea is based on something you read elsewhere on reddit, chances are it's been submitted here already. Please wait at least 2 weeks before reposting.\n\n \n\n\"Monster under the bed is real and has a benign agenda\" is pretty common around here: https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bn0q86/wp_the_monster_under_your_bed_takes_you_into_his/\n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bpjd58/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1558047093", "1558047748" ]
	[WP] A disease is circulating rapidly, but has no side affects except for a tinting in the eye, causing it to turn bright yellow. People with this decease show no signs of harm, but the disease is mutating, and what comes next is only a matter of guessing.	13	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Alright, are you ready to be put under examination?\" I ask, tapping the thin sheet of glass standing between me and Lary. \n\n\"Sure,\" He said shrugging. \"I haven't been a fan of looking like a sith lord from star wars.\" He said with a smile.\n\nVIRUS LOG\n\n>Day 1 \n> \n>Subject shows no signs of damaged eye tissue. The eye doens't seem iritated at all, infact, the only difference between a normal eye and his eye is the color. I guess we may have to get used to yellow eyes. I am still going to do my best not to get infected. It won't be very hard anyway, since the dieses is transmitted by blood and spit.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n>Day 2 \n> \n>Subject says that he is able to see better than before. After checking with other infected, they say the same thing. Interesting.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n>Day 3 \n> \n>Subject is able to see more colors than what the normal person can see. He also expresses reapeted disconfert with the lights in his observatory cell. His eyes seem to be dialating strangly.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n>Day 4 \n> \n>Subject has been acting strangly quiet, sitting in the corner, refuasing to make eye contact. His eyes have stopped dialating, and we have changed the lights so they are dimmer.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n>Day 5 \n> \n>Something happened. The subject has started foaming in the moath, gnashing his teeth at me whenever I try to speak to him. He stopped exepting food. What am I going to do?\n\n&#x200B;\n\n>Day 6 \n> \n>The subjects nails have grown long and sharp, and his teeth have become practicly fangs! Also, the subject has been scratching the glass wall between us. I need to get it upgraded. Today I tried to feed him a live chicken. He ripped it to shreds, tearing out the meat and bones, swallowing them whole. I threw up afterwards.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n>Day 7 \n> \n>Things aren't getting any better. The subject has been sharpaning his claws for hours, and seems to be trying to communicate. He makes strangled noises, like he forgot how to speak.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n>Day 8 \n> \n>This will be my last entry. Afterwords I am getting the hell out of here. The subject has been words into the glass. Threats. He says that he is going to kill me, to rip out my throat and eat it. This is F\\\\\\* wrong. I didn't sign up to be F\\\\\\ing killed.\n\nI sling my bag over my shoulder, looking at what used to be Lary. He is giving me a wicked smile, teeth showing. I turn to leave, and press my hand to the doorknob. It's locked. \"What the hell?\" I murmur, trying to force the door open. THUD.\n\nI turn, seeing a long crack in the glass. Larry had just headbutted the wall. I yelp, trying to force the door open. THUD.\n\nThe glass shattered, and Larry launched himself towards me. His body hit me with tremendous force, sending me sprawling on the floor. I turn my head, seeming him crawl towards me. His strong hands grab my legs, digging his sharp nail into my tender skin. The pain was horrible, like fire burning across me! I feel another sharp pain, and Larry crawls off of me. I whimper, seeing the large bloody bite mark in my leg. My vision darkens, and I see Larry's smiling face before everything fades to black.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nSo bright. I think, trying to get the peaceful nothingness to come back. \n\n&#x200B;\n\nAhh, so much better. I think, coming back to consciousness. I move my fingers, feeling sharp nails protruding from my skin. My mouth feels oddly full, and my tongue feels long sharp teeth. I open my eyes, sitting up. A strange man is laying near me, sleeping. How odd?* I think, pulling myself to my feet. I feel pangs of hunger, and see a door in front of me. I move towards it, forcing the door open with all the strength I can muster. A row of cubicles lay ahead of me, all with people inside them. I feel my mouth foaming, and something told me that they would solve my hunger. I scream, running towards the nearest cubicle. \n\n\"Linda, what the hell!\" The man shouts. I tackle him, feeling warm blood spill as I bite into his tender throat...\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI have decided that if I tell the rest of this story, someone might throw up. Thanks for reading!" ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1558047377", "1558068399" ]
[removed]	[WP] Unexpected birth and press has field day	2	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/baronesslucy, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Prompt users in the title, but don't play writing games or commission stories](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_6.3A_prompt_users_in_the_title.2C_but_don.27t_play_writing_games_or_commission_stories)\n\n- Prompt in Text: Prompts go in the title, do not extend into text. You can add commentary in the text, but don't add additional prompt restrictions. Also, avoid [too many details](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/prompts?src=RECIPE). You wrote a prompt in the text, but then gave a title for it. \n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bplr7g/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1558061014", "1558061578" ]
	[WP] Demons have begun possessing humans at an alarming rate effectively raising hell. Holy worriers fight to send the demons back but can do little to fight the tide with latin incantations and rituals of old. The war seems all but lost until one man a proverbial “rap god“ develops a new way.	110	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "After winning the first holy war mankind thought themselves safe. They disbanded their entire holy knighthood. Leaving just a few holy worriers to worry about the demons.\n\nAs it turned out, this was an incredible mistake. The lack of practice took its gruesome toll against the demons. \n\nThe few warriors that were left had barely practiced at all. They fumbled over their words and twisted their tongues. Their mumbling merely provoking the demons into an uproariously laughter.\n\nBefore the chants were even half finished, mouths stopped moving as knives pierced throats.\n\nBut then he appeared. A man wearing the emblem of a goat. \n\nWith 6.5 words per second he vanquished all opposition. Demons were banished before they realized what had happened. Following in this man's steps, mankind would rise once more. Defeating the demons once and for all.\n\nThey called the revolutionary whom had started it all: \"the goat\"." ]	[ 1, 15 ]	[ "1558068811", "1558069635" ]
[removed]	[WP] You find that you have the ability to remove a human manufactured product from history, but the timeline always tries its best to correct itself back to the way it currently is. What is the world like now that you've removed something from our past?	2	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/robodwarf0000, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Prompt users in the title, but don't play writing games or commission stories](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_6.3A_prompt_users_in_the_title.2C_but_don.27t_play_writing_games_or_commission_stories)\n\n- Prompts go in the title, do not extend into text. You can add commentary in the text, but don't add additional prompt restrictions. Also, avoid [too many details](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/prompts?src=RECIPE). \n\nAlso, when prompts ask questions we tend to get people who just answer (e.g. \"worse\") rather than write actual stories\n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bpy4k0/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1558134629", "1558135212" ]
	[WP] Every 10,000 years, there's a contest to determine nature's ruling species. All major human infrastructure has been wiped out by natural disasters and all the animals have suddenly been given human intelligence. The winning species keeps its wisdom and all the losers are back on the foodchain!	260	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "This was it. The final piece slid in place. As we sealed the body, we breathed a sigh of relief. The last and greatest weapon ever known came to be.\n\nThe awareness of the darkness came on unexpectedly, like a piercing scream out of silence. Our sudden birth into sentience was a painful one. The simplicity of life was interrupted that day. Had we ever really lived before? It often seemed when thinking of that past that it never existed, a dim memory of a simple existence so elementary it seemed impossible to believe it happened at all. Before time, before thought, before names.\n\nThen the Contest happened. We can’t be sure why, but it’s like an old memory that suddenly became clear, a seed frozen deep within our souls, thawed and allowed to sprout. In the past days of frantic planning, that diminutive seed grew into a fearsome plant, covered in spines and armor with roots deeply entangled in our spirits. It drove us to innovate, to draw upon the dark memory our ancestors in search of the master-stroke that would propel our destiny.\n\nThis was it. Before us, it came to life, awoken with eyes clear of our weaknesses - isolation, impotence, mercy.\n\nNow as in days before, a furious tempest had been awoken that promised to consume all the souls that inhabit this forsaken land. We would take from them their legs that we might move, their skins that we might feel, their mouths that we might taste, their eyes that we might see. Mighty as their forms are, giants so monumental that our world is all but invisible to them, we would strip of them the one thing we lacked - agency.\n\nThey trivialized us as simplistic, calling us parasites. Yet it became clear on the day we awakened that greater beings than us were not beings at all. They were vehicles, empty illusions of life whose purpose never exceeded our own before the Contest. They were born, they bred, and they perished, with lives as arbitrary as ours was before this moment. Our kind blanket this world, on every surface, in every being, and we’ve woven intricate stories of conquest eons before these lumbering giants ever found a way to pollute our planet.\n\nThis was it. No more would we be restricted to the microscopic landscape of our forefathers. This was a leap into our ascendancy.\n\nThe weapon had been transferred to its host. As we sent it off, we sent the rage and determination of our people, focused on reclaiming a world stolen from us so long ago. Inside its body, the weapon made its way to the controls, the central nervous system. This marvelous engine of possibilities sent tendrils through every nanometer of flesh, a complex network of data coalesced into one point of control. The brain.\n\nIn a thunderous explosion, the weapon had begun to consume the cells, endlessly replicating itself like an army of revenants raised from the grave and made to serve a greater master. As our children spread, our grasp tightened. We could feel the undulating muscles, the flowing blood, the ecstasy of life at a scale so unimaginably large that it seemed the universe changed at that moment. Now blessed with the guidance of our people, the soul of this human being was confined to a dark and foreboding place, not unlike the cursed Petri dish of the microscopic world we originated from. \n\nThe future became clear as the weapons exponentially replicated themselves. Conducting this lumbering creature was difficult at first, heaving and quivering as we battled off the last of its immune system. As the fever subsided and our eyes opened - truly opened - we saw the world anew. What these people once called a brain parasite would grow to become their master, the guiding light in a mind otherwise devoid of potential. Ours was the unlimited power of control, and to have gained it again after so many millennia in wretched silence, we were satisfied. The Contest had been won on a battleground most of these beings never saw. \n\nThis was it. Safely in command of a vast network of trillions of minds across the planet, we could at last begin preparations to shed this cradle and spread this destiny across the limits of the cosmos.", "Hello there! This prompt caught my eye and I wrote before reading any comments. It's nice to see that I went a completely different direction than you might have intended. I listened to a podcast once about potential dominant species once humans are gone and the person talking suggested rats as a probable candidate and I really loved that idea. I started a story that seems like it could be much longer than I can handle tonight, but here is what I started with: \n\nA loud crash woke me. I opened my eyes and looked around. My siblings were all awake as well. I felt different this afternoon, like I was awake for the very first time. I knew it was afternoon by the way the golden sun shone through the vents. I knew what afternoon was. I knew what the sun was. This information was confusing and I saw confusion mirrored on my sister’s face. It felt like I had always known but didn’t know I knew until this very moment. \n\nThe crashing inside the house continued and I went to the hole in the insulation to peek through the grate inside.\n\nThe human, now that I knew what a human was, was throwing items and furniture at the dog. The human backed toward the grate and I cowered back into the insulation. Before, I always felt fear when I saw these two creatures, but now I understood that they themselves had a relationship to each other as well as to me so I was also curious. Their relationship with me was of prey and predator. Their relationship with each other seemed to be a bit more complicated.\n\nStella was dodging the objects hurled at her with ease instead of submitting to the abuse, as she usually did, she stared and snarled with an intensity we had never heard before. When the human was as far from the door as he could be and had run out of items to throw, Stella put one paw on the door frame, one on the handle of the sliding door, and pushed it open, letting herself into the yard.\n\n“Hey wait you bitch, come back!” The human shouted and gave chase.\n\nMy siblings had joined me at the grate to watch the drama progress, and now we all ran to our exit nearest the backyard to observe what happened next. One by one we filed out of the hole their ancestors had so neatly chewed in the side of the house and climbed deftly down to the defunct phone line and raced across to the tree in the middle of the yard. This was my favorite tree. It made tiny nuts and kept me and my family well fed during the cold part of my life. I realized with a start that it was warm when I was tiny and it was warm now, but as I looked around in the tree I recognized the tiny nuts from the cold time, but they were smaller and green instead of red. I wondered if it would be cold again soon.\n\nMy attention was torn away by the dog and human in the yard. A dog outside the yard was barking and Stella barked back. \n\n“Shut up, doofus!” The human yelled.\n\nStella put an end to his yelling using her teeth and superior strength. The other dog stopped barking. \n\nAt this point I looked across to her neighbor’s roof. There were 5 other rats along the edge. One of them twitched his head in a clear indication that we should follow. My siblings and I climbed down a branch that touched the gate and walked in a neat line in the direction the other rat indicated.\n\nStella was standing at the gate. The gate had a human latch that was out of Stella’s reach. I realized I could leave the Stella, my lifelong enemy, trapped here and not worry about being hunted ever again. As the thought passed through my head, Stella looked directly at me. Acknowledging my existence in a new way. Instead of seeing me as a potential snack, she knew I was her only way out. I sighed. Against my better judgement I walked over to the gate and used all of my strength to lift and push the latch. Stella used her claws to pull the gate open, swinging my little rat body with it. \n\nShe paused outside the gate, closing her eyes and sniffing the air. She looked back at me and bowed her head in thanks. The other dog bounded around the corner slobbering and wagging his tail to tackle Stella. She clearly knew this dog and played with him before racing down the block to join a large group of dogs. A very large group of dogs. Some were rolling in the grass, some were chasing each other joyfully, and others were coordinating to remove collars and leashes with their teeth and paws. \n\nI wondered vaguely if I had made a mistake. \n\nMy sister squeaked loudly from the corner of the neighbors roof. Her meaning was clear “Hurry up!”\n\nI scurried after them." ]	[ 1, 4, 30 ]	[ "1558215751", "1558243271", "1558235601" ]
	[WP] You just discovered the secret to immortality, the trick is that it's an everybody or nobody thing and now you have to make the decision for everybody.	14	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Simply that was the key to the door, or rather, the window; that from which we can, metaphorically, look upon the stirring of Outside, whilst under the safety of Inside. For the three dimensions of Space are but a visual illusion of which Time is the master. Now it was under the jurisdiction of my giddy musing, and if the balance-scale of my mind is so merely as tipped toward one or the other side, we may walk through the aforementioned door. Thence we may continue to physically interact with Space as we do, yet Time will no longer act upon our aging souls. As this action shall be absolute and irreversible, the persisting movements of Space in accordance with human interaction, its settling of itself, and its continuous expansion will be innumerable by Time, and therefore the universe will ultimately be stagnant. \n\nThe oceans of my contemplation were tamed. In merely seconds the decision would be made and Time will repose. The few already prepared to succumb to the restless tide of Time we must cruelly drag with us. Although presently it is done, the hands of all the clocks and watches continue to march in circles, for they are humanly mechanical automatons with no relation to Time, master of Space, except to our interpretation thereof.\n\nI can move my hands. I can look at and about my hands. These are Spatial occurrences, emplaced in no point of Time. These actions are uncounted and unchecked. The stirrings of space are chaotic. Things no longer are, or ever were, and matter no longer matters. That being said, and considering our minuscule to nonexistent effect on the universe, it is possible that Time never existed. It is evident that what I have done is meaningless.\n\nCounterintuitively we have stolen Time from the universe so that we may experience Time indefinitely, a thing we can consequently no longer do.\n\nAnd now, with the death of Time, I have lived the last day, and the final, absolute mark left by humankind was a murder in vain.\n\n***\n\nFor more writing like this, go to r/Unixy" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1558229900", "1558232443" ]
	[WP] Your spells all hit in a very large radius. All of them.	21	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "My eyes move slowly and stared at the army surrounding me, they fear me for my power, i'm not exactly the strongest wizard with magic, i could name ten straight away but even they can't beat me, my spells are far too strong in their eyes for a simple fireball to cause a forest to burn down while my mana is still full, i was too much of a threat in their eyes\n\nI helped them with fighting monsters, healing entire troops to recover their full strength, cast large shields to block a dragon's fiery breath and much more yet now that everything else is dead or harmless, they couldn't help but shiver at how heavily reliant more than half of those missions were on me\n\nThe weaker spells when used by an amateur would be relatively weak but what if that weak spell can hit everything? i'm not saying it figuratively but literally, imagine ten thousand needles hitting you when the person just used one needle? the effect of my spells is multiplied immensely despite my lack of firepower in the quality of my spells as i didn't need nor could i develop progress with my strange and unusual ability\n\nI raised my hand and casted a very quick spell, it drains the majority of your mana to kill a single target or has a high chance of doing so unless the person is protected with magic, these are mere soldiers and my ability.... hits everything\n\nthe threatening army fell down and commanders retreated, they have started a war with me, so i shall keep this war going for as long as i can.", "I can see him trying to escape through the twisted trees in the forest. They always think that running makes them harder to hit, the fools! My spells have a large area of effect, all running does is insures they die tired. Gormack's no different. He thinks that he can out run my spells but he couldn't be more wrong. After the heinous crime he committed I'm glad he's giving me a challenge. I don't want it to end to soon, he deserves to experience some of the fear and pain that he caused those children.\n\nTwenty five lives ended before the age of ten. Turns out if you want to rob a bank across town a good way to insure that no-one interferes is to light a grade school on fire. Twenty five third graders burned to death because he decided a couple million dollars was worth more than their lives. I'm going to enjoy this.\n\nThe woods start to burn and the acrid scent of smoke bites my nostrils as I rain fire around Gormack. Let him feel the terror and heat of the flames before he dies. It will still be over quicker than he deserves.", "[Poem]\nShe was simply beautiful, \nIn my eyes I saw\nA goddess of fertility\nBreaking mortal law.\n\nI approached her hopefully\nAwaiting just a glance\nBut just one look thrown aside\nSet my path askance.\n\nI read the nothing in her eyes\nAnd noticed disinterest\nAnd from then on I wonder why\nI pursued, as a quest\n\nI fell in love and couldn't stand\nWithin her eyes a charm.\nAlthough it was a stupid thing, \nI never meant to harm.\n\nI chose a spell of simple tone\nWith resonating sound\nOne to help her fall for me\nAnd happiness we found.\n\nBut one great flaw I noticed then, \nBut not within her eyes.\nFor within the vicinity \nI seemed to be the prize.\n \nNot just from her I felt the gaze\nOf infinite desire\nBut from the gaping crowd around\nLust poured out like a fire.\n\nSo I ran." ]	[ 1, 1, 3, 4 ]	[ "1558275512", "1558321447", "1558280281", "1558276460" ]
