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[WP] You are running down a dark alley; gasping for air. Your legs burning, you hear someone chasing you and a silver glint flickers at the corner of your eye. You turn to look back and sit up on your bed. Just a nightmare, but wait it's not your bed and your hands are cuffed. The door creaks open..
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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 creaks open and I hear someone enter the room. I can’t tell who it is since I’m blindfolded, but the steps are light, not meant to be heard, but my senses have been honed to hear lighter sounds than normal. The person sits on the bed and taps my leg. \n\n“You awake?” A woman asked. \n\n***It’s her.***\n\nI stay still, hoping my ex-girlfriend, though she doesn’t see it that way, has something more important to do than waste time with me. In response to my silence, she dug her nails into my leg, forcing to grit my teeth in agony. \n\n“Ah, so you were awake,” she says. I can hear the grin in her voice, the purr on her tongue. “That wasn’t very nice, you know. Punching Dad in the face is only going to make things worse for you. He’ll want to see if you’re strong enough to engage in his fetish: wrestling.”\n\nI gulped. This whole family is a bunch of fucking weirdos. The mother likes to hunt, the father likes to wrestle, ***apparently***, and her brother builds traps, the dangerous kinds obviously. I’ve met some of the other family months ago, but I haven’t the agony of finding out what gets them drooling. \n\nAnd I literally mean ***drooling***.\n\nThese people, when engaging in their favorite hobbies, their fetishes, begin to drool like they’re hungry for game. And apparently, they want me to be a part of it. \n\nAs a matter of fact, over the course of the past few months I’ve been forced to participate in their fetishes. The mother forces me to run in the family’s personally owned forest, living off the land like a wild animal. I had to escape a room her brother designed filled all sorts of knives and poisonous gases. And I only punched her dad in the face because he was holding me back from escaping. \n\nAnd now there’s a possibility of me fighting a drooling, sweating madman? I’d kill myself but I’m sure there’s someone in the family that’d take an interest in my corpse. If I haven’t told you, they don’t have staff here. \n\nI wonder where they are. \n\nPain suddenly shot up my leg and I yelped like a hurt puppy. \n\n“Are you ignoring me?” my ex-girlfriend inquired. \n\n“Of course not,” I answer slowly. “I just love listening to the sound of your voice.”\n\nI’ve learned over the months that my ex desires my attention whenever she’s in my presence. And refusal to supply it results in some form of pain I wouldn’t want to endure. \n\n“I think you’re lying,” she whispered as she leaned in close. \n\n“Even if you think so, your voice is enticing,” I replied carefully. “And since I can’t see you, I want to indulge myself in the sounds you make.”\n\n“You want to see me?” My ex asked. I nodded my head fervently, anything to keep from having to endure her fetish. \n\nThe blindfold comes off slowly, and I open my eyes to a dark room. The moonlight shines through the from the window and I’m in a room I undoubtedly recognize: my ex-girlfriend’s room. \n\n“I’m right here,” she says to my left. \n\nTurning, I find myself staring at a doll, a doll that looks like a miniature woman. \n\n“What do you think?” the miniature woman says in my ex-girlfriend’s voice. \n\nI tremble violently as I look past the doll. In the dark corner where the moonlight doesn’t reach is a girl kneeling with a creepy grin on her face, drool coming out of her mouth.\n\nShe wasn’t my ex.\n\n“What do you think?” the doll asked again, the girl’s lips not moving but still drooling. \n\nI lurch forward, forgetting that I’ve been chained to the bed and bang my head against the bed frame. \n\n“Don’t bother trying to get away,” the doll says as I struggle to get as far away from the girl as possible. “I just want to play with you. Everyone else had a turn.”\n\n“Back the fuck away from me!” I yell. \n\nThe doll goes silent as I heave and pant. The girl doesn’t move for a bit but I can tell I’ve upset her. She frowns in anger and I fear for what she’ll make me go through.\n\n“I’m sorry for yelling,” I say, but no sound comes out of my mouth. I try saying it again but I can’t speak. \n\nI look over to the girl and she’s wearing an even bigger grin than before, heavily breathing as tears, snot, and drool run down her face. \n\n“So you don’t want to play,” the doll says tearfully. I move closer to show my apologies, but the doll moves away closer to the edge. “But that’s okay, if you don’t want to, I’ll make you.”\n\nAs she finished, another doll rose up next to the first. This doll was a male, only wearing boxers and a pair of chains on his arms and legs. \n\n***That’s me.***\n\n“I’m sorry, I do want to play with you!” the male doll says in ***my*** voice. “Let’s play a lot!”\n\n“Okay, let’s joust,” the female doll says. \n\nThe male doll nods in agreement and ducks out of sight before coming back up with a tiny needle in his hands. The female doll ducks out of sight next and come back with a ***motherfucking pair of scissors.***\n\n\n***No. No! NO!***\n\nThey charge at each other. \n\n\nChapter One in case you haven’t read the beginning. \n\nhttps://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/m8e6ux/wp_you_see_a_beautiful_girl_she_smiles_at_you_it/grh04i9/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3"
