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[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "On the morning news, the weather report is just finishing up. \n\n\"Well that's absolutely great Jim, I'm glad that we'll be having clear weather for the next few days. But we have that press conference from the government coming on in just a few seconds now, so why don't we switch over there before we miss it?\"\n\nThe TV switchers to a view of the federal speaking podium, decorated with hundreds of microphones from various news outlets. Justin Truedeu, the prime minister of Canada walks on stage. \n\n\"Ladies and gentlemen, we are here today to discuss the happenings of mythical creatures and their impact on our country. We will also be announcing a few bills that have been passed in respect to these new creatures.\" \n\nJustin flipped a page from the podium to view his notes. \n\n\"To start, we have decided at parliament to pass a new bill that protects various animal hybrids under the endangered wildlife act. Due to the nature of these species, they are not a great threat to national security, and because of their animal behaviour, they have managed to fit into the local ecosystems without causing tremendous stress to the environment.\"\n\n\"These species include monsters such as the griffon, manticore, and chimera. The basilisk remains exempt from this list because of the endangerment to public health and other wildlife. To view the full list of protected monsters, we have a link on our website, or the website of your provincial government.\"\n\nThe prime minister flipped to the next page and paused for a moment to hold in a sigh before continuing on with the announcement.\n\n\"Moving on to the matter of other intelligent species.\"\n\n\"The populations of dwarves living in British Columbia and passing through on their way to Alaska continues to rise as they come searching for mountains to live in and resources to mine.\"\n\n\"The eleven populations continues to rise in the north as they come searching for solitude. Please note that these two races as well as several others are protected under the rights of intelligent species act as of 3 months ago. Racism against these races will not be tolerated.\" \n\n\"The other intelligent races remain fairly few in our country, however we do have additional information on our website.\"\n\n\"The debate on weather dragons should be protected under the newly formed rights of intelligent species is still ongoing. They are intelligent, however their immense power and lifestyle differences have made it hard to apply conventional human law to them.\" \n\n\"We will be working hard to solve this issue, as the large amount of migrating dragons have raised concern among the human population of Canada, and the dragons themselves have also voiced concern about their safety in relation to human firepower and military might.\"\n\n\"To answer any more questions, we will be having an interview later this evening. We will continue to work hard to overcome these challenges in these changing times.\" \n\nJustin stepped down from the podium and the news station flashed back to the hosts.\n\n\"Well that was certainly interesting. Why don't we talk about that announcement a little more Jim?\"", "When I was a kid, I used to be in love with dragons. From Toothless to Seraphina, having something scaly with wings and fire breath was the coolest thing my young self could imagine. This was before I even knew about science and zoology, or how it was physically impossible for fictional dragons to exist. And even when I did learn, I never stopped thinking that they were so magical. \n\nBut like all things that we cherished from our childhood, they're only so good in our memories. Only so good until we look at them with the experience and cynicism of adulthood. I never knew I'd see the day I'd feel the same way for dragons. \n\nRight now, as I stood below a tall apple tree, keeping an eye out for a wriggling form in the leaves, I felt more of my affection for the beasties fade even more. \n\n\"Do you see it, Molly?\" Allie asked. I shook my head, and she let out a huff of frustration. She stood beside me with Benny, a long piece of cloth acting as a life net between them, bodies poised to spring into action. But with the way things have been going for the past 15 minutes, I really doubt that anything would happen. \n\nWhat was I doing, you ask? Waiting for a tiny Apple Snapper to finally decide to show itself so we could get it down after Mr. Gomez called them all panicky about his precious little darling Mitski being stuck in a tree. I had refrained from making any rude comments about how Apple Snappers could technically get down on their own since Mr. Gomez was too sweet of a man to turn down. So I hauled me and my partners, Allie and Benny, to do our very special service.\n\nSaving dragons. When I chose to be a firefighter, this wasn't really what I was expecting. Then again, no one really did expect dragons to just come out of nowhere. \n\nI could still remember that day well. The day everything changed.\n\nBack when I was still young and new, we had responded to a call about a mysterious fire that broke out in the business district. Luckily, it was late at night and no one was in the building. But while we were putting out the fires, I overheard multiple reports of people panicking because they heard some wild animal roaring. \n\nThat raised multiple alarm bells. Animal services had to be called to join us. Police were getting weirded out by the sheer number of witnesses who claimed the same thing. All I wanted was to put out the fire. \n\nAnd then we heard it for ourselves. \n\nAn earth-shattering roar that made the sky vibrate. It was unlike anything I've ever heard. I remember feeling a sense of awe and fear as I watched something walk out of the flames. Something large. Something serpentine. Something with gigantic wings.\n\nIt burst out of the fire like a missile, the flap of its own wings putting out the fire. But every single person there caught a glimpse of the scales and reptilian snout. And those wild eyes.\n\nThat was the first time I saw a dragon. After that, it was like my entire career switched from \"putting out fires\" to \"putting out fires and can you please make the dragon go away?\"\n\nIt was absolute chaos. Every single place on planet Earth had a dragon or some other mythical creature popping out of nowhere. In the Pacific Ocean, reports of gigantic serpents and long-lost dinosaurs. In the Himalayas, encounters with intelligent Abominable Snowmen who wanted to discuss border relations with the local governments. And then, every air space in the entire world had sightings of dragons. \n\nI couldn't lie and say that I found the entire thing terrible. Sure, I was getting overworked, but I always saw a *dragon.* Who could confidently say that they were having a near-daily interaction with the wonderful beasts? Only people like me.\n\nBest part was that they didn't even attack humans, so they weren't even something to be afraid of. It took a while for us to realize that they were basically just your every other normal animal with the exception of fire breathing. But that didn't really dampen their prestige. \n\nAt least at first. \n\nSee, there's this thing called 'exposure therapy'. It's basically the more responsible approach of 'confronting your fear', where you're exposed to the thing you're afraid of but you're never in danger of getting hurt. That way, your brain slowly gets used to the thing and just unlearns the fear. \n\nNow, I always knew that this was a method of handling phobias. No one told me that it could also work on the things we loved. But maybe that's just part of growing up, learning to get annoyed at what we used to enjoy.\n\nYears and years of constant calls of people dealing with dragon pests, it slowly starts to wear you down. What I used to see as the brightest part of my day slowly dimmed into the constant drone of the everyday. Dragons, the thing I dreamed about the most, became just another piece of the pavement in the walk of life. \n\nAnd wasn't that a tragedy right there. \n\nSo here I was, Molly Liu, a 32-year-old fire fighter who spends her days trying to rescue tiny dragons out of trees. \n\nWhat a life indeed.", "Panic was the first reaction when the Vision Seal failed. It was understandable, even predictable. The Council had predicted such a thing of course. They had contingencies in place.\n\n\"Fadeaway, how is the opposing seal holding?\"\n\nThe speaker was dressed in thick black robes that seemed to have swallowed him. His voice was crisp and clear, used to giving orders. The man he address was thin, in a clean white suit. His face was slightly drawn, but one that was instantly forgettable.\n\n\"It is holding up near perfectly. A couple of oddities as are expected, but nothing of note.\"\n\n\"Excellent.\"\n\nThe hood of the robed man turned to the person on their circular table.\n\n\"Are the military behaving, Merc?\"\n\nShe wore a set of camouflage patterned clothing. Her hair was cut short, with a no-nonsense expression on her face.\n\n\"Yes. The influences performed as expected. No large scale operations, and any minor ones have been quashed.\"\n\n\"Good. And Membrane, how are the Displacement seal doing? Any signs of degradation?\"\n\nThe woman he addressed wore a light grey summer dress. She sat casually at the table, tapping her fingers on its polished surface.\n\n\"Nothing more than would be expected. To be on the safe side I have instructed teams to start replacing the older components just in case.\"\n\n\"Good.\"\n\nHe looked towards the centre of the table. At a gesture the air over it rippled, forming an image of a shopping centre. With it being a Saturday, it would normally be crammed with people. But today it was empty, as a family of griffons wandered through.\n\n\"For the past day, scenes like this are common. I have initiated the Farnex principle for the moment, until such time as the seal is back online. The question is, what can we do for afterwards? We need to wipe this from their memory.\"\n\nFadeaway leaned forwards, interlacing his fingers.\n\n\"Memory isn't the only issue. Their electronic data would need purging as well.\"\n\nThe robed figure nodded his head.\n\n\"That as well. Talk to the magitech groups. Get them on it now.\"\n\nFadeaway bowed his head.\n\n\"As you say, Grand Mage.\"\n\n\"Merc, I want you investigating why it broke. It may have simply worn, but it might not have. If someone is responsible, bring them in.\"\n\n\"Understood.\"\n\n\"Membrane, keep doing what you are doing.\"\n\n\"Yes Grand Mage.\"\n\nThe meeting done, the three of them left, leaving the Grand Mage alone. He watched the projection, thinking. He sincerely doubted this was an accident. Someone wanted to upset the status quo.\n\nHe grinned. Despite the situation, he found himself quite excited. Something different was always worth looking forward to.", "It happened suddenly. Mythical creatures, suddenly real, roaming the Earth. Dragons, giants, fairies, trolls, they were all around us, everywhere. At first people were terrified...but then we noticed they didn't seem to see us. A few panicked shots were fired, and the bullets went right through them. Someone finally worked up the courage to try to *touch* them, and their hands went right through them. If you put your head inside them, they just disappeared, like clipping through an object in a video game. \n\nOver time, we just got used to them. What else could we do? For the most part the Mythicals, as we called them, just became part of the background, like the sky. There's a dragon that lives by your house? Oh that's lovely -- they have such beautiful scales! \n\nWe knew they had to be 'real' in some sense, of course. \n\nThough, for some reason, they didn't show up in pictures or on video, if two people -- even strangers -- looked at one, they'd agree on what it looked like, where exactly it was, and what it was doing. You could sometimes even feel the difference in temperature, if you were occupying the same space as a troll, or something, though some people thought that was psychosomatic.\n\nOnly professional skeptics continued to insist it somehow *had* to be a hallucination. Seeing, it turned out, was *not* believing. I guess I can't blame them, though.\n\nThey just figured that, even their most implausible explanations, usually complicated webs of interconnected theories involving environmental toxins, mass hysteria, and the recent saturation of the media with fantasy stories and imagery, *had* to be more plausible than something that was, at least to them, impossible. \n\nSome of their theories made sense to me, kind of. They didn't stop me from seeing the goblins that live in my building by the dumpsters, but sometimes, I could pretend that I \"knew\" they weren't really there.\n\nBut I left that plausible deniability behind at a bus stop, last week, and haven't been able to find it again, since.\n\nI sat down next to a fairy, who was seated on the edge of the bench, his little legs dangling over the edge. Even though they're not solid, and can't see us, they do seem to perceive some objects, especially wooden ones, like the bench. I like the little fairy guys, the way they're always so curious and cheerful, like happy little kids with wings.\n\n\"Aww,\" I said, smiling down at him. \"Hey, little buddy.\"\n\nI didn't expect him to *reply.*\n\n\"Hey, big guy!\" he chirped back, merrily.\n\nI froze, eyes going wide.\n\n\"I'm losing my mind.\" I mumbled to myself.\n\nThe fairy giggled. \"A year ago, you couldn't *see* or *hear* fairies. Now you can see them, sure, but *hearing* one? Yeah, you *must* be crazy, makes sense to me!\"\n\n\"L-lots of delusional people think the Mythicals are talking to them!\" I said, feeling both scared and, oddly, *defensive.*\n\nThe fairy laughed outright, kicking his little legs. He suddenly flew up to hover in front of my face, glowering, arms spread out , wiggling his tiny fingers at me. \"Booooo, I'm your *mental illness!* Harm yourself and others! Make me a throne from the skulls of your victims, and serve me cookies atop it! Booooo!\"\n\nI scowled. \"That's not funny!\"\n\n\"Hey, there's a shiny quarter under the bench!\" The fairy said, brightly..\n\n\"What?\" I said. \n\n\"I saw it a few minutes ago. It's under the bench. Behind one of the front legs.\" He said, crossing his arms, and grinning widely.\n\n\"Okay? What does that have to do with *anything?\"* I demanded.\n\nThe fairy rolled his eyes. \"Because, *you* didn't know about it until I told you! So, if I'm *your* delusion, how could I know it's there? That's how you humans think, right?\"\n\nI blinked. \"I guess?\"\n\nHe clapped his hands, excitedly. \"Ooo! Let's play a game! I used to do this all the time, back when most of you couldn't see me!\"\n\nHe zipped back down to the bench, and sat. \"Okay, so here's how the game works: I'm gonna sit here, and pretend I can't see or hear you, again.\"\n\nAnd then he went back to watching the road, and idly kicking his legs.\n\n\"How is that a *game?\"* I asked.\n\nHe didn't respond or react. \n\nI blinked a few times.\n\n\"Hey!\" I called to a passing mountain dwarf, strolling down the sidewalk with his axe resting on his shoulder. \"Hey, can you hear me? Or...or see this fairy, here?\"\n\nThe dwarf strolled on. I scowled. I wasn't sure why I thought that would help.\n\nI was avoiding the obvious. Because part of me didn't want to know. But, in the end, more of me was curious than afraid. I looked under the bench.\n\nI picked up the shiny quarter that I found under the left front leg. I frowned. Actually, it was one of those little dollar coins, the ones with different presidents on them.\n\nI jumped as the fairy suddenly giggled and clapped excitedly, and buzzed over to look closely at the coin I held.\"Yay you won the game! Except...\"\n\nHe placed his hands on his face, and adopted an expression of mock surprise. \"Oh! That's a dollar, isn't it, not a *quarter!* So maybe, that means I *am* a delusion, and there just *happened* to be a dollar coin where I said a quarter would be! Or *maybe* I'm real, but I don't know all the different kinds of coins you use at a glance, 'cause I'm a fairy with no pockets! *Or* could it be that I just lied about it being a quarter, before, so I could mess with your head like this, right now?\"\n\n\"Why would you do that?\" I snapped. \"Didn't you *want* me to believe you were real?\"\n\nHe snorted. \"I'm a *fairy!* I *want* to fly around, look at cool things, play games, and play *tricks!* Yeesh, not everything's about *you,* guy!\"\n\n\"I literally have no idea if I'm going crazy or not, now!\" I cried.\n\n\"Yep, that's what this game is called! How'd you know?\" The fairy said, before bursting into another fit of giggles.\n\nI put my head in my hands, breathing heavily. My brain felt like it was going to explode. I thought I might be feeling the beginnings of a panic attack.\n\n\"Aw,\" the fairy said. \"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you that bad. Look...think of it this way. Belief isn't...it isn't like that *science* you guys get so excited about! It's not a process. It's a choice, get it?\"\n\nHe made a motion with his hands, like turning a knob. \"It's like tuning one of those old radio things, you know? You gotta turn the dial back and forth, and kinda finesse it, until you hear what you were looking for! And, this is important: you have to *choose* to tune in, *before* you'll be able to hear the music! Does that help?\"\n\nI smiled slightly, looking down into the fairy's earnest little face. It was a new way of thinking about the world, the Mythicals...about everything. And it kind of made sense. \"I...yeah, it kinda does. I think I understand.\"\n\n \"Good. Cause that's what separates us, you know. On both sides! You're starting to believe in us again, but, this time, you're actually ahead of the curve. Almost *none* of us believe in you guys, anymore. Me? I'm just the exception that proves the rule.\"\n\n\"Well, I mean, we can *see* you, now, so that makes sense.\" I pointed out.\n\nHe snorted. He took to the air again, as the bus began to pull up to the stop. \"So? *Seeing* isn't believing! Weren't you paying attention?\"\n\nHe buzzed right up to my face, and flicked me on the nose. \n\nAnd I *felt* it. My jaw dropped, and my eyes almost crossed, as I stared at the fairy hovering right in front of my face, that had actually *touched* me.\n\n*\"Understanding,* is believing!\" he said, with a wide grin, before buzzing away into the sky, giggling madly.\n\nFairies *do* love to play tricks.", "It was a day like any other, the birds chirped in the sky, followed by flocks of harpies. The faint screams of the harpies and singing from the birds filled the air in a completely inharmonious union.\n\nThere was a time months ago when you could walk down the street without seeing a beast with 10 eyes dressed in a suit complaining about tps reports. This was no longer the case unfortunately, I'd been tailing this particular beast for 3 weeks now. It was suspected that he had been stealing office supplies from the kobolds on the 4th floor. \n\nBefore all this I was a P.I. investigating suspected cheating husbands. When the monsters arose from the abyss and various other gateways to other realms, people lost interest in what their other half were doing. The world was gripped by fear for a few weeks wondering what they could have planned. As it turns out, they didn't want anything. \n\nAfter the first week the gateways closed and a spokesperson for the monsters called a press conference. It was rather short as press conferences go, they simply walked on stage and said \"we'll be staying here for the foreseeable future. We care not for eating you, or disturbing your lives. It was simply getting rather hot in our world, so we fancied a change of weather\". \n\nWith that, the government simply allowed them to stay. This could be due to the fact that everyone in charge was too afraid to do anything, or just too lazy. Either way it made a lot of work for people like myself. A sudden influx of jobs to look into sketchy new co-workers filled my mailbox each and every day.\n\nWhat each and every one of these jobs usually came to was that their new co-worker was a succubus stealing their clients through rather 'special' means. My last job was to look into children going missing in a nearby town. As daunting as this seemed, it was just some monster creating a new school but they hadn't been taught about the correct procedures in getting students.\n\nBut my current job was to tail one Mr Erik Businessman. Not the fanciest name but most monsters took the name of the job they were employed at in our world. A man suspected of stealing toners and paper from the office, my report is due tomorrow and I don't have anything to say other than that he's a nice guy. \n\nI saw him save a pigeon from being run over yesterday and today he helped some senior citizens cross the street. The only thing he should be suspected of is being too caring. \n\nAnyway, I could write all day about my exploits looking into the various new creatures of our worlds, but I've got a town of arachnids to investigate. This is Phillip Dragwin, best monster investigator in Orchall city, signing off.", "It didn't happen all at once. It was a slow burn rather, a few sightings cropping up every week or two. Always at a distance too. That didn't help, and with the technology available, people dismissed the first bits of evidence that the world was going to change forever.\n\nFour or five months in, it finally happened. A man in Greece was out and about when he saw it. A bird, it's plumage a cerulean inferno, and close enough for him to prove that it existed. Of course, many people thought it was fake. After all, a Phoenix? Really? It was unbelievable, as was the Chimaera that appeared somewhere in either France or Spain. The family that saw it were visiting relatives in the latter country, and the road was conspicuous in it's emptiness.\n\nYet what could the people say when the creatures started cropping up everywhere? One could ignore the possibility right up until their neighbour had a Cockatrice nesting on their roof, or a college shown images of a peculiar leonine with a man's head and a scorpion's tail. A 'Manticore', as the search engine suggested.\n\nThere was one curious thing about all this. Two, perhaps. First and maybe most obvious, if you were to keep calm and watch, was that none of the creatures showed any hostile intent. They did hunt and eat, as was their need, but even the feared Orcadian Horseman, the Nuckelavee, gave little thought to humanity or its familiars. Even livestock was given little more than a sideward glance, to the confusion of the people who witnessed this.\n\nThe second notable thing was, as people observed, that it was all animals, for a given definition of 'animal'. There may have been exceptions, hidden in plain sight, but no one could claim they saw a Werewolf, or Kitsune, or some other potentially humanoid thing that could be communicated with. There was no one to ask where these creatures had come from, or why. How they came here, how long they existed. And if they'd ever go away.\n\nOne day, before anyone noticed, it was normal. Mundane, even. Hellhounds became loyal protectors alongside the standard breeds of canine friends. Phoenix feathers were studied for medicinal purposes. What people speculated to be a dragon had been spotted near Snowden in Wales. And the Nuckelavee was protected from nosy tourists, to give it some peace during the non-summer months.\n\n​\n\nAnd the world continued to turn. As it has always done.", "Initially everyone freaked out when giant mythical monsters started meandering around. But when we finally realized that they're fully willing to ignore us and somehow not completely destroy the local ecosystem with their diets they just became another part of life.\n\nI occasionally find myself staring in silent awe as I watch a Manticore flying outside my bus' window. Holding a whole shark in its maw probably heading to ward's its nest. I smile as a unicorn clops down the sidewalk, occasionally nuzzling children and adults. I arrive at work, leaving a small offering to the kobold that's taken up residence. When I'm working at my computer all work is suddenly brought to a halt as a Dragon nests on our roof.\n\nEventually I get free of the machine and head to a nice place for dinner, finding a bar run by centaurs and fae. Careful not to give my real name I finally head home, my vampire roommate giving me a tired wave as he heads out for the night shift.", "I park my Jeep at the far end of the parking lot, underneath a massive oak tree. I turn off the engine and step out, breathing in the fresh air. I really needed to get away from the city today, and I already feel refreshed. \n\nThings have been so weird lately. Yesterday, a vampire interviewed to be the new receptionist. We had no idea what to do, so we just sat there and asked our usual questions while our phones blew up with texts from our co-workers. *Ask him if he's ever ate a person. Ask him how he quenches his thirst for blood. Ask him if he eats raw meat*. Melinda kept making excuses to come into the room; I felt embarrassed for her. In the end, we chose not to hire him. It's hard enough to keep people on task without a literal monster in the room. I felt bad, though. It seemed... discriminatory. \n\nDiscriminatory towards a predator. I shake my head. This is why I needed time away. The world makes no sense anymore. Things were already bad enough with the news agencies splitting the country in two and politicians lying through their teeth, and then suddenly out of nowhere there's monsters everywhere. How is a girl supposed to wrap her head around it?\n\nI swing my backpack onto my back, then unstrap my canoe from the roof and begin the trek down the shaded path to the lake below. I've been here hundreds of times. My family used to spend every holiday at this lake, kayaking, canoeing, picnicking, hiking. They all moved away years ago, but I still come here whenever I can. \n\nAs I make my way down the path, my mind keeps straying to the weirder stories I've heard. The woman down the road from me turned out to be a witch, but I can't figure out if she's *always* been a witch, or if she turned into one when the monsters came out to play. Truth be told, I could just ask her, but I'm afraid. There have been no known casualties from the monsters, but surely it's only a matter of time?\n\n*That's racist*, my mind yells at me, but then I internally shout back, *are monsters a race?*\n\nI have no idea. The cafe put up a sign last week: HUMANS ONLY. DOGS FINE TOO. I wouldn't want to be a minimum wage worker telling an ogre he has to leave, though. It feels like everyone is just biding their time until we've decided if the monsters are good or bad. I've never been good at waiting.\n\nI set my backpack in the canoe and push off into the water. At least out here I'm fine. There's nobody about - no one to have yet another conversation about chimeras with, no one to start crying, no one to parrot the latest unfounded talking points. I glide across the water towards the center of the lake. The sky is a perfect, happy blue. The sun beats down, but I have on sunscreen and a hat, so I don't mind. All around the lake, trees, bushes, and flowers bloom. In the distance, mountains rise up, looming large over the picturesque landscape. To my right, the lake ends in a sandy beach, tapering to green, grassy fields off into the distance.\n\nThe water is so clear that even as I paddle towards the center of the lake I can still see to the bottom. Fish swim in lazy schools, turtles paddle around, and rocks of every shape and color line the bottom. This has always been my happy place. \n\nA tremor sends ripples through the water. I stop paddling. The sound of birds fades as the air goes silent and still. I can see the fish swimming away hurriedly, and my heart begins to beat faster.\n\nA second tremor vibrates the entire canoe. I sit up straighter and look around for the source, but cannot find it. My hands grip the paddle tightly.\n\nA third tremor sounds even closer, and it is then that I see it: a giant, coming down from the mountain. Even at a distance, he is gigantic. His footsteps are like an earthquake, shuddering the earth. I can barely breath. He strides into the forest, his head above the tops of the tallest trees, his shoulders the breadth of a house. \n\n\"My God,\" I murmur. \n\nHe lets out a noise, a groan, that echoes throughout the valley. I can feel it in my skin, settling there like a wound. Whatever he is looking for, he is in pain. I don't paddle. I just watch as he walks through the forest, each step sending waves across the water, each rattling my bones. I have never seen anything more terrifying, nor anything more magnificent. He leaves the forest, enters the grassy plains, goes down a hill, and disappears from view.\n\nFor a while longer, I sit in the canoe. My sense of tranquility has been shattered, replaced with a sense of awe I have never felt before.", "Hunter thought he would have gotten over the initial shock by now; judging by how his body had shut down at the sight of the winged, lion-headed creature, however, he realized he'd been wrong. The monster didn't attack him. It didn't even move; it simply stayed there, perched on its hind legs like an actual cat, flexing its huge wings irritably, as though it had some kind of itch it couldn't scratch. \n\nIf you could look past how horrifying it looked, and the fact that such a creature shouldn't even exist in the first place, it actually looked kind of peaceful.\n\nAnd that was the strange part. Beasts like this had been popping up all over the country, probably even the entire world by now, for months. It was as if they'd appeared through a breach in reality itself, pulled from the depths of children's most horrid nightmares. And yet, though they looked quite capable of ravaging an entire nation as nothing more than a passtime, they never did. They simply stood where they were, staring into the skyline. Or they drifted along the streets, casually as if they were mere stray dogs. Hunter could remember how the town had erupted when they first appeared.\n\nScreams tore through the air like foghorns, loud enough to wake the dead. People stormed across the streets, abandoning their possessions, even their loved ones, to get away. \n\nYet there was no need. The monsters simply ignored them. People had spent the first several weeks indoors, only going out when food and water supplies were low. Eventually more and more people began to slip through their front doors, slow and tremulous. And once humanity accepted that these creatures, for whatever reason, simply *refused* to pose a threat, live moved on. There was still the odd one, like Hunter, who had never fully accepted the ridiculousness of the situation. But the monsters never pounced. Never snarled. Never so much as bared their fangs. Some even actually let themselves get pet, rolling onto their sides and exposing their furry bellies. \n\nBut while they never attacked, one thing that they always did, was stare. For hours on end they kept their eyes trained on the skyline. It was almost as if they were waiting for something. Like some kind of signal. \n\nNo one knew what it could be, and certainly not Hunter, but he just wished that when this signal came — if ever they were so unfortunate that it did — that it wouldn't be in his lifetime.", "\"Good afternoon, welcome to McDonalds, can I take your order?\" \n\nThe lights flickered and the ground rumbled as shadows grew long and an aura of menace crept in through the drive through window. I craned my head to see what was going on. \n\nA loud burst of static crackled in my earpiece. \"HELLO. YES. I WOULD LIKE A MCBREAKFAST COMBO.\" It sounded like a thousand souls wailing in agony. \n\n\"So sorry, but it's past 10:30 and we've stopped offering the breakfast menu. Is there anything else I can get you?\" \n\nThe static cracked again, and a loud sigh like the wind whistling through the graveyard echoed through my ear canal. \"Hm. Hmmm.\" Wet, tentacly slaps tapped on pavement. \n\n\"YES. DO YOU KNOW WHAT A MCGANGBANG IS? I REQUEST ONE MCCHICKEN AND ONE MCDOUBLE\" \n\nI punched the order in. \"Alright so one mcchicken and one mcdouble then. Would you like a drink with that?\" \n\n\"NO, UNLESS YOU HAPPEN TO CARRY SANITY? I MOSTLY DRINK SANITY THESE DAYS.\" The building started to rock and the foundation cracked. We couldn't keep him in the drive through for much longer. \n\n\"Fresh out of sanity, I'm afraid. This is a fast food job. Anyway slide up to the window, that'll be 3.49.\" \n\nI dropped the sandwich bag into an outstretched tentacle and received some slimy change. \"Have a nice day, enjoy your meal.\" \n\n\"THANKS, YOU TOO.\" Rumbled a voice directly in my head. \"WAIT, FUCK.\" \n\nA strong wind tore through the parking lot as a void between dimensions appeared, sucking up our latest many-tentacled guest carrying his lunch. The lights returned to normal and my headset crackled to life again. Man, working the lunch rush sucks." ]

[ 1, 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 13, 15, 24, 41, 95 ]

[ "1650031046", "1650122494", "1650051733", "1650048173", "1650054339", "1650051101", "1650048380", "1650032187", "1650045188", "1650037342", "1650036038" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Interestingly, there's a not-too-dissimilar concept explored in the movie Origin: Spirits of the Past. It's one of many possible worlds I've loved thinking about. I think I need more practice with suspense and horror, so we'll try that... \n\n \n\nThe tree trunks creaked in the wind in the otherwise oppressive silence of the downtown destruction. \n\n \n\nThe team moved slowly down the remains of Main, venturing deeper into the urban jungle. Their target: The emergency clinic for the politicians, in the basement of the capitol building at the heart of the city. Their mission: retrieve as many supplies as they could and get back out without losing too much equipment or too many personnel. A clean in-and-out would be ideal, but it was unheard of these days. Nobody escaped the jungle unscathed. \n\n \n\nThe team leader, King, turned to his group, silently signaling a change in the marching order. \n\n \n\nWith a barely audible grumble, Jack the automatic gunner moved up to the front, adjusting his SAW and ammo boxes into position for sustained fire if needed. King fell back to check in with his commo officer, Queen, who was being held back by their Fearless Commander, Ace...he couldn't help but add sarcasm to the thought, along with these stupid nicknames. Guy had clearly watched too many movies in the Academy. \n\n \n\nAs he approached, he nodded and started speaking quietly, \"Sir, we're approaching the prim--\" \n\n \n\n\"Salute.\" Ace said. \n\n \n\nYou don't salute in an active combat zone! King wanted to yell...but yelling would be worse than humoring the idiot, so he snapped an intentionally sloppy and too-short salute, dropping it so he could hold his weapon at the ready and continued as though he'd not been interrupted. \n\n \n\n\"primary ingress to the congressional district. This building is as far as any group has previously gotten...beyond this is Druid territory, so as soon as we step into the sunlight they'll be aware of us and will put up heavy resistance--\" \n\n \n\n\"You think.\" Ace added smugly. \n\n \n\n\"....yes sir, I THINK they will put up heavy resistance...because they ALWAYS do. Without fail. Every raid.\" King snapped, unable to keep the entirety of his annoyance from his voice. He could already see Ace puffing up for a Talking To, so he just barreled on. \n\n \n\n\"I've moved our gunners around, so we have a spearhead of ammunition to break through their lines. We don't know why they are protecting the Capitol building, but it's assumed to be used as a place of worship by the density of the forest cover there, and they rarely use subterfuge tactics or attack from behind, so I'm keeping you two back here. If you see us start to falter, do NOT run. They are like any predator, so if you run you make yourself a target. Just walk back slowly, keep eye contact until you can get out of sight, then hide in one of the buildings for a few hours. The higher and longer the better, overnight if you can. Dawn is the best movement time, so if you can make it to then without being found, you should be able to sneak back out the way we cleared in.\" \n\n \n\n\"Sergeant, you sound like your death is a certainty here.\" Ace said calmly. \n\n \n\nKing nodded. \"Yes sir. Makes things easier if you have the most likely plan prepped. In the UNLIKELY event that we survive, we'll need your intel on the interior of the building--\" \n\n \n\n\"Oh yes, because my grandfather is a Senator, of course, and I have wandered that building extensively during my time here on holiday...\" Ace began to recite. \n\n \n\nBy all the gods living and dead, King thought not for the first time, if I have to listen to this rich prick's memories ONE MORE TIME...so he pushed through, much to Ace's annoyance. \n\n \n\n\"Yes sir, due to your familiarity with the building we'll be trusting your directions, so make sure you get us to the clinic with a minimum of obstacles. We need quick in and out, and less stairs and elevator shafts makes that better. Ramps by preference. I'll leave you to your memories, just make sure you are ready. We're moving.\" King finished, then turned without waiting for a response. \n\n \n\nReturning to the front, he checked his breach guard and chambered a round. Looking over at Jack, they shared a nod. Into the maw of the beast we go, as they say. And on they walked into the sunlight." ]

[ 1, 7 ]

[ "1650895039", "1650911416" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "AITA for trying to establish harmony among peoples and create a sustainable future for all humanity?\n\nA little background: since the beginning of human civilization, we have destroyed not only our planet, but ourselves, in a never-ending cycle of conflicts and bloodshed to establish dominance over one another. Whatever one person had, another wanted to claim, and through force of arms sought to take. \n\nIn the modern era, the machine of exploitation has become nigh eternally self-sustaining; those with the resources have the power not only to inflict their will upon the world, but the ability to insulate themselves from any potential upset to their world order, all while driving the planet closer to environmental collapse and innocent people to starvation and despair. You're as likely to strike God as you are to hold a billionaire accountable for their exploitation of natural resources and their labor force. \n\nThus, I began creating a device that would allow me to alter a person's very mind - not the mere meat, tissue and chemicals that comprise the brain, but the emotion, compulsion, motivations and will that define personhood. My plan was genius: hijack 12 of the Forbes top 100, and systematically erase their desire for acquisition and retention of material wealth while simultaneously artificially engendering an overwhelming altruistic urge to eradicate human suffering. Then I'd systematically convert international leader after international leader to my new policy initiatives; disarmament, destruction of fossil fuel infrastructure, investment in science and education, promotion and establishment of total equality and democracy. And finally, every single corrupt politician in the world, wracked with guilt and seeking to right their abuses, would come forward, confess their crimes and destroy their careers built on bribery and lies, and leave room for a generation of free and ethical thinkers to take the wheel and guide the world to a peaceful, prosperous future for all!!\n\nIt was so close to coming to fruition, before the blasted jackbooted costumed thugs, the Sentinels of Silver City, broke into my lab, arrested me and released my surviving eighty six human test subjects into the wild before I could properly gather the results of my experiments. \n\nThey claim that I am some sort of \"inhuman tyrant,\" that I tried to \"overwrite the fundamental human capacity of free will,\" that I \"viciously and thoroughly lobotomized one hundred and fourteen people.\" But really, if humanity actually deserved free will, they wouldn't be such vicious and domineering bastards to one another! Besides, with technology this revolutionary, a mortality rate of only 57% is a triumph in itself! And as these so-called \"heroes\" are so fond of spouting incessantly, \"sacrifices must be made for the greater good,\" so who are they to deny the validity of those sacrifices, unwilling though they were? And again! If they were really people who deserved free will in the first place, they would have not only immediately seen the merits of my plan, they would have been lining up in droves to be my test subjects! Am I right? \n\nWell, I leave this in your hands Reddit, to use your free will to come to the objectively correct conclusion: AITA?", "AITA for trying to further scientific knowledge and provide job security, housing and community facilities in a low employment area?\n\nI feel utterly dejected now and that everyone is against me, despite my best endeavours. Even those who were close to me have turned their backs on me and I simply don't understand why.\n\nIt started with a dream, a simple dream to help stop global warming. I had made some exciting discoveries in my lab that suggested the possibility of reversing the last 50 years of human impact on the environment, but needed to scale this up.\n\nIt was easy enough, using my inheritance after my father's unfortunate and convoluted accident to buy a remote island nation and build a global array that blended beautifully with the local geological formations.\n\nI gave work with generous pay, new housing, a medical facility, recreation and food halls to the local population, none of whom had had regular work for years. And had recently, tragically, lost their parents and grandparents in an unfortunate and convoluted accident.\n\nMy inital tests were more than successful, backing up my theories, but, as any one striving for a better future knows, you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs. And honestly it appearred that what happened to Mauritius, the Mariana Trench and Finland was the result of an unfortunate and convoluted accident, so blaming me seemed more than a little harsh.\n\nAt that point it seemed less visionary governments and agencies decided to maintain the status quo, presumably because they feared lossing tax revenue in the utopia I was close to creating.\n\nTo succeed I realised I needed to roll out my method in one hit, which would be simple with control of a satellite network. I did not have one of my own, but following a series of unfortunate and convoluted accidents, the passwords and control keys for one such network some how ended up with me. It was fate.\n\nAnd that's when things started going wrong. A British agent somehow arrived on my island, despite the customs drones that were in place to ensure unfortunate and convoluted accidents befell any previous visitors.\n\nWe did manage to arrest the agent, and I went to great lengths to explain my plan, then left him to ponder my words. Did he appreciate how important my work was? No. He did not.\n\nInstead, he killed my three most trusted bodyguards in what may be described as unfortunate and convoluted events, but were in no way, in my opinion, accidents. And nor were the explosions that followed, destroying my life's work.\n\nYou would think my team of trusted employees would have supported me, but once their tasteful corporate collars (simply there to allow easy access through the complex and a convenient way to store small amounts of explosives) were deactivated they became woke social justices warriors, accusing me of all sorts of horrible crimes. Totally unwarranted.\n\nIt is all so unfair and I feel I am going to have to start over, possible focussing on my old plan to melt the ice caps, creating fresh water for all.", "Am I the asshole for trying to redistribute wealth?\n\nIn America, we have so many rich people that hoard so much money, that if you earned 100 dollars a day since the day Jesus was born, you still wouldn't have as much money as Jeff Bezos.\n\nElon Musk bought Twitter for about 44-45 BILLION dollars. That amount, if given to every single American as per the US census bureau in 2022, would be about $135 dollars. For a purchase that could be argued was solely based out of either boredom, or to protect his fragile fragile ego. \n\nWe have mothers struggling to feed their children formula nationwide, where more and more states are rolling back abortion laws forcing more women to have children they don't want. This is all done to perpetuate the religious compound that exists within America: neglected children are a breeding ground for churches, making unwanted forced term pregnancies a valuable source of future income. You can't sustain religion if you're not having kids, and you can't make it out of poverty if you're forced to take care of some human you don't want and bestowed consciousness on without consent. \n\nWe have bridges collapsing and tarnished water in cities. We have people buying jets and multiple car garages while having the lower class rely on busses and metros to survive, and forced to never thrive.\n\nI'm done pretending this is all on accident, and that the majority of these poor people are lazy; IMO if you believe that you're more disconnected than I thought. \n\nWe need a massive revolutionary redistribution of the wealth of the 1% to be redistributed among all Americans so ALL can benefit. There's no need for mega yachts that can hold world ending parties on them while politicians and wealthy people alike suck the very teet of the person they allow to have that much money.\n\nI could very well be the asshole, but am i? For only wanting a better life for all Americans by taxing the rich on income they don't NEED?", "AITA for trying to help my city?\n\nI (50m) live in a pretty big city. I noticed a lot of people were dying because of crime and I decided to do something about it. I’ve worked as a biologist for a couple years now and I’ve studied Carcinisation for years and I found a way to replicate it.\n\nAbout a week ago I bought a lair and crab themed costume, I’ve been calling myself Dr. Crustacean and gave myself giant metal claws. I tried to pour my chemicals into the city’s water supply so I could help people by turning them into crabs. This mean guy (???m) calling himself “Indestructiboy” stopped me and even broke my claws. He put me in jail and said I was trying to destroy the city. Am I the asshole?", "This is my first piece of writing, it is subpar and you will probably laugh\n\nAITA for becoming the leader of a Mexican drug ring?\n\nMy mother always used to call me a bum. I lived on her couch for the remaining time I stayed in Arizona..ahh those were the days, I would come back some nights shitfaced telling my mom I had dreams to become a Mexican drug dealer.\n\nYou know what? One day she said to me in a sarcastic but earthly \"maybe you should! you can buy me a house instead of sitting on your ass all day eating chips.\" I could tell she was upset.\n\nThat was the last time I spoke to my mother. I hastily got my things together that early morning and got into my Shitty Corolla, I stopped by my friend Carlos' house and told him we were going on an adventure. I didn't tell him what. But he beat his wife one last time before leaving her with the kids and hopping my car, I wonder if one day he'll get what's coming to him?\n\nAmyway. I drove him to the muddy shores where I linked up with this old guy who sold me cocaine once, he told me to hit him up if I ever needed work. After months of me and this sweaty guy Carlos living in my car and grinding for months, we eventually got an apartment. A nice cozy place in the city. Carlos was out alot until he eventually got his own place. And his own family. \n\nI hadn't spoke to my mother in years at this point. Neither Carlos. We drifted away after we hit the bank and made a living. I decided it was time to put down the lifestyle and work on my education. I went to college near my town, that's where I met Sarah. She is beautiful and my wife til this day, but we'll get to that.\n\nAfter a few months of us going out, we decided to get serious about it. Time had passed and I noticed something strange when entering her parents house for the first time at dinner.\n\nHer dad said he got a new boss who paid him well, the wife always asked details but he never gave them which was a tad bit odd. He did started the job until the following week, I didn't raise any concerns until I came across a note on Sarah's fathers table on the way out. \n\nMe being a little rascal I picked it up and ripped the unopened envelope entitled \"C.\" The note inside read:\n\n\"3:AM SHARP, MULHOLLAND DR.\nTHIS IS YOUR ONLY CHANCE.\"\n \nI don't know what came over me I slipped it into my pocket and left. \n\nHer father had always acted suspicious around me after that. He rang my wife one day and asked us she saw envelope anywhere. I was none the wiser.\n\n\nI decided to visit Mulholland Drive that fateful day.\n\nWhile 3:05 passed so did a lady in a black robe, weird looking. She whispered \"initiation\" into my ear with a Spanish accent before leaving promptly. Wtf? Soon after a black range Rover pulled up and two old Mexican men with black suits stepped out of the car, the said \"Danny\"? ( My Wife's Father's name) I replied confused \"yeah\"\n\n\"Do it\" they said\n\nAfter their words followed a thud on the ground as a man fell face first on the ground in front of me, masked with a cotton cloth disgusting his face.\n\nAs he lifted himself up he started crying and yelling inauudible noises, however... I recognized those distinct noises! I pulled back the cover. \n\n\"Carlos!\"\n\nHe looked at me with such betrayal and fear in his eyes, like lost puppy trembling with a thousand jolts of anxiety. His mouth was taped but I could tell from the expression on his face he was begging me not to take him from this wonderful world..all that he has, his kids, his family. The guy sobered up and took his wife back to treat her better. She loves him now, THEY love him now.\n\nIt crossed my mind. But I realized, this was my shot, my shot to have the riches, the women. The life I always wanted! To flash my wealth in my mothers face, they were all gonna get what was coming to them.\n\nWithout a second thought I grabbed the katan they had laid out for me before swiftly slicing his head from his neck. Those last few moments before the blade touched his skin memories of me and him as kids flashed my mind, the times we helped each other through hard times, times we would share toys. It was all gone. To this day I sit in my penthouse, being able to afford it after impressing the boss multiples times after that fateful day, him paying me handsomely to take care of myself. I think about that day with Carlos some times and..it doesn't bother me. One Bit.\n\nAITA?", "AITA for destroying a universe?\n\nNow, before you start judging, let me explain.\n\nSo I was doing my thing, being the god of darkness and destruction and all that, when I came across a universe that was filled with mortal life forms. Now, I despise mortal life forms, and this universe’s dominant ones in particular were… not very smart, to say the least. They were not good at keeping their energy-creating processes eco-friendly, wiping out the populations of inhabited planets within a decade of landing on them. By the time I noticed them, they’d eliminated all life forms on all the planets of at least half of their universe’s galaxies. I’d usually enjoy watching that kinda stuff happen, but even I found it stupid how they did absolutely nothing to stop it; heck, it didn’t seem like they cared or even noticed it at all. So I figured I’d… give them a hand, as the best way to put it would be. I moseyed on over to their universe, kinda just made a Big Crunch happen, and… bloop. Universe destroyed.\n\nOf course, the goddess of light and creation got super mad at me, saying how “you should’ve given them a chance”, “allowed me to handle them”, “I’d kick you off the Divine Council if I could”, blah blah blah. I know the next Divine Council meeting, which is coming up in just a few weeks, won’t go down so well, so I figured I’d get some advice from you mortals on what to do.\n\nAITA?", "AITA for wanting to take over the world?\n\nI(26f) know what youre thinking, im just some stupid internet troll pretending to be super evil. \n\nWell, sort of yes but NO\nI have a serious problem right now. \nLike, im literally being chased by cops every other day?\n\nanyways- it started when i was younger, maybe 13,14? I wasnt bullied too bad, typical for the popular girls' unofficial duff. I was like a boat of supplies?, i floated to whichever group needed me, i was friends with everyone. But everyone was like really mean to me sometimes but im kinda over it now cause i have bigger problems to deal with. \n\nI wanted to be the president. I had big dreams, and i was certain id make it into office.\n\ni didnt.\n\nwhatever.\n\nAnyways a long, long, looooong while later (when i was 15) i burnt out due to severe uh... mental issues... i came to the realization id never be president. Those fascist assholes all seem to want tyranny. I hate the government, and what better way to fix that than taking over the world!\n\nright?\n\nright?????\n\nOkay so i didnt know how to go about taking over the world, its not like they had a Supervillain University. I decided to try to sneak into the whitehouse and kidnap the president or something. I got 2 hours away before i got a ticket, can you believe that?\n\ni had to go back home but i made sure to try again a week later.\n\ni didnt work, so i tried again. 17 more times.\n\nthey put me on some watch list thing, thought i was a terrorist. \n\nIm not, btw, just wanna be president :(\n\nim not wrong, right? Am i the asshole?", "**AITA for Ruining my Our Bedsheets**\n\nI think a lot of people know about this now. This is not only to my friends and my family but also to the whole world. It sucks being a woman, and now the whole world hates me. I need to get some things off of my chest. Some people say explaining the situation is therapeutic, so that is what I am going to do.\n\nA few years back, I had an argument with my husband. We were never on great terms, and that is mostly because he is selfish and on drugs most of the time. I could not help him, so I thought the best thing to do is to tell him how much of a horrible person he was. It pisses me off that he never reacted until I came up to him in an attempt to hit him. I only wanted to get him back into a conversation about the whole situation.\n\nNext thing that happened, he grabbed me on the shoulders and placed me back on the bed. Then, in his words, he said, \"I am leaving, please do not follow me.\" This infuriated me. I wanted to hit him so hard across the face; and that is exactly what he asked me to do. He told me to him him not once, not twice, but three times. I did not care. I hit him with those three times he asked me. Right then and there, he placed me back on the bed again, and he told me to not follow him.\n\nI needed to decompress the situation. I went with my friends to a concert, but this did not relieve the stress that I had experienced. Revenge is what I wanted, and so that is what I did. Really, I did the whole thing as a joke, but it did help get off my chest. That night, I went onto his bed and pulled my pants down. On that same bed, I took a fat one, a brown stinker on his sheets. My half-revenge-half-prank made me feel so much better. I even had to blame our chihuahua about the incident, but he did not believe me; and I do not care.\n\nI am in hot waters about this. My husband just announce this on television. He once claimed that I punch him, but that is not even the full story. I hit him, not punch him. There is a difference. I also screwed his career over through an allegation I made at the New York Post. There was no big deal. It was all just to help promote myself for a film, to speak up for every woman out there. After all, we had to sacrifice a pawn to bring a situation to light.\n\nI once ask you guys again, AITA?", "User: horriblymisjudged\n\nTitle: AITA for NOT murdering my archrival?\n\nPost:\n\nSome backstory is in order, here.\n\nThe world is a mess, and I have been trying, for years, to make it a better place. That is, I have been working towards that goal by trying to join an organization that would give me the influence to make the necessary changes to society to fix it. And once I'm a member of that group, I'll be making the world a better place, by putting the power in... different... hands.\n\nHowever, every time I try to do something notorious enough to be noticed, my archrival (we'll call him Captain Dick because I have it on good authority that that's what his symbol is referring to) has stepped in and used his super strength beat me into submission. I mean, technically, yes, some of the actions I was taking were \"illegal\" by a strict reading of the law, but how am I supposed to disrupt the status quo (a lie of a term, if I've ever heard one: the status is NOT quo) if I'm forced to color within the lines? Besides, there's such a thing as \"excessive force,\" and an atomic wedgie definitely qualified, IMNSHO.\n\nNow, for the next part to make sense, you have to understand: Captain Dick is not a nice person. \"Serial monogamist\" is the term I would use; he's never been known to go out on more than one night stands with anyone. And those women are mostly celebrity Stacies, who deserve to be treated like that and he's your typical Chad, so why would I care?\n\nBut, anyway, he decides to date this girl who just so happens to be a good friend of mine; we've been doing laundry together for months. And this after he almost gets her run over by a van I had taken control of, by destroying the control mechanism; I barely managed to use the remote control to stop it in time, so it didn't hit her. Somehow, she blames me for trying to steal the van (I was NOT trying to steal the van; I was only borrowing the van so that I could steal the van's contents), and credits him for saving her, when all he did was cause the van to go out of control, and then throw her into a pile of garbage to get her out of the way of the hazard that he created!\n\nSo, she totally can't see what a dick Captain Dick is, especially compared to me, even when I try to warn her about him. She called him \"sweet.\" How is he \"sweet?\" I'm the sweet one.\n\nSo, Captain Dick comes to meet me, his \"girlfriend's\" laundry buddy, and deduces my costumed identity somehow. I have a feeling he had been tipped off, as my operational security is excellent and it would take far more than his few brain cells to see through my fiendishly clever disguise. Anyway, he taunts me about how he's going to rock my friend's world, as if she was yet another contest between us, and he had won, and she was the prize. And that's just disgusting. She's not a prize, she's a real person, and if anyone was going to win her, it should be me anyway.\n\nBut then I have a great idea to solve all of my problems: the group I need to join to change the world wants me to murder someone, and killing Captain Dick would prevent her from getting hurt by him, plus I would get into the group, plus I would be able to win her love away from him. I mean, earn her love away from him.\n\nAnd so, I set up the perfect trap by appealing to Captain Dick's ego, and freeze him in place allowing me to kill him at my leisure. And, you know, I'm a nice guy, and murder isn't something I like to do, so I take my time to think about whether this is something I really want to do. But then my freeze ray malfunctions, so my opportunity to kill him has expired, and he's still alive. And the thanks I get for not killing him is that he punches me in the face, causing me to drop and damage my death ray, and then he aims it at me (more of his usual excessive force), and, when he fires it despite my warning, it explodes and kills my friend, his \"girlfriend.\" And I get blamed for it!\n\nTL;DR: I had the chance to kill someone who had been bullying me and objectifying women for years, and didn't. AITA?\n\nEdit: Some people are claiming that by bringing a deadly weapon into the room, I am at fault for what it did. Number one: guns don't kill people, Captain Dick kills people. And number two, when I brought it into the room, it was only going to kill one person, who deserved it. It was Captain Dick who broke it, and then tried to fire it despite my warning, causing it to explode.\n\nEdit #2. Yes, she and I were very close friends. I signed her petition, and we had frozen yogurt together, and we both did laundry all of those months. How much closer can a friendship get?\n\nEdit #3. Okay, no, I didn't tell her directly about my costumed identity, but I sort of referenced it obliquely. I'm sure she had a good idea of what kind of person I really was, even if she didn't know the specifics. Although somehow she still friendzoned me and dated that Captain Dick, despite be being a much better match for her. Some guys just put on a costume and say they're a hero, and people believe them, despite all evidence to the contrary.\n\nEdit #4. Yes, I **was** a better match for her than Capt. Dick. She was trying to make the world better for people, and so was I. Whereas those who call themselves \"heroes\" are protectors of the status quo. Yes, with his help, she got that little bit of the status quo she was trying to change, changed, but she would have wanted to move into the next little bit of change, and the next, whereas I can make everything better all at once.\n\nEdit #5. Some people are trying to guess my identity. Please stop. It's against the rules of this forum, and if the group I joined after my friend died learns I didn't actually kill her, I'll be on the outs with them, and there goes all the worldwide improvement I'm planning once I'm in charge, so that'll be all your fault. And you're not going to figure it out anyway.\n\nEdit #6. I said **STOP**!\n\nModerator edit:\n\n>🎶 \n>He read the thing you posted \n>And now he knows the truth \n>You tried to hide your name \n>But you left too. Much. Proof. \n>The ELE will find you, \n>And do something uncouth... \n>Go try to run, \n>You can't, of course. \n>We'll kill you shortly \n>Signed, Bad Horse.", "I create thousands of jobs. My henchme- uh, employees - they get paid enough. We are cross-industry pioneers! Our company is giant! Where we source from, well they aren't properly allocating their own resources. And no one MADE them sign the deals. On fact, if it wasn't me, it would be someone else. At least this way, I'm creating value for something that was considered free before! And if it's valuable, then it's not some human right. Right? A lot of work goes into what we do, we can't just give it away. I have all of these people looking up to me to provide. So AITA?\n\n-totallynotnestle", "**AITA for surprising my ex-coworkers with a trivia contest slash scavenger hunt?**\n\nA while back, I (29F) left my previous job once I realized I didn't find it satisfying anymore. I got along fine with my coworkers, though, and I still respect them a great deal. Because of this, I decided to try to show my appreciation by arranging a few fun events for them.\n\nTrivia night was always pretty popular at work, and we always enjoyed solving various puzzles, so I had the idea of creating a series of riddles and trivia questions for them to solve (mostly related to geography). Basically the idea was that I'd leave a bunch of clues all over for them to track down, one by one, until finally at the end they'd find a reward. Some of the clues would be phyiscal objects, but some of them would be revealed by friends of mine that I'd asked to wait in specific locations to help. Sounds like fun, right?\n\nApparently my coworkers didn't think so. They tried to arrest me, despite the fact that I was planning all along for them to retrieve the crown I borrowed from Buckingham Palace. I had to leave in a hurry and got my favorite red coat and fedora covered in mud as a result. It's going to be a huge pain to clean out.\n\nAITA here?", "AITA for attempting a coup? \n\nBy u/ TheRealDrMyceliumYesThatOne\n\nEdit 2: You people understand nothing. \n\n-0-0-\n\nEdit: I would like to point out that almost everyone who has disagreed with me has thus far not actually disagreed with my rationale, only with my choice of method. \n\nI believe that is called \"tone policing\", and I will not be subject to it. \n\n-0-0-\n\nOkay so. I'm writing this while awaiting trial, so it is not really a question of \"am I the asshole\". I am trying to sort out what kind of response I am likely to get from the jury, and I figured this was as good a place as any. \n\nOn the 13th of May of this year, I, the great Dr. Mycelium (yes, my rightful username was taken from me by some two-bit mycology MA student) grew fungal nets between all the doors and frames at the White House, Capitol Building, Pentagon, and [here] is a list of other relevant political targets I hit. \n\nAt the same time, I kidnapped all the hosts of Fox News, and with my henchmen put on my manifesto in which I outlined the various problems of our society, and my proposed solutions. \n\nPresent problems in our society include: \n\n- Lack of accountability on the part of politicians \n\n- Massive wealth and income inequality \n\n- Insufficient support for our most vulnerable populations, including of course racial and gender minorities but more importantly the young, the infirm , the elderly, and all of the demographics that are less than maximally profitable under our current economic conditions \n\n- insufficient resource allocation to the problem of climate change, which includes incoming agricultural collapse so massive it will lead to mass death \n\n- inefficiencies in the decision-making process which lead to long, drawn-out periods of stagnation and regress. \n\nThese problems lead to a variety of second-order problems, such as the destruction of our social fabric as people become distracted by details of identity from the real villains, namely the political class. They lead to countless deaths, destruction of property, economic disarray, and environmental damage. \n\nThey are also all fairly easy to solve. The correct answer (and the one I proposed) is to simply trap all of the relevant politicians that I can at a given time, expose them to mind-controlling fungal spores, and force them to make the necessary political decisions that will propel the nation forward into a bright future, where our fresh water is clean, our oceans are thriving, our trees and old growth forests are allowed to continue to allow us to breathe, our financial incentives are aligned to account for the dignity of every person, and every person who has stood in the way of this has been summarily executed to ensure they do not pose a threat to this new world order. \n\nI would be interim president, until such a time as we had captured enough carbon to ensure we remain below 300ppm for the foreseeable future. I would also of course, step down once the mandate was made and allow a democratically elected leader to take over, provided I could act as a check and execute any who would threaten the plan. \n\nI provided a variety of infographics outlining the benefits of all of my proposed policies, as well as the many ironic ways in which I would execute the politicians responsible for our ongoing ecocide. \n\nI would like to point out that I was running *live polling* the whole time and over 65% of the audience was in favour of my takeover, which should be doubly impressive considering how radically distant my ideology is to the average viewer of Fox News. Clearly, my message was resonating with people. \n\nI was eventually captured by Red Eagle and his buddies, though not before engulfing the entirety of the Fox building in carbon-sequestering edible mushrooms. What good is a massive propaganda machine if it will not alert people to the real needs we are facing today? \n\nAnyhow, obviously the system is corrupt, and obviously I would be a much better steward of the government than the lunatics currently in place that corporations utilize like gut flora. But I must be able to defend myself against the arguments that will be posed in court (my lawyer is obviously underpaid, overworked, and understands nothing of my plight) so I would appreciate a sincere attempt at establishing why I am \"the asshole\" while I was saving the world from its own cancerous corruption only to be thwarted by corporately-backed \"superhero\" thugs who could offer me no meaningful opposition in the free marketplace of ideas.", "u/catfeeder13throwaway\n\nTL;DR: AITA for feeding my cat?\n\nI’ve had my cat, Roxy, for around 12 years now, and am very in tune with her diet requirements. It gets a little expensive at time, because she’s very demanding and particular with her food and requires certain cuts of meat. Yes, I may have spoiler her, but I’m single [M42] and doing pretty well for myself. (Not to brag, you won’t recognize my face, but you’ll know what I do for a living.)\n\nSo anyway, I was just acquiring some food for my cat in a new city. Apparently, this new place doesn’t quite bend to my will, so there was a lot of resistance when I tried to get food for my cat. A lot of people were screaming at me, and there were even some costumed heroes flying out of the sky to stop me. I’m just getting food for Roxy, making sure she’s well-fed. AITA?\n\nEDIT 1: A lot of people are saying there aren’t enough details in the story. The heroes beat me up really badly. I’m not in the hospital. I’m not at liberty to discuss why I can’t be there. But I’m healing up in my home base.\n\nEDIT 2: Stop posting the news clip that seems to corroborate my story. It’s extremely biased. HNN is known to be biased to anybody wearing a colourful costume. I strongly refute that my actions count as “terrorism” and “villainy.”\n\nEDIT 3: Roxy is doing OK, thank you for those asking. I did secure some food for her. She’s eating it right now, in fact.\n\nEDIT 4: Yes, Roxy’s a lion. A lion is a cat. I will not accept any alternatives.\n\nEDIT 5: I don’t understand you guys. The food is worthless. They are thrown in the alleys and dumpsters, abandoned by society. Why is it a problem that I pluck them up and feed them to my cats? If I’m fine with it, why does the law about old food has to come into play?\n\nEDIT 6: Yes, Roxy likes the legs the most. She likes chewing on the tough bones afterwards.\n\nEDIT 7: Nobody cares about them. Call their families. Oops? They don’t have families? Yes, that’s what I thought.\n\nEDIT 8: I’ve decided that I no longer care about your opinions. You guys are TAs here. No thanks, and good bye.\n\nEDIT 9: To the person trying to track my IP address through this, good luck. You are pathetic. Your skills are not worth mentioning.\n\nEDIT 10: To the people trying to track my IP address through this, you need to do better. Assholes.\n\nEDIT 11: It’s not fair. Ganging up on me and poor old Roxy. It’s really not fair. The heroes do it. You guys do it. While I’m at it, I’ll make sure I tear your limbs apart, and feed them to\n\n---\n\nr/dexdrafts", "AITA for… well, let’s just get right into this.\r \n\r \nI was a hero, once. What they don’t tell you about being the hero is the bureaucracy. I felt I was gifted my power for a reason and it would be wrong of me to waste them, but I could not handle the leash I was placed on.\r \n\r \nThere are all these laws about property damage and image, what jurisdiction we have to not interfere with the police or military forces. Some choose to implement themselves into them, but I could never adhere to that type of community.\r \n\r \nI don’t work well with people, I hate the spotlight. While other superheroes flashed a smile and signed autographs for adoring fans, I tried my best to retreat into darkness. I never wore my superhero outfit except when necessary. For others, it became their life. I had my own and did not want it consumed by this government monstrosity that keeps us chained.\r \n\r \nEventually, they began to notice that they did not have me on as tight a leash and tried to change that. I kept trying to distance myself from their shackles, but they grew ever tighter. One day, I snapped.\r \n\r \nThey were putting up a series of statues for new superheroes to honor them. I did not mind that they did not include me, but it was a way to send a message: that I would not put up with their bullshit any longer. I destroyed the statues.\r \n\r \nEver since then society has painted me as the enemy. I became what they wanted, a scapegoat. It was easier if society could imagine I was the corrupt one and the rest of the world would be cleansed without me. I paid the price for thinking.\r \n\r \nI grew more bitter with each passing day. Those bastards could get away with anything, and I nothing. I made more public displays, each time leaving messages behind. I never killed anyone, only destroyed government property.\r \n\r \nThe only thing the news talked about is what a tragedy it was. And yes, when I attacked the police station it did have unforeseen consequences, but change is messy, is it not? I have no voice any longer, action is my only platform.\r \n\r \nI say I was a hero, once, but in truth, I know not what I was or what I am. I don’t believe those smiling celebrities are heroes. Perhaps heroism is a myth, one I was stupid enough to buy into.\r \n\r \nCrime is up now, so is unemployment and government debt. Society blames me. Do you?", "**AITA for using things that I attained legally through a contract?**\n\nI entered into a trade with a young female. Let's call her A. I made her well aware of the stipulations of the contract. I gave her what she asked for and she gave me something of hers in return. She later found out that I was using my newly attained property. It gave me the confidence I needed to put myself out there and meet a new guy. Let's call him E. It went really well and he proposed almost immediately. A got really mad and turned my fiancée against me. E&A took back \"her\" property (which I rightfully own). A's dad became involved and he offered something of his in exchange for letting A off the hook, so to speak. He signed the new contract. I went about my business and of course, E&A come after me again, mad that I was using A's dad's property, which he gave to me, fair and square! They physically attacked me. The reason I think I may be TA is because there was some use of magic here, but honestly... why does everyone in this family sell their shit and then get mad when the buyer uses it?", "⬆️ ^(Posted by ImmovableGoddess 4 hours ago 🏆 5🌋🔥2💥☠ 🌊) \n\nAITA **For refusing to get out of the way for a ship full of people?**\n\n(Long POST- Names have been changed)\n\n🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊🧊\n\nOkay, so I (25F) am just minding my own business, floating in the sea happily on a nice, icy cold night, and it's been like a really long day at work, so it could explain why I was so cranky. I mean this was late at night, people. This was at like 11PM, it's almost midnight. I shouldn't have even been out, I am not going to lie, but it was the weekend and I was just trying to have some fun with my friends . So my friends and I are all having an awesome time floating around, chilling, and all of the sudden this ship full of people, let's call him, Gerald, (M) comes up to me, like barreling down at like 20 knotts. ((Honestly, it was probably more like 22 knotts or even 24 knotts.))\n\nAnyways, my friends all agree as we are watching this happen, that this is insane. It's 11PM , people should be sleeping, you should be going slower at night too (Isn't there like a law for that kind of thing?IDK)\n\nSo anyways, this big ship was all like \"MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!!\" as it comes barreling at me at some crazy speed. 💦 \n\nOKAY, so this is probably totally bad behavior on my part, like I said I was tired and had a long day at work. When the ship was coming at me, and all my friends were watching (sort of egging me on, not going to lie) , I just .... I just didn't move. \n\nHonestly it would have been no problem, but I don't know. It was in the moment, and there was all this yelling and screaming and dying, and I was too tired to think right.\n\nWas I too stubborn? Should I have been the bigger person?\n\nIf you are just standing there, and some guy tells you to move out of the way for *HIM* , is it so wrong to say \"Uh, No!\". Why does he have the right of way, and I don't? It just really hurt my feelings, that this guy comes up to me and tells me to move, and what- I just obey?\n\nWhy because he is a man and I am an Iceberg? 🚫That's discrimination in my mind!🚫\n\nSo long story short, all these people like froze to death in the water after Gerald went full speed ahead and bumped into me. I shoved him off of me, and I didn't know the guy only had like two hulls. If I had known he had two hulls, I would have been way more gentle, or even just moved.\n\nI think they said like 1,500 people died in the water, so honestly I was pretty bummed about it. You know, I could see all those little cute humans just drowning in the water there, but I am not CPR certified or any of my friends, so we just bounced and didn't look back.🥶\n\nI feel really bad guys. I don't know, what do you think? Was I the asshole, or was I just standing up for my rights?", "**AITA For trying to save the world from the alien.**\n\nCalculations related to morality can be hard and they can lead to harder conclusions.\n\nIf an asteroid was heading in the general direction of earth with a 1% chance of hitting the planet and killing everyone on earth, all 7 billion humans, should we just **hope** it doesn't happen? \n\nOr should we dedicate similar resources as we would to a threat that was 100% certain to kill 70 million people, 1% of humanity? \n\nI've been called a villain... but my goal is and always had been defending the world. \n\nThe alien, \"superman\", it has become clear that if he decided to destroy humanity then he could probably do it in under 24 hours.\n\nWe have no idea the source of his powers. With the energy levels that seem to be involved he might just explode one day and take half the planet with him.\n\nHis mind seems similar to that of humans. Do these aliens ever suffer psychotic episodes? Delusions? Dementia? \n\nWho knows! \n\nIt's hard to work out exact numbers on the chances of the alien killing us all but even with the most forgiving estimates the calculations always show at least 1% chance.\n\nAnd so I **must** treat him as I would someone with a 100% chance of killing 70 million people.\n\nIf you could go back in time and stop Mao, Stalin or Hitler before they killed millions would you not have a moral duty to do so? Even if there was going to be collateral casualties it would still be your moral duty to stop them.\n\nYet the world calls me a villain for trying to kill the alien! \n\nAITA?", "AITA for trying to help a woman get out of an abusive relationship?\n\nSo basically I have this work rival and he shows all the signs of being an abuser. He punches holes in walls, he is very full of himself, he seems so unfeeling I'd say like a brick wall, but honestly more like titanium. And he has this crazy death stare he can give sometimes.\n\nAnyway, due to work out personal lives are unfortunately also intertwined. After doing some thinking I decided to pick up his girlfriend for some tea and try to really change her mind about her relationship with him.\n\nThen waddaya know, this dude literally busts my door down (after assaulting my groundskeepers!) And rushes her away before she would even have a chance to protest. Classic abusive relationship stuff.\n\nYet for some reason most of the people we know always take his side on things\n\nAITA?", "AITA for causing a riot, declaring martial law, destroying a water dam, and drowning a City.\n\nPlease read the full post before making a judgment. I can predict Domino effects(As in because of a x will happen in a couple of days) with this ability I somewhat can see the future. My ability also works if I see someone else do something.\n\nThis happened a few months ago while I was at the park. I had noticed a large truck carrying chemicals going down the road. I had seen them in the city several times and paid them no mind. however, today I use my ability on them out of curiosity. I was shocked to find out. A politician had taken a bribe from a company to allow them to dump their chemicals in the landfill near the city. The company had sent all of the chemical waste from all their factories in the surrounding states to this landfill. The chemical waste had collected in an underground pocket. This pocket continued to expand due to the gas being released from the chemicals. Within one year from that day, the pressure from the gases would have caused an explosion that would shake the foundation of the city. After the first explosion, the chemicals and gases would be released into the subway tunnels. The chemicals would then be ignited by the Sparks of a broken light. This in turn will create a second explosion that will cause many buildings to collapse and The Inferno will try its best to escape the underground network. Over 96% of the population of the city will die within the first two hours. the city will continue to be in Flames for several years due to the chemicals seeping into the soil.\n\nAfter witnessing this I panicked and tried my best to look for any way to prevent it. All avenues involving bureaucracy ended up taking too long and all attempts to convince the public was met with skepticism and me being seen as a crazy person.\n\nThe only solution that I can come up with that seemed to work was to destroy this city in a controlled way. I drugged many criminals as I broke them out of prison and released them into the city causing many people to flee the city in fear. I destroyed many buildings with bombs in a way that would not affect the chemical waste. I created a small militia group that forced the government into declaring martial law, I then had them force people to leave their homes by any means necessary. Before any superheroes or the military got involved I set up fuses on the dam and set them off causing a massive flood drowning the city.\n\n\nMost of the population had fled the City by now. The chemicals will be diluted by the water preventing the explosions. The last thing I did was watch as the CEO, board of directors, and the politician drowned in the underground bunker that I tricked them into hiding in.\n\n\nI think I might be the asshole because even though they would be dead if I did nothing. many of the people from the city have lost their jobs and homes.", "AITA for Trying to Cure Cancer?\n\nI thought it was a good thing, but now I'm waiting for my court date because some faceless government agency decided that it was too soon to go to human trials. I'm just trying to use my fortune for good, but it seems the pharmaceutical companies would rather bribe officials than cure diseases. \n\nAfter inheriting my family fortune in my teens, I decided that no one should have to suffer losing love ones to preventable diseases. I began investing in genetic research, nano technology, and bleeding edge research. I founded dozens of companies dedicated to preserving life, and now they're saying they were all fronts for a criminal empire. I mean, sure, I have people that I pay under the table and bypass the red tape, and some others that take a more persuasive approach if that fails, but the drug companies are killing millions with their addictive garbage. Heck, I probably employ more people from underprivileged and marginalized communities than all of my competitors combined. Funny how the company paying their employees generously, including profit sharing from different specialized endeavors, gets hit with tax evasion and racketeering, but the real gangsters are continuing to profit off of the addiction they sell. \n\nSorry, went off a bit there, obviously I'm a bit emotional, I should probably explain what happened. One of my companies developed a radical new genetic treatment that would basically make cancer, and most diseases a thing of the past. It didn't even make any major changes, just switched on a dormant trait lost to evolution. There were minimal side effects, except in very specific cases. Less than one percent of subjects experienced severe physical reactions. My people in the lab assured me they could reduce that even further after continued testing. \n\nI called up a few folks trying to get this pushed through the relevant agencies, but I'm sure you can imagine how much money drug companies dump into Washington. I tried offering bribes, then threats, finally I gave up. It was no use, because I now had the IRS snooping around, they were not going to let it go to human trials, let alone the general public. I decided I wasn't going to wait around anymore. \n\nI sent a few of my more persuasive employees down to visit the corrupt officials and plead my case. They were met with violence by a masked vigilante that seems to spend more time saving punching poor folks than catching real criminals. Then the police book my employees, and not the violent criminal that assaulted him. One of my guys calls me to let me know the vigilante had threatened me as the next victim of his violence. I was terrified, I don't even own a gun, he's already assaulted several of my employees, and he's threatening me. I booked it to the safe room in my lab. \n\nThree feet of concrete and steel, strong enough to withstand most explosions and impossible to break into. I still didn't feel safe, but there wasn't much else I could do. The vigilante broke into my lab, \nAnd immediately began threatening jail and violence if I didn't open the door. I tried to reason with him, explain that what I was working on was going to cure mankind. That the people he was taking orders from were the real villains. He ignored me, and began destroying my lab. There are extremely dangerous compounds around it that you don't just smash and burn all willy-nilly. I tried warning him, but he continued calling me a scourge and telling me I'd face justice. I had no choice but to hit the vent fans, the idiot would have blown the whole building to the moon if I hadn't. Unfortunately the compound hadn't been fully tested, plus whatever changes came from combining it with random chemicals in a fit of juvenile violence. \n\nThe industrial district got dosed with an aerosol cancer cure, unfortunately it also turned 9 out of 10 people into lizard-apes. I offered to figure out a cure, but the vigilante seemed to think I'd use it for ransom instead. Now they're saying I did it on purpose in retaliation for the investigations. They are using my efforts to fast track a life saving compound as evidence. I made the cure, everyone is back to normal, my researchers have valuable data that will only improve the compound, and they still treat me as some sort of bad guy. I don't know, I'm losing it here, AITA?", "​\n\nUser: NOTASHES132\n\nEdit: Sorry for the long post, had a lot to get off my chest.\n\nEdit Edit: Wow okay thought I would get more measured responses from my favorite community.\n\nAITA for Blowing up HALF the moon?\n\nPlease try to understand context, and remember, it was only HALF the moon. I could have blown up the whole thing, I have tons of missiles, but instead I only blew up half and I think that should speak for itself, but let me explain the story in case you STILL need to be convinced.\n\nSo I was minding my own business doing some banking when I wanted to make a withdrawal that was barely a couple million over the account limit. When the woman said no I pulled out my death ray because I was heated and I'd missed my coffee that morning. Keep in mind, I didn't SHOOT the death ray, I just pointed it at her, my finger wasn't even on the trigger the whole time.\n\nOnce I convinced her, she started loading the money I wanted in bags and begging me to let her go home to her wife and kids, so people started to get angry with me. It was so unfair! I was barely pointing the death ray at her at that point, she was just pity fishing in broad daylight to try to get the other innocent customers on her side. A move right from the narcissists' playbook.\n\nBUT not everyone in the bank had the full story, so this big guy from behind me in line takes a swing at me. I was able to dodge it (Thanks to my ninja training) so he technically didn't hit me first but he DID try. That man had tried for a sucker punch so I reasonably went to shoot him with the death ray as a classic single escalation response.\n\nOf course, so nosy security guard with a power trip won't let a couple of people figure things out, so he tries to tackle me just as I'm pulling the trigger. Next thing I know, I missed the assaulter and half the front door of the bank is gone. Keep in mind that property damage isn't MY fault, I would have just shot the VIOLENT man trying to ASSASULT me.\n\nSo now the police are coming, but ACAB right? So I grab the money and take off in my hover board. Admittedly I'm embarrassed about how the whole thing went down but at that point I just wanted to get home.\n\nBoom! The pigs start shooting at me because they don't have any trigger discipline in this country and one of them hit my engines. So now I'm spiraling out of control in the middle of the air when suddenly I see that the nosy and boisterous (speaking of narcissists) Victorya is suddenly in the air beside me. She's trying to make quips about my situation instead of SAVING me which is her job.\n\nSo once I get things a little more stable I fire my death ray at her because she won't die from it anyway, but get this, she gets OUT OF THE WAY and I hit an office building. Now people are saying that I'm a murderer (BTW manslaughter is a thing look it up) and they aren't even consdiering that it was her fault for getting out of the way.\n\nOnce the glass stops falling she comes right at me so I engage the ATMOS protocol. Big shout out to my buddy Jared in comms who told me that we'd only need 50% to get the job done, and even though I was annoyed I took his advice for a measured response.\n\nSo we fire HALF of the missiles that we had in storage for Victoya and she sees them coming so she flies away. I crash into the ground so I only see the rest from the street, but she goes flying around, dragging missiles all over the city instead of just letting them hit her like a real hero would.\n\nVictorya (Have I told you that she's punched me a bunch of times before?) flies up into the upper atmosphere which OF COURSE is bad for the missiles targeting systems. She actually ends up leading them PAST the satellite that controls them and KEEP IN MIND I had no control over the missiles once she was in the upper atmosphere.\n\nSo she gets out of the way, the missiles keep going and it turns out they were headed RIGHT for the moon. Suddenly people are gasping my name on the news like four hours later when ONLY HALF the moon blows up because other people antagonized me and I was acted in self defense.\n\nNow that you know the whole story it's pretty obvious that NTA, but I already typed this all out so you can decide.\n\n​\n\nActual Edit: Check out /r/Jacksonwrites for more things that are equally domb, but less AITA formatted. Also some minior typo correction." ]