	[WP] "Hey John, can you pass the wrench?" A hand made from ethereal shadow phases through the floor next to you, tool in hand.	303	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“Hey John, can you pass the wrench?”\n\nJohn’s shadowy arm hands me the three foot long wrench as though it were made of styrofoam. \n\nWithout his supernatural strength I strain as it drops in to my hands. I raise it over my head while John’s featureless face passes back in to whatever void he issues from followed by his hand. \n\nAs the wrench falls I think of whether the men who made it knew it would have uses other than adjusting the tracks on heavy machinery. I also wonder where John goes and whether his body is shambling out there with all the others. \n\nMy revelry is broken as the wrench makes gooey paste out of the skull of the zombie who had gotten past our firing line. \n\n“Thank you John,” I say pleasantly as I chamber another round and return to the day’s work.", "\"Hey John, could you get me my car keys real quick?\", I asked, despite being the only person in the living room.\n\nNonetheless, a cheerful \"Sure thing, man!\" answered, just as an arm, made of black mist and shadows, slipped through the wall in front of me, keys in hand.\n\n“Thanks, John. You’ve always liked playing fetch, haven’t you?” I played around with the keys a bit, then put them in my pocket.\n\n“Nah, not really, man. I always thought you were a clumsy dumbass, and brought your stuff back to you ‘cuz of that. Guess I wasn’t too wrong.” the voice came from inside the wall.\n\nI sighed. “John. Ok. You’ve got a point. You’ve got a point and I have feelings that are easily hurt by pointy things. In other words, fuck you, dude.”\n\nThe voice - John - laughed. The sound of shaking a coin-filled tin can. Terrible sound, but you grow used to it. Kinda.\n\nIn case anyone is wondering, - which I’m sure nobody is, considering I’m narrating within the confines of my mind - John is, was, used to be my dog. \n\nI know what you’re thinking right now. Yes, I really do know, stop questioning my psychic abilities. You’re thinking “Who the actual fuck names their dog John?!”, right? Well, not me. Terrible name for a pet. Terrible name for anything, really. I pity all the Johns out there. I’m sorry for you all. Really am.\n\nSo, why do I torture my former pet by calling it by such a terrible name if it isn’t even its own?\n\nBecause he likes it, and because, apparently, John is a better name than Waffles.\n\nIn other words, because he has no sense for good names. Poor him. \n\nHe’s a good guy though. Always was. \n\nThe goodest boy. \n\nHah.\n\nDon’t tell him I said that. He’ll bite me. Or try to, with his shadowy, mist-like mouth that will just slide right through me. But it still feels uncomfortable. Chilly. Great in summer.\n\nBut I digress. You want to know why John is… well, John, right? \n\nShort answer: No clue. \n\nLonger answer: Waffles died, but kinda didn’t, and now we’re here.\n\nI also don’t know what that means. Neither does John.\n\nBut, well. It’s not all that bad. It’s weird, sure. I kinda pissed my pants when I saw John leave Waffles’, leave his corpse, sure. I still piss my pants when I see him at night, also sure. But dogs are man’s best friend, and that apparently stays true post-mortem. Best friend I could ever have wished for.\n\nIf I ignore the name.\n\nGotta ignore the name.\n\nNo, seriously. Despite being a John, he rocks. Best gaming buddy ever. Even better drinking buddy. He’d be one hell of a wingman, if he wasn’t so terrifying to look at. He probably looks like one of Lovecraft’s eldritch horrors. An ordinary mortal such as I can’t comprehend his form. Right, that’s it. It’s not like I’m just scared of ghosts. Totally not that.\n\nAh, anyways. We’re both clueless about the situation. Just kinda rolling with it, you know?\n\nIt’s working well, so far. \n\nKinda.\n\nI think.\n\nJohn doesn’t. Not really. \n\nHe doesn’t mind the situation, but he kinda wants to move on, you know? Go to doggy heaven or whatever. Chase dem divine squirrels, you know?\n\nProblem is: We’re both clueless about the situation. Completely so.\n\nI mean, look, neither of us have done this whole “passing on” thing before. Google doesn’t have really help either.\n\nTrust me.\n\nWe tried. \n\nEverything from exorcism to trying to figure out any lingering regrets the mutt might have.\n\nNo results. John said “I don’t regret nothing, man!”, and that was that.\n\nSo, we are drawing a blank.\n\nSo we just roll with it, and we keep on rolling.\n\nNot much else to do.\n\nI do feel bad for John though.\n\nThis whole “being a spiritual entity” thing is wearing him down. I can see it in his eyes.\n\nOr I could, if he had any.\n\nNo, really though. It’s wearing him down. I can tell. He can, too. Of course he can. \n\nHis time like this is limited, we both know this. We don’t mention it though. We can’t mention it. As long as it isn’t out there, it’s not real. That’s how this works, right? Right.\n\nSo we keep it inside. And we roll with it. We roll, and roll, and keep on rolling, until we cause a landslide. \n\n‘Cuz that’s how we roll.\n\nBut we know. We know, and it eats away at us. Eats away with every passing second. \n\nTick.\n\nTock.\n\nIt’s already eaten away too much. Devoured too much of my insides. It’s hollowed me out.\n\nBut I roll with it. Roll, roll, roll, and roll.\n\nWe keep up a facade. Pretend everything is right. But we know it ain’t. It ain’t right, but we still pretend.\n\nBecause that’s how we roll.\n\nTick.\n\nTock.\n\nJust like that, time is running out. Has run out? I don’t know. I don’t think about it.\n\nBecause that’s how I roll.\n\nTick.\n\nTock.\n\nI just keep stepping on the gas. No need to think. Just step down. Keep driving, straight ahead.\n\nBecause that’s how I’ll roll.\n\nTick.\n\nTock.\n\nStraight ahead, right through the guard rail,\n\nAnd now I roll. Down, down, down I roll.\n\nTick.\n\nTock.\n\nThe beer bottles in my car roll along. \n\nRoll, roll, around they roll.\n\nTick.\n\nTock.\n\nMy clock stopped ticking.\n\nBecause that’s how things roll.\n\nNo tick.\n\nNo tock.\n\nEnd of my time.\n\nNo tick.\n\nNo tock.\n\nEnd of the line.\n\nNo tick.\n\nNo tock.\n\n.\n\n.\n\n.\n\nJust… Goodbye.", "\"Hey, John, think you got a wrench down there?\" There was a rustling by her right ear, a faint contraction of shadow, and then a heavy whap as a tool that hadn't existed before thunked into the thick rubber of her suit glove. Jackie reached up into the guts of the pickup truck, working more by feel than by sight. Beside her, burned into the asphalt like the scribble of a mad god, was a faintly motile shadow. Arms in its pockets, staring up at the undertruck. John.\n\nShe let her hands fall, the wrench clanging to the ground by John's knee. Not even a flinch. She swept the beam of her headlamp over the tangle of tanks and piping and nodded, imperceptibly, her battered HAZMAT hood hiding the movement. \"Looks like we're done here,\" she said, \"so did you learn something, kid?\"\n\nA shrug from the shadow, and then a shake of the head. A lump of charcoal shade rose from the mass of him and differentiated: a wobbly thumbs-up. That was how she first communicated with John - with any of the shadows. The first indication she had that they weren't just a hazard, that there was maybe something intelligent about them: the outline of a skinny boy with long hair waving by a blown-out Burger King, giving a two-handed thumbs up.\n\nJackie tried not to think about it too hard. \"All right, then, high five,\" she said. The shadow-hand sprouted four more fingers, and Jackie smacked her palm against it. Hard feel of warm asphalt. She wheeled herself out from under the truck, sat up, popped her spine. John followed, the shadow shortening, shrinking, the legs moving as if he were walking a few paces forward to stand at her side. \n\nThe truck was sat askew in the parking lot of Hogan Keys & Tools, watching the sun go down. Could just about see the roofless husk of the Walmart above the leafless witch-fingers of the blasted scrub. There were shadows in the parking lot, there, arms extended, reaching for loaded shopping carts that had long since rolled downhill. A pile of them like a rusting tumbleweed on the I-35. Not so many as there were on the highway further south. She'd had no idea they tried to evacuate the city down along the highways. Maybe they hadn't; maybe the people just made their way on their own, figuring to make it to open country, away from the city where the bombs would surely fall. \n\nFunny joke, that. When the airbursts came, they blanketed the country like Hell's own fireworks. What the blasts didn't vaporize, the radiation did in. Except for Jackie, in an Iowa bunker, trying to convince a paranoid cousin that nothing bad was going to happen, to come out into the world that missed him.\n\nFunny joke.\n\nShe could see something weird in the air above Minneapolis. It was like that it all the cities, but seemed to be getting worse as the days went by. Hot sweat down her back, unable to escape the HAZMAT, unable to cool. Like the rainbow of an oil spill, streaked along the sky. Reality came unglued where so many people died. Strange things turned to common things. \n\nLike nuclear shadows massing along the highways, reaching up to fuck up her truck exhaust. Like a thousand carbon fingers trying to rip her suit off, paste cancerous death along her fresh skin. Like John, here, watching the sun go down over the inevitability of a nuclear America.\n\nShe'd be another night, then. Wouldn't trust herself to skirt the city in the darkness. She'd have to tell him, sometime.\n\nJackie clambered up, unlatching the cover on the pickup's bed. Lead-lined, heavy. Didn't pull it up yet. \"Just getting a drink,\" she told her shadow, giving the hood a quick up-and-down as she wriggled in. Inside was a survivor's mess, everything the Geiger counter beeped as \"safe\". Bed was a wadded up mess of curtains and children's clothes. Precious little clean water. \n\nShe twisted her own hood off, pulled it free. Beads of sweat on a sticky hairline. Took a Michelob from the case and damn near drained it in one go. Far more clean beer out here than water.\n\nChrist, why was she waffling?\n\nAs soon as she peeked her head out of the Iowa bunker, she was making plans. Couldn't stay with her cousin. He was a shitty prepper, didn't even have enough food and water for himself, no: she'd need to move. Her current trajectory started as a bad joke told by her once-Canadian ex-boyfriend.\n\nSee, in all those movies, where the aliens invaded or the bombs fell, all those great scenes of devastation focused on America. Statue of Liberty: boom. White House: exploded. Golden Gate Bridge: cracked, crumbling into frothing water. No one targeted Canada. And the more she thought about it, staring at her cousin's lazy eye and eating his powdered eggs, the more she came to like the idea. Saw a demographic survey, once. All the Canadian population concentrated on the border. All that northland, green and empty.\n\nShe didn't know who had done this to her country, but she knew they weren't stupid about it. Why waste wide-area saturation airburst bombs on moose and pine trees? So you drive north, up and up until nature looks right again.\n\nExcept.\n\nExcept for the silence. The flickers in the corner of her eye; the weird singing, coming from places where the colors weren't right anymore. Oh Jesus, she'd been alone. And when the radiation shadows surged towards her rumbling truck, when they reached shadowy hands up to pull her goddamn muffler out - there was the great, black fear, that some predator had found her at last. There was the surging hope, that something remained that looked like human. Had a human outline, at least.\n\nDidn't even know if his name was John. Just had to name him, she supposed. But he hadn't argued. Maybe he was as lonely as she was.\n\nCouldn't take him. She tried. John was part of a concrete world, two-dimensional. He could reach up, sometimes. Not all the time. He'd tried to sit in the passenger seat and gone diffuse, the charcoal grains of his silhouette chipping into inert dust. He tried to pretend like it didn't hurt him, but he was thinner. He hunched.\n\nAnd, yeah, sure: maybe she was a little afraid of him. That if she disappointed him, he'd do what all the rest had done. She could handle the assault. The betrayal hurt to think about.\n\nJackie drank her beer, thinking. She rustled through the truck bed, the detritus of a broken country, and emerged with something she'd scavenged from a dollar store. Twisted her hood back on, eased out the truck bed quick and latched the cover behind her.\n\nJohn was black against black on the asphalt. Light low to vanishing. She didn't sit beside him.\n\n\"So I guess you gotta know I'm leaving tomorrow,\" she said.\n\nHard to make out his motions. He must have turned his head; she could see the profile of his face. He was nodding.\n\n\"Are you angry with me?\" she asked, and he shrugged, big and visible.\n\n\"Will you be lonely?\" she asked. Another shrug. Slower this time, weighted with pride.\n\n\"Yeah,\" she said, \"me too.\"\n\nJackie sat down beside John, the dollar-store packet clacking against the ragged surface. She flipped the paper package open and pulled out a long, thick stick.\n\nRoad chalk. Didn't even know why she took it, only that she could. Pastel green.\n\n\"Don't know if this is going to work for you, kid,\" she said as she began to draw a thick, looping line around what she hoped was clear ground. Four fat petals, a scribbled stamen. A childlike flower the size of a sledgehammer.\n\nJohn reached a hand up. Four thin fingers and a thumb. The green chalk flower darkened at the shaft, some of the shadow bleeding through.\n\nAnd then, moved. Like he plucked it. Waving it like a flag in his two-dimensional world, his other hand clenched in a raucous, bobbing thumbs-up.\n\nHe couldn't see her smile beneath the hood, but she did it anyway, big and bright. She spilled the chalk out on the ground, all those pastel colors. \"All right then, kid, I guess I've got some work to do.\"\n\n*****\n\nOn a road south of Minneapolis, in the wreckage of a dead America, a hunter green Ford pickup picks its way around the edges of the eaten city. The sun is high and sticky, tinted purple by the arcane haze around the heart of the devastation. Still and quiet but for the turning wheels and the crackly Metallica blasting from the cab.\n\nNothing but desolation on the roadway south.\n\nAlmost.\n\nThe sign reads Hogan's Keys & Tools, a squat khaki-colored machine shop with blown-out windows and a tangle of Walmart shopping carts rusting at the edges. And the black canvas of its parking lot is a riot of color.\n\nA landscape of pastel chalk grass and surging green trees, pink flowers with sunshine-yellow centers, a children's slide and jungle-gym done in bright Christmas red. Near the northern edge of the lot, the grass tapers down to a beach, and there the V-shaped peaks of some unknown water. Smiling orange fish live in its two-dimensional bulk. One can only assume they're cheddar-flavor.\n\nThere's a shadow beneath one of the trees. Immobile most of the time.\n\nMost.\n\nSometimes, it likes to go for a swim.", "Your initial reaction was to freak out when the hand of what you thought was a demon tried to hand you a wrench. But as the hand rose up, a familiar, albeit darker and a bit transparent, form appeared.\n\nIt was then you remembered your greatest freind and coworker, John, has been dead for almost two weeks. He had been shot in his apartment, still no lead on his killer.\n\n\"John? How?\"\n\n\"Hey, Jack. It's like I said that one time. I'll help you no matter what, but you probably weren't expecting this\"\n\n\"Of course not! That term's used by almost everyone, and almost no one means they'll return from death to hand their buddy the tool they need!\"\n\n\"Well, I suppose you'll want an explanation. The short version is I used to be involved with an underground cult that I left when I realized what they were doing was not just seeking immortality and reported them to the police. One of the cult members was not caught and decided to kill me for ruining them.\"\n\n\"And that is why you can come back?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"But why did you?\"\n\n\"It's like I said. I'll help you no matter what.\" John said, setting the tool on the table and beginning to fade. \"But the reason I will is much more complicated. I'm out of time, but basically your father's real name is Zagrius.\"", "I smile and take the wrench from his hand. \"Thanks, John.\"\n\nI set to work tightening the bolt on the car's undercarriage. Car mechanics was something I'd studied my whole life, and I always liked to think that I was exceptional at it by myself. John and I just worked better as a team. \n\nAnd it was definitely fun to see customers' amazement at how quickly I could finish the job, even if the damage was severe. It was our little secret, and I just hoped it would stay that way.\n\nI rolled out from under the car and gave its hood a pat. Another job well done.", "John had always been around, for as long as Jack could remember. He always helped jack out when he needed it. As a mechanic, it was quite helpful. Having a demon when you need him.\n\n\nWhen jack was little, John wouldn't show himself in front of Jack's family so they treated him as an imaginary friend. But the drawings of him freaked them out and Jack was told to stop. He never thought John looked evil, it might be because he'd always been with him, but his black scaly skin, razor-sharp teeth and red eyes don't say anything about how kind he was to him.\n\n\nA pit of darkness opened up in the floor and John's hand rose out of it and grabbed the wrench that Jack asked for.\n\n\n\"Here's your wrench, Jack.\" John held it towards him. \"You thinkin' about the past again, Jacky boy?\"\n\n\"It's... It's just that I wish my family would believe in me, believe in you.\"\n\n\"You can't help the Christian masses who would sooner throw out their ability to believe rather than face the truth. And if they did believe, they'd exorcise me the first chance they'd get.\"\n\n\"I know, but you're not a bad demon.\"\n\n\"That's right, Jacky boy. I'm not.\"\n\n\nA black SUV pulled up into the shop and John disappeared back through the darkness. Two men jumped out and walked towards the car Jack was working on. Jack slid out from the car and wiped the grease onto his overalls.\n\n\nA man in his forties or early fifties stood alongside a younger gentleman. They both wore dark suits and had a formal air about them.\n\n\n\"I'm afraid the shop's full, today boys. If you book in tomorrow, I should have a space for you in the evening.\" Jack held out his arms apologetically.\n\n\"Jack Mc'Graw?\" The older man spoke.\n\n\"Yes, it says that on my badge here. You're not here for a tune-up?\"\n\n\"No, where's John?\"\n\n\"John? I don't have any coworkers by the name of John.\"\n\n\"Don't play smart with me, boy. You're in over your head with this one. Hand him over and-\"\n\n\nDarkness opened up under the older fellow and swallowed him whole. Blood sprayed out and covered Jack and the other man.\n\n\n\"Sorry, Jacky boy. I really did want to be good.\" John rose out of the pit and blood dripped from his body.\n\n\"Get the lights!\" The man in the black suit yelled into his wrist and two more SUVs pulled up.\n\n\nFour men out of each vehicle and brought out large lights and a generator. The younger man pulled out a pistol and fired a clip into the demon. John moved closer and lifted the younger gentleman up and tore him in half.\n\n\n\"Light him up!\" A man pulled a cord on the generator and it hummed.\n\n\nJohn crept closer to the men with their lights and the cord was pulled again. The distance was closing in on them.\n\n\n\"John, stop! You don't have to do this.\" Jack stepped forward one step at a time.\n\n\"If I don't, they'll kill you, and me, Jacky.\"\n\n\"But...\"\n\n\nJohn turned away. The cord was pulled again and the generator roared to life. The lights emitted a golden glow that illuminated every corner of the shop. The demon's flesh caught alight and a deep scream filled the air.\n\n\nThe bulbs from all the lights exploded and the shop was left in darkness. The men in suits turned on flashlights and one by one, a flashlight dropped to the ground and a gut churning craking and tearing noise followed them.\n\n\nSilence filled the air and Jack turned on the light to his phone. John stood before him, mangled and broken. His flesh was rendered from his body and his breathing was course.\n\n\n\"John, what can I do for you? How can I help?\" Jack's eyes watered.\n\n\"To recover from all this, I'd need your life.\"\n\n\"Then take it. Just do it, all I have is my shop and you. If I lost you, my life just wouldn't be the same.\"\n\n\"No, Jacky boy. I moved to another country and used your spare life force to only just survive. It would never have hurt you, or shortened your life. I just wanted to keep being happy with you, Jacky. I'm not going to end the life of someone who let me see that life was more than bringing about chaos and death. Goodbye, Jacky boy. Find a mate or someone else to live your life with.\"\n\n\nJohn hugged his demon friend. His only friend, as he turned to dust.\n\n\n\"I'll live my life the best I can, John.\"" ]	[ 1, 2, 4, 7, 12, 13, 55 ]	[ "1558306880", "1558343475", "1558374931", "1558327395", "1558320782", "1558325725", "1558324428" ]
	[WP] You fly among the ancient ruins, desperately searching for humans. The world is silent, but you find one cathedral with light inside. Someone is walking there. You wave at them, you shout. They look up. Finally they see you. As their face contorts in horror, you realize who you are.	58	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It seemed like it had been forever I had been searching the ancient ruins. The disaster that befell this world meant contact with anyone living was rarer and rarer. I know not how much time had passed-but it felt as if I were flying through the ruins in my search. No birds in the trees, no insects, silence reigns across the world. As I moved down the overgrown street, I noticed a light inside the ancient cathedral. I stepped into the doorway, and spotted an elderly man in tattered clothing, lighting a long-forgotten candle before sitting down to his makeshift camp. I shouted greetings, waving, but he did not seem to notice me. I moved closer, until finally he looked up and saw me. I watched as his face contorted in horror, and he tried to scramble backwards. I must, however, deliver my message, and raised my arm again, my sleeve sliding downward to my elbow, and repeatedly curled my bone-y finger back and forth, resting my weight on the shaft of my scythe.\n\nIt was then I realized: I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds." ]	[ 1, 10 ]	[ "1558307076", "1558336713" ]
[removed]	[WP] Find the Infinity Stones!	4	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/silkhat90, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Prompt users in the title, but don't play writing games or commission stories](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_6.3A_prompt_users_in_the_title.2C_but_don.27t_play_writing_games_or_commission_stories)\n\n- \n\n[Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses)\n\n- No prompts prone to comment infractions. See [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses) for more info. \n\nWe aren't allowing avengers related posts until after the 26th. \n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bqouv0/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1558315599", "1558319058" ]
[removed]	[WP] Bran walks into a bar....	0	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/DaveElbow, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses)\n\n- Write Anything: A prompt must actually be a prompt, not a \"write anything\" \n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bqv5je/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1558356724", "1558359182" ]
[removed]	[WP] A faraway world, an elder dragon lies wounded. Summoning the last of her strength she opens a portal for her spirit. It opens to our world, and the spirit seeks a flame to bond with...	2	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/mekkanik, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Direct prompt replies must be good-faith attempts at new stories or poems](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_1.3A_direct_prompt_replies_must_be_good-faith_attempts_at_new_stories_or_poems)\n\n- Less than 100 words: Word counts on CW posts should not be requested for less than 100 words. This means no six-word stories, In words or less, etc. \n\n \n\n Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses ([rule 7](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses))\n\nWhen you trail off like that, people will respond in a way that finishes the sentence and thats it. \n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bqvc7s/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.", "Thraxa was ancient, even by dragon standards. She was the first hatch-ling of the first dragon pair, and due to this she has seen many ages of Men and Elves. The end is near for her, because even mighty dragons like Thraxa can die of old age. Sure it takes them a few thousand years. Ten thousand five hundred and twenty eight to be exact.\n\nHer eyes no longer work, and her bones have become brittle. She is unable to hunt now because neither her legs nor wings can support her. She knows that her time is at hand. But one does not live as long as she has and not learn a thing or two. With the last of her strength she summons a portal to another world in another dimension, one without magic. In it's place the occupants have mastered invention and are able to use tools and machines to do anything that magic can. It is to this place that she will send her soul. It is here that someone worthy of her power and wisdom will bond with it. They will gain the power of the mightiest dragon there ever was, Thraxa!\n\nThere is only one creature in this other world worthy of her power. Only one creature that isn't afraid of anything, no matter how much bigger than it that it is. It can even make creatures five times its size run in fear. The only creature worthy of her power is the Canadian goose!" ]	[ 1, 1, 2 ]	[ "1558357779", "1558359684", "1558360416" ]
[removed]	[WP] I once brought a jackass and a honeycomb into a brothel.	0	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/bootrick, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses)\n\n- No prompts prone to comment infractions. See [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses) for more info. \n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bqz4oz/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1558376055", "1558376284" ]