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[WP] Explorers come up on an alien structure, with towering concrete pillars and walls. As the explorers start digging it up, the translation of the glyphs they found on the walls comes in and warns about a deadly poison that "emanates energy". The explorers dismiss it as superstition and digs on.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*",
"*Touchdown in ten. Touchdown in ten.*\n\nThe staticky voice blared in 5's earpiece as he checked the integrity of his exploration suit. Personal atmosphere was secure, two hours of air supply, battery power at 98%...\n\n5 took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves, seeing how he was essentially the cannon fodder of this group. The one they sent in to explore ruins to make sure they don't cave in or have giant insects waiting to snack on his innards. But 5 couldn't complain too much, the hazard pay was good. He was named such for the big \"5\" painted on his exosuit, it was easier to refer to each other by identification numbers than names. It seems like it was incredibly popular to have three syllable names these days, which was bad for when you were trying to call out the huge pit your colleague was about to walk into.\n\n*Touchdown in five. Touchdown in five.*\n\n5 looked around at the four other explorers he was going to on this expedition with. The five of them sat in the shuttle, little more than a space faring van that held the crew as they descended down to the planet.\n\n\"What are the scans picking up?\" 1 asked, aptly given his ID for being the squad leader.\n\n\"Looks like we've got O2…\" 3 said, the group ecologist lead on.\n\n\"… it's thin, but it looks like the planet *could* have supported complex life at one point.\"\n\n\"Yeah. No shit.\" 2 interjected.\n\n\"The massive city ruins didn't tell you that already?\" He said, to which the group chuckled. All but 3, who 5 could tell was fuming even under her helmet.\n\n\"Also… there is an unusual energy reading coming form the LZ. Could be a misreading, but it's a deviation from the rest of the surrounding area.\"\n\n*Touchdown in 60. Touchdown in 60.* The crackling voice said, and the group grew silent, ready for the thud of the landing gear to hit the rocky ground.\n\n*Touching down at coordinates 32.0.26 degrees north, 91.2.52 degrees west.*\n\nThe drop door to the shuttle opened, and a fierce wind entered the holding bay, the five explorers shielding their face plates from the onslaught of oppressive sunlight. The little indicator in the corner of 5's visor was flashing red, indicating a rapid increase of temperature. He felt the fans and cooling systems in his suit kick in, and he cursed at how much power this was going to drain.\n\nThe group took a moment to take note of their surroundings. Rolling hills of orange and red sand went on for as far as they eye could see, fully expected from the readings that indicated a desert environment for most of the planet. Or, you know, looking out the shuttle window as they left the station. The only thing that stood out to them was a small set of ruins, the focal point being a large, concrete pillar. Crumbling from centuries of being abandoned, and surrounded by smaller, skeletal structures of what were once buildings.\n\n5 felt a nudge on his shoulder as 1 moved passed him, gesturing to the large, pillar like structure.\n\n\"We start looking their, see what that structure was used for.\" 1 shouted over the howling winds, the static crackling in everyone's radios.\n\n\"5, you take point. everyone else, fall in.\"\n\n*God forbid you stick your neck out for once...* 5 thought to himself as 1 took his place at the back of the group.\n\nThe sand crunched under the boots of the group as they slowly approached the pillar, which they could now see was part of a low building, with heavy doors sealing it off. All around the sealed entrance, whatever had built this place left a message.\n\n\"4. Decode it.\"\n\n4 was the xenoanthropologist. He had tapped into the satellites the indigenous people left behind before going extinct, to try and get an understanding of their language. Or, languages, rather.\n\n\"Stand by…\" He said, scanning his tool over the glyphs.\n\n\"Processing.\"\n\nThe group waited for several minutes as the scanner ran it's decryption, 1 getting impatient.\n\n\"How long does it take to translate a few glyphs?\" He asked, irritated.\n\n\"These people had dozens of languages they spoke, it is going to take some time to get through them all.