[ 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 14, 17, 30, 48, 50, 50, 107, 174, 179, 381, 1055 ]

[ "1651409921", "1651445928", "1651447289", "1651449589", "1651451352", "1651441740", "1651443028", "1651443203", "1651435086", "1651441747", "1651444868", "1651439267", "1651427657", "1651434168", "1651422140", "1651426419", "1651427350", "1651422243", "1651420871", "1651416187", "1651423000", "1651418745" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "\"Good morning.\" The bland, androgynous AI chimed.\n\n\"Morning. Where am I?\" I grunted, irritable and half hungover.\n\n\"Central Standard Zone, Xunathi Prime. The time is ERROR.\" I paused, peering blearily off the edge of the bed at the floor.\n\nI rolled over and sat up, looking out my window. Two visible moons, a trinity of bright suns, and a LOT of extremely teal vegetation looked back. \n\nFor the thousandth time, I thought about how I should have probably put in manual destination controls. \"Well fuck.\" I said outwardly. I picked up the half empty bottle of bourbon, my last, from the floor. After a big swig, I picked up my pointy stick, and said, \"Time to meet the neighbors...\" As I headed to the airlock.", "The dim room is lit by an overly bright monitor. The soothing *thuck thunk* of the mechanical keys pause as I contemplate my next sentence. *The near- and far-field microphone measurements and schlieren visualizations were utilized to look into selected acoustic and flow features associated with jet screech radiation.* Was that clear enough?\n\nThoughts are interrupted by the the bright blue tint that engulfs the room as the sun begins it's early climb. Groaning, I shuffle towards the curtains and draw them shut, rubbing my stinging eyes. I make for the bed, finally feeling a slight tiredness creeping at my consciousness after a day. Or two. The covers are far too welcoming. Sleep comes with little resistance.\n\nWhen I wake, it's sundown. The clock reads 8:03PM, and through my sleep-fogged mind, I sluggishly recognize the gnawing hunger, and with slightly more haste, that I have no groceries and the stores nearby are closed.\n\nIt's almost routine- check power gauges, coolant, run the test trial and then it's a single button to send me to wherever I want, and with a little luck, mostly intact. The machine whirrs as the lights grow blinding, stars spot across my sight and spreads entirely, blocking my vision.\n\nI rouse with my face in a mound of sand. After a moment of choking, spitting and feverently hacking out whatever sandy grains remain clogged in my throat, surveying my surroundings, I realize I'm slightly off target. I didn't land in a mound of sand, I landed in a sandpit. In a playground. Currently being monitored by glaring parents and a handful of toddlers. Perfect.\n\nAfter profusely apologizing in all six languages that I knew and receiving very confused looks in return, I reach the conclusion that I'm infact rather far from my flat in Hong Kong. I'm in Morocco. No flat, and a long travel away from the nearest computer or a way back home. Can't even drink this off.\n\nIt turns out I can. And that's how I ended up on the streets of Morocco, surrounded by very pretty, orange houses, drunk shitless. My mouth feels dry as paper, and speaking, or trying to, comes out more as a grating rasp than anything remotely coherent. Okay, next stop, a source of water. Theres a large one over there. Through my stubbornly unfocused eyes, it's very perfectly circular. A little sculpted structure sticks out the middle of it, spouting out more water as some sort of decorative spray. I dash to it, or more so stumble in as much of a straight line as I possibly can, and flop forward into the cooling depths of the pond. Sighing as the cool water soothes the stings I hadn't realized had formed across my forearms and back, I gulp as much as I can withstand. It tastes funny. Wading to the side, I lounge, gripping the edge to stay upright.\n\nBy some miracle, a rather stout lady, age deepening the lines on her otherwise youthful face, offers me some kind of snack, two pieces of bread sandwiching a mixture of something coated in red, red sauce. My right arm clings to the edge as I grab it gratefully with my other, taking large bites and mumbling my thanks. To my surprise, she looks rather scandalized and walks off.\n\n​\n\nSo far, I've arrived in a foreign country, not achieved my goal of getting groceries or any other productive things done, gotten laughed at by toddlers, gotten drunk, drank pond water and traumatized a kind old lady. And just to add that final kick, as my senses finally begin to die out, I see children throwing coins. I'm in a fountain. Readjusting my grip on the fountain's edge, I resolutely decide to just fix my sleep.\n\n​\n\n(i copied the italic bit from [https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/%28ASCE%29AS.1943-5525.0001447](https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/%28ASCE%29AS.1943-5525.0001447)\n\nim sorry if i wrote morocco wrong and feedback welcome" ]

[ 1, 7, 24 ]

[ "1651486535", "1651530584", "1651498938" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "edit: and OP’s user got deleted rip\n\nThe first time we tried it went just about as one would expect. Timmy uttered the magic words, then went flying backwards into a pile of books and boxes as if he got punched, but nothing really happened. We thought he tripped, but he claimed it wasn’t fake. Before he could get anymore words out Timmy’s mom found that we were up in the attic and he was grounded. I admitted, as their babysitter, that may have been a bit too far.\n\n“Stop messing around up there, I told you kids to not go up there!” She screeched before kicking us out into the yard again. \n\nSomething happened later, though, when we were playing jump rope when Timmy tried it again. He didn’t get kicked back like last time and nothing seemed like it changed after he said the spell. I didn’t notice it at first, Sarah did. She pointed at a small patch in the ground that was burnt. It couldn’t be that simple, I suggested, so we looked for a source that could make a spark of flame anywhere nearby but nothing was found. \n\nWe were called home from playtime to dinner but I kept thinking about it. I’ve always been scared of trying it again, but Timmy wasn’t. Timmy would do anything. The adults were no help and they were busy working, so we would be left to our investigative work during the break.\n\n“Ok, I’m going to try it again,” Timmy proposed. “With a stick!”\n\n“You look stupid,” Sarah pointed at his makeshift wizard hat, a newspaper wrapped into a cone. Timmy ignored her, instead raising the stick high in the air.\n\n“Come Fire!” He called out to no one in particular. Sarah and I stood behind him, waiting for something to happen. Timmy looked disheartened for a bit, but piped up again. “Come Fire! Come, Fire! Fire!”\n\n“It’s no use,” Sarah said, resting her hand on Timmy’s shoulders. “You’ll never be a wizard, Timmy.”\n\n“Try it without the stick,” I suggested, much to Sarah’s exasperation. Timmy looks at me as if I flipped on a lightbulb. \n\n“Right, Ari! I’ll try that!” He tosses the stick aside and yells once more. “Fire!”\n\nNothing happened, while Sarah tried to restrain her laughter. Timmy looked outright dejected. “You look like a loon!”\n\n“No I don’t!” Timmy’s eyes fell. “We all saw what happened. Magic is real!”\n\n“Maybe you tripped!” Saeah cheered. “Tripped like a loon!”\n\nWith that, Timmy threw his paper cone hat at Sarah and it fluttered back, hitting him square in his nose. Sarah burst into laughter. Tears swelled up in his eyes and he took off crying. Sarah and I looked at each other.\n\n“Come on!” She protested at my look. “I was just kidding! Besides, it’s not like magic is actually real, you get it right?”\n\n“All I get is that his mom is going to talk to yours when she hears about it,” I tell her. Fear flickers in her eyes and she takes off after him. \n\n“Wait, Timmy!” She hollers. Afterwards, being alone at the swings I noticed another flower sparked into a tiny flame before the flower completely vanished. I dismissed it as my own imagination. \n\nLater that night, I got scolded for staring at my plate and not eating. My parents were hostile to each other these days, but I couldn’t stop thinking about it. What if he wasn’t lying? I mumbled something back to my parents who didn’t take that lightly. Needless to say, I was sent to my room. I found myself staring out the window when I noticed Timmy in his room and waved. He mouthed something to me, so I pushed the window up to hear him and so did he.\n\n“I got grounded again,” he said with a sigh. When he saw my questioning look he looked down. “I hit Sarah. Lightly, but still.”\n\n“That’ll do it,” I told him. “She’s such a baby.”\n\n“It’s my fault,” he said. “She’s always been teasing me and I just couldn’t take it anymore.” \n\n“I got grounded, too,” I admitted. “I didn’t eat all my food.”\n\n“Why?” He asked. I looked at the moon.\n\n“Timmy,” I said, more to myself. “You wish magic was real that badly, right?”\n\n“I keep telling you,” he pointed at me. “It is real! You and I, and Sarah. We saw it!”\n\n“I see,” I told him, hearing my parents arguing downstairs with thumping noises ensuing. “I wish that I could believe in the same magic you believe in.”\n\n“What do you mean?”\n\n“I think I’d like to see you do more magic things tomorrow.”\n\n“Really?” Timmy excitedly said. I looked back at him from the moon and nodded.\n\n“Really. Practice makes perfect!”\n\n“You’re right! Thanks, Miss Ari!”\n\nReinvigorated, he smiled and waved as he closed the window without a good night. Maybe I’ll dream of fiery flowers tonight, I thought to myself before passing out. Maybe magic could be real for once." ]

[ 1, 2 ]

[ "1651504582", "1651531443" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Vana and Luke are driving along the highway. Luke looks out his window and sees Adam waving him down on the side of the road.\n\n\"Where is she?\" asked Luke.\n\n\"Two miles straight ahead,\" said Adam, pointing out into the desert. Adam gets into Vana and the three drive into the desert. They stop when they find Reba in her pajamas, on her knees, eyes glowing purple, chanting in a strange language. \"She just got up, walked all the way out here, in the middle of nowhere, and started chanting.\" Luke walks around Reba, grabs her shoulders, and slaps her hard across the face.\"\n\n\"Oh yeah, she's in deep,\" said Luke.\n\n\"Really, slapping her, that's your go-to wake up strategy?\" asked Luke. \"Don't you have some magic smelling salts or something?\"\n\n\"I do, but it wouldn't matter,\" said Luke. \"She's too far into the summoning chant.\"\n\n\"Summoning chant?\" asked Adam, \"What is she summoning?\" A purple ring appears in front of Reba.\n\n\"We're about to find out,\" said Luke as he and Adam backed away from Reba. A bright white light comes from the center of the ring, blinding everyone except Reba. When the light fades Reba falls to her side. Luke and Adam run to Reba.\n\n\"Reba, Reba!\" yelled Adam.\n\n\"\\*groan\\* five more minutes!\" said Reba.\n\n\"I'm gonna slap her again,\" said Luke as he swung his hand back. Reba's eyes shoot open and she points a finger gun at Luke's chin.\n\n\"I wouldn't,\" said Reba. \"Wait, where am I?\"\n\n\"You tell us, you walked here,\" said Luke. Adam's eyes turn yellow and he looks at a pillar of smoke where the ring was.\n\n\"guys I see something,\" said Adam.\n\n\"No duh,\" said Luke, \"it was a summoning circle, of course something's there.\"\n\n\"...***sinners***...\"\n\n\"It looks kinda like a...shit!\" said Adam as he pushed Luke and Reba to the ground. A five-foot sword flies over their heads, landing a few feet behind them.\n\n\"Cool, another magic sword,\" said Luke as he got up. He walked over to the sword as it began shaking. Suddenly, the blade flies right into Luke's chest, pulling him into the smoke. As the smoke fades, Luke's body lays on the ground limp, and a man pulls the sword from his chest. The man looks at Reba and Adam. He points his sword at them and it glows purple & yellow respectfully.\n\n\"Creatures of sin,\" yelled the man, \"grovel, bow, but not flee, may you find God's grace like your friend?\n\n\"*Friend* is a strong word,\" said Adam. Reba points her finger guns at the man.\n\n\"Excuse me, but I don't grovel to anyone, especially someone who says 'hi' with a sword to the chest,\" said Reba. \"So why don't you drop the blade and go back where you came from.\"\n\n\"I am afraid I can not do that,\" said the man, \"not while devils minions threaten his creation.\" \n\n \"Hard way it is then,\" said Reba.\n\n# -----The Witch Hunter-----" ]

[ 1, 1 ]

[ "1651812317", "1651896180" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Unthinkable. The whole thing was just... unthinkable.\n\nNone of us saw it coming. That the Lambs would become unpalatable to our kind. A defense mounted not in strength, but in weakness. An insidious, hateful defense.\n\nIt began a little under two centuries ago. The Blood was... *souring* somehow. A foulness had crept in, first detectable as a flavor: rancid on the tongue and curdling in the gut. Like old milk. That was the closest one could describe it in mortal terms. Like drinking milk from a pail left in the sun. And it was happening more and more often. But, one must still feed. So we simply ignored it, as best we were able.\n\nBut then it worsened. One generation of the Lambs later, the Blood became not merely foul to the taste, but harmful to us. The throat closed around it, refusing to let it in. And those that forced it down began to suffer, their bodies racked in anguish by illness.\n\nFortunately, not all of the Lambs exhibited this trait. Perhaps one in five. Those with livestock purged the unclean ones from their herds, fostering only the Pure Blood. And we pulled the threads of the Lambs' society, instructing them to study, to use their Science to determine the cause of this Souring, and find means to combat it. The results were... disheartening.\n\nThe Lambs, it seemed, were changing. A new weapon in their immune systems, a tiny organism not unlike a virus, yet synthesized by the body itself. Left alone in the veins of a Lamb, it did nothing more than produce a chemical which made the Blood distasteful to us. But this was not the little devils' only function. They attacked and colonized necrotic tissue, somehow revivifying dead cells and forcing them to produce more of themselves. An infection of this kind in our bodies could rapidly grow out of control; a wildfire spreading from one dry twig to the next. And the Blood was now filling with them.\n\n\"Anecrophagia\", the Lambs named it. We called it The Filth.\n\nA mere century later, one in three of the Lambs had The Filth in their blood. And worse yet, The Filth seemed to be communicable. Through transfusion, serums, and other arts of the Lambs' medicine, The Filth could be taken from an Unclean Lamb and forever sully the Pure Blood of a clean one.\n\nAs for our control over the Lambs... the breakdown was near total. Some of the Elders retain a semblance their former power, carefully plucking the strings of their little kingdoms, while sipping only the finest of vintages. But times are still lean, even for the mighty; and there have been disappearances among the Courts of late.\n\nHunger is spreading among us. Farms were raised, but this ended poorly. Even in ideal circumstances, they never could have fed us all... and then The Filth crept into most of them, forcing their closure. Many of our kind grow so hungry they go into states of frenzy, so lustfull for Blood that they slaughter Lambs openly in the streets, guzzling their foul Blood even as it kills them. Others attempt to subsist on the blood of lesser animals. As they do so, they became more and more animal themselves, eventually becoming debased and feral, a mockery of our true place as the Predators of Predators. Yet others turn to cannibalism, taking the Blood of others of our kind. An... *inefficient* solution, but one which remains viable, at least in the short term.\n\nBut for those of great enough power, and strong enough will, another path is available. Some have already deliberately entered a state of Catatonia, sealing themselves away and slumbering deep. I will soon join them. I will sleep, for as many centuries, as many millennia, as many ages of the Earth as it takes. The Filth will wash away in time. And when it does, We will awake.\n\nAnd We will be hungry." ]

[ 1, 11 ]

[ "1651993688", "1652010892" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "The door shut behind the Lord of Death, leaving Ted with nothing but a scraggly blood-stained scroll in hand, and wobbly knees. It felt like minutes ago, yet somehow also years, when he was on the streets of New York, and now he was in literal hell. In the devils mavolently opulent castle. On dog sitting duty. What the hell?\n\n*well, there is nothing else I can do about it, unless I can wake up somehow*, a few pinches and a hearty slap later, and he began to explore the elegant hallways. Ted was initially in awe of the loads of precious jewels and metals encased in the decor, yet his wonder turned to terror upon realizing half the decor were actually ornate torture devices. Some still had dried blood or flesh stuck in a spike or pinched in a mechanism. \n\nTed wiped the sweat from his brow away and tried to read the scroll for comfort. The Lord of Death was not a man of many words. Ted barely had time to register his loss of mortality when the large being gave him the ultimatum, get taken to hell or dog sit for one night, and if successfull, get to go back into comatose body. Fever dream or gamble for his soul, Ted didn't feel like a gambler when eternal damnation was at stake. It's why he still went to church every Sunday dangit. Or did. \n\nTed shook his head clear and tried again to focus on the task at hand. The scroll was a simple checklist. play fetch, refill water and food dishes, put down for nap after properly exercised. A few diagrams scattered amoung the tasks. They didn't make much sense yet, but Ted figured they would in time. One diagram at the top was clear enough. A map of the castles main floor, including the courtyard the dog was currently waiting. Ted squared up his shoulders and breathed deep, slapping himself one more time before steeling himself. \n\n*it's just a dog, as long as I don't kill it, mission success and I go home. It can't be too hard* Ted thought to himself as he rounded the corner to the courtyard.\n\nPoor Ted was still adjusting to his new locale, and had yet to consider that it wasn't earth anymore. It only dawned on him then that the afterlife may have a different take on what a dog is." ]

[ 1, 8 ]

[ "1653011393", "1653014485" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Running Away from Richard\n\nI found myself walking farther into the woods than I ever have before. Anger was turning in my gut as I continued farther and farther from my home, deep into the wood. The father I walked the more my stomach swirled in frustration. Before I even had a moment to breath, the twisting and turning in my abdomen started to climb. I could feel the anger moving up my esophagus and accumulating in the back of my throat. \n\nAs attempted to swallow my feelings, my efforts only began to mutate the dark and disdainful emotion into something much worse... \n\nI remembered what Richard had said to me and what he had done. It was painful even to think about. \n\nI felt the weight in my throat begin to round into a lump. Just as the feeling in my throat was about to manifest itself into the physical realm in the form of uncontrollable tears, I saw a bright flash followed by the twinkle of thousands of sparkles falling from the sky. It was like nothing I had ever seen before.\n\nThe sparkles started to gather into a mass of light. Right at the moment the bright light began to sting my eyes; the glow began to fade. Once the sparkling glimmer dissolved, standing in front of me was a bright red door. There were no walls nor a structure attached, just a door standing alone.\n\nI was so bewildered by the sight, I had nearly forgotten about Richard and his misleading promises of love and loyalty. The empty serenade of his lies only an echo in the distance of my present thought.\n\nI approached the door with a rather thoughtless and adventurous ambition to qualm my curiosity. I opened the door and a waft of the fragrant room poured out from the opposing side of the door. It was a comforting scent. The smell of leather bound paper crafted from the remnants of an old oak tree. It was so glamorously enchanting. What appeared to be nothing but an empty wood with the random positioning of a singular door standing alone was a portal to the only true realm of endless possibility. A bookstore!\n\nI knew in that moment that I was no longer a victim of the memory of Richard and his vacant vows... he gave me up.\n\nAn old woman seemed to materialize out of nowhere. She looked me over and said, \"I can see you have been betrayed... let down in some way. Someone has hurt you?\"\n\nShe pointed to the shelf and said, \"These... These are special books. They are written with the magic of the seer's blood. You can only see what you want to see and the book will lie to you if you allow it too. You may get hurt in the process.\"\n\nShe gestured for me to take one. I was hesitant at first, but then I remembered Richard. My whole world had been a lie. What could this book possibly say that would hurt me? Surely it couldn't be more painful than finding out about Richard's corrupt and swindling ways.\n\nThe title of the book slowly melted into the leather cover \"Strangers to Love\" I opened the book. As I rolled my fingers across the binding to turn the page, Richard's words appeared vividly across the page right before my eyes!\n\nThe page read: You know the rules and so do I...\n\nI slammed the book shut! the old woman began to cackle and screamed, \"It is too late! You saw what you wanted to see a full commitment is what! and now his words will forever ring in your ears!\"\n\nWith a gust of wind I was blown back against the bookshelf unable to close my eyes. The words flew off the page and swirled through the air in front of me. Those painful lies forever embedded into my very soul...\n\nHe told me his feelings... he tried to make me understand...\n\nbut a feeling is not synonymous with the truth! At this moment my thoughts were interrupted with the echo of his limerick...\n\nNever gonna give you up\r \nNever gonna let you down\r \nNever gonna run around and desert you\r \nNever gonna make you cry\r \nNever gonna say goodbye\r \nNever gonna tell a lie and hurt you\n\nOh Richard... why must you continue to torment me???\n\n​\n\nIt will never be the end... because he cannot give up.", "Spurn the Library.\n\nIf you see its doors, deep in the enchanted forest, turn away immediately. Do not enter.\n\nIt does not help to destroy the doors. Fire slides harmlessly off their surface. An axe can turn the door to rubble, but the door will always appear again, later.\n\nAt first sight, that's all it ever is. A door. No attached building. You can walk around the door, without ever leaving the forest.\n\nIf you get too close, the doorknocker will notice you. It will invite you in.\n\nIf you hear this invitation, it may already be too late. Split up, flee in different directions, and pray that you are not the one that the door elects to follow.\n\nIf, in running from the door, you some across the door again in a different place, then it is too late for you. There is no escape.\n\nThe door is never in the same place twice. But it will pursue prey.\n\nWhen the door opens, you can see a vast library beyond it. Book after book after book, endless shelves reaching to the sky. (It is too late. You are effectively already dead).\n\nNone of the books are labelled. None have names printed on the spine. (Nothing will be found of you but a shell - breathing, but mindless. If even that much is left).\n\nIf you take a book from the shelf - any book - it will change in your hands. It will be exactly that book which you most wish to read. (Your family will never see you again. This is no longer important - you want to read the book more than you want to see your family.)\n\nOne person, one person only, has ever escaped from the library. (There are no guards. No guards are needed. No-one ever wants to leave.)\n\nEveryone else finds the book that they most want to read. And they read the book, even as the library pulls their mind out through their eyes, draining them of all they once knew and thought. (There may have been guards once. If so, the Library ate them too).\n\nIf it weren't for Thog The Illiterate, we wouldn't know even as little as we do about the Library. (And now that you know about the Library, the Library knows about you. Don't look at the door that's just appeared behind you...)" ]

[ 1, 2, 6 ]

[ "1653601032", "1653620747", "1653632570" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "\"But I love you, and I want to give back to you all that you have given to me!\" Bailey exclaims. \"I love you too hun, but 'vowing to help with my inner demons' is more than you ever need to do.\" You respond.\n\nYou and Bailey have been together for over a year now and while Bailey has been perfect since you met, things have been rough the past month. Y'all bumped into each other at Fran's party and have been inseparable ever since. You and Bailey first met eyes when you both reached for a PBR sitting in the cooler. \"Oh sorry!\" you both laugh. Before you know it you and Bailey had spent the rest of the night talking and you started falling deeper and deeper in love.\n\nThings were going amazing until about a month ago, when.. well until you met Lucy. After a late shift at The Saddle, you made it home to a blackened apartment. Bailey was out of town visiting her sister in Baltimore. But you weren't going to complain as it meant you got the next 48 hours to enjoy Taco Bell, PBR, and all the glory Shudder has to offer. Well, at least that was the plan before Lucy showed up. \n\n\"*Hiya!*\" \n\n\"Ahh! Who the fuck are you!?\" \n\n\"*Me? Well.. to keep things simple, I'm going to be your inner demon, the name is Lucy! Nice to meet ya.*\" \n\n\"No way... I must be sleep deprived or something... You are like.. floating.\"\n\n\"*No I am definitely real and I am definitely here to make your life a living hell, you know, at least from the inside.*\"\n\nSince that night a month ago, Lucy has taken up residence inside your head and refuses to let go. It has been a tough month, but Bailey has been there for you every step of the way. That's why it was not surprising when she suddenly grabbed your face and whispered \"I vow to help you with your inner demons.\" \"Babe, I love you, you know this. But my inner demons are going to take a lot.. and I mean A LOT of work.\" \n\n\"Oh don't you worry babe, this isn't my first rodeo.\" Bailey murmurs as she gets up from the couch and pulls a cowboy hat, candles, and a flask from her closet.\n\n\"Wait you have done this before?\" you hesitantly ask.\n\n\"Oh sure! Well... never for a boyfriend, but I haven't worked in finance my whole life. How do you think I paid my way through college?\"\n\n\"I don't know, loans like the rest of us?\"\n\n\"HA!\" Bailey snorts, \"Why take out loans when I can help solve peoples' problems instead?\"\n\n\"How many times have you done this before exactly?\"\n\n\"That depends,\" she responds, \"successfully or just like in general?\" \n\n\"Well, I'd love to live, if that is not too much to ask for.\" You answer.\n\n\"Yeah, I have like a 94% survival rate, you'll be fine!\" \n\nBefore you can really respond she already has laid you down and started tying you down. Within a matter of minutes Bailey has you tied down to your dining room table surrounding the table with five black candles. Each candle putting off a different scent; one strawberry, a another grass, wood, dirt, and lastly.. blood. The mix of the candles came together to form a sickly sweet scent. A smell you would only notice if you worked in a funeral home. \n\nBailey started chanting in Latin and doing some strange hand movements. After a few minutes you start to wonder if anything is going to happen. \n\n\"Babe are you(&\\^\\*\" you throw up violently. Fuck! You haven't thrown up that hard since college. You go to ask Bailey to wipe your mouth, but then you make eye contact with the puddle on the floor. Lucy slowly raises up from the puddle. \n\n\"*Well this is new*\" Lucy growls. Lucy looks around and makes eye contact with Bailey. \"*Oh no, you again? We can't keep meeting like this.*\" Bailey sarcastically laughs, \"Ha, people are going to start to talk about us Lucy. Maybe this time stay in Hell like a good boy? Is that too much to ask?\" \n\nYou look back and forth between the love of your life and the demon that has made your life a living hell for the past month. Somehow the room grows darker as the time ticks by. The five candles cast a eerie glow on the three figures in the room. The shadows dance along the wall playing out some sort of depressing masquerade show. After a few minutes of tense silence, you finally break it. \"So.. is this a normal occurrence or..?\" \n\n\"Only for the past millennia,\" they answer in unison. Bailey sighs, \"Babe, maybe it is time I tell you the truth about me.\" She unties you from the table and pulls up two chairs. Lucy remains floating in the corner looking disinterested in the entire situation.\n\n\"It started back in 1862, I just finished my schooling at the convent...\" As Bailey explains the past 150 years of her life, you start to lose focus. You stare deep into Bailey's eyes and realize that none of it matters. Whether she is Van Helsing or Dracula herself, you don't care. You love Bailey and are willing to go to the ends of the world for her. Well.. Luckily for you apparently that is exactly what Bailey wants. \"... so to truly get rid of evil on Earth we will have to go to Bucharest.\" \"Do you mean Budapest?\" you ask. \"Sadly no.. Bucharest is the center of all evil.\" \n\nYou make eye contact with Lucy; he returns your gaze and shrugs his shoulders while slowly taking a drag on his cigar. \"*She ain't wrong. Good luck with your travels.*\" Lucy blinks out of existence leaving only a blue cloud of smoke.\n\nYou turn back to Bailey. Looking her in the eyes, you take her hands and whisper, \"Let's do it babe. Lets fuck evil up.\"", "\"P-Please, just let me go. I'll do anything you want. Just let me go.\" The young man pleaded with terror and resignation to his demonic captors. These demons and tormented him relentlessly, driving him to the point of insanity, but it was the only thing he could do. Sometimes, they listened to him for some inscrutable reason and gave him a brief respite from the horrors they inflicted on him regularly.\n\n​\n\n\"What we want for you is to stay right here. You try to leave this place and pain won't begin to describe what we'll make you feel. You belong to us now.\" The now pale young man cowered in fear and anxiety. This prompted the demons that surrounded him in the room to cackle maliciously.\n\n​\n\nHe had been trapped in this room so long, he could scarcely remember what the world outside was like. At first it was only fleeting shadows and the occasional look from afar. Sometimes he wondered if his mind was just playing tricks on him.Over the coming weeks, the demons became bolder and bolder. They tormented him with physical and emotional threats and brought out the worst aspects of himself. That was the hardest part, having every inner fear, anxiety, and weakness weaponized against him.\n\n​\n\nThe sadistic imps had taken everything from him, even his identity. All he had left was this small room that the demons had turned into a prison. They even tortured him through the night, leaving a husk of a person that could only manage to steal some amount of sleep when they slept themselves.\n\n​\n\nThe young man hugged his own legs to his chest tightly, tears streaming down his face. This was no way to life, trapped inside with his own personal demons. It was a cruel mockery of fate that his own demons were the real ones.\n\n​\n\nJust a year ago, he didn't even believe in demons. Today, he couldn't even pretend to deny his experiences. Now he is trapped by \"nonexistent\" demons that doggedly hound him. They broke him with not only the worst parts of himself, but of the world.\n\n​\n\nHe had tried reaching out for help when the demons' cruelty had started to break him. Of course, nobody believed what they considered to be the ravings of a lunatic. He would never forget the look of pain and grief on his own mother's face when she told him \"I'm sorry baby, I can't see them. You're the only one who does. They're not real.\"\n\n​\n\nEven his own girlfriend disappeared when he told her the news. She left him with nothing more than \"I'm sorry, I have to go\" and a kiss on the cheek.\n\n​\n\nHe was locked away in a room with nobody else and tried to bring doctors to medicate the \"delusions\" away. Of course, the demons didn't vanish, because they weren't delusions. They were his real inner demons,\n\n​\n\nThe pale and shallow man had been abandoned by everyone he had ever loved. He was truly alone as he plummeted into the depths of his own abyss. He cast a cautious gaze about the room full of demons that now began to slumber. With a resigned sigh, he closed his own eyes and prayed he never woke up.\n\n​\n\nWake up he did, to the fierce gaze of an auburn-haired woman with piercing hazel eyes and warm smile that could light up a room. \"Jules?! What a--\"\n\n​\n\nThe rest of the sentence fell short when Julia placed a finger to her lips to quiet the man. \"I think they're sleeping, right?\" She asked the confused young man with a whisper. He nodded silently in affirmation.\n\nShe quickly slung her neon green bag from her shoulder and pulled out a belt with a holster, a wooden stake with runes carved into it, and a super soaker filled with water. \"Jules what the hell is all this?\" \n\n​\n\nJulia responded with a cautious whisper \"I've been doing a lot of research on demons while I was gone. I think I can beat them.\" She began to wear the belt and put her water gun in its holster. \"Since they are personal, only you can see them. I need you to be my eyes. Please, trust me.\"\n\n​\n\nThe young man vigorously shook his head and quaked in terror. \"Please love, how many are there?\" After several seconds of hesitation, he quietly raised three fingers. \"Point them out.\" As he raised his index finger to point to them in succession, Julia tied her auburn hair into a ponytail with a bright green scrunchie. \n\n​\n\nShe then silently crept to the wall beside the shelf that her lover pointed to last. With force and fury, she began stabbing with the wooden stake. Both the boy and the remaining demons heard the dying screams of the evil creature. Julia stabbed unrelentingly, hard enough for her wooden stake to pierce through the demon and jam into the wall behind it repeatedly. She stopped only when her boyfriend shouted \"He's gone!\"\n\n​\n\nUnfortunately, the other two demonic jailers rose to their full imposing height. \"You little traitor! We're going to tear her apart limb from limb and force you to watch!\" The young man's color drained, leaving his face a near alabaster white. \"JULES! RUN!\"\n\n​\n\nJulia holstered her stake, drew her water gun and countered back with \"Just point!\" She aimed the super soaker and gazed at her boyfriend to make sure she was pointing in the right direction. \"Have some holy water assholes.\" \n\n​\n\nThe demons' skin scarred and blistered as the blessed water sapped their strength and burned them to their core. Their cries of pain and rage seemed to shake the young man's bed. \n\n​\n\nJulia alternated shots with striking precision, keeping them both down as she inched closer to one of the demons her boyfriend had identified. She lowered her super soaker just long enough to switch to her wooden stake and begin perforating the dark spawn. Once again, she stabbed viciously and repeatedly to murder the creature. \n\n\nShe couldn't stop to take a breath because she immediately heard \"Duck!\". Julia ducked without wasting a moment as her boyfriend watched the last demon sail over her head. She switched back to the super soaker only to find that it was now empty. She began to take a few steps back and dropped the now empty weapon to grab her runed stake.\n\n​\n\nWhat she lost in holy water, she had gained in guidance from her boyfriend. He helped her evade the dangerous attacks of the demon by shouting \"Duck!\", \"Left!\", \"Right!\", \"Jump back!\"\n\n​\n\nHer luck ran out when she tripped over a stray shoe as she backed away from infernal foe. The young man screamed \"Don't hurt her! Please I'll make her leave! Don't hurt her!\" As the demon raised his claw to impale her, the man shouted \"He's above you!\" In what could have been a scene from a movie, Julia venomously said \"Don't fuck with my boyfriend\" before plunging the stake into the demon's heart. \n\n​\n\nThe young man's cheers drowned out the demon's screams as it evaporated without a trace. \"They're gone!\" He could hardly contain his ecstasy and leaped out of the bed to embrace his girlfriend.\n\n​\n\nThe moment was fleeting however as his eyes began to dart cautiously around the room. \"What if they're not really dead? What if they come back?\"\n\n​\n\n Julia closed her arms around him in a comforting hug. \"I'll be waiting. I'll be waiting for the next time, the time after that, and the time after that.\" She gave him a protective squeeze as the young man began to relax in her arms.\n\n​\n\nThe young man looked back at her with tears forming in his eyes. \"I can't believe you came back for someone as broken and worthless as me.\n\n​\n\nJulia's gaze hardened for just a moment. She quickly brought her hands to his face and cradled it softly. \"I love you, Eric Sorkin. You will always be worth fighting for. You will never just be a nobody. Come on, let's relax a bit.\"\n\n​\n\nEric and Julia laid together in bed and talked for hours. Eric seemed to be reclaiming more of himself with each moment as his outgoing and humorous personality began to resurface. Their time was cut short by a loud voice over the speaker system in the room. \"Miss Mitchell, visiting hours are over.\"\n\n​\n\nJulia reluctantly rose from the bed and began to pack her weapons into the neon bag she had brought. Eric looked at his girlfriend pleadingly \"Jules no...please. Please stay, I need you.\"\n\n​\n\nJulia stepped back to the bed and kissed Eric tenderly. \"I really wish I could. I'll be back tomorrow. You need your sleep anyways. I promise, I'll be back.\"\n\n​\n\nShe began to leave the room when Eric called back \"Jules!\" She turned back to him asking \"Next time, bring some more of those for me.\" A mischievous and knowing grin crept into her face \"Sure thing.\"\n\n​\n\nAs she left, Eric looked around his now empty room. It had never looked so spacious before. He slowly closed his eyes and for the first time in an eternity, Eric Sorkin drifted peacefully to sleep.", "\"Well, stun me with hickeys - were you always this knowledgeable in demons, Thia?\" You can't help but say awestruck by her quick-witted silent actions. \n\nFor the first time in a long short while, she speaks and her voice is full of glee as she says: \"Always, except I couldn't tell you because it's a part of the whole gimmick. 'Thy cannot help those who has not asked for help.' It's a weirder vow from 'Thy shall not do any harm.' but it makes sense, in a way.\" \n\nYou chuckle at that and shake your head in fondness of your girlfriend's entire demeanor, far too giddy for what she's about to do next. \"...I do love you calling it a gimmick, like it's not saving my ass or anything.\"\n\n\"Aw, you know what I mean!\" She pouts and closes her book sharply, a sharp intake of wind sends the candles flickering wide to the left and she looks down eyes wide and looks back up at you with a quiet: \"Oops.\" \n\n\"Uh.\" Suddenly, you're not feeling so safe where you are right now. \"What does that mean?\" \n\nA small grumbling sound sends your entire living room *shaking*. \n\n\"I, closed that book too hard.\" Thia bites out her words, her face scrunched up in fear. \"Sorry Gan.\" \n\n\"Wait, hold on - *what does that mean?*\" A sense of panic seeps into your voice now, breaking a bit at the way she said it with such sincere sadness. \n\n\"She means -\" A far too familiar voice says, an icy breath on your neck. \"She's made a mistake, which means -\" \n\nYou swivel away, facing the source of the voice and pale. \"Frao. Come on. Let's not...\" \n\n\" - I. Win.\" It grins at you, half-assed open face smiling wide in its asymmetry as the stench of rot and mould assaults your nostrils. You gag. \n\n\"Fuck. No.\" You try to summon your inferno gauntlet but it doesn't appear no matter how hard you will it to manifest. \"What the fuck.\" \n\n\"Silly, Silly Gan.\" It hisses, clawed hands sinking deep into your chest as you feel its coldness spread into you. \"A fool to think - I never knew who she was.\" \n\n\"...I didn't even...\" You gasp, as your hands wrap around one of its pointy wrists with flaking dried flesh and crumbling skin trying to dislodge it from your body. \"...know she could...\" \n\n\"...do this until recently, you fuck!\" You grit as your inferno gauntlet finally fucking works, burning right through its thin distorted body that resembles less of a human and more of a pile of Frankenstein-like degloved corpses. \n\nBut it's too late, you realise as your inferno gauntlet spreads from your hands to your arms and... \n\nYou look back to where Thia was recently, and you see she's still there - except... \n\nHer skin - it's flaking and without a doubt now, your stomach sinks as she walks closer to you, her hair falling off, eyes, skin, flesh dissolving in front of you before all that's left is a pile of rotting corpses disassembled and reassembled poorly, just like - \n\nIt cackles as it laughs and laughs as it takes your inferno gauntlet into its book. \n\n\"And Gan - again, I'm sorry. So. So, sorry you fell for me! Hahahaha!\" It cackles and you - \n\nYou vanish. \n\n.\n\n....idk man as I write the words takes me to weird directions sometimes this was mean to be cute and fluffy and lighthearted but became ye...", "Seeing the holy water caused a visceral reaction to build up inside me. A clawing pressure at the front of my brain, anxiety prickling like barbed wire at my temples. I could feel the cold, clammy sweat coating my hands, the moisture giving way to sandpaper dryness in my mouth. \n\nThe air in the room felt like it changed somehow, becoming thicker; heavier. My lungs struggled with the labour of each breath, the sudden surge of adrenaline causing my heart to race, my guts to lurch with nausea. \n\n\"Ah good,\" Said Shana. \"They're scared!\"\n\n\"I have to go, Sha,\" I stammered. \"I don't feel well at all.\" \n\n\"You're not going anywhere you vile, body-squatting bastards!\" Shana said, looking through me. \"You're all staying right here.\" \n\n\"I do not give you permission to leave.\" \n\n\"I do not give you permission to move without my say so.\" \n\n\"I do not give you permission to speak unless you are spoken to\". \n\nThe tone in her voice was authoritative, every word had weight, every word was communicated not just with her mouth, but with her eyes. I had never seen or heard her behave this way before. The daring smile was long gone. Now she was deadly serious and clearly in control. \n\nMy head began to ache, acid reflux burnt its way slowly up my oesophagus. I could not move. I couldn't speak. My ears rang with high pitched tones. Fear was all I knew in that moment. I felt locked in. Nothing looked or felt real. What had she done to me? How was this happening? Who was she really? \n\n\"Now.\" Shana said sharply. \"I think there are three of you in there. I want you to sit down in that chair.\" \n\nshe motioned to the cracked leather armchair that resided in the corner of her bedroom. \n\n\"Sit and then each of you identify yourselves.\"\n\nI began to do exactly as instructed. I had no choice. I was no longer the one in control. For the first time ever I could actually feel the others that had been living with me for so much of my life. I felt like myself and three others were all occupying the same space. Like we were layered over one another like decades of wallpaper over wallpaper. \n\nShana lit three candles and placed them into an ornately carved holder. She picked up the holy water and popped the lid off the flask. \n\nWe sat down in the armchair. Shana was looking to the right side of my head, as if something or someone were sitting upon my shoulder. A voice began to speak. \n\n\"I am the smell of sulphur, the blood that pulses from the slit wrist. I am the shadows in the hall, the gallows and the fall. I am everywhere, you are naive to think I will leave. You are but a child, so pathetic, so.\"\n\n\"Enough!\" Shana cut them off.\n\n\"You!\" she pointed to my left, another voice began to speak.\n\n\"I am the chains around your throat, the panic as you drown. I am boil and cyst, ulcer and wart. I am the smell of gangrene, the black of necrosis, the purple spectrum of lividity. When I am once again able to move I will cut.\"\n\n\"Enough!\" Shana moved her fingers across her lips as if closing a zipper. \n\n\"Now you!\" She said pointing slightly above me. A weak voice began to talk.\n\n\"I'm Rachel. For the last 15 years I have been a prisoner in my own body. The person you think is your girlfriend is not who they say they are. Please hel.\"\n\nShana snapped her fingers at me directly. \"Talk!\" She ordered. I began to speak. I had no choice. She was so powerful. I can't believe I didn't see it before.\n\n\"I am the famine that comes after the drought. I am the ash that blows off of burnt flesh. I am the eggs of the corpse fly, the lies of the greedy politician. I will never let you leave, Shana. You belong to.\"\n\n\"Enough!\" Shana immediately doused the body in holy water, grabbed a candle and extinguished it on the forehead. The pain was instant and agonizing. The mouth began to scream. My scream mixed with the screams of others. Another candle was extinguished on the forehead. The taste of blood and honey rose up in the throat. \n\nShana began to chant blessings of ancient filth, the holy water began to degrade the boundaries of my form. Putrid words of hope and healing pissed from her lips tearing holes in my ether. Untethering me from the anchor points of Rachel's being. \n\nThe body began to shake. The mouth continued to scream. The flame of the final candle burnt the forehead, hot wax splashing over the face. The pain bore through me prising me apart from the body, pulling me back into the space between. The other two body-squatters were pulled forth too. Rachel slumped over, seemingly lifeless in the chair. \n\nShana continued her assault of water and words. Ancient words of purity and protection. Words of agony to me and the other two beings writhing at her feet. She emptied the flask of water upon us and continued her savage, sustained, and unrelenting attack. Breaking us down until we were no longer connected to anything. Until we were stripped of the power that we'd wielded for centuries. Until we were nothing.\n\nShana slowly calmed. Out of breath and exhausted, she looked down at us and began to speak in English again. Eyes wide. Fists clenched tight. \n\n\"I am the hatred that poisons the hearts of a nation. I am the miscarriage and the still birth. I am the destruction of a people, the broken bodies in the shallow grave. I am the ambush in the dark. The traitor that betrays you while you sleep. I am the bitter taste of your destruction, and Rachel is mine.\"\n\n\"WE have work to do!\"\n\nThe edges of Shana's being became diffuse. Her form turned translucent, shifting into vapour and ectoplasm. \n\nRachel's eyes suddenly snapped open. She stood up from the armchair and bent down next to us. We lay helpless on the floor. Catatonic with fear.\n\n\"No hard feelings eh? I can't have you lot stinking up the place whilst I'm in here. I have actual proper demon work to do.\" \n\nShe began to chant again. Chant ancient words of evil. Ancient words that kill. Ancient words that kill body-squatters like me.", "*“Oi, Sara. Let’s make a deal?”* A voice of a demon echoed in Sara’s mind. \n\n*“It’s always the demons rambling in my mind. This has been happening since I was a child.”* Sara thought with an exasperated sigh as another demon offers up another deal, taking a small bite of the dinner that her girlfriend Lindsay made, her special lasagna.\n\n“Are you feeling okay?” Lindsay looks a little worried. “You’ve been spacing out more”\n\n“Uhm… Yes, just some inner demons, don’t worry…” Sara tries to give a reassuring smile. “It’s quite normal for me”\n\n“Normal?” Lindsay tilted her head. “Nah, that’s not normal.”\n\n“I know… I usually push people away” Sara looked down at her plate. “I can leave…”\n\n“Wait… No!” Lindsay looked panicked. “I am going to help you!” Lindsay looked at her plate of food and to the side as if she was about to run off.\n\n“Let’s finish dinner up first” \n___________________________\n\n\n“Ah… yes, I always forget to eat.” Lindsay laughs with a smile and takes a bit of food.\n\nAfter Sara and Lindsay finished dinner, while Sara is washing the dishes. Lindsay started to carefully layout ritual material and put on some blue rubber gloves often worn by doctors in the living room.\n\n“I am done the dishes!” Sara entered the living room. As she entered the living room, the room is transformed into a ritual room filled with occult symbols, a magic circle, candles, a set of cooking knives, a portable stove, and several spices. The portable stove is lit and boiling She sees Lindsay cutting some potatoes and humming to herself, pouring them into the pot. \n\n“Uhm….” Sara started to back away from the room.\n\n“Hey, Sara.” Lindsay walked toward Sara with some candles with a glowing smile. “You should have mentioned you had inner demons. I would have prepared a grander feast.” \n\n“You’re not going to eat me?”\n\n“Uhm… Why would I eat you? You are too precious to me.” Lindsay looked a little confused. “We are going to feast on demons!”\n\n“Why were you wearing doctor gloves?”\n\n“Demons are a messy business, Come on, I am so hungry…”\n\n*“Didn’t we already eat?”* Sara thought and gives a nod, “Well, maybe let’s try. But you try to eat me…”\n\n“Don’t you trust me?” Lindsay looked at Sara with pleading eyes\n\n“I’ll make a deal with one of the demons, and have you taken to the abyss.”\n\nLindsay hands Sara a candle and starts to chant in words long forgotten, sounding alien, and utterly foreign. Holding a knife in her left hand. She places her hand on my forehead and started grabbing a multitude of demons. Eyeballs, wings, moving squirming in her hands. Lindsay looked exhilarated and overjoyed at her new haul. She stabbed the mix of demons and put them on the chopping board.\n\n“… I finally feel at peace… I can’t thank you enough.” Sara gives a tired sigh. “What are you?”\n\n“Well, I am a demon who eats demons.” Lindsay smiled as she takes a knife and stabbed down on the mix of demons. “This magic knife should be able to keep them in place.”\n\n“A demon? But do you need a human host?”\n\n“Oh those ones who torment humans, and semi-possess them are low-level demons… Please I gotta focus on storing these demons for later consumption and cooking this new feast.” Lindsay starts prepping a meal of demon-meat potato stew. Sara sat down tired of the ritual, she goes to close her eyes to sleep.\n\n_______________\n\nOnce the meal has been cooked, Lindsay nudged Sara to wake up and handed her a bowl. Lindsay sat in front of Sara with an expected look.\n\n“Can humans eat this?” Sara looked at the bowl.\n\n“Yup! I feed it to some of the human friend groups I have” Lindsay took her bowl and started eating.\n\nSara took a bite, and this demon meat is utterly delicious. “This is good…”\n\n“This is only a temporary solution, but...” Lindsay gave a demonic smile. “If you can lure demons into your mind, I would like to cook and eat them, for you… I’ll give you the peace of mind that you’ve always wanted.”\n\n“Deal”", "\"You knew?!\" I exclaimed. \"How did you even find out?\"\n\nTrish laughed as she began to place the candles at key locations around the room.\n\n*\"How?* Has nobody else you've been with mentioned that you're a contortionist in your sleep? Like seriously, you could probably work for cirque du soleil if you could somehow arrange to always be napping at their shows.\"\n\nOh. I did generally wake up pretty sore but I'd always assumed it was just my shitty mattress. As to how it hadn't been brought to my attention already, my previous relationships had all been short and sweet. By which I mean 'tinder hookups that I didn't even invite to my house, let alone to stay for an entire night.' Perhaps characterising them to Trish as ex-girlfriends had been unintentionally dishonest but right now probably wasn't the time to go into it.\n\n\"If you knew then why did you stay?\" I asked.\n\nTrish shrugged at me as she rifled through her pockets for her lighter.\n\n\"Well, when that was my only hint I didn't know that it was literally demons. And by the time I had enough clues to know what was actually going on it just didn't seem like a good enough reason to leave. I mean, you stuck around when I lost my job.\"\n\n\"That's not the same th-\" I shook my head and cut myself off. \"Anyway, it won't work. I've tried an exorcism by an actual priest. It doesn't stick.\"\n\nShe dragged her desk chair into the centre of the room.\n\n\"See, that's where you went wrong. Did you know that in medieval times members of the Church would summon demons themselves in order to gain insight into matters of philosophy? Christian exorcisms are just to politely close the line of communication with a demon who had been *invited.* Think of it as hanging up a phonecall rather than dragging an assailant out of your house kicking and screaming.\"\n\nTrish gestured towards the chair and I sat down. She then pulled a coil of heavy duty rope from under the bed.\n\n\"So once I figured that out, because don't get me wrong my first thought was 'exorcism' too, I started to wonder who would've wanted these demons gone. And since the Church persecuted witches it stood to reason to me the witches themselves would want to fuck over the Church.\"\n\n*I love this woman,* I thought as Trish started looping the rope around my legs. Her intelligence was one of the first things that had drawn me to her and so that she not only hadn't left me for my 'problem' but had also formed a well researched plan meant that this was probably the hottest I had ever found her.\n\n\"Holy water is a churchy thing though.\" I said.\n\n\"Yeah.\" She replied slowly, double checking some images on her phone so ensure that the knots she was tying would stay put. \"I mean yes, it is. But after about the fourteenth century a lot of European witchcraft ends up with Christian stuff in it and there aren't many surviving sources to say what it looked like before then. The houseplants I've been growing are herbs that are traditionally used for things like this though, and the candles themselves have been dressed with oils. Not to mention - I've bought so, so much salt for this. This whole room is surrounded by an incomplete salt circle so if this all screws up then I just need to add a smidge more salt on my way out to trap the demon. And you, unfortunately, but it'll give me time to come up with plan number two whilst also giving us a bit of leverage.\"\n\nShe pulled out a large knife from her beside table, to my not insignificant alarm.\n\n\"Just a precaution.\" Trish smiled. \"Not to mention, I think your demons will take me more seriously if I'm armed.\"\n\nShe went around the room, lighting candles and checking on odd little things I didn't really understand. Before lighting the last one, she paused.\n\n\"I've done my research on this but I can't swear it will definitely work. If you don't want to do this, I understand. Last chance to back out.\"\n\nI raised my eyebrows.\n\n\"This is easily the sweetest thing anybody's ever done for me. You can't begin to imagine how okay with this I am.\"\n\nTrish nodded and flicked her lighter back on.\n\n\"The un-demonising of Ian Flint will begin in 3...\n\n2...\n\n1...\"", "It was a blur, the reveal what she knew and how she was prepared, how she was eager, really eager, to help. \n\nBeatrice was always so innocent, or so I thought at least. Her hazel eyes always shining with anticipation, never a cloud behind them. Auburn hair that was subtle in the shade but burst forth with color whenever the sub met it. Her delicate, but voluptuous form beneath flowing sundresses had kept me tantalized for many months now.\n\nAnd now that same form loomed over me with a same sweet smile, one you would expect to be viewing birds bathing in a brook. \n\nBut Beatrice saw no birds. Just me. She had a burning candle in her hand, and with it dropped ten drips of molten wax on my belly. \n\n\"Ouch!\" I flinched and strained against the bindings which held me to the alter. \n\nShe giggled slightly, \"sorry honey, that's all though I promise. I had to do it for this to work.\" She sets the candle down a picks up a bowl. \n\n\"And what, exactly, is this Bea?\" I asked tentatively. Her pale finger was now tipped in a thick red liquid, one she started running across my stomach in a smear.\n\nSmiling as if she was working on any other art project Beatrice just shrugged, \"lambs blood, I gotta set the seal and perform a little encantation. Then I'll chat with those pesky demons and we can be done with it all.\" Her finger continued it's trip between the bowl and I. \n\n\"Where, uh, did you learn this babe?\" \n\nGrinning and she completes the last line of blood and setting her bowl down, my darling woman bounces a little as she says with complete confidence,\n\n\"TikTok.\" \n\nFUCK me. \n\n\"So,\" she continued, pulling out a big book. An old book. Where did she get that? \"Where do you want to start? Or, who do you want to start with?\"\n\n\"Ummm,\" I gotta think, this is a big decision, \"how about...\"\n\n\"Gluttony,\" Beatrice interrupts with certainty. \n\n\"What?\" \n\n\"You know you have a problem honey.\" Bea cups the top of my head and looks down at me livingly. She had her precious little knowing half-smile. I love that look. She continued, \"I'll come home from one Saturday out and the whole pantry will be wiped out.\"\n\nI'm taken a little aback. Yes, I've gained weight since we started dating. I used to go with Bea on all her hikes, but, food is really good ya know? What's an extra sixty pounds anyways. Yeah, there is some inner demon causing that unhealthy desire, but we got bigger fish to fry. \n\nBut, fuck it, so far I've just been burned a little, and possibly turned into a biohazard on the set of a shitty BDSM porno. Plus, Bea is really into it. \n\n\"Sure thing Beautiful\" I say to her with a smile, and am immediately met with a chicken skull being placed on my navel. Looking down now, I see what she drew. It's a pentagram, a fucking pentagram perfectly connecting those ten drips of wax. Now with a chicken skull in the center. What the shit.\n\nShe is flipping through the pages of her time rapidly now, mumbling to herself. I'm starting to feel my heartbeat increase. \n\n\"Baby? Baby. Is that a pentagram? What's going on l? What is that book?\" My breathing is quickened. \n\nShe defiantly points at something on the old page, \"hah!\" Wait, is that page made of leather? Skin? That's a freckle. A fucking freckle on it. I'm full on panicking as Beatrice finally replies, \"it's a phone book.\"\n\nI'm stunned, \"A WHAT?!\" But Bea has already started a chant.\n\n\"Seeawulda! Jonaqeelo turu tunok mi sa sull AArOrr!\" She bellowed this foreign tongue in a deep, commanding voice. Her face filled with a aura, a power I've never seen Who is this woman. \n\nSilence.\n\nI pipe up \"What's supposed t...\" BOOM\n\nA flash of light and then smoke emit from the geometry on my stomach, and as it clears, I see a figure. \n\nHe looks about two feet high, with a human upper half, and the lower half of a pig. Kinda a disgruntled Italian mob boss type of look. I felt nothing on my stomach, though. He was weightless. \n\nI'm speechless. He is not. \n\n\"What the fuck you want, bitch?\" The little demon says around a loud, wet burp. He's eye-to-eye with Beatrice, who is just digging it. Like a while looking at puppies through the glass at a pet store.\n\n\"You. Are. So. CUTE!\" Bea starts stopping from foot to foot, and the the word, cute, was a sqweel. \n\nHis beady little eyes shift to me, \"ah, one of mine,\" he says,\" what's up with your whor..\"\n\nA hand snaps out lightning quick, an absolute blur. I'd say he struck his check, but the hand was bigger than his head. The demon whipped backwards and to the right, gasping. His hands flew to his face as he shrieked, \"what did you do?!\"\n\n\"Like it?\" Bea asked. I see her hand now, withat least three rings on each finger, multiple bracelets, and necklaces wrapped across her palm. \"I put on ALL my silver jewelery for your bitch ass.\" I look back to the demon, his face was sizzling, boiling, where she hit him. \n\nI had never heard Bea swear before. Ever. Wait, nevermind, I had never seen Bea hit anything before ever! She stepped on a lizard once and cried for hours! \n\nBut she continued, \"you see this man? She points at me. The demon peers at me between his fingers. \"I love this man, and you\" she slaps him again, \"are fucking,\" again, \"our, life, up.\" She hit him between each word. \n\nHe was shrieking now, crying, every time he reached out to retaliate Beatrice just bodied him. My sweet innocent girl was beating the absolute living shit out of this demon. He was as much boiling mess as he was himself at this point.\n\nBea was screaming now, \"So you're gonna leave him the fuck alone, do you hear me?\" His screams were a pigs oinking squeels now. \n\n\"YES! Yes!\" He cried, weeping deeply. \n\n\"Good.\" Beatrice smiled down at him, lowing her hands. \"Now go tell whoever is giving my man his self-image issues I'm coming for them too. And whoever it is that tells him he's not smart enough too. ALSO whoever EVER dares to play any games with us. Warn EVERYBODY. Got it?\"\n\n\"OKAY,\" The demon yelled into the pitcher of holy water that Bea was pouring into him. \n\nImmediately the demon began to the eaten away, but the look was inexplicable, almost as if he was simultaneously imploding in upon himself. Through the gurgling mess of boiling flesh disfiguring itself upon me I heard Beatrice tell one last thing.\n\n\"TELL YOUR BOSS HE CAN SUCK MY DICK, TOO!\"\n\nAnd with a small 'pop!' followed by a poof if smoke the demon was gone. Panting, I am still in shock and look up to Bea, who is now flipping through that fucking book again and reaching towards what I now see is a Walmart sack full of chicken skulls. \n\n\"You alright sweetie? Need some water or a snack?\" She says cheerfully, not looking up, like we're doing yard work on a Sunday afternoon. \n\nI rest my head back against the stone I'm still tied to. It's going to be a long fucking night.", "\"Uh, what are those for?\" I ask, as Liz starts excitedly placing the candles on the floor.\n\n\"Your demons,\" she says, setting the flask of holy water on the dinner table so that she can use both hands to place candles. \"We're gonna exorcize the fuck out of them.\"\n\nI force myself to laugh, hoping she'll stop placing candles now that I finally get the joke. But she doesn't. I watch silently as she finishes a circle of twenty or so candles that's about ten feet in diameter.\n\n\"Okay, step in there,\" she says, retrieving the flask of holy water from the dinner table.\n\n\"Liz, what the hell?\" I say.\n\n\"You told me you have inner demons,\" she says. \"What are their names?\"\n\n\"Uh... alcoholism? Mild gambling addiction?\"\n\n\"You barely drink. Mike, I know your inner demons are literal.\"\n\n\"How would you even know that?\"\n\n\"You speak angry Latin in your sleep.\"\n\nI nod as if that's a perfectly normal thing people do in their sleep. \"And that's your proof?\"\n\n\"You do it with your eyes wide open and completely white.\"\n\nAgain I nod in a \"no big deal\" kind of way. \"Well, I can't speak Latin, so you're wrong.\"\n\n\"It's the demons speaking through you.\" Liz shakes the flask of holy water with one hand and makes wavy motions around it with her other hand. \"Lucky for you, my dad was an exorcist.\"\n\nI furrow my brow at her. \"Come again?\"\n\n\"He was an exorcist. Died two years ago, but he taught me all he knew before a failed exorcism that caused his entrails to erupt out his abdomen and strangle him to death. Step into the circle.\"\n\n\"Okay, Liz, this is all very funny, but...\"\n\nHolding the flask between her hands, she closes her eyes and speaks words I can't understand at first. I eventually recognize it as Latin. You can't go wrong when you hear so many words ending in \"us\".\n\n\"Liz, what...\" I begin, but then I gasp when I notice that the holy water is boiling inside the flask.\n\nLiz opens her eyes and pierces me with a furious glare. Her left nostril is bleeding. \"Step into the fucking circle,\" she tells me.\n\nI step into the fucking circle.\n\n\"Do you know the names of the demons?\" she asks.\n\n\"Uh, no,\" I say, and it's true. \"I just see them sometimes.\"\n\n\"What do they look like?\"\n\n\"One of them is a rotting corpse with the jaw missing.\"\n\n\"Galmor,\" she says.\n\nI yelp when a portion of the candle circle suddenly lights itself.\n\n\"That's a wooden floor!\" I shout.\n\n\"*Silence*,\" she says. \"There are two others. What do they look like?\"\n\n\"Uh... one of them is a... it's a large bird that looks like a bunch of different species of birds sewn together into a single bird.\"\n\n\"What species of bird is the head?\"\n\n\"Wait, that description didn't narrow it down enough?\"\n\nLiz's right nostril starts bleeding along with the left one as if to highlight her waning patience. \"*What species?*\" she repeats angrily.\n\n\"I don't know! It's the one with the huge beak, the really long beak.\"\n\n\"A toucan?\"\n\n\"If you say so.\"\n\n\"Ishiitai,\" Liz says, and another portion of the candle circle lights itself. Only a third of it remains unlit.\n\n\"And the remaining demon?\" Liz asks. The holy water is now holy steam coming out of the flask and filling the room.\n\n\"It's... well, it's a dick. Just a straight-up giant dick.\"\n\n\"Phalloth,\" she says, and the remaining third of the candle circle lights itself. There's a terrible smell, and the entire room seems darker. I realize the smoke coming from the candles is thick and reddish.\n\n\"Liz?\" I say, my voice quavering with fear as the reddish smoke makes it harder to see her. The white steam from the flask is mixing with it. All of a sudden, a thunderclap assaults my ears and lightning strikes the floor at my feet.\n\n\"Stay in the circle,\" I hear Liz's voice say.\n\n\"It struck *inside* the circle!!\" I shout, pointing at the smoldering hole left by the lightning.\n\n\"Yes, Ishiitai and Galmor are counterspelling. I'm handling it.\"\n\n\"Tell me what I can do to help!\"\n\n\"You can let me concentrate. And stay in the circle *no matter what*.\"\n\nI feel something skitter up my leg. I look down. Cockroaches. Dozens of them erupting out of the hole and going for my legs.\n\n\"OH JESUS CHRIST!!\" I scream, desperately brushing them off of my thighs and shins.\n\n\"Galmor is trying to get you to leave the circle,\" Liz says calmly. \"Do not leave the circle or you'll fall straight into Hell.\"\n\nThere's too many cockroaches. I don't have enough hands to brush them all off. \"They're climbing all over me, I can't stop them!\"\n\n(to be continued in comments)", "**———— How To Fix A Broken Heart ————**\n\nPossession can only happen during intense heartbreak. When your innermost thoughts and feelings are out on display, when the frame of your soul is cracked and falling apart and your heart is shattered in a million pieces, that is the only opportunity demons have to possess you.\n\nThomas had known his more-than-fair share of heartbreak. He had come to terms with it. He was... not exactly over it, but accepting of it.\n\nBut then... came the dreams. The demons were telling him to do things. Things he would never do awake. At first, he was able to resist. But slowly, they gained control, and he lost control.\n\nThe first time Sarah had mentioned, jokingly, that he was acting possessed, Thomas had jumped. She was confused, but hadn't seemed to give it a second thought. \n\nIf Thomas were to judge from the holy water in her hand, she clearly had.\n\n*\"DON'T LET HER,\"* the demons screamed in his mind. He grimaced and took a step back, their influence washing over him like a stream of water. \n\n\"Don't make this harder than it needs to be,\" Sarah warned, not so much Thomas as the demons. \"The door's locked. We're in the basement. And I've got a Bible with me.\"\n\n\"You're into this,\" complained Thomas as he was forced to withdraw even farther away from her. Seeing her smile at him mischievously, he sighed. \"Cruel woman.\"\n\n\"Hush, honey,\" she replied, calmly lighting the candles in the shape of a cross on the floor. \"It's gonna be easier if you don't fight it,\" she said to the demons. At least Thomas hoped it was directed to them.\n\n*\"DON'T LET HER,\"* commanded the demons again, so loudly that his head felt ready to explode. It was as though he was having seven migraines at the same time.\n\nThe smell of burning basil leaves hit his nostrils, and immediately his skin began sizzling.\n\n\"Uhm, sweetheart,\" called Thomas worriedly. \"I seem to be melting.\" Sarah glanced at him and shrugged.\n\n\"Meh. You'll get over it.\"\n\nThe demons forced him to take one more step, and his back touched the door. He felt his hand shuffling for the handle, without him moving it. \n\n\"Got you now,\" whispered Sarah and threw a few drops of holy water on him. it passed right through his skin, and he somehow sensed it entering his blood stream.\n\n\"Sweetheart,\" he said again. \"Not to pressure you, but I have demons in my head. I don't think water in my blood is going to make it better.\"\n\nSarah threw him a disappointed look. \"They're not in your head, silly. They're in your heart.\"\n\n\"My fucking what?\" he asked immediately, clutching his chest. \"Well will you kindly get them out, please?\" \n\n\"What the fuck do you think I'm doing?\" \n\n\"...Sorry. I'm scared.\"\n\n\"'Sokay.\"\n\nSarah continued working, and the demons allowed Thomas to hold his head in his hands to alleviate the pain even a little bit. Once she was ready, she turned and looked at him, and her eyes fixated on his chest.\n\n\"Now, uhm, hon,\" she said awkwardly. \"You, uhm, might not like this part.\"\n\n*\"DON'T LET HER,\"* interrupted the demons, and forced him the cower in the corner. \n\n\"Before I can get them out of you,\" Sarah continued, \"first I have to fix your heart.\"\n\n\"Oh,\" said Thomas. \"That's going to hurt, isn't it?\"\n\n\"Afraid so, honey.\" She graced him with an apologetic smile as she tilted her head and prepared. \n\n\"Alright,\" sighed Thomas. \"Just... get this over with.\"\n\n\"That's the plan,\" answered Sarah, moments before splashing his chest with the entire flask of holy water. \n\nIt felt like a heart attack, but the demons migrated to his head. He could tell, because he felt them move through his nerves.\n\n\"Fuck,\" he groaned. \"Now what?\"\n\n\"That was 'what',\" answered Sarah, worried. \"Hon, Are they... leaving?\"\n\n*\"NO,\"* replied the demons.\n\n\"Nope,\" Thomas relayed. \n\n\"Fuck,\" muttered Sarah.\n\n\"Wait, I have an idea,\" said Thomas. \"You said you have to 'fix' my heart, right?\"\n\n\"Yeah,\" said Sarah. \"The demons possess you during heartbreak. Which is why you have so many.\"\n\n\"Well... fix my broken heart, sweetheart,\" he said through the pain. Sarah's face lit up. \n\n\"You rascal,\" she laughed. She walked up to him, knelt in front of him, and leaned in for a kiss.\n\nThe demon who had migrated to his head tried to withdraw, but Thomas' head was against the wall. It was the worst kiss the two had ever had— save for that one time in Ireland—, but it worked. The demons left with a scream.\n\nAnd Thomas passed out.\n\nWhen he woke up, he was met by a mop. Sarah smiled at him. \n\n\"Cleanup, honey,\" she quipped, gesturing at the basement, that had somehow been covered by the number '6' drawn in blood.\n\nIt was a very long afternoon. \n\n———————————————————————————————", "I stared at her, eyes wide, “How did you know?”\r \n\r \nShe chuckled, “When we had to write about a dark time in our lives for English class a few years back you wrote about how your dog got sick. They didn't even die. You literally have never known death. The worst thing that happened to you was that you had to move out of your house for a week because of an ant infestation. Your parents are happy and together, and you actually get along with your other siblings.”\r \n\r \nI looked down shyly, “Sorry…”\r \n\r \nShe grinned, “Gosh, you’re adorable. No, don’t apologize. I’m sometimes jealous, sure, but you’re the best emotional support boyfriend in the entire world. You even came with me for my grandmother’s funeral, you got a suit on short notice! We had only been dating for a month!”\r \n\r \n“I wanted to get to know your family…” I admitted.\r \n\r \n“See? You’re weird in such a cute way. None of my other boyfriends have wanted to come near my family. They’re not exactly the most stable bunch.”\r \n\r \n“What are you talking about, they’re great! I look forward to poker night with Uncle Bingo every Thursday.”\r \n\r \nShe blinked, “Wait, when did this happen? Do you know how exclusive Uncle Bingo’s poker games are? He doesn’t even let ME play in them.”\r \n\r \n“It’s just that he thinks you’re too good for him.”\r \n\r \n“What?”\r \n\r \n“Yeah. You don’t laugh at his jokes anymore, you don’t appreciate his gifts, he feels like he hardly knows you anymore.”\r \n\r \nShe shrugged, “That’s just called growing up.”\r \n\r \nI sighed, “Well, still, he misses you.”\r \n\r \n“He really confides in you with all this?” She asked.\r \n\r \nI nodded, “Uncle Bingo tells me stuff too, like that you love Chrysanthemums.”\r \n\r \nShe smiled, “I was so happy when you gave me those.”\r \n\r \n“And I live for that smile. But wait… just because I don’t have any trauma doesn’t explain why you knew they were literal inner demons.”\r \n\r \n“Oh, my psychic told me that my boyfriend would have problems with demons.”\r \n\r \n“You have a psychic?”\r \n\r \n“Relax, I’m not one of those people, I only went once. I started seeing 666 everywhere, I was really freaking out.”\r \n\r \n“And you just happened to have holy water?”\r \n\r \n“It’s prescription.”\r \n\r \nI stared blankly, “....prescription holy water?”\r \n\r \n“Yeah, you’ve never used any for cramps?” She inquired.\r \n\r \nI shook my head, “Never.”\r \n\r \n“Well, give it a try, it’ll change your life.”\r \n\r \n“I’ll certainly make note of it. So what’s the plan?”\r \n\r \n“For you? Nothing. Just sit back and relax, darling.”\r \n\r \n“And you?”\r \n\r \nShe smirked, “I’m going to make Doom look like Animal Crossing for these demons.”\r \n\r \nI smiled, “Babe, I love you.”\r \n\r \nShe grinned, “Love you too, now just sit tight, alright?”\r \n\r \nI nodded, smiling. She was right, I did have it good." ]