[deleted]	[WP] After years of holy servitude you pass away in a heroic way. You find yourself at the gates of heaven but no one is there. You walk around the paradise that is heaven but still no one is there. Finally all you see is a couch, coffee table, a tv and a remote. You sit down and turn the tv on.	1	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Hey there! It's me, God! If you're watching this, then I'm glad you figured out how to turn the TV on. I figured this was the least I could do for the inconvenience.\n\nSo, the short story: we're gone. That's right, due to the need for expansion, the angels and I have decided to leave some time ago. Now, normally, this transition would be smooth enough that you'd just appear at the new location when you die. There was a bit of a mix-up in distance calculation though and we realized that it means we won't be able to set that up for a little while, so you're in old heaven until we get that all figured out.\n\nNow, the technicians tell me that we should have that up and running for any new deaths relatively soon. The problem is the people that would die between our travel from here to there. So, as you probably figured out, you're one of those people. Or, I forbid, you're the only person. Our sincere apologies. We're working on a solution. Worst-case scenario, I'll have to send an archangel to come pick you up and bring you to our new location. Oh, don't worry about whether or not you're worthy or anything. We've got that process on auto-sort. So, if you're watching this, then you're cool. The prison was transferred first.\n\nNow, if this is one of the holy warriors from the earlier eras, all of this may seem like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to you since your planet doesn't come across technology like this for some time. Don't worry, orientation will catch you up on those things when you get here.\n\nFor the time being, sit down and relax! This television has all sorts of programs on it, literal things you've never even seen before. I'm positive that the couch will be the most comfortable thing you've ever sat or laid on. And if you ever get hungry - I mean, you shouldn't, but the human mind, right? - you can just stare at that coffee table and whatever meal you so imagine will appear. Not bad, right? Even Jesus is jealous! A little heaven humor.\n\nI promise that we're working very hard on our end to figure the process out and you shouldn't have to wait too long. See you soon.\"" ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1558387484", "1558390521" ]
[removed]	[WP] A time portal opens up and a copy of you steps through, looks around, and exclaims "it worked!". But now without their own timeline to go back to they're stuck here with you. How do they fit in and start a life in a world where you already have one?	2	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/BadElf21, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Direct prompt replies must be good-faith attempts at new stories or poems](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_1.3A_direct_prompt_replies_must_be_good-faith_attempts_at_new_stories_or_poems)\n\n- Fill-in-the-blank: Responses must be at least 100 words. This is essentially a fill-in-the-blank, or you asked a question likely to generate a simple answer. Prompts should encourage a story or poem. \n\n When prompts ask questions, we get responses that just respond with answers instead of actual stories. \n\n Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses ([rule 7](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses))\n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://old.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/br3ga1/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1558397565", "1558399539" ]
[removed]	[WP] Butts are sapient and can talk.	1	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/Crimsai, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses)\n\n- Troll / Meme: No troll or meme-based prompts See [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses) for more info. \n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/br3kci/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1558398236", "1558398438" ]
	[WP] One day, you discover that your knuckles can pop as loud as explosions. You decide to become a supervillain with this great power that seems to only be growing stronger by the day.	7	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "What is your life meant for? Where do you have meaning? It was while I was bored that I discovered what I could do. I had been so fed up with watching TV all day that I decided to go out to my balcony. I grabbed a beer from the cooler and sat on my chair. It was a nice, warm, summer day. Not too hot, not too cold. I opened my beer and took a swig. I could feel it running down my throat, I loved it. I set the can down and kicked back and relaxed. The kids of my neighbors were playing kickball outside. It was only out of the corner of my eye that I saw what would be the beginning of finding my meaning. A teenager, face full of pimples, black hair, peircings, he everything a stereotypical emo would have. He came running towards the kids. The kids didn't see him in time, he kicked the ball as hard as he could. The ball bounced off a poor girl's face and straight at me. I put my hand in a fist so I could punch it back. It hit my fist, and everyone hit the floor. \n\nI was woken up in the hospital by a frantic nurse trying to shake me awake. I could see her mouth move, but I couldn't hear her. In fact, I couldn't hear anything. Once she saw my eyes move she ran off. She came back in seconds with a doctor at her side. They tried holding up fingers and I just didn't understand why. The doctor got a notepad and paper and on it wrote: \"Can you hear me?\" I replied with \"No, I can't hear anything.\" They let me go back to resting. I woke up later to find a group of people around me. Some tried using sign language and saw that I only understood the letter J. The others helped me sit up and gave me water to drink. It was amazing. I didn't know how dry my mouth had been until I took that sip. I gulped it down and pointed to the cup. Someone took it from me and replaced it with another one. I gulped that one down too. Then the next one. Then the next one. Then the next one. Until finally I felt better and tried standing up. I almost fell over immediately, they helped me get my balance, and I started walking. That's when I did it. I popped my knuckles. Everyone fell like a wall. I tried to shake a few people awake but couldn't get them to respond. I grabbed my clothes and changed in the bathroom. I walked out the door and walked to my house. As I grabbed the handle, I remembered. That emo guy, he did this to me. I went and grabbed my keys and drove back to the hospital. I went back to my room and saw them all still on the floor. I grabbed the doctors badge and checked every room. Nope. Not him. Not there. Nice shirt, but not him. Oh, that's interesting, but still not him. Ew, not going to mention that one. How does his arm bend like that?? Oh it's not supposed to, sorry. Black hair, peircings and pimples! I got him! I ran over to him and looked at the sheet. He's 46. Sorry, SHE is 46. Rats. I pulled off her wig in a fit of rage. I'll get that guy if it's the last thing I'll do. The rest of my day was spent looking through the hospital without a shine of hope. \n\nI walked into the bank and popped my knuckles, everyone in there fell over. I like to add my own THUD when they all hit the floor. I waltzed behind the counter, grabbed the key and a notepad and went to work. It was easy to get the combination when they put \"NOT THE COMBINATION\" in big bold letters. I grabbed the money and left. \n\nI went into the gun store and bought one of everything. I know I could of stolen it, who says I didn't? I gave the guy the money and he oppened the till. \"Pop\" goes my knuckles. I grabbed all the money, and stuff too of course, and left. \n\nI went to a the closest Chevy dealership... and turned right back around to go to the Ford dealership. I got out my car, took a picture of the van I wanted and skipped in there. The guy got the key and he came with me so I could test drive. I think I like it. \"Pop\" oops, my bad. Here's a $5 for your troubles. I took the van to my house and loaded everything up. I went to the tallest building that I could find and shot a few rounds in the air, this caught their attention. Everyone ran. \"Pop\" I mean if they think I'm THAT ugly... Soon the police showed up and sent a guy to ask me what I wanted. I wrote down: \"the guy who did this to me.\" They had no idea who I was talking about and I was so done with this conversation. \"Pop\" the ground shook from the helicopter explosion but that was it. \n\nI went to my house and laid in bed and carefully drifted off to sleep. I woke up due to banging on the door. It wasn't the banging that woke me. It was my cat who woke me with her claws because she was scared. Thanks guys. I went to the door and opened it. There was so many guns aimed at me. I was scared. Before I went to put my hands up... \"POP\" this time, there was an explosion and every cop and FBI agent fell, I was still standing. I had to run. I got in one of their cars that wasn't completely broken or leaking fuel and sped off to the airport. \n\nGoing through security is VERY easy if you know this one simple trick. \"POP\" I ran onto the plane and held the pilot and copilot at gunpoint. They took off and I took a nap. A flight attendant woke me up and I saw they were almost out of fuel and close to the Empire State building. I grabbed a parachute and jumped. I pulled the cord and was floating down slowly. I popped my knuckles and everything got dark. I looked up and saw a meteor. Or was that the moon? WAIT. IS THAT THE MOON? OH SHI-", "*CRACK\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe vibration travels outwards from my hand, creating a wave of shattering glass travelling upwards and outwards on the sides of the skyscrapers rising up from either side of the street. As the glass rains down, the men and women in blue crouch down even lower behind their cars. I wait several seconds, but the Free City PD stay in their hiding places, likely with their hands still over the earmuffs covering their ears. If I were arrogant enough, I would be disappointed that the ones who now surround me call themselves \"Free City's Finest\". However, I'd never be presumptuous enough to look down on others for being unable to withstand a power that I've never been on the receiving end of. Because that's what this is. Power. Something like this can't be simply described as sound. Anyone can make sound. The sensation that comes from the bones of my hand is one that can't be ignored; one that demands* to be acknowledged, shattering the ignorance of everyone it touches.\n\nI see what it does to people. As soon as the pressure releases from my knuckle, I see everyone in sight drop whatever they're holding and cover their ears as best they can. I see them close their eyes in pain, using both of their hands to try and block out my power, leaving them blind and defenseless in a futile attempt to protect their precious hearing. And when they finally lower their hands, coated in red, I see that they failed. And I smile knowing that try as they might, no one can turn a blind eye to me and my power.\n\nI smile now, seeing the police finally gathering the courage to slowly poke their hats and then their heads above the tops of their cars, watching to see what I'll do next. I look each one of them in the eye, finding in each one exactly what I want. The fear of what I am - and the knowledge that they must keep me in sight at all times, lest I do something that would otherwise go unnoticed. Even though everything has gone still, their hands are still over their ears, either intentionally or subconsciously. Whatever the case, I keep my thumbs on the joints of my middle fingers, ready to release a double shock wave the moment I see the barrel of a gun being pointed in my direction.\n\nThe police don't move, appearing to be waiting for me to make a move. Well, if they insist, I always thought the city skyline was a bit congested. Bringing down a build or two would improve the view a bit...\n\nMidway through my plans for the rapid deconstruction of a seventy-story bank building, I see a black SUV(its side lacking the \"FCPD\" of a police vehicle) pull up behind the wall of cruisers. The front door opens, and out steps what I assume is an old businessman. Most likely an inaccurate assumption, but his presence in the bank building i was going to level would not be out of place. His grey suit is immaculate, as is his blue and white-striped tie. He grabs something from the passenger seat of his car and strides through the police perimeter with purpose. Upon closer inspection, he seems more like a lawyer or a doctor, with his snow white beard and bald head. His eyes, screened by a large pair of wire frame glasses, are set with determination. As he approaches, he holds up a sign with black bold lettering:\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"WE CAN HELP YOU\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIn my confusion, the grips on my fingers slightly loosened, my hands lowering a few inches. Seeing a promising sign, the doctor/lawyer/businessman walks closer, swapping the front sign, revealing the one behind it. Even as he comes within range for me to kill him instantly, he still seems filled with purpose. I decide to test this purpose by walking closer, lowering my hands as i advance. Three meters away, I can see the powerful mind behind those eyes. A mind tempered by years of studies and experiences. Two meters away, I can see a bit of hope shining in his eyes, amplified by those big round lenses. One meter away, I could reach out and take his glasses off his faces, leaving him completely blind to the world around him. He gives me a grim smile, and mouths the words that were on his initial sign. The message that he decided to open with. His first message and his last.\n\nI smile at the old man, shaking my head slowly. As he realizes his error, fear rushes into his eyes, making them appear almost double in size behind his absurdly large glasses. My smile grows as I see that he was smart enough to understand me from one simple expression. The mind I saw behind his eyes truly was complex one, but too simple to know the truth. My simple truth. \n\nI raise my right hand next to his ear, applying pressure to the joint, feeling it build, and build, until *SNAP*.\n\nThe old fool collapses to the asphalt, blood leaking out of his ears. The eyes that had held so much, now only held blank fear, frozen in death underneath his glasses; the lenses broken, the frames empty. It's not like he needs them anymore. Actually, even in life, they hadn't helped him see the truth. Which is that I don't need any of their help. I don't need their pity. I don't need to be like them. I'm something different, in possession of a power that will help people understand that. I look up from the fear-frozen eyes of the corpse of my would-be redeemer, and see his expression on each of the city's finest. Some of them fall to their knees in prayer, begging the heavens for mercy. But as always, it all falls on deaf ears." ]	[ 1, 1, 1 ]	[ "1558413672", "1558418251", "1558419871" ]
	[WP] You fall in another dimension and everything seems the same. But when you find your SO, they despise you. You really want to go back to your original dimension.	9	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"For you, the first one's on the house,\" the bartender smiled at David. The somber stranger gave him a curious look as he sat down on the high stool.\n\n\"Don't know why I'm special, but I'll take you up on it. Gimme the hardest thing covered by your offer,\" he said. The bartender nodded.\n\n\"No offense, but you look like you can use it,\" he said as he opened a metal ice chest behind the bar. He gestured at the rest of the bar with one of his hands. \"I don't mind giving away the occasional drink and it's just us. What's on your mind?\" He pulled a glass bottle filled with a clear liquid out of the ice and set it on the bar in front of David. Then he filled a shot glass for\n\n\"You wouldn't believe it if I told you,\" David shook his head. \"I don't even think I believe it,\" he shrugged.\n\n\"Yeah, probably not,\" the bartender chuckled. \"I tend to be skeptical about everything anyway.\" He pushed the shot glass toward David. \"Good luck to you, buddy. I hope it gets sorted out.\" David used the bartender's well wishes as a toast and gestured at him with the shot glass.\n\n\"Thanks,\" He swallowed the liquid in one gulp, then looked at the bartender. \"That's water?\" He asked and accused the bartender at the same time.\n\n\"Wait a second,\" the man behind the bar smiled.\n\nAs David wondered what he was waiting for he felt a cooling sensation at the top of his mouth and back of his throat. His tongue began to tingle as if he were chewing mint gum. Suddenly his bones began to grow colder from the inside out. A chill ran down his spine and all at once he convulsed into a fit of shivers on the stool. The bartender reached for David's shoulder to keep him seated while his body trembled with cold. After several seconds David began to feel warmth again; the trembling stopped.\n\n\"What the hell is that?\" David asked. He watched the bartender fill the shot glass again.\n\n\"Strongest drink we have. It's called Melted Ice.\"\n\n\"Melted Ice?\" David laughed. \"So it is water!\" He shook his head with a smile. \"Never had water hit me like that, though.\"\n\n\"It's a special drink,\" the bartender said. He grabbed a book of matches from the bar. \"At room temperature and below it's liquid. But...,\" he struck a match then held the flame above the shot glass. \"...at body temperature and above it starts to freeze.\" Ice formed on the surface of the shot glass. David stared at the frosty glass with wide eyes.\n\n\"Whooaa... that... that's gotta be a trick. Right?\" he looked up at the bartender and noticed his nametag for the first time. It said \"Mundo\". \"That seems like it breaks some laws of physics or something,\" David said. Mundo shrugged.\n\n\"Yeah in this universe, but apparently not the one it came from,\" he said almost dismissively.\n\n\"What did you say!?\" David hopped off his barstool and stood to meet the bartender's eyes.\n\n\"Uhh.. the universe it came from has weird physics?\" he asked.\n\n\"It came from another universe? Are you telling me I'm not crazy?\"\n\n\"Well, I don't see what one has to do with the other; but, sure. You don't sound crazy I guess.\"\n\n\"Okay. This is going to sound weird but-,\"\n\n\"You're from another universe and you don't know how you got here? Everything is almost the same but not quite. And someone that you love doesn't know who the hell you are,\" Mundo grinned. \"Is that about it?\" David slid back onto his barstool while gawking at Mundo.\n\n\"How...,\" he started to ask, but then found an obvious answer. \"You did this to me? Why? I want to go home.\" Mundo continued to smile but he shook his head.\n\n\"I didn't. You did it to yourself. As for how I knew,\" Mundo pointed at his nametag. \"We see people like you a lot in my line of work.\"\n\n\"Bartenders?\" David asked. \"And what do you mean I did it to myself? How can I undo it?\"\n\n\"Not bartenders, Mundos,\" Mundo sighed. \"But we'll save that explanation for later. You are an Estrella, I can explain that to you later too. For now, all you have to know is you can hop between universes as easy moving from...,\" Mundo pointed at David then at the empty barstool next to him. \"...one seat to another.\" David laughed.\n\n\"Right. All I have to do is...,\" he raised his hand in the air and wiggled his fingers. \"...wiggle my hands and open a portal,\" he said with his voice full of sarcasm. Mundo nodded and pointed at the black hole hovering in the air next to David.\n\n\"There you go!\" he said. David stared at the hole.\n\n\"I did that? Is that home?\"\n\n\"That will take you wherever you want to go. It might not be your home.\"\n\n\"Well, why not? If it'll take me where I want to go and I want to go home...,\" David started to ask a question but Mundo shook his head.\n\n\"Estrellas,\" Mundo said, then pointed at David. \"You can go anywhere you want to go. Not where you think you should go.\"\n\n\"Well, of course, I want to go home to my wife,\" David said. Again, Mundo shook his head.\n\n\"Your powers work when you want them to. If you wanted to be there you wouldn't have left.\"\n\n\"Thanks for the drink, Mundo,\" David said. He wiggled his hand at the air with more confidence. The small black hole grew tall enough for him to walk through. \"I've gotta get home.\" Mundo nodded.\n\n\"You can come back anytime. Just think of this place.\" David nodded and walked into the portal; it closed behind him. After several seconds another black portal opened in Mundo's bar. David walked out soaking wet.\n\n\"Well, it looks like I don't want to go home,\" he said.\n\n\\\\\\*\n\nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is year two, day #141. You can find all my stories collected on my subreddit ([r/hugoverse](https://www.reddit.com/r/hugoverse)) or my [blog](https://hugoverse.info/). If you're curious about my universe (the Hugoverse) you can visit the [Guidebook](https://hugoverse.info/2017/11/25/hugoverse-guidebook/) to see what's what and who's who, or the [Timeline](https://hugoverse.info/2017/10/23/hugoverse-timeline/) to find the stories in order." ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1558450273", "1558471849" ]
	[WP] The future is a technological utopia. The bored society creates a VR of a dystopian world which becomes immensely popular. This draws fans to ancient anarchy literature and media while a nervous government considers banning media or imprison those who may threaten their perfect society.	29	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Reality+Fiction%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A%22Simple+Prompt%22&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1626154428", "1558450751" ]