\" 4 defended.\n\n2 just scoffed, having idly drawn in the sand.\n\n\"Aliens just couldn't pick one?\"\n\nAfter a few more minutes of waiting, the handheld device let off a ding. 4 read it promptly.\n\n\"It isn't an *exact* translation, but it says something about danger. How there is, poisonous and deadly… energy? Spirits? The wording isn't very clear.\"\n\n\"Noted.\" 1 barked.\n\n\"5, use the cutter.\"\n\n5 obliged, digging through his tool back and procuring the laser cutter to carve a hole into the sealed door. 4 quickly bolted towards him, defensive, panting through his radio.\n\n\"Wait! We should probably wait, this place might have been a temple, they might have it protected or set traps!\"\n\n\"Which means they probably have something worth protecting.\" 2 mused, looking to 1 and 5.\n\n\"Let's bust it open.\"\n\n\"But the readings…\" 4 said, trying to talk some sense into the rest of the crew.\n\n\"Could be a misreading, you said so yourself.\" 1 interrupted.\n\nThe leadership was having none of it. And priming the tool, 5 started cutting.\n\n\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\\_\n\n*Incident report #413, abridged.*\n\n*Expedition squad Kodai suffered severe casualties during an archeological survey of S-03. Squad members 2, and 3 have succumbed to severe radiation poisoning, while 4 and 5 are currently in intensive care. Squad member 1 stayed behind while his crew explored what is believed to be a primitive nuclear power plant. And as the local species had failed to develop a safe method of recycling nuclear waste, a severe buildup of radiation was present within the ruins.*\n\n*Squad member 1 is currently being held in the brig of the research vessel* Artorious, *with a hearing scheduled for two weeks from the date of this report. Should he been found to be responsible for the deaths of his crew, he will face 20 years in prison, as well as being stripped of rank and title due to gross negligence and misuse of command.*\n\n*Compensation has been sent to the families of the deceased.*"
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[WP] It’s just a rope, right? Everyone tells you it’s not there, except you can see it. It’s just hanging from nothing, reaching up into the sky. But it’s only rope. Isn’t it?
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\n*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/WritingPrompts) if you have any questions or concerns.*",
"It’s day break. The gentle caress of light that slipped between your curtains kisses your eyes and you awaken, slowly at first. The sound of early birds and bickering squirrels echoes from the forest, muffled by your closed window. You get up drearily and stagger toward your window and open it. The grass is soft with morning dew, twinkling like they’ve harnessed the stars from the previous night. The cool, humid air is thick in your lungs as you take a deep breath, scanning the horizon, enjoying the muted pinks and purples stretched across the sky. \n\n\nToday was a special day. Today, the village would go fishing. The annual fishing trip was the most important custom for the village. Everyone had been preparing like mad men - some weeks in advance. The most experienced fishermen would bring their children so that they may pass on this tradition and only those who have gone to the fishing hole themselves are allowed to know the innermost details of our village's most sacred ritual. This year, your best friend Maki would be joining Poseidon's Fishermen. Their family had been a part of this ritual since, well, the beginning of the village, as far as everyone else knew. Everyone was so thrilled for Maki, sending blessings and good fortune every night for a fortnight until the day of the fishing ritual. It was customary for all those going for their first time. Maki was indifferent about going. They weren’t happy, but not exactly sad, either; just indifferent. \n\n\nBut today the air felt different in the village. There was a certain restlessness that drifted through the alleyways and cracks in houses, filling all the little spaces it could. As soon as the sun was fully visible, the village started to crack awake with life. Everyone had on their best silk robes, teal and yellow, as was customary. You and your family meandered down to the center square to send off the chosen few who would go off to fish. \n\n\nThe square was bursting with life. Music undulating in and out of your ears, children laughing and playing, street food filling the air that your breath greedily took in. By all accounts this was indeed a happy celebration, but for some reason it just wasn’t sitting right with you. Perhaps it was because Maki was going and it was making you nervous. What would happen to your best friend? \n\n\n“Gather round! Gather round! It's time to send off Poseidon's Fishermen and bless them on their trip.” Denarius, the village chief, announced over the chittering of the crowd. All of the fishermen walked to the center of the square and lined up in rows, militant-like. Everyone joined