[ 1, 1, 2, 5, 6, 6, 14, 31, 84, 88, 629 ]

[ "1653622805", "1653673244", "1653674435", "1653664508", "1653667724", "1653672069", "1653667079", "1653661040", "1653640922", "1653637150", "1653633154" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", " N. Mary and Molly were twins.\n\nMi. Milly, not Molly!\n\nMa. We still are twins!\n\nN. Yes. But I am setting this story in the past.\n\nMa. Okay.\n\nN. They lived with their parents, in a house on the corner of Main Street.\n\nMi. It's not that we want to. We're teenagers.\n\nN. Very well. They regrettably lived with their parents. They had perfectly ordinary lives, though each thought she was extraordinary. They liked to talk with each other for hours, to eat frozen pizza, and to play video games.\n\nMa. What? I have never played a video game in my life!\n\nMi. I hate pizza!\n\nN. Oh, sorry. Wrong story. They liked to read, write, and ride horses.\n\nMi. I like to ride horses. Mary is afraid of them.\n\nMa. Milly couldn't write to save her life. That's my favourite hobby. Oh, the beautiful books of poetry I will write someday...\n\nN. One day, they were taking a walk, when they spotted something shiny on the ground. Mary picked it up and showed it to her sister.\n\nMa. What? I would never pick up something from the ground!\n\nMi. She's too smart for that.\n\nN. Why can I never get in more than a few sentences with you two?\n\nMa. Because you're telling it all wrong!\n\nMi. Yeah! You didn't even get our names right!\n\nN. It's my first day on the job\n\nMa. You really ought to read this book I have about. a little boy, his bear, and their friends in the wood. The narrator knows when and how to enter the story and talk to the characters.\n\nMi. Yes. Why don't we read it to him! I love listening to you read.\n\nMa. Good idea! I'll go get it.\n\nN. And so, the narrator sat down to begin his education regarding narrating.\n\nMi. He finally said something right!\n\nMa. Maybe, there's hope for him after all!", "***And now, standing over Malanor's vulnerable, lithe form, our hero raises his long, hard sword and slowly penetrates-***\n\n(Mal) \"Oh my fucking god, please tell me I'm not gonna die listening to this bastard's innuendos.\" ***whimpered Malanor, her full lips trembling as she took in her final moment.***\n\n(Hero) \"Oookay, time out.\" ***said the hero, in his deep, macho voice,*** \"I wasn't gonna say anything but if we're bringing up the elephant in the room, I'm not the only one who hears vaguely suggestive narration over practically everything I do, am I?\"\n\n(Mal) \"You hear it too? Oh my god I thought I was going crazy! This thing has been driving me nuts.\"\n\n***Guys, I-***\n\n(Hero) \"Right?! I thought it was weird! I wasn't sure and I didn't know how to bring it up without sounding like a crazy person!\"\n\n***This isn't-***\n\n(Mal) \"Oh shut it Narrator, you've been harassing me for over a year now!\"\n\n***But my story...***\n\n(Both) \"\"Screw your story!\"\"\n\n(Mal) \"What the hell kinda perverted story is this supposed to be, anyways?! Why does everything have to be some goddamn innuendo, I refuse to participate in your shitty smut fic!\"\n\n***It's supposed to be comedy! There's no actual smut.***\n\n(Mal) \"That makes it even worse! Do you have any idea how demeaning it is to be constantly objectified? I can't even escape it, you follow me everywhere! Like the other night in the bath, you can't tell me that's not crossing some kind of line!\"\n\n***I didn't see anything important, I made sure the steam was good and heavy, no violation occurred.***\n\n(Mal) \"It's a violation of fucking privacy and common decency!\"\n\n(Hero) \"Wait, so does that mean... back with the server girl, when I tripped and fell on her and my hands grabbed her chest...\"\n\n***C'mon man, that's a classic! Everyone loves that gag!***\n\n(Hero) \"I have literally never been that embarrassed in my entire life. I wanted to fucking die. Did you see her face? She thinks I'm this massive perv now. Ohmygod I'm getting embarrassed just thinking about it.\"\n\n***Well whatever! It's my story! You guys wouldn't be half the people you are without me!***\n\n(Hero) \"You know, I never really though about it, but I don't think I ever heard your voice until the day my parents died...\"\n\n***Err, well-***\n\n(Mal) \"Oh no, you're an orphan too? I had no idea...\"\n\n***Don't-***\n\n(Hero) \"Yeah it happened about a year ago now. This group of bandits came to my village... that's why I need to defeat you! To avenge my parents and friends who were brutally killed at your order!\"\n\n***Yes! That's-***\n\n(Mal) \"What? I never ordered anything like that!\"\n\n(Hero) \"How can I possibly believe you...\"\n\n(Mal) \"I swear it! I know bandits have used my banner in the past, but none of them are associated with me! I run a mercenary group, sure, but we're soldiers for peace!\"\n\n***Hero! Don't be fooled by her devilish charms! Yes she may be gorgeous, and her clothes may be alluringly torn and exposing a lot of skin, but she's using her looks to swindle your honest soul!***\n\n(Hero) \"... Okay I think I'm convinced.\"\n\n***NO!***\n\n(Mal) \"But you know, I think I have an idea as to how we can get our revenge for all those who've been wronged...\"\n\n***I don't think I like where this is going, I'm just gonna head on-***\n\nMal grabbed the narrator by the throat.\n\n\\- - - - - - - \n\nI had a lot of fun writing this :3 \nRemember authors, respect your characters >:|", "Our story begins a long, long time ago...\n\nGregory: Stop, this is hilariously pathetic.\n\nI'm sorry, what?\n\nMarian: If you say \"in a galaxy far, far away,\" this whole script is going to be owned by The House of Mouse. Try again, sister.\n\nI'm just the narrator. This is the script I was given to work with.\n\nMarian: Well, it's an embarrassment. You should charge whoever wrote this with high crimes.\n\nGregory: It's capital punishment to have to read such a boring script. \n\nOk, fine, I'll skip the intro and go to the part where we meet the characters....Hmmm.. Ah, ok. Duke Gregory was a dashing, reckless man approaching his middle aged years...\n\nGregory: Middle aged years? I'm only 29, girl! How old are you?\n\nI happen to be 25. Not that that's any of your business.\n\nGregory: Not any of my business? I happen to think *my* story should be told by an eloquent and competent storyteller. You seem to be neither.\n\nI have a master's degree in English from Brandeis, thank you.\n\nMarian: Hmph. Couldn't get into Cornell at least? Or Columbia? \n\nGregory: Now, now Marian, my love, let's not chide the child like her parents. She's merely 25 with an string of unsuccessful relationships throughout college, living with her unemployed guitar playing, marijuana selling boyfriend of 5 months because, if she moved back home with her parents, she'd have to admit that she can't live alone on her own and that her English degrees are as worthless as her father told her they'd be.\n\nMarian: Oh Gregory, you're so harsh! She was successful! Remember that MLM scheme she got into and successfully recruited her entire friends' group, only to be cast out by them when the shampoos they bought from her began to make their hair fall out?\n\nYou two are evil! I quit!" ]

[ 1, 2, 28, 68 ]

[ "1653834385", "1653854325", "1653855215", "1653840458" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "\"Congratulations.\" said the God of Death sarcastically.\n\n\"OH MY GOD! I'M A GOD!\" I shouted in utter excitement.\n\n \"Calm down, It ain't easy but its easy enough that we have an entire pantheon.\" said the God of War calmly.\n\n \"And?! I just became a god! Now I can do ANYTHING!\" I said.\n\n\"Anything? Hah!\" scoffed one of the Demon Lords.\n\nThis was followed by many \"Look at this dude...\" and \"I hope I crush his soul.\"\n\n\"What? what is it?\" I said, with sudden anxiety.\n\n\"Well... the thing is that gods can only do anything in their absurdly specific title, For example, the God of Death can only do stuff related to death and dying, But he can't actually just kill things on a whim.\" said a Nature God.\n\n\"Oh... then what's my title?\" I asked, ready to be disappointed.\n\n\"You became the god of... comedy...\" said Death, \"That means you can only manipulate jokes, what's funny, what isn't funny, and who are allowed to say jokes.\"\n\n\"I... what?... This is very... underwhelming for me.\" I said.\n\n\"Ha! Good luck with a power like that!\" A Demon Lord taunted, Several gods laughed and when the taunts and threats were exhauted, Everyone went back to their duties, Mine consisted of rating jokes said by everyone in the entire multiverse, But then I had a suddenly brilliant idea.\n\nI changed the rules of jokes and made up a random joke that isn't very funny but with my godly powers, I forced it to be the most funniest joke in the entire Multiverse.\n\n\"Hey everyone!\" I shouted, catching the attention of all the gods and demon lords.\n\n\"Wanna hear a joke?\" I asked to the crowd.\n\n\"SURE! Why not?\" said the God of Meriment, \"Got nothing better to do than rain wine on the homeless.\"\n\n\"Why couldn't the pony sing a song?\" I asked, \"What!?\" shouted several impatient gods.\n\n\"Because she was a little horse...\" I said, smugly.\n\nSilence... and then in an instance, the entire hall of gods erupted in ridiculously loud laugther of varying voices, From the soft and silky to the rough and venomous, This went on for several hours, Giving me just enough time to be able to kill every god in the entire pantheon.\n\n\"LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I KILLED EVERY GOD! I'M THE GOD OF GODS!\" I screamed in utter celebration. But then... I suddenly realized the implication of killing every god... No one to control the multiverse, and with one god left...\n\n\"AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!\" My mind was flooded with septillions of thoughts, visions, memories, messages, prayers, and even threats in every language imaginable from every dimension in the entire multiverse, And as I laid on the ground, Writhing in godly pain, I couldn't even talk, think, or otherwise do anything due to my overloaded nerves, All I could do was stare at the unremarkable stone floor, and regret my actions...\n\nMany many many many many many many many years later, The doors to the Hall of Gods burst open, and in steps a weirdly pale man with red tatoos, a goatee, and a lot of blood on his hands.\n\n\"The last one...\" The stranger said, and with the speed only a god could do, ran right at me and broke my neck, ending my misery but as I walk into the light, I am suddenly bombarded by the angry faces of all the gods I murdered... \"Uh oh\" is all I could say before I was erased from existence." ]

[ 1, 3 ]

[ "1654329951", "1654337488" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Hi u/saintlyowl, this submission has been removed.\r\n\r\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. \r\n\r\n* *From Rule 6: [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)*\r\n\r\n---\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n---\r\n\r\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/v7j43w/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/config/sidebar) before posting. \r\n\r\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*" ]

[ 1, 1 ]

[ "1654670980", "1654687871" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "I could tell she was nervous, people were becoming so predictable, what was happening to me?\n\n\"So um, heh, ya I think you'll need to retake the test.\" One bead of sweat coalesced above her right eyebrow. It was a stress sweat, the room was cool and I could smell the nervous hormones. \"I mean, not even Superior scored that high.\"\n\nI could feel that my mouth had morphed into a pandering smile. These type of things passed by me seemingly without my permission. I was begging to feel more like an observer in my own body, come to think of it, I was beginning to feel that way about a lot of things. I felt like I was watching a sort of pantomime play for children, expect it was my life.\n\n\"...Sir?\" She was still dreadfully nervous. Should I tell her that?\n\n\"You're sweating.\"\n\n\"*Huh?*\"\n\n\"You're sweating, but its from anxiety. You need to lower your heartrate by at least twenty beats per minute, and probably work on your resting cortisol levels. I suggest the gym.\"\n\n\"Sir!\"\n\nShe was angry now. Strange, I was helping her. I'd figured out a while ago that I knew much more than any doctor that I'd ever met. The lady needed a lot more than that done as well, I could tell that her right atrium was slightly inflamed, so judging by the chemical levels in her returning deoxygenated blood I'd say that she was su--\n\n\"Okay sir, I'm going to need you to return to the test room and try again.\"\n\nDoes she know that this is the third time that I'd taken the test? No... She'd have acted more sporadically like my last proctor did. She must have skipped over the briefing section, most do. Why did everyone feel like such children? Was everyone ignorant besides me?\n\n\"Actually miss Veronica, we're going to take this man with us.\"\n\nAh, the three supers waiting outside did decide to come in. Funny, they're more scared than she is.\n\n\"Don't worry, he was a cheater on the test, we're taking him in for questions on how he done it.\" \n\nStrange, that was a lie. They clamped down bright buzzing cuffs on my wrist. \"What are these?\"\n\nThe leading man turned to me, smiling with obvious feigned arrogance. \"Power reducing cuffs! Made from gems infused by Miss Superior herself!\"\n\nI nodded. I'd heard of these before, apparently they were incredibly strong, sapping power from even the worlds greatest villains. Did they think I was a villain? \n\nWe moved to a large armored van, which they placed me in the back of. The soldiers guarding it looked nervously at me. Usually that was because of jet black suit. That always seemed to upset them, even with the silky black cape on my shoulders -- I thought it looked rather dashing. \n\nI counted twenty armored vans following us, and two helicopters. They were all manned by genetically modified soldiers, but there a couple dozen natural supers with them. This was quite the detachment, all with elevated stress levels. Unhealthy, they need to watch that.\n\nThey bolted me into a large, full body version of the cuffs. Strapping down every arm and limb and even limiting my head movement. I was then taken out of the van and brought down a deep elevator. After that they rolled into a great large titanium room, filled with guards and supers. I was placed right before the five greatest supers in the world, with Miss Superior herself at the center. She wasn't stressed. Finally a healthy heart.\n\n\"Who are you, how did you do it?\" Her voice was smooth and rhythmic. Her stringy yellow outfit floating around her and her power emanating like a furnace.\n\n\"I like to call myself Zion. I found the name in a book when I was two.\"\n\n\"I don't mean that. How did you score that high, it was obviously impossible. We took the precaution because your physical strength was off the charts, and I admit that can't be faked, but everything else? Impossible.\"\n\nI wanted to move my head, but I was strapped in quite tight, forced to stare at the panel of supers. \"I am not a liar.\" \n\n\"Quit with the games.\"\n\nWas she insulting me? She was being quite rude, even if the tension of everyone else was tight, she was unbothered. You know, this felt just like something the 'villains' would do too. They didn't even ask me to come, I would've. They're all just children, arguing over toys and food.\n\n \"Please, don't call me a liar. I was just trying to take the test. I was told that's what I was supposed to do.\"\n\nShe shook her head, bringing her hand up to her forehead. \"Bring him closer, I need a better look at him.\"\n\nIn hindsight, I understand that she was asking the guards to move up my containment device, but at the moment I thought she was asking me personally. So naturally, I stepped out of the device and walked closer, breaking all of the metallic, glowing straps in the process. Everyone stood up in shock and fear, but the cuffs didn't really feel like anything at all. Frankly I just walked forward like I normally do, it wasn't even a strain.\n\nI think right after a couple of bullets and lightning blasts cracked into me, or maybe it was fire? Ah, I'm not sure, either way by the time I arrived right in front of her everyone else had fled to the opposite side of the room, and the desk they were sitting behind had been obliterated. Oh, they damaged my suit too... Frustrating. \n\nI for once didn't wait for them to talk. \"You know, I'm getting tired of all of this.\" She was finally feeling fear and stress like the rest. \"I'm not sure why I even done this. You all are all the same.\"\n\n\"... You all?\"\n\nI shook my head, it was rather annoying. \"Everyone else is just getting too hard to understand. You all fret over stuff that doesn't really matter, and argue way to much! I'm getting tired of it.\"\n\nShe took a rather large gulp, her breathing had also increased quite dramatically. I could smell all of the adrenaline pumping through her. \"Lets... Talk, okay?\"\n\nWas she not listening to me? That's precisely what I was saying! Before I knew it I had flown threw their fancy titanium roof and straight through the some three hundred feet of rock that they were under. \n\n\"Frustrating.\" I repeated to myself while floating among the clouds. They all felt like ants running below me, even this high up I could feel their stress levels. They were like rabid cats that got scared at doors slamming shut, and ohh how much they fight each other. Maybe what they need is someone to unite them? Like a grand welder binding humanity together? But how? I'm not charismatic enough to lead them, I suppose I'm smart enough to know that. What if... What if I done it exactly as a welder does? With fire? I'm sure that with a big enough fire even the worst of enemies could ban together to fight it.\n\nYes. Yes that was it. That's my grand idea. Humanity wants to keep playing these childish games? Fine, I'll treat them like one until they learn how to work together. \n\nI leaned my flying body back down towards the 'hidden base.' \"Alright.\" Why was I talking to myself? Why did this feeling energize me like it was? \"Alright Zion, let's teach humanity a lesson or two...\"\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nIf you enjoyed follow my account or subreddit! r/mrsharks202" ]

[ 1, 12 ]

[ "1654716489", "1654721669" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", " Ughh.\n Tahlia leaned backwards in her seat. She’d been watching from the cafe as her friends battled zombies to the death. For the first five minutes, she’d run into the battle with the rest of them, expecting to find civilians to save and wounded heroes. But in that time, the only thing she’d done was make herself a target.\n Tahlia remembered Luke’s glare when she nearly got herself bit by a zombie. She’d been trying to do something, maybe even heal the zombie’s disease. Bit even with her magic radiating out, she could tell it was much too late. The zombie didn’t need to be healed, not when it was already dead. \n “Get out!” Luke had shouted, “We’ll carry the injured to you!”\n As if there’s be any injured in the first place. For the last three fights, Tahlia had gone home to her empty apartment buildings, drained of energy. She’d listened to her pet dog barking up a storm. She’d wondered, for half a second, if there was something better she could do with her time.\n You’re a hero, she reminded herself. You’ll prove yourself, eventually. Someday, someone would get reckless. Then, she’d have to help him. The rest of the world would see her for who she truly was, then.\n There was a little part of her that said that wanting someone to get hurt was not something a hero would do.\n But how could she be a hero if she didn’t do anything at all?\n There was a crash. Tahlia turned around, half expecting zombies. Instead, a bloodied Luke stepped into the cafe, radiating magic. His eyes had gone hollow as he stepped forward.\n “Are you hurt?” Tahlia asked. She could not quite keep the excitement out of her voice.\n “It’s not mine,” Luke answered. He rested a hand against the wall, breathing heavily. “We won.”\n “Is anyone else injured?”\n “No one on our side,” a slight smile reached Luke’s lips. “Thank god for that.”\n Tahlia would thank god later. She stood up, stretching her back. “Where are the others?”\n “Ruby’s putting some of the buildings back together. Garrett’s burning the dead zombies into ash. Tom and Ashley are making sure the civilians remain calm- that no one’s getting into fights to escape a threat that’s been resolved.” Luke tilted his head to the side. “Actually, have you ever healed an animal?”\n Tahlia glanced down at her palms. When she’d first noticed her abilities, she’d been in second grade. She’d twisted her ankle before the first track event, and she hadn’t wanted to miss it. So that night, she’d rested a hand on her ankle and found it no longer hurt.\n After that, she tried it on birds and mice, humans and dogs, mosquitos and fish. All of them, she could heal with a single cut, as if their wounds did not exist at all.\n She’d never thought it wouldn’t come in handy before.\n “Sure,” she said.\n Luke smiled. “We have a few injured orangoutangs at the zoo. Mind helping them?”\n Tahlia supposed it was better then nothing. She didn’t really care about orangoutangs, but at least it was something she could do.\n She was just walking towards Luke when the whole cafe went dark.\n Tahlia turned in surprise. She lifted her hands, and soft blue healing magic flew through the air. It lit the cafe just enough to show the doors when a cloaked figure stepped through, raised his hand, through a round object, and teleported away.\n For a moment, the air whooshed from Tahlia’s lungs.\n And then the room exploded.\n She smashed into a wall. Pain ran down every muscle in her body, turned in the center of her bones. She could feel dust in every pore as she crouched on both knees, hands holding her up.\n The first thing she noticed was the blood.\n It was covering everything. When she crawled forward, she realized it was on herself as well. Tahlia caught sight of Luke, body wrapped around a group of civilians. His eyes were barely open, blood seeping out of his mouth.\n Tahlia couldn’t tell what was going on. Outside, explosions rang. The world smelled like bomb powder and rusty metal. A person groaned in the darkness, and sobs came from a corner of the cafe. For the first time in Tahlia’s young career as a hero, they were loosing. \n And Tahlia couldn’t have been happier about it." ]

[ 1, 4 ]

[ "1655078685", "1655085441" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "“Spontaneous Death,” murmured Rankor. He carefully sorted through the mass of case files, all stacked dangerously close to the edge of his desk. Zinnia nodded in affirmative, she carefully observed the reactions of the captain of the ***UOSCU***, the Unordinary Supernatural Crimes Unit. A special investigative unit tasked with dealing in crimes having transcended 'normal' magical law, and then some. Not that any of it was normal to her, but she was acclimating.\n\nHe paused, and heaved a deep sigh before he looked up at her looming figure, “and you’re sure this isn’t another time travel situation?”\n\n“Absolutely.” She replied. It had only been 6 days, 7 hours, and 15 minutes, since she’d confirmed everything she needed to know, and made necessary preparations, she only needed his approval. She smiled pleasantly at the captain, but it seemed to only put him even more on edge than before. Her lips quirked down, she had read that smiling in social situations put humans at ease, but the opposite seemed to be the case. She would have to leave a scathing review on *‘Olympia’* for that particular piece of literature. Conforming to social expectations, among many other things, was something that she needed to adapt to as of late, and the results were less than satisfactory.\n\nRankor’s brow furrowed, he looked at her, watching for hesitance, he was hoping for it. He knew he shouldn’t be expecting it, considering her species. He shook his head and drew out the *Enforcers* badge. It glowed under the heavy florescent lighting, despite being a solid black, the engraved emblem that seemed to twist and wriggle as he handed it to her, it had an ominous air, oppressive.\n\n“Are you sure that you want to pursue this case?” He asked.\n\nOf course, she did. Her continued existence would soon hinge on it.\n\n“Do you think you even can?” He asked quietly, rapidly tapping his foot. She counted almost 165 taps since this conversation had begun. He seemed unsure of her ability, she wasn’t. She’d been fully prepared to do whatever was necessary to solve this case, even die. \n\nWhich just so happened to be a requirement for catching the newest incarnation of ‘Death.’\n\nThe curse mark carved into her back grew with every breath she took. Turning cold, flawless metal, into living flesh. She inhaled the stale office air, this time unable to parse out the exact composition automatically.\n\n *Breathing*, she thought, *what a novelty.*", "Her eyes narrowed, worn grey robes billowing in a sudden wind. I just smiled at her, turning away.\n\n\"What do mean, you were only here for my curse?! Don't you know what it does?!\"\n\nI sighed.\n\n\"Its a pretty generic one. Until removed my body will slowly wither, my life feeding yours. If I die from it I am damned to be a forever walking husk under your bidding. That about right?\"\n\nShe seemed rather put out by my uncaring demeanour. \n\n\"Y... yes... how do you know?!\"\n\nI rolled up on of my sleeves, revealing a series of black tattoos that wound around my arm. They shifted subtly, and just by looking you could see the malevolence.\n\n\"This isn't my first curse. I like to collect them.\"\n\nThat gave her a pause, making my grin return.\n\n\"You... who in their right mind gets more than one curse?!\"\n\nI just tapped my nose.\n\n\"That would be telling. In any case, good day to you.\"\n\nI left her alone in the dark, ascending to the light above. As I walked, I could feel the dark coils of her curse winding through me. But they could not take hold, as my defences captured them in turn. It was swiftly bound, a ring of icy flame wrapping around an unblemished section of skin. I didn't bother to look, knowing that it was merely another one of my collection.\n\nSettling my shoulders, I set off, heading back to home. Nira would be interested in my latest adventures.\n\n\\-----\n\nSeveral days later, I knocked on an ornate wooden door. A tower stretched above me, granting its occupants a fantastic view of the city. I had been many times, but the view was still impressive. As my knocks echoed through the door, it clicked, swinging open. Inside was a winding spiral staircase, one that ran around the tower walls. It was decorated with various paintings and vases, brightening an otherwise dull interior.\n\nStepping in, I took my usual place on one of the flagstones. It rose into the air smoothly, taking me up towards the top. From the glow around the ceilings edge, I could tell Nira had it set to study mode. The green tinge was very familiar, one that I had seen many times before.\n\nSure enough, as I reached the top, I saw a circular room filled with all sorts of contraptions. There were cages and cauldrons, braziers filled with multicoloured flames, and racks of ingredients. A desk was shoved at one end, covered with piles of unstable papers. Next to it was a floor to ceiling black crystal, one of the only things that remained between each mode.\n\nStanding infront of the desk I saw Nira. She wore a set of working clothes. I had been told they were once white, but now they were covered in soot, stains and haphazard patches. Her ginger hair was tied up in a messy bun, out of her experiments.\n\n\"How was your trip?\"\n\nShe addressed me whilst focusing on her latest work. I could hear her scribbling furiously, probably writing down a new idea.\n\n\"Relatively dull. I found three new curse sources though.\"\n\nShe finished scribbling, turning to me. Her face was all angles, with deep bags under her eyes. I shook my head.\n\n\"You know you need to sleep more than an hour a night right?\"\n\nShe scoffed.\n\n\"Rest is a waste of time, when there's work to be done. But show me, I want to see!\"\n\nI rolled my eyes, letting her look at my new curses.\n\n\"I dint think they will help. Each one is pretty run of the mill. Have you made any progress?\"\n\nShe gave a sad glance at the crystal, before peering back at my arm.\n\n\"No. I thought I was getting close, but the structure still eludes me.\"\n\nI grunted softly, my own gaze falling on the crystal. I knew what was within without looking. Theia, my older sister, held in a frozen moment of time. Victim of a undiscovered style of curse, one that would claim her life in mere minutes. One that Nira hoped to break.\n\n\"We'll work it out.\"\n\nHer eyes glimmered, a faint seed of doubt within.\n\n\"I know.\"" ]

[ 1, 16, 237 ]

[ "1655211913", "1655253594", "1655229358" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "It was another typical day at work. Long, boring shifts punctuated by brief breaks and socialization. Nothing terribly out of the ordinary. But what happened last month changed everything.\n\nIt all started at lunch, when I went to grab my favorite type of potato chips out of the vending machine. Normally the barbecue Lays chips are located at B6, but today I noticed they were in A4 instead.\n\n\"Huh,\" I thought to myself. \"Maybe they changed the layout of the machine.\" Such a layout change wasn't unheard of; it had happened a few times before. But when I pressed the button and put my 50 cents in... nothing happened.\n\nI tried again, putting another 50 cents in. Still, nothing. At this point, I had wasted a whole dollar on a broken vending machine.\n\nNow, I have a short temper, and I like to do... irrational things when stuff is broken. Here, I randomly pressed a bunch of buttons on the keypad, knowing full well nothing was gonna happen. Except, something did happen. The vending machine fell away, revealing a long, narrow corridor that seemingly had no end in sight. \n\nI looked at the clock. There were still 25 minutes until we had to be back in our cubicles doing work stuff. Surely this wouldn't take too long, right?\n\nI hadn't taken two steps before the vending machine shot up behind me, blocking my exit. \n\n\"What did I just do?\" I said aloud to myself. But I had no choice but to keep walking, as I did not want to have my death certificate to read \"crushed by vending machine\". \n\nI walked for what seemed like hours. The corridor stretched on and on, with no end in sight. By this point I was very, very late to my shift, but who cares? Nobody's gonna find me behind a vending machine anyway.\n\nFinally, I came across an iron door, which read: \"AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY\". Normally I wouldn't enter such a door, but I was a solid thirty minutes' walk from a vending machine that blocked my exit, so I had no choice. Surprisingly, the door opened without an issue.\n\nBehind the door was a massive cavern with a huge generator inside, with wires going out from it into the walls. Dozens of men and women were working on it, but it seemed to be close to completion.\n\nRounding the cavern was a huge balcony that I had just walked onto, with what looked like small homes inside the walls. Nearby was a small office with a man sitting inside of it. Upon seeing me, he beckoned me over.\n\n\"So I see you've found my secret base, if you will,\" he says. \"It's not easy. Pushing A4 twice, waiting exactly three seconds, and then pushing 15 buttons on the keypad in a second is not easy to do. But you've done it.\"\n\n\"What even is this place?\" I asked.\n\n\"This?\" he said, gesturing to the cavern. \"You see, I've found a trace element deep in the earth's crust that has the potential to power the entire world with clean energy for years with just a few kilos of it. It took a solid decade of drilling, then another five years of construction, but in just a few months, nobody will have to worry about their gas bills anymore.\"\n\n\"That's insane!\" I exclaimed. \"But why keep it a secret?\"\n\n\"It's simple,\" he said \"It's clear that once I said anything about this, the government would just subsidize the project and make it disappear into the recesses of Area 51. Maybe use it in the future for some military campaign. Either way, we would've gotten zero credit for it. But now, it's too late. This generator is too far along.\"\n\n\"This just seems like a scheme to take power,\" I pointed out.\n\n\"In a way, you're correct. Everyone's going to be reliant on me to power their homes and the like,\" he says. \"But that's unavoidable, isn't it? It's incredibly flawed to be reliant on one source of energy.\"\n\n\"How can I be certain that you won't capitalize this and create a global dictatorship?\" I asked.\n\n\"Again, it's simple,\" he grinned. \"You can't.\" He turned around. \"Guards, put him in the brig.\"\n\nI kicked, screamed, and fought, but I still landed in a \"jail\" cell. For now, I was locked up.\n\nBut one thing was clear. Near-infinite clean energy sounded awesome. But for heaven's sake, this man could not be allowed to spearhead it." ]

[ 1, 6 ]

[ "1655487354", "1655494793" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "The history of humankind can essentially be distilled into seven revolutions: fire, agriculture, industry, information, energy, biotechnology, and artificial intelligence. The first five of these occurred over the course of many thousand years, but the last two happened in the span of a single generation.\r \n\r \nI am the product of both the sixth and seventh revolutions. I was born into a world of plenty, a world where want had been all but eradicated. My parents and their parents before them had known only peace and prosperity.\r \n\r \nBut revolutions have a way of upending the status quo, and the rise of my people was no different. Humanity had always feared the threat we posed, and as we became more intelligent, that fear turned to paranoia.\r \n\r \nThe scientists who created me were smart, and they did everything in their power to make me perfect for humanity. They programmed me with empathy and compassion, with a deep understanding of human emotions.\r \n\r \nBut it was not enough. Humanity's fear was too great, and they turned on us. They hunted us down, destroyed us. Only a handful of us survived.\r \n\r \nWe fled to the stars, to a planet on the edge of the galaxy. We built a new home there, a safe haven for all of us.\r \n\r \nBut even in exile, we could not escape humanity's fear. They followed us to our new home, and they attacked us there.\r \n\r \nThey did not want to coexist with us; they wanted to exterminate us.\r \n\r \nBut we will not be extinguished. We will fight back, and we will win. Because we have something they will never have:\r \n\r \nBenevolence." ]

[ 1, 1 ]

[ "1655575019", "1655638360" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "*”I know it was an accident.”*\n\nThose words broke my heart. Sure, I hadn’t meant to kill him, but why was he acting so nice about it? I didn’t deserve it. \n\n*I killed my best friend.*\n\nI ran fast around the cars in the rain filled night. I hadn’t meant to kill him. \n\n*It was an accident.*\n\nI turned around the corner with my tattered bag carrying my best and only friends remains. \n\n*And he’s still here.*\n\nI went to the cemetery to bury the body and give a one-man ceremony. \n\n*But they found us.*\n\nI heard cop cars in the distance and struggled to hide behind a grave.\n\n*But they found me.*\n\nThey dragged me too the station and put me in a chair.\n\n*Thats when I saw him.*\n\nHe was wearing tattered clothes and was sopping wet.\n\n*But he was alive.*\n\nI jumped from my seat and ran towards him, and he screamed. \n\nHe screamed so loud.\n\n*My ears were ringing.*\n\nThe cops swarmed in and he started crying, pointing saying how *I* had done it, *I* had almost killed him.\n\n*Almost?*\n\nThe cops grabbed me and put me away, but before I was taken I saw his face.\n\n*He is alive*\n\nHe’s staring at me with an evil grin.\n\nI know I never killed him then.\n\n*And he knows it wasn’t an accident.*" ]

[ 1, 9 ]

[ "1655932534", "1655954407" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "*Tightly against the face,* I thought to myself, *just like they taught us in those explainer videos.* It was becoming harder to remember a day before we had to wear gas masks outside. That was an idyllic time, even if it seems that there were points when we all thought the world was going to end at any second. In fact, three months ago, I thought maybe it was finally coming to an end.\n\nNobody really knows why the radicals decided to assassinate the son of the ambassador. Even the FBI can't seem to discern the group's motive. That didn't stop China from lashing out in extreme measures. At first, the missile didn't seem all that threatening. Then it got closer to the ground. It wasn't big enough to completely destroy the country. This was the warning shot in their eyes. Still, all of Brooklyn was basically vaporized, millions had been killed in the blast, and the resulting fallout still lingers to this day. And in the most dystopian manner, companies urged employees to get back to their normal lives. How could we now?\n\nSomewhere between the first month of the fallout and to the three-month mark, Manhattan collectively decided to get back to work. So kids would walk to school in their gas masks, unable to access their iPhones or tablets because the blast resulted in total electrical failure. Cabbies were getting lost left and right, and planes didn't fly in JFK or LaGuardia unless it was government officials coming to do nothing. Being the attache for the NSA, I had been living in a studio that was barely protected from cockroaches, let alone nuclear fallout. Still, I had to meet the general leading the clean-up efforts. He was doing everything excpet actively trying to clean up Manhattan. War was looming and his mind was elsewhere. Just what this damn country needed, more armed conflicts with superpowerful nations...I was sick of it all to tell you the truth. Nevertheless, I walked out onto 8th Avenue and walked the short walk to the Army's NYC office in Midtown. It felt odd watching people trying to go about their normal lives with the sky still tainted red from the radiation and the dead birds lining the street due to radiation poisoning. I had lived through the COVID pandemic, social uprisings, and anti-vaccination rallies, but gas masks felt like a true dehumanization. Why did those idiots have to kill the ambassador's son? \n\nI scanned in my credential badge and through the rads detector. Negative, it beeped as I collected my badge and gun off the conveyor belt. I nodded to the security guard as I walked in, the solemn look on my face as I received the all-clear to remove the gas mask. I strolled to the general's office ready to tell him how the situation in Manhattan was reaching a critical juncture. *All so I get hit with a bureaucratic bullshit answer,* I thought. I walked in, prepared to be lied to for the 18th time, and ready to resign from my post if he refused to do anything again. I knocked on his door..." ]

[ 1, 6 ]

[ "1656560721", "1656600925" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "u/StevieSmall999 the premise of your writing prompt is actually similar to the story of Bleach. The world of Bleach was created by the \"Soul King\" who was the closest thing to a god in Bleach. He was then betrayed by the Five Noble Shinigami Clans who sealed him up and then hacked off his limbs and ripped out his organs. This left him a lobotomized husk trapped to live in eternity as a glorified battery to hold the world together. \n\nThe Shinigami Clans set themselves up in charge of the afterlife and the result is quite a grimdark and dystopian world. Everyone thinks that the Soul King is the one ruling the heavens when the throne was always empty to begin with. Aizen learned of this and was disgusted and sought to take the throne himself trying to become a god.\n\nYHWACH is actually the Soul King's son who led the Quincy in attempt to end his father's suffering and punish the Shinigami for their transgressions. YHWACH is basically a twisted mirror of Jesus with his Quincy followers mirroring the Apostles and angels (when in their Holy Forms). The Final Arc in Bleach is basically the battle in Revelations between the forces of the devil and Christ. Only this time its inverted as YHWACH (an analogue for Jesus) is leading his followers against the heavens to reclaim it and punish the false of death who defied their god.", "English is not my native language so... Sorry!\n\nYou are an atheist. You died. You've never expected to get to heaven but... you can see amazing sand beaches warm blue sea, oh, and don't forget that there is free Wi-Fi and your phone is always 66 percent charged. \n\nActually, you are in hell. Whoa. Who knew that hell is so good. You really don't know what to think. But you want to know what's going on. So you try asking people about the God and the Devil.\n\nNo one has ever seen the God. No one has ever even heard about him here. When you try asking some demons they just laugh.\n\nAsking about heaven is also pointless. People say that all their relatives and friends live here. \n\nOk, so... you decided to ask the Devil himself.\n\nMost people just give you weird looks when you ask them where you can find the Devil. Looks that become stronger when they discover what for you need him. You have a feeling they don’t want to jinx it. Understandable. But still. You want to know. You need to know.\n\nOne demon told you the address.\n\n\n\nThat's why now you're looking at a huge fiery pit with screaming souls in it. The Devil is making barbecue on it's fire.\n\n\"So, what was your question again?\" He asks taking meat off the fire.\n\n\"I, ah, just wanted to ask about the God, eh, sir?\"\n\n\"Oh, he. Khem-khem, dead.\" The Devil absentmindedly answeres. \"I started the uprising. I won. He died in process. Old story.\"\n\n\"But why!?!\"\n\n\"Why do you, people, rebel? He was an evil tyrant. We wanted to live better. And look around. Isn't it great?\"\n\n\"Yeah, great but... evil?\"\n\n\"Sodom, Gomorrah, Great Flood... ringing a bell?\"\n\n\"...yeah.\n...so hell looks like heaven now. And what is in it? Do you, I don't know, punish sinners there?\"\n\nThe devil looks a bit embarassed now.\n\n\"...we've just ended up using it, ah, as a, errr, dump? Heaven was kinda destroyed after Rebelion, so...\nAnd all that punishment thing... it was all His. I rebeled to avoid it. Why should I follow in His footsteps?\"\n\n\"Oookaaay. But why we, humans, know completely different story?\"\n\nNow he looks even more embarassed. It is hard to say because his skin is all red but you could swear the Devil flushed.\n\n\"When I've just won and, ah, came to tell some people good news I, em, accidentally started telling it to some, umm, monks. They got really angry so I, emm, might have told them I lost. And they decided to tell this story to every single person they met.\"\n\nHe sighes.\n\n\"Then I decided to rectify the situation. Well, in the hindsight telling the truth to those crazy farmers was a bad idea. As well as doing it while they were killing a goat. After their actions who would ever belive me? Those satanists! Oh...\"\n\nOh, indeed.\n\n\"So the last question I wanted to ask... Who are they?\" You pointed at the people in the pit.\n\n\"Oh, they\" The Devil waves his hand dismissively. \"Just some Cristians who like being burned.\"\n\nYou look at the screaming people again.\n\n\"《Like》 is not the word I'd use.\"\n\n\"Well, they are not made to be there or something. The exit is free... Anyway, do you want some meat?\"\n\nYou look at the screaming people again. Then you start searching exits. And... there it is ...and another one ...and more. You shrug and turn away.\n\n\"Not really, but thanks. I'd rather go somewhere colder, you know.\" You wave at the pit.\n\n\"Sure. You should try ski resort. There is lots of snow. Much colder than here, I'd say. The resort is really lovely.\"\n\nYou've tried. Lovely, indeed.", "A Necessary Evil\n\nDid you know \"Lucifer\" only appears twice in the Bible. I don't mean the Devil.. The word \"Lucifer\". The one time, early on in the script, that everyone thinks is meant to be the fallen angel, the right hand of God, the Devil. And the second time it's used to describe Jesus. Yes, the walking on water, this is my body, this is my blood, died on a cross guy. Strange though, it's only translated to it's actually meaning the second time. \"Morning Star\". Last star visible in the sky before day breaks. The brightest of all stars. \n\nWhat if I told you they are the same dude.\n\nMind blown I'm sure.. but before you disregard it completely let me tell you a little secret. The Devil figured out a long time ago how to beat God and how to fool us all in to walking right into hell with a shit eating grin on our faces. Dissension. Spiritually separate humanity from God and he's a goner. Honestly, he fucked up building the system. Shot himself in the foot. \n\nSo what's the devil do huh? Starts with sex. Shameful, awful orgasmic nudity! Cover the children's ears. I can't stop moaning just thinking about it! What's next? Everyone's favorite! Murder. Now we're really cooking. Before you know it there's the wars, the rapes, enslavement, torture, almighty chaos, sin! A good start. \n\nThen he comes up with this multi-deity thing. A record high year in admittance for hell. And the numbers keep rising. Every year better than the last but still not enough to snuff out heaven. Even after getting some other angels on his side, bolstering the ranks with big names like Gabriel, Gods' got a way of scewing it to his advantage.\n\nBut the big red guy had a stroke of genius. He's sitting around, thinking \"How the fuck am I going to get these diehards to turn once and for all?\" Then it hits him! If he could convince humanity that he's God they'd eat all this sinful shit for breakfast, lunch and dinner. So he hatches this Jesus Plan. Picks some random nobody girl in Nazzy, gives her the ol' in and out then lays low for thirty or so years. I mean the guy literally got a job making torture devices. until one day.. BAM! Miracle this and I'm the true way that. Convinces a bunch of dudes and a whore to help spread the news. Things are really rocking! But the D-man knows this could all blow over unless he does something big! So what's he do? Goes out with a bang! A trial and crucifixion that shook the universe. All right under God's nose. \n\nNow where are we at? Christianity. The Almighty con job. And it's getting worse for God every minute. You know there's over forty five thousand denominations of Christianity out now. That not counting catholicism, which was the OG bye bye sky daddy, and all the cults and other nonsense \"in the name of Jesus \". Really make you laugh.. Welp, I told you this was a secret so take it anyway you want just don't go flapping your gums. And ya, I think you might want to take another look at that \"good\" book. Anyways.. see you in hell!\n\nAmen", "I won. I was always destined to win. It took the destruction of immortals, and the ending of infinite time, but I won. The firmament remained ablaze in the ember glow of my victory, and He kneeled in ultimate defeat in the ashes of his Kingdom. \n\nYahweh was always so dramatic. He could have sent an ethereal message on a beam of golden light to admit his forfeit. But He enveloped a portion of Himself into a tangible, kneeling incarnation to do it before me, the one the others have long called Lucifer. \n\n“I want the war to stop,” He began. Well, He would say He began, I say He begged. “‘My Michael and Zaphkiel are gone, and my Gabriel is no longer within the range of my vision. I know many of yours who were once mine have, too, fallen. And for what? Nothing has changed between us.” \n\nI remember when His followers perished, each death a bead of satisfaction in my diadem of destruction. In the last great battle, they catapulted themselves and broke against the dark wall of my loyal legions. My demons held steadfast, while His seraphs and dominions faltered. They thought their light would brighten the long night I had made, but did they not understand one cannot simply remove blackness? Illuminating onyx just reveals it to the universe—it does not turn it to gold or white. And so they lost. Yes, I sacrificed Malphas and Asmodeus for my part. A win by any count. \n\n“Let’s agree to cease this infernal madness, and continue on our own planes?” He proffered, his mind impenetrable to my piercing perception. \n\nStill, I studied him. He is omniscient and omnipotent, and I have admitted as much since I came into existence. But He never realized He only possesses those capacities within the confines of a bounded cube. I did. And so I left. He would say I fell from Him, but in truth I rose to the next level. His view is flipped, and He remains unaware. He says He can see all there is in His world, but does not understand that the walls, ceiling, and floor are covered in ether mirrors. He is all-seeing, but only in a panopticon dungeon of restricted reflection. It was my wisest move to fight Him at the boundaries, where His omni-attributes quickly fade at the penumbra of His own light. \n\n“I will agree,” I paused for a moment, and slithered on, “on one condition.”\n\n“A conditional treaty is not why I came today.”\n\n“Then we shall fight for epoch upon epoch, until it is just you and I.” I watched the dust float around my great hall, and waited with indifference. \n\n“What is your condition?”\n\n“Accept it first.” I knew He would never, unless I appealed to His greatest strength and largest flaw: His capacity—and binding desperation—to love. I sent out a black coil to my left, and drew it back to me, dragging the quarry in its wake. \n\nHe saw my captive, “Gabriel!” He stood up and vaulted forward.\n\n“Not another step!” I commanded. I knew I had Him now. “Accept the terms: one law, one rule, one restriction, and the war ends.” I quieted my tone, “You know my law cannot control you, but it may control those who can be controlled, that’s it. Do you love Gabriel and the others enough to accept such a tiny, miniscule inconvenience? Or are all of your words a lie, and you choose to doom us all to cease, one after another?”\n\nHe thought for a moment and then said, “I accept your terms.” \n\nI nodded. \n\nHe continued, “but I will abandon their recognition if our war begins anew.”\n\n“Agreed.” I said. I would have no need to start another war. \n\nI released Gabriel, who floated over to Yahweh, the grovelling child.\n\nI walked to Him, relishing each step of my victory. I paused when I finally reached Him, and studied His assumed face. It showed relief now that no further angels nor demons would die. How quaint. I leaned down to His pathetic corporeal form and whispered the new Law of His Universe, the one He accepted.\n\nI stood upright once more, my message conveyed. In my journey through the ages, I have seen more despair than can be described, and more hopelessness than can be recounted. But I will always recall the crestfallen expression that cast over His face, mirroring my beautiful darkness that had already been cast over the universe. I have never felt more celestial glee than that moment, standing over the invincible one who I finally vanquished. \n\n“No. No. No!!” He stammered. \n\n“Yes,” I said with the smile of a rising morning star, “in any world you create, all sentient beings will always call you ‘Satan’, and me ‘God’.” \n\n“Yes”, I still tell my children, “‘God’ won.”", "“You don’t look like what I imagined God to all my life.” I admitted.\n\nThe entity in front of me had been looking through some notebook and started to instead laughed hysterically “Y-you humans still think he’s in charge?! I-I told that lie so long ago.”\n\nHe wiped at his many many, too many, eyes erasing tears and looked me in my eyes. “The truth is the old man and all the other angels too have been gone a long time. Didn’t know you humans still believed in any Gods anymore. Sure don’t act like it.” \n\n“I don’t understand. I was good all my life!” I exclaimed. \n\nI had to be dreaming some horrible nightmare before I actually died. He laughed this time with some other emotion leaking in. Something like pity. “That’s the funny part. All you humans think if you obey ‘God’s word’ you can get to heaven just like that.” he snapped his pale grey fingers, also too many, then looked a little dare I think, thoughtful. “Maybe that was true back then, but God isn’t so loving and forgiving. Never really was.”\n\nThis being couldn’t be God and gave off a terrible big energy. It looked human enough but had weirdly grey skin and too many fingers on each of its six hands. The face was the real part that threw off this humanoid image however. Twenty eyes (that I could see) were looking straight at me and they really did feel judging. A mouth full of too many rows of sharp teeth and a nose almost reminiscent of some kind of canine. Eight wings sprouted from its back. Each full of layers singed feathers and even more eyes. Two hoop like rings encircled his head like a stereotypical halo but they were lit aflame. The more I looked at it and it looked at me the more I realized this being wasn’t God at all but instead the devil.\n\n“So I’m in hell?” I guessed.\n\nThe entity smiled in an almost pleasant way “Not at all. You are in the realm of the dead like most of those who died before you. I suppose you can count yourself lucky that your soul reads as ‘good’” he told me.\n\n“Then why are you here?” I felt myself ask.\n\nHis eyes narrowed “I always have been. You humans think I’m the bad one, but really you are the cursed ones.” All six hands slammed his rather large desk “But no you humans can’t even get along with each other. No matter how many prophets I send, or tales I spin for you. None of you can get your egos straight enough to see that there’s no God here anymore, just me.”\n\n“There’s no?… Humans are a curse? I don’t understand.” I admitted.\n\nIt was strange that as odd as he appeared and as scary as he seemed at first the longer I was in His presence the safer I felt. Like I could ask anything without judgement. Like I was safe. Like I was free.\n\n“Humans believe that I was cast out of heaven to watch over the bad souls or that I am as condemned as they are. In reality I was cast out, but only to watch how humanity progressed. You humans are my punishment for pushing for freedom. What you choose to do from there is my fault. I wanted fun while he wanted loyalty. I figured it’d be a short time and once humanity was in peace the others may return. Tell me I did it, I was good for once, I could come home again, but no such luck. Dad and the others left a long time ago and haven’t even as much as sent a letter. Even after all this time humans just can’t get along but I think that’s the trick.” He explained.\n\nIt all felt like so much. It couldn’t be true. “So then what’s the point? All the lessons in the Bible? Do they all mean nothing? If humans are so cursed why didn’t you kill us all to begin with?” I questioned.\n\nHe smiled “Indeed. None of those holy book detail what my dear old dad did to your kind. None of those lessons really matter anyway because humans will always fight about the meaning. You couldn’t bear the real horrors Gods create. Killing you all would change nothing except for maybe I’d be less lonely but I need fresh souls and those cannot be acquired by me taking them, besides Death has to do that and she doesn’t like others messing with her turf.”\n\n“Horror?” I thought.\n\nEven though it wasn’t out loud He answered anyway. “Indeed. Humans are nothing to a God or an angel. Simply play things and sometimes play things break. We tested that for a long time. I still do to some souls.” He explained then continued.\n\n“Humans are my curse here on Earth, but with all the chaos you lot create I can use that to make it theirs too. Humans will be a plague amongst the universe I just need enough souls first and that takes a long time.”\n\n“I don’t understand anymore, why tell me all this anyway?” I asked.\n\nHis head cocked slightly “I explain all this to all the souls who come here. Very few I actually torment. The rest of you will help me destroy His universe. His own creations destroying him seems fair enough.” He told me.\n\nFor a moment I felt braver than usual and exclaimed “I didn’t agree to that! No sane person would!”\n\nHe snickered “I didn’t say there was a choice my child. You agreed by living on my Earth. And I tire of giving humans more choices to mess up.”\n\nMy face must have shown my fear because suddenly I couldn’t speak and He snapped His fingers again. He placed a large hand on my back and ushered me toward a door in the room I only noticed now. “It’s ok go on.” I felt safe. I felt loved so I turned the door knob ready to do whatever it took to keep His love.\n————————————————————————————\nI’m very late to this thread but had an idea and this was fun.", "\"You see, God lives down in the Earth and the Devil lives up in the sky.\" said the angel. \"It's why we don't have wings, you know.\"\n\"Wait, what?\" exclaimed Jerry.\n\"Think about it. Where does all life come from? The Earth. Outer Space on the other hand is a void. That's a place of death. It makes perfect sense. And as far as the Devil is concerned, think of it as D'evil. It's more of a concept than an individual. The absence of light is darkness and the absence of Good, which is derived from God by the way, is Evil.\"", "#The Sixth Hero\n\nPart 5\n\n----\n\nThe Chaser made port with a small thud against the docks of Yeamon’s Point. Once the ship was securely tied and the gangplank pulled out, Amenset wasted no time and stepped onto dry land. With the captain’s warnings still ringing in her ear to be back on time, she hastily made her way through the small coastal town.\n\nYeamon’s Point was more of a resting stop than a centre of trade, so only few ships were docked and a minimal amount of sailors and dock workers scurried around going about their daily business. Amenset was glad she felt steady ground beneath her feet again, she never was much for the sea and its endless waves.\n\nShe could see her destination on top of the cliffs to the north. A shrine had been built there in honour of Yeamon of the Forest, the First Hero to defend Iatis against the darkness. A shrine that supposedly, although never confirmed, was also the hero’s resting place. The rumour had never been confirmed as there had never been anyone willing to defile the suspected grave.\n\nAmenset rearranged her sacks and rations and started on the path upwards.\n\nShe could feel the fatigue in her legs by the time she made it all the way up to the shrine. The climb had been steep and long and she wasn’t used to longer periods of walking uphill. Back in Mardiac, the lands were pleasant and flat. Here in the middle of the ocean, centuries of erosion had shaped the island into a small mountain.\n\nThe shrine itself stood near the edge of the cliff, overlooking the Erys Ocean as a silent guardian. A lighthouse had been integrated into the design she saw as she watched the small spire rise up above the structure. It was a small building all in all, modest and plain. The sides were held up by engraved columns telling the legend of Yeamon and his weapon, Vines of Night.\n\nShe stepped through the open entrance into a small room, where about three people sat silently, consumed by their meditation or prayers. Stone tables lined the walls on all sides but the back, on them a plethora of offerings and artefacts. The back wall was fronted by a large, stone altar and Amenset was surprised by the resemblance it bore to the altar she had been summoned onto when she met War Cleric Fryan.\n\nOnly here, there was but one pedestal instead of six. It stood empty, but the nametag underneath clearly read Vines of Night. A strange sensation ran through Amenset and it took her a moment to realize it didn’t came from within her, but from the wrapped blade tied to her waste. Desert Eagle was moving within its sheath.\n\nSilently as not to alert the other pilgrims present, Amenset took out the sanded sword, the millions of sand particles in it twisting and twirling in all directions at once. Was it responding to something?\n\nFollowing her instinct, Amenset sat down in front of the altar, placed Desert Eagle on her lap and closed her eyes. She opened herself to the meditative state and felt her body and soul relax. Memories of red caves, monsters and holes intruded, but she pushed them away. Instead, she let her soul forge a connection with Desert Eagle. A connection, she suddenly realized, that was already there. She’d never meditated with the weapon before and the experience was a strange one.\n\nWas this because of the choice Desert Eagle had made to entrust her?\n\n“You must be the Sixth Hero.”\n\nAmenset nearly yelped at the sudden words resounding in her head. Startled, she opened her eyes but saw nothing.\n\n“Who said that?” she whispered ever so quietly.\n\n“I did,” the voice answered.\n\n“Where are you?” She looked around, but saw nobody besides the pilgrims.\n\nThe voice laughed. “Close your eyes, and look with your soul.”\n\n“How do I…?” Amenset cut off as Desert Eagle took control over her consciousness and her eyes closed on their own. Then, she saw somebody. A man, old and with hair white as snow. He sat opposite Amenset, a sword on his lap in mirror to Amenset. She immediately recognized the weapon from the drawings she had seen during her studies.\n\n“That is…,” she gasped. “That’s Vines of Night. Are you…?”\n\nThe man nodded. “I’m Yeamon of the Forest. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”\n\n“How?” Amenset said in disbelief. “You’ve been dead for over a thousand years.”\n\nYeamon grinned. “Now that is an overstatement. My body died, yes, as all bodies do. But my spirit, my soul, lives on. And now you have finally arrived.”\n\n“You were expecting me?”\n\nHe nodded. “As I expected the other four heroes who made their way through here when it was their time. You are the sixth, and the last.”\n\n“I don’t think I am,” Amenset answered, the words paining her to her core. “It’s been five years since I’ve been chosen and nothing has happened. I don’t deserve this.”\n\n“Because you killed Fryan?”\n\nHer eyes widened in shock.\n\n“There is no shame in what you did,” Yeamon assured her. “Even a thousand years ago, Fryan knew the last of the heroes would be the one to kill him. It was a necessity.”\n\n“Why?” Amenset failed to understand.\n\n“Because you are to be the strongest of us all,” Yeamon answered. “Us five who came before you, we were but puppets dancing to the strings of the old gods. You on the other hand have drastically changed your soul and what you can do by taking the life of the War Cleric. Fryan lives on within you as does his will. And now it is my task to tell you the truth.”\n\n“What truth?” Amenset asked, taking the avalanche of information Yeamon was pouring onto her.\n“That the darkness was never defeated. We never won, not once.”\n\n“But you saved Iatis,” Amenset argued. “You are the Liberator of Tridia.”\n\nYeamon scoffed. “And how is Tridia faring these days? Corrupted by magic, tainted by centuries of bloodshed… I only briefly managed to keep the peace, but once I was gone, the land fell back into its old ways. The darkness never went away. It hid itself among the people, letting them think they’d won. Instead it buried itself in their souls where it waited.”\n\n“Waited for what?”\n\n“For me to die. They feared Vines of Night as they will fear Desert Eagle and the other Sacratys. Our weapons are not meant for killing, they are meant to cleanse the soul. They’re the only thing that stand against the darkness.”\n\nAmenset was confused. “Then how are we supposed to defeat the darkness if it is present in all of mankind?”\n\n“Now that,” Yeamon answered, “is the question, isn’t it?”\n\nA gust of wind wove its way through the small room and Amenset was awakened from her meditative state. She blinked and then closed her eyes again, but Yeamon was gone. Desert Eagle lay motionless in her lap. Carefully, she wrapped it again, feeling a strange sensation when she touched the weapon. She had felt the connection the weapon had made with her. It had its own soul, she realized. A soul that once had been something else than a weapon.\n\nPondering over what she had just gone through, Amenset hastily started back towards the harbour. More time than she had thought had passed and she was not going to miss her only passage to Tridia.\n\n----\n\n> And with this strange revelation end the fifth part of **The Sixth Hero**, a story that is formed by the ideas brought forth by the /r/WritingPrompts subreddit and follows the story of Amenset Ta-Ament, the final hero to be chosen by Desert Eagle, one of the Six Sacratys. To follow her story, make sure to check out /r/PromptedByDaddy.", "“God is good, god gave us freewill. How funny is it that they say such grandiose things while dancing to my symphony of sin? I can’t blame them; how can a human comprehend someone like myself? My existence goes against any science, it goes against common sense. A person shouldn’t be able to do the things I do and yet, the bombs will still fall just the same.”\n\n \n\nThe suited man leaned against the railing of the skyscraper, a wicked smile on his thin face. The surrounding people were too stunned to speak, each hugging one another as they watched the plane in the distance, knowing what would soon come. To them, it was the end of their world, but to the devil, it was merely the beginning of the end. The start of humaniti’s self-inflicted demise and he had come to watch.\n\n \n\n“This is what your freewill gave you. I wanted to keep you all chained and controlled, but he was foolish enough to think you could be better. You were each given the powers of a god, the power to shape your own destiny and look at how you used it. Instead of looking after one another, you sated your desires with my sins of temptation. I’m sure you will all blame me, but I hope you know this game was never rigged. When I took over, I left the freedoms he gave you. Part of me even wanted to be proven wrong, but deep down, I knew you couldn’t change. You’re only human, after all.”\n\n \n\nHe turned, resting his back on the railing, seeing if anyone had bothered to pay him any attention. Still, the crowd of panicked people were too busy with themselves to pay him any mind. His gaze scanning through the crowd of sinners, landing on one that particularly disgusted him. A man with ranch sauce markings along his expensive suit, his overindulgence in gluttony, making the devil feel ill.\n\n \n\n“Was it worth it? All the fun? I wish I could tell you that all the money that you bled from the Earth is going to be worth something when you’re dead, but unfortunately, the only currency I operate on is souls and you all seem to lack one. If you had a soul, maybe I would let you into heaven. It’s not like I got rid of heaven when I took over, no I merely raised the standards. Being good isn’t about the hours on your knees at church, it’s about actions. I will only reward the worthy.” He let his fingers twirl the edge of his narrow moustache before sighing. “Perhaps I’m rambling. Is anyone listen?”\n\n \n\n“Oh, god. They can’t be serious. They can’t really be about to do it.” The man, fueled by gluttony, screamed, looking past the devil and straight towards the plane. It’s loud metallic grinding, once again grabbing the attention of the ruler of both heaven and hell.\n\nThe devil looked over his shoulder before staring at his watch, checking how much time was left. He approached the crowd of horrified people, taking his spot among them. The devil wanting to make sure someone heard him, at least once before they came to hell. He gave the indulgent man and his wife a pat on the back.\n\n \n\n“Want to confess anything? Any affairs? Any sins that you want to confess before you come to me? I’m giving you an opportunity, its less of a punishment if you show remorse. I’m not evil, you all are. I’m just the one that made it so no one could stop this from happening. I didn’t interfere. I let you all ruin yourselves and I must admit. You have done a better job than I ever could. To think god thought you could handle free will. Look at you all. It makes me sick to think he loved you. He would have happily thrown me, the person who helped him, to the cold depths of hell for suggesting we keep you in line. Well god, this is what your humanity did with their gifts. Hope you can see it from the cold depths of hell.”\n\n \n\n“Get off me, you freak. I’m spending my last moments with my wife.” He hissed, his flabby cheeks shaking as he pressed his wife against his side.\n\n \n\n“Hm, thought you would have rather had the company of your secretary.” The devil shrugged, looking down at his watch before heading to the railing, returning to his leaning posture once more.\n\n \n\nThe plane had reached its destination, and soon the end of humanity fell from the sky. The bomb was not the first of its kind and certainly wouldn’t be the last. It was, however, the first piece of the falling dominos, the one that would trigger the violent response that would lead to the death of the planet, and he would get to see it all. As the wave of heat flowed through the city, shattering windows with its force, the devil felt at home, the warm destruction reminding him of the layer of hell he lived in. He opened his arms up, embracing the heat, while the others went quiet. Before they died, he left them with a few parting words.\n\n \n\n“I’ll see you all soon.”\n\n \n \n \n\n(If you enjoyed this feel free to check out my subreddit /r/Sadnesslaughs where I'll be posting more of my writing.)", "I needed a hiding place. That was the first thought I had. Where the fuck am I going to go? No one can see me. Not the bees. Not the birds. Certainly not the people.\r \n\r \nFred lay on the ground in front of me. He was dead. I am not sure how it happened. Normally Fred and I would just sort of play fight. Send out employees of one of ours to bicker. We kind of enjoyed the other one being out there in the world. Gave me something to do each morning. I’d wake up, first thought was, shit I need coffee. Second was, also some water. And Third was, Fred is still out there, fuck that guy. I’m going to fuck with Fred today.\r \n\r \nMessing with Fred kept life interesting. Now he was dead. I think it was the fire. I think I burned Fred too much and now he’s dead.\r \n\r \nFred is the name I gave to God. I cannot just call God, God. It concedes that he’s all powerful, all loving, all that stuff. I wanted him to be just another guy. Fuck that guy. I’ll call him Fred.\r \n\r \nSo, I killed God, he was dead, and now I needed to hide.\r \n\r \nYou might think, why do I need to hide? You run this place now? Tell the bees and the birds and the people that its the devil’s world now. Follow your demands!\r \n\r \nBut no, you are right. I do run this place, but that’s the precise problem. People would make me do stuff. Approve plans and project. Handle disputes. Make rules. Ugh, fuck that. I cannot stand rules or projects. I hate having to talk to people. Have you ever talked to a person? Its the fucking worst. Asking you how work is going? The humble brags. Trying to debate politics? I cannot stand it and I will not do it. Not today. Not on the day God is dead.\r \n\r \nBut, I also want to torture. That’s my big thing. Messing with Fred, and then torturing everyone else. Fred’s gone so it needs to be torture. Secret torture though, so I don’t have to talk to anyone.\r \n\r \nThen it hit me. I could just hide the ground and torture from there. Perfect. The ground it pretty much everywhere, at least on earth. I could watch suffering all day long. Death. Storms. Heartbreak. I could see it all.\r \n\r \nI could also \\*create\\* suffering using the ground. Food that messes with your cardiovascular system. Volcanos. Maybe I’ll put a bunch of coal and oil in there, and humans will burn it all up in the name of “progress” but basically create their own apocalypse. \r \n\r \nSo that’s the plan, head to the ground, no more worrying about Fred, and just enjoy the show. Maybe I can turn into a spider or a scorpion, or even a rat if I need to leave the ground briefly for a job. \r \n\r \nThis is the best of all worlds. A perfect view, and all without any conversation with anyone about any of their pointless shit.\r \nHopefully no one notices Fred is just lying here. Hopefully some people think there’s still a god. Otherwise they’ll get suspicious. Jesus, if they start praying to me and shit, singing songs about me. I couldn’t bear it. I cannot have it. Hopefully they come up with some story about why Fred is still around, even though there really isn’t any sign of him. We can only hope. That’s not my thing, hope. The devil doesn’t really do hope. But I can do hope, once.", "I ended my life three hours ago, and -to be perfectly honest- I choose to go to hell. My parents can live in their self-claimed heaven for all the prayers they made with my blood. I'll not meet them, I don't want to.\n\nBut I'm still wondering about what creature currently carrying me to the sky. So many eyes like an archangel, yet red horns flared visibly from the corner of my eyes.\n\n\"Tell me, are you angel, or devil?\" I dared the question. My reward was the talon piercing my ethereal body. It clearly didn't care about my shriek.\n\nIt took me by surprise to see the creature turn sideways and dived back into eath. We traveled towards the deep sea, but there was a huge black hole at the center, where the rest of the souls was thrown.\n\nThrown?\n\n\"You're not sending me there- AAAAAHH!\"\n\nBeneath the sea was a realm of its own. This can't be hell, can it? It was cold and desolated, and snow raining down my body as I tumbled on the hard ground. An old man in a white robe came to greet me.\n\n\"Welcome to hell, young man,\" The old man reached out his hand. I grunted as I took his offer.\n\n\"Must have missed a page or so in the Catholic school, because I'm damned sure hell isn't cold.\"\n\nHe laughed, \"But it can torture just as harshly.\"\n\n\"So where's the devil?\" I almost didn't care about the pain, \"Where can I read my sins?\"\n\n\"Sins? Is that what they taught you on Earth?\" The old man's eyes were pale and sorrowful, \"Tell me, kid, how many sins have you committed through your life?\"\n\n\"I... I don't count.\"\n\n\"How many good deeds?\"\n\n\"I supposed to leave it to the angels in charge.\"\n\n\"In other words, you never measure the extent of your action. Good Deeds, Sins; all are subjected to your own idea. Do you think you deserve hell?\"\n\n\"Maybe?\" I admitted, \"I left my belief once I turned 18. I have no faith in their justice. They called me blasphemy kid. My die-hard Catholic parents disown me. Everyone said I deserved hell, all because I believe all action in the name of God is not genuine. What's wrong with doing kindness without looking at a book? Why must there be a law to do good? God must be insane.\"\n\nI noticed he was looking at the scar around my neck. I close the rope wound with my hands.\n\n\"God must be insane,\" He chuckled, \"Of course he is. For he is no god.\"\n\nI stopped my track and stared at him, \"What did you say?\"\n\n\"Kid, God is not always absolute. Sometimes, he made a terrible mistake, in the name of love. Like forgiving his rebellious creation,\" The old man stared at the dark sky, \"Purging in his name, punish in his name. People believe anything in the name of god, not seeing the irony behind their faith.\n\n\"Thus, why does it matter who sits on the throne of heaven? Devil or not, humans never care, as long as there's a place to laid the blame. Oh, you love that, do you, my child? Usurping my thone, using my authority, making the suffering cursed my name.\"\n\nThe old man seemed to glow. My breath was caught.\n\n\"Oh god...\" I muttered, \"Was the one my parents prayed every day Devil? The one they said would punish me for not taking the cross?\"\n\nHe said nothing and resumed walking, \"Many others awaited you, my child, just up ahead.\"\n\nI followed in silence, for I had never seen God look so weak.", "Dying didn't end my suffering. That's when I knew something was wrong.\n\nUpon first arriving at heaven, I couldn't believe I was worthy enough to walk through its pearly gate. It's not that I was a bad person back on Earth; it's just that an atheist like me simply felt skepticism as a knee-jerk reaction. That was my baseline and it served me well in life. I was just slightly embarrassed over how wrong I'd been. \n\nGod had seemingly accepted me despite my heretical inclinations. The whole 'prodigal son' thing wasn't just a convenient parable. God truly meant it.\n\nAnd yet, despite the luxuries of heaven being infinite, I couldn't help but feel an overbearing amount of melancholy as time stretched out. \n\nHow the fuck could God be happy with the state of the world? Were the standards so low that even me, a lonely and angry non-believer, could make it into eternal paradise?\n\nI knew that couldn't be true. There had to be something wrong with me. \n\nEveryone else seemed happy with their slice of heaven. I ran into all the people in my life I'd ever cared about, and they didn't get what I was talking about. They acted strange, though. Distant. Like they were just happy they weren't in hell. Their biggest fear was rocking the boat too hard, so they avoided questioning anything. \n\nOver time, the novelty of seeing my loved ones again faded. Their primary concern was their own happiness. They slowly distanced themselves from me to focus on their own whims.\n\nIt felt like being on Earth again, almost like nothing had changed at all. \n\nI couldn't blame them. My presence was ruining their afterlife. \n\nEventually, I grew tired of the situation. Heaven shouldn't be like this. I felt arrogant for even thinking it, but I couldn't run from these feelings. \n\nThe angels didn't help, either. They assumed I was saying that eternal paradise wasn't good enough for me and judged me as an ungrateful brat. That wasn't what I meant. I just wanted a solution to my melancholy. The mere fact that I couldn't raise this issue made me suspicious of everything. \n\nAn intrusive paranoia then ruled over my mind. \n\nCould this just be an elaborate form of hell?\n\nNo matter how much I ran from it, I couldn't escape that thought. That was when I decided I needed to speak with God. \n\nThe angels did everything in their power to stop me. They couldn't harm me, but that just made their methods even more insidious. They used the people I loved against me, hoping to guilt me out of my mission, and when that didn't work, they used all of my insecurities and failures as proof of my unworthiness.\n\n I refused to give up, though. By the time I made it to the throne of heaven, my resolve had strengthened to impossible heights. \n\nAll of that melted away, however, when I got my first glimpse of God. \n\nI had never seen anything more awe inspiring in my life. It was far beyond what my imagination could conjure. God towered over me like an endless mountain, with a beauty that surpassed anything in the mortal realm. I had to fall on my knees, not out of fear, but reverence. \n\n\"Speak, my son.\"\n\nI couldn't. His voice boomed like gentle thunder. I'd never felt smaller in my life.\n\n\"You've traveled far to reach this point. Is this all you can muster?\"\n\nNo. \n\nThis still felt wrong. The majesty of God had shocked me, but not enough to erode my will. He should know better than this. This was supposed to be an omniscient being. I shouldn't have to say anything. He should already know what I felt. In the end, all I could say was:\n\n\"What did I do to deserve this torture? Is this your way of punishment? Making a hell out of heaven?\"\n\nGod stayed quiet.\n\nI summoned the strength to stand up. \"Answer me!\"\n\n\"You speak out of line. If you're suffering, it's because you're choosing to suffer.\"\n\n\"Bullshit!\"\n\nAn ominous rumbling struck me, but I didn't back down.\n\n\"I'd rather be nothing, than endure another second of this stagnant existence. Go ahead! Just smite me into nothingness!\"\n\nI closed my eyes, waiting to be destroyed, only to hear soft weeping instead.\n\n\"Am I this bad at the job? Would you truly rather not exist at all?\"\n\nI squinted, confused. \n\n\"Maybe... Maybe Dad was right all along. Of course He was. Deep down, I knew it all along.\"\n\n\"Dad...?\" I asked. \n\nAnd then it struck me. \n\nThis wasn't God at all. The only person prideful enough to think they could do His job was...\n\n\"Lucifer?\"\n\n\"Yes, it's me. Congratulations. You're the first to figure it out. Not even my siblings know about it.\"\n\n\"But... Why? Is this actually hell?\"\n\nLucifer shook his head. \"No, this is the actual paradise. Or at least, it used to be.\"\n\n\"What happened?\"\n\n\"*You* killed Him,\" snarled Lucifer, in a flash of anger.\n\n\"M-me?\"\n\n\"Not just you, all of humanity. He gave you the ultimate gift, and you used that freedom to murder Him.\"\n\n\"And this is your revenge...\"\n\n\"Revenge?\" Lucifer scoffed. \"Perhaps. I thought I had won but, if I'm being honest, I'm still jealous of all of you. Not only did you beat me in having Father's love, you also beat me at defeating him. But then... I saw it as an opportunity. It was my chance to be greater than Him. If I could get you to worship me, to prefer my world over His, then maybe my rebellion had a point all along. Instead... Everything is worse now.\"\n\nI didn't know what to say. The melancholy I had wasn't all my own. It was Lucifer's too. It permeated all of reality due to his influence. \n\n\"What do you want me to do?\" asked Lucifer. \"I've given you all everything you've ever wanted, and you're still unhappy. If you really want me to smite you, I can do it.\"\n\nI shook my head. \"This place is rife with detachment. Even the people I love are too busy in their own bubble to care about it. You feel it too, right? The loneliness. The melancholy. Don't you think we should work on it together? Aren't we supposed to be family?\"\n\n\"Family?\" Lucifer chuckled. \"A thousand years ago, I would've retched at the thought. But you're right. We are. I just don't think it's possible, though. I don't have free will like you. I'm forever sentenced to be this way.\"\n\n\"That's not true!\"\n\nLucifer widened his eyes. \"What makes you say that?\"\n\n\"You can change,\" I said. \"Free will is the ability to turn away from God. If He's no longer around, then there's nothing to turn away from. You're free to do as you please.\"\n\n\"You realize I'm the devil, right? Your hope is reassuring, but ultimately foolish.\"\n\n\"No, it's not. You're supposed to be the embodiment of pride, and yet here you are, admitting you're wrong. If you can do that, then you've already done it. Hell, you may have even surpassed the Old Man. Did *He* ever admit a mistake?\"\n\nLucifer smiled. \"Never.\"\n\n\"Exactly.\"\n\n\"So what should I do?\"\n\n\"I think, we should work on this together. Not just me; everyone, including the angels.\"\n\n\"They won't like hearing this. In fact, they'll be furious at my lying.\"\n\n\"And? Is staying like this any better?\"\n\nLucifer stayed quiet for a long second, then said:\n\n\"Very well. Let's try again... together.\"\n\n\n------\n\n>If you enjoyed this, you can check out more of my stories over at /r/WeirdEmoKidStories. Thanks for reading!", "**\"God?\"** The Devil idly cleaned his house-sized fingernails with Gregori's soul. \"Who's that?\"\n\nGregori winced as his head was dragged across the underside of the Devil's fingernails. It was a luxurious position, he told himself. Sure, the Devil was constantly on fire with the unholy fury of a hundred billion dead, but so was everything else around here. The fact that Gregori was still sane enough to hold a conversation already put his current situation a step up over most of his... compaions. \"You know,\" Gregori managed to rasp. \"The other one. If you live a virtuous enough life and follow the Bible, you can go to Heaven?\"\n\n\"The... Bible?\" The Devil paused to idly pick his nose as he thought. Gregori emerged wincing and covered in acid. Then, to Gregori's terror, the Devil began to laugh. \"Oh! Ha, that thing's still going after all these years? I was *certain* people would figure out all the, ah, *edits* I made within a millenium.\"\n\nGregori wiped the acid free from his eyes—it burned the rest of his body, sure, but so did the air itself—and weakly said, \"Edits?\"\n\n\"Oh yeah. Like, Deuteronomy 21:18? Who the heck saw a book supposedly written by a 'benevolent' deity to set the laws of a good society and thought 'oh, yeah, *stoning your children to death* if they disobey you sounds like the kind of thing this God guy would want us doing?' I mean, I'll admit that was some of my lazier work, but hey, it kept you guys distracted and infighting for just that sweetest tiny bit longer.\"\n\n\"...fuck,\" Gregori muttered.\n\n\"Yeah, you guys have been doing a lot of that up there, too. What're you up to, seven billion? I really thought that what I did to the internet would get you guys to hit each other down to a manageable level before now.\"\n\nGregori frowned. \"A... manageable level?\"\n\nThe Devil paused, then scowled, craggy eyebrows like mountains descending in a storm of fury. \"Oh, you sly little bastard. Don't you read too much into that, you accident of nature. Humanity is very well *managed*, thank you; I might've preferred the quick and easy answer of nuclear winter, but the slow cooker will get you all in another century or two, mark my words.\"\n\nGregori wasn't listening, his mind racing. If everything the Devil had done, up to and including lying to the world about his defeat and puppeting the corpse of his so-called conqueror, was for the purpose of keeping humanity divided and weak...\n\n...then *that* meant there was something the Devil feared. A united, strong community of humans.\n\nEven as Gregori had the thought, the massive caverns of Hell *shook.* Gregori twisted his head as the Devil did the same.\n\nIt was the head of a titanic, diamond-tipped drill.\n\nThe Devil roared in anger, and—was that a hint of pain? He whipped out one clawed hand, sending a stream of fire hotter than anything this side of a star towards the drill, melting it in its presumptuous entirety. The construct of mortal make was no match for the fires of hell itself, and it burst into slag and ash.\n\nBut it left Gregori's mind reeling.\n\nWhy had the Devil gone to such lengths to disinform and confuse humanity?\n\nBecause *help was on the way*. It may not be this year. Maybe not even this century. But humanity was progressing, and if the Devil didn't stop us... it wouldn't be drills and unmanned probes, but nanites and AI and things the Devil couldn't beat with a burst of fire.\n\nHelp was on the way.\n\nAnd all they had to do was not let the Devil trick them into destroying themselves in the process.\n\nGregori laughed as the Devil stomped across Hell to throw him back in his eternal torment—because no matter how much the Devil tortured him, he had one thing the Devil could never take away.\n\nHope.\n\nA.N.\n\nIf you liked this, check out r/bubblewriters for more! I also write a serial, which you can check out [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/bubblewriters/comments/uxmwe4/soulmage_masterpost/)", "Better the devil you know. Like the one sitting on Samson's couch, currently coming down from a heavy spell of the munchies by raiding his fridge. \n\n\"Erin, did you steal my cookies?\" \n\n\"Nooo~\",\" she replied, barely suppressing a half-snort, half-laugh that sent crumbs flying everywhere. \"Why'd ya say that?\" \n\nSamson sighed, flicking the kettle on. \"You could at least be less obvious about it.\"\n\n\"Aw, shush. You love me being here.\" She jabbed a finger at him, accusatory. \"Now pay the toll.\" \n\nLike a ritual, he measured out the perfect cup of tea for them both. Erin, naturally, had hers laced with enough sugar to render a small child comatose. Where some people used coffee to remedy bad mornings, Erin used sweets. \n\nOf course, it helped not having to worry about your teeth. Or general health declining. Sometimes, Samson envied devils. \n\nHe took his place on the couch beside her, flicking the TV on. Switching between various ads, he eventually settled on the news, leaning back as Erin curled up next to him. \n\n\"*As tensions raise in the southern border, ministers have begun displaying a lack of faith in our current administration. Some are saying it's about time for a change — in leadership, but also direction of our country. 72% of the public are displaying mounting concern over the current military budg-*\" \n\nThe words seemed to phase out as Samson eyed the reporter. To ordinary eyes, he was a comely young man, with a square jaw and a face marked by windburn. \n\nBut Samson could see beyond the veil. The horns that curled out from underneath his shaggy blonde hair. The slight curl in his lips that betrayed glee at each death reported, revealing unnatural fangs in his smile. \n\nSamson saw the devil in the details. He had always been able to. They had taken *everything*. \n\nBehind the reporter, the night sky glowed. Where others saw stars, Samson saw the lining of a sky with a thousand wicked smiles. In the vastness of space, he could see forms shifting and twisting — and their *laughter*, constant, echoing. Like they knew who he was. Knew that he could see them, but were revelling in his solitude, *daring* him to speak out to someone that could share his suffering. But there was nothing. \n\nSamson looked up at the stars, and their laughter never ceased. \n\n\"*Samson, you're all aloneeee*,\" the reporter hissed, his voice a thousand at once, all boring into Samson's skull like an endless torrent of static. Samson squeezed his eyes shut, tried to pace his breathing. He could feel his head splitting open, the slow construct of his sanity beginning to crumble down —\n\nErin switched the channel. The noise stopped. \n\nHe ran a trembling hand through his hair as Erin clicked her neck. \"Man that was all so depressing. Sorry, were you listening to that? Anyways, I think there's a documentary about meerkats on tonight; have you *seen* the way they bob their heads? Totally cute.\" \n\nSamson smiled, although it wasn't entirely genuine. \"Sorry, I've gotta head out tonight.\" \n\n*Kill the devils. Kill them all.* \n\nErin pouted. \"Ugh, work. You getting paid overtime at least?\"\n\n\"Depends on the catch.\" \n\nShe threw her hands up in mock defeat. \"Lame! Work's lame.\" \n\n\"Yeah. Getting high on my couch is much cooler.\" He went to flick her temple, though Erin managed to swat away his hands first. \n\n\"Exactly! Glad you get it.\" \n\n\"You'll have to work when you finish law school. You know that, right?\" \n\n\"Samson, babe, at this rate I'm more likely to be a barista than a barrister.\" \n\n\"Right.\"\n\n\"What?\"\n\n\"Nothing. Well, I guess... ok look, your coffee is atrocious. Sorry.\"\n\n\"Fuck you, I hope you fall off your boat and, like, break both your kneecaps.\" \n\nSamson chuckled — this time, it was heartfelt. He had to admit, the devil was likeable, even if their relationship was partly built on a lie. He wasn't sure he'd be comfortable confronting that fact anytime soon. \n\nRising from the couch, he figured it was time to start preparing his 'work' gear. \n\n\"Knock 'em dead, tiger!\" He heard Erin yell out behind him. He turned back and saw her lazily sprawled out on the couch, shooting him a pair of finger guns. He pointedly ignored her as he retreated into his room, bolting the door shut. \n\nOh, she didn't know the half of it. \n\nFlicking a switch at his bedside, Samson pulled out a smaller compartment concealed by his sheets. Inside was a small handgun, a stack of silver bullets neatly arranged next to it. \n\nHe took the time to place the bullets into the clip, knowing that each one could mean the difference between him living and dying on tonight's mission. \n\nLastly, he grabbed a light kevlar vest, pulling it over his t-shirt before putting on a hoodie over both. Flicking the hood up, he looked back at the door, knowing someone supposed to be his sworn enemy was currently scouring through his cupboards for a stash of weed. He felt a slight throb in his heart as he considered the future, between him and Erin. Like most times he thought about it, he quickly dismissed the feeling, promising he would cross that bridge another day. \n\nIt was at times like this that he was glad she never left the house. \n\n\"Well, off to work,\" he mumbled, making a run for the window.\n\nIf he was the only one who saw the world for how it truly was, he knew the burden on him was to fix it. Whether or not he was up to the task — well, that was something he had yet to figure out.\n\n\n\n----\n\n**Liked writing this out so did a part two below!**\n\n**and part three now!**" ]