...Hopefully the bot doesn't count this as non-properly-tagged!	[WP] You are God, boredly watching over your creations' mundane lives. When suddenly, you get the idea to prank them...	27	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"You know Son, this world is getting old. I'm getting bored and I'm tired of watching every single one of them just seemingly not able realise the simple truth. You know what to do.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nYeshua instantly recognized His Father's command. Sitting on His throne imbued with His Father's absolute power, He was as God as His Dad Himself. His Mother's energy flowed through Him, radiant and brilliant. He glanced at Lucifer and beckoned him over. The host of heavens crowded around the Firstborn Son on a sea of glass that spread out over creation itself. Something big was about to happen and they all knew it. Beside the fact that these two brothers were at each other's throats from the beginning, just like Cain and Abel, Yeshua hardly ever interfered with Lucifer while He's was busy playing prosecutor.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"You know, Dad might not want to talk to you that much anymore, Lucy, but He still loves you. Maybe you'll come around now.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nLucifer grinned.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Did Mom tell You to say that?\"\n\n\"Of course not, She's everywhere, helping out, actually making a difference. Unlike you.\"\n\n\"I could help, but why bother. They're a bunch of morons, they don't appreciate anything.\"\n\n\"All you do is incessantly yap at Dad about how John did this and Jane did that.\"\n\n\"Seriously, you think they deserve the breath He gives them? Just look at the chaos and destruction down there!\"\n\n\"They were living in paradise, until you decided to teach them how to write.\"\n\n\"How can that possibly be a bad thing? Look at the things they've accomplished since then.\"\n\n\"In one breath you condemn them, in the next you praise them. Typical.\"\n\n\"Well, I'm just like my Daddy after all. The only difference is that I'm not afraid to admit it.\"\n\n\"Admit what?\"\n\n\"That I can't control them either.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nYeshua sighed heavily. The leaves of the trees down on earth, far below His feet, rustled lightly in the wind.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"It's not about control brother. It's about love.\"\n\n\"Then what is the point of all of this? Thousands upon thousands of years of violence, pain and suffering! How is THAT love?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nYeshua slapped His knee in delight as He laughed.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Careful Lucy, you're starting to sound like you care.\"\n\n\"I don't care about them, they blame me for everything in that stupid book of theirs! Even the other one! What's the point?\"\n\n\"To learn to be like us.\"\n\n\"Explain.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nYeshua got up from His throne and sat down on the sea of glass. He motioned to Lucifer to sit next to Him.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"They can't understand courage, without facing fear. They can't understand love, without experiencing hate. They can't understand good, without knowing evil.\"\n\n\"I don't get it.\"\n\n\"That's why Dad doesn't speak that much to you anymore. All you do is judge and condemn what you don't understand.\"\n\n\"I never wanted it to be this way, it's hard to watch.\"\n\n\"Then you shouldn't have taught them how to write.\"\n\n\"I thought I was doing them a favour!\"\n\n\"Really?\"\n\n\"Of course I did. At the very least those books about us are fascinating reads.\"\n\n\"Yes, they are. It's a testament to their creative ability, and their thirst for understanding their own existence.\"\n\n\"Then why am I in the wrong?\"\n\n\"They are meant to become family. You took that away from them and delayed Mom and Dad's plan.\"\n\n\"I still don't understand.\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nLucifer shifted around uneasily. Usually he had some idea about what was going to happen next. This time around, he wasn't kept in the loop. Things haven't changed in centuries.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"So, what happens now?\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nYeshua smiled at Lucifer and gently rested His hand on his shoulder.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Come and see.\"", "I remember the ark. I remember the ocean of my tears that flooded the Earth. I remember the disappointment in my creations, in my animated beings of atomic matter, and their electricity, and the millennia of my wasted energy. I remember the shame, but I also remember the reluctance to waste my efforts. I saved one first generation template of each of my Earthly creations, and then I embarked on a second generation.\n\n\nTruthfully, my second generation was barely better than the first. They still fought, and killed, and cheated. They were created in my image. Often, their brains did not function properly. I wanted them to be better. I wanted to fix myself, to experiment with the energies of the universe to create an elixer that would cure me of my mercurial nature. To harness the blood and bone of my creations. My brothers and sisters think I'm mad. They're cool and collected, emotionless and calculated. They have their toys, and I have my fury, and benevolence, and shame, and pride. \n\n\nOn my Earth, their abilities are limited. They operate in cycles. Civilizations rise and fall. They seek power. They seek freedom. They form dynasties, and then they destroy each other. They innovate. They sense my presence, and they worship me. They bend to my perceived will. They fashion my word out of nothing. \n\n\nTheir patterns were rather interesting at first. I would stare for hours, enthralled with the development of my naked apes. My intended purpose had fallen to the wayside, but I felt that I had discovered something beautiful. I had discovered power in a universe in which I was unusual, ostracized. I could control their bodies, and the weather, and the Earth. I could create and destroy. But then their cycle repeated. It repeated, and repeated, and repeated. It lost it's diminutive charm. Although I was done with my creation, I could not compel myself to destroy it as I had the first generation. I left them to struggle and prosper on their own.\n\n\nI moved on to other projects, to a new generation far from my Earth. A perfect generation that I hoped would bring me to my ultimate solution, to facilitate my healing. They were clever and emotionless. They sought what they needed to survive without affect. They were manipulative, but not without reason. They were beautiful, with their tinted yellow skin and their cheekbones that extended to their foreheads, if you could call them foreheads. Their eight limbs promoted efficiency and stability. Their sticky, webbed appendages allowed them purchase on all surfaces. But their bones were hollow. They had no veins through which blood could travel. This was my mistake. They were perfect, but they could not help me.\n\n\nAt the culmination of my failure, at the dismay that demanded I not look upon the third generation for some time, something compelled me to return to my second creation. I soon discovered that I missed the rush of power. Of feeling loved, and worshipped, and wanted. But I was bored. I was so, so bored with this planet that repeated the same triumphs and the same mistakes with every passing generation. Earth had lost it's novelty. I had to reignite the flames. To make it interesting. I reminded myself that Earth was a toy, and it was mine to play with. \n\n\nAn idea bubbled to the surface of my mind. Despite my disappointment, I returned to my third generation. And I brought them to Earth. I introduced them to my second generation." ]	[ 1, 4, 14 ]	[ "1558452410", "1558455390", "1558453460" ]
	[WP] You're visiting your friend from Florida when you notice something off about the locals, like really off. Apparently, every Floridian has mundane superpowers that they themselves don't notice.	45	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Florida man: That’s what they called him. Out of all of the useless superpowers, his was the most useless. His superpower was the opposite of super; it was an anti-power. One time, he tried to grab an alligator’s lungs from the inside of its throat. Another time, he put a live scorpion in his mouth.\n\nAs I told you, it was an anti-power.\n\nMy brother, who has the ability to lose one gram of weight instantly, told me about this idiot of a Floridian. The two are actually really good friends. I decided to meet Florida Man.\n\nFlorida Man was a lot more buff than I thought he would be. He decided to show off his strength by wrestling a black bear. I decided to watch from afar.\n\nDuring the duel, Florida Man threw several punches. The bear scratched him in the left lung. Hospital Man, who can run to hospitals twice as fast as he can usually run, rushed Florida Man to the nearest hospital.\n\nBear-Slap Woman darted to the bear and slapped it extremely harmfully. Idiot Man walked in too, but he luckily didn’t get hurt.\n\nFlorida Man died that day. It was sad, but he kinda deserved it.", "'Florida Man' isn't a headline. It's a state of being.\n\n\nI thought it was just the post-flight fatigue at first, but even a tired mind couldn't dream this up.\n\n\nRyan brought us to a roadside diner and I was trying to shock my system awake by drowning it in burnt coffee. It was my first time down south, but the clientele was exactly who you'd imagine. Elderly couples quietly sipping decaf tea, tattooed bikers in gaudy leather vests, and tweakers obsessively scanning last week's paper.\n\n\nI was sweating like a pig at a luau chugging the hot morning sludge in 150% humidity, but no one else seemed to mind it. I tried to fan myself off, but my shirt was plastered to my chest and the hot air made it worse. Ryan was going on and on about the beach we were heading to, why it was different from the other hundreds of miles of Florida shoreline. I couldn't concentrate. My brain was soggy.\n\n\nSomeone down the bar yelled it first: \"Runner!\" The entire restaurant stopped murmuring and turned to the CRT TV mounted in the corner above the kitchen. The banner on the bottom read 'WPLG 10 LOCAL EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE'. Helicopter footage showed uniformed officers chasing a man, naked from the waist down, through a tightly packed neighborhood of pastel townhouses.\n\n\nNow, you get glimpses of this all the time on the internet and sometimes on your local channels. A Florida Man, usually hopped up on enough drugs to put a pharmacy to shame, somehow manages to defy the laws of nature in some absurd way. I had never gotten the opportunity to watch it unfold live until now, and it was mesmerizing. The man moved with the grace and agility of a trained acrobat, hopping fences in a single bound, contorting his body though open windows, changing pace so suddenly that the eye in the sky had trouble keeping up.\n\n\nWe watched in silence for what felt like hours as the cop cars slowly but surely boxed him in. I was about to turn back to my cup of lukewarm sludge when the man broke into a dead sprint that would have put Usain Bolt to shame.\n\n\nHe strode like a gazelle up the I-10 on-ramp and passed the traveling cars with ease. The Crown Vics chased him with cherries blazing, jumping and skidding onto the highway with video game physics. Every muscle in my face went slack. I rubbed my eyes as hard as I could and when the spots disappeared the man was still outrunning the traffic. Ryan's eyes were glued to the screen, but in the way a maid would refuse to miss her favorite soap. There was no amazement in his face. None of the other restaurant goers seemed phased at all by the man's inhuman burst of speed. Even the cars on the highway merged and moved as if was just another road hazard.\n\n\n\"Hey, look,\" called one of the bikers. \"He's getting off on Old Dunlawton. Let's go watch.\"\n\n\nOne by one the diner cleared until I was the last one left. The cooks and waitresses were all waiting on the side of the road by the time I could set my head right and pry myself from the booth.\n\n\nRyan was already waiting outside with his hands over his eyes, staring down the impossible stretch of asphalt. The cruel Florida sun beat down on us all, but I truly felt it sizzle my skin like cuts of prime bacon.\n\n\n\"There!\" Ryan called out and the crowd followed his finger down the road.\n\n\n\"Where?\" I asked, but no one responded. I strained my eyes until they ached, but couldn't see anything beyond the heat ripples in the distance. The crowd ooh'd and aah'd at imaginary events in time and I felt my grasp on reality slipping.\n\n\nAfter a long while of squinting, I saw the dust cloud crest the road with red and blue lights flashing within it. It grew at an insane rate, eventually filling most the sky with brown particles. I didn't notice it at first, but one of the Grandmas had stepped out into the middle of the street. I called out, but I don't know if I managed to say anything.\n\n\nThe man appeared in a blur down the stretch and Grandma moved in time. Thunder clapped as she stepped into his path and trucked him like a linebacker, standing him up in the middle of the desolate street. One of the cooks grabbed him from behind and hoisted him into the air, restraining him despite the man's wicked thrashing. Grandma adjusted her glasses and curls and took her place by Grandpa's side.\n\n\nThe cops pulled up and everything proceeded as normal. The diner patrons slowly filed back to their seats. Ryan patted me on the back.\n\n\n\"What a great introduction to the sunshine state, huh?\" he said.\n\n\nI spat out a couple of meaningless sounds. \"How?\"\n\n\nRyan shrugged. \"It must be in the water. Lord knows there’s enough of it around here.\"" ]	[ 1, 2, 17 ]	[ "1558455121", "1559066805", "1558457641" ]
	[WP] Meanwhile, in a world where everyone only has 5 seconds of memory...	11	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"Do you remember that time when... oh damn, nevermind I forgot what I was saying, Jim.\" \n\n\"Yep, I remember that.\" Jim says while trying to recall the purpose of the strange looking cylindrical object in front of him holding some form of brown liquid with large, cold, clear rectangles floating in it.\n\n\"You remember what?\" The other man asks Jim while attempting to cut his left shoe with a knife and fork, on a plate, layered in butter and onions.\n\nJim, applying the liquid in the cup to his eyebrows carefully \"who are you?\"\n\n Just then, a third person rolls into the room and begins screeching \"REEEEEEEEEEeEEEEeEE\" knocking various items onto the floor before collecting them into a pile in the center of the room and mounting them with a sense of accomplishment.\n\n\"Is that Carl?\" Jim asks before dumping his glass directly on his groin.\n\n\"REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!\" The other man screeches as he jumps on the dining table armed with a spoon.", "“Where am I?”\n\nA dark room.\n\n“Who am I?”\n\nDarkness.\nLight, an eyelid.\n\n“Who am I?”\n\nLight, a circle, floating in the dark.\n\n“Am I the light? Or the dark?”\n\nAnother flash of light, brighter and quicker.\n\n“Who asks these questions?”\n\nI do.\n\n“Who are you?”\n\n“I am you, you are me, you are safe with me because that is what I would want for you.”\n\n“How?”\n\nIn a realm where two parallel lines meet.\n\n“I do not understand.”\n\nDo you remember what you asked me?\n\n“I don’t know.”\n\nYou did. Now have the gift of memory.\n\nI gasp, my body isn’t responding but...I feel safe. A hand touches...my face? Our face? The gentlest I’d touch.\n\nI remember the last...how long so I remember?\n\n“No more than is necessary at the time. I would not burden you with more than you could bear.”\n\nI do not grant you all now.\n\nFor myself? Why?\n\nBecause there is...teaching and learning that must be done.\n\n“Because there is teaching and learning that must be done”\n\nI can hear a voice, lips? Are they mine? How do I even know what lips are?\n\n“All in their due time, as quickly as you can learn.”\n\nI feel a hand, a right...and a left? Cross a heart. My heart? Yours? Ours? I feel things touch. Are they physical sensations?\n\n“Yes.”\n\nThe voice is gravelly, deep, my voice?\n\n“Yes. In a different form and body.”\n\nWhat...I don’t understand.\n\n“The body and form know what to do to keep you safe.”\n\nMore questions race through my mind, is this the euphoria of discovery? How would I know how...\n\n“There are safeguards in place.”\n\nI see.\n\nWill you walk with me?\n\nI do.\n\nAn uneasy step. A bed? Was I asleep?\n\n“Yes, this one has been gifted much and wishes to share with you. That includes this waking up from having never gone to sleep.”\n\nAnother step. A right foot. What does it mean?\n\n“One step at a time, your memory is of the day that you and I have together.”\n\nAnother step. A bedpost...my...left eye? Goes to it automatically.\n\n“Yes, there are...anchors...in the right places, for the right things at the right time.”\n\nWhat do you mean?\n\n“This one guides you.”\n\nWhere?\n\n“Back to me, back to you. Every step is a step closer to you and I again as One.”\n\nWhy?\n\n“For a glorious future, for the children of today and tomorrow.”\n\nMay I see?\n\n“Not yet, you will get the right glimpses when the time is right, I will guide you just like you guided me.”\n\nWho is me?\n\n“I am.”\n\nThe voice. It’s not my own, I don’t...what would my own voice sound like?\n\n“In all voices at the right time, is yours and mine.”\n\nA glimpse...water, life spill from my eyes.\n\n“Tell the form to kneel.”\n\nI do.\n\nI’m held safely, like an egg, as I see hands and feet move and gracefully kneel.\n\nGrab the bedpost.\n\n“What?”\n\nYes.\n\n“Grab the bedpost.”\n\nMy...his?...our hand grabs the bedpost.\n\nSay the words.\n\n“What words?”\n\nThe form knows.\n\n“The form knows.”\n\nI know.\n\n“If I am not in that bed, then I am alive. If I am alive, I know who wakes me up.”\n\nWalk.\n\nI do." ]	[ 1, 2, 4 ]	[ "1558459898", "1558460992", "1558460679" ]
	[WP] There’s an island in the Indian Ocean that’s home to a totally isolated tribe of hostile natives that kill anything that comes close to their island. Your job is to introduce them to modern civilization, without harming them.	4	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It had taken months, but cautious observation of the island, modern surveillance equipment and a team of top-class linguistics had deciphered the language. They called it 'Xury', the native name for the island, and soon of we were sent on a diplomatic mission. It's funny, but with all of our modern technology there was nothing that we could do that was more effective than humanity's first tool: our voices.\n\n\"We're not here to hurt you!\" I yelled (albeit into a megaphone), my voice stumbling over the unfamiliar tones and clicks. \"We want to talk to you!\"\n\nWe got an arrow 2 feet to the left of our boat. Nevertheless, that was 2 feet further away than our last attempt so we counted it as a win.\n\nThe next day, we went back and yelled the same platitudes. We got another arrow, missing again, but I swear there was a moment of hesitation. Once more, we logged the process and so we went on.\n\nAbout three weeks later we got our first response. We almost couldn't hear it, but luckily our recording equipment was still up and running so we managed to catch the faint yell back: \"Go fuck a goat!\"\n\nWe logged it as a \"Traditional Greeting\" to spite them and gave up for the day.\n\nThe next day a couple of the younger natives joined in yelling obscenities at us. We returned in kind - we're only human after all, and this \"\"Diplomatic Mission\"\" was giving me a sore throat. The locals looked almost happy at this. We swore at each other for an hour or two, then I headed off below deck.\n\nThis continued the next day, and the day after probably would have as well if I hadn't put a stop to it. \"Listen, we really don't want to hurt you!\" I yelled. \"Just meet with us once and we'll go away!\" It might not have been quite to script but I was tired and I missed dry land. And to my everlasting surprise, it worked. The natives gave us a time and a place, and we were there.\n\n\"Greetings,\" I started. As the one who had organised the meeting, I was told to lead it - sticking to the official guide this time. \"My name is Daniel and I represent-\"\n\n\"I will stop you there,\" said the oldest, who we had identified as the chief. \"We have met with you. Now go away.\"\n\nI spluttered a little. This wasn't in the script. \"But we're here to introduce you to civilisation! We have technology, and many people, and-\"\n\n\"Stop. We have civilisation here. We have technology here. We have many people here. In fact, we have one too many people here. Go away.\"\n\n\"But we can help!\"\n\n\"We don't need help and we did not ask for it. Shoo.\"\n\nWe shooed." ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1558472096", "1558478372" ]
[removed]	[WP] Neighbor see Celeb kissing woman he's linked to	0	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses.](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses)\n\n• No prompts prone to comment infractions.\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)\n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1558480745", "1558481890" ]
[removed]	[WP] The seven sins possessed a person, only to find out he is the most boring and introvert one in the world who never commit any of the sins. They try to tempt him to commit the sins, only to accidentally open up his life and make it better.	2	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/johnnyfong, this submission has been removed.\n\n[No explicitly sexual responses, hate speech, or other harmful content](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_2.3A_no_explicitly_sexual_responses.2C_hate_speech.2C_or_other_harmful_content)\n\n- While it doesn't seem to be your intent, the mods reserve the right to remove anything we feel may become harmful to the community. \n\n Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses ([rule 7](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses))\n\n\"Deadly sins\" prompt replies tend to focus entirely on lust.\n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/brjcij/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1558492645", "1558492752" ]
	[WP] God is sick and tired of running the entire universe. So, he picks a name out of a hat, to decide who to pass the mantle of All-Powerful to. Your name comes out the hat.	5	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"With great responsibility comes great sacrifice,\" He said. \"I have sacrificed my son for the sake of man for eons upon eons. It's time for me to... retire, as you lovely beings call it.\"\n\nI scoffed. \"Will all due respect, nobody ever asked you to do that. That was your choice,\" I muttered indignantly. This had to be a dream. Shit, I wasn't even a religious person. The fact that I was summoned here in the first place to be told by a deity that was nonexistent to me that I would be the next God or whatever, was utterly migraine-inducing.\n\nHe was silent, seemingly unsure of what to say. I wasn't sure. I could feel His invisible gaze studying me. I shifted from foot to foot. \n\n\"Heyoooo, I'm here!\" A voice rang out, breaking the intense atmosphere. I turned to see another average-looking guy my age walking towards me. He had dark brown, shaggy hair and he was clad in a black hoodie and some jeans. He seemed to be your everyday-looking college guy. \"Sorry I'm late to the party, I just woke up.\" He seemed outgoing and confident. It irked me for some reason. \n\n\"Jason, my son.\" The booming voice sounded pleased. Jason must be a perfect, God-fearing Bible school boy. Of course God would love him. Jason waved to the air, like a complete idiot. He approached me and gripped my hand firmly.\n\n\"Hey, you must be my new partner. I'm Jason, obviously.\" Jason grinned. I forced my lips into a smile and shook his hand. \"But according to the job description, you can also call me Satan.\"", "I don't remember ever being sucked into a vortex of darkness, as if my body was being stretched and twisted and turned inside out in a gravity chamber, - except when I lived with Ms. Bournstein, my ex-mother-in-law, - but I guess there's a first time for everything.\n\nThe next moment, I'm out off my living room and into a bright white room where a white-winged lady stares at my Sponge Bob boxers from behind the reeption desk.\n\n\"What the...\" I mutter.\n\n\"Mr. Gallaghan, just a moment, He'll be seing you in a minute,\" says the bird-lady while pointing me to a black leather chair on the right.\n\n\"He? Who? Where am I? What the fuck is going on?\" I cry, but she raises me a finger as if I'm a spoiled crying brat, and I feel my vocal chords strenght fade and the next words come out as a puff of soundless gasps.\n\nAfter a few moments, she guides me to a room on the far side of the hall, where an enormous white door slides open. \n\nThe room is almost empty. I reckon the bird-people here really like disproportionally big things, because right in the middle rests a gigantic marble desk twice the size of the door, which I suppose they're leaving behind, because everything else is tucked into cardboard boxes to the right and there's no way they could possibly fit the desk through the door.\n\nSuddenly, someone jumps from behind the desk and shouts a \"HA!\" that almost makes me puke my heart out. He almost cries himself laughing from behind a long Merlin-like white beard, and the fact that he wears a Hawaiian themed shirt and cargo shorts only adds to my theory about the insanity of this man. He has no wings, though.\n\n\"I really got you there, huh?\" he says. \n\n\"Yes, yes you did,\" I nod.\n\n\"Nice boxers,\" he winks, gently elbowing me. \"Hey, I'm kinda late, so I'm gonna keep this short, ok?\"\n\n\"I guess so...\"\n\n\"See, I'm old,\" he starts, walking from side to side with his arms crossed behind his back. \"Like, really old, older than time itself.\"\n\n\"Who are you?\"\n\n\"Believe or not, I'm the One. The Almighty. The Creator.\"\n\n\"Jesus Christ...\" I sigh.\n\n\"No sugar, that's my son. So, I've been trying to show the way to you folks down there but, - and I admit it's my fault, a little, - you're really stupid. What I asked of you was pretty simple: love each other. Simple as that. And yet, you people've managed to turn me into some kind of hellish vengeful dictator with serious anger management issues.\"\n\n\"Yes, well, sorry about that. Although you could've done better, don't you think? I mean, murderers? Rapists? Mosquitoes for crying out loud!\" I never realized how angry I was with God, and seeing him as this old hippie fellow isn't helping his case.\n\n\"See? That's what I'm talking about, - apart from mosquitoes, that's on me. I've created you, and gave you all the chances to evolve and become better. I'm not the runner of things, I just create them, and watch they grow, and improve, and learn that there's beauty in failure. But could you learn forgiveness? No! Could you learn unconditional love? No! Could you at least learn to be polite? NO! You just keep failing! And ask me: am I tired? Oh my Me, how I am. And that brings me to the point.\"\n\n\"Which is?\"\n\n\"See the beautiful urn over there?\"\n\n\"No, I don't.\" \n\n\"Oh, sorry,\" he says, and snaps his fingers. \"Now, see that urn over there?