hands, bowed their heads and began reciting the prayer of protection. You, however, found yourself simply staring at your feet, no words coming out, just a blank stare. Things still didn’t feel right. Somehow this year the electricity in the village didn’t resonate within you. It was as if someone pulled a veil from your eyes, but you still didn’t know what you were looking at. \n\n\nThe crowd began to move and opened to allow the fishermen to leave. Everyone stood there, yelling their goodbyes and goodlucks. Once the group was barely visible, the crowd slowly dispersed and continued enjoying the festivities, and would do so well into the night. \n\n\n\n\n~~\n\n\n“Its just a rope, right?” You tell yourself outloud. Everyone told you it’s not there, but that just can’t be true, you see it with your own eyes. It's just hanging from nothing, reaching up into the sky. “It has to be just a rope, what else would it be for?” You step closer, twigs snapping sharply under your feet, leaves cushioning the blow. “Kai! What are you doing? We’re going to head back now!” Your friend yelled behind you. “Go on ahead! I’ll be right there! I think I dropped my phone back there.” You shouted back into the fog, your friend's silhouette just barely visible. Without waiting for a reply to continue back toward the rope. It had to be real and you were going to prove it to your friends. \n\n\nHowever, the closer you got, the lower the rope seemed to hang. You looked up into the canopy of branches, “hmm, it's not even tied to anything. This doesn’t make sense.” you said under your breath, your desire to unveil this secret rising. You walked until the rope was at arms length, reached out, and then grabbed it. You were surprised to find that it didn’t feel like rope at all. If anything it felt more metallic and cold in your hands. You turned it over, examining it and trying to decide what its purpose was. \n\n\nBefore you knew it, the rope had wrapped its way around your neck and pulled you up. Your body disappeared into the fog silently, never to be found again."
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[WP] NEWS REPORT: Another residential break-in here in town last night brings the total to fourteen. As with the others, there was nothing missing, according to the homeowner, but this time the anti-burglar left almost $10,000. More details to come.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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 laughed as I turned off the TV, before yawning. My clothes from last night spun in the washing machine. It had been another late one, but it sure was worth it. Another struggling family, who would refuse to be given handouts. But they couldn't refuse an anonymous donation.\n\nIt was a step up from my previous actions. I had spent a time being a reverse pickpocket. But I never felt I had enough of an impact. I couldn't exactly see who needed my help, beyond the very obvious. But now, I had the chance.\n\nMy tattoo itched. I glanced at the date, etched forever in black upon my wrist. That was the date I had gotten released. The day I had decided I would change. It was also the luckiest day of my life.\n\nI had never had much, being much like those families I helped. Growing up in a rough neighbourhood, my only way of getting money was by taking it. I got good at pilfering without my targets knowing. Picking pockets, burglary. I was very good at it.\n\nObviously, it all fell apart. I didn't see the dog in the last house I broke in. And just my luck it was an ex-police dog. It didn't take long for me to be booked, and I pled guilty. No point in denying the charges. I remember how scared I was. One of the older inmates took pity on me. He looked out for me.\n\nI still remember what he told me for when I got out.\n\n\"The past is done. But using it as an excuse for future misdeeds is a mistake. Your future is up to you. Do you want to spend it going in and out of here? Or do you want to stand proud, and better yourself? You have done wrong, yes. But you now have an opportunity to choose a new path. Take it, and run with it.\"\n\nI did. I worked hard, learning financing and business. When I got out, I told myself I would do better. I told myself my luck would change, even if I had a bad streak. So on a whim I used what little money I had to buy a lottery ticket.\n\nThe universe smiled upon me that day. The day I left, I won the big jackpot. But I didn't let it go to my head. That money may have come to me, but I didn't have to keep it. So, I invested a lot of it. Enough to keep me comfortable.\n\nThe remainder, I used for betterment of others. I knew how many people didn't want their kids to grow up needing crime to survive. But many would be too proud to accept help. They would deem it a failure on their part to provide.\n\nSo, I chose to use the skills I had learnt for good. I started by slipping notes into people's purses and wallets. It wasn't much, but it could have made the difference between eating or not for them. But as I said, it wasn't enough. So I became the anti-burglar.\n\nIn fact, it is easier for me to break into the homes of those who need it. They often can't afford proper security measures. They have little, so no other thief would bother. But I do bother. I leave them a gift, without taking anything from them.\n\nI could admit it was me. But I was still breaking and entering, which was illegal. Plus, I didn't want the attention. I would rather keep quiet, and do what I do.\n\nI yawned again, heading to bed. I could fit in a quick nap, before I looked for my next unknowing donee.",