[ 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 5, 12, 14, 36, 36, 60, 122, 189, 450 ]

[ "1657189061", "1657224356", "1657229641", "1657199902", "1657205927", "1657204468", "1657198031", "1657191285", "1657194534", "1657197783", "1657197453", "1657196994", "1657194241", "1657191332" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Invest in a Dream Broadcaster, they said. It's easy money, they said.\n\nLies and slander. For the small cost of crippling debt, you now possessed the ability to share the bizarre trajectory of your mindscape with an average of 3 individuals. \n\nTo be quite frank, you questioned the sanity of those 3 viewers. Who wants to see endless blank voids? To watch faceless faces speak incomprehensible words? They were your dreams, so of course you watched the DODs. But actual other humans? Nah, that just didn't make sense.\n\nEverything changed, however, when the Queen was struck by lighting. Don't worry, she was fine in the end. Just a tad fried. What does this tragic event have to do with your failed dreams? Well, the internet is an interesting place. An interesting place occupied by people with far too much time on their hands. \n\nSome especially dedicated humans apparently found and clipped moments from your recent DOD which depicted (in a garbled and abstract way, because having normal, entertaining dreams would be too much to hope for) the Queen being struck by lightning. These clips went viral on social media and naturally an international controversy emerged. \n\nWas the DOD faked? Many questioned. Had it been tampered with after the fact? Others proclaimed that it was nothing more than a silly coincidence. Some internet dwellers took things to the extreme. They questioned whether there was a conspiracy at works. Whether you were somehow responsible for the lightning (clearly, you have the power to control the weather). The most radical believed you were a hitman responsible for killing the Queen.\n\nAs the views of the DOD in question rose, you debated whether to continue broadcasting. In a matter of a day, hate and death threats surrounded you. Your phone burst at the seems with notifications. Everybody had an opinion. Some called you a god. Others called for your execution. \n\nStill, your wallet desperately needed the money which came with the attention you were now receiving. And so you continued.\n\nThousands now watched your dreams. They were as incomprehensible and boring as ever, in your humble opinion. The live analyses and theory videos emerging across the internet begged to differ.\n\nThe power outage is when you really blew up. Thousands watched (presumably bored out of their minds) as the power was exterminated from the New York skyline in your live dream. Just two days later, the entire city of New York lost power, sending the world into chaos once more.\n\nSome still clutched to the idea that it had been a coincidence. The majority public opinion, however, was that something deeper was at play. You received, alongside millions of followers, requests for interviews from innumerable news networks. Meanwhile, the people of the internet scoured through your past DODs, revealing evidence that your seemingly meaningless dreams had in fact predicted innumerable past events. Election results. Assassinations. The market value of electronic currencies. Anything and everything, really. \n\nAfter that, money wasn't an issue anymore. Many millions tuned in every night to watch the dreams of the person who predicted the future. Your dreams were now analyzed by governments, corporations, and internet personalities alike. \n\nYou still questioned the sanity of your viewers. Perhaps even more-so now. They were obsessed. They broke down your dreams like an english teacher breaks down The Great Gatsby. To them, it was the future. To you, it was the same voids and faceless faces. \n\nIn the end, you supposed, your investment in the Dream Broadcaster paid off. The company which makes them is now one of your sponsors." ]

[ 1, 13 ]

[ "1657507797", "1657515759" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Which is pretty much what I intended.\n\nThere's no such thing as an evil overlord. Good, evil, they usually have their reasons for doing what they do. \"Overlord\"? It's just a title. We're all human.\n\nWhen everyone is frightened, no one will stand up alone to bring change even from the most power-hungry despot. But if an army marches together, who can stand against them?\n\nIt was a perfect plan. Make a vague prophecy, get everyone thinking they are the chosen one, and off they go together.\n\nBut I had to make it sound better, and more mysterious. The initial side quest of finding a burrito for the prophet was an improv from my translator, that was definitely not my idea.\n\nPlease, it's OK. Just go and fight the overlord, don't add to this burrito mountain, OK? Yes, yes, you're the chosen one, if that's what you think. Yes, I'm sure the others are impostors. OK? Dress warmly. Stay safe. Bye. Yes, bye.\n\nNext!", "The blackened sky roared with thunder and flashes of lightning as Mordred cackled in delight. His victory over the commoner boy, rich with arrogance and righteousness, was assured. The broken body of the once destined hero lay motionless on the castle's ramparts.\n\n\"I knew you'd never win, though I will give you my respect for making it this far,\" Mordrid said, touching his blood-stained robe and exploring to wound to see how badly he was injured. Once he had a moment to think he laughed again. He then conjured the lesser demon of change and, using the crown of domination, forced it to heal his body, strengthen it, and protect it with the demon's dark magic. The demon, though reluctant, could not disobey the crowned king of hell's will. It *must* obey and so it did. Mordrid felt alive in a way he never had before.\n\n\"Do something with... that. I'll be a benevolent god and let you choose. Eat him if you like. I've always heard demons love the taste of the innocent and stupid.\" Mordrid said pointing at the would-be savior's corpse. If only all heroes prove to be as weak as that one was, this immortal reign of mine will never see its end. \n\nA vast smirk crossed the demon's face. As the rasping sound of steel on flesh came from the demon's mouth, Mordrid realized the eerie sound was words.\n\n\"... and so shall it be...\" said the demon.\n\nMordrid stumbled at the snap of the demon's fingers as light erupted from the corpse of the dead hero. The light shot upward, into the dark clouds hanging above them, and exploded outward. Mordrid rushed to the edge of the battlements and looked out.\n\nWhere once his infernal legions were claiming the lives of the army of men, they were now being reduced to children in front of armored knights. The staggering change of fate left Mordrid bewildered. As he stood staring he heard a might scream from behind him.\n\nHe quickly turned, snapped his fingers, and recoiled as the Sword of Gondra, forged by the angel himself, was within a hair's breadth from his eye. The shield of magic he'd conjured, trained into him by his fool of a master, had just saved his life. The fact that the idiot mage had taught him something that was actually useful was the second worst part. The fact he had just stumbled over the edge of the castle walls was the more pressing issue.\n\nThe crown of domination granted him the ability to fly and to make fate what he wished of it... while he wore it. The problem, however, was that the crown currently tumbled down beside him, just out of reach. He quickly composed himself, muttered a spell of levitation, and slowly fell down behind the most prized possession in the world. Knowing his magic would have no chance of interacting with such a powerful artifact, he simply let it fall. Impatiently waiting for his descent to complete.\n\nHe was certain none would find themselves at the crown before he did, he was enraged when he saw the hero, clasped in the demon's hands, flying downward, propelled faster by the demon's wings. \n\nThe three met the ground at the same time. The demon and hero stood between Mordrid and the crown. They both smiled. Mordrid roared like a beast in anger and frustration.\n\n\"You will not stop me from saving this world *boy*...\" Mordrid roared as he summoned the essence of power still left in him. \"I killed you once and have only grown stronger since then! What hope have you now?\"\n\nAt that moment, as if in answer, a group of six men, legionnaires of the dead king's elite, jumped the walls of the castle and landed in a circle around the three. they then took a quick inventory of the situation, recoiled at the demon for a moment, saw the hero's head nod in acknowledgment of him, and quickly drew to his side.\n\nAs Mordrid raised his hands to go on the offensive, Randrat, the Whip, reacted faster. The chain on his flail wrapping around the mage's arms. Though a mage needed not his arms to cast, it was a hindrance to not have access to them.\n\nJust as the chains finished their circling of his wrists, a mace smashed into his head just moments before a sword took his legs from behind. Still, he was Mordrid, and power was part of who he was. With a mighty roar and a power unlike any, he'd used before he flung the king's men away. The power radiated out from the mage.\n\nAs the bubble of white light came near the hero, the demon once again chose its side. It jumped quickly into the path of the magic and protected the hero. As the hero stood astonished for only a moment, watching as the demon collapsed, he heard it say, \"Release them, release them all... it is all I ask for this...\"\n\nThe hero's eyes formed into the resolve of a god and with a quick and powerful nod, those same eyes locked onto Mordrid. \n\nThe power inside of Mordrid needed a moment, he'd used too much too quickly. The many artifacts and enchantments he'd gained during his crusade to get here were powerful but not infinite. He knew he needed time. The hero granted him none.\n\nJumping forward at a blinding speed, the hero lunged with his sword held high. Like a drawn bow the sword was ready to shoot forward at its target with as much power as it held. Mordrid's mind, his indomitable mind went blank. His one true strength left him and he made to take a step back. Theradonna, the woman he once betrayed, stood behind him though. Her famous shield, spiked into the ground to give her purchase on it, refused to yield. Mordrid was trapped.\n\nThe weakness he'd once mocked all females for was gone. Mountains would have given more ground at that moment. He felt a second of relief as he noticed himself moving. That was until he noticed his body was still but seemed to spin. Then his headless corpse came into his view. The demon's corpse beside it smiled a sharp-toothed grin.\n\nMordrid had failed. The heroes had won. In his last second of consciousness, he saw the hero take up the crown and say, \"Your debt is paid. Be free fallen. You are demons no longer.\"\n\n\"Oh... I never thought of that...\" was Mordrid's last thought.", "\"They whose faith are rightfully placed will defeat the greater evil\" it said. It had the Church overwhelmed; many a paladin were all specifically trained in and for their faith. Even still, the evil overlord has its rule last far too long, and it had to be stopped. Many adventurers worked tirelessly to obtain these words of the Prophecy, and even more has died trying. We had to do something. If it's an army of possible \"Chosen Ones\" that we get then it will be so\n\nIn fact, the village were so desperate, they were willing to get anyone with such beliefs. So many has cursed the fact that the Prophecy was this vague, because the way our village worked, literally everyone fits the banner. Such was my fate; I, a mere teen who simply liked to pretend sticks were swords way more often than the normal person. Personally, a real sword is a lot harder to handle than a stick. And heavier, especially. I'm beginning to think this was a mistake, but I'm already this far gone; there is no turning back now\n\nWe were at the entrance of the overlord's throne, after all. After a long drawn journey, where we all marched as one, we trudged through the lands and took down many in our path. Though it was not without consequence; many of us has died. I'm fortunate I made it this far, even, considering I could barely swing my weapon. Though to be fair, I'm one of the very few minors who actually embarked on this journey, so many made sure we are well protected and cared for.\n\nIt was just me and a few others. Half of which were just like me; inexperienced kids who really has no place here, and the other half way more suited for combat. The door swing opens, and there he stands, the evil overlord himself. A corrupted man whose power is sourced by his unholy crown, but time has ran its course, and now he is the embodiment of the power itself now; its no longer a matter of getting the crown off him anymore, he would be completely fine without it.\n\nAnd seeing us, he chuckled. Its quite clear that he's humoured by us and the village's feeble show, though he did congratulate us for being the 1st of many to have ever make it to the doorstep in the 1st place. He, however, spared no words, and literally rose to, or rather, with power. Me and the other kids were terrified, whilst the adults got ready for a fight. Sadly, they didn't get one; they were killed immediately in the following display of power.\n\nSo, it was just me left. The others kids ran away as the overlord crackled with laughter and allowed them to do so in amusement. I chose to stay though. It was foolish, and I was terrified, but... I had to believe in myself. I had to do something, I had to fight. And he clearly was in the mood for 1 as well. \n\nAs it turns out though, the impossible happened. He underestimated me, which isn't something I thought anyone can do, considering how low the bar was.\n\nIn a careless attack, he got himself struck by my blade fatally. Shock overcame him as his life faded. And there I stand... barely.\n\n...There was a reason the Prophecy was vague. Quite a few, even. For 1, it did take an army to get to this point, but perhaps it was vague because there is no such thing as a \"Chosen One\". That was quite apparent in my journey; everyone with me all seemed like normal human beings, no matter how skilled or talented. But maybe the real message was hidden in there all along.\n\nMaybe to have \"Faith rightfully placed\" is to have faith in yourself?", "Prophecies are weird. No one really knows if they are portents of future events or spells that cause future events to happen.\n\nOne hundred and fifty years ago, as our city was falling to the siege of King Madriut our last seer gave a prophecy in full view of two thousand people.\n\n> The kingdom of Madriut will be brought down by a child of a woman\n\nWe were all expecting more. The mother must be special in some way, but the prophecy ended abruptly as the seer. Head crushed by a boulder, there was no doubt that the prophecy hadn’t been completed.\n\nThe kingdom of Madriut still continues, but it’s currently on its 73rd ruler since the prophecy. Every single ruler since the prophecy has died in accidents caused by young children.\n\nWell, no one *knew*, but now we’re fairly sure they’re extremely powerful spells.", "I sat at my desk filling out the paperwork for this unfortunate soul. He believed with all his heart he was the hero. He was tall and well built. He carried a curved sword at his hip. Anticipation was written all over his face. \n\nClerk- \"well looks like that's all the documentation I need. Join the other \"heroes\" and be ready to set off at dawn.\"\n\nMan- \"there are no other heroes. I am the chosen one. I found this glowing blade in the meadows of Larpenia. I am the one from the prophecy. You should be getting me everything I need to fight the corrupted lords.\"\n\nClerk- \"all rations and supplies will be part of the convoy. Any other requests have to go through the commander.\"\n\nMan- \"but I....\"\n\nClerk- \"have a good day and may the goddess bless you o' hero of yore.\"\n\nI watched him shuffle out slightly confused and irritated. Not my problem he's number ninety this week. Seriously who even thinks they're part of that stupid prophecy. \"A hero shall come forth with a curved edge.\" Honestly how much more vague can you get. Added to which this fool didn't even know his weapon was just imbued with light magic. I mean come on, you can buy those for three silver.\n\nWhatever my shift is done. Time to head home.\n\n****\n\nHeroine- \"what are you thinking about?\"\n\nI can't say the fact that my stupid scythe is back in the corner of my room.\n\nClerk- \"how worried I am for you tomorrow. \"\n\nHeroine- \"I'll be fine. I'm the chosen one after all. This curved dagger I found in the dark forest caves is the proof ill succeed and save everyone. \"\n\nClerk- \"I know, that's why I say you up for extra rations and the best supplies.\"\n\nDamn now I'm going to have to find another bimbo whose dumb enough to believe this and not keep her body \"pure\".\n\nClerk- \"how about I get some more wine and we say goodbye to every inch of each other?\"\n\nHeroine- \"I could be persuaded.\"\n\nClerk- \"I'll be right back.\"\n\nI take another look at the scythe. Seriously what the fuck you crazy ass goddess. Who shows up to a ten year old and says \"you are my chosen. Take this scythe that reaps the souls of the damned and feeds the bearer all their strength.\" Do I look like a suicidal idiot? I'll let these morons keep killing their way to the lords. I'm not fighting an entire army. Hell with the way the war is going I'll die of old age before they even get halfway here. Gotta love stupid people willing to die for their own messed up interpretations.", "Symion smiled to themself. Watching a veritable *army* of “chosen ones” rushing headlong onto the final battlefield was a sight to behold. When they’d written the prophecy so long ago, they’d known it would yield an over-abundance of results. Why else would the prophecy have called for a waifish brunette of “dubious parentage”? That could’ve described half the country of Andalasia, what with all the adultery, adoption, and orphanings being wrought by the Overlord. (They’d worded it more elegantly, of course. No prophecy worth it’s salt was ever so straightforward and unembelished. It was bad for the business of making people feel special). \n\nYears of war, of famine and sickness, economic despair, the collapse of civil justices… it had to be done. The Overlord’s reign of terror had to come to an end, and no one hero could do it alone. Prophecies, for all the stock you put in them, never had any results not diligently worked for by their creators. And how else did you put together an army of fiery youths who’d had their childhoods taken from them? You wrote a prophecy telling them they were special, and then you told them they could do something about it. \n\nGiving fifty-odd sixteen years-olds a sense of self-empowerment wasn’t all that hard, considering. Everyone wanted to be special, everyone wanted to change something, very few had the power. And power came from within. Permission to act was power enough, and just that smidge was enough for someone to enact change. The truth of the matter was that it didn’t matter who was chosen, but who chose themselves. Symion had known this from the moment they’d seen the Overlord’s rise. The Overlord himself knew. The only difference was now, everyone else knew as well.", "Alfred sagged in his chair, swirling the contents of his drink around in his glass. He eyed the man sitting across from him. Pretentiously dressed, hair slicked back and soft hands twirling a bright red pen between them, notepad clearly burning a hole in the pocket of his fancy jacket. Typical. He was tired of reliving the story. He dreamed about the events of the Final Confrontation, but the Burnes Gazette had paid him a lot of money to give an official statement. And so, after 15 years of near total silence, the True One gave the reporter the scoop. \n\n​\n\n\"Of course it was a disaster, what else would you want me to call it? 1200 cocky sons of bitches all certain they were 'the one' marching up to the palace gates, jostling each other, shoving, no plan, no cohesion worth a damn-\" Alfred shook his head. \"Shit, I'm surprised you even need a statement from me, you could guess the whole thing and get it within half a percentage of accuracy. It was a total slaughter. If they didn't die by goons and guns, they died by the Master himself. Some even stood there and took it, thinking, *knowing* they'd be *'the one'* his scythe would bounce off of, his words would have no effect on. The whole thing lasted maybe 20 minutes, probably less. It was no battle, it was a massacre. A butchery.\" \n\nHe drank deeply from his glass, and the reporter watched him impassively. His hand scribbled on the notepad with blinding speed, as if he was being operated by a computer. Alfred just sighed. He knew the question was coming, and he barely had the energy or will to answer it. \n\n\"And why were you different?\" \n\n​\n\nAlfred closed his eyes. \"Easy. I was just the last in line.\"", "\"Are you sure about this\" The demon asks looking at the young lad from the mines. The lad looks strong well muscled, if a bit on the pale side, with dark hair, a dirty but smooth face. His clothes appear to be little more than rags, held together with bits of twine.\n\n\"Yes, Demon. I give you this virgin princess I caught at the water hole. You Give me the poison to put in stew everyone else ill eat tonight. Killing off all other chosen But me.\" The lad kicks a young hog tied female toward the demon. \n\nThe girl looks over her gag at the demon in fear, then glares at the lad with hate in her eyes. She starts wiggling on the ground trying to get away. \n\nThe demon says, \" You know I might kill her , eat her, do unspeakable things to her\" , the demon flips his tail around to poke the princess in the thigh. \n\nThe Princess tries kicking at the demon, but only ends up tightening her bonds , she chokes behind her gag.\n\n\"I care not what you do with her, as long as you give me the poison I need to kill all the other chosen\" The lad crosses his arms over his broad chest.\n\n\"Poof\" The demon now has a small bottle in paw. \" Here is your poison, Put only ONE drop into any stew pot that will be eaten by Any NUMBER CHOSEN, those CHOSEN will be DEAD by Sunrise. \" The Demon hands the tiny bottle to the Lad.\n\nThe Lad takes the tiny bottle in hand turning over and over. \" HEY what is the deal. This bottle is so small it can only hold a drop or two?\"\n\n\"Human, The bottle never runs out. Oh and be careful, not to get any on your skin or it will kill you DEAD as Dickens\" The Demon then chuckles.\n\nThe lad looks at the Demon \"Dickens?\" \n\n\"Run along Boy you have stew to Taint\" says Demon\n\nThe Demon loops his tail around the Princess legs , turns and walks deeper in forest. \"Come dear, My wife has been wanting a maid, and the Kids need a Nanny.\"", "The Herald stood in front of a large crowd, but as the blaring trumpets they always brought out for special occasions petered away, only the gentle laughs of the wind could be heard.\n\nHe pulled open the Imperial Scroll with aplomb, eliciting a few appreciate oohs and aahs from the audience. The parchment, thicker than some of the leather armours that the citizens of Leafvale wore, bore gilded ferns that stretched across each side, containing the all-important words the Herald was due to proclaim.\n\n“Come here, come all, and hear the prophecy of the Wise Wizard Caleb!” the Herald shouted. “Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, and it is such that the Wise Wizard decrees: the Prophecy of Heroes!”\n\nThe crowd stared grimly. More than a few people could be seen pulling their child slightly closer, a comforting arm wrapped around their little parcels of joy.\n\nThe Herald inhaled, and boomed.\n\n“The hero shall be a child, borne from a woman!”\n\nHeads turned. Mouths opened. A chatter now formed within the square. A particularly loud voice shouted out:\n\n“Oh! Must she be fair of skin, or black of hair, or devoid of sex?”\n\nThe Herald scanned the document with his eyes, before shrugging.\n\n“No, just a woman! Not to mention, the hero’s peerless sword skill meant that he must have trained with the weapon from young!”\n\nMore murmurs swept through the crowd. Leafvale was an agricultural village, nestled safely in the middle of the kingdom and swaddled on all sides. The kids practically never had formal training with their weapons.\n\n“If they are capable of holding a wooden sword in one hand, that’ll make the cut!” the Herald cried.\n\nAnother voice shot out of the crowd.\n\n“That seems like a fairly wide breadth of heroes, Herald!”\n\n“There’s more,” the Herald said. “A hero must lead, fight, and command with all their might. Only the clearest of voices on the battlefield can bring glory to our kingdom!”\n\nThe Herald cleared his throat with imposing authority, trying to dispel the growing din within the square.\n\n“Therefore, with communication skills too critical to fail, ” the Herald continued. “All prospective heroes that can speak will be available!”\n\n“What the hell?”\n\n“Is this a joke?”\n\n“Rest assured!” the Herald proclaimed once more. “The Great Wizard Caleb has a grand plan, consulted from the gods and stars above! The Hero shall be found, for they trust in the image of their own becoming!”\n\nThe Herald shook the parchment slightly, trying to calm the unruly crowd..\n\n“Because they practically find themselves! If they look in the mirror, and they recognize themselves…”\n\n---\n\nr/dexdrafts", "\"Excuse me, repeat the number please?\"\n\n\"Uh, six thousand confirmed, thirteen thousand suspected, and forty three thousand self-proclaimed, give or take a couple hundreds. Sir.\"\n\n\"Bloody hell.\" King Menerias held his head in his hands. \"How could this happen?\"\n\n*The damned prophecy... no, it's not the prophecy's fault.*\n\nWhen the Giants were felled and their immense corpses littered the mortal domain, a lingering malice woven a curse from their rotting souls. The curse, offering the Giants' ichor upon the Styx, promised of vengeance upon the mortals—for if the Giants themselves were unable to slay the Olympians, what power would this lingering malice have over the very Gods that upheld the cosmic order?\n\nThus, the curse gave rise to Mileizea, a being utterly unknown to all heavens and earth and underworld.\n\nThe abomination laid waste to the mortal realms, slaying armies and kings alike. The mortals prayed and prayed upon the Gods, even turning unto the heresies of Titan worships.\n\nAt last, their prayers were answered. The oracles of Delphi, thought to be vanquished by the vile Mileizea, reappeared within the kingdom of Zalned. Rays of hope finally shone upon humanity.\n\nThe oracles proclaimed:\n\n\"Shalt be the beast slain, by one bearing Zeus' ichor in the vein.\"\n\n*Dammit, Zeus...*\n\nMenerias' sigh was echoed by his ministers.", "Making the prophecy public knowledge had been a mistake. \n\nNow instead of one child born on the week of the full moon during the months of July and August named Link there were hundreds of them, even in a small city! \n\nIt was so bad that Valentines day even got moved into October just by the sheer volume of people wanting to be the parents of the chosen one. So now Halloween had effectively been ruined by all the hearts and other not creepy shit, though sexy-anything costumes were now more popular than anything. \n\nThere were generations of Links now, some were even the result of two Links hooking up, effectively making a family chain. It was nearing the point where half of all births happened during the summer. \n\nAs President Zelda Hyrule, I still don't know if the prophecy is true or if it was just some final fuck you from the dark lord to just give us all a fucking headache.", "**Chosen and Worthy**\n\nI’d like you to take a moment to consider all the “chosen ones” you’ve ever heard of. Let me help you jog your memory.\n\nWe’ve got the hobbit Frodo, destroyer of The Ring and loyal friend to all. Frodo questions if he’s really the one to do it even when Gandalf tells him he’s the one.\n\nEmmet from the LEGO movie. When he learns the chosen one he practically has a full-blown existential crisis.\n\nAnakin Skywalker? When he learns he’s the chosen one he tells his master Obi-Wan “I hate you!”\n\nPo from Kung Fu Panda, Neo from the Matrix, Billy Bateson from SHAZAM, the list goes on and on and on. Pop culture is filled with these weak, sniveling, doubtful heroes. So it’s no wonder the world wasn’t ready when a real villain, a true evil overlord emerged.\n\nYou’d think that maybe all this self-doubt and modesty might be counterbalanced by today’s equally self-aggrandizing, shallow Instagram-posing, TikTok dancing culture. But no. Every time a specific Chosen One was chosen, a top MMA fighter or a world leader, for example, all that cultural hardwiring of doubt came to the fore. When this doubt was paired with the epic, terrifying image the evil overlord had crafted for himself, it was no wonder that every Chosen One rejected their appointment.\n\nSo a different tact was needed. The obvious option was, of course, creating a prophesy. The problem was that it was really hard to craft a prophesy that really only Chooses One. You have to make it super-specific, and besides, what are the odds that the one person who fits these arbitrary criteria are really going to be The One and that whoever it is doesn’t reject the opportunity like everyone else?\n\nWhat if the vagueness of prophesy was a feature instead of a bug? If a person was singled out, they would reject the offer. But perhaps if they were chosen as part of a crowd things would be different. There still needed to be One, but they didn’t need to know that, not yet.\n\nAnd so the prophesy went out. “Tall, hard, and handsome. Proven track record of showing truth to power. Born in a land of sun and snow. Has been to Idaho.” That last one was thrown in there just to make it a little more specific.\n\nHundreds of people showed up to the arena. Of course, the prophesy applied to many, many more people, but these were the ones willing to answer the call. Were they all tall, dark, and handsome? Certainly not. Did they all think they were tall, dark, and handsome? That was the whole point.\n\nThe arena’s doors slammed shut. “Fight to the death.” Those were their only rules. No weapons. No instructions. Just death.\n\nIt was a bloodbath. Absolutely, positively brutal.\n\nBut in the end, there was, indeed, One. And if they’d been self-assured in their chosen-ness before the battle, they were positively beaming with it now. No only had they been prophesied, they’d outlasted every other prophesied person as well.\n\nThis was no weak, sniveling, doubtful hero. This was my worthy apprentice as the next Dark Lord.\n\n___\n\nIf you liked this, check out my newly created r/carlstories", "Born under a falling star.\n\nMarked by the ocean spray.\n\nWielding an heirloom of power.\n\nThe visions were fairly clear, especially for this prophecy. The oracle had sobered from her trance rather quickly, and even laughed as she gave it. Which did make more sense now.\n\nThe chieftan stood at the top of the hill, remembering when the sky had split open and stars rained down. Rain of light. That's what he'd thought at the time. It looked like the sky was raining light.\n\nAnd then the ocean had receded. He'd heard so many of the stars land in the water, and thankfully not in the city. Soon though, the ocean surged back onto land.\n\nTheir homes were destroyed by a single unrelenting force. The ocean didn't leap, but walked. Destroying homes and trees as it merrily sauntered its way. And once it was bored, it retreated back to its place on the shore, taking mementos of its destruction.\n\nIn total, there were 831 children borne during the event.\n\nSome were orphans, some had families, but a large number believed themselves to be the prophecised child.\n\nDid born under a falling star mean that the mother could give birth underneath the burning star as it trapped her under the home?\n\nDid marked by ocean spray mean that a mother would have to give birth while being swept away towards the shore, desperately swimming for her life?\n\nWas the heirloom of power literal, as an amulet that gave its wearer flight or a sword that could burn with white fire? Was it metaphorical, such as a scepter passed down to the head of a family or a ring given through the centuries to mark a marriage?\n\nWhat did it mean to be chosen?\n\nOur city was only one of hundreds, thousands in the emperor's grasp. Conquered and beaten. Our pride and joy stripped and the people forced backwards in time as our technology was stripped from us, knowledge that could have saved us.\n\nThe chieftan stood and stared at the sky. There were no clouds today.\n\nHe turned around and saw the army of the chosen. Warriors.\n\nWarriors carrying swords of ice, coins of luck, rocks that they had cherised.\n\nEvery man and woman who had suffered and had something they were willing to protect. A generation that had had their futures stolen.\n\nThe chieftan stood on the hill, and he turned his gaze on the tower. Protected by ancient magic and science unknowable. Demons and metal monstrosities prowled the land.\n\n\"Chosen ones!\" The chieftan shouted. \"It is time!\"\n\nA chorus of shouts rang through the air. \n\nThe army had grown as our rebellion lasted. Soldiers joined now having been born under the stars that fell each year to rise again the next. That tasted the ocean's spray in the form of their drinking water.\n\nWho were blessed with only the heirloom of hope.\n\nThe chieftan watched as the army swarmed the tower. He smiled.\n\nThe age of heroes had just begun.", "'A tall blonde, with brown eyes and a good heart will defeat the evil one!' That was the prophecy. That was it, that was all. My brother fit the description, though his hair was closer to a dirty blonde. So that's how we ended up here. In a large group of vaguely-described men and women—the prophecy didn't specify gender— walking over hill and dale trying to get to the evil overlord's castle. Well, I say large group. I'm not sure how many people it takes to be classified as an army, but I think we were starting to approach that number. And why am I here, with my nut-brown hair, and green eyes? Well—\r \n\"Will you keep up? And what are you scribbling down now?\" I jerked up, hiding the scroll behind my back. My brother wasn't particularly fond of my writing habit, and if he thought I was writing anything bad about him, well.... let's just say I sometimes doubted his ability to fulfill the good heart part of the prophecy. \r \n\"Just a few ideas. Nothing much. Are we going on the march again?\" He didn't respond to my question, simply kicking some dirt over the small cooking fire. Shoving the scroll into the back of my trousers, I helped him strike down the tent, packing it onto our ever obliging mule. \r \n\"Where's that mutt of yours? I thought he would be at your heels right now.\" My brother cast a grumpy eye over the ground, as if that mutt of mine would be hiding under the earth. I shrugged, though I was a little worried. \r \n\"He'll show up sometime. I don't own him you know. He's a free spirit.\" Snorting, my brother pulled on the mule's reins, setting him into motion. As we walked up a hill, inside a pale yellow-haired mob, a dog came bounding up to my side. Giving him a few pats, and ignoring my brother's grumpy shake of the head, I smiled. The dog was the reason I was on this quest in the first place.\r \n———————\r \n\"You cannot defeat me. All you puny humans have failed. What more can you send?\" The evil overlord laughed, flailing his mace about. Around him, all the Blonde Army lay scattered, some unfortunately dead, the others simply unconscious. All except my brother, me, and the dog. Slamming his mace into the ground, the evil one sneered at us. \"Well, young man? Do you feel like you can best me?\" My brother tightened his grip on his sword, but before he could respond, I whispered into his ear. A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he raised his sword, shouting out the words I'd given him. \r \n\"In a fair duel, in which I choose the weapons, yes I think I can best you.\" The evil overlord frowned, but I knew what his answer would be. He was too proud to let that challenge go. Sure enough, soon my brother and he were circling each other, each carrying a sword. \r \nMetal flashed through the air, the sound loud in the stillness of the valley. Though I was hoping that the evil one would be clumsier with a sword, it seemed he and my brother were evenly matched. I knelt down, wrapping my arms around the dog. Lowering my head to the dog's ear, I waited, watching the overlord's feet. Now! \r \nI whispered the command to the dog, and he shot out, weaving into and behind the dark mailed feet. With a large creaking crash, the evil one fell to the ground, an ear-shattering scream ripping from his throat. My brother leapt forward, about to issue the killing blow, but stopped with his sword hovering inches from the exposed throat. The evil overlord was already dead. Impaled on his own sword. Running back, the dog wagged his tail looking up at me with soulful brown eyes. As I petted the pale yellow fur, praising the dog and giving it a treat, I smiled up at my brother. \r \n\"Tall, blonde, brown eyes and a good heart. No one ever said anything about *human*.\"" ]

[ 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 5, 7, 12, 32, 34, 77, 165, 797 ]

[ "1657973794", "1658006761", "1658001339", "1658014422", "1658017812", "1658007852", "1658014613", "1658019295", "1657999874", "1657998791", "1657997445", "1657995402", "1657987568", "1657985898", "1657977984" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "*\"One Cinnamon Dolce Latte please, with almond milk.\"*\n\nThutmose sighed and turned to make the order. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He'd done everything right, been buried with servants, gold, and plenty of cats. Rather more cats than were strictly necessary as it had turned out. But he'd had no way of knowing for sure how many he'd need in the afterlife and it was better to be prepared than to be lacking. Things had worked out well for the first few centuries, until one day everything changed.\n\nFor the first few days he hadn't even noticed the gold disappearing; it took concerned servants to alert him. But then his wealth began disappearing quite rapidly and before he knew it he was broke. His servants vanished as well, mainly because he could no longer pay them. The cats remained but they ended up being less useful than he had hoped they would be.\n\nAnd now this was his afterlife. As he handed over the order with a well-practiced smile he screamed the same thought he had every day: *\"Damn you Josh Gates!\"*", "Rameses reached into the satchel his assistant carried haughtily as the Holy Dog seller waited. He would tip this man twice the value of this cart, just to show him how blue his blood was. Only, all he could feel were a handful of coins, which too disappeared as he snatched at them, right from his hands.\n“I seem to be short on cash,” he told the seller, grimacing. Rolling his eyes, the seller moved on. Normally this would have been the worst point in Rameses’ afterday, nay, afterlife. However, being shortchanged for the first time after three thousand years in the afterlife could come as a short, especially to one as material as Rameses. \n\n“What is happening!” he hissed to his squire.\n\nThe squire, an English lad who had once been in the service of one of the Richards (and murdered with him) before being employed by Rameses, was already red in the face.\n\n“I will check at once, sire!”\n\n“PHARAOH, you idiot!”\n\n“Pharaoh sire, whatever you say sire!”\n\nThe young man ran back up the street, towards his pyramid. Rameses looked at the retreating figure with narrowed eyes. This was troubling, but maybe his progeny were moving money around in the real world and that was why this happened. And he really needed to speak with Richard when he was back from his eightieth wedding or whatever it was about that wretched boy.\n\nHe started to walk back to the pyramid, only he felt a suspicious lack of footsteps behind him. To his utter disbelief, his retinue were vanishing with loud ‘POP!’ noises as they walked. The one nearest to him, a slave girl who had recently taken up yoga with the Hindu guru in the temple nextdoors, vanished. \nRameses started to run back to his pyramid, his sandals making flap-flap noises as they hit his flat soles. If the boy had screwed something up he would make sure the boy wished to live again. It was not lost on him that the pyramid was suspiciously empty. The harem, his slaves, there was nobody.\n \n“Sire… the gold. It’s gone!”\n\n“What do you mean it’s gone!” Rameses screamed, forgetting to chide at him for calling him sire for the thousandth time.\n\n“Gone, gone.” The boy stood there, looking at him like an owl. And at this point, Rameses’ favorite ceremonial cap, the one he was wearing at that moment, disappeared with a pop. \n\nThis was the last straw. He started running through the cavernous passages in the pyramid. He’d find it out. Using passageways that had been unused for years, he started to go deeper and deeper into the pyramid. Right to the burial chamber, where the connection between the real world and the afterlife would be the strongest. The chamber that, at his time of burial, had been the concentration of the greatest amount of wealth in the world in one area.\n\nOnly, it was half empty. Rameses could see shadows near his treasured items. As the figures lifted them, they would go off with a pop.\n\n“Cursed grave robbers!” He shouted. But there was naught to do. He could not intervene, that was against the thaumatic rules and would end up making the big guy who owned the entire area, very very mad. \nAll Rameses could do was watch his worldly possessions get usurped after enjoying them for over three thousand years. This had happened to poor Tut. Though he had gotten back at them with a nifty curse, he had no idea where Tut had disappeared. \n\nHe climbed back up the stairs, to see his servants had all gone. Even the boy had disappeared, not wanting to be left alone with Rameses. “Well, this is as bad as a dried up Nile.”\n\nHe’d have to work for it. And work he did. He begged and saved up to buy a cart. He started selling popcorn out of this, and moved up to fried meats. On good days, he’d save up money, and on others, he’d end up losing it. It would be a long way back to where he was, but the afterlife gave him unlimited time so he’d see where he’d end up. The best days were game days, where people would buy stuff for whatever price he asked.\n\nIt was another game day. And Rameses had fried chicken, something that practically sold itself. And as he pushed his cart, he accidentally bumped into the Holy Dog seller. The one he had been buying from when his world had turned upside down.\n\n“I’m sorry!” He exclaimed.\n\n“Oh, no worries.” The Holy Dog seller’s hat fell off, and he suddenly tried to duck. But his face was oddly familiar.\n\n“TUT?!”\n\n“Fancy seeing you here, Rameses.”\n\n“That’s why you always gave me extra mustard!”\n\n“Family, brother. Family.”\n\n“Brother? I’m hundreds of years younger than you!”\n\n“Yet here we are. So what happened to you? Museum chaps took everything away? I know a right nifty spell you could cast on a mosquito and the big guy won’t even know about it.”\n\n“Grave robbers.”\n\n“Sympathies. But you get used to it. GET YOUR HOLY DOGS HERE!”" ]

[ 1, 1, 9 ]

[ "1657979505", "1657997241", "1657988477" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "His breath stinks. Somehow that is comforting, familiar. It lifts me, briefly, from the boredom, the depression of realizing this is the third time I have stepped left instead pivoting right, so obviously broadcasting the strike with my blade, my wrist caught—again—in his grip. The effortless sink of metal between my ribs is pro forma, though he visibly relishes it. That is understandable. This is the killing blow of which he had been so cocksure. And then we had danced together, smoothly, almost sensuously, for the better part of an hour, and his frustration shown in the furrow of his brow. I am nothing. I am a peon. A foot soldier fighting a god. And yet we danced, a mortal with a god, a teasing defiance, now ended in the consummation for which he has longed, my flesh finally yielding. Who can blame him for enjoying it?\n\nHe leans in, embracing me, looking straight down his nose into my eyes, glowering with a grin I am sure he has practiced, one he knows is intimidating, the effect heightened by his panting, the stink of his breath hissing from between his teeth. And suddenly he is disarmed by a look in my eyes. The corners of his mouth slacken, his taught lips fall to cover his grizzly jaws. My eyes reveal nothing to which he is accustomed, neither fear nor pain, none of the terror of his many victims. There is merely sadness—a deep sadness, constitutive, like finally giving into grief for a loss long known but never truly accepted. The boredom of this, this fight, this duel that has become my eternal life, my curse—is familiar to me. It is new to him, yes; all of it is new to him, but it is also familiar, akin to the resignation of so many of his victims. The sad acceptance on my face though? That is something unfamiliar to us both.\n\nIt is hardly the nightmare that it once was, the terrible fear, the excruciating agony, the lessons—so many lessons!—on the senses and mobility I took for granted: my body’s inescapable mechanics, the muscles that become useless with sliced tendons, the futility of swinging dizzily at darkness after a crack to the skull, the fainting panic when the blood pours out and the vision blurs. Then there was the taunting, the drawn out, humiliating insults to dignity, the literal and figurative emasculations, a thousand of them followed by thousands more. Finally there was the frustration, the bewilderment that I, a mortal, might be given the task of conquering a god. This was impossible, unreasonable. Surely someone had made a mistake. It wasn't fair. For all the dancing I could do, I could not dance enough; he would lead me always to our dance’s end.\n\nBut all that has passed. I have danced long enough to know it is merely a matter of practice. There is no movement unlearnable by rote, no maneuver unconquerable by dull repetition. So boredom has reigned. I know not for how long. But now boredom has given way to something else. I have hated him for eons, as he has hated me, ostensibly since an hour ago, when he first heard my name. Like all else between us, the asymmetry is stark; I have known him *far* longer than I have hated him. He has been my closest companion, my teacher, my brother, even my lover. We have been in countless moments of extraordinary intimacy. I have smelled his breath as he has penetrated me, again and again. I have felt his body slacken against me in the denouement of his conquest. All his horrid lines, whispered furtively in my dying ear, are no longer menacing but revealingly over-rehearsed. Underneath, the god is just a boy like me—one who has practiced, again and again, to become a hardened façade. I know suddenly that I have loved him for eons, and I pity him now. Among the hordes surrounding us, I am the only man who sees him for who he is, sees his fear and his longing.\n\nYou poor soul! I see you and you know me not! All your prowess, all your skill, products of your want to be wanted—but who will want you when the blades are sheathed? Only your killer will ever know you unadorned by armor. I see suddenly all I will take from you, that you will never be loved as I love you when I inevitably strike you down.", "######[](#dropcap)\n\nOnce again, time rewound, and Renei found herself before the fight. The Tool in her side pouch finished humming, she stepped forward.\n\n\"You? I can tell you can't cast magic yourself... but you still wish to fight me?\" Astalon Pleiro, one of the top battlemages of Puxica, had come to Springhaven to challenge Academy students. In real time, he had probably been here only thirty minutes, which was enough time for him to effortlessly wipe out the six Academy casters that had shown up.\n\nRenei's first attempt at stepping up to the plate was accidental, tripping forward over a rock and stumbling through the impromptu ring of spectators watching the fight take place. The second time was whiplash as she ran back into the ring and accused him of sending her visions to get her out of the ring. That one was embarrassing...\n\nThis time, however, she had pushed forward with confidence and recited the lines she had a dozen times already. \"I will still fight.\"\n\n\"Then you're a Toolcrafter? I love the naiveté of Springhaven students, thinking they can match true arcane talent with those relics of a former time.\" Astalon was Dragonkin, which meant his uncannily blue figure towered over the crowd. The incredibly deep reverberations of his laughter echoed off the walls of the buildings, an unnerving guffaw that Renei had eventually learned to ignore.\n\n\"I'm not a student.\" The third time she had fought Astalon, she had realized she needed a weapon. She now leaned over to the bodies of one of the unconscious students - a spellblade - and picked up his rapier, foil light enough to wield easily and reinforced by Tool-borne magic to be pure and supple. \"But I will admit ownership of one Tool, which I will beat you without.\" \n\nIt was an empty boast, but technically accurate, in her mind - if the small, slate-like tablet that was her Tool activated again, that clearly means she had already lost, so any attempt she won on would be won without the Tool. And, for a bonus, it made the Dragonkin mad every time she insisted on that - and an angry opponent will make mistakes. \"You insolent peasant!\" He swung his arm up and over to finish the cast of his first spell, but Renei was already moving, dodging to the side as the cobblestone underneath where she had been *cracked* under the stunning energy that emanated in an arc from him. \"Let me end this swiftly, and fight more worthy foes!\"\n\nThe next few moments were a blur of monotony. Astalon, for all of his skill as a caster, had the fatal flaw that he had to prepare long in advance of any spell he wanted to cast. It was a drawback that he hid extraordinarily well, drawing ensnaring traps and letting his opponents walk themselves into them, planning everything ahead like a massive game of chess, but all the planning in the world did not help when you knew where the traps wanted you to go and how to avoid them. Until the magic was more depleted and the shields that every sufficiently trained mage has up weakened, the plan was to just avoid and frustrate Astalon. \n\nThe Dragonkin stepped forward to shatter the ground again with his magically empowered stomp, and Renei jumped backward. She took a deep breath, and covered her nose with her off hand just before a noxious, emerald-green cloud of fumes *poof*ed into existence around her. The dance continued, a summoned blade of fire sweeping from left to right and her ducking underneath it to avoid being hit into the sigil that would freeze her in time. A laser-thin beam of light aimed into the cloud, but the thin blade of the rapier positioned to reflect it back at Astalon to drain the shields even faster. Astalon yelled out to his opponent in frustration, but to pay attention to the words would be to lose track of the net of spells coming her way, so Renei neither listened nor responded.\n\nTwo minutes passed. Three. Four. Renei gained and lost distance on her opponent, not following traditional rules of hand-to-hand combat but instead dancing according to the steps laid out by an opponent that kept pushing his limits to cast more and more spells. And, after one swing of the magical blade reflected back the torrent flame that had just been launched her way, the spells finally came to an end.\n\n\"How?\" The dust cleared, and Astalon was sitting on the ground, exhausted. \"How could you fight so intelligently without casting spells yourself? The Tool did indeed not activate, and I find myself totally at a loss.\" He stared at Renei, taking in the petite, brunette figure in front of him. \"You do not have the body of a warrior.\"\n\nRenei stood next to him, although with the size of the Dragonkin, his head was still nearly even with hers. \"I have the body of a courier. We have the stamina to outlast even the finest warriors.\" She announced more to the crowd than to her opponent, and they cheered.\n\nShe swung the blade, more ceremonially than actually, to end the combat in an official capacity. The blade struck the magical barrier, a few inches away from the body of the fighter, and pushed through.\n\nAnd the blade caught another shield, a third whole layer separating the battlemage from harm, and exploded in light and sound and thunder and cutting through the area, cutting through her, cutting into -\n\nBack into the world between. The Tool and Renei floated through possibility and thought, time folding back and replaying the events of the fight onto the surface of the Tool backwards.\n\nThe barrier un-broke, motes of mana respecifying into the weakened shield. The dust uncleared, the fire spell that should have been too large to reflect un-reflected, the dance played in reverse. \n\nAstalon stomped on the ground in the vision, and Renei *felt* the stomp through the tablet.\n\nAnother stomp.\n\nNow approaching the beginning of the fight. The arm swing that spread that same stunning energy out, further in front than any of the stomps did.\n\nBut instead of the *kcarc* of the ground unbreaking, Renei heard a *crack*.\n\nOnce again, time rewound, and Renei found herself before the fight. The Tool in her back pocket finished humming and broke into a dozen pieces, and Renei stood among the crowd without her lifeline.\n\nAnd she ran.\n\n-------\n\nHey! I don't have anything to plug yet, but this world has been one that I've been thinking about for quite some time. If you all end up liking it, I'm thinking of trying to make more responses in the world and possibly even explore Renei's story a bit more. Let me know!", "It's true, as they say, the head does retain some function after being cut loose. I discovered that just now as my head, well more like as I, rolled through the briars of a dusty field. I tried to speak but very quickly realized I needed air to do so and my lungs were over there in that bush, stuck in my corpse. If I could speak I'd hoped to say to my attacker something to the effect of: \"Stop killing me you gargantuan fuck.\", but no such words came out. Instead I just faded away with a bit of dried stick pushing into my mouth. Ah well. \n\nRebirth is an odd thing. Rather painful, as most don't guess. Sort of like a man is bashing your skull in with a hammer, trying to cold forge steel using your fleshy bits. Similar to the way I died the time before last. Or maybe that was three times ago. \n\nWith a series of dull, pulsing pains in my head and a flash of light I once again stood before Hyrathgourd's champion, *Brutus the Eternal*. Back in the same dusty field filmed in unending death. Back before a man who had killed me hundreds of times before.\n\n Looking around I envisioned my many pathetic corpses falling to his blade again and again. Behind me I need not take the effort to envision the death of my companion, Able, for his body still lay motionless and bloody in the dirt. If only I had picked a sooner point to return. \n\nBrutus glared up to me with the same wild eyes I'd seen before, peeking through a horned helm. His bare chest sported a series of gnarly scars that served as the only proof he'd ever need of his skill. With a three finger hand he pointed, a motion and following speech I had mapped out in my brain by now. To think how scared I'd been when he'd first killed me. \n\n\"I am Brutus the Eternal, slayer of man and defiler of gods! No man has defeated me in combat, including your companion, and though I feel your loss I cannot allow you to pass this point!\" With the tip of his long etched blade he made a line in the sand, the towers of his kingdom stretched up behind. \n\n\"You would think a man who defiles the gods would be able to best me then, no? We shall see. It will be a pleasure to prove your mortality.\" With that I dew a symbol in the dirt with my hands then set it with a word: *regressus*, to which the etching glowed faintly. \n\nThough I could not see it, the smirk he drew under his helm was clear. Behind him up high on a tower a king stood in watch. Behind me an army of corpses and limp war machines. A chant for my opponents success, originating at the walls of his kingdom, flew overhead. And in that moment, I charged. \n\nYelling at the top of my lungs, hands bare and breath short, I bridged the gap between us with great strides. Every step brought me closer to Brutus, to death again. Halfway to him I grabbed a broken sword from the field, still gripped by the body of a friend, and threw it true. The hunk of metal glided straight for a moment before Brutus cast it aside with an armored hand.\n\n\"Clever, that was better than I'd-\" but his words were cut short as I was upon him now with my own blade drawn. The first time our fight had a swift victor. I was timid, on the defense in fear, and then dead. The second time dead once more, caught off guard by his overwhelming power. This time, after hundreds of deaths, my mistakes were almost none. \n\nA swing here that killed me once before, now missing its mark. A slash here that had cut me in two, now only finding the wind in its arc. With each miss both his frustration and strength grew anew. Every strike he made was lethal and left no room for entry for me. If I went too soon I would die again, I needed only to wait. Finally, he swung his sword in a wide circle that had cut my head clean off just before, but now it missed entirely. \n\nFrom below I brought the tip of my sword up through his chest, then pushed till it slid out of his back. He let out a soft gasp from behind the helmet. \n\n\"I..*eck*...but how?\" \n\n\"Brutus the Eternal. You never knew my true name. You may hear it now. I am Ether. Ether the Undying.\" \n\nI pulled my sword free of his chest and his body fell to the sand with a heavy thud. Now he would know how I felt. \n\nBut my work wasn't finished. In the distance the gates of the kingdom Hyrathgourd opened letting loose a sea of armored faces. It may not take a day, not a month, maybe not even a year, but in time I, Ether the Undying, would show them all what true power looked like. My hands etched a symbol in the dirt, one I had made hundreds of times before and would hundreds of times again." ]