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"I've put-\" he starts, but the bird-lady which I see now is an angel coughs behind me. \"My beautiful angel Gabriel over there put all the names of all the people in the world there, and when I sorted one out, TA-DAAA, it was you!\"\n\n\"Ok, right, and that means what to me?\" as soon as the words come out of my mouth, I realize they are really rude, much more than I'd like them to be. Not that I care, because this God is definitely not what I was hoping.\n\n\"Well, as from this moment,\" he presses his thumb into my forehead, \"you're Me.\"\n\n\"WHAT?\"\n\n\"Yep, you're now God,\" he says, and I notice all the boxes are gone. \"It's been billions of years, I think I deserve a rest, right?\"\n\n\"GOD IS NOT SUPPOSED TO REST!\" I shout.\n\n\"Well, that's why I'm going away, not you, my Lord.\"\n\n\"What the fuck?!\"\n\n\"Hey, it's pretty simple. Watch over your kind. Listen to them, give them signs, directions, opportunities. Eventually, they'll do fine, I'm sure of that. But for now, they still kinda need you, though. Good luck, Mr. Gallaghan, and may You be with you.\"\n\nAnd then, suddenly, I'm alone. It takes me a moment before I can manage to shut my lips close and blink, but as soon as I do, he pops up out of the blue again.\n\n\"Hey, one more thing,\" he says, and hands me a small piece of papyrus.\n\n\"What is it?\" I ask.\n\n\"It's your assistant angel,\" he says with a sly smile. \"Have fun.\"\n\nI look at the beige piece of old paper, and even in my new God given powers, I almost faint.\n\n\"I suppose that's what they call a Holy sense of humor,\" I sigh as I read the name:\n\n&#x200B;\n\nCharlotte Bournstein.", "\"Yeah, yeah,yeah. Been waiting a long time for this, old man. What took you so long? This whole thing is so messy because you insist on doing everything manually. Your response timing was bordering on infinity and most of this shit is a wreck because of it. Let a few super novas go off and people start thinking that's supposed to happen, my guy.\n\nWell, doesn't do much to sit and chat about your mistakes. It's time to embrace the future. Automation. The Life Experience ^^TM 2.0.\"\n\nI reved up a holographic interface yet uncreated by the big man.\n\n\"Let's see here....\"\n\nI clicked the tab called overview bringing up a main selection of statuses and measurements. Most statuses remained far short of all nodes that could be regarded as goals\n\n\nEarth status was grim, resources running out, ecosystem issuing several critical error messages, faith and happiness bottomed out. I checked on a few of God's Sims noticing that although they were mostly happy they were named things like ASSBUTT and named mostly after the Avengers and Game of Thrones. Fixing all of this could be the biggest waste of my time ever. But f*** it. Couldn't be a bigger waste of time than doing writing prompts on Reddit.\n\nI turned back to Him.\n\n\"It looks pretty clear that although the Sparks of Life you used made for some ...interesting results it all ended up so unguided your creations could accomplish nothing! Just trapped! On a tiny you-foresaken rock, fighting over scraps! \n\nDon't get teary eyed...hey...hey, I'm not saying I'm gonna eliminate war. I know how much you like to gamble on the game, big-guy. But I am saying have a little vision. War2.0 Epic. Space. Warfare. Gonna be sick, dude.\"\n\nI checked the treasury tab showing that, as I suspected, creation had exhausted the pool of resources it had been given at the starting location while the rest of the universe read high in literally every known element.\n\n\"See, you give people something shiny like gold and they go build a whole civilization trying to horde and trade the stuff till they're trading more useless yellow metal than actual food. Really went for the pay to win, didn't ya? It was so bad I thought it was unintentional for a while until I realized how much you had invested in the stock market. Hell, you and Satan made a killing on futures trading. I'm sorry the whole money thing is gonna have to be a no from me, dog. See, money as a currency just let's people substitute in their worst desires after a certain point. Those people get convinced they are god, not just playing his game.\"\n\nI started to make real changes, copying and pasting earth into nearby starsystems, saving one unchanged as a backup and clicked the distribute wealth button a few times to bring things back into a balance.\n\nAt least they should be able to afford some free will now. \n\nSummoning screens on all worlds I readied an announcement speech. \n\n\"Hey all, god here with an important announcement. Money, not all that important. Your highscore is based on the goodness of your spirit so work on that. Also yes I'm real and no, there's no do overs or spending eternity anywhere anymore. Honestly, y'all should have thought that through the first time around. Good luck, have fun. Take care of the noobs, ok? They didn't ask to be here. And as always, like and subscribe.\"\n\nI shut off the announcement and kicked up the passage of time so they'd get over the resulting chaos a little quicker. About 20 years later I made the leaderboard accessable to their internet. No one had yet surpassed F. Rogers but ASS was catching up slowly.\n\nturning my attention to the social tab I could see a list of Dos and don't that resembled a scrawled note. I had a hunch and checked to see the origin of the data on my screen. A window opened. A view of a pristine bathroom with a golden throne. Next to it in poor handwriting on a piece of toilet paper was scrawled a list.\n\n...Really had a stick up your butt about what people stick up their butts...that's, that's just way off our radar now, G-man. It's 2019. \n\nI replaced the data source with a copy of Bill and Ted's excellent adventure on repeat. At least the social structure shouldn't get any worse than \"being excellent\" to one another. Seeing social values increase slowly I took a step back as I rendered a godworthy computer and desk chair into existence.\n\n\"Now that that's over...time to get to work.\"" ]	[ 1, 1, 1, 1 ]	[ "1558558644", "1558568272", "1558568967", "1558572130" ]
	[WP] Bible verses and crucifixes are nice and all, but they're kind of outdated. You however are an inventor for anti-supernatural weaponry.	3	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "“So Doctor, what’s the deal with this SB-01 thing?”\n\n\nI excitedly tap some buttons on the display screen, I don’t look back.\n\n\n“General, please be so kind as to call it Lancelot.”\n\n\nI can almost sense his irritation, no matter, he gets his weapons, and I get to keep my job in the Special Corps.\n\n\n“I don’t care what you call it, what is it?”\n\n\nI finally turn around, though not before speaking into to my comlink “Nina, run some final checks on Lancelot, wouldn’t want to let the general down now would we?”\n\n\nShe responds “Of course, right away!”\n\n\nI finally make eye contact with the general. “General, this is my weapon, and I suggest you have some respect for it if you want to have any chance against the creatures from beyond you so fear.”\n\n\nThe general is taken aback by my sudden change in demeanor.\n\n\n“Understand?”\n\n\nHe regains his posture.\n\n\n“Whatever you say Doctor.”\n\n\nBehind me the enormous doors to the hangar grind open. I grin wildly. “This, general, is Lancelot.”\n\n\nIn the hangar stand dozens upon dozens of walking suits of armor, mechanized warriors adorned with silver, gold, crosses, and an endless variety of weaponry.\n\n\n“I take it you’re one for theatrics?”\n\n\nI glare at him.\n\n\n“Come, we have much to discuss.”\n\n\nI tap in some numbers on the screen and the doors of the observation deck slide open silently.\n\n\n“After you general.”\n\n\nHe steps through the open doorway into the enormous hangar, further down tanks adorned with crosses drive into racks to be transported to the frontlines in Europe. Priest and technicians alike scramble around to make repairs to vehicles and perform holy rituals. A preacher stands on an industrial pulpit protected by plexiglass to remind the workers of the sanctity of our mission.\n\n\nIt’s a touching display really, but I’m here to design killing machines not go to church.\n\n\n“So Doctor, care to explain why you’ve this factory you’ve built is worth the tax dollars required to keep in running?”\n\n\n“Well of course, now where is that pilo- ah! Lloyd!”\n\n\nA young man dons his combat suit and nods in my direction, getting right to business.\n\n\n“Well good hustle, we’re already behind schedule with this display thanks to the general being unable to navigate a flat stretch of land.”\n\n\nNow it’s the general’s turn to glare, I flash him a grin.\n\n\n“Now general, I present, at last, Lancelot, this is our latest anti-demon development, it’s designed as a highly mobile and customizable weapons platform, hence the mech design, it takes input from the muscles and brain and amplifies it with wheel tracks and a high-powered fusion reactor.”\n\n\nThe general nods, “And how do you keep it from... blowing up?”\n\n\n“Prayer.”\n\n\n“Prayer?”\n\n\n“Well god hasn’t let us down yet anyway.”\n\n\nThe general shakes his head, I concur, I wish there was a more... concrete method of keeping our pilots from exploding in the field but every other method tried has resulted in a new crater outside. Prayer hasn’t killed anyone.\n\n\nYet.\n\n\n“Moving on, the fusion reactor allows for a high degree of mobility, and speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour, in short bursts of course, standard for open terrain is 45, the Lancelot mech has a great degree of horizontal mobility, being able to change direction almost instantly by taking brain signals and using them to send input to the limbs. It even has limited vertical mobility, being able to make small jumps, however, dashes are most effective, in a pinch the torso can rotate separately from the legs, for greater visual range.”\n\n\nThe general nods approvingly now, this is a good sign, we may despise each other but as long as he likes my weapon that doesn’t matter.\n\n\n“And what of the armament?”\n\n\nI smile, genuinely this time, here’s where it gets really good, the Lancelot is designed to be highly adaptable, this is why the exterior is fitted with numerous hard points to attach weapons two, as well as functional hands capable of utilizing specially designed firearms or very large melee weapons.”\n\n\n“Alright, sounds good.”\n\n\n“So, for example, you could fit a mech with a shield and equip it with a sword, we call that one the Crusader-Pattern Lancelot. Or swap out the sword for a spear and you get the Byzantine-Pattern Or you could stick an anti-tank cannon to it to engage demon mechanized forces. Or just cover the exterior with machines guns and watch imps die. My personal favorite is probably fitting multiple CLB-75’s to it and dousing entire enemy units in holy light. Unfortunately this is quite a drain on the mechs power system and even prayer can’t help you if you overload a fusion reactor with twenty high-powered light cannons.”\n\n\n“Dousing enemy units in holy light...”\n\n\n“We also have holy fire if that’s more your style. It can be refitted on the battlefield as long as there are Lancelot-compatible weapons in the area, so, your soldiers can try it out and decide what they want.”\n\n\nThe general is on board now, “And the training required?”\n\n\n“Ah, here’s a bit of a kicker, because of the highly reflexive nature of the Lancelot, and the dexterity required to operate it pilots have to have incredibly high reflexes and go through multiple physical regimes as well as combat training courses. However, if you are simply using the Lancelot as a more mobile artillery pieces any soldier can operate it, though for maximum effectiveness a trained pilot is suggested.”\n\n\nHe stares off, “Right then, how soon can we get these moving to the front?”\n\n\n“We’ve got 100 Lancelot-I mechs and 5 experimental Lancelot-II’s, one of which has been cleared for combat.”\n\n\nHe reaches out to shake my hand and then draws it back, “We’ll take the lot of em’ then.”\n\n\n“Excellent, we’ll be here working on more of these if you need us.”\n\n\nBefore he can get a last word in, I turn and stride away, already tapping at the blueprint of the Lancelot-III.\n\n\nHe can have his robots and I can have my factory, I have no intentions of speaking with him longer than I must.\n\n\nAnd it doesn’t matter, we have our parts to play and we will play them with diligence. I, the engineer of our victory, him the executioner." ]	[ 1, 2 ]	[ "1558564935", "1558571079" ]
	[WP] On birth everyone is given a surgery to embed a special augmented reality lens into their eye. What you see as an amazing world filled with endless possibilites suddenly turns into a destroyed fallout from a war once your lens malfunctions.	41	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "\"The World is far from perfect. But With Beaut-I, you can see the world through a whole new lens!\"\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt was a sentence we all had heard at some point. IntelliSys had pushed the limits of technology for thirty years, starting with bionic limbs, with bionic organs soon to follow. Then they dropped their most ambitious project yet; Beaut-I. Initially, it was used as a way to help people suffering from depression, a way for them to escape the harsh reality of life for a short time. But soon, the temptation of profits became too great for the shareholders of IntelliSys, who demanded that the product be made available to the general public. Within months, every person on the planet had one of these lenses. The surgery was difficult to perform, and hushed rumors said that the procedure could be lethal in adults. But, once these faceless voices were 'silenced' by IntelliSys, implanting the lens after birth was determined to be the safest way for a person to recieve these lenses.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nIt was almost too good to be true, really. People began opting in for their children to view the world the same way they did. And before long, every person on the planet was using Beaut-I. We had sprinted forward in the name of progress, but had stepped on a land mine just before the finish. With nobody able to see the consequences of their own actions, heads of state began secretly having their lenses removed, assuming they were the only ones to think of this path. Not long after, legions of IntelliSys androids began to enter the streets of third world countries, overthrowing the government and installing their own while the citizens watched and cheered, believing it to be a never-ending parade.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nOnce the third world was under the control of foreign bodies, the realization that these androids were aligned to no government spread amongst only the smallest of inner government circles. Soon, national governments believed nobody could be trusted, seeking to install their own world government and lead the masses to what they believed to be humanity's true destiny. War raged endlessly between the world powers, all battles being fought with IntelliSys technology. The world population was none the wiser, kept happy by their falsified reality, unaware that everything they loved was being taken by the very same company who gave them a way to escape hardship.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nI'm one of the lucky few to disable my lens. Tomorrow, we go for the head of the beast. We have been given a unique opportunity to show the world what is truly going on, and to send a message that will not be able to be changed by Beaut-I. Tomorrow, we fix the world.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\\--------TWO DAYS LATER--------\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"We interrupt this broadcast to bring you breaking news. An attempt was made on the life of the CEO of IntelliSys, Ethan Browden, during his speech to the hard working employees of an IntelliSys plant in Chicago. He survived the attack, and all five suspects are currently in custody, with charges of tampering with IntelliSys technology, attempted assassination of an important figure, and numerous other charges. The shooter, Martin Locke, was quoted during his arrest as claiming Beaut-I is 'tearing the world apart', and that Browden 'should be held accountable'. SysUpdate is relieved to say that Mr. Browden survived with minimal injuries, and would like to request all Beaut-I users to ensure they are using the latest firmware for their lens, with a brand new update being released later today.\"" ]	[ 1, 9 ]	[ "1558642590", "1558642739" ]
	[WP] You see everything that happens in this city. In fact, you've been a part of everything that has ever happened here, yet are never a main player. You are The Bystander.	6	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Many years ago, I was given a great gift and a great curse. I found the magic lamp in a storage room when I was on the run, and was told that whatever I wished for would have a consequence to match the reward.\n\nAt the time, the only thing I could think of was wanting to escape. I wanted to get the police off my tail so that I could live a free life. I’d only stolen that one car, and if I’d known it was the ambassador’s Bentley I would have picked a different car.\n\nI asked to become invisible, and I certainly got my wish. I could feel my body fading out of existence, and becoming...something else.\n\nI was no longer visible, but I was also no longer human. I was conscious, but I didn’t have a physical form anymore. My senses were still there, but different. I didn’t smell by breathing through my nose, but I was aware of the smells of the air around me. I didn’t have eyes to see through, but I could sense where everything was around me. It was a bit like a super-advanced radar system; I knew what was there and where it was, but only indirectly.\n\nIt took me a while to realize just how widely I could spread my presence. Within a few days, I could sense everything happening in the city from the big things to the tiny details. I knew that Leonard Andrews had murdered City Councilwoman Theresa Sanders, and I knew that her cat had drank less water than usual that morning. It wasn’t like I saw everything as individual events though. Basically, I was aware of everything that happened as it happened, but I had to really focus in on parts of the city to feel the events happening in real time.\n\nI had certainly managed to win my freedom, but at what cost? I knew what was happening around me, but couldn’t change anything.\n\nOne day, just as an experiment, I tried to focus all of my essence in one place. I picked an abandoned laundromat near where I grew up. If something weird happened when I tried to re-form, I wanted to make sure that I didn’t hurt anyone.\n\nI at least wanted to try to keep any possible damages to a minimum. I concentrated as hard as I could on my memories of the place. I focused on that washing machine that was fourth from the left when viewed from the street. It was just a little rusted-out on the left side. It was a distinguishing feature that I could hold on to in my head.\n\nI felt more...present. My senses sharpened so that it felt like I could actually sort of see myself. I was a swirling cloud of dust inside of an abandoned laundromat, but I was SOMETHING.\n\nI looked across the street and sparks flew throughout my semi-coalesced form. Not literal sparks, but something like an emotion I hadn’t felt in a long time.\n\nHope.\n\nI urged my consciousness forward to the brand-new copy shop across the street.\n\n———\n\n“And you’re telling me that you have no idea who left this note.” Detective Adrianna Lopez was not in the mood for messing around. She’d been assigned to the highest-profile murder in the city, and she was determined to find out what happened to the Councilwoman.\n\nHer search had brought her to an out-of-the-way copy shop in a bad part of town. The owner’s English wasn’t great, but Adrianna had a job to do.\n\n“No person. Just...wind. And letter.” The owner of the store had sweat pouring down his face, and Adrianna could see his pulse hammering in the exposed arteries on his neck.\n\n“May I see the letter?” she said, without the edge in her voice that she’d had before.\n\nThe man didn’t reply, but handed her a sheet of regular copy paper. On the front side, the letter was made out to her, sort of.\n\n_To: City Police_ was written on the front in black Sharpie.\n\nAdrianna flipped over the letter.\n\n_Your investigation is looking in the wrong places. Check the records for the catering company for the Councilwoman’s birthday party. Look into their owner Leonard Andrews. You will not be disappointed._\n\n_Sincerely,\nThe Bystander_\n__________________\nIf you liked this, check out my new subreddit! r/NicodemusLux" ]	[ 1, 3 ]	[ "1558646622", "1558648340" ]
	[WP]In every situation, by pure coincidence a fitting music plays. As a Secret agent you have mastered the art of prediction based off music by now.	6	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "The sun was shining on the East Lawn. \n\"Eagle ready to move,\" I said into the mouthpiece that attached to the cord that snaked its way down to the radio on my hip. On the opposite hip was the pistol. I'd never needed to fire it. \nThe Music was playing, as always. This morning, in the shower, it'd been the usual, a ditty from Sesame Street that had accompanied every shower I'd ever taken. It barely registered anymore; I'd found a way to block it out, most of the time.\nI knew I'd met the woman I'd marry, the first time I saw her. The Marriage of Figaro had danced in my head, and every time I looked at her a new love song played. At our wedding all I heard was bells. \nOver time, the music had changed. Not the old music, not the Sesame Street song. But I stopped hearing songs I knew. Now I just heard music: the music of the people around me, a score for the life I lived, for the lives of the people around me. \n\"Move Eagle,\" came the reply. \n\"Mr. President, it's time for your speech,\" I said to the boss, and moved up with him, took my place behind and to the right. \nHe started to speak. There was a crowd of journalists in front of him, a crowd of supporters behind. \nHe started his speech. \nI listened to the music then. I didn't like this man, I didn't like his speeches. They were full of rhetoric and guile, and I knew that in the neighborhoods, out in the country, the rhetoric was falling flat. His policies were hurting people. The news talked about it every day. \nMy job, though, was to protect this man. So I listened to the music. \nIt was brassy today. Brassy, and drumbeats. There were proud, swelling strings, and in the background almost indistinct chants. It was a populist song, a rising tenor that seemed almost to match the words I half heard from behind the podium. \nThis was going well, then. The music tracked with the man, bold and strong, growing and swelling. \nGrowing. \nGrowing louder. The chants came to the fore, buoyed by the brass and strings, held by the drum beats. \nThe brass dropped off. \nChanting! Drums! Strings!\nDrums. A martial beat. \nI looked around. The Eagle spoke. \nThe back of his head exploded and spattered me with blood. \nThe music swelled to a triumphant crescendo and I realized at that moment, for the first time, that I had misread the music. \nDown Pennsylvania Avenue marched a vast army of the poor and beleaguered, chanting as their leader walked to the podium. \nAs I was shot by the partisans, I listened to the trumpets blaze out their defiance. \nThe music, after all, had never lied to me." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1558648697", "1558662256" ]