"The cop scratched his head and said, \"So let me get this straight...Some guy is breaking into people's houses to leave *them* money?\"\n\nThe other cop said, \"Yup.\"\n\nThe first cop shook his head. \"No way. What's the catch? Is the money stolen? It's gotta be stolen, right? Or fake.\"\n\n\"Nope. All of the money seems to be legit.\"\n\n\"Well, I'll be. I don't know if I want to catch this guy or give him my address. I'll even leave the alarm system off and the doors unlocked.\"\n\nA detective nearby chuckled. \"Good luck with that,\" he said. \n\nThe cops looked at him. \"Who are you?\"\n\n\"Detective Branson. I'm the one assigned to this case.\"\n\n\"Yeah?\" the cop said. \"So how long you been chasing this guy? And what's his deal?\"\n\n\"Well, I've been on the case since it was brought to my attention almost a year ago. Whoever this guy is - he's good. And I'm not just saying that because of the money he leaves behind. Apparently, he only breaks into places that are considered unbreakable. That's why when you said you would leave your doors unlocked, I said good luck - because he wouldnt be interested.\"\n\n\"I see,\" the cop said. \"So what's so special about this last house he broke into?\"\n\n\"Well, nothing much, compared to the other places he's broken into. But from speaking to the neighbors, they say that the owners of this house had been bragging for the past few weeks about their new security system and how impossible it would be for anyone to break into.\"\n\n\"Ah, so he was taunting them.\"\n\nThe detective nodded. \"He does that from time to time, small stunts like this, in between his big break ins.\"\n\n\"Good to know,\" the cop said, looking at the other cop \"I guess I'll just start bragging about my security system and hope he takes the bait.\" They laughed.\n\nThe detective smiled and offered his hand. \"Enjoyed talking with you, boys, but I have some more work to do.\"\n\n\"Yeah, sure, and thanks for filling us in a little more on what's going on,\" the cops said, taking turns to shake his hand. \n\nAfter the detective walked away, the cops headed for their car. \n\n\"I wonder where he'll strike next,\" one cop wondered.\n\n\"Who knows? Probably-\" The other cop paused and squinted through the windows of the cop car. \"Hey, you see that?\"\n\nThere were two white envelopes on the seat. They opened the door and each grabbed an envelope. \n\nInside each envelope was about a $1,000 in 100 dollar bills. \n\nAnd on the back of each envelope were the words:\n\n*Next time, make sure to keep your doors locked.*"
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[WP] You are a powerful, yet young war god. Your followers have conquered many smaller tribes with your blessing and things have been going well for you these past few centuries. However, lately your chosen people have been in the midst of a Civil War and you can't figure out whose prayers to answer
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*",
"\"War is a glorious commodity, my brothers but there is a point to our conquests.\" Balefully I set my eyes upon the two emissaries at the base of my throne of basalt. The stench of blood lingering on the air as I rise from my throne and walk toward the kneeling pair of warriors. A dull shudder passing through the hall as the sounds of combat and artillery pervade the air from beyond my realm. \n\nBoiling uncontained rage taking form as I summon my war pike from the other and plant its staff onto the floor. \"You are fools, to jeopardize our dominion over this pointless feud over a crumb of a conquered land. Our great armies have turned upon each other instead of our enemies have you no honor!\" \n\nThe air growing heavy as I eye the dozens of bodies lining the floor of my domain, the pair shrinking slightly in their prostration. A single swift movement of my blade removing both of their heads as their bodies join the mass grave. Blood spraying across the floor as I continue my march towards my keep's gates. \n\nA single gesture resuscitating ten of the heavily armored adversary's in a ghostly mirror of their spirits given form. The spectral knights in contrast to the modern equipment and weaponry of the mortal's carcasses. \"Fools, cowards, heretics, make sure they all burn for their transgressions and traitorous acts!\" \n\nThe sharp disciplined crack of the guardians in synch as the squad snaps a salute before marching through the doors of my throne room. My sight returning towards my throne and the ancient steel blade forged into its iron form. Memories of my last excursion into the mortal plane eons ago returning as I look longingly towards the first king's offering. \n\nOf my original code that had been abandoned as soon as the original bloodline died out, and the dangerous nobles took power. Their number weak in body-mind and soul a strain on my people, it was time that I finally fixed this deformity. For the slightest moment doubt creeping into my mind as I stepped out into the mortal world that my kin had ravaged. \n\n\"The time of warriors is coming to an end now is the time of the peacekeepers and the good steward.\"",