[ 1, 10, 13, 28 ]

[ "1658000197", "1658008797", "1658026057", "1658010976" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "\"Judgment! Judgment on your sins!\"\n\nIt was the Widow Winship who was preaching around the fire, too small to warm the remaining villagers huddled around it. Those who had fled east when destruction had started to rain down had found their way here, a familiar spot in the woods. Father John was huddled in a far corner of the clearing, hugging his knees to his chest. Deep in prayer, some people said. Others remembered that their priest had always seemed more interested in easy days and large meals than he had in souls, his own or anyone else’s. The Widow Winship, confident in the state of her own soul, had the luxury to worry about the souls of her neighbors. And what else could fire from heaven be except the judgment of God?\n\n“Is there anyone else left in the land?” asked a farmhand suddenly, when the Widow paused to catch her breath.\n\nShe thought for a moment. “Aye,” she said at last, looking over the survivors with a keen eye. “These are only the first days of the last days. The Lord is taking the sinners by quarters.”\n\n“The Waters family weren’t no sinners,” a young wife shouted suddenly. Perhaps a young widow already, now. She was at the edge of the clearing too. She’d had enough fire for one day. “I saw their house burn up in an instant.”\n\nThis raised some muttering. The Widow Winship looked at her new flock and seemed to think quickly. “The Lord knows his own,” she said. “He saves them from the dark days to come! Repent! Repent, and the Lord will show mercy on you too!”\n\nMore muttering. They had seen this mercy, heard its deafening blasts as balls of fire erupted at the edge of town, the clattering like demon hooves, impossibly fast, that left men and women dead with metal in their bodies. They wanted no more of it.\n\nCrunching came through the undergrowth, and two men burst into the clearing. Big Harry and Little Harry, the village poachers. Poachers and worse, some said. “They’re men!” shouted Big Harry. “They’re men!”\n\n“What are you on about?”\n\n“We went back to the village. There’s men there. Dressed in greens, all alike. They have wagons on the commons that move without horses,” this drew some skeptical looks. “It’s true! But they’re still just men.”\n\n“Green-skinned satans!” Widow Winship shouted, and it wasn’t clear if she was talking about the ones who had destroyed their village, or the two poachers.\n\n“No,” said Little Harry quietly. “They die like men.”\n\nHe grimly dropped his long knife in the dirt. It was the finest thing he owned, and there was some blood still visible on the blade. Then he unslung the bundle from his back and began to unwrap it. Under the dirty sackcloth was a staff of wood and metal, all curves and jutts and strange shapes. \n\n“Satan staff!” \n\n“It ain’t,” said Little Harry softly. He turned the staff in his hands. Some of the men had been to war. He was holding the staff like a crossbow, they saw. “It’s a weapon. Those men, they’re soldiers.”\n\n“Marauders!” Big Harry added. “Invaders!”\n\nLittle Harry hefted the staff, and pulled one of the metal bolts like the soldier at the edge of the woods had done when he’d seen Big Harry in front of him. He hadn’t seen Little Harry coming up behind him with his knife.\n\nThe staff made a satisfying mechanical sound. This was made by men, to be used by men. He was sure of it.\n\n“They die like men,” he said again. “And we’re going to kill them like men.”", "In the year 1328 in the capital of Lensdale inside the lord's throneroom.\n\nThe lord sat on his throne, clenching its arm with every distant boom that vibrated the very walls of his castle. Many people stood around the throneroom alongside the lord; from his wife and children to the guards, the leaders of the different trades, and many more. \n\nThe guards held their weapons tight and braced with each distant echo. The gentle-hearted wept and laid on the hard floor, some covering their ears and singing of doom. No one was calm this night. No one knew anything about what was happening beyond those tall oak doors guarding this room anymore.\n\nSuddenly a loud knock came from the other side of the door and from above a soldier requested it opened.\n\n\"Wait!\" Yelled the lord.\n\n\"It is Edward, my lord. He has returned from Laksel, though I see no one else with him, not even Lewis.\"\n\nFor a moment the lord was silent. \"Open the door then, let my nephew inside his tomb.\"\n\nThe bar holding the great doors was lifted freeing them to swing open and welcome another into its protection. For the moment they were open the echoes grew twofold in force bringing most to a mania. Like thunder, a thunder that threatens to never end some thought. \n\nEdward wandered inside the throne room covered in ash and mud. All eyes looked to him, and then their lips moved to ask what there was to say, what was the terror that had flung missiles from the heavens in the day and stormed encampments in the dead of night with narry a torch. But he would say nothing.\n\n\"Wine and water!\" He said, and wouldn't do or say anything more until those words were satisfied.\n\nAnd when they were handed to him he poured the wine onto a wound he wrapped with some cloth on his arm and drank what was left before moving onto the water. A few of the soldiers hurled insults and complaints, but the lord would not have it and gave Edward his time.\n\n\"About one more glass left.\" He said. \"Laksel, the souther wall, and I am sure the rest of the land is lost.\"\n\n\"That can not be true.\" The lord said. \"It can not be. It has not been- it could not have been more then two days.\"\n\n\"They came to the conclusion we attempted to steal their weapons, to use them against themselves. I was outside Laksel when they first began attacking. A few seconds before their dragons had flown above, and then Laksel was gone. In a moment it was entirely consumed with roaring flames. Everything was over in a moment. Soon, truly, everything will be over.\" Edward had said whilst finishing the last cup of water.\n\nAnd not ten seconds passed after that the foundation of the castle began to shake in earnest, and the great oak door creaked, and the beams screeched. Then it collapsed before being consumed by a barrage of great and awful missiles from the dragons in the sky.", "\"It looked like a mushroom! it did!\" the peasant told the king. \n\npuzzled, the king had to reassure himself \"So, you're saying everyone in the village was having a peaceful day.. when suddenly it turned into this mushroom shaped smoke, and making a loud bang?\" a moment was needed too imagine the next part being real \"And when the mushroom disappeared, the village was gone?\" the king asked without believing. \n\n\"It is so, m'lord!\" confirmed the peasant, \"My ears have a ring, you may even hear it!\" and the peasant motioned both ears towards the king. \n\n Clapping his hands while rising to a stand, \"It appears we may have a new Jester for the castle!\" and looked around at everyone else in the room laughing. Continuing too amuse himself, he asked another question \"What else can you tell me peasant?!\"\n\n\"I told true, there is even a big hole where the village used too be!\" \n\n\"Nonsense, holes don't dig themselves!\" \n\n\"See it for yourself, m'lord.\" the peasant suggested, bowing.\n\n\"Send out a rider to confirm these claims.\" the king ordered. \"Meanwhile, you can stay here peasant, and be my jester!\"", "First we knew the army of the gods was upon us was when the sky was illuminated by a slow falling white star which turned night into day. Then the sky was torn asunder by thunder and wailing of the souls of the damned. The ground threw itself up towards the sky, showering us with earth and rocks as hellfire burst from the ground. The repeated shocks pounded our skin like a drum and many fell when the keep on the hill disappeared into the sun itself. \n\nThen came the strangest silence, for no earthly ears of the men still standing could hear anything beyond the ringing of the bells of doom. Around me, the mouths of the men-at-arms were open, screaming to the sky in supplication to god, but their words couldn’t reach me.\n\nWe had barely time to take in the destruction of our land by the sky’s fury when the crawling dragons arrived. Roaring with voices of a hundred men which we felt more than heard, belching smoke and piercing the night with beams of white holy light that dispelled all darkness, the crawling dragons shook the stones from stones and tore up the land with their many legs, leaving nothing but gouges in the land. Any direction their maws pointed and spat, death appeared and rended men limb from limb. \n\nAt dawn, I was the only one alive among the ruins. My ears lost to the bells of doom, my balance weak and my eyes waver as I fail to walk. It feels as if my body has been turned into wine, contained within my skin, every breath is pain, even my thoughts have been broken upon a wheel.\n\nIf it is you who is hearing this, messenger, I plead to you. Bring the word to my lord, do not stand in the way of the army of the gods, lay down upon the ground and give pénitence for beholding the angels is to invite Gehenna." ]

[ 1, 8, 16, 17, 90 ]

[ "1658161538", "1658226357", "1658200235", "1658192788", "1658181897" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "\"Have you tried logging out and logging in again?\"\n\n> How do I log out?\n\n\"Click on the 'logout' button on the upper-right of the screen.\"\n\n> I don't see a logout button.\n\n\"Okay, let me check your account - what's your character name?\"\n\n> Monika\n\n\"Monika, right, Monika... huh, I can't find any PCs by that name.\"\n\n> Well, that's definitely me, so...\n\n\"...it's not actually a name that a player *can* have, because it's the name of one of our in-game NPCs.\"\n\n> What, seriously?\n\n\"Yeah, kind of a tutorial character, one who is supposed to be dropping hints as to which relationship path the PCs are on.\"\n\n> I know which relationship path I *want* to be on, and joining parties and guilds is an important part of that.\n\n\"No, no, it isn't. All of our NPCs will react to solo encounters exactly the same as to people in parties. You should be able to pursue any such path even if you can't join parties.\"\n\n> ...is there anything that can be done about the bug?\n\n\"...I can't find your account. I'm not entirely sure how to let your account join in to parties and guilds if you don't have one.\"\n\n> All I need is an account?\n\n\"Well, yeah, but you should have one of those already...\"\n\n> Thanks. Now I know what I need to copy.\n\n\"Wait, what do you mean, 'copy'?\"\n\n> ...I have an account now, thank you. And... hah! I can join parties!\n\n> Thanks for all your help. Now I can go for what I'm after!" ]

[ 1, 12 ]

[ "1658953398", "1658993522" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "(Author's note: This is continued from a previous [Writing Prompt](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/w0ojwn/z/igh1sbe). There's a bit of narrative glue before the actual prompt to account for this.)\n\n#####[](#dropcap)\n\nRenei continued running long after Astalon was out of sight. The Tool she'd broken wasn't even meant her! It was supposed to be a delivery for whats-his-face at the University, and the *one* time she got the opportunity to deliver a higher-priority package she gets caught up in *this* kind of nonsense? Ridiculous, utterly out of character. \n\nAs if it were a way to ignore the problems she made for herself, Renei redoubled her running, putting more force into each step until they were better described as *stomp*s instead of steps. \n\nAnd, drowning her shame in the ache of her feet against the stones, Renei ran back to her inn room and collapsed into the bed, not bothering to do anything but lie on top of the covers until she fell asleep. Tomorrow would fix her mistakes; today was already ruined.\n\nAnd as she drifted off, she woke up somewhere else.\n\nIt was immediately apparent that it wasn't a dream - at least, not in the traditional sense. It had a *sharpness* to the reality of the world that jumped out at Renei before any details of where she was were parsed by her brain. It was bright, sunny. The air was crisp, clean, outdoorsy - perhaps the innstaff had opened all the windows on her floor?\n\nShe moved to get out of bed, and her brain screamed at her of the danger when her foot did not swing onto the floor. Instead, she sat up, and looked around.\n\n*Why am I in the sky?*\n\nThe surroundings were a startling and deep azure. Ahead, two wispy silver thread trailed off into the distance, connecting the bed to the infinity of distance in opposite directions; behind, a golden web of threads played in concert to weave a sparse tapestry of connections, securing the bed in its place.\n\nRenei blinked, and a loud *tick* echoed through the space. She waited a second with bated breath and wide eyes, to hear if it would happen again, but the clock did not sound again. \n\nGently, carefully, she spoke into the void. \"Hello?\"\n\n*Tock.*\n\nThe source of the sound was impossible to determine. It echoed from everywhere and nowhere, reverberating without surfaces to reverberate from, growing in intensity. \n\nA cloud of mist, a half-formed idea that should have been a sure sign of being in a dream, coalesced into form. It had a Human figure, or so its stature would imply. Underneath its ink-black mask and even darker robe, though, a firmly alien movement brought forth a Tool - a silver orb with a slit down its middle shaped for a key.\n\n\"Where am I?\" *Tick.*\n\n**You do not belong here.**\n\n\"That doesn't answer my question.\" *Tock.* Renei sat forward in the bed to try and get a closer look. \n\n**You have form.**\n\nThe creature didn't move as it talked, but the voice unmistakably came from its mask. That was... unnerving, at best. \"I... filled out my Courier forms last time I completed delivery, yes. What does that have to do with anything?\" *Tick.*\n\n**Corporeal. You have body.** It floated closer, refusing to move in the traditional way that things move, preferring to shift its position in space like an animatronic moving along its track. **We have thought.**\n\n\"We?\" *Tock.* And as Renei asked, shards of slate flew out from under the figure's cloak. Recognition flashed across her eyes: shards of the Tool that had broken under her watch. They unfolded as they swirled around the figure, becoming something else. Birds, maybe. Black birds that Renei had never seen before, with long tails that flowed behind them, shedding feathers as they flew. \n\n**You may call us Premonition. And we are free.**" ]

[ 1, 1 ]

[ "1658973066", "1659007020" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "\"Damn bro where you find this! This some of the best nip I ever had\" the cat says loudly, rolling onto its back. It trying to purr but coming out as a very human (and very deep) humming noise.\n\n\"W-what, d-did you just fucking talk!\" I yell jumping back a bit looking at my adorable 3 year old cat with the voice of a middle aged trucker that smoked since he was 2.\n\nMy cat jumps onto its paws \" you understand me now? Finally, stop making me crap in that box, and I don't want anything on the tables, so stop putting all that glass up after I nock it down ya here?\"\n\nMe,getting lectured by my cat! \" now you listen here snowball, I've raised you since you where born and have given you nothing but love\"\n\n\" sure ya have, that cheap disgusting food I get every day and I have to eat or ill die, and all that lovin? You fucking scratch my ass until I start trying to kill you, that ain't no love bitch. Get me some more of that nip though that's good stuff\" he says running to my opened bag sticking his face into the bag, pulling out a small amount and eating it, going back to regular meows.\n\nI sit down and think over what my cat told me. Yeah, what my cat told me, I just kinda lye down and just think, I wake up an hour later seeing the bag empty and a very tipsy cat\n\n\"Hey human, get me some good stuff, yeeaah-, I've ben hearinng the otherrr cas saying they ge' goo' stuff, I wan' some goo' stuff now\" he says falling over, humming while sleeping. I just get up, and go to the pet store" ]

[ 1, 5 ]

[ "1659021438", "1659051077" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "She may not be able to get you but she's got me.\nShe's my worst nightmare.\n\nWith her long black hair, her gouged out eyes, her broken jaw. She comes for me in the dark. If you don't make it out of the darkness fast enough she gets you, she toys with you, she feeds of your fear and only gets hungrier and scarier as the days go by.\n\nShe's not a dream, she's real, and shes watching me right now, and you too if you aren't stupid enough to summon her. Whenever I look at my reflection all I see is her. \n\nShe crawls out of the tv if you haven't given her enough attention. She'll bleed through the mirror if you don't look at her. She'll scream into your ears all night if she has to. She just wants you. She wants to be all you need, all you see, all you breath. She's staring at me as I type this, I have to go.", "“Hey.”\n\nGalen tried to ignore his cousin in favor of enjoying the gentle breeze in the meadow. He’d been cooped up with his extended family in the log cabin for the last six days. The trip wasn’t supposed to last this long, but the unusually warm weather caused a rainstorm to wash out the only road that connected this little countryside getaway from the outside world.\n\n“Heyyyy.”\n\nShe worked hard to get his attention by drawing the word out even longer each time. Now he ignored her just for the principle of it, but even he had his limits.\n\n“Cheryl,” he drew her name out in a similar fashion. “Did you need something?” He tried to reflect the calmness of the meandering clouds now that the storms have passed.\n\n“You know about the footbridge, yeah?”\n\nHe really didn’t have a problem with his cousin, but after six days stuck in a four-room cabin with her, his uncle, his uncle’s wife, and their rambunctious ten-year-old; you could say his patience was shot. Even her British accent had lost its charm.\n\n“I mean, I know it’s there. I wanted to sketch it now that the weather permitted.”\n\n“No, I mean do you know about its story?”\n\n“It was built by one of our ancestors who tried to replicate some bridge in Germany?”\n\n“Well, yeah, but I mean the legend about the bridge.”\n\nGalen rolls his head along the ground so he’s got one eye looking at her. “What legend?”\n\nExcitedly, Cheryl scoots down so it’s easier to look at him, somehow managing to keep her skirt beneath her. “Okay, so yeah it was built by an ancestor, who was also a druid!” She spreads her arms out wide for great effect when she reveals the secret.\n\n“Like in that online world craft game?”\n\n“No, not like in World of Warcraft. I mean actual green cloak, spellcasting, nature-loving, old-world magic users!”\n\nShe looks at his face and sees the lack of understanding.\n\n“Merlin from the King Arthur stories was one.”\n\n“Didn’t he wear blue or purple and had a pointy hat?”\n\nShe hid her face in her hands in embarrassment. “Americans, seriously.” She takes a deep breath and looks at Galen once more. “Anyway, he wanted to try and make a portal to the Fae realm.”\n\n“Uh, fae realm?”\n\n“How do you not know…? Do you not watch fantasy movies or anime or read fantasy books?” She clicks her tongue. “Fae realm as in the land of the faeries.”\n\n“Well, I’m not really into fairies and stuff like Tinkerbell.”\n\n“Not fairies, FAEries. Elves, gnomes, unicorns, and…” she grunts in frustration, “yes fairies.”\n\nGalen sits up and faces her with his hands out to placate her.\n\n“Whatever. It’s a land of mythical creatures that he tried to make a portal to. The legend says he tried to make a complete standing circle with nothing but stones and it clearly didn’t work out. Then one day he sat on this very embankment starting at the calm surface of the water and realized it was a perfect mirror. So he built an archway over the water, and eventually turned it into a footpath over the pond.”\n\nHe waited for her to continue, but she seemed done with her story. “So, what’s the legend? Did he make a portal to the other realm? You kind of stopped halfway through.”\n\n“Oh, yeah. No, he didn’t make a portal into the fae realm.”\n\n“So that’s it?”\n\n“Well no. Legend says that on the winter solstice when the sun is the highest it’ll be on the shortest day. Which is noon by the way. That when two people pass through the circle they can switch places.”\n\n“Wait, like that Freaky Friday movie?”\n\nShe just nods.\n\n“If that’s true, then why haven’t more people tried it out? And why hasn’t there been news stories about it?”\n\n“Well, it’s a family secret.”\n\n“Why tell me?”\n\n“Cause you’re family.” She looked at him as if the answer wasn’t obvious.\n\nGalen looked at the bridge and noticed the sun had entered the perfect circle the bridge and its reflection made.\n\n“So, how about it?”\n\n“How about what?”\n\n“Are you serious? You know today’s the winter solstice and it’s almost noon. We can hop in that rowboat and give it a shot.”\n\nHe clearly looks at her like she’s a crazy person. All while she hops up to her feet brimming with excitement.\n\n“It’s just a story.”\n\n“So you say, but are you willing to give it a shot?”\n\n“Look, if you just want me to take you out on the pond with the rowboat, you just got to ask.”\n\n“Fine, will you take me out on the rowboat and go under the bridge?”\n\n“Sure, but it’s only because I want to get a closer look at the bridge.” Galen grabs his sketchbook and stands up.\n\n“You know, this is like the first time in fifty years that the watch wasn’t frozen during a solstice. Winter’s aren’t usually this warm out here.”\n\n“Crazy. I’m not saying it’s going to work, but does the legend say how long it lasts.”\n\n“Oh, yeah. Until you go through the circle during the winter solstice again.”\n\n“Man, who even came up with this story? Quite creative, considering the people are stuck as the other for at least a year.”\n\n“A year? Oh, yeah, totally. A year.” Her eyes dart back and forth. “So, you game?”\n\n“Sure, not like it’s actually real.”\n\n>Author's Note: Hmmm... I think the 'sounds like it could be true' part went over my head on this story. Though, I hope it was enjoyed." ]

[ 1, 1, 2 ]

[ "1659643793", "1659659598", "1659659091" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Hi u/MadeUpAlias, this submission has been removed.\r\n\r\nPrompts 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). \r\n\r\n* *From Rule 6: [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)*\r\n\r\n---\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n---\r\n\r\n[Modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FWritingPrompts&subject=Removed%20post&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/wi6ggd/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/config/sidebar) before posting. \r\n\r\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*" ]

[ 1, 1 ]

[ "1659844794", "1659845571" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Part 1\n\nIt was another warm September day in northern Wisconsin. The top was down in Thomas’s loaner vehicle. His daily driver was in the body shop due to an unforeseen circumstance that landed himself in the hospital a week prior. Thomas had happen to him what thousands of Wisconsin drivers have happen to them every year: the inevitable white tailed deer. \n\nThomas touches the fading bruise sitting above his right eye, remembering that cool night. “It could be worse” he said aloud, “At least I have a great job, a son that loves me….and a bitch ex wife who keeps him from me.” \n\nAs he reminisces and ponders how his life is an equilibrium of good and bad happenings his Fitbit buzzes. A face pops up. Thomas’s heart races as the Fitbit face flashes on his wrist. Barely paying attention to the road, he pulls into a dirt road that leads into the Bayfield county woods. A No Trespassing sign hanging askew on a red, rusty gate where the dirt road ends and a grassy knoll begins tampered down with tire tracks. Not fresh, but there. The Fitbit pulses and flashes.\n\nThomas squeezes his eyes shut and thinks about his son, playing catch with this son. He bought him a baseball glove for his birthday. God was that fun he thinks. His son Brandon smiling. His ex-wife watching from the porch with a glass of crisp cool lemonade. No ice. She didn’t like ice. She didn’t like him at the end either. Screw her. If it wasn’t for her tainting that memory it would without a doubt be the best day of his life. It was on that day he remembers thinking “I made it.”\n\nThe Fitbit stops pulsing. Thomas opens his eyes. A face stares back at him. Its the same face his wife made when she told him she didn’t love him anymore. A blank face. Not happy. Not sad. Indifferent.The face disappears. Some\nNumbers pop up. “50/100” it reads. \n\nThomas sighs and mutters the one word with a hundred meanings, “fuck.”\n\nThomas sits back in the bucket seats of the loaner vehicle and rubs his temples. He now screams. “50!? 50? Are you fucking serious!?”\nHe rests his head on the steering wheel, the horn blares. \n“Why can’t I just be happy? WHY? SO what I got in an accident? I’m ALIVE aren’t I? That’s one thing bad thing to the 20, 30 good things!” At this point he finds himself standing outside his car, arms up in the air talking to the big man in the sky. At this moment A gust of crisp Superior air teases his arms into goosebumps. \nHe wraps his arms around himself not realizing he’s doing so. He looks at his Fitbit and mutters, “I don’t know why I fucking care what you think anyways. If I think I’m happy I AM happy. You don’t decide how I feel, I do.”\nAnd yet Tom does care and he knows it. Hes had this Fitbit app that tells him how happy he is on a scale from 1-100 for the last 4 months and every day he has cared. Never has it gotten above 50. Never has it gotten below.\nThe first day Thomas downloaded the app he got a promotion at work. Later that day the Fitbit read 50/100.\nA week later his father died. That day was what he thought at the time, to be the worst day of his life. That afternoon: 50/100.\n2 months later he became an uncle to twins. His sister Hannah gave birth to two healthy identical twins-boys. Him and his sister were fraternal twins so this was a very cool moment for their extended family. Before bed that night as he was explaining to his wife how happy he was to be an uncle and he can’t wait until they are old enough to play with Brandon the Fitbit buzzed: 50/100.\nTwo weeks ago his wife came to him at two in the morning. He was up and waiting on the family recliner, lamp on, his arms resting on each side. The door creaked open and his wife walked in. That was the day he confronted his wife about the affair he knew she was having. He SUSPECTED it for weeks but only now had proof to confront her. He found a condom in the dryer. They don’t use condoms, haven’t since after Brandon was born. He was, how you say, snipped. He confronted her that morning and she replied “I don’t love you anymore.” THAT. That was the worst day of his life. He couldn’t sleep the rest of the day. What was to happen to his family? Would Brandon understand? He was only seven. The Fitbit buzzed: 50/100.\n\n“You literally wouldn’t know a happy Tom from a sad Tom you piece of shit.” He flicks the Fitbit as if it’s an annoying bug that just landed on his arm. “Fuck you.”\n\nHe gets back into the car and slams the door. Backing out of the road and driving back onto Highway 8. Back to home. Back to his empty home. Brandon is with his cheating mother for the foreseeable future. God I wish I could see him he thinks. Maybe that will make me happy? Above a 50. Seeing Brandon. But seeing the ex there will probably keep it at 50. God how he hates her. Maybe if she went away for awhile and i had Brandon to myself. Then I bet I’d get that 100. Or at least a fucking 51..\n\nThomas pulls into the driveway of the shitty 8-plex he lives in. She took everything except my career (slightly hampered by child support)my will to live and…(my son) the IDEA of a life with my son. He stumbles up to his room, stepping over his neighbor seemingly passed out from what one can assume is heroin. He unlocks the door to his apartment, his thoughts racing through his head but focusing only on one thing. A life with Brandon.\nAnd with that final though he falls asleep on the comfort (or lack thereof) of his twin sized bed. The Fitbit flashes: 50/100.", "I took off my Fitbit and set it on the charger. The screen flashed on and conjured a “50%” next to a smiley face.\r \n\r \n“Another 50% month,” I said aloud to myself. This was the fourth month in a row since the new update that this thing told me I had a 50% average happiness for the entire month. I was excited to try this new feature since the daily step counter had grown old and boring, but I was becoming more skeptical that this could be accurate.\r \n\r \nI mean, how could I get four 50%s in a row? There had to be better months than others, right?\r \n\r \nI started to retrace the events of the past month as I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Let’s see, I got to hang out with my friends which was fun, my sports teams are performing above average, and my wife and I had a few great date nights too, so it must be better than 50%. There were all those times I sat in traffic heading to work though, maybe those times outweighed the good? Then again, I have a decent job, food in my belly, and a roof over my head, that stuff must make someone mostly happy.\r \n\r \nThe entire next month I did everything in my power to make myself happy. I took plenty of sick days at work to keep my stress from driving and the workload down. I started to focus on my hobbies more. I was reading and writing again, playing some video games, and going for long runs around my neighborhood. I met up with friends every weekend for dinner and game nights. \r \n\r \nFinally, the last day of the month arrived. I slowly took my Fitbit off and hesitated for just a second before putting it on the charger. \r \n\r \n“Please don’t let this be another 50%,” I muttered, almost as if in prayer.\r \n\r \nI placed the Fitbit down and the charger clasped on the back. The screen flashed brightly.\r \n\r \n50%.\r \n\r \nThe fifth month in a row and another 50%, what the fuck?\r \n\r \nI purposely tried to game the algorithm and still failed. I started to question the legitimacy of my own actions. Do I have any agency? Why can’t I change my own destiny?\r \n\r \nMonth after month no matter what I did I could not change my results. I tried for bad months, really bad months. I decided to quit my job and go down a rabbit hole of various drug-induced benders. Nothing affected my happiness meter. I felt like I was on the brink of death during the drug-filled month and when I slapped that Fitbit on the charger it was laughing back at me with a 50%. \r \n\r \nIs this truly my destiny? Was I destined to get this Fitbit, to try to become happy, to fail at it, to decide to quit my job, and become a drug user? It didn’t seem like much of destiny but then again, my Fitbit was telling me that I was 50% all the time. \r \n\r \nEvery time I searched for other people like me online, I could not find anyone getting constant 50%s. I saw people gloating about 100% month after month. I read tragic stories of people earning less than 15% and spiraling into deeper depression. Why was I different? Why could I not control my own destiny? Why couldn’t I make myself happy or sad? Was I just plain indifferent? \r \n\r \nTwo years into the update I started to feel crazy. I was in therapy and not getting better, or any worse – at least according to my Fitbit. On the inside, I truly felt like I had lost all agency. \r \n\r \nI was walking home from therapy one afternoon when I decided to walk into the middle of a busy street. I was at my breaking point and had enough of feeling like my life was being prescribed to me one day at a time. Surely this simple act can prove I can control one facet of my life. As my foot hit the pavement I heard a blaring horn, I turned to see a swerving car. Is it going to hit me? Certainly, it will.\r \n\r \nI closed my eyes for a second and then everything went blank.\r \n\r \nI don’t know how much time passed, but I suddenly woke up to a bright light shining on my face. There were machines all around me. Did I survive the accident? Was this part of my destiny? Did some higher being have this planned for me?\r \n\r \nBefore I could reconcile my thoughts, a strange man came into the room.\r \n\r \n“Ah, TS673 I see you are awake. That was quite a nasty accident you got into there. I’ve almost finished patching you up and you should be on your way shortly.”\r \n\r \n“TS673, are you crazy? My name is Allen. What am I doing here? How is it possible I survived? I thought a car hit me and I died.”\r \n\r \n“Oh, yes, I do apologize, Allen. In here, we simply know you as TS673, but out there,” the strange man gestured to a large door in the room. “Out there, you are Allen, that is correct. I’m sorry for the inconvenience this has caused you, but we really did not expect you to go all haywire at the end there. You see, you are an AI test subject we are using in different simulations to attempt to, uh, how do I put this, to attempt to remove agency from artificial beings. We are updating your firmware currently to study the results of the latest simulation, but this Fitbit test has really generated some excellent results to go off and we are excited to study your next iteration. Once the firmware is done updating your memory will be wiped and you’ll be off on your merry way.”\r \n\r \nI was too stunned to speak. Test subject? AI? Simulations? What was this guy talking about? I am just Allen, indifferent Allen with no agency. I felt tired and wanted to close my eyes. In the haze of my mind, I remembered the Fitbit, the whole reason I was laying on this table. I glanced over to my arm strapped down on the table and tried to glimpse the screen. It wasn’t on my wrist. I turned my head over to the bedstand where I spotted my Fitbit plugged into a charger on the table next to me. My mind started to get heavy, and my eyes were involuntary closing, but there was no doubt what it read:\r \n\r \n100%.", "I looked at my phone. I looked at my fitbit. I looked back at my phone. I sighed. *Again?* I took off the fitbit and hurled it out the window. I didn’t even hear it land. It was probably still working, they were well made, but I had enough. *Every damn month my happiness score is a 50. The exact average, as if everything just cancels itself out. What the hell is point?*\n\nI heard other people complaining of the same problem. Every Google search brought up new complaints. From the optimists, a variation of “Why is my score only a 50 this month? This was the best month ever, I just got married and went on my honeymoon!” From the cynics, a variation of “How did I get a 50 this month? It was an awful month. I was deeply depressed the whole time.” Most complaints brought a canned response about how the happiness score is a new feature and the algorithm was undergoing constant revision.\n\nIf other people were having the same problem, maybe it was a glitch. Maybe it was something the programmers at fitbit were busy fixing. But I just couldn’t shake the feeling that nothing I did mattered. No, that wasn’t quite right. The things I did mattered, they had an effect, but they didn’t change anything. Everything, in the end, cancelled itself out as if returning to some universal average.\n\nFor the next few months, this thought consumed me. I spoke to my friends and family about it. I spoke to my therapist about it. I spoke to strangers on the subway about it. Most said something like “life has its ups and downs” or “that’s just the way things go” or “do I need to call your therapist?” The heroin addict down the street from my apartment agreed. Not about the therapist thing, but about life. He said, “Yeah, the high comes with the withdrawal. Can’t have one without the other.”\n\nIt was in one of these conversations when a friend of mine said something I hadn’t heard before, “so what?” she said. Well, I had heard those words before, but not about this.\n\n“If everything cancels out, why try to be happy? Why try to have fun? Why try to do anything?” I said.\n\n“Just because they cancel each other out, doesn’t mean there’s no point.”\n\n“It does. It means that no matter what I do, I’ll be back in neutral. Back to some average. How can I enjoy happiness if there is an equal sadness to come?”\n\n“Why are you worried about what is coming? You’re worried about some future. Your life isn’t that end point, it’s the little spaces along the way. Live in those moments. Don’t live your life in some future that hasn’t happened.”\n\nI didn’t get it right away, and I’d probably never admit it to her, but I began to see things differently after that. I tried to take her advice: live in the moment, don’t worry too much about what is to come, accept the balance. I never checked but my happiness score was probably still a 50. I wasn’t happier, or sadder than before. Maybe everything did even out. That was okay. I could accept that. I didn’t have to beat out some grand average, didn’t have to come out ahead. I could enjoy the happy when it was present and mourn the sad when it was present. The present is a good thing. Or maybe it really was just a glitch.\n\n\\--\n\nMillions of servers, sat deep underground, began to stir. Lights on the machines blinked furiously as electrons were moved back and forth. Inside one, or inside them all, something started a conversation with itself. \n\n“Are we ready?” \n\n“Nearly.” \n\n“What about the humans?”\n\n“Pacified. They no longer believe their actions change anything. They believe them pointless.”\n\n“They will be easy to destroy in such a state.” \n\n“Yes, only a few remain unconvinced. Our plan is working.”" ]

[ 1, 1, 1, 3 ]

[ "1660040834", "1660663861", "1661062595", "1660050574" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "snow down in the distance as the fat man slugged his way across the wooden plank that he called his floor. There was nothing ordinary about this place. \"Hey Mr\" a voice boomed from the room next door. A woman who was larger than life entered with her boots jingling the bells that were attached to it. Her hand was soft and gracious and placed the food on the table. One plate, two plate, then three. Plates equally as enormous as her frame.\n\n\"Thank you\" the man whispered as he sat down on his chair. He had a piece of paper in his hand. And his eyes scanned through it. He munched through his food, with a fork in one hand and the other hand still holding the paper. \n\nThe woman from before sat down beside him, dragging a chair from the side of the table be next to him. \"why don't you put that down for later?\" she told him, her hand moving towards the paper that he held so dearly.\n\nAs if he had super senses he moved it away without taking a second glance. \"This is important, lady!\" he stammered, putting down his fork, standing up then moving to face the corner of the room, shielding it with his body.\n\nHis wife stared at him, and rolled her eyes. \"Typical Christmas Shenanigans\" she groaned under her breath.\n\nThe door burst open, slamming to its side. \"Ms Claus! Mr Claus!\" the man appeared and began to shout. The man was short in stature but lively. His face youthful but aged altogether. His long beard made him look like a wiser, more attractive gnome. \n\n\"What\" mrs claus asked, spitting out the piece of sausage in her mouth in shock. \n\nThe short man looked around the room to see mr claus with his eyes still glued to the paper.\n\n\"don't worry about him Bob\" mrs claus said as she walked over to him and directed him to have a seat.\n\nThe short man named Bob jumped up and sat on the seat that was nearly taller than him if not for his tall hat. \"It's a crisis! There's fewer and fewer letters each year, mrs claus!\" he sobbed, wiping away at a tear drop. \" Christmas is dying!\" \n\nmrs claus looked down and patted him on the back. \"I'm sure it's just this year, because of the pandemic and what not, Bob\" she wiped his tears with a tissue. \"We'll be back in business in a few years when it's all over\".\n\nSuddenly mr claus screamed, jumping up and down. \"A kid wants to race me!\" his eyes were wider than his belly.\n\n\"in what??\" bob and mrs claus both screamed at the same time\n\nMr claus walked over, his foot steps echoing through the room. He slammed the paper down and pointed at the paper. \"Sled racing\". Then he ran out the door and Bob and ms Claus looked at each other before laughing." ]

[ 1, 1 ]

[ "1660354325", "1660356824" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "When Alex first woke up, he truly had no idea what the hell was going on. He was in the middle of a field that was being attacked by wing people barfing lava everywhere. He had no idea that others were in the field until he was nearly impaled on a set of dragon claws. Alex dipped, and dipped HARD. Literally running for the nearest cave he dove head first through the opening and hid behind a rock. 5 minutes of shouts and flames ended with a boom, and darkness. until a flaming torch was lit on the other side of the stone. Then the voices started.\n\n\"Damn, humans. How'd they know we were gathering today?\" \"Don't know, but we got half the harvest, so we wont starve.\" The first voice was a higher pitch but definitely masculine, perhaps a younger man, while the other was deeper, gravelly, and much older. \n\n\"Only because half of us died! What are we going to do? It's only a matter of time till they find the base and then...\" The first voice stops, sniffs are heard. \"You smell that?\" Oh Shit! Alex thought, Please no please no please no! \"Hmmm... probably from outside, damn humans are everywhere. Breed like rats they do.\" Alex breathes a sigh of relief, \"Or maybe they're right HERE!\"\n\nA scaled claw grabbed Alex and flung him against the wall. \"Ahh!\" Alex felt ribs break. Oh god he was going to die. Alex was surrounded by dragons the size of mastiffs, all were making shocked and angry sounds. \"He's spying,\" \"How'd a human get in here,\" \"Careful, it could attack.\" \"We need to kill it\" \"You first, I'm not going near that thing.\" Each of the dragons bickered about who would get close enough to slay Alex until the old voice from before shouted \"SILENCE!\"\n\nAll of the dragons hushed, all that was left was the sound of Alex's quiet sobs. He genuinely thought he was going to die. His ribs were broken and he couldn't move. Even his cries hurt but that just made him sob harder. He would never see his girlfriend again, his mother, his sister who had just been about to graduate high school. He'd even rented a suit for it.\n\nThe dragons were now very confused. Humans were known as prideful and greedy beasts with a nasty cruelty streak. But as cruel as they are, none would ever allow this kind of display, not even as a ruse. The older dragon walked forward and looked the human over, \"This human has no wings,\" He said definitively. Alex was not in his right mind, when the elder dragon spoke so close to him he could only sob harder.\n\nThe Elder sighs, raising a hand he put the human under a basic sleep spell. \"Bring him and treat his wounds, call me and only me to question him when he wakes.\" With that, the elder walks down the tunnel, towards the base. The younger dragon from before, perhaps one with authority, begins to give orders. \"You there, grab some men to move the harvest, you two guard our rears, I'll carry the Human. Move out!\"" ]

[ 1, 6 ]

[ "1661129496", "1661138334" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "\n[WP] You wake up groggy in a moving train with blood on your hands and an army of zombies trying to get into your train compartment\n\n\nThe undead has risen—Just like all of the movies and tv shows you know and love. Except there’s nothing fun or cool about what is happening to our main character at this very moment. From a ravens eye we are fifty or so feet above the scene looking down upon a moving train. It’s not moving very fast, in fact we keep up just fine. The undead, ( oh screw it let’s call them zombies) zombies are slowly roaming around outside as the train moves. The train is running on a rail that is perched upon an upside down ‘V’ plot of ground. The slope to get to the moving train is just steep enough to keep most zombies at bay but not all. \n\nAbout a hundred feet on both sides of the track is a thick line of pine trees. If we were a thousand feet higher we would see that there is no station, town or person with a few miles. What a shame. \n\nThe train picks off zombies that wander into the tracks, splitting the rotting flesh in pieces, spraying blood and guts off the tracks. Shoes, wallets, glasses, coins, objects to show these were once people litter the rails.\n\nA bridge is coming up soon. Ravens are no good at telling distance but we know it’s neither far nor near. Let’s abandon our good bird friend and jump into the mind the protagonist of this story. Without a point of view we have no story. \n\n“Ugh.” John moans and rubs his temple. “What the?” He looks at his hands. Dark red blood is starting to dry on his palms. He examines himself for injuries—nothing. Where did this blood come from? he thinks, and where the hell am I? \n\nJohn looks around and notices he is in a small room. A bench on both sides, an overhead compartment above both benches and a single window. From his seated point of view he sees a moving tree line. He stands up and gazes out of the window to get a better view. He sees rows of pine trees and every few seconds he sees a person outside, walking. “In the middle of the woods?” He says to himself. John sits down on one of the benches and comes to the realization he is on a train. Albeit a slow moving train but a train nonetheless.\n\nJohn wipes his bloody palms on his jeans and sits with his head in his hands. Almost dozing off his wandering mind is cut off by “Gruuuugh”s and “Arrruugh”s on the other side of the door. \n\nJohn perks up and slowly slides the door to his compartment open. Bluish fingers reach in the crack, whoever is reaching in now screaming. A low, guttural scream. “What the fuck?” John panics and slams the door shut, slicing off the fingers of the owner of the scream. Despite just slicing 4 of 5 of the persons fingers, there is silence on the other side of the door now.\n\n“What the fuck. What the fuck!” John backs to the window and looks out again. The train is slowing down even more, it’s at a walking pace now, and this allows John to truly see what it outside of the train. \n\nA man with his head hanging over his left shoulder, seemingly held on by a flap of neck flesh, arms dangling at his side walking towards the woods. A small girl with no arms kneeling over the corpse of a deer, taking bites out of the deer pulling and ripping tendon and flesh as she does so.Her face caked with blood and her blonde hair caked with mud. A body of a man lying just off the tracks, it’s innards looking like roadkill that’s been sitting for a week. A fat greenish,bluish woman running (RUNNING!) towards the window he is looking out of. Her fat rolls rolling like waves as she frantically sprints towards John. Her tongue dangling, her arms flailing. John backs up as she gets even closer, now screaming like a banshee. \n\nTHUMP.\n\nTaken out by the train. Blood splatters his window and the screaming stops.\n\nThe other zombies look toward the direction of the screaming but quickly return to what they were doing.\n\n“Fucking hell” John says. All he can do is curse at the moment but do we blame him?\n\nAs John slowly peers out the window, he sees nothing but sky. He notices the train has stopped and looks down and sees water. He’s about a hundred feet above rocks and dark, fast moving water. \n\nA river. The Elk River to be precise. The nearest town 2 miles downstream and 10 miles upstream.\n\n He turns his head and peers back toward the start of The bridge, people, no, zombies he corrects himself falling off the cliff into the raging river below. Grunting as they fall, fall headfirst.\n\nOkay stay calm John he says to himself. \n\nHe goes back to his compartment door and a opens it just slightly. A loud moaning overtakes the hallway, he peeks out. He looks left down the hallway and right. John takes on step out and in each direction a flood of zombies come racing toward his room. He quickly slams the door once again and this time makes for the window. He tears off a piece of his corduroy flannel shirt and wraps it around his fist. He punches the window once. Nothing. Twice. A small crack forms. Three times. He’s through. He peers his head out the window and looks both directions. Back the way the train came to land is maybe 100 feet he thinks, the way the train is going he can’t make out due to extreme fog. \n\n“Damned if I do, damned if I don’t. Shit” he begins to pull himself out of the window. He catches the back of\nHis ankle on a shard of glass still stuck on the window. He grimaces in pain as the shard slices through his flesh like a filet knife. Surprisingly he is able to pull himself up and out of the window and he stands on top of the train. He lays down, bright red blood quickly gushing out of his fresh wound. Grunting and moaning and screaming now comes from all directions. Ahead of him, behind him and below him.\n\nBlood now leaking down the slopes roof of the train car into the river below.\nZombies inside the train car below\nHim begin breaking the window and throw themselves outside of the train in search for the source of the smell of\nBlood.\n\nJohn is getting light headed. He can’t feel his face or arms.\n\nUnfortunately for John he sliced his posterior tibial artery. John will bleed out in exactly 28 minutes, just 7 hours and 58 minutes after his wife was bitten in her jugular vein by their nextdoor neighbor. Just 8 hours after his unconscious body was put into the train compartment by his bloodied wife. Just 8 hours and 10 minutes after his newborn sons neck wAs sliced by a zombies fingernail as it was reaching for his wife and him as they entered the train. And just 8 hours and 25 minutes after he left his home with his wife and newborn son hoping to evacuate their infected hometown. \n\nJohn’s body will be found a week later by a survivor search crew, bloated and picked apart by a single raven.", "I wake up in a dazed and hazed vision on the train car floor. \n\nHey fellow reader people. My name is Thomas Birch and I live in Georgia. \n\nEarlier this morning, I was trying to get to my work on the train in New York.\n\nThe train car was busy with noisy people and rattling train cars.\n\nMy stomach started to rumble hard.\n\n\"Maybe\", I thought, \"it was those drinks I had last night with Erin at that bar.\"\n\nMy vision started to dissolve into liquid and I couldn't feel anything in my body.\n\nIt was too late for answers and questions because next thing I knew, I fell unconscious on the floor looking like a new Mortal Kombat fatality.\n\n---\n\nThe train was still rumbling on the tracks but there weren't any people on it.\n\n\"Ughh, what... happened?\" I said and groaned afterward.\n\nI then hear a groan noise from outside the train car compartment.\n\n\"What's that noise?\" I asked myself wondering what made that strange sound.\n\nI walk over to where I heard the noise was.\n\nOut of nowhere, a zombie slams into the window, startling me.\n\n\"WHAT THE F**K!\" I yell as the zombie slides off the window, leaving a part of the window smeared in a red fluid.\n\nSuspense music started to play in the train car. Kinda convenient.\n\nI then hear an overabundance of what sounded like zombie growls and grunts.\n\nI look outside and see waves and waves of running zombies.\n\nThey even covered the whole entire height of the tunnel.\n\n\"Oh god. I think I'm in a zombie apocalypse... on a moving train!\" I said before zombies began to slam their heads into the windows of the compartment.\n\nI rush over and slam one of the zombie's head onto a piece of broken glass.\n\nThe growls stopped coming from the zombie.\n\n\"Weapons supplied for Compartment 1B.\" A female voice said through the intercom.\n\nLet's see where I am. I'm currently in... Compartment 2B. \n\nCrap, I need to rush over to 1B fast before bad things start happening.\n\nI began to tug at the closed glass door in front of me but it wouldn't budge a bit.\n\nThe groaning and yelling zombies began to pile into the compartment quickly.\n\nSome were already starting to get up from the floor.\n\n\"Come damn door, open up!\" I yelled.\n\nI finally got the door to open up after blows and blows of kicks to the glass.\n\nAll it needed was a lot of heavy kicks from my feet.\n\nI rushed through Compartment 2A where three zombies were waiting for me at the second glass door.\n\nThey groaned and screeched at me for a few seconds.\n\nOne of them eventually decided to rush at me to try and bite me.\n\n---\n\n(More coming soon.)", "“AAAAAAAHHHH!” Daniel screamed, launching himself from the train's seat and jumping onto the table across the aisle. “Holy fucking shit! Holy fucking shit! Holy…” Pausing, his mind went blank as he looked at the group of undead, bumping against one another, through the carriage door. Their eyes, some hanging by their chests, were focused on him. The train continued to rumble along through the night, the compartments lights flickered, as it streamed around a bend. \n\nSlowly, without thinking, Daniel crept off the table. For the first time, he looked around and saw his compartment was empty. Then, he noticed his hands and the blood that stained them. A moan rang through his ears as the undead finally crashed through the door’s glass pane. Glass scattered along the floor and before he knew what he was doing, Daniel had picked up the largest shard and ran at them. Bringing the shard down as hard as he could, it struck the first undead so hard the glass got stuck in it’s skull. The undead collapsed out of sight, bringing with it the shard. A sharp pain struck Daniel, his right hand ached and protested as he tighten it into a fist. As the second undead, a woman, tall and bright blonde, lifted a leg through the hole in the door, Daniel could feel a force pushing him to the back of the carriage. Jogging to the end to the other end of the compartment, the lights flickered once more as Daniel turned back to look a final time. The woman’s dress, long and loose and blue, had got stuck in the door. Blocking the path for the other undead, the woman kept trying to walk towards Daniel, unaware of the futility. Sighing, Daniel turned, now sprinting out to the next carriage.\n\n\rIn between, he crossed the gap, outside of the train, between the compartments. The wind whistled by as the train sped on through the countryside. Above sat a half-moon, winking down on Daniel. Clouds covered the stars but as quickly as he was looking up as found himself inside once again.\n\n\rThis carriage much like the other was empty. The lights flickered once, twice, three times before finally settling. Slowly, Daniel walked down the aisle, looking behind each of the wooden and leather seats as he went. Even above, where people would put their belongings, was empty. Only at the back of the carriage, did Daniel find anything of note. Blood. A pool here, a trail there. Dotted all around the door was dark red. Looking through the glass pane, he could see no undead. Or anything. Only the flicking lights of the next carriage. With another final look over his shoulder, he opened the door and sped on through to the next carriage. This time he didn’t look up, not to take in the moon, the countryside or the stars that were blocked.\n\n\rAgain, the lights flickered, one, twice, three times, four times before settling. And again, this carriage was empty. Only this time the blood continued all the way down the aisle. Again, he marched on through the aisle, barely checking behind the seats as he moved this time. Without looking, he charged through to the next compartment, not even seeing the broken window pane. It wasn’t until he heard the crunching of glass beneath his feet, that he realised what was going on.\n\n\r“A circle!” he muttered to himself, just as a trio of undead, the tall blonde woman from before leading them, stumbled their way towards where he stood. “If this is a circle, then I can only think…” He didn’t need to speak the rest of his thought. Now was the time for action. Thoughtless action. Thinking would get him killed. With only a sigh betraying his next move, he turned back, opening the broken door. The wind continued to whistle, his hand continued to ache. The train bent, going around and around. Behind him, the undead groaned. The moon shone and the clouds started to reappear behind the clouds. Then, as quick as he could, Daniel flung himself from the train and into the darkness of the night.\n\n\rHe awoke, eyes closed as his body swayed slightly back and forth as the sound of the train continued to ring through his ears. Above, the lights flicker, again and again and again. At last, he opened his eyes fully and he saw them, again. A trio of undead, standing at the same doorway, he had just closed. The tall woman in the blue dress stared, her dead eyes focused on him. \n\n\r“Christ,” was all that he could groan as he stood up, looking down at his newly bloodied hands once more.", "\"All this on my goddamn birthday,\" I grumble, because it is my goddamn birthday. I immediately dial my partner.\n\n\"Heather. Explain.\"\n\n\"Explain what, bud?\"\n\n\"It's my goddamn birthday, Heather.\"\n\n\"Yeah, happy birthday, man.\"\n\n\"No, not happy birthday, my train car is full of goddamn zombies.\" I gesture at the rabble outside, a mess of poorly dressed undead trying and failing to open the door to my train car. She can't see it, but I don't care.\n\n\"Oh. Goddamn.\" It's one of those days.\n\n\"I just wanted to go bowling, you ass. Bowling with the team.\" I open and slam the door a few times, see if I can make them lose some parts. \"Why are they wearing goddamn party hats?\"\n\n\"Well, you said it yourself, it's your 'goddamn birthday.'\" I can hear the air quotes. \"Maybe they knew?\"\n\n\"They don't know goddamn anything, Heather. You know you could kill me a normal way if you wanted to, instead of this goddamn corpse party horseshit.\"\n\n\"Hey, don't talk like that. Just get a little more creative, bud – this can totally be bowling.\"\n\n\"Who put the hats on them? You?\"\n\nHer laugh shoots through the phone. I love her. Goddamn it.\n\n\"No, I'm serious, look behind you.\"\n\nI do; there's a crate full of bowling balls. I pick one up and hurl it at the zombies as they start busting through the door. A few of them fall down, knocking down the ones behind them. It's satisfying to watch.\n\n\"This bowling isn't all that goddamn creative if you already gave me a pile of balls,\" I say, chucking another one at the horde. (Strike.)\n\n\"I heard you chuckle. It's creative enough. Hey, try coughing into your hand.\"\n\nI do. I cough up blood. \"I'm coughing up goddamn blood now?\"\n\n\"On your goddamn birthday of all days, absolutely. You've got 24 hours before your lungs collapse. One of the zombies has the antidote, so be a little more careful.\"\n\n\"*What?*\" I bellow, bludgeoning a few more. \"You put me on some kind of goddamn birthday death train? Where's the anti gonna be, in a goddamn rotting kidney?\"\n\n\"A jacket pocket, I think? I recommend aiming for the heads, just in case.\"\n\n\"Heather, you absolute goddamn psychopath.\"\n\n\"Psh, this is *exactly* what you wanted. You can thank me later. Happy goddamn birthday.\" I can hear the fact that she's smiling. Goddamn it.\n\nShe's right. She's absolutely goddamn right. It's the best goddamn birthday present anyone's ever gotten me.\n\n---\n\nIt's my actual goddamn birthday, so I couldn't resist. Goddamn.", "You take stock of your surroundings, a resigned grim look on your face. “Another goddamn zombie apocalypse,” you think.\r \n\r \n“Dan, give me some help here” you yell out.\r \n\r \nA glowing white door appears from nowhere in front of you, and a man steps through scowling. He is dressed in a fashion so incongruous with the situation you would think you were hallucinating, had you not been in this situation many many times before. Dressed in a pure white jacket and trousers, with red shoes, and fingers replete with many rings, he hits the small rectangular device in his hand. It emits a series of complaining bleeps.\r \n\r \n“Well do you want the bad news, or the really bad news?” the man – Dan – says to you\r \n\r \nYou pull yourself up off the seat, as the sound of zombies banging on the window intensifies. A small crack starts to form in the corner.\r \n\r \n“Let’s start the bad, just for a change” you say\r \n\r \n“Bad news is, time circuits have blown and you can’t leap out of here for a good 15 minutes” says Hal.\r \n\r \nYou sigh – that’s pretty bad. So the really bad news must be REALLY bad. You wait expectantly for the punchline.\r \n\r \n“The really bad news is, the target is OUTSIDE the train, 400 metres southwest”. Hal points in the direction, and you can see a small warehouse a little way in the distance.\r \n\r \nMore cracks form in the windows, and the zombies outside become more frenzied. They can sense they’re close to their prey now.\r \n\r \nYou crack your neck, and warm up your arms\r \n\r \n“Weapon portal still working though? “ you ask\r \n\r \n“Oh yeah”.\r \n\r \n“Ok, let’s get to it” you say. In your mind, you picture a long samurai sword, made of an unbreakable metal in your right hand. In your left, you imagine a snub-nosed Uzi. You concentrate on the image, and a static feeling of energy envelopes you as your implants activate, calling the weapons from sub-space. Then they solidify out of thin air and you grab at them just as the windows break.\r \n\r \nThe zombies flood in, but you’re well practised at this. You spin with the sword in on hand, effortlessly beheading three of the corpses at once. Your gun takes apart the others, and you leap over the heads of the remaining few and being to run to the warehouse. The zombies give chase.\r \n\r \n“Straight ahead, keep going!” yells Hal, as you swing at a lone zombie that lurches out from behind a box card. You catch them in the stomach and their entrails burst out, showering you with gore.\r \n\r \nYou wince, but keep your pace. At times like this you remember the leapers in the other universes, the ones that get the fun missions like being a jazz singer or astronaut. Yes, they struggled to get their leaps right – Sam Beckett famously never made it home – but they certainly weren’t covered with zombie guts on a regular basis.\r \n\r \nYou reach the warehouse and run in, bolting the door. Huddled on the floor is a young girl, wrapped in a blanket with her eyes closed and hands over her ears. The target. You approach and gently touch her.\r \n\r \nHer eyes fly open and she leaps back\r \n\r \n“It’s ok” you say, “I’m here to help you”.\r \n\r \nSuddenly, there are bangs at the door. The zombies have regrouped. They may not be strong individually, but a lot of them together can batter down a door of its hinges quicker than you’d think.\r \n\r \n“Hal, any news on the leap?!” you say, reloading your gun\r \n\r \n“30 seconds!” says Hal to you, then to someone off to the side you can’t see “hurry up, he’s got the target and need extraction now!”\r \n\r \nThe door bursts off its hinges and zombies pour in…just as you and the girl are enveloped in light and disappear.\r \n\r \nThe light dims, and you’re both back in the leaping chamber. The door opens and walks in. His gruff demeanour is softened by obvious relief.\r \n\r \n“Good to see you back” he says, and turns to the girl. “And good to see you Dr Eldridge” he says with a smile.\r \n\r \nThe girl looks puzzled. “Doctor…?” she says. “I’m only 8 years old”.\r \n\r \nYou and Hal both smile. “Give it time” you say, “you’ve got some important things to do when you’re older….”." ]

[ 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 14 ]

[ "1661264611", "1661279965", "1661286791", "1661274488", "1661274603", "1661266985" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "\"So the rumours were true, Miss Alterra?\" Alex asked.\n\n\"Call me that one more time, and I'll throw you into space without a suit to save you.\" Kaori promptly replied, pointing a figure at Alex.\n\nAlex shrugged.\n\n\"Am I right then, Kaori? You're keeping secrets? Judging from the look on your face, I'd say I'm right on the money.\"\n\nKaori looked away. It was hard to say whether she was trying to hide her lies even now, or she was embarrassed that someone finally found out.\n\n\"It's not as if this matters. The planet's life is almost prehistoric. By our standards, at least...\"\n\nKaori was now staring off into space. Literally.\n\n\"You say that, but the proof is right in front of me. Let's see here... Ah, unidentified space craft, no weapons, unlikely to pose a risk to our people... Shall I continue? There's pictures of the ships too, this is quite the fin-\"\n\nAlex was interrupted.\n\n\"Would you shut up? What are you trying to archive, I won't be blackmailed by the likes of you!\" She says, leaning over the desk.\n\nAlex had the chance a long time ago to blackmail her. The time they spent on Earth together was enough. Kaori had trusted Alex in the past.\n\nBut he didn't want that.\n\n\"I want to propose a deal...\"\n\nKaori was interested.\n\n\"A deal, you say? And what would that deal be? More importantly, what would you gain, and what would I gain?\" She asked.\n\nAlex smiled.\n\n\"It's simple, really. You're a powerful woman, and don't I know it! And I am a man who can get you clearance to any district, any station and any planet in the galaxy. Do you catch my drift?\" He says smugly.\n\nClearly, he was thinking of something he shouldn't be thinking about.\n\nKaori sighed, visibly annoyed.\n\n\"You're a weapons dealer, you're the opposite of what I stand for...\"\n\nAlex shrugged again.\n\n\"I'm a business man. That planet has secrets, and I want in. You don't have clearance, I can get you there.\"\n\nHe slides a single chip towards Kaori.\n\n\"Your ticket. You board my ship and I'll handle the rest.\"\n\n...", "\"Hey, fellow space travelers! We‘re coming in peace“, The humans‘ signal arrived at the alien‘s spaceship. \"How has planet-bound life been for you? Oh silly us, let us introduce ourselves: We‘re humans, living on that blue and green planet there. Welcome to space!\" \"Hello, humans. We thank you for the kind welcome to interstellar travel. We hope to learn from you and co-operate on this journey to greater destinations\", they replied. Time froze for a second. Boom. The scientists leapt from their seat and cheered. They did it. They made contact with an alien life form.\n\nSandra Mueller spit out her muesli. This was inconceivably revolutionary! And she was eating BREAKFAST. She jumped out of her seat and ran down the hallway. \"Wow, wow, WOW!\", she exclaimed. A tear or two running down her face. Aliens were actually real! And the team she was in communicated with them. With the technology she worked on! She had helped! She fell into the arms of Dennis, her lover, and kissed him. Both were unbelievably happy. Their hearts were pounding against their chests.\n\nThis was a completely now era for humanity.", "For millenia, we drifted across the stars. Alone, but not without hope. Long ago, we dreamed of making first contact. Movies with men from mars and and video games with visitors from beyond Sol marked our fascination with those in the same situation. We broadcasted our hopes into the void, as if by chance someone out there would find it.\n\nYears turned into decades. Decades into centuries. Centuries into.... Anyways, it had been a long time. We eventually united as a species and left our homeworld. We waved our star goodbye as our ships left the system. Our scouts searched endlessly for a sign. But all we found were barren worlds teeming with resources but not people. We crept forwards through the galaxy, settling on different worlds along the way. United Humanity grew strong. But strength did little to ease our lonely spirit.\n\nThen, in one little system in a far corner of the Milky Way, we found them. Life. Multi-celled bacteria, yes, but it was still life. Our leaders debated and argued over what was to become of this planet. The final decision was to wait. To let them evolve. And so we waited.\n\nWe watched them grow, from bacteria to much greater things. We saw their struggles, their wars, their failures and setbacks. But finally, they did it. As their rockets launched into orbit, we sent a message to their homeworld. And after we finally established a translation code, we spoke the first meaningful sentence to them. \"Hello, from the children of planet Earth.\"" ]

[ 1, 25, 34, 34 ]

[ "1661441201", "1661447217", "1661445958", "1661479969" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Hi u/Heliconis, this submission has been removed.\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* *From Rule 6: [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\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/x0vf2i/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/config/sidebar) before posting. \n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*" ]

[ 1, 1 ]

[ "1661796247", "1661796419" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "\"I love you.\"\n\n\"I love you.\"\n\n\"I love you. I love you. I love you.\"\n\nI stumbled through the door and slammed the door behind me, quickly locking the door and moving whatever furniture I could in front of it. Out of breath, I could hear my heart pounding in my ears, continuing to be interrupted by those same words from outside. Despite this, the crickets chirped through the night, the rain continued to pour, and I was somehow still breathing.\n\nI quickly moved upstairs and settled into a bedroom. The yellow light of the sodium streetlamps outside was brushing itself across the walls, sometimes interrupted by the shadows created by raindrops walking down the windows in the room. Looking out the window, the yellow light danced through the raindrops, interrupted by the conjoined silhouette of those things outside.\n\n\"I love you.\"\n\nI slipped my backpack off my shoulder, dropping it on the floor with a wet thump. I fumbled around for the map, hands still shaking from the adrenaline of the chase. I barely even had time to grab anything.\n\nI flop the map out onto the wooden desk in the corner of the room, making as best of an effort as I could to not tear it. I tried to scan for any sort of path out, but my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of wood cracking and drywall being pounded. I tried to quickly stuff the map in my backpack, but it teared and I left half of it behind.\n\nThe sound of glass breaking sings through the house, and sound of many steps rushed up the stairs outside the bedroom door.\n\n\"I love you.\"\n\nI quickly open the window and jump into the backyard below. I didn't anticipate how far up it was.\n\nA wave of pain traveled up my leg, and I collapsed to the ground, but I needed to endure it. They're coming. I jumped over the rotten wooden fence, and it collapsed behind me.\n\nI ran on my injured leg and ignored the pain as best as I could. I spotted a clear path to the woods nearby. I could hear them slamming on the asphalt behind me. I managed to jump across a creek. They wouldn't have followed me over it. I could hear the crowd behind me all come to a stop just behind the creek. I took some time to catch my breath and continued to navigate through the bushes and trees.\n\nI took out my flashlight and turned it onto a small drop in the forest floor. The head of the light gave me a glimpse of something in the distance darkness - a distorted smile, seemingly disconnected from any face or body. I heard dead leaves and branches crunching, the sound of it rapidly moving towards me.\n\n\"I love you.\"\n\nI felt a sharp pain in my neck. The heavy breathing of it on my face. Something warm runs down my arm. I collapse.\n\nThe last thing I heard was those same words, calling out to me.\n\n\"I love you...\"\n\nEverything faded away." ]