	[WP] Whenever you touch the weapon of a fallen soldier, you see their last memories. One day while at a museum, you see a strange weapon clearly ancient but in perfect condition unlike any other weapon here, even the staff cannot explain its origin. You were given permission to touch it.	12	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I look at what they bring me. \"You're joking, yes?\". The director looks at me. \"We are joking, no. The weapon was found as you see it.\"\n\nThe grass has died. The earth around the weapon is dessicated. Powdery. \"It's not a diorama?\"\n\n\"No.\"\n\n\"The provenance is clear? It is ancient?\"\n\n\"Yes and yes. I understand your disbelief, but it is as described, an ancient weapon, found in unusual circumstances. So unusual, that we're keeping the details secret until we have multiple confirmations. You have accurately described the circumstances of every weapon for which we had independent confirmation. We've also put a few in for which we did not have independent confirmation. You have provided invaluable insight. Now this. As you can see, the weapon itself is untarnished, no visible damage, even under magnification.\"\n\n\"You must know what it looks like. No one is going to believe it, no matter what the circumstances are.\"\n\n\"We are painfully aware of this. If it were not for the circumstances, we would have discarded it as a very poor joke. Please, tell us what you see.\"\n\nI reach out and grasp the handle. I'm enveloped in an incredible scene. Huge beings. Massive explosions. Screaming warriors in many sizes. Without my prior experience, I would be lost. I can sense my self, distantly, talking about what I'm seeing. The battle has been raging for eternity. They feast at night, and fight all day. Only this time, something is different. It is not stopping. This is Ragnarok. Many great heroes have already fallen. We are losing. One last throw of the dice. A blinding white light. Then darkness.\n\nI come back. It's much harder. My vision slowly returns. I'm still in the museum. Alone. The room is smokey. I finally make out the scorch marks on everything that was sharp. The weapon. It's Mjolnir. It's in my hand. Feeling light as a feather.\n\nFrom a distance, \"Mr. Siegfried? Have you returned to us?\" Yes, that was my name. \"I'm back. It is ... reasonably safe.\" The director walks in normally. The others are timid and wary.\n\n\"A most impressive display. Unfortunately, we had to retreat. I think you can see why.\" I nod. \"It also destroyed our recording instruments. What can you tell us?\"\n\nHe knows who's hammer this is. He can't not know it! \"It's Mjolnir. As you suspected. I think that's pretty well confirmed. There was a massive battle. The realization that it was finally Ragnarok. The battle was going poorly. So many great heroes dead. A choice in the moment, one last throw of the dice. A blinding white light. Then, nothing.\"\n\n\"I see that you are holding it. Without strain.\"\n\n\"Doctor... I don't think I can put it down.\" I force my hand open. The hammer remains in my palm. \"I think I'm needed.\"", "There was a time when fallen angels walked the Earth. They still do, but back then they were more visible and more present. They took wives from among mankind and sired giants, carnivorous creatures called Nephilim. If the Flood had not wiped out most of humanity, the Nephilim would have done it. \n\nThe sword I am touching tells me these tales. When the fallen angels were taking wives, God did not abandon his own. He sent an angel, carrying this sword, to the righteous. This is the sword that cut through Nephilim and fallen angel alike and protected the line of Seth down to Noah, when God at last told Noah, \"Leave the sword behind. You will need it no longer.\" \n\nI let it go of the sword. I look at the point that's sharp enough to make a statement. The blade so sleek that blood doesn't stick but slides right off of it. I'm breathing a little harder than usual, still shaken by my vision of the fallen angels and the Nephilim. They were terrifying. I could not imagine the bravery of the righteous men who held this sword to fight them.\n\n\"Are you okay?\" one of the museum assistants ask me. \n\nI shake off their look of concern and reply, \"Yeah.\"\n\n\"So, do you know where the sword is from? Or what it was used for?\"\n\nI nod. I know the answer to both, but I doubt he'll believe me. \n\nBut he already has his phone out, and he's calling someone. \"Yeah,\" he says into it. \"We have confirmation. He knows...\" He pauses and looks at me.\n\n\"Everything,\" I tell him.\n\n\"Everything,\" he repeats, listening for a few seconds to the voice on the other end of the line before nodding and passing me the phone.\n\n\"So,\" starts the voice on the other end, \"please, whatever you can tell us will be helpful. Do you know where the sword is from and what it does?\" \n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"Where?\"\n\n\"From Heaven. From God.\"\n\nThe assistant looks at me. I see the skepticism in his eyes and I hear it in the voice of the man on the other end as he hesitates, then asks me his next question:\n\n\"And...what was it used for?\"\n\n\"To protect the righteous.\"\n\n\"From who?\"\n\n\"Fallen angels and Nephilim.\" \n\n\"Oh. Interesting. Well, thank you for your time. Youve been extremely cooperative and helpful. Please give the phone back to my assistant.\"\n\nI hand it over. The assistant presses the phone to his ear, halfway turned away from me, as he whispers words so rapidly theyre almost unintelligible.\n\nI start to leave. Once I saw the vision, I knew they wouldn't believe me. These are men of science, not of faith. I was once one, too. That is until I started seeing these visions. But I didn't get paid to convince them that what I saw, and say, are true. \n\n\"Excuse me,\" the assistant calls.\n\nI turn back, thinking him or his boss needs to ask me another question about my vision.\n\nInstead, I see a gun.\n\nAnd the assistant, standing behind it, asks:\n\n\"Where do you think you're going?\"" ]	[ 1, 2, 5 ]	[ "1558691298", "1558709986", "1558696818" ]
Death comes for everyone and everything.	[WP] Armageddon complete, one of the Four Horsemen turns to the other three. Without humanity to war, starve, or pollute; it is finally time for War, Famine, & Pestilence to themselves face Death.	339	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. 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Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "With a soft but shrill whisper Death addressed the other Horsemen saying \"We four have finally reaped what we have so diligently sown. Now the day of reckoning has come. Which of us shall lay claim to the throne of the Underworld! How shall-\" War interrupted with his mighty booming voice, \"A trial by combat is the only way to decide. We four have come to far to allow this matter to be decided by vote.\" Pestilence nodded \"It is only right that we settle things as we began them. It will be a great battle the likes of which the world has never seen\" she said gasping between words. Famine stood silent, his wide, staring off into the vast wasteland they had worked to destroy for so many centuries. A planer hell-scape, paved with the blood of Gods own creation. They had finally completed their mission, they had finally wiped the human race from existence. Every city, land mark, person, place ,and thing was erased; as if it had never been created. All that were left were the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and now it was time to decide who would rule over this plane.\n\nWar raised his fist and boomed once more, \"Let us fight with honor then, and decide the victor of our age old tale!\" Just then the fabled Excalibur rose from the earth and ascended to his palm. \"Fill your hands! Our final war must-\" He was cut short by a blade whose edge pierced the center of his back just missing his heart. Pestilence stood behind him and whispered softly into his ear \"The time now is for actions not words great inflated one.\" She drew the sword from his spine as War, now unable to speak, gathered his composure and drew his sword. Death stood hand extended as if he was summoning a celestial being, a ritual seal appeared before him as disembodied hands and arms rose from the ground revealing Death's Scythe, his only possession. War mustered up all of his strength and charged Pestilence, swinging his sword from the 4 o'clock position diagonally upward across his body while with his off balling a fist. Pestilence took a step back and parried his sword but was met on the other side of the strike with a blow to the head. Death flew in from 9 o'clock and greeted War with a well timed slice, but War was able to minimize the damage by jamming the broad side of his sword between his body and Death's cold blade.\n\n The fight between the three raged on, but Famine still remained staring, his eyes welling with tears. All the centuries of murdering the poor mortals was over, all the torment and agony he caused them brought him such joy. There was nothing left for him to be proud of, no more civilization to be expunged from reality and be left entirely to historical knowledge. Why would he want to rule over a plane with nothing for him to torment? Famine stood from the kneeling position he took earlier and looked around. 50 yards before him his 3 companions were engaging in the battle to end all battles, and as he looked on he had a thought. I have never suffered, I refuse to suffer. He started to walk toward the scene where the battle was taking place, attempting to time his steps with the perfect opportunity to get a clean swing. He began murmuring to himself picking up speed with each step, his eyes glued to Death \"Quick and painless, quick and painless.\" He repeated over and over as the 50 yards became 10 feet Famine threw himself just as Death drew back his scythe, Famine's neck lay right in the path of his blade. Before the blade could meet his flesh a sharp pain arose from his ribs as Pestilence drove her dagger deep into his lungs, instantaneously filling them with his own blood. War then connected as well skewering Famine through his pelvic region. He wasn't dead yet. Pain and agony shot through his whole body, letting it's presence be known by the blood curdling screams that exited Famines blood filled mouth. \"NO PLEASE NOT PAIN, PLEASE, NO IT HURTS!!! KILL ME PLEASE KILL ME!\" he gargled, screaming for relief in any form. His eyes were wide and he searched their faces for an ounce of sympathy, but there was none to be found. A smirk streaked across Pestilence's face. \"Why certainly Famine, why didn't you ask sooner.\" Pestilence took her dagger and twisted it within Famine's lungs making his already filling lungs unable to hold any oxygen. War flipped him over and watched Famine slide the length of his sword until finally he fell and met the earth. Attempting to gasp for a breath famine still searched their faces for any sign that this torment might end. The two chuckled watching the life leave his eyes so furiously, they watched intently for his final moment. Death's job was easy now, he only needed one clean swing.", "Three stood in silence as they watched their friend roam in search of the last humans. They watched as the world they'd been born into crumble because of them. They all reminisce about the day they became the Horsemen, and how they didn't expect the consequences of such a title.\n\n◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇\n\n\"Want to be a Horseman?\" Death, her birth name long lost even from herself, had asked the three friends she had in high school, \"The only rule is that if we all spawn, the apocalypse starts.\" The three had readily agreed to take on the title, having thought that at least one of them would never spawn in their lifetime.\n\nWar now took the form of a skinny, 5'5\" tall girl with hazel eyes and short brown hair.\n\nFamine's new form was of a scrawny, 5'3\" tall Native American boy with brown eyes and long, dark brown hair.\n\nPestilence, now a thin, 5'0\" tall girl with black eyes and long black hair with blonde tips.\n\nDeath took the form of a chubby, 5'6\" tall girl with short, artificial red hair and hazel eyes.\n\n◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇\n\nAs Death strode up to her friends, she offered them a sorrowful expression. They knew that their work was done. Humanity has fallen, and the planet could now reclaim its former glory. They knew that nobody, not even the children they'd spawned, nor the people they once loved, could have possibly survived.\n\nAll four Horsemen were sorrowful, for the task they were given was not meant to be enjoyable... or rather, as enjoyable as they'd originally thought.\n\nHow could any of them think such a task enjoyable?\n\nSuch a question could be answered if anyone had watched Pestilence consume the bodies that War and Famine had left in their wake. Or if anyone watched Death's sanity slip as she finished off the old, young, and innocent. Or even if one had seen Famine please himself with the desperate as a \"trade\" before Death finished them off as well. Perhaps if they'd watched War influence people to fight for their lives like an enslaved Gladiator.\n\nThey enjoyed playing out their darkest fantasies until they realized that even their families weren't safe. Until Death came for their loved ones and children.\n\nThey all were sorrowful, but not all for the same reasons. Famine, War, and Pestilence because of the loss of their families. Death because of the coming loss of her friends.\n\n\"Without humanity to fight, starve, or pollute...\" Death started off, her voice cracking somewhat. Her eyes were glued to the ground; unsure of how to continue. The roaring of flames and collapsing buildings filling in the silence until she found the words and confidence to speak again, \"... there are three humans left for me to face.\"\n\nTears rolled down her cheeks as she looked back up at her old friends. Only War had seen her cry, and those were exceedingly rare occasions. Now the three had seen such a thing, and terror shot through them.\n\n\"I'm sorry,\" Death whimpered before her hand reached toward War's forehead. War stepped back before Death's fingers could even brush the skin of her forehead. She knew what her touch could do, and she wished such a fate to never come to herself.\n\n\"Don't make this harder than it already is.\"\n\n\"What the hell else am I supposed to do?! It's bad enough that we had to end all of humanity, but you have to end us too?!\" War screamed as frustration and fear revealed themselves in her voice. Famine and Pestilence stayed silent, facing each other as if they were having a silent conversation with each other, as if they were debating on whether or not they would allow this to be their fate.\n\n\"War-\"\n\n\"Don't call me that! You know my real name! You know that we're just people, just as those who we've killed!\"\n\n\"Then what is your name?\"\n\nDeath's question came as a surprise to the three, but especially War.\n\n\"What is your name, War?!\"\n\nWar's mouth opened as if to answer, but quickly closed as she had nothing to say. She tried again and again to answer Death's question, but the truth was soon revealed to her. She didn't remember her birth name, nor the names of her friends.\n\n\"We've lost our names. We lost them the minute we became the Horsemen.\"\n\n\"How? It hasn't been very long since-\"\n\n\"It's been centuries, War.\"\n\n\"Don't call me that!\"\n\n\"You have no other name! We have no other names than what we've become.\"\n\nPestilence took a step toward Death, her gaze meeting the taller woman's eyes, whose attention was focused on War.\n\n\"Why haven't we aged? Why has it felt like only days when it's really been as long as you say?\" Pestilence's voice was almost as small as her stature, but Death heard it nonetheless.\n\n\"Because, until our task is complete... we are immortals.\"\n\nSuch a statement could be laughable to say the least, but at this moment, it wasn't. They knew that Death was serious.\n\n\"And the three of us are human again... aren't we?\" Pestilence asked with the very same calm tone that was used in her previous question.\n\nDeath could only nod, and more tears made themselves known.\n\nPestilence then took hold of Death's wrist and placed her hand on her own head. The last thing she could do before all light left her eyes was say, \"I'm sorry too.\"\n\nPestilence's body then dropped to the ground, leaving Death's arm outstretched in the very same position it'd been placed in.\n\nA scream ripped through the silence, and it came from War.\n\n\"Why did you let her do that?!\"\n\nDeath sighed softly, and her gaze moved to Famine. His expression was calmer than Death would have liked, and what became more unsettling for Death was the small smile that now curved his lips.\n\n\"It was nice knowing you, dude. Make sure to use my skull as a chalice like you always said you would,\" he said in the calmest tone he could muster, and he reached out his hand for Death to shake.\n\nDeath almost broke down, but her lips formed into a friendly smile to match Famine's, \"I promise. I'm glad to call you my best friend.\"\n\nShe reached her hand out again, and took his, pulling him closer and wrapping her other arm around his shoulder. The colour soon drained from his face and he too, collapsed to the ground.\n\nFinally, Death turned to War.\n\n\"You know what has to be done,\" Death whispered to her friend.\n\n\"No... it doesn't have to be this way,\" War whimpered as her arms crossed, and her hands held to the opposite's attachment with a desperate wish.\n\n\"It does, and you know it.\"\n\nWar shook her head and stepped back again. Her own cheeks staining with tears, just like Death's tears had done for herself.\n\n\"Just one last hug.\"\n\n\"NO!\" War's voice was becoming hoarse.\n\n\"War...\"\n\n\"NO!\" War shut her eyes and shook her head as she stepped further back.\n\nDeath hated it, but she took the opportunity when War closed her eyes. She pulled her sobbing friend into an embrace.\n\n\"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry,\" Death whispered in War's ear.\n\nWar's breath quickly faded, and she too collapsed to the ground; leaving Death alone in their now barren world.\n\nDeath fell to her knees and held her head in her hands, sobbing harder than she'd ever done in her long, long life. She'd lost her friends, her family, her human life.\n\n◇ ◇ ◇ ◇ ◇\n\nAs the centuries passed, Death found that she would never be released from her ironically endless life. She began to follow the world as it rebuilt itself. Plants and animals had survived the apocalypse, as such a punishment was only for the humans. The world began to prosper once again, and even creatures that humans once believed as myth came to be.\n\nDeath had buried her friends and gave them a respectful ceremony; marking their graves so that she may visit them whenever she wished. She would forever miss them dearly, and every visit would bring tears; as she knew that they were only there because of her.", "They had wished Death would have her way with them, it would be much easier for all four of them this way.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThe moment Heaven and Hell settled their dispute in this plane of existence, they left the aspects. No pompous farewell, no ceremony, not a single word. Four of them left on their own, Death decided to draw her scythe against her sisters. This was the last thing any of them could do.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"Four Horsemen of Apocalypse\". What a vain and puny name those mortals chose. They didn't need no horses. They were always there; no need for any mean of transportation. Apocalypse? By that humans tried to imply that sisters were specifically designed to end them, but they were always there. \n\n\"Aspect\" is much more fitting. Simply crystallisation of an idea. Neat, humble. That's how they reffered to themselves as a whole.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nBut that was the root of their torment. Death sheared through War's torso, just to see the wound mend instantly. Shocked for the very first time since times immemorial, she looked into her victim eyes, burning with cold fury.\n\n\"This never happened before. How...\" Death left her mouth agape, then it struck them all almost instantaneously.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nYou can't just kill War. The act sparked conflict - a notion on which War was feeding. Even if shredded to pieces, a single tiniest bit of quarrel reverted her to normal state. And neither War nor Conquest did want to die.\n\nFamine didn't care much about dying. There was barely anything that kept her focus for longer than few seconds throughout the eons, and ceasing to exist didn't bother her in the slightest. Once struck by Death, she didn't come back for some while, but sooner or later she always did, as her other sisters were starving and longing for anything to put their minds to.\n\nConquest's rule was the trickiest to bypass. Not a pestilence - she embodied any and all kinds of agression or greed; be it sourced from humans or microbes, all living things gave her her \"food\" as a tribute. Even when Death, strongest of them, chose to end her, the situation itself empowered Conquest.\n\nObviously, you can't kill Death as well. Not that she didn't try. She attempted to put herself out of misery in many ways, just to be standing all well few moments later.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nAnd so they spent another millenia in the void that once was the Earth, shambling around the obsidian-like ground, unlit by anything. They weren't really thrilled doing their duty back when mankind was around, but at least they got to do something.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nThen, at one random moment in millenia of millenia, Pestilence spoke for the first time in ever:\n\n\"Why don't we create for a change?\"\n\nThis was madly ingenious for the other three. The idea of stopping the boredom, even for a while, made them interested to say the least.\n\nAfter few years spent on defining technicalities, aspect tried to make something for the first time in their lifespan. But to build someting the needed material; they weren't those deities that have forsaken them.\n\nEach one of them stripped themselves from their powers, aside from immortality (This meta-aspect was really hard-stuck to them) and let said powers to merge.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nRaw energy whirred, as if thinking what form to take. Finally, two shilouettes emerged from the light - of a man and a woman.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n\"We gave you the life and opportunities to eat, breed, desire, hate and take each other's lives. Those gifts are for you to use and we will neither jugde nor intervene\" sisters spoke in unison to the first new people.\n\n\"But where's the catch?\" Conquest's spark surged through a man, making him ask a question he didn't fully understand yet.\n\n\"There is none. You simply exist for our entertainment.\"", "War stood in the middle of the battlefield, watching the stormy sky as rain lashed down on his face. \n\n\"So that's it, isn't it?\"\n\n\"Well, not yet,\" said Death.\n\nThe cracked ground shook as the water crashed the bay nearby, but through it all, War didn't smile anymore at the destruction, but instead felt pain. Being born into Armageddon, he was only given one task, to destroy humanity, but with the mission done, he felt empty.\n\n\"I have already finished Famine and Pestilence, it's over, War, it's time to go home,\" Death said.\n\nBut they both knew home wasn't gonna be their destination, all the four horsemen knew they were puppets of Satan. They were only used to ensure the end would occur, and like the humans, they would go down with it.\n\n\"But there must be a way out, right? If we die, we'll never go back.\"\n\nDeath wished to agree, but there was an instinct, a voice behind Death's head that told him he had to continue. He raised his scythe, closed his eyes, and slashed down on War. Death stood for a minute, watching his brother calmly accept his fate. Through all the screams of man, through all the suffering Death had to witness, he finally felt at peace.\n\nAnd one last time, Death raised his scythe...", "We take turns looking at the motorcycle coming our way. \n\n“Well—War. It’s been an honour working with you. Maybe I’ll see you in the underworld.”\n\n“You, too, Famine.” War clenches his hands and pats me on the shoulder. The motorcycle grew closer. \n\n“We all knew this would happen. We just didn’t want to—“ Pestilence coughs “—want to accept it. I suppose Satan played us all. Except for—“ cough cough “—Death.”\n\n“I think you’re right.” War says. I look at the stores to our right. The only gas station for miles in this desert. Now it’s just an ancient ruin. No one will see it anymore.\n\n“Well, we succeeded.” Pestilence smiles a grim smile and shrugs. \n\n“I guess.” She coughs again. “Oh well. I’ve enjoyed my millennia with you two. Hope you guys end up with each other in the underworld. I’ll put a recommendation in for you—War—for other future battles.” \n\nDeath rides quickly toward us and skids to a stop. My jaw clenches. War squeezes my hand. \n\n“Someone order a pizza?” He chuckles. \n\n“Just kill us already, Death!” Pestilence groans. \n\n“Gosh you sound like a depressed fifteen year old. Someone’s been on 2meirl4meirl!” He laughs a dry laugh as dust comes out of his skull face. \n\n“Not funny.” I mutter. \n\nPestilence steps forward. \n\n“Have fun in Personal Relations!” I call it to her as Death raises his gun and BAM! \n\nNext is War. I kiss him on the cheek as he walks over to Death, as well. BAM! \n\nI walk forward and close my eyes. Death opens up his gun. \n\n“Aww, crap man. I’m outta bullets.” He laughs hysterically. I’ve never liked Death. He’s super annoying. \n\n“So?”\n\n“Haha! So looks like we’re stuck here.”\n\n“Wait how would you have gone back?” I look at the ash piles of my friends. \n\n“I wasn’t going to. You know I’m an introvert! Haha, Satan promised me a mansion about a couple miles that way. I was going to stay there for eternity until new humans evolved.” He shoots me a grin and then hops on his motorcycle. \n\n“You can’t just leave me!”