"It's tough being a god. Oh sure, at first, it seems great! And, for the most part, it is. Your people love you, and they all want your attention! You literally could not *be* any more popular! Heck, all they want you to do is help them win battles! No problem for you, it's like you were born for this! Besides, you love these people, who are always so nice and supportive of you! And they *always* ask for your opinion, which you are more than happy to give.\n\nBut, well, that's just the problem, really. A few of the leaders of your people have gotten into this HUGE argument about the \"right way to live\", and the petty disagreement that you expected to have been solved within a day has now evolved into a major civil war amongst your people. How did a little hissy fit become SUCH a big issue? You haven't the foggiest idea. And what even IS a \"right way to live\"? You haven't a clue, but it's really getting annoying that they keep asking you, regardless of how many times you say the question itself is completely silly. Plus, to make matters worse, they all want you to \"bring divine wrath on the heretical fools who oppose them\". What the heck! They're all your people, and you love them all! You can't just make a decision like this, and you absolutely can't believe that they're asking you to play favorites. How incredibly rude!\n\nYou look around at your people again. As you look around at the remains and ruins of their once great city, devastated in this silly war, your heart aches for all of your common people who've gotten caught up in this mess. As you look around the outskirts, avoiding the upsetting remains of your favorite place, you see something interesting take place. A parent is watching two of their children argue over a small dessert. The parent takes the dessert from them, and tells the children that they *will* share it, and chooses the older one of them to cut it. The older one smiles a big grin, and cuts it into two very unequal pieces. The younger one to cry for a moment, certain that they'll be given the smaller piece, until the parent tells the younger of the two to choose which piece they want. Unsurprisingly, the younger one chooses the larger piece. The older sibling immediately proclaims this to be unfair, to which the parent says that it was their responsibility, as the cutter, to decide how to make 2 equal pieces. The parent goes on to explain that the siblings are family, and therefore should focus their energy on *helping* each other, as opposed to arguing over trivial things. \n\nThis gives you an idea. Now, you can apply what *you've* just learned to the family. You call together the leaders of each side, using your divine connection to speak directly into their minds.\n\nWith all the leaders gathered before you, you proclaim them all to be a family before you, as your chosen people. They shuffle their feet a little, clearly confused and uncomfortable about this. They ask you why you are telling them this which they already know. To this, you ask them that, if they already know this, then why do they fight? You ask them, why waste time fighting each other, when you could be helping each other? You impress upon them that you care for them, all of them, equally, but that you are disappointed with their current behavior. You share with them your experiences, and how everyone shouldn't need to agree on what is right, because that is subjective, but rather should decide what is fair instead, and implement that. You finish off your speech talking about how it disappoints you that all the people you care for are fighting one another. The leaders look at you, a bit bewildered, but ultimately the thank you, bowing gracefully, before leaving. You question the bewilderment a little, because they couldn't possibly misunderstand the wonderful advice of a god. You decide that this must be because they, as foolish but wonderful mortals, must merely be confused about how they will implement such a plan. Yes, that must be it, you think to yourself. You smile, happy to have solved the problem. \n\nAs the days pass, the leaders reconcile their differences very quickly, which, upon further consideration, you decide should be expected after such a perfectly handled divine mandate. The people are once more united, and your city is looking much better. You look down on it and grin, thinking to yourself that, regardless of how tough it may get, it sure is good to be a god."