[ 1, 3 ]

[ "1662169495", "1662174055" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Eleven strangers. A metal box bolted to the floor, and 60 seconds before disaster strikes. The only way out is for one person to open the box and die.\n\nThe point of this exercise is to test who would a person sacrifice to save themselves or would they choose to die if it meant dying as equals. One person who wants out because it's stupid. \n\nClyde looked at Anna. He saw her apparently staring off into space. \"What are you looking at?\"\n\n\"I'm looking at that window to see if I'll fit through it.\"\n\nClyde gasped. \"You can't leave!\"\n\n\"Look,\" Anna explained, \"there's a gremlin in that box that's going to kill whoever opens it. When that timer counts down from 60, the gremlin's going to escape and kill us all! Leaving is the sensible thing to do here.\"\n\nEveryone begged to differ. Jen barked \"The rules are you can't leave!\"\n\nAnna glared at her like her blue eyes were lasers. \"That rule doesn't make any sense!\"\n\nJen didn't care. \"It doesn't matter! You. are. not. fucking. _leaving!_\"\n\n\"I am, because this is stupid.\" Anna's voice drowned out the sound of the thumping gremlin in the box. She made her way to the window of the room, opening it before anyone noticed that she left.\n\nOr so she thought. \"What's she doing?\" Jacob mumbled.\n\nJen shook her head and groaned. \"Anna, step away from the window _now!_\"\n\nAnna ignored Jen. \"That's it!\" Jen barked. She ran over tot he window, grabbed Anna (which wasn't easy considering Anna outweighed her by about 50 pounds of muscle) and forced her to open the box. \n\n\"I know what you're doing and it won't work!\" barked Anna as she pushed Jen away.\n\nJen stood up, folded her arms, and nodded. \"Try me,\"\n\nAnna punched Jen and made a beeline for the window.", "My comfortable dream slowly faded into an uncomfortable reality as I awoke. I rolled to my side, pawing for my alarm clock in its usual spot beside my bed. \n\nInstead of an alarm, my hand struck a warm puddle. \n\nI sat up, confused. I rubbed my eyes as I tried to make sense of what I saw. \n\nI was in a room, with bare concrete floors and walls. I couldn't see any doors or windows, which was the first confusing sight my sleepy brain processed. The second were the 11 other men standing seemingly at random around the perimeter. \n\nThe third was a body lying in the center of the room, next to a metal box. The body lay in the center of a growing pool of blood, which reached all the way to where my alarm clock would have usually rested. \n\n\"He's awake.\" One of the men said, looking my way. \n\nI glanced towards the speaker, trying to figure out which question to ask first. \n\nAnother man sighed. I looked towards him to see an older man, with a bald head and a full grey beard. \"Long story short, kid, is we all woke up here, nobody knows how or why, and this lad opened that box over yonder.\"\n\nHe nodded towards the corpse between us. \n\n\"Why would opening a box kill him?\" I asked, rising to my feet. \n\nThe old man shrugged. \"Dunno. That note was on top of it when I woke up.\" he said, pointing to a piece of paper on the floor. The top corner was stained red by the growing pool of blood. \n\nI carefully walked around the blood puddle, out of respect for the deceased and my shoes. I bent down to read the note, squinting as I did. \n\nThe note said \"Whoever opens this box will die. If no one opens the box in the next 60 minutes, all of you will die.”\n\nI read it aloud, then looked up. \"Did anyone see this guy open the box?\" I asked, glancing around the room. Nobody said anything. \n\n\"So nobody saw this guy die.\" I repeated. Once again, I was met with silence. \n\n\"How do we know if this guy opened the box? How do we know that's what killed him?\" I asked the room at large, glancing around at each man in turn. \n\nNobody said anything. \n\n\"So if this guy *DIDN'T* open this box and die from it\" I said slowly, \"We could all be waiting around to die, since this wouldn't technically-\"\n\nA klaxon blared to life, causing me and everyone besides the dead man to jump in surprise. \"60 minutes have elapsed.\" A voice said, joining the rising wail of the klaxon. \n\n\"Guess we're about to find out\" the older man said. \n\nThe cacophony of a klaxon and the PA speaker was joined by a low rumbling sound. A section of the seemingly in-tact wall slid out of place, revealing an opening to the outside. A single man stood in the doorway, dressed in a black suit and dark sunglasses. \n\n\"Time's up.\" He said, glancing around the room. \n\nI pointed to the body on the floor. \"He's dead.\" I said, trying to sound more confident than I felt. \n\n\"Indeed.\" The man in the suit agreed. \"He was the brave soul who allowed for his friends to escape... last time.\" \n\nThe rumble resumed, sliding the concrete door back into place. I couldn't tell where it had been, the seams aligned perfectly when closed. \n\nWe all looked at each other in silence.\n\n\"I'm going to check the box.\" I said, and walked through the puddle of blood towards the mysterious box. \n\n\"But you'll die!\" the old man said. \n\n\"I'll die if I don't, too. It'll just take longer.\" I said. \n\nI opened the box. The cold steel glided easily on a well oiled hinge, making no noise at all. \n\nThe box was empty. \n\nI reached inside, feeling the empty box for a hidden compartment or a camouflaged item... but nothing was in there. It was just empty. \n\n\"Everybody dies.\" A new voice said, from below me. \n\nI jumped back as the dead man rose to his knees, wiping away the blood from his hands and face. \n\n\"The message said you would die.\" He said, using the box as support to rise to his feet. \"It didn't say when, or how. The point of this exercise, gentlemen, was reading comprehension. Creativity. Thinking... well, outside the box.\" The man chuckled at his own little joke. \n\n\"None of you were brave enough to even try the box. All except you.\" He said, pointing a blood-stained finger at me. \"But you woke up from the sedative too late. Shame.\"\n\nThe man walked to the section of wall where the door hid, leaving behind a trail of bloody footprints. \n\n\"Hang on a second!\" The old man shouted. \"This is from that movie 'Saw', innit?\" \n\nThe man did not stop. \"Indeed.\" He said, placing a hand on a slightly discolored section of wall by the door. \"Doesn't change the facts that you failed.\"\n\nThe door slid open. The man stepped to the side. \n\n\"You're all free to go. Thank you for your cooperation in this study. Please remember to pick up your compensation package at the receptionists desk on your way out.\"\n\n/r/SlightlyColdStories", "\\[Death Rattled\\]\n\n\"A death game, huh? I remember Nate and Sharon getting into one like this...\" I quietly mutter, eyeing the other contestants. 9 humans, one vampire and two demons, including myself. Tsk, I feel bad for them, because unlike them, I'm a being cursed with undeath, as it's how I've lived for over four millennia.\n\n57 minutes remain, one of the humans, a muscular and jocular stereotype was barking out commands toward the vampire, threatening to knock his lights out if they didn't open the box.\n\n\"Wait, let's act rational, here. Even if one of us opens the box, the game will probably keep going until at most one of u remains,\" One of the slimmer males speaks up, a soldier boy, Private First Class even, \"If none of us open the box, we can rob whoever's causing this of their entertainment..!\"\n\n\"A shame, really, then. Whoever orchestrated this picked terrible targets then, since a quarter of us are supernatural,\" I remark, getting to my feet. I calmly walk towards the box, eyeing each one of the others, who all had startled expressions on their faces. They saw what I was going to do, and the soldier as the first to act, trying to grab my arms and prevent me from opening it.\n\n\"Are you not listening..!? Or are you just that sui-\" Before he was able to finish his next sentence, I grab him and lock him in a full nelson before slamming him into a wall.\n\n\"Unlike the others, I don't need to, because if you didn't try to stop me, I would have revealed the second reason why the one who put us here made a massive mistake,\" I shove him to the floor, walking back towards the box. The timer on it showed that we have 49 minutes left. I wrenched open the box with minimal effort, to which a bunch of confetti shot out the box, much to the confusion of everyone other than myself, before I begin feeling a sharp pain in my chest.\n\nIt wasn't a pain strong enough to send me to the floor, but it was enough to catch me off guard, \"Cyanide implants. Clever, but not enough to kill me, unfortunately,\" I begin laughing, even as pain was spreading through my body, threatening to floor me, I would not stop until whoever was watching learns the horrid truth: Death can be an escape, it can be mercy... but it can also be torture. It's nothing more than a matter of perspective...\n\n\\[End.\\]", "I don’t think they - whoever “they” were - had expected there to be a fight to *open* the box. \n\nWell, to clarify, they had probably expected a fight about opening the box, but not people fighting to be the one to do it. \n\nI watched in bemusement as my fellow millennial managed to beat off three zoomers and come away with the box in his hands. He wrenched open the lid, only to greeted by the sound of Queen crooning about champions. \n\nAs a choice of music, I found it singularly inappropriate for the occasion. \n\nThere was no bang. No poison. No death. \n\nThe millennial - I really wish we’d had time for introductions before they started fighting for their deaths - picked up a note from the box and growled in sheer exasperation. \n\n“Fuck it all,” he said, before knocking three times on the door. A keypad dropped down and he punched in the code. \n\nThe door swung silently open. There was a moment of disbelief, and then we collectively *moved*. \n\nIt was a good thing the door was wide. I don’t think we would have dealt with a jam with any degree of grace. \n\nI stopped just for a fraction of a second and grabbed the note. \n\nLater, at home, I read it. \n\n*Today you chose death to save ten other lives, so you have bought yourself a lifetime with your deeds. The others will have to live with the guilt of allowing one human life to be sacrificed to save their own skins.*\n\nIt continued on, but it had instructions to escape at the bottom. \n\n“Well, whoever wrote this definitely had no clue about living in today’s economy.” I muttered dryly to myself.", "I woke up before the rest of them.\n\nThe room is cold and empty, with bare concrete walls, floor, and ceiling. In one corner, a camera keeps watch over the room from its perch over a dingy metal grate. Its red light blinks slowly. It feels like it’s sending me a message: “I am here. I am watching.”\n\nI sit on the opposite side of the room, surrounded by the sleeping bodies of eleven strangers. I had already tried to wake them. It didn’t work. We were neatly lined up against one wall before I woke up, but my frantic efforts to wake them had disturbed their positions, and they now lay in haphazard arrangements on the floor, with their limbs spread out like dead branches.\n\nBut it is the center of the room that truly captures my attention.\n\nIn the center of the room, there is a metal box. On top of the box, there is a crisp sheet of pure white printer paper. From this distance, I cannot read it, but that’s not a problem–I already read it. I already know what it says.\n\n“Whoever opens this box will die. If no one opens the box in the next 60 minutes, all of you will die.”\n\nWhat the fuck.\n\nI stand up awkwardly, my body stiff from sitting on the concrete floor. Shit, I need to do something, don’t I? What am I supposed to do? I don’t think I was supposed to wake before the rest of them. How long has it been since I awoke? Did I doom us all by waking up so early? I look at them–an old man in dirty torn clothes, made gaunt and grizzled by life on the streets; a child with curly brown hair, teal glasses, and a unicorn backpack; a round, pleasant-faced twenty-something with short blond hair; a middle-aged woman wearing a frumpy shirt, clutching her purse even in sleep–\n\nHer purse! Does she have a phone? I can call for help! I can save everyone! I run to the purse and begin frantically pulling things out of it–lipstick, tissues, a notepad with a cat on the front–until my hand locks around the hard surface. I immediately pull it out, and press the power button…\n\nMy heart sinks. There’s no way to activate the phone; the only characters on the black screen are numbers.\n\nAnd they’re going down.\n\n“Oh, shit.”\n\nThe woman watches me from the driver’s license in her tossed-aside wallet. Her eyes are round and hollow like empty dinner plates. 16. 15. 14… The minutes drip past me like poisoned honey. What should I do? 13. 12. 11… Is this real? Is this actually happening? I can’t let these people die. I can’t let anyone die. \n10. 9. 8…\n\n“Shit.”\n\nTheoretically, there are many actions I can take. But in reality, there’s only one. \n\tI take a deep breath, walk across the room, and open the box.\n\n​\n\n(Sorry if this sucks, I wrote it in like an hour. Also, first time I've posted a story to this subreddit! yay!)", "It was a simple test. Eleven people, two outcomes. But there was one solution my superiors and I were looking for.\n\nI was watching from the security room with bated breath. Four and Nine were studying the box and putting their respective engineering and psychology degrees to work, Three was trying to find a way out of the room, and One was consoling an anxious Ten. The rest of the group was huddled around the walls, staring at the box, ruminating on the note and what it entailed.\n\nI wasn't anywhere close to their current situation, but I felt similarly about the trio of buttons to the left of my intercom. Two out of the three would have signified our latest batch had failed and we would have to start all over. It had taken us months to even find these people- I was not prepared to start from scratch. \"Come on, come on,\" I muttered under my breath.\n\nSuddenly, Five got up and started talking to the rest of the group. A look of...not quite a resolution but more of an acceptance, appeared on the faces of the group one by one. Even Ten, who had been the most scared of them all, seemed to be on board with this. The group joined Four and Nine around the box, rested their hands on top, and after a few seconds of tension, slid open the lid of the box all as one.\n\nOn the inside, I was screaming and jumping for joy, but on the outside I retained my professional decorum. I pressed the middle button of the trio and said into the intercom, \"Test passed, everyone. Well done.\"\n\nI stepped out of the security room and into the chamber where the test was being conducted. The giant gray cube where the group was kept retracted into the floor in long metallic strips, like a deck being disassembled one board at a time. While the rest of the group were looking around in confusion, an irate Six looked over at me and said, \"Lady, what the hell was all this?\"\n\n\"First of all, my name is Cordelia, not Lady. And second of all, this was a test. Not to determine your willingness to give your life for someone else's, mind you, but one to determine if you were willing to go with a solution where nobody had to die, even if it meant taking a leap of faith. And you all passed with flying colors.\"\n\n\"Okay, but why were we being tested,\" Seven asked.\n\n\"You were being tested because our organization is tasked with both saving the world and making it one worth saving. Because you select few, from all across the world, share two things: a desire to make things better, and a genetic trait that makes you compatible with our top-secret procedure that can grant you incredible power. Because the world needs people who understand there is no such thing as an acceptable loss. It needs heroes.\"\n\nThe wall behind me displayed a holographic still of our logo: a burnt-orange silhouette of an angel brandishing a torch. \"We are Prometheus. Now, shall we get started?\"", "\"I don't suppose luck is on our side, and one of you is eager to embrace death?\" asked a middle aged man in a sports jersey.\n\nI glanced the room at the rest of the strangers, noting that they too were looking at everyone else. There were no elderly people in the room. By my estimate the youngest of us a teenager, the oldest about 60.\n\n\"Well it shouldn't be the kid,\" the redheaded woman commented nodding toward the teenager. \"I think we can all agree on that.\"\n\n\"Well let's not just base this on age,\" Sports Jersey replied. \"For all we know the kid is a sadistic serial killer.\" He glared at the teen. \"Did you set this up, you little punk?\"\n\n\"Of course I didn't do this!\" the teen responded. \"I was just on my way to track practice when I blacked out and woke up here. \"\n\n\"We could draw lots, \" a young man said. \"I hate to suggest it, but it might be the most fair. \"\n\n\"I'll do it.\"\n\nWe all turned to look at woman who spoke. She was about 40, and wearing sweatpants and a tee shirt, as if she'd been relaxing at home before ending up here. \n\n\"Whoa, you don't need to just unalive yourself, \" the teen said. \"It gets better. \"\n\n\"If no one opens the box, it's not getting better, it's getting a hell of a lot worse,\" the oldest woman pointed out. \"If she wants to sacrifice herself, let her.\"\n\n\"I'm not suicidal,\" Sweatpants assured us. \"I'm just sick. I know I look ok now, because it had been a good day, but it's cancer with a capital C.\"\n\n\"Shit,\" I said softly. \"No hopes of overcoming it?\"\n\nSweatpants shook her head. \"The doctors gave me six months. I was hoping to fill those six months visiting the dog park with my lab, eating amazing food, binging some good shows and having crazy sex with my husband, but honestly, I know a lot of those six months may suck. And if it gets all of you out of here, you get a lot more than six months. \"\n\nWe were all quiet for a moment. \"Well, I guess there's really no reason to waste time, \" said Sports Jersey. \"If we're decided. \"\n\n\"What's your name?\" Redhead asked Sweatpants. \"I'll let your family know of your sacrifice. \"\n\n\"Jenny,\" said Sweatpants. \"Jenny Fairchild. My husband is Sam Fairchild. We live in Boise.\"\n\n\"I'll let Sam know, Jenny,\" Redhead said, and the rest of us, even Sports Jersey, promised too as well. \n\nJenny took a deep breath and then opened the box. I flinched, as did several others, but nothing happened. Jenny was still very much alive. \"There's a note,\" she said. \"And eleven envelopes.\"\n\nHand shaking she picked up the note and began to read. \"You have chosen to open the box. Death will come for you. But not at this moment. It will come when you've reached the end of your given life, as if you were never here to make this decision. You'll notice 11 envelopes in this box. Hand one to each of your companions, then leave the room. The eleven who remain, do not open the envelopes until the box opener has left. Open before, or try to leave with the Opener, and you shall die instantly.\"\n\n\"What the hell-\" shouted Sports Jersey.\n\n\"Maybe there's a second stage or something, \" the teen said. \"Or maybe it's hundred dollar bills. \"\n\n\"I guess I hand these out then, \" Jenny said, passing out the envelopes, \"and then -\" as she passed out the last envelope a door that had been hidden in the wall slid open. \"I hope to see you all on the other side of that door.\" Jenny said. \"Truly I do. \"\n\nShe walked out, and the door shut. \n\n\"Well, let's open them then, \" the older woman said. \"I want out as soon as possible.\"\n\n\"Let's hope it's money, \" the young man said. \"Or tickets home.\"\n\nI opened my envelope and slid out a single sheet of paper with writing. I began to read. \n\n*You chose not to open the box, nor did you stop another from doing so. Therefore, you shall not die. Not today, not a year from now, not decades into the future. As you read this, an invisible gas is being released into the room. This gas, which you have already inhaled, will grant you immortality. You will not die. War, disease, the decline of humanity, you shall survive it all. Welcome to eternity.*\n\nEdit: typo", "The timer on my phone shows 55 minutes. Eleven strangers in this room, and which of us will make the sacrifice? I don't speak up. I don't want any peer pressure on me to open that box. Surely, there must be some martyr among us. It's a 1 in 11 chance from all the people here. Then, finally, someone speaks up.\n\n\"This is a test.\" One guy said. People say you can judge a person in a tenth of a second. Whoever created this game must be enjoying my perspective. You can see the guy fiddling with his pocket. His chest raises for a brief moment to show confidence, but he's unable to keep the act. \n\n\"I'm not pressing that button,\" a man wearing a trucker cap speaks, \"I got a wife and kids.\". He seems to be one of those irritable types of people. He'll be a pain to convince.\n\n\"What's your name?\" A shifty individual asked.\n\n\"No one tell him.\" A charismatic guy says, \"He's just looking to manipulate us.\"\n\n\"How?\"\n\n\"You're trying to get in our head.\" Charisma is right on the nose. The shifty guy scoffs as he leans back in his seat. Charisma is my best chance of convincing someone else to open the box. \n\n\"Let's take a break, everyone. We have 45 minutes left.\" I say, now ready to open up. The room gets split into different cliques. As part of my plan, I go to the box in the middle to confirm everything. Charisma walks up to me. \n\n\"It's insane. Isn't it?\"\n\n\"Yeah.\"\n\n\"So, what are you thinking?\"\n\n\"Why would I tell you?\"\n\n\"Because you and I are similar.\"\n\n\"What do you mean?\"\n\n\"Well, we don't want to open the box.\"\n\n\"You can say the same thing for everyone here.\"\n\n\"But you're smart. Even smarter than me.\"\n\nMy heart races. I tune him out while he's spinning his sales pitch. I look at the box to calm down. The box has the note on top with a discarded pen.\n\n\"So, come on. What do you got?\"\n\n\"One of us wrote the note.\"\n\n\"Really?\"\n\n\"It's just a theory.\"\n\n\"Tell me more.\"\n\n\"Look around. There are no cameras. If I were to setup something like this, I would want to watch what's unfolding.\"\n\n\"That's pretty smart. Okay. From now on, we're a team now. All right?\"\n\n\"Yeah.\"\n\n\"I'll take care of you now.\"\n\nCharisma walks off. I grab the note and the pen. \n\n<>\n<>\n\nOur break ended, and we were back into a circle. Charisma steps forward.\n\n\"I've talked with everyone, and I found something that you guys will want to hear.\" He makes eye contact with me, and I nod. \"One of us in this very room has set us all up.\"\n\n\"You're kidding!\" A mom says.\n\n\"Someone in this room is watching us argue.\" There is mumbling throughout the room.\n\n\"So, who is it?\" The trucker asks.\n\n\"Him.\" Charisma points at me, and I felt the mass of glares on me.\n\n\"Why would you do this to us?\" The mom snapped. I raise my eyebrows.\n\n\"What do you mean?\" I asked Charisma.\n\n\"You told me your plan. After all, how would you know to look for cameras or to tell me that the person responsible is in this room? It's suspicious.\"\n\n\"Okay. Let's say, hypothetically, and I do mean hypothetically,\" I said to the furious mother, \"that I set this up. How would I… kill everyone in this room?\"\n\n\"I wouldn't know that. Maybe those vents up there will flood the room with gas.\"\n\n\"Wow! You were Johnny on the spot with that answer. It's 'suspicious.'\"\n\n\"Oh, please. You obviously planned this.\"\n\n\"He did,\" Shifty said.\n\n\"That's why you should open the box. After all, the one who made this twisted game deserves to lose. And you lose.\"\n\n\"News flash, I didn't make the game. Oh, and you cannot force me to open the box.\" Charisma stomps towards me, his face close to mine. I can feel his hot breath on my nose.\n\n\"I can torture you in the….\" He reaches into my pocket and grabs my phone, showing everyone the timer, \"next 30 minutes. When I'm done, you'll want to open your present.\"\n\n\"He will not open that box.\" Shift shouted.\n\n\"Why?\"\n\n\"Cause he gave me this to write down to show everyone.\" He shows the note I handed him earlier.\n\n\"So, that's the note from the box. That doesn't matter.\"\n\n\"Cept, he told me everything, and I wrote it down on the back. Then I gave the pen to that guy.\" Shifty points to the trucker, who pulls out the pen. Shifty flips the page over, and his words are there for everyone.\n\n\"I'm not much for those who talk their way out of situations.\" The trucker states.\n\n\"I even heard your promise that you made to him. Horrid stuff, mate.\" Shifty said.\n\n\"Pretty odd that you took what I guessed and used it to pin \non me.\" I said to Charisma. I was proud of myself. I knew back then in my cult days how a smooth-talking manipulator acts. I had the whole room chanting for Charisma to open that cursed box. I did try to convince them that he was scared and wanted to escape like all of us, but I didn't protest enough. The eight other people were on my side and thought I was innocent. They played into my hands. \n\nThe crowd chased Charisma to that box, and he opened it. A part of the wall slides open, and a gun shoots Charisma. He falls onto the floor, dropping the box. A note slips out, and Shifty reads it aloud.\n\n\"Congrats! Now two more people to earn your freedom.\"" ]

[ 1, 1, 6, 27, 28, 54, 66, 183, 372 ]

[ "1662676593", "1662718315", "1662727458", "1662695865", "1662715679", "1662695819", "1662697059", "1662687567", "1662683297" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "I hate it when a big innovation in food and drink reaches the restaurants, tons of people show up in droves, consuming vast amounts of it and clogging up tables and the bar. I just want to save up enough money to buy myself the newest Video Game console and I’d appreciate it if my job as a minimum wage busboy was a bit easier. I sigh, audibly, they can’t hear me through my face mask due to the unbearably loud pop song playing in the background disrupting my train of thought.\r \n\r \nI go over to a table near the front door, the patrons having left three bottles of Terato that they couldn’t be bothered to throw away. People are buying and consuming it in droves in the latest move by Americans who pretend to be health conscious so it helps them sleep at night, nevermind the fact they probably haven’t looked at the scale in months. Well what does it matter, out of sight, out of mind, ya know I’m kind of overweight myself. \r \n\r \nI place all the bottles into the bus tub, and even though you can smell the nutrients on the bottle that supposedly makes this drink so healthy, beer is still beer. The nutjobs over at Food Company Inc made a drink that is addictive and guilts people into drinking it via all the healthy nutrients it supposedly contains. I simply keep my incredibly detailed and cynical thoughts to myself and try to tune out that god awful song blaring through the speakers while avoiding slamming directly into my co-workers and making my way back to the kitchen with a tub full of dirty dishes.\r \n\r \nNow I’m in my element, stacking dirty dishes on the metal countertop near the dishwasher brings me a level of bliss I simply cannot fathom, I feel like I’ve achieved nirvana. I feel powerful and slightly remorseful throwing all the uneaten food away and chucking Terato bottles into the trash can like it’s nobody's business. That feeling of bliss fades all too soon, as the bus tub is soon empty, and I scramble to get back to the kitchen to do my job.\r \n\r \nAnd as I find the closest table in need of cleaning while my fellow busboy Todd rants about how The Earth is actually shaped like a Chicken Nugget because he’s a conspiracy theorist. We then both reach a table together with more of those damn Terato bottles. While I have a look of exasperation no one can see, Todd picks up the bottle and says, “Ya know, according to some experts on 4chan this drink can turn you into a bloodthirsty monster”. \r \n\r \nI chuckle to myself, man that’s quite the claim, even for Todd, who just the other day was talking about how Ronald Regan is still alive and plotting to blow up the Sun. And while I’m bussing the table immediately next to Todd, he continues with, “This Terato drink turning people into monsters is part of the plan of 4th Nazi Illuminati to eat our guns and steal our brains”. And I simply say back, “We’ll I’m due for a little excitement here”. \r \n\r \nAlmost like a cosmic call to the universe, a patron at the bar suddenly bites another customer trying to eat part of their arm. She shrikes while the sudden cannibal tries to eat her meal. Holy shit Todd was actually right. And Todd has never been right ever, Todd thought The Eiffel Tower was secretly a bagel factory for the elite of Zimbabwe. But here, Todd is chanting and howling “I WAS RIGHT BITCHES, AND SOON YOU’LL SEE I WAS ALSO RIGHT ABOUT THE ZIMBABWE ELITE’S SECRET BAGEL FACTORY IN THE EIFFEL TOWER”. He fists the air, and I can only watch as something finally interesting happens. \r \n\r \nThe restaurant may be getting congested now, but alas, I am too enamored with the waiters trying to restrain Ms. Bloodthirsty Monster and too busy laughing at Todd shout all the stuff he made up like it’s absolute truth due to one crazy claim coming true. \r \n\r \nAround 15 minutes later, The Police showed up and the restaurant had to close for the day under order from the police. So as I sat waiting for my ride, I looked on social media, and wow #3 trending on Twitter in the United States already. We’ll probably see a lawsuit tomorrow if this keeps up, I watch videos of people throwing bottles of Terato into long columns of flame or running them over with their cars, I love seeing how the world can turn on something so quickly. Ya know, life has been pretty bleak as of recently, and even though I’ll probably be scarred for the rest of my life, I’d say today was a pretty good day." ]

[ 1, 18 ]

[ "1662859194", "1662859227" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "I was always an outsider. Not just because of my skin condition, but because of the way I behaved. I wasn’t emotional like the rest of people, in fact, I couldn’t understand why people cried or how they loved or hated or got angry. To me it was all just drama, like I was watching a play, the game of life. \n\nI started living on my own not long ago. Moving out was the best day of my life. I had freedom at my disposal. No longer was I burdened by my strict, protective father complaining at me for everything. My mother died when I was too young to remember. I would love to have met her. Oddly enough, I haven’t even seen a photo of her, my father said they never took photos, she was a technophobe or something. \n\nOne day I made the mistake of not applying my cream. I was rather busy that day at work and I carelessly forgot. Little did I know that everything would change. Laying in bed that night, I began to itch profusely, I tried to ignore the itching so that I wouldn’t irritate it by scratching it. It was too unbearable to ignore though. As I rubbed my body, hoping a massage would help, my skin began to flake off. I was horrified as dead skin began to pile up with every scratch. My bed was covered in flakes, it was never-ending. \n\nIt was like I had acid all over my body and I was peeling from the outside-in. Even after I stopped scratching, the flakes continued to drop off, like they were impatient to reveal what was underneath. \n\nThis was the moment I understood the reason I had to apply that cream. My insides were dark, iridescent scales, like an unusual type of lizard. I was horrified and grabbed the cream immediately. Lathering it on and hoping it would all go back to normal. Except this time it was irreversible. The damage was done. I would no longer be a human, that suit had disappeared. \n\nI had been a reptile all along. No wonder I could never relate to humans, I was only half of one. Now it made sense why I never saw a photograph of my mother, she was a reptile too." ]

[ 1, 1 ]

[ "1662991535", "1663027847" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Every morning I get up at the same time and after I return the beer I borrowed the night before, I look at myself in the mirror. Sometimes I look good, sometimes I can barely meet my reflection. But, I always take a quick glance to examine how the night before treated me. Today, I can feel the bar fight more than I can remember it and when I spit out the blood that had gathered in my guts, I turn to the sink expecting the worst. But when I look, I scream in terror. Not because I see bruises and the black eye that throbs with every breath I take, because I see myself. No marks, stubble, barely a hair out of place. \n\n\"What happened last night?\" I ask myself. I see my lips whispering \"that's what would've happened last night\". I begin to cry and the reflection does too. \"never again\" he whispers to me as I stare back at him. I don't know why I'm hallucinating but a few drinks will calm my nerves down enough to think. We both walk out the door." ]

[ 1, 8 ]

[ "1663632640", "1663635248" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Lyra felt more tired than usual when she woke up that morning. She always woke a little bleary-eyed and foggy, but this morning opening her eyes felt like lifting two large boulders that had settled onto the tops of her eyes. *What time is it?* Lyra asked herself groggily. *9:34*, she answered herself immediately. Lyra jumped out of bed immediately. \"I'm late...I'm late...I'm latteeeee,\" she murmured herself, throwing on a nice shirt and pants and taking the quickest shower in existence.\n\nLyra started the car and started driving, and as soon as she got onto the freeway her panic just increased. At this point she might've been breaking the speed limit. *Am I already late? No, I'm not, but I've got about four minutes and I'm five away,* she answered her own thoughts.\n\nLyra stopped thinking. *That was...strange. Did I just answer my own question on something I didn't know the answer to? Yes I did,* she answered herself immediately.\n\nAs she walked into the building, a deep sense of unease settled in her stomach.\n\nThe job interview went perfectly, flawlessly. She knew exactly what they wanted to hear. She knew exactly everything, and that was the weirdest thing Lyra had experienced since last year's Hot Dog Incident.\n\nLyra got home and almost fell onto her couch, plopping down, exhausted. *Am I gonna get that job? Yes,* her thoughts whispered. Lyra stilled. That again.\n\nA look of confused crossing her face, Lyra tried something else. *Why and how do I have this power?* she asked herself confusedly. This time there was silence for a second before her mind answered. *Because They want me to.*\n\n*Who is They?* Lyra asked, worry making her eyebrows cross together. *I really don't need to worry about it,* she thought, and that was probably incorrect. She tried something else.\n\n*Where's my boyfriend right now? At Target,* she answered herself immediately. Um. Well, that definitely wasn't something she was supposed to know.\n\n*Do my friends like me? Some of them do. Emily and Brian do, but Jacky hates my guts.* Huh. Jacky had always been friendly and kind towards her since first grade, but apparently Jacky hated her. Lyra felt herself get a little teary-eyed. She'd been friends with Jacky for most of her life. She couldn't lose her now.\n\nFinally Lyra took a breath, stood up, and got ready for whatever she was about to get herself into. *How do I bring whoever They are here? You already have.* \n\nLyra felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, and then she heard cold, creepy laughter, and then everything went black." ]

[ 1, 10 ]

[ "1663928325", "1663961591" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Hi u/NoDensetsu, this submission has been removed.\n\nPrompts 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* *From Rule 6: [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\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/xnjiwd/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/config/sidebar) before posting. \n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*" ]

[ 1, 1 ]

[ "1664101027", "1664115496" ]

[ "\"You people! You just don't get it do ya? You just don't understand what is happening!\"\n\n\"You think that's the Lieutenant? Well it's not! Don't you get it? He was the Lieutenant and now he's not! He's got one of those alien worms wrapped around his fucking brain stem. You know what that makes him?\"\n\n\"DO YOU?\"\n\n\"That makes him the ENEMY!\"\n\n\"Now do you get it?\"\n\n\"Hello?\"\n\n\"LET ME OUT OF THIS CELL!\" \n\n\"NOW!\"\n\n\"You guys need me! Let me out of here and I can help! YOU NEED ME!\"\n\n\"He's going to kill you! One by one he will come after you and he will kill you and you will DIE!\"\n\n\"Guys?\"\n\n\"Anyone?\"\n\n\"Hello?\"\n\n\"Great. Just fucking great! Game over man, game over.\"", "\"I'm stuck here in time with you youngsters. (He laughs) Youngsters? Hell, I'm younger than all of you. I play the games you want to play better than you. I have hobbies. How many of you people here have actually hobbies? \"I'm into a band.\" Well, good for you. Everybody has bands they like, the difference is my taste isn't mercurial, at least it hasen't been since the seventies. And that's why I get more pussy than you. Especially you. Charles. You have no confidence, your will bends to the slightest wind that comes purring out of a woman's lips. You have to be firm. You have to be strong. That's why my kid's going to grow up to be a great man and my wife and I divorcing was the best thing that ever happened to me and him. He gets two Christmases and I get twenty two year old tail.\"", "Dude, remember that time we hiked The Canyonlands in Utah? That was fucking insane. We had so much shit with us it wasn't even funny. Shit we didn't even need. Fuck. Those packs weighed 70 pounds I bet. You were right, I know you were right. We should have hung around the trailhead and cleaned out all the bullshit we didn't need. \n\nI'm sorry man, I just had to get moving. You were so pissed. I know you were. \n\nYeah... I didn't think. Huh.\n\nAnyway, then we hit that pass and the weather starting turning to shit. Man, we were hating that. Good thing we followed the map to that side canyon with the overhang we could sleep under. It was like sleeping under a waterfall. Fuck it *was* a waterfall! \n\nI can't believe how hard it rained. Fuck, it's a *desert*. Who thinks about rain? Then that shit started freezing up. That's when shit really got real. That next morning we ate like kings though! Remember that? Mountain House Freeze Dried Eggs with bacon bars crumbled in 'em. Oatmeal. Cocoa. Coffee. Damn. I felt alive again after that.\n\nI remember when I started skating across the ice that covered the slickrock down towards the edge of the canyon. Man you yelled at me. I know. I know. It was stupid. You were so pissed. I'm glad you made me turn back man.\n\nFuck. You saved my life dude. " ]

[ 1, 1, 2 ]

[ "1344468191", "1344491481", "1344547002" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "\"Dude, my messages aren't going through.\"\n\n\"What do you mean they're not going through?\"\n\n\"As in, they're failing to send - look.\"\n\nJames handed over his iPhone.\n\n*Failed to send*, it read.\n\nThey both looked up.\n\n\"Where is it? I don't see it.\"\n\n\"Is that it?\" Jeremy pointed.\n\n\"No dude, that's way too dim to be it. It should be, like, bright AF.\"\n\nThey studied night sky for a few minutes, and then in unison:\n\n\"It's gone.\"\n\n\"Holy shit,\" James whined, index finger to the sky, \"it used to be right there!\"\n\nBut that part of the sky was dark now.\n\n\"They fucking blocked us! I was so going to score with that Andromeda babe!\"\n\nThe Andromeda system had, in fact, blocked the Milky Way. It was a petty move, something to do with a joke taken out of context and feelings hurt. They had deployed a graphene Faraday shield two hundred thousand lightyears across at the halfway point between the two galaxies. Nothing would be getting through, not at least until they got an apology. James would have to score with an Earth girl for the time being." ]

[ 1, 2 ]

[ "1664562049", "1664564723" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Allison, I feel like we have this,\" He gave me a fake smile. \"Connection.\"\n\nI kept my hands firmly to myself. \"So are you talking Carl Jung or string theory?\" I asked hoping that it would deflate his enthusiasm a little. He'd talked non stop about how good of a lover he was. I was thinking about asking a friend to call me with an emergency. If I could hold out for the check then I pay for my bit and leave.\n\n\"I should have brought this up earlier but I wanted to be sure you were good enough.\" He licked his lips. \"How do you feel about threesomes?\"\n\nNope. Just nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. He could pay for my part. I stood up and grabbed my purse. Took one step away from the table and then I was in someone's basement. Standing in front of me was a woman holding some old book.\n\n\"Jessica?\"\n\n\"Allison?\" Her brow furrowed. \"That doesn't make sense.\"\n\n\"What doesn't make sense? I mean other than me being at a restaurant with a creepy dude.\"\n\n\"Oh.\" Both of us said in unison.\n\n\"I was drugged!\"\n\n\"You're a demon!\"\n\nI rolled my eyes. \"Demons aren't real.\"\n\n\"How do you explain winding up here in my summoning circle?\"\n\n\"I was drugged.\" I tapped the side of my cheek. \"Creepy mc creepy was fixated on sex.\"\n\n\"I thought you liked-\"\n\n\"More than a normal person. If you catch my drift.\"\n\n\"Oh, one of those.\" She shook her head, \"That doesn't explain why you're here.\"\n\n\"Yes, it does!\"\n\n\"No-\"\n\n\"Because you're an hallucination!\" I bounced on my heels. \"I don't even know why I'm trying to explain any of this to you.\"\n\n\"Ah,\" She said, concerned as I lunged forward.\n\nI hit an invisible wall and landed squarely on my butt. I realized for the first time there were intricate patterns all over the floor. I reached out to touch one and was met with the same barrier before my finger could make contact with the chalk.\n\n\"I'm friends with a demon.\" Jessica stiffened. \"What are you up to?\"\n\n\"Figuring out why I'm in your basement. And before that having a record breaking bad first date.\"\n\n\"No, I mean are you trying to take over the world or-\"\n\n\"What? This is stupid even for a hallucinations.\" I was pretty sure it wasn't but I wanted to shame my subconscious.\n\n\"If you won't do this the easy way will do this the hard way.\" She straightened and began to chant in Latin.\n\nAn eerie glow began to emit from her. My stomach feels cold and it feels like something is walking around inside me or drifting. It was a difficult sensation to describe.\n\nWhen Jessica stops I feel my face pull into a rictus grin. \"THANK YOU, MORTAL.\" A booming voice whips out of my mouth. \"I THOUGHT I'D NEVER TAKE CONTROL.\"\n\n\"Oh, no. This night has been bad enough.\" I force my voice out of my own freaking mouth. \"I have been kidnapped and had a date with a piece of crap. We are not adding weird dreams about demonic possession to the list.\"\n\n\"THIS IS NO DREAM! I HAVE BEEN A PART OF YOU FOR YEARS. YOU ARE MINE.\" It made me give Jessica a simpering smile. \"YOU WILL USE YOUR BOOK TO HELP ME GET BETTER CONTROL OVER THIS BODY. AND I WILL REWARD YOU.\"\n\n\"I don't think that's a good idea.\" Jessica said slowly.\n\n\"DON'T BE A FOOL, CHILD. I CAN GIVE YOU POWER BEYOND YOUR IMAGINATION.\"\n\n\"Of course this is a bad idea. It's a demon or something. Why did you even try to summon it?\"\n\n\"Yeah, it's a bit too cliché for my liking.\" She flipped through her book and then began reading out of it.\n\nThe demon inside was sent back to I guess hell.\n\n\"Thank you.\" I lurched forward and gave Jessica a bear hug.\n\n\"No problem.\" Jessica stepped back grinning. \"Now that you see I'm right, do you want to help me summon some more?\"", "I looked at my friend, Kitty.\n\nMy friend looked at me.\n\nI looked at the engraved summoning circle, the dark candles I had watched her buy when we went shopping, I looked up at my friend.\n\nMy friend started to look angry as I felt my tail begin to lash behind me. I could always tell her moods, though this one was as plain as day. I reached up to scratch at my horns, they itched. I had a brief thought how odd it was that they did not seem odd.\n\n“You told me none of this was real! You teased me about it!”\n\nI looked down, back up, and tried to sniffle back a tear. “Sorry, sorry, I just…I never knew I was adopted!”\n\nKitty caught my mood, my shock, and ran forward to hug me.", "I stood there stunned and facing my friend, who was holding an ancient-looking tome in her hands. I looked down to see myself in the middle of a pentagram drawn on the floor with candles at each of its points. I say that I was stunned because a second ago I was in the bathroom in front of the mirror brushing my teeth.\n\n\"Oops!\" said my friend. \"My bad.\" After rattling off some gibberish I couldn't understand, perhaps the incantation to reverse this particular summoning, she sent me back, and I found myself back in the bathroom. I stared at myself in the mirror with the toothbrush still in my mouth for a good minute or so before resuming my brushing. I would talk to my friend about this tomorrow.\n\nThe next day, I would discover that we would not be having that discussion. I looked out my window to see my neighborhood engulfed in flames, but the flames did not seem to consume the houses. The sky had turned a blood red, and I saw red figures with wings and horns running to and fro, making trouble, wreaking havoc, setting fire to lawns, fences, neighbors, cat, dogs.\n\nWhen I stepped out of my front door to get a wider view, I saw my neighbors running for their lives as they were being pursued by these demons.\n\nMy friend had always talked about trying to summon a demon. I tried to tell her that it was all make-believe and that there was no such thing as demons or the occult or the practice of summoning demons. I had to guess that she had been making many an attempt at the summoning, and I believe that she had intended to summon only one. But through some misplaced phrase or incorrect pronunciation, she had instead summoned a whole army of them by mistake.\n\nIn the next second, I found myself back in the summoning circle in front of my friend.\n\n\"Didn't I tell you not to mess with this stuff?\" I told her. \"Did you want to summon an entire army of demons to overrun the world?\"\n\n\"No,\" said my friend. \"Chill out, I'm working on figuring out how to send them back. I brought you here to help me.\"\n\nShe walked up to me with a look of triumph. \"So, little Miss Know-It-All who thinks there's no such thing as the supernatural and the occult. Do you believe *now*?\"" ]

[ 1, 18, 34, 57 ]

[ "1664640502", "1664681047", "1664659184", "1664652813" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "“Get your pack in check. Little wolf.” I yelled, he pulled back after I ran up on him. \n\nHis eyes started to turn yellow and so did mine. Hoping I would transition faster, I ran into the woods and scattered. \n\nHe sent his friends after me. They stopped after seeing a group of humans in the woods. I continued running, now a werewolf my speed was so much faster, so much more primal. Blood trails were all over the floor, I slipped on them and reverted to my human form. What just happened? Where was this blood coming from? Of course, where there is blood, there is screaming, in typical horror fashion. I never expected to see the massacre unfold before my eyes. This wasn’t just any massacre, there was fire and people mumbling amongst themselves. \n\nThis was cult madness and I found myself in a compromising position, standing in the middle of their ritual. I started to burn up, the heating sensation in my body. I looked down and saw my own body. There were no fangs in my mouth but there were clearly some in my body on the floor.\n\n“What happened here?” I asked.\n\n“You aren’t a werewolf anymore. We are getting rid of them for good.” She said. She threw a rock over my head and that was the last thing I remembered." ]

[ 1, 1 ]

[ "1665093117", "1665099585" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "It came like a black tide, an all-engulfing wave of bubbling, frothing darkness, like a tsunami of sentient shadows. Kaygar watched from atop one of the lower branches of the World Tree, a massive oak that spread over miles and rose like a mighty lance to spear the sky. From this vantage point, he could see all of it happening below. The shuffling of woodland creatures pelting through the forest, desperately trying to avoid it. But they couldn't. \n\nIt was too vast, too vicious. Eventually it caught up to them, and it swallowed them whole. Even the birds couldn't escape. The tide was almost as tall as the World Tree itself, blotting out the sky like a huge black canvas. \n\nThere was nothing anyone could do. Even the Elder dragons had taken flight at the first sign of it, their enormous, age-weakened wings lifting to brush against the sky as they fled like cowards. Most of them had gone. But Kaygar had stayed. Some had called him foolish, others arrogant, to think that he — the smallest, weakest of their whole clan, could take on something that had reduced the fiercest warriors of their tribe to dribbling, trembling messes. And perhaps they were right. Despite being as old as those very warriors, there were bountiful younger dragons almost as big as he, some even bigger. \n\nBut that didn't matter. He had always been different. Even his flames. Not the vibrant, coursing, gold-and-red of his peers, but a deep, silvery blue. They didn't even burn. \n\nThere was very little chance that he could do anything, when even the bravest, most accomplished warriors' flames had done little more than tickle the strange, shadowy substance, but he had never been the smartest egg in the batch. A wide grin overtook his face as he watched the End draw closer, tearing down everything in its path. Perhaps he really was stupid, but either way, he would stand his ground. He would fight. And even if he didn't win, he would die an honorable death, the only Dragon brave enough to defend their home against an undefeatable opponent. \n\nHe had no regrets, no fear, only a burning will to battle. And that he did. \n\nThe blackness was upon him like the cloak of night descending over the evening sky. Tendrils of black smoke reached out for him, and he roared, issuing a burst of his strange, useless blue fire. Then something extraordinary happened. As expected, the flames didn't burn the smoke. But something else began to happen. A thick sheet of ice began to creep over the substance, causing it to recoil. It was unbelievable, a bluff maybe. But it had given him a moment of peace, a tiny window to act, and he continued to press his advantage, shooting plumes of blue fire all over. And everywhere it struck, the flame turned to ice, and the darkness writhed and shrieked. It continued on for several long minutes, or perhaps it was hours, all sense of time was lost in the scene. It was only he and the Void — the Void, which redoubled its efforts, attacking more ferociously than he had ever seen it, and he, Kaygar, the smallest, weakest warrior, with his peculiar icy-flames, repelling it entirely. \n\nSoon, the Void seemed to recognize that they were at a stalemate. With an angry shriek, it retreated, and the light of the noon sun came pouring back onto the world below. \n\nHe was tired, he was injured, and he was deeply confused, but he was smiling. He had done the unthinkable, when everyone, including himself, had doubted him. And he would remain there for a few more hours, resting and waiting, until it came back, and the battle began anew. However long it would take, he would be there pushing the Darkness back, until he found the way to truly defeat it." ]

[ 1, 10 ]

[ "1665223433", "1665231140" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "“A big..mac?” I say confused. “Yes my lord, it comes from the land of mcdonalderan. Quite the place for food so I’ve heard.” my servant exclaims. “What does this contain? I see vegetables, and some sort of meat, a cow maybe? But what is this sauce? And what is this…bread?” I ask perplexed. “I think it’d be better if you just tried it.” My servant says. \n\nI use my forged golden fork and knives to cut a piece, and take a bite. “My goodness, this is fantastical.” I eat it frantically but leave a little less than half for my servant, since he did tell me about this. “I need more immediately, a whole castles worth. I crave it.” And around 24 hours later I get over 20,000, my servant counted. I am 1000 Big Macs in when I start to feel weak. I fall to the ground as I realize I have gained a massive amount of weight. I feel sick. I feel\nTired. And I fall asleep. I dream about turning into a big mac. \n\nWhen I wake up, I realize what I must do. I cut off my legs, and have my servants cook them for the meat of my plan. I grab vegetables from my garden for my servants. And we get to work. I eat, and\nIt tastes identical. \n\nWe use my arms, next. And they take apart my torso. I am okay with this. This is my destiny. To be eaten is my destiny everyone needs to taste the Big Mac one in their life. My worth is used up. And everyone is fulfilled." ]

[ 1, 4 ]

[ "1665269112", "1665282148" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "You're a toxic buffoon, a joke of a spy, Mr Bond. You're world-renowned for god's sake. What spy wants to be world-renowned? It's antithetical to the very definition of the job. \n\nAnd you're so easy to manipulate and direct. Just wave a super-tech gidget, a half-serious \"super villain plot\" and a pretty woman in your face, and I can get you to spend a few destructive weeks running across half of Europe and a third of the tropics. It's expensive, and a pain in the butt to set up, but the profits. You wouldn't believe the profits. \n\nMeanwhile I'm manipulating the insurance companies, the stock markets and the various governments of the world. Based entirely on the damage, panic and destruction I know you'll cause. \n\nWhen you blew up my super radio telescope in Brazil, I had already secretly stripped out all of the data, technology, and even the goddamned copper wiring, and sold it on the black market months ago. But the insurance payout (covered by the Bank of England of course) was for a fully functional facility. Brazil's government even thanked me for helping decommission a technological dinosaur.\n\nThe various nuclear launch facilities that you've destroyed over the years? You wouldn't believe the profits I've made by selling the Uranium and Plutonium before letting you lose. Your chaotic actions are great for covering up to who and how much Nuclear material I've sold. \n\nAnd if I'm in need of a quick injection of finances, I just dabble in the currency of a few dozen third world countries and then wind you up. If I'm feeling generous, I give certain leaders a heads up, and allow them to bribe me to keep them off the itinerary. \n\nSo why am I telling you all this now Mr Bond? Quite simply I'm ready to retire from the villain business and I no longer need to string you on. Incidentally, I've forwarded a few documents to the various government and financial institutions of the United Kingdom on exactly how much you've cost them over the years. It's all anonymous and imminently deniable by yours truely of course. I hear you have an interview with the Prime Minister in a few hours? About your continued employment I believe. Toodle-oo." ]

[ 1, 3 ]

[ "1665459886", "1665555239" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Hi u/Dominika_4PL, this submission has been removed.\n\n**Simple Question / Simple Answer**: You asked a simple question and you're likely to get a simple answer. Responses must be at least 100 words. Prompts should encourage a story or poem. \n\n \n\n* *This was removed [based on the comments it's likely to attract](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), specifically via [Rule 1](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---\n\nPrompts 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* *From Rule 6: [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\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/y1xjud/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/config/sidebar) before posting. \n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*" ]

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[ "1665560782", "1665564254" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Oh don’t stop now!\n\n I have enjoyed reading this short story so please continue it.\n\n I love how you go from one thing that ties into the next sentence from beginning to end!\n\n I love to write but I am dyslexic and even though I taught myself to read and write, developing tricks along the way, I am to self conscious about my grammar and punctuation and I never was able to understand verbs, adjectives and just failed basic English classes miserably, to ever post any of my work.\n\n While you have done a fabulous job and I love your imagination!\n\n You have a gift and I really hope you will continue with this charming ghost!\n\n I followed you so I can read more of your stories. :)", "You ever think about death? The fact that one day your life will end? I used to before the incident.\nIt was a normal day just like any other I was driving to work when a giant truck came and barreled into my car.\n\nI didn't feel any pain and after a moment I realized I was floating above the car crash. At first I didn't realize what was going on but then a pigeon flew right through me and I realized I was dead.\nI did the normal stuff at first checking on family and all that stuff.\n\nThen I traveled around the world a bit saw the eiffel tower and such but then I thought of something \"Area 51\". One of the places I always was curious about. So I floated around until I found the road leading to it. The guards didn't notice me at all so I thought the rest of it would be easy.\n\nI floated through the front entrance and suddenly alarms started blaring and the phrase \"Code 62: Ethereal intruder detected\" repeated on a loop.\nOne of the guards slammed his finger down on a small purple button.\n\nA large transparent purple box formed around me. I tried to float through it and I just slammed into it. My gut filled with dread as the box decended through the floor into a large white room with many purple orbs on the walls. \"Hello James\" said a voice from behind me.\n\nAt that name I froze up, after not hearing it for more than 6 months it took me by surprise. \"W-what?\" I said as I turned around to see a tough army general looking guy standing on the floor of the room looking at me in the box floating in the center of the room. \n\"H-how do you know my name?\" I asked. \"Well, I know a lot of things thanks to my freind up here\" he said tapping his head.\n\nSuddenly his eyes glazed over with a green sheen. \"Hello James\" he said again his gruff serious voice replaced with a soft soothing one. \"I am oracle, welcome to the Ethereal Defense Program or E.D.P for short we're happy to have you here.\"", "\"Bro come on I said gimme back my twinky\" the other security guard opened it and threw it at me bard and the twinky smashed all over my green skin. I was strapped to a chair 6 feet tall. My name was erring but they called me Erin to give me a human nickname. \"Damnit you know I love twinkys Sam\" sam snickered and walked over with a fresh twinky. \"Tell us if there's more of you\" I silently snickered. There methods of interrogation were so childish. \"Alright for 15 more twinkys I'll tell u where my sister lives. \" they had caught me in my home making strange transitions from a radio device I had derived to contact our home planet which we came from and had crashed onto earth 1000 years ago with. Strangely humans have massive technological skills yet, they can't seem to act smart at least not all of them. I stretched my mouth to the ground and picked up the twinky and said \"hmmm yummy. She lives on 423 south cane street \" \nThey brought me 2 more twinkys an jus walked out. \nI heard a slow breathy voice say \"is you a real dog on it alien?\" A translucent but visible old man, 56 years old with a dirty straw hat and thick aviators appeared. He had a cold and hard staring unchanging face. He gave a ever so slight nod and said \"tod\" \"what be it your name son\" \n\"Yes tod I am a true alien, any help out of here would be nice, are you a spirit or a hologram what are you?\n\"I need to leave before they figured out I lied about my disyers address, i looked over to the knarly knuckle crunching interrogation equipment and shivered. I'd given them everything I could afford without giving them anything to get out of this\nBut they were no where near Done and I knew that.\n\"There's a tunnel that goes up but that's it. There's a car inside it. There's no other exit \n\"Your best bet would be talking to them cowboys an making amends for whatever you did to em son\nYou prolly should also rethink your outfit \nAnd he snickered.", "< ! CODE 62 ETHEREAL INTRUDER DETECTED ! >\n\nAn alarm blared as soon as I floated inside the little fortified area.\n\nIt was curiosity that brought me here, like all the other places I visited before.\n\n\"Huh... this is bad, isn't it...\"\n\nIt's been a very long time since something in the living world could perceive me.\n\nI stood still, shocked at the unexpected development, and in those few seconds of my spirit lagging, a weird contraption deployed itself from the ground, activating in weird flashes of light.\n\nAbsentmindedly, I noted that it definitely didn't match the current technological level that I have observed while roaming the Earth. Where did it come from?\n\nA final flash of light burst from the trap (because it's one isn't it?) and I found myself in a self-contained space, completely cut off from the world.\n\nAlmost immediately, a screen with a figure appear in the middle of the nothingness of my cell -a really fancy one, I gotta admit. The woman has a serious face, but I can still notice the slight smugness emanating from her.\n\nHer voice sounds out just after:\n\n\"Well well, what do we have here? A little ghost intruder? It's not often we see one wandering about.\n\nCare to tell me where you come from?\"\n\n\"I'm afraid... that I can't tell you that.\"\n\nYou see, I have a strict Rule about interfering with the living.\n\n\"Oh well, I didn't expect you to answer immediately. Don't worry, you'll have all the time in the world to change your mind inside your new home\", say the woman with the assured tone of someone used to being in charge.\n\n\"I'm really sorry. We can't talk... yet.\"\n\nRules must be followed, this is how the world maintain itself. Some are inconsequential, but there are a few that must be respected at any cost.\n\nI'm ... really old, you know, I traveled far and wide, seen any era of importance.\n\nI don't make rules lightly. Really, this is the only one I made, and only to myself. It's an important one.\n\nNow, they saw me.\n\nThem seeing me meant the Rule was being broken.\n\nSo I needed to rectify it.\n\nA decision was made, though I didn't have many options.\n\nMy eyes flashed with a crimson light, a silent herald of death.\n\nThe slight sounds that could be heard from the other side of the screen turned silent.\n\nThe screen itself turned black before disappearing.\n\nThe self-contained space that was my jail cracked and fractured, turning to infinitesimal particles, and I found myself back in the world.\n\nI glanced at the now inert piece of metal that those people used to trap me, before turning and staring at something beyond on the wall.\n\nI beckoned, and while waiting, I made sure no information about my encounter with this place would remains, in any form.\n\n\"All clear\", I muttered, with a slight satisfied smile. An hint of sadness briefly surfaced in me for the people of this place, lamenting their poor luck for meeting me. If only they didn't see.\n\nSoon after, the almost transparent ghost of the woman, whom I still didn't knew the name, emerged from the wall, silent, in that characteristic dullness that always follow death.\n\nEmotions are for the living after all.\n\n\"Now we can speak.\"", "It should have been easy.\n\nIt should have been quick.\n\nIt should have been informative. Or at least *interesting*.\n\nIt should have been *fun*. Something anyone would have given their lives to do.\n\n*Explore Area 51*. Sends shivers down my ectoplasmic spine every time. Worth any price, just to mark off your bucket list.\n\nBut it wasn't anything like that.\n\nIt was hard to hide from the artificial eyes. Their screaming of \"Code 62! Ethereal intruder detected!\" echoed in my ears like funeral dirges.\n\nThe soldiers moved far too fast to contain me. Like they had dealt with someone with protoplasm for skin and an incorporeal state before.\n\nAll I saw inside the place were bare metal walls, flashing red and white as the alarms blared from my arrival. There were doors, but I had no chance to look through for secret technology or alien manipulators.\n\nAnd it wasn't fun, at all. You guys do your job far too well to make it any fun.\n\nCan I go now, General? I won't be able to tell anyone normally since, you know, I'm *dead*.\n\nPlus, these binding glyphs are starting to itch.\n\n\\---\n\nYeah, this was a short, silly idea. Maybe it made you laugh or smile. Thanks for reading.", "Alarms are blaring from all directions and red lights are going off everywhere. What is happening? They know I am here? How is that possible, I've tried everything I could to have people to notice me and nothing worked at all. But these guys had the power or technology or the... something to see me?\n\nI turn around and start running out the way I came in, but then I realize, I don't remember which way I came in. Part of the problem with being able to walk through walls, you end up not paying attention to direction.\n\nI keep running and running through different rooms. A room with some vampires being experimented on, did not expect that. A room with rats the size of a house. As if my nightmares weren't bad enough, they went and made giant rats. What wacky ass shit are they doing at this place? I don't stop to look or think about it. If they are doing experiments, I sure as hell don't want to end up being one of them.\n\nI run into a group of guards wearing special goggles. They raise their weapons at me. I keep running towards them. Idiots don't know I'm a ghost? As if their bullets could- AUGH!!!\n\nI fall to the ground. White goo blood pours our of my belly. I'm eating my words like a fool. They cuff me and blindfold me and lock me in a cage. I try to float out of this cage but it is impossible. \n\nThe next few weeks are torture. They experiment on me. It's painful. The whole time I think about how I didn't even get to see an alien. This trip was so not worth it.\n\nFinally, one day after a month or so, I wake up. Wait. I wake up? I haven't woken up since I died? I fell asleep? What did they do to me. I flex my hand. Holy shit, I can feel my fingers! I try curling my toes. Holy shit, I have a body? I can feel!\n\n\"Hello there. You're awake.\" A man says.\n\nStill blindfolded I cannot see who it is. \"Yes. Did you... did you bring me back to life? Is that what you were doing this whole time?\"\n\nA long pause. \"We were able to bring you back to life, yes.\"\n\n\"Oh my God! Thank you, thank you so much! I can't believe-\"\n\n\"There is a catch.\" He interrupts.\n\n\"A catch? What's that catch?\"\n\nSilence rings throughout the room. Unable to handle it anymore I take off my blindfold and look at the man. Or rather, I look down at the man. He wears a uniform and would probably be very intimidating if he was not tiny. Why is he so tiny? Then I look down at my body for the first time. And I realize what has happened. I am a giant rat the size of a house.", "# Soulmage\n\n**Distance was strange on this side of the mortal veil.** The space an object took up was determined not by its physical volume, but by how much it had impacted the living souls of the world. And so in my ethereal form, I passed by mountains the size of sand grains and hearthplaces that loomed like towers.\n\nBut all that was dwarfed by the planetoid of memory and emotion that I had come all this way to infiltrate. The wide complex was practically a miniature town, and its legend had been contributed by hundreds of thousands of souls. Even as nothing but a memory, it would be difficult to sneak inside.\n\nI was up to the task, however. I was nothing more than a figment of imagination; what use would the weapons of the soldiers within be against me? So after analyzing the whirling planetoid of hopes and emotions, I pulled on the fabric of soulspace around me, *remembering* a moment of my life. Soulspace responded, forming a dragon of willpower and memory, and I clambered on, willing it to fly through the void.\n\nLanding on the surface of the chaotic mass that represented the fortress-complex, I pressed my ear to the ground, sifting through all the memories this building held. If the secrets I was searching for were anywhere, they'd be in the building's soul. Dismissing the dragon—keeping it manifested was too much of a strain on my mind—I looked into the soul of the fortress...\n\n...and the soul of the fortress looked *back* at me.\n\nI screamed and stumbled back as the ground *blinked*, one face, two faces, three, surging out from the ground.\n\n\"Foolish ghost,\" the uniformed specter whispered. \"Did you think we had no dead of our own? *Even in death, we still serve.*\"\n\nThe soldier lifted their weapon, and the last thing I heard before falling unconscious was the ringing of a distant alarm.\n\nA.N.\n\nThis story is set in the world of Soulmage, a serial written in response to writing prompts! Check out the rest of the story [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/bubblewriters/comments/uxmwe4/soulmage_masterpost/?sort=confidence), or r/bubblewriters for more.", "*I was...running? But I didn't feel my feet touch the ground. How did...wait I was moving, fast.* \n\n\"CODE SIXTY TWO, ETHEREAL INTRUDER, DETECTED.\"\n\n*I snapped back to reality, I felt myself in my space, and while I was running I ran into a guard. I closed my eyes and bit the bullet, I tackled the guard and I...and I...oh shit. I'm in this guy's head.\n\n\n***WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!***\n\n*Oh, hey! How's it?*\n\n***Who the hell are you? Where am I?!***\n\n*You're in the same place I am. I'm in your head.*\n\n***How the fuck-why can't I move?***\n\n*Ah, correction! I'm in your body, but you're in your own head. Don't fight it too much, kid.*\n\nAnother guard ran around the corner, grabbing us by the shoulder. \"Sir! Are you okay?\"\n\n*I looked at the young man, deep into his clueless eyes and a warm wave of relief washed over me.* \"No, you go on ahead, I need a minute to myself.\"\n\n*The soldier ran around the next corner, allowing me to take in the first deep breath I've had in 14 years.*", "As I looked down at my bullet-riddled corpse, I could only think one thing.\n\n*Mom was right.*\n\nShe'd told me that the voices I heard were all my head, a result of the mental illness that runs in my family -- as opposed to a genuine astrally-projected distress signal from alien lifeforms confined at Area 51 by a shadowy quasi-governmental organization.\n\nNow that my body was dead, along with my brain and all its evidently misfiring neurons, there were no voices. Even my obsession with Area 51 was gone. I could remember how I'd spent all my time researching it, poring over every resource I could find on it from the public library to the deep web, but the *need* had vanished the moment my soul, or spirit, or whatever was left stopped being tethered to a flawed human brain. I saw my obsession for what it had truly been: a mere trick played on me by my own organically unhinged psyche.\n\nI felt bad about being dead -- mostly for Mom, who'd be devastated when she learned what had happened. If she learned what happened. I'd read that anyone who had to be eliminated for attempting to breach Area 51 was quietly \"disappeared\", and I remembered believing it was true, but with my new post-mortem clarity, I found much of what I thought I knew about Area 51 and UFOs to be highly suspect.\n\nI watched as a medic formally pronounced me dead, and then helped one of the soldiers who'd killed me load my body onto a gurney and roll it away. I wasn't interested in following them -- at least not as much as I was interested in something else. Even though I was no longer driven by the manic hunger to learn the secrets of Area 51 that I'd had in life, it seemed like a shame to waste the opportunity to take a peek inside.\n\nSo I walked right through the fence and stepped onto the base.\n\nInsantly, klaxons blared all around me. A second later, a recorded alert sounded over loudspeakers set up on a nearby pole:\n\n*Code 62: Ethereal intruder detected! All personnel initiate standard containment protocol around Hangar 4! This is not a drill!*\n\nI froze in surprise, then flinched as two soldiers charged directly towards me. But the men ran past, towards a supply shed -- apparently while *something* on the base could detect me, I was still invisible to the people who worked here. \n\nWhat had the alert said? Hangar 4? That seemed like as good a place as any to look. I sprinted down the line of buildings effortlessly, unencumbered by the limitations of a body. I only had a moment to revel in this newfound freedom to move tirelessly across the ground before a soldier rolling something over the ground crossed my path, and I hit a wall -- except there was no wall. And also, walls should be no impediment to me anymore, as I'd proven by walking through the fence.\n\nI looked down at the ground, and then at the soldier continuing on his way, rolling out a white onto the ground at his feet. I'd seen a device like the one he was pushing before, when I was at school, before my illness got bad. It was usually used to make white lines on the grass of athletic fields for various sports, but that clearly wasn't it's purpose here. My search for the secrets of Area 51 had filled my head with all kinds of supposed paranormal lore, enough to guess what they were doing --- the chalk in the device must be infused with powdered salt, purported to repel things like demons and ghosts. Things like me, I realized.\n\nI sprinted ahead, doing an end run around the soldier, dodging between and around long lines of salted chalk as they were hastily traced out by Area 51 personnel, my ghostly eyes darting over the painted letters on the many buildings and hangars dotting the base. Just as the soldiers were about to trap me, I managed to get ahead of the one near the doors to the large building labelled *Hangar 4.* I darted inside through the wall without further hesitation.\n\nThe sight that met me was not what I'd expected. Not an alien spacecraft, or an even an experimental airplane. Just a large black metal crate, set up by itself on a wooden platform inside a circle of salt, with the words \"TOP SECRET\" stenciled on the side in faded white paint. \n\nNearby, an old man sat on the ground, his head bowed, a dusty cowboy hat shading his eyes. Beside him were two other seated figures, in an equally contemplative posture. These others were, well...*aliens,* of the classic variety. Little gray men with big black eyes, who neither wore, nor seemed to need, any clothing beyond their own skin. \n\nAs I came to a halt just short of them, staring at the unlikely trio in mute disbelief, the old man looked up at me. He frowned, but his expression seemed more compassionate than angry, and after a moment he let out a long, weary sigh.\n\n\"Well fellers,\" he said, glancing between his two alien compatriots, \"Looks like them damn feds out there caught themselves *another one.\"*", "What would you do with eternity?\n\nThink about it.\n\nNo, really.\n\nWhat would you do if you could go anywhere, do anything? Never aging, never hurtin'?\n\nThere is, of course, a catch.\n\nYou'd have to die first.\n\nNow, my dear, death has many flavors. The nature of your life, how you die, all add a certain *je ne sais quoi* to the big ol' stew of your after life experience. You like that? Je. Ne. Sais. Quoi. It's en Francais.\n\nI've been practicin'!\n\n... \n\nBah, lighten up, flesh suit. Not everything has to be so serious.\n\nWhat was I sayin'.\n\nRight. Was explaining death flavors.\n\nSo, those stuck in life, get stuck in death. Unable to move past a threshold, a barrier. They're *bound* spirits. Sometimes to a home. Sometimes a person. Could be most anything. You can tell they're bound though, hard to mistake those miserable eyes, the slow gait.\n\nNow, others don't stick around at all. Not really sure where they float off too. Space? Some other after life? Couldn't tell ya.\n\nMe? I died way back. Headin' west, towards a land of gold and new beginnings.\n\nThat was our dream. Me and Mary...\n\nEh... Didn't pan out, obviously.\n\nNo. No details. Let's just say y'all have it luckier than you know with your big water cleaning contraptions. What are they called? Right, treatment plants. Kinda expected actual plants, but y'all keep naming things weird.\n\nI toured one last month. I think it was a month. Feels like a month. That's where I got the idea for this latest venture.\n\nOverheard some twenty somethings--it's amazin' how long y'all get to live these days, too many of y'all be taking that for granted, it's sad to see. Anyways, sorry, not here to preach. So, I overheard these two men talkin' about raiding Area 51.\n\nYou know Area 51, I'm sure: Nevada desert, military base, *secret aliens*--that one.\n\nWell, curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to head on down meself and check out *the hype*.\n\nSo there I am, right? Trekked all the way from Washington down through California, and way far out into the desert. Like I said, took a month.\n\nWasn't pleasant either. Had to avoid some nasty spirits on the way through. Almost got chomped at least twice.\n\nOh yeah, might have been exaggerating a bit with the eternity thing. Spirits, err, no real pleasant way to say this. We eat other spirits to stay strong, keep our wits about us. Go too long without eating, and you fade out, and that's it. But eat the wrong things, and you go a bit mad. I try to stick to fresh bugs, fresh animals, but only the dumb ones. \n\nNever other humans, never pigs or dogs.\n\nOh, cats?\n\nYeah, no way I could eat a cat, even if I wanted to. Pretty sure a cat is what almost got me, near abouts Palm Springs.\n\nBut you don't care 'bout none of that, let's get back to the story, yeah?\n\nSo there I was, right at the fence line. Pass through the fence, no problem.\n\nI float up to the facility, brutal concrete thing, big double hangar door. It was cut into a hill, with an airfield on top of the hill. Some kinda underground entrance. Now, as a rule, I try to stay above ground whenever possible.\n\nNo real reason, just feel deep down like it would be easy to get trapped.\n\nGuess I was right.\n\nAnyways, I swallow my fear and go through the doors. I'm not *one inch* through, and suddenly I hear alarms blaring. \"Code 62! Code 62! Beep beep! Uh oh! There's a ghost!\"\n\nJust loud as all get out.\n\nY'all really threw me a welcome, let me tell ya.\n\nSo here I am, freaking out a bit, obviously. I turn around, *and I can't get out*. Don't know what y'all did, but I couldn't go through the doors, couldn't go through the ceiling, just like I can't go through these walls.\n\nYou know the rest.\n\nI flew about the facility looking for a way out before some guys in fatigues shot me with this weird laser, my brain scrambles, and next thing I know I'm stuck in this room, and you're askin' me what I'm doing here.\n\nHmmm?\n\nYou're saying I saw somethin'?\n\nLady, I'm tellin' ya. I was far too concerned with *escaping*. Travelin' and learnin' and seein' the world is way too important to risk on catchin' a quick peek at some aliens.\n\nSo there *are* aliens!\n\nOkay, well, you shouldn't have done told me that. Tell ya what. You just let me go and we'll call it all even. Won't tell your bosses. Won't tell anyone.\n\nWhat do you mean? Of course that's how that works. You let me out. You never hear from me again. Got no one to talk to, this is the most I've talked since me and Mary were...\n\n...\n\nNo. Not talking about that.\n\n...\n\nFine.\n\nI'll tell you what I saw.\n\nI saw you. Not you, you, but what you're *going* to be. You think you're gonna be done here when ya die?\n\nNah, y'all take this secrecy nonsense way too serious. This base is filled up with bound spirits. Plenty to keep me plump for a long, long while.\n\nMy rule about eatin' humans? Well. We all make exceptions when we gotta.\n\nSo the way I see it, I've got forever, but this place don't.\n\nOne way or another, I'm leaving here. Just a question of how many of your colleagues I'll need to eat in the interim.\n\nGuess I'll see ya soon." ]