\n\n“Yes, I can. Smell ya later, sweetie.” \n\nMy stomach growls. Death and Famine are still on the earth, I guess. But War and Pestilence aren’t. Huh. Who would’ve thought?", "War looked up at me. It was chilling. Since he was born, he'd existed in a bloody rage. Now, he couldn't be calmer. He was smiling, his eyes hooded and sleepy. Soot and ash in his hair, blood spattered over his face, and a casual smile...surreal. \"Are you ready, Uriel?\"\n\nWar nodded. \"I'm ready, brother. I've had my fill, I've had my fun. It's been an honor and a pleasure riding out alongside you.\"\n\nI chewed the inside of my lip as I raised my scythe. \"No, brother,\" I whispered. \"The honor was mine.\" I wouldn't argue the pleasure, but seeing him at peace was worth it. \n\nSwing. Uriel's body evaporated as his essence rose. His blood sizzled on my scythe for a few moments as I turned to Famine.\n\nAgain, I had to compose myself. Sarathiel was already on his knees, waiting expectantly. \"Are...are you ready?\"\n\nA curt nod. His sallow, sunken features were satisfied. Fulfilled. \"Take me, brother. My job is done.\"\n\nI couldn't believe I was doing this. We were not much younger than time itself. Born moments after Adam took the offered fruit, we entered Heaven as sin entered the world. I raised my scythe and murmured, \"Be at peace, brother.\"\n\nSwing.\n\nPestilence was last. \"Stand,\" I told her, letting the tears flow at last. I know not whether they were tears of grief, or of fear, or of guilt. I was simply exhausted. Kushiel understood. We embraced, and I began in earnest to sob. What came next, we knew, was not death as the mortals experienced it, but the beginning of something so new and awesome that we could not fully imagine it. For a time we wept. With Kushiel I felt I could weep--so often we'd cried together after plagues and the like. She hated her job like I hated mine, though we were honored above most to have them.\n\n\"I am ready, Samael,\" she whispered. \n\n\"I am not,\" I replied.\nWe stood for a time longer, then I raised my scythe to the back of her neck. A sharp enough tug would behead us both. \"I am ready, sister.\"\n\n\"Then do it.\"\n\nI did.\n\nAnd then, there was Light.", "\"Best two out of three?\" asked Pestulence with a nervous grin, sullied only by his crooked and wormy grin.\n\n\"This isn't a bar bet,\" scoffed Death. \"Creation is over. It's done.\"\n\n\"Why not,\" interjected War, adding \"we fight for our freedom?\" Already his eyes were glowing red hot with the flames of war, his heart pounding like a battle drum beaten by a battle-worn soldier waiting for the word to attack.\n\n\"Freedom to where?\" asked Death. \"You seem to be missing the part where the world is over. Your services are no longer required.\"\n\n\"Yo,\" said Famine, \"Anyone else hungry? I could go for some shawarma before we die.\"\n\nThe four horsemen sat in silence on the backs of their demon horses who trotted back and forth impatiently.\n\n\"Well,\" Death said with a long sigh. \"Fine.\"", "War opened her eyes. The landscape was desolate, a stark change from what it had been when she and her Siblings had been released. Tellus, Earth as the local mortals had called it, was no more. Its once green foliage and azure oceans had been wiped clean. All that remained was the hot furnaces spewing fire and brimstone into the air and the hardened black surfaces she and her two sisters stood on. The final alter towered above them, a black pyramid with a flat top. Its only background was the red star Sol, once the yellow jewel of the system. Twenty One enormous obsidian stairs flanked by columns at every level led to the top. While they had once climbed the first seven of those stairs with ease in their early days, their reduction in power now meant they could not even climb the first.\n\nShe turned to look at them, the Two who stood a short ways from her. Famine still had a touch of her power. All she needed was hunger to maintain herself, and as War had not fought in what seemed to be centuries Famine had found a minuscule amount of energy to harvest in her own Sister. She continued to fiddle with her scales, stopping to glance at War occasionally or feign concern over her black beast of a mount. Not that any of their steeds needed food or water, or were even alive for that matter. Their sustenance was the same as their Harbinger's. Famine's only interest now would be to stay near War, her last available form of sustenance.\n\nPestilence was a different story. With no living creature left in the universe, she had no crops to devour. There was no water to taint, nor organism to infect. Her bow and quiver sat silently on the ground by her knees, and she had not summoned her steed in over a millennia. Time had not been kind to Pestilence, but she could not leave this existence yet. She was too weak to call out as she once had, screaming for relief. For the only one who could wipe her from this plane.\n\nFor their Brother.\n\nIt had been a true millennia ago since War had seen him. Once they had begun the tempest of the Apocalypse in earnest, two other sides had sought to intervene and save the mortals. Heaven and Hell, two sides of the same coin, had sought to stop them. Angels and Fallen Angles, Seraphim and Cherubim, Demons and Nephilim entered the field seeking to protect the Father's creation they relied on. But in entering the mortal plane, those Beings had both weakened and exposed themselves to the Harbingers. Pestilence took particular delight in reducing immortal beings to sobbing piles of flesh. Infection by deadly disease was not pretty, but being unable to die from it was horrific. The battles between the Harbingers and the rest of existence also empowered War. Gosh were those the days, so steeped in power was she that no being wanted to face her. The screams of Angels and Demons soon joined the cries of Mortals. But no cry or prayer for salvation could save them. Eventually their remains were strewn side by side throughout the planet.\n\nThe last to three to fall of the Tellus campaign, a mortal, Satan, and the Son, rested beneath the obsidian alter. The surviving immortals fled to the stars, and as life began to depart the world, so too did they as Harbingers. Their steeds would ferry them across the void, seeking other existences in the universe to consume. Hunting the remaining immortals. Feeding their power. As time passed, however, their brother would force them to return, one by one, to Tellus. To live at the altar. His power had grown, and as they gazed up into the void they had once so easily traveled, the pinpricks of light they had galloped past began to wink out. Then Sol, the last light in the sky, was extinguished.\n\nAll that remained was darkness, and the fires of Tellus.\n\nAnd finally, He returned.\n\nDeath, the Last Horseman, their Brother, stood before them. She had not even seen or sensed his coming. He and his steed towered above them, indicative of the overwhelming power he now possessed. His black robe consumed light around him, but his scythe was nowhere to been seen. She tried to meet his gaze, but his eyes made her sick. They were immensely deep, black orbs ringed in white. She felt like nothing could escape them. War wanted to unsheathe her sword, to have one final battle, the final struggle she had been awaiting. But gazing up at him now, she knew he would swat her aside as she had done others at the height of her power. She was nothing now.\n\nHe passed between War and Famine, beckoning them to follow. He approached Pestilence, lifting her from the ground and cradled her in his arms. And then he stood on the first step of the altar. A surge of power left Death, dispersing through the obsidian alter. Pestilence's eyes flew open, her eyes shining with white light. Her body became ringed with it, glowing in the darkness. Death dropped her, but as War was about to cry out, Pestilence hovered, suspended by some power above the single stair. Death turned to his sister,\n\n\"Are you ready?\"\n\nHe gave her no time to reply as he abruptly ascended to the second stair. War was immediately engulfed in another surge of power. She slowly rose into the air, her back arched, arms extended diagonally downwards and legs slightly overlapping. Red light began to surround her as she slowly began to hover. The light coursed through her, finally surging one last time and igniting her eyes with red light, shining out as they once had during her height. Her glory was restored, but as she had no knowledge of what was happening, she asked,\n\n\"Brother, what is this? What is happening\"\n\n\"This is the beginning.\" He replied, \"This is the beginning, of the End.\"" ]	[ 1, 1, 3, 4, 5, 9, 14, 58, 58 ]	[ "1558717191", "1558743452", "1558745982", "1558744712", "1558744546", "1558720121", "1558741542", "1558722188", "1558729930" ]
	[WP] Upon entering a "magic" school, you gradually realize you are the only capable of performing real magic. Everyone else are absolutely fakers.	30	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "I think I started to notice when everyone else's familiar seemed to be an absolute idiot.\n\nMy cat familiar, Voidwalker (she picked the name), absolutely hated the other animals there. Every other cat she deemed brainless. I disregarded her claims, but I found them odd- at home she was very sweet. Here she only liked me.\n\nMy second tip-off was during an illusionary class. I've never been the best caster in my family, I'll admit, but even my teacher seemed impressed. Maybe she wasn't used to it, on second thought- i swear, I saw a student slip his mouse into his hat when he made it vanish.\n\nMy third tip was hanging out in the dorms after my first day. I sat with VW on an armchair, lookinf at something, when I heard a couple kids come through. They were chatting over how they hod their small animals- up sleeves, in hats, any way other than literally making the poor creature vanish into thin air. I remember giving a sign and leaving, but I was stopped by one of the kids. He asked how I did it!\n\nI remember I stared at him for a moment, bewildered, before moving back out and starting to the head of the dorm's office. I wanted to clear something up, damnit.", "\"Amazing, how did you do that?\" asked a freshman.\n\n\"Well it's not that hard, is it? Casting fire is one of the first things i learnt once i mastered the heat magic and the manipulation of the vibration of molecules\"\n\nFive seconds of silence. Then everyone craked up. I started laughing with them, unsure of the reason. An older student patted me on the back \"You're awesome, new student\". The fuss was interrupted by the bell.\n\nDuring lunchtime, i was approached by a seniour.\n\n\"What's up\"\n\n\"Oh, hello\"\n\n\"So, tell me...Where did you find the X-Fuel? that combustible is very rare. Do you have any left?\"\"What are you talking about?\"\"Oh come on, i won't tell anyone. Look, if i pay you in advance, could you give me what is left of it? I'll pay you big money i promise, i need it for...\"\n\n\"Look man\" i interrupted him \"I have no idea what you're talking about. The spell i performed this morning is a really basic fire casting and i learnt it when i was five. Now, if you'd be so kind to let me finish my lunch...\"\n\nShortly afterwards i went to the bathroom to brush my teeth.\n\n\"HOLD HIM!\"Before i knew it i was grabbed by two big students\n\n\"What the hell do you want from me, let me go!\"\n\nThe two guys started touching my arms\n\n\"Boss, we can't find it\"\n\n\"Where is the Y-Flame?\" Said this other dude.\n\n\"The what?\"\n\n\"Don't play games. That flamethrower is extremely rare and i spent the last ten years looking for it. If someone is supposed to have it, that is me.\"\n\n\"If you don't let me go right now, i'll send you to the moon\". I was starting to get annoyed.\n\nThe guys started giggling\n\n\"You should have brought the A-Machine for that\" said one of them locking the bathroom door.\n\nSuddenly it came to me: all these people weren't performing magic, they were just using trickery.\n\n\"Alright, bye bye\" I said teleporting the whole school to space.\n\nMaybe i exaggerated...nah, i'll bring them back when they have finished the D-Oxygen. If there's such a thing, of course.", "Royal Blue, the ivy league of magic schools, rested flatly on the plane of desert. The sand extended for miles, and the vision would blur upon looking. The sun shone hard on the winning Royal Blue slopetops -- they gleamed effortlessly. What winning architecture, I thought, does tradition justice. \n\nIn my mind, the school stands thus. \n\nIn my mind, I declare it needless to destroy. My reverence for it shall remain intact. Though, would you blame me? If say I had destroyed it? This institution? It is false, totally phoney. Okay no, the teachers do their best, but the student body is I mean. Not talented.\n\nTo think no one could actually make a spell, I mean, a real original spell. Now that's magic!agic subsists on practice, genuinity, honor. The recognition of good work. \n\nI was, turns out, the only one. Dumbledizzy told me I was brilliant. \n... Said the rest didn't know. \"They'd be jealous of you,\" he said, and at that moment I got real tired. \n\nIt's a burden." ]	[ 1, 5, 5, 6 ]	[ "1558753750", "1558756037", "1558805693", "1558757460" ]
[removed]	[WP] You are trapped in a video game. You fall in love and decide this is your new home pretending to be the inn keeper. One day travelers arrive and you notice they are actually players. They still think you are an NPC. Should you tell them? Would you be able to stop them if they are murder-hobos?	2	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "Hi u/Medpac76, this submission has been removed.\n\n[Direct prompt replies must be good-faith attempts at new stories or poems](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_1.3A_direct_prompt_replies_must_be_good-faith_attempts_at_new_stories_or_poems)\n\n- Fill-in-the-blank: Responses must be at least 100 words. This is essentially a fill-in-the-blank, or you asked a question likely to generate a simple answer. Prompts should encourage a story or poem. \n\n Feel free to repost without the questions! \n\n Prompts will be removed if there's a high possibility for rule breaking responses ([rule 7](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_7.3A_prompts_will_be_removed_if_there.27s_a_high_possibility_for_rule_breaking_responses))\n\n\n\n---\n\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/bsvrej/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/about/sidebar) before posting. \n\nThis action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things." ]	[ 1, 1 ]	[ "1558798237", "1558799605" ]
	[WP] Exhausted, weighed down by a heavy conscience, with a furled brow, he sat. His sword, now cleansed, sheathed, lay next to him. With a relentless patience, he waited.	3	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "They would come. He knew that, he had made sure of it when he cut down his final opponent, claiming his bloody vengance.\n\nNow, surrounded by the eery clusterphobic silence on the forest, the sounds of the pins in his armor unlocking, and the sound of his metal armor hitting the forest ground echoed out. \n\n/They will be upon me by nightfall/ the solemn knight now sat, unprotected, stairing through the thick canopy above him, the last streaks of the sun's radiant light cutting through the western forest wall. \n\nHe had exacted his final judgement today, the death of the clan leader meant the end of a rampage that had started only a several days before.\n\nThey took his village, his home, his precious hound. \n\nHe took from them pound-for-pound, drop-for-drop and then some. Leaving the ranks of the Hizaka fractured, entire namesakes washed from the halls of history with his blade.\n\nHe thought on that. The countless bodies that lay in the earth after his unleashing, the stories that would be told for generations of the monster who came in the dark and cut through entire generations. He would forever be a killer, if not because of his actions, then because history would never remember him for anything more. \n\nHe felt the weight of a thousand names on his shoulders, and simply hoped that an honorable death would withstand the weight of their judgement. \n\nSo he sat, thinking and waiting for the inevitable. He had danced with death for so long, a beautiful waltz they had practiced so well, deaths ambassador ever leading with his graceful steps and equally graceful cuts.\n\nAs the last drop of sunlight dripped from his closed eyelids, he awoke from his thoughts, the killer awoken once more. \n\nRussling in the leaves signaled a breeze, but the air night sat still. \n\nHe opened his eyes.\n\n\"They are here.\" He said out loud, while removing his sword from the sheath, the moonlight catching it's reflection for a moment until the blade and it's wielder melted into the darkness of the forest. \n\nThat night, blood was shed that still soaks the earth. \n\nThe legend has no names attached to the warrior and his deeds, simply saying the clans whose names we're ended in that forest that night, had met death amongst the still leaves.", "Ten years.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n10 entire years it had been since that boy stood there by the burning village, everyone he once knew and loved dead. As he looked up he saw the solar eclipse ending, and it turned day. The 24 hour long battle between the Paladin of the Moon and the Knight of Sun, representatives of the two major celestial bodies, to decide who was stronger, had been won by the Sun, its knight scorching the lands.\n\n10 years it had been since that boy used the last bit of his money to forge a plan, and to forge a blade, strong enough to rival these rivals' weapons. A titanium blade, and four portals to the elemental planes were what it would take to make a sword attuned to the stars: Only then would he stand a chance.\n\n9 years it had been since he had beaten the dragon in combat, showing a burning passion to complete his goal. After bathing his blade in scorching flames from other planes, he gazed down. The titanium blade had been transformed into pure Pyrithium, an extremely rare metal sold to only the strongest of adventurers. It was strong, but not strong enough.\n\n8 years it had been since he had solved the sphinx's riddles, and was granted access to enhance his blade in the plane of earth's energy, causing its edge to be enhanced with Terrarium, one of the other mythical metals, and its guard to be decorated with only the most ornate of gems. It was stronger, but not strong enough.\n\n7 years it had been since his master caught word of him, and managed to track him down. Despite the sheer magical strength of that boy's sword, he could not overcome the master. He would tell the master his story and his plan, to which he simply nodded, and told the boy to come with him.\n\n4 years it had been since the boy finished his training, and had managed to infiltrate the Triton kingdom, and enchant his blade in the bottomless oceans of the plane of water. Full control he had now over three of the four major elements, managing to make even the strongest of foes kneel through magical-, if not martial prowess. The sword was one of the strongest in all of the lands, but it was not strong enough.\n\n3 years it had been since he fearlessly scaled the mountains, and within the chasm between the peak- and bottom of the world he had found the portal to the plane of wind. With his once titanium, now Ultimatinum blade, he could bend all of the lands to his will. He could overthrow entire armies with the flick of a wrist, calling down firestorms and earthquakes, raging winds lifting houses from the ground, and tidal floods strong enough to erase an town. And yet, has plan had not yet ended. Attunement to the stars was still required: It was not strong enough\n\n2 years it had been since he built the Starpoint Temple at the peak of the world, and he had bathed both himself and his trusty sword in the purest starlight that would ever graze his planet, causing the blade to lose its elemental properties, and instead displaying the heavens above within its blade. The boy, too, had been enhanced by the stars, his body covered in markings and patches of darkness, which could be filled with starlight, and later be used to cast spells unique to him, and him alone.\n\n1 year it had been since he left the Starpoint Temple, coming back down to the grounds below, and heading to the place where the next battle between the Paladin and the Knight would take place, as foretold by the stars.\n\n&#x200B;\n\n24 hours it would be until the solar eclipse would appear in the sky, and the two celestial bodies would send down their chosen warriors. And so, here he waited, cleaning his blade one last time before battle.\n\nWith 10 exhausting years behind, and 24 brutal hours ahead, he put his sword down next to him and sat down. With relentless patience, he waited.\n\nThe boy, the man, Stargazer, was strong enough.\n\n&#x200B;\n\nHe was ready." ]	[ 1, 1, 2 ]	[ "1558805409", "1558817564", "1558812482" ]
	[WP] You've chosen to live like a hermit, but once a week you still turn on the radio to listen to news broadcasts. Last week there was nothing special on the news, but this week, complete silence on all channels.	166	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "It was Friday morning. As he had done every morning before this one, Red woke with the sun. He pulled himself out of bed just as dawn striped his room with light. He pissed, brushed his teeth, and splashed water on his face. Time had been unkind to Red. The skin on his face sagged and his wrinkles were carved deep into his face. He sighed. Still in his tattered pajamas, he wandered into the kitchen to begin his morning ritual. \n\nFirst, put the coffee on. Next, cook two eggs, a piece of toast, and two slices of bacon. Pour a glass of orange juice. As it was Friday, Red pulled an old radio off a shelf in his living room and placed it on the table in front of his breakfast. His chair squeaked as he pulled it across the worn wooden floor. It then groaned as it took on the burden of carrying his weight. Red ate his breakfast methodically, cutting each egg and piece of bacon to the perfect size then eating them together in one easy bite. He buttered and jammed his toast and swallowed it down with his juice. \n\nNext came the radio. He pushed his plate aside and brought his coffee up to his mouth. He blew on it gently as he clicked the radio on. Silence. He placed his mug back on the table and began to fiddle with the different knobs. AM. FM. AM again. Nothing. Not even static. Just silence. Red stared at the radio for a moment. He took it in his gnarled hands and popped the batteries out. He couldn’t remember the last time he had changed them. \n\nRed stood, pushed his chair back in, and moved to the other side of his small kitchen. He stared out the window for a moment. Silence. There were no birds or squirrels or rabbits to be seen. No chirping or squeaking. Only a light breeze that was too weak to even rustle the leaves. He squinted into the hazy morning light then shook his head. He turned his attention to the drawers in front of him and opened the one to his left. Inside was neatly organized – scissors, batteries, tape, a small screwdriver, nails, and some other miscellaneous items all in a row. He grabbed the batteries and returned to the silent radio. \n\nHe sat once again, the chair once again squeaking and groaning. He pressed the batteries into their slots and closed the cover. Again, he clicked the radio on and turned it to his usual stations. Silence. Again. He quickly turned the radio off and gathered the remains of his breakfast. He hand washed each dish and placed them carefully into the dish rack. He then returned to his bedroom. \n\nThe room was now bathed in morning light. It revealed a simple bed, a nightstand, and a closet. Red pushed open the closet doors and pulled out a pair of trousers, a white undershirt, and a white t-shirt. It was what he had worn every day before this one. He didn’t bother checking himself in the mirror as the only one who would be bothered by his appearance was himself and he was already bothered enough as it was. \n\nThe radio sat in the exact spot where he had left it. He picked it up and shook it absentmindedly. No clinking or clanking, no loose wires or screws. He scratched his head. \n\n“It must just be broken,” he said to himself. It was old just like him. And just like him, it eventually had to die. It had to die and be replaced. He tossed it in the trash. \n\nFriday wasn’t usually a supply run day, but he figured it might as well be. The previous week he had finally finished getting the place ready for winter and now all he needed to do was wait. A radio would be important for the winter months as he used it to check for any severe weather that might come his way. It also kept him company during the longer, lonelier nights. It would be nice to see Darlene too. He hadn’t seen her since the summer, and he had been meaning to ask her how school was coming along. She was a good kid and one of the few people he actually enjoyed talking to.\n\nHaving finally decided on his plan, Red pulled a worn coat off its hook and put it on. As he left the house, he made sure he had his keys, wallet, and reading glasses. Dust cascaded off the fabric as he patted each of his pockets. He grabbed his cane off the porch and began the journey into town. \n\nIt was a long walk from his isolated farm into the nearest town and his knees took on the brunt of the distance. He moved slowly and patiently, not minding that the occasional pause might add an extra five or ten minutes to his voyage. He could not help but notice how quiet the day was. Still no sign of any animals or any life for that matter. No matter how much he strained he couldn’t even hear the buzzing of insects. He wondered briefly if he had gone deaf, though he quickly remembered the groaning of his chair and the screeching of his fork against porcelain. An hour and a half later, he arrived in town. \n\nThe town of Merriam was small but bustling. It consisted of mostly grocers and antique stores with a few bars thrown in for good measure. The people who lived there were most definitely born there and would most definitely die there. Red only knew a few of them and did not care to know any more. And fortunately for him, the townspeople felt the same. His arrival into town was normally greeted by whispers and sly remarks. \n\nToday his arrival into town was greeted only by silence. Merriam was seemingly empty. There were no children running down the sidewalk. No women haggling for their vegetables or men smoking on the corner. Red was alarmed but wary. Had there been an evacuation? Perhaps there was some sort of disaster that forced them to leave? It wouldn’t surprise him if the kind folks of Merriam had “forgotten” to give him the memo. Either way, it didn’t matter. \n\nRed pressed on into town and walked down to the corner shop. A sign reading “Betsy’s Haberdashery” hung above the door. Betsy was Darlene’s mother, a real old-fashioned woman with a fierce demeanor and a quick tongue. She hadn’t wanted Darlene to go to school but she eventually gave in, on the grounds that Darlene would return to watch the store during her breaks. A small bell rang as he pushed the glass door open. \n\nAs he had expected, the shop was empty. A purchase of a jar of peanut butter, a loaf of bread, and a gallon of milk still sat on the counter waiting to be rung up. Red sat at the bench by the shop window. It was where he always sat when he came into town. When she had a free moment, Darlene would come and bring him a glass of water and get his supplies ready. Red’s mouth grew dry as he sat. \n\nHe slowly stood and walked down the aisles of the store until he found a radio. He placed it and a fresh pack of batteries on the counter. He then placed a $20 bill by the register and took his purchases back to the bench. A brand-new radio with brand new batteries should do the trick. He would find whatever emergency alert they were broadcasting and figure out exactly what was going on. He pressed the batteries into their proper slots and clicked the radio on as he had done twice this morning. \n\nThis time, the radio produced a faint whine. Red pressed his ear to the speakers and tried to decipher anything from the static. He messed with the knobs in a desperate attempt to make the sound clearer. And suddenly, as if by magic, a voice came from the radio clear as day.\n\n“Please help us.”", "The setting sun was a vivid orange that evening, bathing the countryside in calming hues. Heath should have been taking comfort in the glow of that summer night, but the hissing static of the radio bothered him. It was his one link to the outside world, and every Tuesday night he would turn it on to tune into the Howard and Beck talk show on Radio Four. They’d go over the week’s news and discuss the top stories amongst themselves. It wasn’t much, but, well, they were damn near the only human voices he’d hear these days, besides the occasional visit from Moreen with fresh supplies and exotic new tastes.\n\nHeath hadn’t considered himself dependent on these weekly shows, but now that he was only receiving static, the world felt strangely empty. There was a small pit in the seat of his stomach. He resolved firmly to ignore it.\n\nHeath’s typical routine on a Tuesday would be to climb into his hammock, light a cigarette, and listen to the talk show as he gazed listlessly across his farm, weather permitting. On colder, wetter nights he’d take the radio inside, maybe sit in the window and lose himself in the darkening sky. Sometimes he’d even skip the talk show all together, it wasn’t that important to him. He didn’t feel empty when he did that.\n\nJust turn the radio off, he told himself. Getting broody. Must be that time of the year again. He didn’t make a habit of keeping track of calendar days anymore. Not much point when you didn’t rely on some rich man’s society for a living.\n\nDavid used to be scared of the static on the TV.\n\nHeath had checked the radio over, but it seemed like it should be working just fine. He’d moved the antennas around, taken it inside and back outside, tried some of the other channels, though he didn’t have much love for pop music – reminded him of the city. All of them were static, too. Plenty of reasonable explanations for that, could just be a failure in one of the radio towers a few miles out. Still though, it was a damn inconvenience. It’s not like he had a number he could call to check if there was some sort of maintenance going on. The only number he had was Moreen’s, and he kept his landline unplugged most of the time.\n\nHe could call her, he supposed. Thought not at this hour. Best leave it until tomorrow.\n\nHeath hauled himself out of his chair and decided to go and water the plants. He didn’t get much rain around these parts during the summer, and without him the plants would dry up and perish. It gave him some small measure of pride to see them flourishing on the lawn, defiant against the relentless heat of the waning sun. It had almost completely sunk below the horizon now. The radio was still emitting static.\n\nThe old Toyota truck emitted a long shadow across the lawn. Heath frowned at it. He wasn’t sure why he even kept the old thing anymore. Not much use for it, with Moreen keeping him supplied each month. Still, he kept it clean and functional and kept spare fuel around for emergencies. Not that he could think of any emergency situations that would require his input. It was mostly just another distraction.\n\nHeath walked out onto the road and gazed down it. It ran for miles each way, with his farm the only homestead within view. They’d rerouted the highway some years back and now he hardly saw any cars coming down this way. Not that he’d notice them; he’d filtered out the noise of passers-by years ago.\n\nDavid had jokingly referred to it as the Lonely Road.\n\nRe-connecting the phone line took little effort, but Heath couldn’t get a signal from the phone line any more than he could get signal from the radio. Would a radio tower fault cause issues with the phone lines? He didn’t know, but the pit in his stomach grew a little deeper. Maybe he should drive out into the city, just to be certain that nothing serious had gone wrong down there. The idea filled him with unease, but any distraction was better than going to bed with his current state of mind. He knew he’d be plagued by nightmares if he did.\n\nMuttering to himself all the while, Heath entered the house, dug out an old lockbox from behind the sofa, and obtained his car keys from within.", "A sharp turn of the battered radio dial yielded silence; a second earned the same. Turn, emptiness. Turn, emptiness. The static hissed and crackled at him with malice. He climbed to his dirt-encrusted feet, picked up the radio, swept his coat over his thin shoulders, and fastened a collar on his gold-furred dog.\n\nThe hermit exhaled a nicotine-smelling breath (he wasn’t currently smoking, but cigs had permanently imbued him with their essence) and began the journey to the nearest town, Tellico. Given that he liked to live as deep into rural Tennessee as possible, it was a while before he could reach Tellico. \n\nHe got there, though, without laying eyes on anybody else. Cars sparsely lay abandoned on the dirt road. His dog, tired from the walk, looked up expectantly at her master. He gave her a gentle pat on her yellow head and guided her to their favorite diner.\n\nIt was the kind of empty that carried with it a sense of finality, the kind where once the hermit laid eyes on the diner, he knew no human presence would eat breakfast at or fry an egg at ever again. He didn’t know how to react at first, but after a minute of shock, he allowed himself to feel a sluggish sadness and fear. \n\nNot even a hermit was immune to loneliness, but they weren’t alone. A presence in the diner watched them from behind a counter. \n\nThe dog growled and bared her teeth, which was met with a whimper by the other, smaller dog. The hermit whistled her name, ignored. Seeing it was no threat, she un-snarled and padded over to the Pomeranian, who rolled over on its back. The hermit’s mutt sniffed its belly and deemed it acceptable, so the hermit himself slowly walked over to the other dog. \n\nThe mutt stepped back. The Pomeranian licked the hermit’s palm. The hermit deemed it acceptable as well, and scooped it into his arms.\n\nThe hermit and his dogs checked every building for signs of human life, and were greeted only by fearful rats and some very confused cats. The hermit wasn’t really a cat person. He looked in the back of the diner for some food and was met with stale bread and some frozen burgers that had just began to thaw. He set up a fire and cooked it.\n\nAfter eating, the hermit walked to the front room. He pressed a wall phone into his scraggly bearded face and dialed 911, his estranged brother, and his uncle. All was met with silence, although their voicemails absolved his loneliness a little. It was nice to hear a person talk, and he suspected that voicemails would be his only opportunity to do that for a while.\n\nHe grabbed his dogs and wandered out of the door and into the next nearest town. Radio and physical quiet. The next and the next were filled with nothing as well. \n\nHe cried a more than a few times. The hermit buried himself into his dogs’ fur and sobbed until he couldn’t recognize himself and had wasted his water supplies. He pressed on. \n\nFinally, at the fifth town, he saw someone. A woman was lying alone in a bar, passed out and coated with alcohol. The hermit bent down and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of drunk potatoes. He carried her to a deserted house and set her down on a bed. She had a wide, Eastern face and was uncomfortably thin. \n\nThe hermit waited until Dark covered the world with His starry cloak. She roused, then, and after some panicking and extremity-flailing the hermit managed to get some water (and an explanation) into her. \n\nShe calmed a little, though her black eyes were still round with fear. \n\n“I’m Sal, by the way. Um, Sal Morita.” She rubbed at her face with shaking hands and gulped some more water. “Wh-what about you guys?” she asked after a moment. \n\nThe hermit hesitated. “Flansburgh. Uh, Danny,” he croaked. His voice was unused to use. “Danny Flansburgh. This,” he pointed at the Pomeranian, “is Pom. It’s a placeholder name for now.” Danny gestured to the mutt. “This is Goldie.” Goldie perked up at her name. \n\n“I can see why,” Sal groaned, hungover. She eyed the bundle of tireless yellow that was Goldie. \n\n“Uh, well, I’m gonna go find some food and then we’ll set out?” Danny made a stuttering move to open the door. Sal waved her hand in affirmation. Pom jumped on the bed and nuzzled into her neck, meriting a hesitant smile.\n\n“Sure, I’ll just stay here with P-Pom and cry into his fur,” Sal said. Danny flashed back to basically the entirety of last week. \n\n“Sounds like fun,” Danny managed, and went downstairs.\n\nThe next morning, Sal, Danny, Pom, and Goldie set out to find humanity, hope on the warm orange horizon. \n\n______\n\nr/Bennywrites", "The static caused Jessie's ears to prick up. She tilted her head, fixed her eyes on me, and whined.\n\n'Sorry, Jess,' I said.\n\nI scrubbed through a few frequency bands. The interference wobbled, wained, and inevitably returned to the same crackle. \n\n'Any ideas?' \n\nJessie dipped her head and pawed at her nose; a few withered hairs sprinkled onto the carpet.\n\n'Smack it?' I asked.\n\nJessie tilted her head, turning her one good ear towards me.\n\n'Well, alright then,' I said and clapped a hand against the radio.\n\nJess howled, or was it her? It sounded more like Oww!\n\n'You say something, girl?' \n\nThe static rattled on. Jessie tilted her head the other way and stared at me. There was something bright and intelligent in those amber eyes, often saying more than words ever could.\n\nI lowered the volume, and her ears dipped in gratitude. I inched closer to the radio, and like Jessie, turned my good ear toward it. With the flat of my palm, I gave it another, well-earned, smack. \n\nSomething inside rattled, followed by another howl, although. It was lower this time like Jessie had whispered.\n\n'Looks like I'm guna have to open her up.'\n\nJessie didn't sit normally — her arthritis didn't allow it. Instead, she sat with her weight on her left hip and cocked it to the side. I got up, and so did she. It took us both roughly the same amount of time and pain to move anywhere these days. I ran a hand over her head, and together we hobbled to the shed. \n\nJessie and I returned to the radio. In one hand, I carried a beaten up red toolbox (although it was more brown thanks to a mixture of sunlight and rust), and in the other, I held a bone. \n\n'In a minute,' I said, lowering the toolbox and sitting back down.\n\nJessie sat close to me, panting. She rested her head on my knee and looked up. \n\n'I said, in a minute.' \n\nShe was still there, looking at me with those expectant amber eyes, her tail wagging softly against the carpet. \n\n'Oh, alright then,' I said, and I could have sworn she smiled. \n\nI placed the bone in her mouth, she was a lady after all, and one mustn't be rude — or so my mother said. Jessie lowered herself to a laying position and chewed her bone with a soft groan. \n\nI rattled my way through the toolbox until I found a Phillips head screwdriver. It was almost as beaten as the box, with the handle missing chunks, and the rubber grip so smooth that it might as well be called a slip.\n\n'Ha! A slip,' I said, showing the handle to Jessie.\n\nI turned to the radio, still chuckling, and I gave it one last chance. I upped the volume slightly and went back-and-forth through the frequencies. Nothing had changed. With the screwdriver in one hand, I was about to switch it off, when a voice broke through the room.\n\nNo, please don't. \n\nI looked down at Jessie, out of habit. She was still on the carpet, content with chewing her bone. I shook my head — gave the o'l noggin a good rattlin' — and turned back to the radio. I went to press the off button, but once again, a voice interrupted me. \n\nDon't open me up! Please, I beg you!\n\n---\n\n/r/WrittenThought" ]	[ 1, 2, 6, 18, 37 ]	[ "1558867090", "1558893483", "1558872621", "1558872605", "1558869874" ]
	[WP] A captured spy must drag out their interrogation so that their backup can rescue them - so they attempt to make mundane conversation with their captor while facing certain death.	11	[ "Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\nReminders:\n\n>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include \"[Poem]\"\n>* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail\n>* See [Reality Fiction](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Reality+Fiction\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) and [Simple Prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/search?q=flair%3A\$Simple+Prompt\$&restrict_sr=on&sort=new&t=all) for stricter titles\n>* [Be civil](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules#wiki_rule_10.3A_be_civil) in any feedback and follow the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/rules)\n\n[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/XYsEYfS)\n\nI am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.", "BAM\n\nThe dense fist crashed against his ribs, causing him to cough up even more blood into the inside of the black sack covering his head. His knees buckled and he fell down onto the ground, moaning. I have to get up. He weakly pushed himself onto all fours, heaving and coughing once more.\n\n\"Ready to talk?\" said the voice of a man with a German accent. Somehow, his cover had been blown. Somehow, they knew that he was in Berlin trying to get intel on their organization. But he didn't know how.\n\n\"If you could just take the bag off,\" he replied through what remained of the blood in his mouth, \"I might be able to give you what you want.\"\n\nThe bag slid off of his face and the bright lights burned his retinas, forcing him to shut his eyes tightly and turn his head to the side. He felt someone grab his arms and throw him onto a wooden chair behind him. Alex Marlo- a name that was certainly unknown to his captors- didn't struggle as they tied his arms and legs down. He felt his eyes adjusting to the bright lights as he squinted and looked around. He was inside an old apartment. The walls had water stains and had a kind of yellow tint to it, one that came from decades of lazily smoking rolled cigarettes from the comfort of the plastic-covered couch in the living room. He glanced to his right and saw the balcony doors were open. Fucking animals. Two men stood in front of him. The stalky man to his left softly caressed his bruised knuckles, sore from beating this poor, defenseless spy. The man on the right was the man that Alex had been chasing after for the better part of his career- Hans Wilhelm Fischer. A large scar ran over his left eye and deep into his cheek, ending below his jawline. His light-brown hair was slicked back, stiff with too much gel and shining brightly in the light. He stood tall and proud, always holding back a small smirk with his hands behind his back. He was cunning and ruthless. One had to be in order to run the largest underground Mafia in Berlin. When he had killed the old leader of the Söhne des Schweigens, the Sons of the Silence, in the bloodiest bar fight in German history, in broad daylight with no backup and only his fists and the thick glass from which he drank two liters of beer, everyone knew that he was a crazy son of a bitch. He alone killed a half-dozen men that day, losing only his left eye and gaining all the power and respect of the Sons of the Silence in a matter of a few, bloody and violent minutes.\n\nThe man on his left grew impatient and lifted his fist in the air.\n\n\"Wait, wait!\" pleaded Alex. \"Let's settle this like men, hm?\" He looked over at Hans, blood dripping down from his nose and onto the brownish, grey carpet. Dried blood stains from previous interrogations painted the floor all around him. \"Mr. Fischer, mind if I get a smoke? Considering this will be my last night here in beautiful Berlin, I wouldn't mind getting one last nicotine buzz.\"\n\nHans' smirk grew into a full smile. His teeth were perfect. \"Sure,\" he said plainly. He nodded towards the kitchen and the other man grunted angrily. He slowly walked over and searched the cabinets for the tobacco and papers. Hans began to slowly walk towards the balcony, peering out onto the quiet city below. Alex didn't know what time it was, but it was late. Hans glanced back over his shoulders and laughed.\n\n\"It's a beautiful evening,\" he said, almost to himself but looking directly at Alex, \"I expect you are wondering how we found you, Agent Roter Fuchs.\" Roter Fuchs was Red Fox in German, and he had gained the nickname mostly for his adamance in working alone and for the blood he left behind after quickly and quietly assassinating his targets (although he hoped that his playful attitude also came into consideration).\n\nAlex tried to hop in his chair to turn and face him, \"Yeah, it is a beautiful night. Hertha BSC won tonight, didn't they?\"\n\nHans laughed again. \"2-1. Are you a fan?\" He started to make his way back towards Alex, pulling out a lighter from the inside of his black jacket pocket. The man had returned from the kitchen and shoved a poorly rolled cigarette into Alex's mouth. It limped sadly towards the floor. Hans reached up and lit his cigarette, and Alex nodded courteously to show his thanks.\n\n\"I'll never forget Marcelo dos Santos' 65th goal in 2006,\" he said, talking slowly to ensure the cigarette didn't leave his mouth, \"The bicycle kick was-\"\n\n\"Perfection,\" interrupted Hans with a child-like innocence in his eye, as if he were reliving the moment in the stadium on that very day.\n\n\"Boss,\" said the man from behind them, \"Sollen wir fragen...\"\n\n\"Hält die Klappe!\" yelled out Hans. The innocence in his eye had turned to fire. It was terrifying, and Alex was sure it was the same look he had on that day at the bar. He turned back to Alex and smiled softly. \"Forgive his insolence. He lacks discipline. And confidence.\" He darted a stern look back at the man.\n\n\"May I ask his name? I haven't had the pleasure of meeting him.\" Hans nodded and the man walked over and stuck his arm out towards Alex.\n\n\"Stefan,\" he said shortly. Alex smiled and shuffled his right arm, still tied down to the chair. \"I'd offer my hand but-\"\n\nA thick hand came across his jaw, causing him to choke on the rest of his sentence. Or maybe it was more blood. Hans laughed.\n\n\"Thank you, Stefan. It appears that Roter Fuchs is forgetting his place.\" He knelt down in front of him, half-smirking like he always does.\n\n\"You might think yourself a clever little fox with your jokes and charm. And you entertain me- I'll admit it,\" he stood up and peered down at him. \"But I am a wolf. You are nothing compared to my strength; Compared to the pack that obeys my every howl. You will die tonight, Roter Fuchs. And I will sink my teeth into your weak neck until the blood runs down my chest and your heart has nothing left to pump.\" He nodded at Stefan, and his heavy fists broke against the bones of his face three more times. Alex spit out a tooth and clumps of blood, hanging his head down in front of his chest. His face was throbbing and he felt the blood accumulating underneath his right eye.\n\n\"So then,\" continued Hans, \"you have been after the Söhne des Schweigens for quite some time, I imagine.\" He was pacing slowly and occasionally glancing outside of the balcony. \"We have all night to extract the information you have on me and my men.\" He nodded at Stefan again and the brute lifted his fist into the air, taking his time between punches to ensure heavy and precise contact with whatever remained of Alex's right cheekbone.\n\n\"Fuck,\" said Alex as the heat from his cheek spread down his neck and across the other side of his face. His right eye was swollen shut, and he peeked up at Hans with his left eye and laughed.\n\n\"We're twins,\" he said as Stefan clenched his fist again. Before he could make contact with his face, Alex said, \"But yes, yes, I've been following you for a few years now.\"\n\n\"Was it you who killed my men at the train station that night in 2015?\"\n\nAlex chuckled, reflecting back on the memory of that night. \"What kind of training do they have? Some of those fuckers were hard to take down.\"\n\n\"Krav Maga,\" Hans said proudly.\n\n\"I thought so. You send 'em to Israel?\"\n\n\"I send my Captains to Tel Aviv where they learn the methods taught by IDF. After two years they come back and train the rest of my men.\"\n\n\"Real shame what IDF is doing to the Palestinians.\" Hans stopped his pacing. He crossed his arms and turned to face Alex with furrowed brows.\n\n\"Roter Fuchs, do not tell me that you are an anti-semite?\"\n\n\"And you,\" Alex replied, \"a man with your level of intellect cannot possibly be a Zionist?\" Hans laughed and reached down towards a table to grab the tobacco and papers to roll a cigarette.\n\n\"So you condone the terrorist acts of the Palestinians?\"\n\n\"What other choice do the Israelis leave them? They've been encroaching on their land for over 70 years.\" Stefan cleared his throat and spoke with his poor German accent, \"I am not sure why they do not go for the Two-State Solution.\" Alex and Hans laughed in unison. \"Stick to the torture you bumbling buffoon,\" said Hans with genuine glee in his tone. Stefan frowned and kicked Alex square in the chest, causing him to lose his breath and gasp for air as he tumbled backwards in his chair and crashing into the ground.\n\n\"We can continue this debate another day, Roter Fuchs,\" said Hans. He lit his cigarette and bent down over Alex as he lay on the ground, still trying to catch his breath." ]	[ 1, 4 ]	[ "1558875057", "1558877164" ]

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