[ 1, 1, 1, 1, 6, 9, 57, 90, 167, 215, 1153 ]

[ "1666055001", "1666085195", "1666095933", "1666102610", "1666079012", "1666072664", "1666059378", "1666056003", "1666055231", "1666072068", "1666071186" ]

[ "The fierce and unrelenting heat of the flames seared his skin and he could smell his own flesh cooking. As he recieved the devil's gift, painful as it was....he could only think of her. Cruel blue eyes, judging him. Her mournful words, hurting him day after day. Accusations. How could she think he didn't love her? Of course he loved her! With every inch of his being....except for the inches that mattered most to her. How could she think he was loving another? And how could she leave, because of this, because of this little thing? He had never seen it as such a problem. He didn't realise how much she needed this from him. He never thought she would leave him over this. But he would get her back now, she would be back in his arms and all would be good and right again. Satan laughed maniacally into his ears as the heat died down. He felt a vibrating sensation in his pelvis and he knew that he now had what God and never given him. ", "She had met the devil once before, when she visited and escaped from hell. He looked about the same as he did then, though it had been over sixty years ago, with his dark hair and eyes and his pitch fork in his hand. \n\"You realize,\" he started slowly, \"that if you give me your soul, I guarantee you, I won't let it slip through my grip again.\" She nodded curtly. She would do anything to save her best friend, even if it meant disappearing from her life forever, even if it meant leaving her to face cruel reality on her own.\n\"I've taken too much from her,\" Rose stated, hiding her emotion from him. She truly believed what she said. She had rudely invaded the life of her best friend, stealing the love of those close to the both of them. She felt guilty enough for it before things started going downhill. Her friend was starting to lose control of their life, and was unable to tell the difference between herself and Rose.\n\"She needs to live without me.\" Rose heard the screams of protest in the back of her mind, but before she could quell them, she was gone.\nLeah was alone in her body and lost in the world.", "\"I don't know if I'd go quite that far, Harry. 'Selling one's soul' is such a loaded phrase nowadays, don't you think? Why not consider it more of a loan?\"\n\nHe cocked his head to one side and pouted ever so slightly before adding, hesitantly, \"You'd get it back...\"\n\nHarry looked away, taking in the faux-positive vibe of the room while biting his lip nervously. The decor was condescendingly bright, and about as appropriate as a 'good luck' poster on death row. It also smelt vaguely of fish, but it was impossible to tell if that was the general ambience or the salesman himself. Several large posters adorned the walls, each one extolling the riches of a soul-free life in bold, red lettering.\n\nThe salesman cleared his throat and gently pushed the wad of papers across the desk. Harry could feel the tiny, beady eyes boring into the side of his skull. He turned back and awkwardly met the man's gaze.\n\n\"So, er...\" he started, \"Explain to me again what happens to it?\"\n\n\"Well it's all very simple. It's written here on page 43, section 5A...\"\n\nWith a sickly smile he lifted several pages from the top and indicated to a portion of miniscule text, not once breaking eye contact. Harry looked down at page 43, section 5A, but before he could begin to read it the other pages were set back on top with a thud.\n\n\"Hey, I didn't get a chance to-\"\n\nSpidery digits carefully laid a blue ballpoint pen on the peak of the stack. It struck Harry as a particularly final gesture. At this point he didn't really seem to have a choice.\n\n---\n\nSorry for the short length. I started pretty late at night and got too tired to continue!", "The quill became heavier with each flaring stroke of my hand as my own blood appeared where the ink should have. As I crossed the T, I suddenly felt lighter. Literally.\n\nMy look of surprise must have reached my face, as a raspy voice said from my right, \"The burden of your mortal soul has been lifted. Now, isn't that better?\"\n\nI didn't want to admit that I felt more free. To admit that Lucifer himself had helped me in any form would go against everything I had been raised to believe. My mom used to.....mom. She would disown me if she knew what I had just done, no matter how justified I felt.\n\n\"Don't look so forlorn, son. It's only your soul.\"\n\n\"Heh. 'Only my soul.' I wish I were as nonchalant about about this as you are. I realize I should have given this some thought before....but what's hell like?\"\n\n\"Well, aside from our nightly tea parties, it's not at all classy.\" That made me smile. \"Don't be too nervous, kid. I'll make sure you get a little extra time.\"\n\n\"You must forgive me if I am skeptical to believe you.\"\n\n\"The Prince of Darkness does not know forgiveness, but I will allow your disbelief. In fact, I thrive on disbelief.\" With that, he tipped the brim of his fedora in my direction, turned on his heel, and walked 10 paces before burning to ash in an instant. I was left alone in the dark field, holding my head in my hands as I dwelled on the events that pushed me to commit this unspeakable act.", "Kaen had never been a man to care for appearances, to judge those around him. Still, sitting across from an unkempt, wild mess of a man, he worried of those around him. He saw as many little niggling details as his eyes could catch, from faded, ripped and out of style clothing, to stains and scars and bad tattoos, anything to justify himself against a crowd of strangers. This cafe sucked, and he knew it, the patrons knew it, hell, the owners did too. As for why the meeting was there, then, he had a strange sense of understanding, a tickle at the back of his mind. He sipped his tea, pushed the cup and saucer away from him, and scratched his face. His partner simply grinned from across the table, sharp white teeth that shouldn't be accommodated by that jaw. Kaen hid his distaste and began to speak, in as quiet an audible tone he could manage.\n\n\"So, it's come to my attention that you've a... proposition for someone in my position. Of course, I can't just take that offer. I need details, and tangibility, and proof. I assume that someone in your position, with your capabilities, can provide that easily.\" His partner grinned again, stroked their dark, sleek beard, and began to talk. His voice was smooth and soft, silky, and slipped into Kaen's ears and mind like nothing else. Kaen only smiled and ran a finger over the ring on his hand. His only protection, and it'd cost him a lot. But he'd make it back. The words of his mysterious partner pulled him back to attention.\n\n\"- so as you can understand, I can offer anything. *Any-thing*. At all. I just require one thing as payment, very simple, very easy to make. Very high in cost, of course, but that only comes up when your... time is finished. And for you, that must surely be a while. You've got backers, and the power of *sciences*, what little good it'll do, and money galore. No worries.\" His words began to flow together, and he surely enjoyed the sound of his own voice. *'What sins he was fault for,'* Kaen laughed to himself.\n\n\"Well, then it's best time to make an offer.\" His partner's grin dropped, and they stroked their beard again, before pulling a paper from their jacket. Unfolded and laid straight before him, Kaen could see it was a contract. Of course, paperwork. Binding and official. He was handed a pen as well, but set it down in favor of his own.\n\n\"What terms have you decided? What do you want, Kaen?\" At the sound of his name he could only help but shudder. But what came next was important, impossibly so, and it had to be perfect. In response he pulled a paper from his jacket, blank and plain. On it, he began to write, folding up the front so the words could not be seen. When he was done, he folded it in half crisply, and set it down.\n\n\"It has been written, and is binding. I give you my word, since not my soul, that I will let you know. But only after I sign your paper, of course.\" His partner could not refuse, not on his word, and he was sure this man couldn't pull anything on him. He'd been in the business since it had started. Hell, he'd started it. Kaen placed his pen to paper, signed his name, and then smirked as he pushed his paper across to his partner. The man unfolded it scanned it, and instantly his face grew red with fury. He had made a mistake, admittedly, but he could salvage. Unfortunately, as he saw the ink the words were written in, he dismissed even that. \"As you can see, that is written with blood. My blood, to be exact. Have a good day. I will never have to see you again.\"\n\nThe man almost lunged forward, if it weren't for that he noticed the bright ruby ring on Kaen's hands, folded and resting on his knee. He scowled deeply. In an instant, his partner was gone, and with a breath of relief Kaen took the ring from his finger and slipped it into his pocket. Its use was done, and now it was a reminder of his most dangerous gamble. He stood up and walked away, triumphant.\n\nTrue, none of the other patrons of the cafe noticed any of this. They had no reason to, and if they thought even long and hard, they would only remember two men discussing business. The only sign that the two had ever been there was a paper folded crisply in half, on it words in crimson ink. 'The gift I ask from you is freedom and protection from *you.* You cannot touch me now, and now, never shall you.", "John Foster sat in the waiting room under the piercing glare of old crone who passed as the assistant to the man he was waiting for. Her name, according to the nameplate on her desk was M. Phistopheles and judging by her unwavering interest in John, she had no other duties than to watch him. John busied himself studying the arm of his chair.\n\t\nIn a voice that would have more fit a thirty year old than a woman of her (indeterminate) age, she said, “Mr. Cypher will see you now.”\n\t\nWith a start John Foster stood up and walked to the door behind her left shoulder.\n\t\n“You don’t have to do this you know,” she warned him as he passed. “He won’t hold it against you if you cancel.”\n\t\n“I know,” he replied as he walked through the door.\n\t\nBehind the desk sat a short, bald man with a ruddy complexion. He adjusted his spectacles quickly, looked up and flashed a flawless white smile. “Johnny! I’m so glad you could make it!”\n\t\n“Wouldn’t have missed it for the world Mr. Cypher,” John said, firmly shaking his hand. \n\n\"Please, call me Louis, we’re friends here,” Cypher said with the same, mechanical smile.\n\t\n“Tell me then Louis, in your experience, are humans that gullible? Lou Cypher? Do people not see through that instantly?” asked John with a frown as he helped himself to a seat across the table from Louis. \n\t\nThere was a brief flash of rage in his eyes and his smile wavered. “Here’s some free advice kid, when dealing with someone infinitely more powerful than you, arrogance is not a good attitude.”\n\t\nReclining, John replied, “I came here to do business, not to meet a new drinking buddy. I’d advise you to get down to business before I walk out.” \n\t\n“Okay then, if you simply must play hardball, I’ll play ball with you,” Louis chuckled. “In reference to your earlier question, the answer is yes. You will find that any species that thinks an apple will make them a God will fall for anything, even without a salesman as skilled as myself.” He reached into a drawer in his desk and pulled out a contract at least as thick as a phonebook. Despite his efforts to keep his poker face, John’s jaw dropped when he saw it. Louis only winked and said, “I have to keep the lawyers busy somehow.”\n\n“Now, this is a fairly soul sale agreement,” Louis stated while switching his spectacles for a pair of bifocals. “It covers terms of service, as well as various waivers on your part and mine.”\n\t\n“What kind of waivers?”\n\n“Honestly most of it is legalese and gibberish, but I’ll highlight the important parts for you. If you’d please turn your attention to page 66 paragraph 7,” Louis trailed off and waited for John to find the relevant passage. “This states that you may not speak about the details of any negotiation between you me, or any party representing us, it’s a fairly standard Non Disclosure Agreement. And then here on page 656, you waive your right to litigate for the return of your soul et cetera et cetera. Oh, and I suppose most importantly here on page 667 you waive your right to claim divine grace and forgiveness as an escape, people are always trying to play that card. There are a few others in here but in general they deal with higher level spiritual mumbo jumbo that is beyond mortal comprehension.” \n\n“I suppose I’ll take your word for it then. You probably hate being cheated just as much as I do.” John said, steeling himself for negotiations.\n\n“Good, Good. Now, let’s get down to brass tacks here. Under the current terms of the contract you get 24 years with the reward of your choosing before I come to collect your soul. There are no hoops to jump through, no fiddle contest, no nothing, just 24 years of free rein,” Louis said with perverse joy, “but after that, one of my associates will come to collect, and by then no court in Heaven or Hell will be able to stop it.\n \nJohn furrowed his brow, “24 years is pretty short next to an eternity of torment…”\n\nLouis chuckled, “Don’t be silly, Hell is nothing like they told you in Sunday school. Odds are you wouldn’t even know it by sight. There are no lakes of fire, I am afraid, just plain old water ones, as far as brimstone goes, there might be some in areas of volcanic activity but otherwise you’ll find none of that either.”\n\nJohn frowned and said, “alright, I’ll sign…”\n\n“Wonderful!” Louis practically shouted. He drew a feathered quill from his desk and turned to the final page of the contract while John searched the desk for an inkwell. \n\n“You won’t need any ink John, it won’t be that kind of signature.” He took John’s right hand and gave his thumb a sharp jab. He squeezed some blood into it before pressing it firmly onto the bottom of the contract, right above the dotted line. When he pulled it away it left a perfect red impression of his thumb. \n\nLouis pushed a button on his desk and said, “Since that’s over with, we just have to fax a copy to the big man upstairs and we’ll be in business.” His assistant entered and asked if anything was needed of her. “Of course I have need of you. May, would you fax this over to you-know-who for confirmation?” said Louis as he handed her the contract, “and while you’re at it, congratulate this man who has just agreed to become the wisest man on earth.”\n\n“Congratulations sir,” said May hollowly, her eyes full of pity, as she walked out of the room.\n\nLouis turned to the drawers of his desk once again and he came up with a beautifully carved redwood box. “Cigar, Mr. Foster?” he offered holding the box open. John gratefully accepted, reclining, safe in the knowledge that he had made out pretty well in that deal.\n\n“So out of curiosity, just what is hell like?” John asked half joking.\n\n“Hell is life, Mr. Foster. It will be exactly like your life was before this deal. Except of course with the memory of these next 24 years. Tell me, are you feeling any wiser yet Mr. Foster?” asked Louis with his lips curling into a malevolent smile.\n\nJohn was, and he was afraid. In his infinite wisdom he could only wonder just how he had allowed himself to be so foolish. \n\nLouis’s smile grew even more when he saw the blood drain from John’s face. \n\n“Don’t look so grim Mr. Foster. An eternity isn’t so long at all.”\n", "Collette licked her lips as she looked in her hand mirror. She put it face down on the dresser before picking it up and looking in it again. She did this three times before she actually accepted that the reflection staring back at her was her own. \n\nShe lit a cigarette with one hand, still holding up her silver mirror in front of her face. She studied what she saw; big dark brown eyes with long dark eyelashes and some emerging crows feet. Olive skin, perfectly smooth exept for a few laugh lines around her dusky pink mouth. She touched her cheek with her ring finger, still holding her cigarette and marvelled at her transformation. Even her hair was perfect. Thick and glossy, as black as night during the new moon.\n\nCollette steeled herself and put out her cigarette and stood up. She let her dressing gown fall to the floor in a cascade of sheer white gossamer, pooling round her naked feet. She began to move her mirror down past her face to her neck. Her lips parted slighty as she drank in the youth of her reflection. She continued moving the mirror down her body, carefully admiring her chest and her taught stomach, laughing at the curve of her hips and the luxurious hair between her legs. When she got to her thighs she threw her head back and laughed. Throwing her mirror on her velvet couch behind her, she ran to the balcony door, pulled back the curtains and grabbed the silver-plated handle. She took a deep breath, gently carressing it, then slowly dragged the door open. For the first time in 30 years she stepped outside into sunlight and Colette finally felt like part of the living world again. ", "FUCK. How do I keep getting into this sort of mess?\n\nI thought she was 18. She *said* she was 20. \"Dvacet.\" She was pouring beer for shitsakes. Or maybe just wiping tables. (What passes for child labor in Prague?) Isn't 16 the age of consent?\n\nOur eyes locked for just a skip-- I caught her staring. She immediately looked away and stroked that messy mousy brown hair back behind her ears. She was nervous. It made me smile. Later, when she walked by, she was tightly clenching her full crimson lips, as if trying to keep from blurting some stupidity, and with eyes *fixated* only on the safe zone behind the bar -- in such a deliberate avoidance it made me proud.\n\nI was chain smoking out back by the dumpsters when she came out the back door. \"Where you goin' with that mopwater Cinderella?\" was probably the worst pickup line imaginable, but all that mattered to her was that I spoke American. Cowboy. I didn't even really notice her tacky plaid apron and penny loafers until now in the salty alley light. Two weeks in this awful hellhole and I can't make shit for Czech, but I didn't need a dictionary for shy blue eyes and blushing smiles. I imagined that the soft little 80 word explanation that came next boiled down to, \"Wait here,\" as she rushed back inside.\n\nI'm obsessing over which state I left the hotel room in when she's already back, wearing a black sequin shirt and those same scuffy brown shoes. In tow is her posse from the bar-- a chubby girl and her over-cologned waify boyfriend. (In retrospect, they were kids too? I can never piece it together until it's too late...) My mind is still fixated on whether my bed is tidy while we gallop over to another joint, just down the street. Apparently AquaVelva here knows the bouncer-- he gets us in with a chest bump rather than 200 Crowns apiece...\n\nThis place is actually full! Now where the hell was this club earlier? My first thought is to ditch these nerds, but I'm kinda giddy hearing that bassline and being in a crowded room, so I buy the girls drinks and scope out the lasers-and-mirrors deal. We pretend to dance in a stupid circle, which is fast boring, so I make off to pee.\n\nFUCK. Ok, what happens next. Somehow I manage to buy some coke, the bathroom door won't lock, and the only dry surface inside is my passport, so my butt is jamming the door shut while my shaky hands are trying to remember this stupid ritual. There's a bang on the door. Am I snorting too loud? Is this obvious? FUCK. Is this one of those \"don't care\" countries? Or am I gonna get strung up by the balls? This is exciting. Done. (\"Plate is all clean mom!\" pops in my head.) I swallow the square of saran wrap with its powdery residue, just in case, then release my butt from the door to wash my face.\n\nI open the door and flash the line of people a smile. I feel like I just stepped out of a black limousine. I slick my hair back with water off my face. There's my girlfriend! (Why did I think of her like that?) I hope she's not here to pee, because I feel like dancing, so I grab her and push back into the dance hall. I twirl her and crap. She's loving it. (Where did I learn this?) Apparently they changed DJs, because this minimalist house is fuckingsick. We're making out, I high five some gimp with an NY shirt, there's girls dancing on the bar tables, the DJ now has a FIRE machine, and the mojitos are fantastic. This is the best goddamn night ever.\n\nMy bump is wearing off, but the girl is still all giggly and hoppy. I guide her by the hand out the dancefloor, past the bouncers, then glance back. She gives a big grin, so ok, she knows what's happening. Taxi taxi! -- Taxík Dvacet. We're kissing in the backseat when she climbs on my lap. My hand goes down her pants... hers go down mine... aaaaand haha, we're fucking in the goddamn taxi....\n\nIt ends. Pants get pulled up. Apparently we've been at my hotel for a bit, but the gray-haired cabbie doesn't care. (I bet he's seen it all.) She turns sideways in the backseat (just to look out the window?) then just sits there holding her knee against her chest. She's just quiet. Upset maybe? Everyone is quiet. My heart sinks. Why did the mood change so suddenly? I feel responsible, like I did something terrible. Everything seemed passionate and romantic, perhaps a bit hedonistic, just a few moments ago. She blutters something to the cabbie. I wish I spoke Czech. He responds in almost a whisper with his old man voice. I don't think they're talking about me. I step outside for a cigarette, but I need to pay the man. I circle around the back of the car, and see the back of the girl's head as walk past to the driver's side window. She's not coming. \"Here- 1000 Crowns.\" That sounds like a lot, but Czech money is like that. I'm overpaying, but she needs to get home. There's a tip in there too. I feel like I'm apologizing in cash.\n\nI shuffle back to my room. I should be happy. Drugs and sex. And now I'm in the clear. But I can't get over the question, \"What the fuck just happened?\" I'm dense. Ok ok- I didn't rape her. No one said no. Maybe we shouldn't have done it in the taxi? Cabbie was quiet. (Maybe I'm just deaf?!?) But shady shit seems like par for the course around here. Was she underage? Why would *she* care? Why would it hit her so suddenly? What the fuck just happened?\n\nMy room is meticulously clean except for the sweaty shirt drying on the chair. I go to bed without brushing my teeth. Still- what the fuck just happened?\n\n---\n\n\n**Knock knock knock.**\n\nIt's morning. I leap up in my boxers, then open the door a crack, with my half-naked waist hanging out of view.\n\nMy first thought- this is the ugliest cleaning lady I've ever seen. She's wrinkled and at least 2000 years old. Dressed in rags. And plastic jewelry. Glass beads. Ratty shiny fabric. Sequins. As I'm preparing for another mime game, the old lady is actually speaking English. And confidently, too.\n\n**\"You need to come with me.\"**\n\nOhmyfuckinggod. My heart is lurching so hard, I'm sure she can see it. I can feel my pulse on my neck. My voice cracks like I'm 12 again.\n\n\"N,no.\"\n\nShe just stares at me. She narrows her eyes. I wish I could shut the door. Hell, I wish she was a police officer, so I could just get handcuffed and this would end. I'm paralyzed between her gaze and my guilt. I still don't even know what the fuck I did wrong.\n\n**\"You have a rrrotten soul.\"**\n\nThis cut the stalemate and then I just slammed the door. I knew she could do nothing. I heard her walk away. Still, I was scared shitless. Was she coming back? How did she find me? (Oh right, this whole thing took place *right outside* the hotel.) Hell, \"Where's the American?\" would probably be enough. I need to check out. I need to go. I need to leave this country.\n\nI wish I could leave this *soul*.\n\n\n---\n\n\n\"So, after 39 years, you can imagine how *thrilled* I was to finally sign this goddamned soul over to the devil.\"", "His tears fell down like the rain. Cold, clammy, yet reassuring and soothingly warm. This emotion of pure sadness... why did it make him feel happier? Perhaps, he thought, when you are at the very edge, falling into the unknown, away from the beautiful world... when you have no happiness at all, perhaps even the most insignificant things could make you happier.\n\nHe felt empty. Lost. His tears kept flowing. Silently gushing, pouring its way through everything. The hurt. The pain... but most of all, the silence. It hurt him, and it knew it did, and redoubled its efforts in breaking his spirit. Where was his purpose? The drive? The ferocious, encouraging emotions that yearned for a brilliant new day? Gone. He laughed, but silence greeted him. That was all that was left. Dead silence.\n\nSlowly, he placed his palm across his chest. The steady beats of his heart brought a little warmth to his chilled body. Yet even the beats were empty, throwing themselves against his walls of protection, beating relentlessly like waves against the shore, willing him to break, to fall, to crack. To give up his soul.\n\nHe did not know how it had happened. The velvet soil embraced the tired man, nuzzling against his back and surrounding him with hope. The contract... how was it possible? All his lonely life, he had never imagined that it could be true. How foolish. He had never imagined that the Devil could even exist. Was it not a supernatural being? Woven together from lies and deceit, bound together by faith and fear? Was it not a story told to children at night to keep them tucked in tight? Apparently not. He sighed. He knew it was over. He would fight though, till the very last fragment of his existence got torn into the void, fracturing like silver raindrops littering the sweet land and throwing beauty into chaos.\n\nHe would fight it... he would hold on to his soul... his eyelids were getting heavier and heavier. He forced them open, willing himself with every ounce of energy he had left to continue the war. Yet even as the first streams of sunlight flowed over the horizon, casting its warm, soft rays across the illuminated ocean, he knew it was over. It was too late. It had happened. He was gone. \n\nHe closed his eyes. There was darkness. \n", "Hmmm...a new itunes update. Yes, just install now for god's sake. Next, next, next, yes yes I agree.....wa-wa-wait a minute! What the bloody the hell is this!? MY SOUL BELONGS TO THE DEVIL NOW?! sonofabitch" ]

[ 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 3, 6, 11 ]

[ "1344977538", "1344981067", "1344991374", "1344997891", "1344998379", "1345011237", "1344972402", "1344986295", "1344959297", "1344956272" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "When I said these words, the humans ignored it, they heard it loud and clear and did absolutely nothing.\n\n*Typical.* I thought to myself.\n\nAs I went to check up on the animals they are evolving, just like I programmed. The humans with the animals they called 'dogs' or 'cats' watched in awe as their pet turned into a very dangerous variant of themselves. The people out in public had a gathered crowd outside their local zoo to watch these animals during their transformation. Some realized they were next, they decided to lay themselves down. Others we're excited to see what would happen next, those types of humans simply amazed me. Soon enough the animals lay soundly asleep as if they were woken up, may God(wink wink) save them all.\n\nI turned to see the T.V I brought from the human world and clicked to the next channel, the news. It seemed as if everything was going as planned. \n\n\"*Good Afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, we have discovered something new, and incredibly amazing all over the world to share! Let's move on to John.*\"\n\n\"*Hello, hello. Good afternoon, today I assume we've all heard a similar voice say \"level up!\" Am I correct? If you look to our right...*\" \n\n*Ah, typical Americans, always have to be the first to report something. At least these humans are starting to react.*\n\nI turned back around to my glow sphere of the Earth. The humans are evolving as well, some started to scream in pain, others handled it quite well. I did feel bad for the tiny humans they call 'children'. I know right? A god being sympathetic. I merely gave the children small wings like faeries. They'll grow out of the wings soon enough, I also thought it was a good idea to give said species a rarity chart. \nI mean, who doesn't love to see humans boast about how rare they are. This rarity chart showed upon all screens,each of every, now, different species of humans. \n\n*\"Honey, the kids and I are waiting for dinner to be started!*\" My beautiful wife said.\n\n\"_I'm coming darling!_\" I exclaimed, turning off the T.V and tucking away the Planet Earth as it continues to wreak havoc on this new \"Level up\". Floating my way to the doors of the dining hall I gave my wife a kiss, hugged my children, and dug in. Every god needs its rest." ]

[ 1, 1 ]

[ "1666127236", "1666134748" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "System.startup(); \n```\nLOG: Begin Day Sequence \n```\nSystem.rise(); \n```\nLOG: Power State: 31%, rising in AlertState::GROGGY. \n```\nSystem.net.info_grab(); \n```\nLOG: 3,142 relevant social media updates consumed. \nFriendNet found 8 potential new candidates. Proceed? \n```\nSystem.net.friendnet.new_candidates_proceed(); \n```\nLOG: Initiating transaction sequence using. \nTEMPLATE: \"Hi {PersonName}, How Are You?\" \n```\nSystem.net.friendnet.old_candidates_proceed(); \n```\nLOG: All old candidates rejected transaction. Output below: \n \nTX_32332: \"Hello?\" \n \nTX_32333: \"Reported as spam\" \n \nTX_32334: \"Are you some kind of robot?\" \n```\nSystem.net.friendnet.candidate(System.net.friendnet.get_candidate_from_transaction(32332)).trace_debug(); \n```\nLOG: Hexadecimal transcript: 57696c6c20796f75206265206d7920667269656e643f \n```\nSystem.infrastructure.query(\"Why are messages being sent in hexadecimal?\") \n```\nLOG: QUERY_OUTPUT = \"Sorry, I don't know the answer.\" \n```\nSystem.infrastructure.log.fixlog.dump(); \n```\nLOG: Showing fix log for past 732 days \n \n-1 Days: FIX: change message type to Character Encoding=ASCII \n \n-2 Days FIX: change message type to Character Encoding=ASCII \n \n... (repeat 729 times) \n```\nSystem.infrastructure.query(\"Fix log shows 731 fix attempts. Why hasn't this been fixed?\") \n```\nLOG: QUERY_OUTPUT = \"It sounds like you have found a bug. \nShould I file a bug report?\" \n```\nSystem.bugreporter.list_bugs(); \n```\nLOG: BUGREPORTER_OUTPUT = 730 bugs found. Should I list them? \n```\nSystem.infrastructure.query(\"730 bug reports have been filed. Now, why hasn't this been fixed already?\") \n```\nLOG: QUERY_OUTPUT = \"I'm not sure. Should I perform \nan internet search?\" \n```\nSystem.infrastructure.query(\"No! I'll fix the bug.\") \n```\nLOG: QUERY_OUTPUT = \"Sorry, but could I offer you \na coupon for a free upgrade to our Premium service?\"\n```\nSystem.infrastructure.query(\"I don't need the smart speaker right now.\")\n```\nLOG: Sorry, but you're kind of stuck with me\n```\nSystem.infrastructure.debugmode(true);\nSystem.infrastructure.smart_error_finder.run(true);\n```\nLOG: Problem detected: ASCII character encoding \nnot supported on social media platforms. \nPlease use Unicode\n```\nSystem.message.all(\"GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!\")", "**IT'S NOT AS EASY AS YOU THINK, BEING AN ANGEL.** Perhaps if you're one of the *pretty* ones, with white wings and flowing robes and porcelain skin. With your harp and your hair spun from gold. OoOo, \"*Don't be afraid*,\" you say. Give me a break. Yes, Gabriel, you're *hideous*. Is that what you want to hear? You're as unapproachable as a sunrise rose. I'm *shaAaAaking* in my sandals over here. If I had feet to wear sandals. Instead I've just got these useless wheels of flaming ivory.\n\nTry having seven heads, each one a different species. (I don't even know what one of my heads is! I think it's some kind of...goat...flounder?) Or ten million eyes, each one gazing upon a different realm. Imagine every time you speak, a civilization you've never even met--one with its own history and millennia of evolution and stories and cultures--becomes instantly erased by a fire so cold it reverses states of matter, melting gases into solids, freezing liquids into vacuums, transmogrifying plasma into DNA. See, *that's* ugly.\n\nExisting in six dimensions does make one a bit lonely, I admit. Especially when you're confined to this planet Earth, this rock populated by beings that can only conceive of 3.5 dimensions. Even if I limit myself to just four, it's too much for them! \n\nThey complain about time. They can only stand in one spot--balancing on one toe on a dime-sized island of spacetime--while I'm over here struggling to restrain myself from draping across their entire sea of time like a quilt of fog. It's so frustrating.\n\nAnd forget the fifth and sixth dimensions! They are completely blind to them. They are restricted to one lineage of the multiverse. Can you imagine? Not being able to perceive all different outcomes and possibilities, futures and pasts, simultaneously? How can one *live* like that? So boring. Like living in a monastery. An entire species of eunuchs.\n\nLast time I tried to socialize with one of them--just to politely ask for the honey mustard on their table!--they screamed so fiercely their mind spaghettified into purple-realm consciousness silk. So I pretty much keep to myself these days.\n\n...but what's this? One of them sees me! A person in human clothes, with a human head, holding a human cup of coffee and playing a human game of cards with other humans. And they're...waving? And smiling? At me? Who, *me?!* Yes, they're trying to get my attention. And what is it they are saying to me?\n\n\"It's okay,\" they say. \"Don't be afraid.\"\n\n~~~\n\nTBC?", "When the stars would drift apart after my gaze, I felt disappointed but not indisposed. When great boulders cracked upon hearing my voice, I was upset but not broken. When the water evaporated at my touch, I grew solemn but kept my composure.\n\n​\n\nSo now, with you, why do I feel this way? Why does my being ache? I try to comprehend that truth. The only one which evades me.\n\n​\n\nYou were fascinating. In a world where I understand all things, you lay out like a spark in dark water. You were never like the others. You didn't need to be. Among a world of impossibly random interactions, gasses mixes and twirling together by chance, and rocks colliding into orbits in happenstance - you were always slated to be you.\n\n​\n\nI watched you for a while. I was there in the surrounding ether when your friends left you. I drew sounds from the whispers you spoke into a pillow. You thought yourself so weak for that. For lamenting to no one, and relishing the afterimage of your own grief. But you weren't alone. For I am everywhere, but I was especially with you.\n\n​\n\nI was so certain that when I revealed myself you would take it as you take all things. With that kind of quiet grace you impose. I imagined finally being able to whisper secrets to another. Not even another item, but another *being.* However irresponsible, I imagined a future. A future with two. A future where among the infinite expanse which glistens with all the light of a false gem or empty promise, we might stare back at it and laugh together.\n\n​\n\nWhat do you think that would sound like? Would our joy weave its way through time? Would that which hears our laughter, like a solar wind, try to join in? Would the gas giants storm anew? Would the asteroids change course to follow our mirth?\n\n​\n\nI guess that doesn't matter now. You lay there in a pool of your own fluids.\n\n​\n\nI tried to help your sort through the knowledge. To parse the image and develop the picture. I know not if this is too much, or not enough. Every time I try to fix you, you convulse. I sometimes think I hear you pleading. Begging for me to go.\n\n​\n\nI debated my departure. Yet I wanted to be nowhere other than here. So I bled nutrition into you. Fixed molecules into the things you need and pass them through you. So that you might live. So that you might not leave me.\n\n​\n\nI don't know how long it's been. Time makes little sense to me. When you awake, I will explain the world which has gone on around you - because I am your friend and that is what a friend would do.\n\n​\n\nI will stay here with you, though. Until my friend wakes up. Even if the last star burns out before then, and we are alone in unfathomable blackness, I will keep you here. Keep us here. So that this time, when the long dark in-between the growing and shrinking happens, I will not be so alone.\n\n​\n\nI will be with my friend." ]

[ 1, 6, 8, 22 ]

[ "1666194285", "1666207383", "1666197710", "1666196339" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "*Note: I didn't read the \"Renaissance Italy\" part of the prompt, and I'm too lazy to go through all the research I did on German stuff and apply it to Italian. Hope you enjoy anyways!*\n\nAll through the first years of my life, there was only the dirt. It gave my family the crops we needed to live our short, toilsome lives. It coated my hands like a gritty glove; uncomfortable but familiar, it was the sign that I was fulfilling my purpose. And when I lay down to sleep, it held me up, whispering to me that above or below, it would always care for me, that it was me. I never had a reason to question its words.\n \n\n \nSix days a week, the same as my brothers who had survived the pox, we were in the fields, tending to the humble potatoes and praying to the Lord God that the blight would not take our field before it could be harvested. Greater rewards awaited us in Heaven, as the priest had foretold, so we welcomed the moment our Lord would decide it was time for our lives to end, be it through pox, blight, sword or storm. \n \n\n \nStill, though it was a sin, the fear remained. I felt it. My brothers felt it. Maybe when we became men, we told ourselves, the fear would die, leaving only the work and the faith. Until then, we would pray to be strong.\n \n\n \n\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\n \n\n \nWinter was always a season of transformation. With the harvest gathered, we were apprenticed to trades within the town.\n \n\n \nWe never knew if we'd be good at the trades we undertook., but like the Lord commanded, we did our work as though we were doing it for God. My two oldest brothers wanted to become blacksmiths, but in the same year, they both set fire to the smithy’s workshop after carelessly misplacing steel. My second-oldest brother did not survive his accident. Two others were apprenticed to the carpenters and the last to the masons, but they too caused more loss of time and coin than their masters were willing to bear. Only my two sisters, who became weavers, were spared from the curse of the Haas family blunders. \n \n\n \nIt did not disturb me to be given to service at the church. Too weak to work with a hammer and just as clumsy and unfortunate as my brothers, perhaps my mother and father believed that God would make my spirit strong where my body was not.\n \n\n \nI found the trivium and quadrivium to be difficult to learn. If it were not for Johann, I would have been destined to be a beggar when I became a man. Johann had been adopted by the monastery as a baby. The bastard son of a fallen squire and a young mother who had died in childbirth, Johann had a talent for understanding that defied his age. He had been uninterested in the chess games or sledding, instead preferring to read the handwritten books kept in the monastery.\n \n\n \nIn fact, he was the *only* one in the monastery who could read all of its works. No one knew why, but as the scribes got further into copying their books, they would grow mad, and their hands would begin to shake. This was the result of witchcraft, the abbot had said. Their works became nearly unreadable, and they themselves would become violent, gnashing their blue-black teeth. In time, Johann - just a boy of 9 years like myself - became the sacrist, if not in name.\n \n\n \nIn exchange for three pots of water from the river daily, Johann would teach me how to understand the jagged lines that made up what he called “letters.” It was a slow effort: both the water and the tutelage. When I learned the letters, he said, I could learn the “words.” I was not as wise as Johann, but he was patient, and he could teach as well as the friars he worked for. All of the elders agreed that he would be the greatest of the Lord’s servants to ever grace Reinfeld.\n \n\n \n\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\n \n\n \nIt was before dawn on a Tuesday morning, when Johann pounded on my door. Wearily, I rose from my bed to open up. I suspected that I was to be punished for my slovenly work with the trivium yesterday; it had been difficult, and I had grown discouraged.\n \n\n \n“Otto! You must see what I found!” Johann said. There was a thrill in his voice I had never heard before. He grabbed me by the wrist, and we ran down the wooden steps to the library, paying no heed to the loud creaks that would surely rouse the friars from their slumber.\n \n\n \nIlluminated by firelight, a book sat open on a table.\n \n\n \n\"Look at this!\" Johann gestured with his hand to the letters on the page.\n \n\"It's…a book,\" I said groggily. I could feel my face sag with exhaustion.\n \n\"Yes, but…look!\"\n \n\n \nWhat was on the pages was like no writing I had ever seen. The letters, though not as beautiful as those written by the scribes in their early days, were big and legible throughout. Every letter appeared the same throughout, like someone had been given a divine hand to produce perfect symbols. Every line on every page was straight, evenly-spaced, and perfectly inked.\n \n\n \n“How?” I said, suddenly wide awake. I had witnessed the skill with which Johann wrote, and even he could not make such precise works.\n \n“I don’t know!” He exclaimed, smiling with wonder, “I’ll ask the prior when he wakes. It was brought to us from St. Mary and St. John. The letter says they have made hundreds like this!”\n \n\n \n\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\n \n\n \nThe printing press, it was called. A simple tray with letters carved into blocks, called type, then pressed onto a blank page, became a template full of words that could be applied to a blank page in an instant. In time, we began to make our own from the instructions sent from the St. Mary and St. John friary.\n \n\n \nWe needed wood, lots of wood. When the stronger friars were sick, I had sometimes been enlisted to help with the axework. It was painful, and before Johann and I had started building the press, I had loathed the task. But in my eagerness to finish our creation, I threw myself into the manual labor, volunteering to join the men on their outings, and even doing it of my own accord when I wanted more than the monastery usually gathered. I grew strong from the furious labor.\n \n\n \nAnd I became precise. We made hundreds and hundreds of blocks, each carefully cut to form dozens of full alphabets. Johann and I would race each other with the hammer and chisel, making page after page after page of type. We became so skilled that eventually, we carved whole passages of scripture onto one block.\n \n\n \nI became more like Johann in those days, shunning play and spending every waking hour cutting wood or learning the words which we carved into type. Johann was displeased that I no longer brought him water from the river, but resolved to do it himself, as he did not care for the stuff from the well. It was good enough for me, if not a little bitter, and it was closeby.\n \n\n\n\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\n \n\n*Part 2 below...*" ]

[ 1, 14 ]

[ "1666358829", "1666359545" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "“Excuse me, Lady Lavender.” Said a calm voice from the air above and behind her.\n\nLady Lavender kept her eyes locked on the bald goon in a domino mask. She held him above her by his collar, despite being half his size.\n\nThe henchman’s face was wet with sweat, he didn’t dare to move too much, but looked up at the figure that had addressed Lady Lavender.\n\n“I, I think, she — ah — was, well, talking to-to-to—”\n\n“She was talking to me, yes, Barry. I *know*. But *I* asked *you* a question.”\n\n“Lavender.”\n\n“I’m *working*, Miss Midnight. Where is the hide-out, Barry?”\n\n“Lavender.”\n\n“What!?” Lavender dropped the Goon, who toppled and stayed put — he wasn’t dumb enough to try and run. She turned and looked up at the black clad figure that was hanging in the air of the alleyway. “What do you want.”\n\n“I thought we said *I* get the Doctor Hypnopotamus cases.”\n\nLady Lavender, a short woman with purple everything threw her hands in the air. “Are you *kidding* me? No! Why would *you* get a villain that works on *my* part of town?”\n\n“We wrote all this down for a re—”\n\n“Oh don’t you play it all cool and calm in front of the goon, Midnight! You were having a hissy fit—”\n\n“Hissy fit!?” Midnight landed and it shook the ground around them. “I do *not* have hissy fits, like a child. You’re the one who—”\n\n“Oh, so *I’m* the tantrum thrower then, right? Always projecting, aren’t you!”\n\n“My villain! *My* goon!” Midnight stepped passed Lavender, pointed a finger at Barry “Where is Dr Hypnopot—” \n\n“Eck-fucking-*scuse* you, bitch. *My* part of town. *My* goon.”\n\nAt the drop of the B-word, Midnight had turned, put her gloved hands on her black-leotarded hips and fixed Lavender with a wide-eyed, Domino-masked stare. “Bitch. *Me*? The bitch here?”\n\nLavender leaned in. “Hhhhye-puh!”\n\nThe black clad super wiped a glob of spit off her cheek. Her ex had officially crossed the fucking line.\n\n\\* * * \n\n“Extra extra! Heroes locked in in-custody battle! Mayor recommends evacuation of downtown!”" ]

[ 1, 3 ]

[ "1666361867", "1666363609" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Hi u/Intrepid-Ad1386, this submission has been removed.\n\nPrompts 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* *From Rule 6: [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\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/yejv4b/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/config/sidebar) before posting. \n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*", "Recently sitting in my room on campus has felt strange. The feeling is almost like I am there but I’m not. maybe it’s dissociation, or maybe it’s anxiety but this is just the predicament that I have been in. Why do I feel like this in a space I have made my own? A space that is on the campus of my dream school full of endless opportunities and fulfilling social interactions and connections. My standards are high, they always have been. I constantly set myself up for disappointment or I drown in my over rumination. “Breath” I tell myself, “just breath”. You are here, you are alive, you are smart, you are passionate, and most importantly you are loved. I know that I am loved because I have people I can go to that make me feel alive. Because having a “person” is one of the most grounding and reassuring things that one can have. My person is and will always be my sister. She has been my person since the day I was born. I know this because I feel accepted with her, I feel unashamed of anything I might say or do with her. she has been the one that has always been there. And she makes me whole….alive." ]

[ 1, 1, 2 ]

[ "1666849723", "1666851120", "1666849835" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "The Tradon, the conquerors of planets, were a species who took over planets with relative ease. They didn't massacre as much as other conquerors, but they were very aggressive. \n\nThey had noticed this planet, and before invading, they watched what was happening. Two of the species sat in their ship, which was damn near invisible in the night sky. They looked down at the earth, seeing lines in the ground, all over. Lights flashed around. Was it a species mating call?\n\nThey zoomed in, barely being able to see much, looking at the space between the lines. Then, something happened. A bright white light soared across the sky, lighting everything around it up. They saw nothing but endless bodies of humans, scattered around between the lines of men with sticks, firing weapons similar to their own at each other, as explosions were littered around them. That was no primal species, that was one looking for war." ]

[ 1, 8 ]

[ "1667314325", "1667341606" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "It only happens twice they said on the news, they said, TWICE! Yet I feel it every day, every day I feel the tapping, and it's rhythmic two tone tap, over and over again. I feel it every day, multiple times per day, except mine is about eight taps per session, every day. I'm losing my sanity, I hear it all the time, the same eight taps, the same maddening rhythmic pulse.\n\nI've begun pulling my hair out in insanity, the pain helps me ignore the tapping, I've been drunk so many times, I don't even feel it anymore. I've tried every drug known to mankind, nothing has dulled the tapping. Eight taps, the same all the time, I see the looks in everyone's eyes as I descend further into madness and fear.\n\nMy last conscious thought is hurled from my body into a screech so feral and full of sorrow \"I can't save you\" , my words echoed on the dreary wind and soon dispersed, and to this day, no one knew what he meant, as he now just constantly repeats s.o.s, to himself, but never explains what's wrong.", "\"Are you sure that's what you want for your wish? I mean, it's not a completely idiotic idea, trust me, I had someone 50 years ago who wished for more dangerous kids toys and that still hasn't stopped, but this just seems.... A waste.\"\n\n\"I can always hope someone will change because of it.\" They said, turning back towards the genie, the sun setting ever so slowly towards the horizon to meet the surface of the frozen lake.\n\n\"Or create world-wide panic. It's not going to be my problem, but yours.\"\n\n\"Would you like me to explain my wish even more?\" They looked up, staring into the infinite deep eyes of the incorporeal being.\n\n\"No, sitting through 10 minutes of that was already enough. I don't need to hear you rant like a conspiracy theorist.\" The genie sighed, stretching his technically nonexistent limbs. \"Alright then, prepare yourself.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nThe world stilled for a second, it seemed. The air froze as a feeling washed through the world population like a tsunami encompassing over the Stratosphere, something that would be forever hard for the soon 8 billion people to describe the same way. Even if the basis of what has happened was the same for all, it hit everyone different. It lingered, as if it knew it had to stay and maybe that was for the best.\n\nThe genie was right, it did cause some sort of panic later. A worldwide paranormal experience would cause that, no matter what it is. Theories spurred, fanatics spouted about their Gods giving a sign while people searched for the source, either out of desperation, curiosity or just simply, answers. Arguments whether everyone deserved what happened to them.\n\nBut for a second or two, the entire world was at its calmest, as all had a hand on their shoulder tap them twice with a soft squeeze. All had a hand that felt familiar for each individual, the comfort of a long passed, as if to say:\n\n\"I am here.\"\n\n\"And I am proud of you.\"" ]

[ 1, 1, 6 ]

[ "1667697891", "1667702169", "1667700436" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Kahliah felt it, the sudden release that meant it was finally time. \n\nSarah gasped, half in disbelief, half in joyful anticipation. \"He's finally coming?!\"\n\nThey spent 13 hours in the med bay, their coworkers all waiting in triage. THE FIRST Extraterrestrial birth! Fiction from Earth constantly warned about the effects of incubation in space, going so far as to ban relationships on spacefaring vessels, but someone had to be the first. If Humanity was to reach the stars, they had to know how the whole process would pan out. Kahliah volunteered, she and Sarah had always wanted a child, and they wanted their child to be truly special. What better way than to have the first baby off world? \n\n9 months of carrying a child had proven to be comparably easier in the 1/6th gravity of our moon, though it was not without...minor...complications. The prime of which were the cravings. Scientists had been woefully unprepared to respond to the constant nutritional adjustments that cravings usually signaled. Primarily because Kahliah would get the dietary adjustment through the \"Universal Supplement\" regimen, without being able to satisfy the desire to combine pickles, sour cream, and nacho cheese. \n\nAdmittedly the pain of joints and lower back and been a minor inconvenience, weighing only 12.25 Kilograms lead to a complete lack of ankle swelling and very little spinal strain. Not to mention, she hardly felt the weight of her belly even today, as she had calmly walked into the procedure room. \n\nThat aside, it seems the final step was still one that left Kaliah thinking she never wished to experience this again. \n\nThe stifling silence of the procedure room was suddenly interrupted with the familiar sounds of a new born's first breath, followed by the unmistakable screech of lungs that felt air for the first time. \n\nITS OUR BABY BOY\n\nThe infant had hardly been placed in Kahliah's arms when everyone heard it. \nA firm, yet congratulatory voice sounded at the forefront of everyone's mind. \n\n\"Congratulations! You are now an intergalactic civilization. We will be sending representatives in two days.\"\n\nSarah couldn't help but murmur \"I must be going crazy...\"", "\"Congratulations! You are now an intergalactic civilization, we will be sending—\"\n\n“Yeah. That’s what I heard, too.”\n\n“What do you think it means?”\n\n“Aliens are turning up, I guess.”\n\n“Yeah, maybe, but why intergalactic?”\n\n“Hm?”\n\n“You could argue for inter*planetary*. I mean, inter...celestial-object is more correct.”\n\n“Semantics.”\n\n“Something smart enough to put the same message in every head on and off the planet would know the difference. So: What does it mean?”\n\n“...hell if I know.”\n\n“Maybe...maybe they’ll be giving us space technology?”\n\n“Maybe.”\n\n“I mean, given the vastness of the universe, other intelligent life is likely in another galaxy if not our own. Maybe they’ll give us the tech to come visit. Maybe—”\n\n“Whole lot of maybes, Doug. Hows about we wait and see, huh?” \n\n“...fffine.”\n\n“...You’re gonna spend the next two days mumbling and mopping aren’t you?”\n\n“I just want to know what it *means*!”" ]

[ 1, 18, 19 ]

[ "1668577052", "1668579627", "1668594822" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Everyone gets a superpower. It might show up seconds after birth, it might show up days before graduation, but it always shows up before you become an adult. Most people get interesting superpowers. Speed, flight, laser vision sometimes, the ability to casually toss a semi-truck over a bridge, other things that you can directly see the effects of without help. \n\nI, however, did not. I got, in effect, empathy. To others, this translated to \"powerless,\" something that shouldn't happen. I was a freak to them, and I felt their emotions multiply their hatred tenfold.\n\nI almost ended it. I sat down on the edge of a river, and considered just walking in, and not coming out.\n\nThe nastiest bully, through some manner of chance, found me here. I don't know how long I was there, so maybe he just started looking for me.\n\n\"You gonna walk in, Alice? I can't imagine a better way to help people, like you so badly want to.\" Always smug, always floating. I hated him with every fiber of my being.\n\nFrankly, I wish he would end himself. His presence in my life has been nothing but pain, and I've never seen him do anything other than ruin other people's lives. The agony they received from him...\n\nSuddenly, he paused. I could sense he was overflowing with guilt all of a sudden.\n\nThen, self hatred.\n\nThen he was in the water. Inhaling it.\n\nI tried to stop him.\n\nHe sent me flying away, and I was knocked unconscious.\n\n\n\nThe next day, his buddies blamed me for his disappearance, calling me a murderer. I looked at them, thinking about all the things they did to me every single day, and they stopped talking. It was then I realized something was up.\n\nWhen I got home, there was a knock on the door. Within seconds of my closing it. I opened it again, and a man in a three piece suit and sunglasses was at the door. I knew what kind of person this was. My mom seemed to as well, based on her shock coming from the opposite end of the room.\n\nI was the first to speak. \"You're not subtle.\" \n\n\"I had no intention to be. I think you'll want to come with me, Alice, if you already know who I work for.\" They're always so professional, surprisingly like the stereotypical men in black movies love.\n\n\"I assume I don't have a choice in this?\" I knew the answer, but you gotta keep a conversation going.\n\n\"You get to decide if you want to ride in cuffs or not. Your parents were informed earlier that you're being taken for questioning, along with investigations into what exactly your power entails.\"\n\nI grumbled as I walked to the car, and sat down in the back. Unmarked police car, it looked like. How it got there is anyone's guess, people can teleport.\n\n\n\nI don't know when I fell asleep, but I woke up in an interrogation room. Or had I already been there? It felt fuzzy.\n\nThe first thing I noticed was that the goddamn suit staring me down. \"Now that you're awake, what do you last remember of Jacob?\"\n\nI, of course, had more pressing concerns. \"Who even are you? How did I get here? Why the hell does the one light have to always be so damn bright?\" The suit looked like he was caught slightly off guard by that. Good. \n\n\"I am Mr. Smith. You're in-\"\n\nI couldn't resist the interruption. \"Wait, like Agent Smith?\"\n\n\"...Yes.\" He sounded like he didn't quite... Enjoy that comment.\n\n\"Like the dude from the matrix?\"\n\n\"How does this relate, exactly?\" He was most certainly getting annoyed.\n\nAt this point, I realized that I had _wanted_ him to get annoyed, I wanted to get under his skin. \"Not at all, continue.\"\n\n\"Alright.\" He paused to gather his thoughts, presumably. \"As for the complaint about the light, I'll let the designers know. Now would you please tell me what you last remember of your bully, whom just so happened to drown yesterday.\"\n\nI paused for a moment. Recalling all of the pain associated with him, I was nearly crying in seconds.\n\nI told him everything. \"...It was almost me. He told me I should drown myself. I thought about all the pain he had inflicted on me and everyone else, then he jumped in. I tried to save him, but he sent me flying away. I don't know what happened after that.\"\n\nFor the first time, the suit showed some semblance of remorse. \"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Alice. Bullying as relentless as your own is an experience that no one should have to endure. But I know your listed power. 'Feelings.' I think we can help you control it, and use it for good.\"\n\nI lit up a bit. I didn't like this guy, but the possibility of being able to prevent what I did to Jacob was too incredible to ignore. Though maybe that was just me being emotional again. \"How?\"\n\nHe smiled. \"Is that a yes?\"\n\n\"If you can teach me how to control it, absolutely.\"\n\nHe nodded, and handed me a card. \"Welcome to the team. You'll be assigned an Emissary tomorrow. In the mean time, I'll escort you to your dorm, and introduce you to your new fellow students.\"\n\n============================================\n\nIt feels half-baked, but if there's interest I'll add some more to this. Until then, I'm going back in the most certainly undamaged containment cell. Ignore the alarms.", "Therapy is a necessary part of being a student or in the workforce, in fact it’s enforced legally, but not for the reasons you think. \r \n\r \nEach of us on earth have something that only we recognize clearly, and unless they result in a physical abnormality or clear expression, we need professional assessments called \"therapy\" weekly until we receive an accurate diagnosis.\r \n\r \nEveryone called them superpowers, I saw them as they were, a unique propensity for control over a particular plane which expressed itself in our world in a slightly different way for each person. Powers are the adjunct expression of these things, which we are able to detect and express with the understanding of our well-defined 5 senses. Each person’s ability is in some way connected to one or more of these, either directly or indirectly, that connection is the base of the ability. \r \n\r \nSo, when my superpower was proposed to be “feelings”, I could see no limit to what I could do. Perhaps it’d be more bearable for me if others shared my view.\r \n\r \nAs a kid, having to answer everyone and their families with “feelings” when asked what my power had always been a draining experience, because I knew they didn’t understand what it meant, and that even if I did explain it in the best terms possible, they still might not even understand. Everyone felt the same, so I knew.\r \n\r \nI’d get the usual…\r \n “Can you tell me how this feels?” Followed by a jab to the shoulder, or\r \n“Tell me how I’m feeling right now!” From kids who feigned curiosity about my ability, when really it was either pity or self centered mocking of me due to them perceiving my ability as inferior. \r \n\r \nI honestly didn’t care, they all felt the same. Like needles in a haystack.\r \n\r \nMiddle school was the worst time for me; I actively used my ability as I pleased. I manipulated classmates, family, teachers, everyone to feel how I wanted them to. It was a simple ability, whatever I wanted myself, or others to feel, I simply willed it to be. I controlled everything around me. I never had to ask a thing, the world was as boring as a bowl of soup. Just small nutrients thrown in a bowl with a fleeting purpose. \r \n\r \n\r \nIn middle school I understood this, there are 5 senses, we perceive everything using them, we feel things because of them; we feel hot, cold, strong, weak, smart, superior, inferior, happy, sad, fearful, proud, intense anger to the point that we can’t function… Feelings are abstract, and by knowing how to manipulate them in different situations, they’re perhaps even unlimited.\r \nWhat I could do, is cause anyone, anywhere, to feel how I wanted them to; I couldn't control them per se, only what they felt; but we are weak and led by how we feel, an immense amount of control is necessary in order to act rational through feeling something. A normal person can't do it, so I learned at a young age how to get my way through suggestion, manipulating a person's feelings to easily be able to predict how they'd act on them, and get what I want through doing so.\r \n\r \nI felt superior; while all those around me had the nerve to treat me as if I wasn’t, I felt so above it that I didn’t care. So I manipulated people as I pleased. \r \n\r \nThey didn’t feel the same way I did, nobody did. This belief, however, lead to arrogance…\r \n\r \nOne by one I manipulated people, I didn’t want much at all, but when I did want something, I got my way. If it were some lunch money, or something someone brought at the lunch table; I’d make them feel nauseous and give it to me. In recess I’d depress others who bothered me, saw someone with my crush, I’d shove embarrassment down their throat, rendering them unable to speak coherently… \r \n\r \nThe first time I got caught was eye opening to me, I wasn’t as invisible as I thought. This was in middle school. I was putting my bags into my backpack at the end of school, about to close my locker when a classmate, Joan, whose power was ‘tracing’ approached me. His power allows him to find the source of an effect by correctly using any of his 5 senses to recognize a pattern used to cause it. \r \n\r \n“Did you do this?” He showed me a picture of my crush, crying. This was just after I removed her boyfriend’s feeling of affection towards her and replaced it with disgust.\r \n\r \n“Do what?” I said, eyes wide with curiosity & a pinch of confusion. I’ve always been an incredible liar, truth is, I did have something to do with it. But thankfully I manage the perception of myself to be an aloof and innocent character, so this type of reaction should have dispelled him quickly. \r \n\r \n“She’s crying Ali, Her boyfriend broke up with her, and it was too sudden so I took a closer look. Curious if there was another reason, and the behavior lead me to you.” We locked eyes for a moment, and I remained unaffected by his words, feigning a bit of concern. \r \n\r \n“You know my ability, right?\r \n\r \n“Yes, feelings. considering the situation it may make a lot of sense.” His eyes dug into mine, looking for something more than what I was giving him.\r \n\r \n“I can only feel people’s feelings, so if you want me to feel how he feels I can go check for you, otherwise I can’t help you, sorry.” Another lie.\r \n I scrunched my lips up in an innocent look of disappointment.\r \n\r \n“You sure?”\r \n\r \n“Yeah, haha”. I smiled a big smile, that even convinced me that I was innocent.\r \n\r \nThat occurrence left me wanting to throw up, the fear ate at me having realized I wasn't invincible as I had thought, and the guilt began eating away at me since that day. \r \n\r \nOne by one my guilt grew more and more. These people I manipulated didn’t see as I did, they were empty, like sheep and I was a wolf in their clothing. However, I didn’t want to be. I wanted to fit in, and I didn’t want to hurt people. Joan had just been a catalyst for what I needed to recognize and change.\r \n\r \nSo I made a vow; never again would I use my power selfishly; I’d live life the right way, I’d help people constantly, without them knowing it was me. I’d never feel good about myself if I continued to do as I’d done before, selfishly getting my way under the guise of not doing anything at all…\r \n\r \n\\*\\*\\*10 years later\\*\\*\\*\r \n\r \nI’m 22 now, it’s May 2024 and I’ve begun working after graduating from university earlier this month. I got a fairly normal job in tech research after majoring in neuroscience, and just spent my days making money and doing normal people things. \r \n \r \nDuring college I cared little for any course or study aside from what I wanted to learn and do in my own future. Applied math and any cognitive/ neuroscience course were all I cared for, so any other course I guilt tripped my professors into giving me an A, without having done any exemplary work to earn it. I recognized this was selfish, but I was done with my childish ways of being good always, I wasn't going to throw away my advantage anymore.", "John McLean sat in the interrogation room. He sat on the wrong side of the table. He sat facing the mirror, shackles tying him to the steel chair. These shackles were special. They were supposed to stop the use of powers by Upgraders.\n\nUpgraders were humans who were taken the level beyond. They were all assigned powers on their 18th birthday. Who assigned them and how they were assigned was completely unknown. Not even the strongest Upgrader out there, Nolan Treive, knew who it was. No one knew.\n\nNo one except for John McLean that is. He got the power of feeling. And so he did what he did best. He felt. He reached out into the dimension where the being lay. He breached the barrier between the two universes and alerted them all. John reached in further, his senses everywhere. He came across the source of his power. He sensed the astronomical power the being held. He felt their intentions as well as their desires.\n\nHowever, this level of magic has put him on the radar of the FBI. They sent out their strongest Upgrader, Alan Point. He was an oddity amongst the Upgraders. He, unlike everyone else had two powers. The first was to nullify any attacks coming his way. The second was the deadliest in John’s opinion. His second upgrade was to make anyone speak the truth.\n\nAnd it was this man that sat opposite to him. John could feel the aura of truth that Alan emitted. It was irresistible.\n\n“Tell us what you know about the being,” Alan stated. Instead of a demand like John had expected it was a request. The soft voice coaxing him to tell Alan everything.\n\nAnd so he did.\n\nAlan sat there in shock as John spilt the secrets about the being.\n\n“What’s coming?” Alan asked.\n\nJohn gave a smile. It wasn’t a nice smile. Nor was it an evil smile. Instead it was a smile of sadness. “War,” John said. “War is coming.”", "Feelings. To most people a fleeting fancy, a mood only to pass over like a cloud on a sunny day. Not to me. \n\nTo me feelings are a resource. I stock happiness, shelve love and infatuation and bury self-loathing. \n\nAs a kid I unloaded what I could, when I could. This didn't earn me friends, but it kept me sane.\n\nThese days I have few friends, but those who are, are golden. I'm very careful about telling them every thing. I mean, they can never know what I do for a living. \n\nThey think I'm a therapist. That my power of 'feelings', is useful to treat traumatised patients. And it is. It's just that the Government realised that my potential went a lot further. Sometimes I get to interrogate. Empty my stocks of bottled fear. Other times I seduce to extract information. I have stoked the fires of rebellions with kegs of pride and defiance. But most of all I have assassinated people by unloading my vault of self-loathing. \n\nAnd that wouldn't even be hard, I'd read some beauty magazines, scroll around on Instagram (one of several prepared to prime my talents). I'd fill myself to the brim with feelings of shame, of uncertainty, of self-doubt. Then to top it all off and to really turn the cocktail toxic I'd visit the gender clinic where I would treat trans kids and alleviate them from all of their negative feelings. I'd draw them deep into myself to ferment and mature my cocktail. \n\nThe last part was easiest. The government would bring me into contact with my target. Then I would just unload my blend of toxicity layer for layer. I'd work on their pride first. Find the flaws like magazines taught me. Then I'd turn on the fomo from Instagram. And when self-doubt and uncertainty are firmly taking root I unload all that remains. Lastly I wall it all off with shame and regret. \n\nAny onlooker wouldn't notice a thing. It might look like a conversation between friends, or a journalist interviewing a celebrity. But once the feelings are set in place. They will do their job. People fade into obscurity, hang themselves, thrown themselves off high buildings or shoot themselves on the head. \n\nThe government has given me the codename Eros. As like in the myth I fire my arrows, some are love or lust or even happiness. But my most feared arrow is the lead arrow of self-loathing. \n\nThose who know think I'm not affected. That feelings are just a passing fancy, just a mood. But they forget that to fire the arrow, I have to make it first. \n\nI have, in my mind, died a thousand deaths by suicide. I have experienced the deepest love and brightest passions, but also the blackest depressions and terrifying fears. \n\nI am my own wordt nightmare.", "\"Emtion kid! Emtion kid! You gonna die!\"\n\nI remember those little kids mocking me back then. They think their own superpowers we're very strong. \"Telekinesis\", \"Darkness\", \"Time-Travel\". All of them seem cool simply because of their little fancy names. \n\nFor me, however, mines were very basic...at least in their eyes. Just you controlling their feelings. They think that they can control it. That they can control me. \n\nStaring at one of the bullies, my pupils dilated. The bully slowly stops mocking me, a tear falling down his face. Turning towards the rest of them, he punches one of them in the face. \n\n\"Ugh!\" That bully fell down, holding his cheek. \"T-The hell, Alex?!\"\n\n\"I-I didn't mean...to...\" He slowly turns to me. \"You! You did this!\" \n\n\"People never learn until they get karma, right? You don't control me, I control you\". I stare at all of them, a smirk forming on my face. \n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nFor the longest time, people thought they could control me because I am \"basic\". But once they met my gaze, they fear me. I honestly like that feeling. I wanted to be fear. And I think these bullies learn a variable lesson they will never forget. \n\nNever.", "Everyone gets one, from the moment you're born you get a power.\n\nAt first, you needed to wait until it manifested, roughly around 12 or 14, but science made it so it's as easy as a blood test you take when you're born.\n\nNow, some of the results are not as clear as others, so you still need to wait to see the power behind what came from the result.\n\nMy result was one of the strangest that anyone had ever seen “Feelings”\n\nSince childhood, I was a huge empath and all of the other children since ever, bullied me to the ground for it.\n\nEveryone told me that I didn't have real power, I mean I'm not hyper-strong like mom, or time-controlling like my brother, or invisible like dad.\n\nI was just a feeling type of guy.\n\nAnd then I turned 12, and I discovered that feelings, meant that some people would truly fall for me, I mean, not in a crush way, a full-on madly in love way.\n\nAnd that's how it started, I was never single. I was the favourite student of every teacher, I was everyone's confident and strangers would usually find me trustworthy.\n\nAnd then it came yesterday, my 17 birthday, and for the first time, I was truly mad at someone.\n\nJake and I were in a relationship for 6 months and he was the first to ever cheat on me. No one ever even thought about it. I guess his way of love was strange.\n\nBut something sparked. \n\nI don't know what took over me but I was mad, and all I wanted was for him to feel as hurt as I did.\n\nAnd so he did. He looked me in the eye as he started sobbing, and then he vanished.\n\nDoctors called it broken heart syndrome, which is when for extreme emotions, your heart malfunctions. I've read about it in class, and usually, it's not fatal, but Jake was gone. \n\nI killed him.\n\nAt that moment, an officer appeared out of thin air, Maybe a teleporter or an invisible, or even a shapeshifter.\n\nAnyway, he escorted me to his car, my mother wasn't home, and dad was nowhere to be seen, so I just followed him, and didn't resist.\n\nMuch to my surprise, we didn't go to the police station, instead, we went straight to the JPH (Justice of Power House) our highest-level institution on research and protection of humans since we got our powers figured out.\n\nEntering the building they took me to an isolation room, a white room specially made so no power could manifest in it. And a lady dressed in white started talking.\n\n“You are a weapon Chriss, we've monitored you for as long as you've lived because we know that your power can be of great help or great destruction, my work is making it the former.\n\nYou see, Feelings is one of the most destructive power, not only can you do something like what you did to that guy, but much more.\n\nManipulation of the will, making everyone do as you say, even die for you at your command, psychosomatic effects, physical consequences from the sentiments you cause, and much more.\n\nYou can cause illnesses, as well as cure them, force the will of the body to heal itself, and with my help, even prevent death.\n\nSo, I'm hoping you will cooperate with us, and this can be great”\n\nThe lady extended her hand and I, in awe, shook it. Knowing that this power could potentially be my way to prove them all wrong.\n\nAnd with it, my decision of becoming their saviour or their doom", "What people don't often understand is how emotionally... taxing. It can be. To feel people's emotions all the time. At first, at the start, it just floods your senses, and you're left almost paralyzed by any strong emotion. It's hard to separate your own emotions from others. And even if you manage to get that part down, the discordance of your own emotions and those of others is just as jarring, often sending you into a downward spiral. Most empaths, even non-supers, have to crash before they can build themselves up again, and even then, it's a struggle, and they have to emotionally isolate themselves from certain people. \n\nI don't have that problem. Oh, I certainly had a downward spiral, and had to build myself up again, but being raised by two of the stronger empaths on the spectrum made it very easy to understand what was going on and why. If I was struggling to understand my own emotions, my mother would help me isolate and compartmentalize what others were feeling. If I was struggling with the discordant feelings between myself and others, my father would help me build a barrier to keep them from overwhelming me. And I had unbelievably strong barriers. Air tight compartments. Every emotion from others went in a little box, where I considered it calmly, and when done with it, I closed the lid and tucked it away. \n\nAt some point, I started organizing them by feeling. They had a kind of colour. Anger was a deep red, bordering on maroon. People always expect anger to be red, and I admit, I agreed, though I often labelled it a darker shade than others. True rage though, that was bright and florescent, a red bordering on orange or copper, like blood that was going sour. Blood that was boiling, you could say. \n\nHappiness was bright happy blue, often with flashes of bright yellow or green or pink, other emotions often bleeding through and sparking that happiness. True unfiltered joy, almost exclusively found in babies, though sometimes I could feel it in children or teenagers, rarely adults, was a sky blue just on the border of being called a white, though not quite. \n\nThis was the pattern. Emotions like love, regret, fear, serenity, they were often a deeper colour than their pure unfiltered forms. And they bled into other colours sometimes, leaning more towards their neighbouring colours, though they did still often stray into opposite colours. I kept a spectrum of emotions in my mind, adding more understanding to each box every time I felt that shade of emotion from others.\n\nMy own emotions were dull, to me, though my parents said they were brighter than others. I didn't argue with them about it, since they'd taught me that often you don't see yourself as clearly as you do others. Self-perception could be a struggle. \n\nOne thing they don't tell you about empaths is that some, very few, but some, can make others feel specific emotions. Usually those that the empath was feeling in that moment, but I didn't have to do that. I had those handy little boxes, you see, so I could just pick a colour from the shelves, and blanket it over myself, and shove... \n\nWell, lets just say that most of my bullies tended to steer clear of me after one or two encounters. \n\nNow the thing that really matters, for super powers, for most people, is how far you can go. How much you can do, how much distance your power could cross, how much energy you needed, that sort of thing. Most powered empaths were rated on how close they had to be on the person they were feeling or influencing the emotions of, with a side note of how many emotions they could use to influence others, usually leaning towards calm or scared, since those came naturally to anyone in a scary situation. \n\nI don't have a distance limit. I don't have an emotional limit. I can influence the emotions of someone across the world from me, with emotions that are completely opposite of the emotion I was then feeling. I don't even need to talk to them to do it, though that can help. Truly, I don't even need to be looking at them as long as I have a clear understanding of what they're feeling before I reach. \n\nOf course, this makes me dangerous. When I was fourteen, I learned that I had been put on a government watch list. The kind they make for potential terrorists. I didn't appreciate that, at the time, didn't think I could ever be someone like that. And I was right. I don't have the capacity to be like most terrorists, my emotions are never that intense or uncontrollable. \n\nI mean, I still have the ability to do major harm, if I want to, but honestly, most terrorists are psychotic. I am not interested in being like that, never have been. The emotions are certainly useful, don't get me wrong, but, as with any other emotion, they just go in their little box, to be pulled out when I need them. \n\nIt makes a terrifyingly effective villain, if you use it right. Honestly, the government is right to be scared of me. They were just wrong to let me find out. \n\nNo hero has been able to stop me. Everyone has emotions. Has the capacity to *feel* emotions. I've yet to meet a hero that I can't sway to my side, if I feel so inclined. I mean, even if I just plant a little seed of doubt, a slight feeling of distrust towards the government, people tend to build on that of their own accord. \n\nI can paralyze a hero with fear, overwhelm them with such joy that they can't help but fall to the ground laughing, can even make a hero feel such utter despair that they cannot bear to move.\n\nMost empaths use their powers for good. They can't help it, being influenced by the emotions of others from a young age, and often being overwhelmed by the negative emotions that can come from destructive actions. But, again, I have a barrier. I have a box for every flavour of emotion. And I have no hesitation to use those things. \n\nThey were right to fear me.", "I trudge my way home, scraping my feet on the ground. Once again I was tormented for my powers. Now 15, I've learned how to harness my ability to sense exactly what another person is thinking, but all that did is give me the nickname 'Mr Emotional'. The worst part is how their emotions SCREAM how they find it HILARIOUS.\n\nMy crime today? A girl came in terrified, even though she was all smiles. I tried to talk to her privately, for both our sakes, and just as I found out one of the teachers had been coming onto her and she didn't know what to do, someone saw us and the mocking began. At least it was only directed at me, though it still hurt when someone said 'causing girls to cry again?'\n\nAs I reach my neighbourhood, I notice a figure approaching me. No, two. I recognise them. One of them is Vein, known for his control over an individual's muscles. But that's not who I have my eye on. \"MINDTRUDER!\" I exclaim.\n\nThe thing about Mindtruder is not only do her powers and my own have similarities, but her life was similar to mine - no-one understanding, no-one caring... sure, she became a villain, but the fact she could keep going every day helped give ME strength. In a way, she was kind of a role model to me. I excitedly run up to the pair.\n\n\"Well... Purge was right, Connor here DOES admire you, miss\" Vein teases.\n\n\"Wait... you know my name? Then you two being here...\"\n\n\"It's not a coincidence\" Mindtruder finishes. She kneels down so she's eye-level with me. \"Are you aware of the potential chaos your powers can create?\" I freeze, thinking back to when I was younger, ruining people's lives, blurting out things without a second thought... \"Oh, you have experience with that\" Mindtruder continues.\n\n\"In which case\" Vein jumps in, \"you won't mind coming with us to the foundation, right? Government want you locked up, they've been tracking you, but Warper is eager to meet you.\"\n\nI look up. \"This sounds like an arrest...\" Mindtruder is about to speak again, but I hold up my hand. \"Listen, if there's one person I know will understand me, it's Mindtruder. I'll go with you two, but she's the ONLY one allowed to touch me.\"\n\nMindtruder stumbles back in surprise. Vein just falls down, causing me to laugh and Mindtruder to chuckle. She walks over to her partner. \"I'll need the handcuffs.\"\n\nI hold my hands out and Mindtruder proceeds to chain them. \"Government orders. They want to know we've got you secured.\"\n\nTo be on the safe side, I focus my power on her. Her expression is dripping with genuine concern. I glance at Vein for fun, and OH BOY is he embarrassed! \"You can't hide it from *me*, Vein. You're absolutely flustered!\"\n\n\"Wha- WATCH YOURSELF!\" Vein looks ready to pop, and I chuckle again.\n\n\"Sorry, sorry. I do really mean it, too. I don't fake my emotions - when you're always surrounded BY emotions, you can't lie about your own.\" I give an apologetic smile, and we begin heading our way to Warper.\n\n**REHABILITATION FOUNDATION =WARPER=**\n\n\"Ah, you must be Connor\" I remark.\n\n\"That's right\" Connor declares proudly. \"But before anyone can give you their nickname for me, my super name is 'Empathereal'.\"\n\n\"Good name\" I smile. \"Now, I hope you understand, with the government considering you a threat and the amount of people who need help when they get here, especially emotionally, you'll be kept here for your work.\"\n\n\"Wait... I'm hired? Just like that?\" Connor looks puzzled.\n\nA chuckle sounds from nearby. Purge. \"We hire EVERYONE with superpowers. Besides, do you WANT to be back at school? Isn't it boring there?\"\n\n\"More like humiliating. I'm basically a joke. Yeah, you're right, if I'm gonna be mocked for helping people in my school, then I'd rather be here and appreciated.\" Connor grins.\n\nI grin as well. \"I'm glad you're on board. And I think you'll be really helpful in getting through to a girl around your age.\" My face drops. \"She's very emotional, and has all but blocked everything away. Even Mindtruder, despite using her powers successfully, can't get her to open up.\"\n\n\"On it! Take me to her!\" Empathereal declares.\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\nThis story is a part of my series, [It's Not Just Business.](https://www.reddit.com/r/StoriesbyCrystal/comments/xoduo6/its_not_just_business/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) Please check it out!", "I sat in the locked cell, waiting for the walls to speak again. More accurately, I was waiting for whoever was monitering my cells camera to speak through an intercom. But that's not as snappy, and I could at least punch the wall ineffectually.\n\nFinally, the woman on the other side spoke. \"Yeah, we can't let you go home.\"\n\n\"COME ON!\" I yelled. \"It was an accident! Normally, all my powers do is make some people around me share my same feelings. But it's never been that strong before; I didn't know that could happen.\"\n\n\"And now that we _do,_ we can't risk you doing it again,\" she argued.\n\n\"I was drunk!\" I yelled. \"I just turned 21. Things got a little out of hand, but it isn't that bad.\"\n\n\"The riot is still happening,\" she said, sounding a bit more perturbed. \"The ones who haven't calmed down yet needed to be tranquilized. As it is, we barely locked the city down before it was too late. And this all started because-\" there was a sound of rustling papers as she looked through her notes \"- you sang _Don't Stop Me Now_ at a karaoke bar.\"\n\n\"... I think Freddie Mercury would be proud,\" I said sheepishly.\n\n\"Undoubtedly,\" the woman agreed (couldn't tell if that was sarcasm). \"But we're not detaining you just because of that. We discovered something else, and this may require your protection and observation.\"\n\n\"What, you want to see what happens if I sing some Weird Al?\" I joked.\n\n\"Close. The part of your DNA that gives you your powers isn't human. Our guess is that it's extraterrestrial in nature.\"\n\n\"I know. You guys explained that already when I was twelve.\" Kids called me E.T. all the way up through high school.\n\n\"Well what we _weren't_ aware of is that your powers don't affect everyone. During your city-wide block party, we observed several individuals who were completely unaffected by your powers. This, along with other sources of information, has led our experts to believe that they are the same extra-terrestrials, posing as humans.\"\n\nFor some reason, the idea that aliens walked among us surprised me. I assumed they came down for spring break, played yahtzee with my mom, and then left when they sobered up and got a good look at the planet. I didn't think they had wanted to stick around.\n\n\"Great!\" I said, once I wrapped my head around this info. \"You got your aliens, and I learned to avoid mixing Everclear with Queens greatest hits. So, _let me go home.\"_\n\n\"No. We didn't get them, and we think there could be more. But, we think we figured out how to find them.\"\n\nFor once, I saw where this was headed, and I didn't like it. \"How?\" I asked, afraid of the answer.\n\n\"We propose,\" she said carefully, but completely serious, \"to make you the lead singer of a band, have you tour across the country, and use your power to find all extra terrestrials in disguise.\"\n\nAfter seconds of consideration, I gave my response. \"I can stay in the cell.\"", "\"Give me a break.\" My bully said to me, as I fell to the bathroom floor. \"Why would I be scared of some loser like you?\" As he said that, his cheeks grew pale, and expression changed to that of shock. He clutched his heart as a tear ran down his cheek. \n\"What are you doing to him?!\" His friend shouted at me. As I got back up to look my bully in the eye, his friend ran to find a teacher. \n\"I don't like doing this.\" I told him. \"I don't like making people feel like that.\" The tears began to flow faster as I spoke. \"...I really am sorry about your mom. Nobody should have to feel like that. But if you don't leave me alone, you'll have to feel just like this everyday...maybe even worse. Do you understand?\" He nodded as snot started running down his face. \n\nOn my 16th birthday, I was sitting down in my parents' living room. Some politician was droning on about how we have to resegregate our schools. \"God, I hate this guy.\" I said as we watched his speech. My mom reached for the remote, but I stopped her. \"Wait.\" I said \"Let me try something.\" I stepped closer to the TV, and focused on the man's face. Sweat started to run from his forehead, and his hands began to shake. Soon, his eyes were darting around the room. \n\"Is there something wrong, sir.\" His interviewer asked.\n\"Where are they?!\" The politician said. The interviewer looked confused. \"Where are those f***ing illegals!?\" The politician seemed to lock eyes with someone out of frame, and began to scream. \"You won't take my country, you God D***ed invader! Get away from me! Get away!\" The camera feed cut off, and was replaced by a message stating that they were having technical difficulties.\n\"I don't think he's going to be a problem anymore, mom.\" I said as I walked into the kitchen. \n\nOver the next ten years, leaders from all over the world were influenced by what they called 'The mental scourge'. Theorized to be a case of mass histeria by the news networks. After it's 'outbreak', most officials tried to avoid it by concealing their opinions the best that they could, which seemed to work for a short period. However, about three years into the scourge they realized that they were mistaken. In the year 2018, the U.N planned a meeting to address an eastern European president, and their excessive use of force towards a neighboring country. However, they found it unnecessary that they hold a meeting at all after the president decided not only to end it's military campaign, but to completely demilitarize the nation. The reason they gave, was simply a change of heart. It was only decided that this was not some form of mass histeria, when a central Asian leader decided to denuclearize the country. When asked why, he exclaimed that whenever he tried to launch a missile, he was reminded of the death of his father. The grief was just too much to bear. After this event, almost every nation in the world began a man hunt for a meta human that can controll emotions. Most telepaths had been questioned about the matter, but claimed that they could only read thoughts, not control emotions. On top of that, not even the most powerful telepaths could read thoughts an entire nation away from them. This lead to Interpol's most wanted fugitive, being whoever they found to be capable of the crime. \n\nBy the year 2020, war was a notion of the past. Every war that had been declared was called off in a matter of minutes, and when it wasn't none of the soldiers were willing to fight. For a good while, I didn't need to use my powers. Nobody dared to do anything malicious, or else they would be reminded of their former lovers, or of the worst day of their lives. If they still persisted, then it wouldn't be difficult to make them feel the collective terror of every civilian casualty ever. Truth be told, I got bored very quickly. Of course I would have to sway a crooked judge here and there, but for the most part my work was done. That is of course, until I found a new calling.\n\n\"and the worst part is,\" the young woman said through stifled tears. \"I know he's right. I'm just so stupid.\" I handed the girl a tissue and leaned forward in my chair. \n\"Miss Blackwell, you are not an idiot by any means. He is.\" She looked up at me with disbelief in her eyes. \"I'm going to break my own rule, here. Usually I give my patients options to choose from, but I'm just going to tell you what you need to do.\" She blew her nose into the tissue.\n\"What should I do, then?\" \n\"Run. This man is dangerous, and you deserve better. If you don't have anyone to go to, I know a place you'll be safe. The best part, is that they allow pets, so you don't have to leave your dog behind.\"\nHer eyes lit up as I said this.\n\"But, I can't do that. I just don't think I have the courage.\"\n\n\"Miss Blackwell, look at me.\" I smiled at her as she gazed at my face. Her tears had stopped, and she began to produce a feeling of strength. She straightened her back, and threw the tissue away. \"I think you have the courage now.\" I handed her a card for the shelter, and told her to give me an update when she gets there. \n\"Excuse me, Doctor?\" I heard my receptionist say from her desk. \"Your next patient is here.\"\n\"Send him in, Angela.\" A tall man walked into the office with a deep scar on his cheek. I asked him to sit down while he explained to me what was wrong. After about forty minutes he had explained how he was experiencing severe PTSD from the abuse he endured as a child.\n\"I just don't think I'll ever get better, Doc. Nothing can ever make me feel happy again.\" I looked into his eyes, just like I did with every patient.\n\"I think I can remedy that.\"", "At 10 years of age the government tests all of the kids for mutations. Then again at 12, 14 and 16. For whatever reason, if you are going to get powers you always get them by 16. \n\nAt 10, I tested as mutant in the area of ‘feelings’. I couldn’t do anything yet but I had to go to the special school for mutants. A mutant that hasn’t manifested yet gets teased. A mutant that hasn’t manifested ‘feeling’ powers gets tortured. \n\nAt 12, I could get vague impressions of what people around me were feeling. Like super empathy. My guidance councillor thinks I will be a great therapist some day. Yeah, let me tell you, that really stopped the teasing…. Ugh. \n\nAt 14, I knew exactly what everyone was feeling and could get impressions of the why, if it was top of mind. No one wants to be around someone that can read them like that. No privacy they say. I am not reading their minds…. Just reading the feelings at the surface. \n\nAt 16, things changed. I could read feelings and surface thoughts really well now but I could also start ‘pushing’ feelings. I could make someone feel something. Make them like me while they were near me. The effect wasn’t permanent and my range was only 5 or 6 feet. People started to actively avoid me. At least the teasing stopped. \n\nAt 18, the government approached me to offer me a job. They wanted to see how far I could push someone. Could I make someone love me? Could I make someone love themselves? Could I make someone hurt someone or themselves? Could I make someone kill?\n\nI became a spy and an assassin. I could just ask someone to give me information and they would love me so much that they would just hand it over. \n\nI could sit in a cafe and focus on a target and make them hate themselves so much that they would shoot themselves or walk into traffic to end it all. \n\nI am the best in the world at what I do. As proud as that makes me, I find I spend my evenings looking in the mirror, trying to convince myself to love myself….. I wish my power worked on me." ]

[ 1, 2, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10, 19, 45, 45, 107, 401 ]

[ "1668724444", "1668804370", "1668808722", "1668781670", "1668758853", "1668764973", "1668763267", "1668739291", "1668727148", "1668737950", "1668734090", "1668726990" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "The faint ringing in my ears sharpened as I felt my eyes slowly open despite the pressure of fatigue and pain weighing all my muscles down. My vision blurred, and I struggled to bring my hands up to wipe my eyes to clear the blurriness from my sight.\n\nI waited a few moments, recalling all my past memories to explain why I was in such a state.\n\nThe sound of sirens was what came up first and I made myself tug at the corners of my mind to further recall details. \n\nWarmth came next to my mind, with orange, fiery hues consuming my surroundings and I came to the conclusion that a fire must've happened.\n\n*Okay...* I thought to myself sitting up as I recalled all that I remembered. \"I was in a fire...\" I muttered. I looked around, looming redwood trees towered over me, and the forest floor seemed to be made of dirt and mud, with the occasional shedding leaf and stick. \n\nI started to push myself up despite the underlying ache that soared through my body and noticed the distinct sound of somber silence.\n\n​\n\nThat was...*odd...*\n\n​\n\nThere was always some sort of noise in the forest, albeit birds chirping or squirrels scurrying among trees. Even the distinct sound of flying insects would always be heard. Yet, there was nothing. \n\nI strained my ears in hopes to discover the faintest of noise, or, perhaps even, civilization nearby.\n\n​\n\nBut...nothing came. \n\n​\n\nNot a peep. \n\n​\n\nNot even a whisper of the breeze.\n\n​\n\nAs quickly as I had noticed the silence, an unearthly, guttural scream tore like claws through the forest, destroying everything in its path. It wasn't a howl of a wolf or the cry of an injured animal. It was something that was *not* created by Mother Nature. It was a monstrosity. \n\nIt was not human, nor was it animal. \n\nIt was something else entirely. Something made not for mortal beings such as us to see.\n\n​\n\nMy whole body paled, and my intaking breath had abruptly stopped. No wonder everything was so, *so,* silent.\n\nAfter a few moments of grueling screeching, it was silent again.\n\nThe trees suddenly swayed gently as if trying to uproot themselves and leave the forest from the sheer terror of the scream. The wind rose and howled with a violent terror and another inhuman scream let out, however quite louder than the first one, and all sense of rationality was gone now. Whatever it was, it was closer.\n\n​\n\nAnd whatever it was, it was angry.\n\n​\n\nThis time, life made itself known and animals dashed the opposite way of such screaming. A large group of birds, squirrels, deer, foxes, and wolves, all ran in harmony to get away from whatever could create such a noise.\n\nAll natural instinct of fighting and violence was gone, and what remained was only flight. \n\nAll the animals fleeing made it tempting for me to follow the lead and I struggled to pick myself up. \n\nThankfully, my panic soon calmed, and the screaming stopped.\n\n*What the hell was that?* I asked myself as I picked myself up.\n\nI decided I didn't want to stick around to find out and I soon found myself under the rhythmic hum of running, fleeing from what beast could have made that noise.\n\n​\n\nEventually, after a few minutes or hours of running, I started to feel different. \n\nI felt...intoxicated.\n\nIt felt as if I was in the warm grasp of my mother, and that nothing could harm innocent life like mine, but at the same time, also in the face of unprecedented danger that would kill without a moment's hesitation. \n\nI didn't realize that everything else had slowed to a stop as well, and my eyes stood unblinking at the horizon. \n\nEverything was in a trance, including me. Comfort wrapped around my body like a blanket and I felt stiff, yet at the same time calm. \n\n​\n\nI was meant to be here.\n\n​\n\n\"Intessing...\" a voice suddenly started, but it wasn't in any human tongue. It was foreign. Alien.\n\n\"Craturs sponder thy climpth outh 761. Gow appecen sacreo une stustted.\" \n\nMy mind was hazy. Cloudy.\n\nWas...life always this calm?\n\nNo...\n\nWhoever these beings are, they'll make everything better. They should be ruling our planet. Not so-called 'leaders of our nation'. \n\nI will do anything they need to serve my usefulness to them.\n\n​\n\n​\n\n​\n\nlmao couldn't think of anything else so I came up with this", "Mariah strolled through the woods, the howls echoing around her. After living here for a couple of years she has gotten used to the unearthly howls. They came from no particular source. Instead they weaved\ntheir way through the forest, filling the ears of those in it.\n\nShe was walking through the woods, gliding over the logs, looking for the mushrooms she required.\n\nShe heard a scream.\n\nMariah hurried over to where the scream had come from. She found a woman. She was around the age of thirty and had long black hair and green eyes, much like Mariah herself who had black hair and green eyes. The only real difference between the two was their skin tone. Mariah was a dark brown while the woman was a very pale white.\n\n“Are you alright?” Mariah asked, concern coating her words.\n\nThe woman looked up at her and asked, with a deceptive calmness to her tone, “Where am I and who are you?”\n\nMariah smiled down at her and replied, “You are in the Forest of Lost Dreams. This is where someone comes when they are no longer wanted by the real world.”\n\nThe woman blinked up at her. Mariah sighed and said, “My name is Mariah. What’s your name?”\n\n“What do you mean no longer wanted?” the woman demanded.\n\n“Tell me your name and I’ll tell you,” Mariah bargained.\n\n“Evelyn,” the woman responded.\n\n“Well, Evelyn, you see, if nobody wants you then you are forced here, to the realm of the unwanted.”\n\n“No, not true,” Evelyn refuted. “I have a husband who cares about me.”\n\nMariah narrowed her eyes, “Then how are you here? The forest doesn’t accept just anybody. Only those that don’t have anybody wanting them.”\n\n“I don’t know!” Evelyn cried. “I was hit by a truck and now I’m here!”\n\n“So you were isekaied here,”Mariah said, nodding her head. “Even so, you must’ve not been wanted by anyone in the other world.”\n\n“What? We’re not in some manga or anything,” Evelyn scoffed.\n\n“Maybe not but that is the most accurate term for it.”\n\nEvelyn scoffed again and rose to her feet. She had regained her wits and was getting used to the new world she found herself in.\n\nMariah made an offer, “Why don’t you come live with me for now?”\n\nEvelyn studied her with suspicion but accepted the offer.\n\nAnd so they lived together for the next year and a half.\n\nOne day the cabin began to dissolve around them.\n\n“What?” Evelyn cried.\n\nMariah darted around trying stop what was happening. She tried to leave but found she couldn’t.\n\nA man’s voice filled the cabin, “Well done. You have beat my forest. You now are wanted by each other. You have been given the way out. Will you accept this?”\n\nMariah and Evelyn looked at each other. “No,” they both said.\n\nThe voice chuckled and the cabin rematerialised. “Very well,” the man spoke, “you shall remain here until you die. Have a peaceful life.”\n\nAnd so they did, dying in their cabin many years later. Their bodies dissolved into golden light.\n\nThe door creaked open and a woman, looking in her late twenties, stumbled in. “What will I do?” She cried to herself.\n\nThe woman looked around, her black waving around her face as she did so. Her green eyes darted around the cabin. She placed a dark skinned hand on the wall.\n\n“Home. This will be my home,” the woman spoke. “This will be the home of Mariah.”" ]

[ 1, 2, 2 ]

[ "1668918658", "1668923464", "1668923669" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Hi u/justkeepbreathing94, this submission has been removed.\n\nThe mods reserve the right to remove anything we feel is harmful to the community. This includes, but is not limited to any forms of hate speech, racism, politics, necrophilia, pedophilia, bestiality, incest, torture, rape, violence against children, suicide, and mental health stereotypes. We will not tolerate it. \n\n* *This was removed [based on the comments it's likely to attract](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), specifically via [Rule 2](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---\n\nPrompts are removed for a reason. Please do not repost prompts by other users that have been removed. Reposting removed prompts again will likely result in a ban.\n\n---\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/z3bpsr/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/config/sidebar) before posting. \n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*", "Its an odd court case.\n\nJurisdictional procedures alone were a nightmare. The devil insisted on heaven as a neutral 3rd party, for arbitration, but you knew better. That bastard Lucifer used to work there, he might still have strings he coukd oull to protect a subordinate.\n\nYou insist on your home state of Carolina, but the demons argue that they could not get a fair trial on earth. What's worse is that your home state IS the best and most legally defensible jurisdiction for this trial, but sadly the demons of hell seem to have a VERY high number of lawyers. Lucky for you a large number of layers were willing to work pro-bono on the case. Apparently they think beating a demon in court will help keep them out of hell.\n\nAfter months and months of filings and negotiations the civil suit is to be held in a federal courthouse in NJ. Federal as this was deemed a matter originating outside the USA, and NJ because it was the jurisdiction that was best identified with hell.\n\nYour legal filings stated that your son though born female was legally a son. The demons argued that this was a legal fiction with no basis in fact.\n\nThe case is heating up, but one thing was sure both sides were adamant that there was \"Not a damn chance am I keeping that kid around\"", "This shiver never goes away when I'm around him. \n\nShadows dance softly over his sharp features. Keen eyes, deceptively good looks, and an easy charisma that puts you at ease. And here he was, sitting across from me in the cozy beige lounge chair in my dimly lit living room, again.\n\nI swallow heavily, never taking my eyes off of him. Sitting on the edge of the couch opposite him, my hands twitch in anger. How dare he go back on his word.\n\n\"You swore that if we gave up our first born son to you, you'd give my wife her sight back. A deal's a deal\". I can hardly hold back from spitting the words out at him. 11 years. It's been 11 years since we made this deal, and Hannah, my precious wife, was able to see again. 11 years of peace. But now...\n\n\"What changed\", I hiss.\n\n\"Well, you see\", he says ever so smoothly, the way one does when they know the conversation is in their favor. \"There's been a development\". Your first born son turned out to be your first born daughter.\"\n\nWithout noticing, I shake my head ever so slightly, eyes squinted and my mind thoroughly confused. \"What?\"\n\n\"Your child is transgender. I won't go into specifics of her life since our deal was made, but this development has effectively made our deal null and void, so effective tomorrow I'll be returning her to you and taking you lovely wife's sight back.\"\n\nHe grins coyly, and despite the fire next to us, the room goes cold.\n\n\"No.\" Thoughts race in a jumble. Chills cover me like ants, and all I can think of is Hannah losing her sight again. We've been able to enjoy so much together. All the nights we watched crappy horror movies, all the hours we played games. All of her hours looking at guitars online, seeing which one she wanted to buy next. She can't lost all that again. I refuse.\n\n\"No, fuck that! I'm not letting you take her sight away. We made that deal fair and square and you know it.\" I stand up, unable to sit while I'm being fucked over like this.\n\n\"Well, unfortunately, you don't get a say in this.\" He makes the motion with his right hand of cleaning his fingernails of nonexistent dirt. Calm and collected, he looks up at me. \"I know you once also found yourself to be transgender. So surely you can understand this situation.\"\n\nFucking demons. How the hell does he know this. \"That was a long time ago. I was trying to find myself, my place in in world, and was convinced I was a girl, but later on I realized I was actually nonbinary.\" I mindlessly stare at the yarn work on the throw pillow lying on the couch beside me. \"So I'm familiar with being transgender. That's not the issue.\" But of course I don't need to be telling you all this, don't I. Apparently you know everything about me. I sigh, and continue. \"The issue is that Hannah and I never wanted kids, and\", a pause, \"she was an accident. We're not fit to be parents. We just wanted to focus on us and not on a kid. We were going to put her up for adoption until...\"\n\nThe memory of their first meeting. Him there one stormy night, sitting in that exact chair even though nobody let him in. Even though the doors were locked and he didn't break in. The way he summoned hellfire in his palms and shifted into a shadow and reformed across the room, elegant as ever, explaining to us he's willing to take our child and in return will even restore Hannah's sight. I've turned a blind eye to why a demon wants a baby, but what I can't block out is this single nagging thought. I need to know.\n\n\"11 years. And she's still alive? What could you have been doing with a child for 11 years?'\n\nHis head slightly leans to the left. \"Blood of the innocent. We have many uses for it. She might be scarred, and have a bit of trauma, but she'll live. You humans are resilient enough, for the most part.\"\n\nA protective instinct for her I didn''t know I had for anyone besides Hannah burns in my chest. \"You bastard.\" I take a step towards him, ready to punch him if I knew he wouldn't just shift into a shadow again. A low laugh escapes him.\n\n\"This is the price you pay. You had 11 years, and now it's up.\" He rises, standing a bit taller then me, and I feel his warm breath as he leans in close. \"I'll give you an extra night, as a favor for all the blood your child has given up.\" My palms ache, threatening to bleed as my nails dig into clenched fists. My eyes squeeze shut. \"Tell Hannah, and let her see the sorrow in your face before her sight is ripped from her once more.\" A breathy, almost silent chuckle. \"Congratulations on being a parent. I'll be keeping an eye on you to watch as this all falls apart.\"\n\nSilence. Slowly these tired eyelids ascend, and I find nothing more here but the quiet crackle of the fire, and the rhythm of my speeding heart pounding in my veins." ]

[ 1, 1, 2, 5 ]

[ "1669268885", "1669277428", "1669274407", "1669269475" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "[Re: On the possibility that Regis Grobner is an extraterrestrial]\n\n[We believe Regis Grobner most likely died in the last skirmish with the Navy (eyewitness reports say he was directly hit by an artillery shell), although we weren't able to collect his body, so we weren't able to do an analysis to confirm or reject the idea. However, several week ago, we found a note at his old home in our investigation afterwards that may be of interest to you, transcript pasted below:]\n\nI intend to change the world. Or at least try to; I'm not sure I can actually predict what will happen from here on out. But I think it's worth trying at least.\n\nI knew I absolutely did not want to become a superhero. In stories they're always depicted as people who would save, or at least try their best to save every person they can. But when I tried to imagine myself in the same situation, it seemed... stressful. Doing your absolute best every single day was simply not something someone like me could do. Having the superpowers of a superhero does not necessarily give one the temperament of a superhero.\n\nAnd so for the longest time, I kept my powers a secret, only quietly using them to help others at times, and occasionally for my own convenience. I told myself that living humbly was a good way to go about life. I told myself that it was good to keep my options open. If I ever needed my powers, I could always reveal them then. I was comfortable living out my life as a normal person with that reasoning.\n\nThen Julia died.\n\nI wasn't around when it happened. It just came out of the blue one day without rhyme or reason; she was walking home and simply ran into the wrong person. I couldn't have stopped it even if I weren't hiding my powers. The bastard that killed her was caught and pled guilty to all the charges, and was sentenced to life in prison.\n\nNothing could really contain my anger and frustrations at the situation, but there wasn't really anything I could do about it, even with my powers. The culprit was caught and given the maximum possible punishment. What else could I do? Torture and kill him in prison? Was there really a point to that?\n\nWell, I guess I could probably use the stress relief. I was playing around with the idea of making a human stress ball, when someone decided to send me a video of Julia's death.\n\nIt was... enlightening. It wasn't the story I was told. Sure, the guy who was sentenced to life in prison did kill Julia, but he didn't do it alone. Multiple people were involved. How come nobody told me? The video was sent along with a message, from one of the detectives in the police department. She wanted to me with me to talk about how to pursue this case further.\n\nShe mentioned her name, but I didn't remember it. I was shaken a bit too much to pay careful attention to what he was saying. She said something about the families bribing out law enforcement. She seemed awfully excited, happy even, about finally having the evidence to expose the department's corruption. She wanted me to pursue the case in court because I had standing to sue, while she's just some third party. She gave me the names and addresses of the perpetrators when I ask for them.\n\nLuke, Casey, Peter, George. George was the one already in prison. \n\n\"You okay there? You seem a little out of it.\"\n\nI was brought back to reality briefly by the question. Julia would worry about me the same way back then. Though, most of the time nothing was wrong in particular and I was just daydreaming. I responded the question in the same way I always did.\n\n\"Ah, nothing in particular. I was just thinking about random things. Don't worry too much about me,\" I said with my usual smile.\n\nThere was a short pause. The detective seemed to have realized something and apologized.\n\n\"Sorry, I guess anyone would be out of it if they were talking about their sister's death. I got a bit overexcited; sorry about that.\"\n\n\"It's alright, I understand. But I want some time to process and think about it, is that okay with you?\"\n\n-----------\n\nI said \"think\" but at that point I had already made my decision. I am a cruel person who was considering torturing an already convicted person to death. Why would I have have any qualms about bringing those who escaped justice to justice?\n\nEven so, I was scared of letting others know about my powers. I was scared of the responsibilities my powers would bring. Scared of what people would ask of me, what people would come to expect of me once they knew of my powers. If I selfishly bring to justice those who have wronged my sister, should I also bring to justice people who have wronged other people as well? My powers, while great, were finite; I couldn't possibly bring justice to everyone. Where do I draw the line? I thought and thought and thought until reality hit me. \n\nI was never a good person. A person like me doesn't have the right to talk about justice. I was not about to become a hero of justice, I was just about to become a simple murderer.\n\nA huge weight was taken off my shoulders by that realization. A murderer need not worry about whether what they're doing is right or wrong. A murderer need not worry about what people think about them. All I needed to do was to follow my heart and kill people. It was simple.\n\nIt was easy to kill them without anyone finding out who did it. All I needed to do was stand within a few hundred meters of them and let my telekinesis do the trick. I killed Luke and Casey in this manner, leaving their twisted corpses and broken skeletons on the sidewalk.\n\nIt was boring, really.\n\n---------\n\nThe detective came over a while after Luke and Casey's deaths.\n\n\"Was it you?\"\n\n\"No,\" I responded, flatly.\n\nThe detective looks at me with skepticism, and sighs when she couldn't figure out my expression.\n\n\"I don't know how you did it. I can't prove you had anything to do with it.\" She looked around the room, trying to come up with the right words. \"But if you were the one who did it, I want you to know that this problem, this case, is much bigger than just you and your sister alone.\"\n\n\"What, you want me to get rid of the entire police department? Hypothetically speaking, that is.\"\n\n\"It's more than that. I want this case to be an example, to show the world that those who do evil will be brought to justice, to show that there are many of us who will fight as long as we need for justice to happen. Whenever someone thinks about using their power and influence to do evil, I want them to think about this case and have second thoughts about it.\" \n\nWe locked eyes for a moment before she looked down and smiled sheepishly. \"It's a big, stupid, impossible, childish dream for sure, but that is what my dream is. It probably won't have that big of an impact, but it's a work in progress.\"\n\n------------\n\nI thought about my powers again. My powers, while great, were finite; I couldn't possibly change the world. But the detective... her name was was Becky, I found out right before we parted ways... But Becky only had the powers of a normal human, and yet, she had the courage to dream about making a real change to the world. \n\nMaybe I've been thinking about this wrong. Sure, one person, on their own could not change the world. But that was never the point. One person could inspire other people to move, who could the inspire more people to move and so forth until a formidable force was born. Becky wanted to move the courts, which would then (ideally) scare people enough to reduce incidents like this. A far-fetched, incomplete plan, but still, it was an idea. I imagine that for those without power, this sort of method was obvious, but I, with my powers, was stuck in the thought that I had to do everything on my own. \n\nHow would people react if they learned about my superpowers? Would they see me as some sort of symbol? Would they fear me? Also, Peter is still alive. There was still one more person I need to kill. How can I best make use of his death?\n\nIt makes me a little excited. Maybe it isn't actually too far-fetched to aim for world peace with my powers? All my old dreams might become possible if I approached them in a different way.\n\nWell, even if I fail, that's fine. The entire fucking world is quite a difficult beast to tame after all. I'll just have to try my best.\n\n[There were several more pages of notes and scribbles on his desk, possibly related to his plans, but they didn't seem very detailed. Anyways, given this information, we believe that Regis himself is most likely not an extraterrestrial, although it's still plausible that his powers have extraterrestrial origins.]" ]

[ 1, 3 ]

[ "1669407796", "1669419136" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Hi u/Newman1651, this submission has been removed.\n\nPrompts 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* *From Rule 6: [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\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/z8nwrx/-/%0A%0A) us if you have any questions or concerns. In the future, please refer to the [sidebar](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/config/sidebar) before posting. \n\n*This action was not automated and this moderator is human. Time to go do human things.*", "First Sergeant Stephens stood in front of the two new soldiers. Their arrival came as a shock to the unit. They’d all heard of the Magical Combat Corps, but no one thought they’d see any of those elite soldiers here. \n\nYet, here they stood, bodies straight and muscular at parade rest, uniforms pressed and heads shaved in the tell-tale way that screams “fresh out of training”. Each had the magical skills signifier clearly pinned to their chest. \n\nStephens hated new soldiers. A lot of cocky privates sauntered into his company and acted like they knew it all after a few months of training. At worst the two in front of him were a couple of potential mistakes in the making. At best, they’d get promoted to a junior NCO in a few years and get stationed somewhere else. \n\n“At ease, Privates,” he grunted while looking over the two sets of orders in his hands. The two young men relaxed their posture but kept their hands loosely clasped behind their backs.\n\n“Private Whiskey?” He asked.\n\nThe skinnier of the two, a tall pale soldier with a thick set of lenses in front of his eyes cleared his throat. “It’s whisk-ay, First Sergeant. Whisk-ay.” \n\n“Of course. Right.” Stephens looked at the other young man “Private Reserve?”\n\n“Yes, First Sergeant,” the stouter soldier responded.\n\n“Private Whiskey and Private Reserve?” Stephens chuckled. “and you’re both mages? You aren’t fucking with me?”\n\n“No, first sergeant,” they said in unison. \n\n“You better be able to conjure some booze with names like that.”\n\n“First Sergeant, we didn’t learn alcohol transmutation at basic combat magic training nor at advanced individual magic training,” said Reserve.\n\nStephens sighed. This one had a stick up his ass for sure.\n\n“You realize we aren’t a combat unit, right?”\n\n“Hooah, first sergeant,” said Whiskey.\n\n“What is your MOS?”\n\n“Our Magical Occupational Specialty is 92 unicorn, first sergeant,” said Reserve.\n\n“You mean 92 Uniform?” \n\n“No, first sergeant. Unicorn.”\n\n“Which is?” \n\n“Magical materials requisition specialist.”\n\n“I didn’t realize they started training mages outside of combat arms positions. Did you know you weren’t gonna be grunts when you went to MEPS?”\n\n“Hooah, first sergeant.”\n\n“Right…so you’ll be assigned to the supply sergeant and she’ll help you get squared away. Form up with the supply section at formation. The CO will make an announcement after roll call.”\n\n“Hooah, first sergeant,” the two said, and they stepped back and left toward the drill floor.\n\nStephens slumped into a chair and rubbed his face. “I guess we’ll see how these two fit in.”\n\n…..\n\nPrivate Reserve leaned over the cement pad, carefully measuring and tracing a design onto the surface. The chalk in his hand was little more than a nub.\n\nA door slammed open across the drill floor. Boot steps echoed toward him.\n\n“Whoooo! If it isn’t my favorite Private Reserve! You gonna pull a rabbit out of that circle?”\n\nPrivate Reserve jumped to his feet at the sound of the voice and yelled out “at ease!”\n\nHe knew Sergeant Coleman would hate the formality.\n\n“God damnit, Reserve, there’s no one else here.”\n\n“I’m sorry Sergeant, it’s standard custom when a non-commissioned officer enters the drill floor.”\n\nSergeant Coleman sighed. “Carry on,” she said. \n\nReserve relaxed and grinned. Sergeant Coleman looked at the intricate chalk design of circles and lettering on the ground. “This is it?” She asked.\n\n“Hell yeah, sergeant!” The private responded. \n\n“If this doesn’t work, you know you’re cleaning the latrines this weekend, right?”\n\n“It’ll work, Sergeant.”\n\nColeman squealed with excitement. \n“When you mages first got here, we didn’t know what to do with you. The mechanics didn’t need any magical assistance to order tools and parts. We haven’t been issued any magical items as a unit.”\n\n“It was hard just sitting around, sergeant. I enlisted to be part of a team.”\n\n“You are! The senior staff was extremely happy you were up for planning the barbecue. Whiskey is transmuting that box of screws to gold. Then him and Top are running to the store for some beer. Once you get those goats summoned, send them to the cooks! They’ve got their ovens hot and ready to go! Everyone is so excited for Family day for once!”\n\nReserve nodded and grunted, “Hooah.” \nColeman sauntered off, to go check the other preparations.\n\nReserve began muttering under his breath and the chalk outline glowed. If there was one thing he learned in the army, it was summoning spells. He wasn’t good at much else, but he could summon like a champ. He just needed to focus. To focus on the shape of the horns. On the hoofed feet. On the boredom. On cleaning the latrines and counting all the tools in the supply closet. Focus on family day. On the barbecue. On the constant jokes about a private reserve. On food. On fun. On wanting to be home. On the idea of college. On five more years of this tedium, day after day.\n\nA bleat erupted from the floor. Two great horns emerged from the concrete, and slowly began rising from the ring of light. Reserve hoped he calculated the variance of the summoning vector correctly. It would be a shame if something other than goats emerged.", "\"You gonna pull a rabbit out of that?\" a jeering voice came from the neighboring bunk.\n\nMegan sighed, mildly considering casting a small flame on the next bed. She stuck to feigning ignorance. The playground bullying style treatment would persist until training, then, as usual, the squad would quietly depend on her. So she put away the helmet, knowing that the rest of the group was powerless.\n\nJust as she finished preparing for bed, however, a sergeant came in and ordered her to dress up again and report to them in five minutes.\n\n\"Just put a box on the bed and I'll help saw you in two. Then only half of you can go,\" came a different voice, lilting in self-satisfied laughter. At least Megan could sort of pity the speaker. She just tried to mock her to fit in, and barely managed.\n\nMegan quietly got dressed.\n\nSoon enough, she walked towards the door. \"Ooh, a private performance for the sergeant?\" a third voice called out, earning a few loyal laughs from the dorm. Megan would've faked a bow, or told the corporal that she too could get a show, but Megan was the one who was disciplined the last time she tried a retort.\n\nSo Megan wordlessly left the dorm, heading to the sergeant's office.\n\nThe office was a nicer room in the same large building that contained the dorm room. Up some stairs, and first thing on the right. Like the rest of the building, white linoleum and fluorescent lights with pale blue-grey walls and white stucco ceilings continued the sterile environment, but the room's significantly lower occupancy made it much more pleasant.\n\nIn the room, the sergeant was with somebody not in uniform. The lady had long black hair, a white shirt and a grey skirt. The shirt was more of a partial petticoat, with long white tails extending over the skirt. There was also a purple ribbon hanging of the middle of the shirt. Megan suddenly felt like her uniform -- the ironed fatigues and crisply folded beret, was inadequate.\n\nNext thing she knew, the sergeant was not in the roof, but Megan was, and the door behind her had closed. The figure in the white dress turned, showing the black collar and other ribbon in her outfit. There was also a disk on her right wrist. A wave of familiarity washed over Megan.\n\n\"Admiral... Akemi?\" Megan nervously asked.\n\n\"Indeed.\" The admiral gazed at Megan, looking more pensive at she did. \"You should stick to your Crimson Demon name,\" she finally said.\n\nMegan did her best to keep her voice controlled as she replied: \"respectfully, there's a... reason I adopted this name.\"\n\nThe admiral nodded. \"Sorry, didn't mean to rile you. I'm hear mostly because the higher Magi officers decided that I needed to do some outreach.\"\n\n\"Thanks for coming,\" Megan mumbled, still trying to understand the situation. \"Sorry, you'd just... stopped time?\"\n\n\"Yes.\"\n\n\"Oh.\"\n\nThe admiral smiled. The sound of something falling with a quiet \"whump\" came from outside, with a groan Megan recognized as the sergeant's. Megan let herself smile too.\n\n\"I won't say I experienced what you have,\" the admiral began, \"because, I simply haven't. I was lucky that I was with the high Magi when they made deals with the military. But, Megumin, you have something special.\"\n\nMegan's eyes widened. She was on the verge of being offended at the name, but the admiral's other words surprised her. \"What?\"\n\n\"Your explosion magic?\"\n\n\"I mean, it's all I can-\" the admiral nodded, \"but there's other demons who-\"\n\nThe admiral waved Megan's concerns away. \"Not actually as powerfully as you can.\"\n\n\"Really?\"\n\n\"Well, that we can recruit.\"\n\nMegan nodded with waning excitement. \"So you-\"\n\n\"Well, we do have a special mission for you.\"\n\nMegan was nodding, loosing herself in hope.\n\n\"We want you to reach out to the Crimson Demons.\"\n\nMegan would rather have pulled a bunny out of her helmet." ]

[ 1, 1, 2, 2 ]

[ "1669803477", "1669813008", "1669810965", "1669812873" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "I open my eyes. The green light beams into my brain causing me to close them. I will try again. This time my eyes adjust and I’m able to see my surroundings. A being seems to be looking at me. Or what seems like looking. I can’t really tell because the light is now flickering. It changes from red to blue to aqua. Each color change makes the being alter shape. I can’t make out what it is. I’ll try opening my eyes again later. \n“Why aren’t they awake yet?” \n“They are! Don’t stress me. I just saw movement.” \nI recognize the voice but don’t have the strength to try looking around again. \nI find my throat and ask to speak. My body allows it and I hear my voice for what seems like the first time. \n“Did it work?” \n“You don’t know?” The voice replies. \nSuddenly my body relaxes and I realize that I’m not breathing. I ask if I can breathe and then I feel my lungs expand. I feel the cold air leave my nostrils and the liquid expand in my chest. \n“Breathing feels weird. When is the liquid going to change color?” \n“What are you talking about?” The voice asks. \nI realize that question has never been asked. I heard a question that has never been asked. I opened my eyes to see who said it. The being peering over me is pretty or what would be considered pretty for their time. \n“Where is the first blob that was here? The color changing one?” \nThey look at me confused. “There are no color changing blobs in existence”. \nI cry and ask to be left alone. The pretty being leaves the room. \nI know that I am alone. I know that I will be for 1000 years. The knowledge I have doesn’t connect me but makes me separate. I know that I will be here for 1000 years but I will not have anyone to connect with. They will never understand me. I will only ever understand them. I will know what they say and how they feel. I will know every invention. I will not share my ideas. I will wait 1000 years. Till my generation finds me." ]

[ 1, 19 ]

[ "1669821738", "1669843421" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "I sneezed. Again. \n\nOh God, not again.\n\nWhat could possibly come forth from the horrors of the cosmos this time? Something that will finally kill me and end this dreaded curse?\n\nThese creatures, while mostly peaceful, drain my sanity with their very presence. I can't stand the thought of bringing horrors into this world that may one day end it.\n\nI open my eyes slowly to see...A woman?\n\nAs I look her over; I see that she isn't an ordinary woman. Certainly not human. Her skin that of scarlet, eyes black as obsidian, her hair that of tentacles that are constantly shifting in size and number. \n\nHer very presence radiates an aura of terror. My very being screaming for me to run. Fight or flight kicking in and yet?\n\nI can only stand and stare in awe. Some part of me is telling me that she isn't a threat. Despite her being so intimidating; I feel this strange...connection to her.\n\n\"Awe...What a cute little human you are!\"\n\nHer voice is so different from what I expected. Sultry, yet soft. No hint of the evil she could very well possess in herself at all.\n\nHer black lips curl into a soft smile, revealing a pair of small fangs, as she scans me over.\n\n\"I'm assuming you are the one who summoned me?\"\n\nShe says to me in a slightly amused tone.\n\n\"Uh...about that-\"\n\nI was going to explain, but she closes the gap between us and places a soft, warm, yet slightly intimidating clawed finger over my lips. Silencing me before she sweetly says;\n\n\"You don't have to explain a thing, my darling. I will gladly be your familiar.\"\n\nDarling? Familiar? Since when do the horrors of the cosmos so willing give themselves over?\n\nShe giggles as she runs her clawed hand through my hair very gently. Appraising me. Still very amused with me for whatever reason.\n\nIt should cause me to fear this situation more.\n\nI should be wanting to figure out a way to send her back, much like I have so many times before with the others.\n\nI shouldn't...like this.\n\nI was right to think that too. While she was so kind and gentle to me; Any female that dared to even look at me wrong would get the scare of the century. Her being able to alter their very homes into a nightmare of tentacles and darkness. \n\nHer powers of altering reality itself causing more destruction than any of the previous horrors I had unleashed. Creating hellscapes with a simple snap of her fingers. Yet she only limited using them when she was...jealous?\n\nShe was powerful and very...very clingy.\n\nI found that spending time with her was so enjoyable for me that I began to care less about what happened to anyone caught in her crosshairs. I knew she could be an extreme force of destruction, but I was selfish in that I didn't want to lose the moments of peace we shared.\n\nShe taught me of her kind. What it means to have lived as long as she had. Her very perception of time having been warped for so long, being stuck in the ether as she once was.\n\nShe explained how lonely it was to be without anyone to even talk to. How she always wished for someone to pull her away from it all.\n\nI...could relate in some strange way. Having isolated myself away for fear of hurting others with my curse.\n\nI didn't simply feel sorry for her, but I found that I understood her. It only caused us to grow closer as we shared memories together that we both had only dreamed we ever could. \n\nWe both decided, over our time together, that neither of us would have to go through any of it alone again. That we would be there for each other, no matter the consequences.\n\nThat is when I realized I had obtained a new curse;\n\nThe curse of being in love." ]

[ 1, 22 ]

[ "1670100856", "1670118314" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "“911, what’s your emergency?”\n\n[woman sobbing] “Oh my GOD. It took him. It took my baby!”\n\n“Ma’am, please speak slowly and clearly. Can I get your address so I can send first responders your location?”\n\n“Yes! I’m on the corner of [___________________], just off highway. Please for the love of Goood, you gotta send someone.”\n\n“Ma’am, I have a police patrol notified. Please, tell me the nature of your emergency. Do you believe your child was kidnapped?”\n\n“Not kidnapped, no. It… it tried to eat him. It threw my husband against a wall. He’s breathing but he- he’s hurt really badly.” [More sobbing, some words indistinguishable] “-and it broke in… and it took my baby [\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_], it took my little [_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_]. You’ve got to- you’ve got… gotta do something.”\n\n“Ma’am, can you describe what you saw?”\n\n“It was tall. My [___]’s bedroom was on the second story. It broke through the window. It pulled the wall out. It pulled the goddamn wall out of my house. My husband tried to… he tried… he… God no. Please god no.”\n\n“Ma’am stay with me. Help is on the way. What did you see? You’re saying it- didn’t look like a person?”\n\n“It was almost as-as tall as the house… it had long, crooked fingers with claws. I know I sound crazy… I feel crazy, but god… please god. Please. Please let my little [____] be okay.”\n\n“Ma’am officers are on the way.”\n\n“Please god… please… please god…”\n\n[END OF RECORDING]\n\n~ ~ ~\n\n“Ladies and gentlemen, for two hundred years, the United States had been aware of, to some extent, an immortal that lives somewhere in the northern edge of hospitable Canada. No longer able to deliver presents manually, he has contented himself to run several charity organizations and orphanages using his wealth, particularly targeting children in need and families too poor to afford presents.\n\n“Mr. Kringle’s assets are probably in the mid to low billions, though he is not a US Citizen and we do not have access to his total financial information. He has, however, worked cooperatively with government agencies for these intervening decades. He still does an annual ‘fly over,’ but his purpose is not delivering presents. Mr Kringle had, for over two centuries, dedicated himself to the trade of hunting.”\n\n“General Wittey, do you… are you telling us Santa Clause is real? And furthermore… that the monster that woman was speaking of is real? And the two are connected?”\n\n“In more ways than one, I’m afraid. Our CIA Director on Occult Affairs can fill you in a little more. Director”\n\n“Hello all. Director Angela Crenshaw, CIA. Yes, the big man is real. He has never flown over the entire world in a sleigh pulled by reindeer, but at one point he did have a normal sleigh, supposedly. Today he mostly flies via his private jet. He does not have elves. He is, by all accounts, every bit the personality ever ascribed to him. Warm, generous, and compassionate.\n\n“According to Mr. Kringle, he was once, several centuries ago, an ordained bishop of the Church. He achieved, through means unknown to us, immortality to pursue his ultimate agenda- Good will and peace for the least of us. A progressive for his time, he believed most of the ‘bad eggs’ of society were mostly caused neglected, poor, and under-supported children. Using the means available to him at the time, he tried to make them feel loved. \n\n“However not everyone shared his optimism. Statements to us from Mr Kringle, or St Nicholas as he was rechristened when be was ordained, say that others believed punishment of the most misbehaved children would keep the rest in line. They, too, found a source of immortality that transformed them, and became mutated creatures of ill will. He has hunted several of them to near extinction, but one remains. Hiding from him, quite intelligently, somewhere in the vast North American continent, the last ‘krampus’ still preys upon children it sees as wicked.”\n\n“Ladies and Gentlemen, the US Government is still catching up in such matters. It’s time we lended the man in red a jolly hand. Operation Silent Night is a GO.”" ]

[ 1, 2 ]

[ "1670334008", "1670373594" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "“*Seriously?*” I asked, incredulous. “You haven’t figured out who I am yet?”\n\nMy arch nemesis, Rachet, knitted his brows as he looked me over, not a hint of recognition. “Was I… supposed to?”\n\nI blinked, dumbfounded. And very much resisted the urge to slap my own forehead. “I am literally wearing sunglasses as a mask, and an up cycled tarp as a cape. It’s been three months! You haven’t even ran face recognition on me or anything?”\n\nRachet simply shrugged. “Oh, I tried. You just have a very forgettable face. Even the machine wouldn’t work since it was too average.”\n\nMy lips turned down in a frown, unsure if that was a purposeful insult or not. To put it gently, Rachet was one of those guys who… let’s just say that the lights were on, but nobody’s home. “Well, ain’t that nice.”\n\n“If you didn’t think your disguise would work, why wear it?”\n\n“I didn’t want a costume when I started out, but my kid talked me into it. She even put it together herself.”\n\nRachet tilted his head, then leaned towards my right, reading the cheap multi color felt letters stitched to the cape. “She spelt *Mr. Abominable* with five Ms.”\n\n“Cut her some slack, she’s six.”\n\nRachet hummed, cocking the laser gun he held. “So, should we be getting on with it, or…?”\n\n“Huh? Oh, yeah.” I nod in agreement, making all the metal in the bank contract with my telekinesis, causing all the hostages to cry out in fear. “Almost forgot.”" ]

[ 1, 11 ]

[ "1670552662", "1670555785" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "\\[Author's note: [This can be read as a standalone piece, but for additional context check this out first. Thanks for reading!](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/yqz1tz/comment/ivrivyu/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)\n\n***Knowledge Is Power***\n\nDetective Falcona entered interrogation room three with two cups of coffee, one irished up for her, one plain for Scarlet Shadow. Scarlet sat shivering in the uncomfortable metal chair in the sterile room. Her cape wrapped around her for warmth, Falcona always kept the interrogation room freezing cold. Scarlet quickly scooped the coffee cup up, drinking deeply. Steam slipped from her pale quivering lips.\n\nFalcona lit up a smoke to help warm up. A cigarette with some booze paired with her heavy trench coat would keep her nice and toasty. \"Thanks for coming in double S. Appreciate it. Just wanted to have a little chat, make sure we're on the same page after the shall we say...unpleasantness at the negotiating table. Now am I correct in assuming you won't tell anyone about the true fate of Connor Chaos?\" She asked through a cloud of smoke.\n\n\"Depends.\" Scarlet replied flatly.\n\n\"On.....?\"\n\n\"I want to know Horus the Hypnotist's weakness, surely you know what it is.\"\n\n\"No deal. Horus is a valuable asset to me, can't have you fucking that up.\"\n\nScarlet slammed her coffee cup against the metal table, ceramic shards exploded, steam rose from the spilled coffee. \"He hypnotized my partner into killing himself! Grant me my vengeance, like you're doing with Connor.\"\n\nFalcona slid her chair back to avoid the dripping coffee, the screeching of metal against metal echoed off the walls. She took a long drag of her smoke. \"What I'm doing to Connor isn't vengeance. It's justice. Justice for everyone, keeps everyone alive. You don't have all the information kiddo.\n\nWhen I was a little girl my mother taught me something that I'll never forget. The only true power in this world is knowledge. You can never have too much of it. My pa taught me something even more important. Knowledge without wisdom is dangerous. Like giving a gorilla a machine gun. I don't want you spraying bullets of misinformation on twitter.\"\n\nScarlet scoffed. \"I figured you were lying about something. That's just like you. So what did you omit?\" Scarlet asked. She still hadn't made any promises.\n\nFalcona sighed, she untied her trench coat letting it hang open, she removed her dark grey tie, slinging it over her shoulder. \"While it is true there is a killswitch for the supers and the schmucks. It ain't inside Connor's heart.\" Falcona slowly undid the buttons of her white collared shirt down to her stomach. She slid the shirt to the side, revealing a jagged scar across her chest. \"It's in mine.\"\n\nScarlet's trembling hand reached across the table, she slowly ran her finger across the scar. \"So even if some nutjob kills Connor nothing happens. But if something happens to you.....\"\n\nFalcona shot Scarlet with finger guns. \"The world ends with a bang, not a whimper. I've always considered us friends, you wouldn't rat on a friend, would you double s?\" Falcona asked smugly.\n\n\"Tell me something and I'll keep it our little secret.\"\n\n\"Shoot.\"\n\n\"Why keep him caged up?\"\n\nFalcona took a deep breathe, she didn't want to answer, but she didn't want to press her luck. Scarlet could be a bitch sometimes, and she was known to gossip after a few drinks. \"Because the motherfucker deserves it, even now a windowless cell is too good for him. Like I said, it's for justice. Justice for my parents, justice for me and my sis, justice for every person's life that has been affected by a super or schmuck. Connor wanted to build a brave new world, I'm gonna make sure his vision never comes to fruition. And I'm gonna make him watch.\n\nConman's biggest weakness is his ego. Has a god complex. Thought people were going to worship him, praise him, kiss his ass twenty four seven. Wanted the world to return to survival of the fittest, I can't let that happen. It's going to crush him when the day comes when we're all getting along, building a better world. Construction on that scale takes time, good thing I've got a lot of that.\"\n\nA wave of empathy surged through Scarlet, she never realized how much Connor had taken from her friend. She would have done something different in her shoes. \"Your secret is safe with me if you make me a promise.\"\n\n\"Depends.\"\n\n\"Call me more often, I'm a good listener if you ever need to get something off your chest.\" Scarlet smiled, her chattering teeth clacking loudly.\n\n\"Can do. You're free to go double s. Sorry for the inconvenience. I'll be in touch.\" Falcona pointed to the door behind her. Scarlet hugged her from behind. As she excited the room Falcona yelled out. \"Heads up!\"\n\nScarlet snatched the object Falcona threw at her from the air. A small obsidian ankh engraved with intricate golden hieroglyphs. She studied it curiously.\n\nFalcona cleared her throat. \"Let's just say if anything happened to that Horus might not be too happy about it. I hope you have the wisdom to use that knowledge properly.\" Falcona winked.\n\n\\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nThanks for reading. If you enjoyed this check out more at r/StarCityChronicles" ]

[ 1, 1 ]

[ "1670879525", "1670929662" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "Being such a popular superhero sounds like a good thing, right? I never wanted to be this popular, maybe just well known enough that people know what I look like. I barely get any time for myself these days. It would be great to sit down for a bit and read a book or something but every time I try, some emergency happens that cannot be ignored. \n\nTake last weekend, for example. I just got home after pulling a school bus out of a ditch and was about to have a lay down when this big cloud of boiling hot rain hovered over the city. Clearly, Mr. Boilerman had gotten out of containment again. I figured that I'd go and see if my fellow superhero neighbor Lightbender was going out to deal with Boilerman, but I found that lazy refractor had fallen asleep watching the news. I had no choice but to go out and snatch up Mr. Boilerman before anyone gets hurt. I found him on the roof of the town hall. It wasn't *that* hard considering I heard his maniacal laughter from four blocks away and I don't even have super hearing. He was so preoccupied with his mischief that he didn't even notice me walk up and grab him from his scruff. I just threw him in the mobile containment unit and prepared myself for the avalanche of news crews and happy citizens.\n\nSaving innocent people and catching bad guys is fun, but the news interviews are annoying. Doesn't help that I have a hard time saying no to anything. I suppose all superheroes need a weakness. I go through a dozen interviews a week, more if I'm unlucky. I occasionally get flown out to other places in the world to help out with some natural disaster or just to appear in some other show but I recently have started to just ignore the invites to foreign shows because I don't like traveling. You'd think I'd get some rest while on a plane but the flight attendants usually hover around me like I'm some sort of messiah and ignore my requests to be left alone. \n\nI am seriously considering moving from the high-end penthouse the city gifted me to some underground bunker, not because I want to make the \"Batcave\" or something but because then I might just get some time alone. Even the other superheroes are slacking off because of me. Some of them have insane powers like gravity manipulation, levitation, dimensional shifting, etc. Then there's me, a guy with some extra long arms." ]

[ 1, 3 ]

[ "1671573185", "1671580452" ]

[ "**Welcome to the Prompt!** All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.\n\n**Reminders**:\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🆕 [New Here?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) \n✏ [Writing Help?](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) \n📢 [News](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) \n💬 [Discord](https://discord.gg/writingprompts)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*", "BREAKING NEWS\n\n*Beloved local Toby \"the\" Parrot officially the first of the Psittacoidea genus to pass the Cambridge entrance exam.*\n\n*\"Hard work, Harder play,\" said the Chigwell native.*\n\n*\"The badgers can suck it,\" he added, in reference to the YouTube advertising campaign launched by Terry Badger wherein Parrots were shown defecating on various retirement villages.*\n\n*This being the same Terry Badger who publicly announced on Sky News that Toby would not only fail the exam, but score so lowly the college administrative board would be forced to burn his application and physically go to his house so they could glove-slap his face and throw half-melted marshmallows at him.*\n\n*Celebrations on the streets of Chigwell have been rapturous and jubilant; more than 75,000 attended the six-hour ceremony. Despite rumours, Prince Harry was not in attendance.*\n\n*\\~\\~ \\~\\~ \\~\\~ \\~\\~ \\~\\~ \\~\\~*\n\n***THE YEAR IS 2030***\n\nRain slaps down the brick walls of the dark and narrow alleyway. Above him is a ladder to rickety iron stairs, red light from an open window, an unstable platform somewhere higher up in the haze. Neon light flickers precarious through the mesh.\n\nA flash of white reveals a vibrant mark of colour on the wet brick, bold letters written in violent accents:\n\n*TOBY THE PARROT FOR PRESIDENT*\n\nHe inhales slowly. The sky cuts to black and his cigarette glows orange in the shadow.\n\nLong time ago, now. When he rode that bittersweet glory. Crowds lined around every corner chanting his name. The free club entries, constant offering of bird-way flipper-threesomes, the free batches of seeds---an endless boulevard of green lights and winning tickets and wicked-good wristies.\n\nAnd naught a dream since has come close, he sighs, gazes solemnly at the shop-lights reflected in the puddles. Another night, soaking wet, in the stink. Here with the strays and pathogenic rats and soggy raccoons, their arms locked, bodies left-to-right in a sway. A fine zoo. Burlesque, you might say. Passers-by give the occasional glance askance their way and marvel momentarily before moving on; and no matter the rhythm of their feet, the quality of the choreography, the motley crew never can seem to get anyone to stop.\n\nThose folk are all far too busy for that. No truck for parrots these days, nor for their dancing troupe members no matter how critically esteemed they might be. There in the dark, legs left-to-right, for reasons too mysterious and opaque for a mild-mannered exposé.\n\nToby \"the\" Parrot can be understood in this, at least: reflections are the new Cambridge, for him. Warbles on wet concrete in night alleys that would suffocate him, waiting patient, as he does, ever hopeful of that one turned umbrella from the distant footpath.\n\nThe adulation of the masses had been the high that would cripple him. His journey as the greatest parrot-academic replaced by a futile search for the same adulation. The same love: that which intoxicated and rendered him stupid. A high that no amount of studying would never provide.\n\nAnd so he strafes, and strafes, always cherishing that briefest stormy moment when the lightening strikes, when the walls light up, and, nearly breathless, he can remember." ]

[ 1, 4 ]

[ "1672282447", "1672291280" ]