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[WP] Your Girlfriend is being kidnapped by a billionaire who has dragons as guard dogs. You decide to save your Girlfriend.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*",
"\"He's going to save me, you know.\" I could hear Dianna's voice through the large metal doors. She didn't sound in pain or any immediate danger, so I decided to wait a bit and make an entrance. I will be the first to admit I have a flair for the dramatics. \n\"Oh?\" Came the reply in the voice of Alexander Stramin. \"Who? Your father? Or perhaps that little boyfriend of yours?\" I could almost smell the condescension coming off of him. \" No, my little pets outside will take care of him, I assure you.\". \n As I couldn't wait for a better line, I kicked the door open and announced. \"They certainly did that, let me tell you. Lovely couple of chaps.\" I said the last part while immigrating Alexander's comically British accent.\"Now, If you'd be so kind, please realese my girlfriend. I know for a fact she doesn't like to be tied up.\" I said to the gobbsmacked Stramin. \n\"Yeah, tying people up is more my thing.\" Dianna answered with a smirk and a wink that almost made me blush. \nAlexander managed to find some of his wits \"H-how did you... My dragons! What happened to my pets!\" As I said, _some_ of his wits. \n\"You kidnapped Dianna Novichok, who is famously dating me, Fredrik Drakengeboren. Even if you don't believe the stories or documented facts, I know you speak German.\" I watched as realisation dawned on him, quickly replaced by fear. \"No! No, that's just a stupid nickname your followers gave you!\" I heard the faint commotion going behind the doors, slowly growing louder. And closer. \n\"`fraid not. Daddy was a dragon, and one devil of a teacher. Hell, if he saw how you treated to twins outside...\" I shook my head, and let just a bit of my anger slip into my voice. \"Luckily for you, I'm the only one here.\" The commotion was growing louder still. \n\"Wh-what are you going to do to me?\" He managed to blurt out, quivering already. \n\"Well, I could just kill you, but that's boring. I could torture you, but that is a bit on the evil side, and I'm not very experienced. I could just let Niro and Plato eat you....hmmm... Di, what do you think?\". \nAlexander's eyes widened even further when he felt her hand on his left shoulder. He probably would've turned towards her if she didn't shatter his kneecap at that very moment with a swift kick. As she did, his only response was screaming. \n\"I don't know babe, I kind of like the idea of torturing him then feeding the dragons with what's left.\" She smiled at me, then her beautiful face frowned a bit. \"But you said you're not experienced with that, didn't you.\". \nI smiled and bowed theatrically. \"My two greatest qualities, my love.\" I stood straight and joined her. \" Are that I'm always up for something new...\" I said as I handed her a Bowie knife, taking out my favourite kukri. \n\"And that I'm always willing to learn.\""
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[WP] Every scholar and intellectual has repeated the same thing for decades: "The only thing more dangerous than a Fallen Angel, is a Redeemed Demon." Today, you learned exactly why that saying is true.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*",
"Dick lifted the letter up and read the heading. *Your daughter skipped school today. S*he's been more and more rebellious ever since she met that boy Richard. Dick gave a heavily sigh at the thought and slouched down on the couch, his heart felt weary.\n\nThe door opened, and the bell rung. His daughter, Angelia, had come home but Dick saw someone behind her, Richard. Dick gave Richard a stern expression and recieved a smug smile back. Angelia grabbed Richard's hands and headed for the stairs.\n\nBut before they reached the stairs, Dick intercepted them. Angelia gave him a mean face, almost threatening him, and tried pushing past, but Dick resisted, blocking her with his large scarred chest.\n\n\"Mind if I chat with your friend Richard for a moment?\" Dick stated with a heavy voice. \n\n\n\"Dad really?\" She pleaded, \"not now,\" and tried pushing past again. He didn't relent.\n\n\"It'll only be a little moment sweetheart, please.\" \n\n\"Sure but if he starts crying like Jarred did I'll be mad at you.\"\n\n\"Don't worry sweetheart, I learnt my lesson from Jarred,\" Dick said. He had threatened to crush Jarred's balls if he cheated on his little sweetheart. Jarred was twelve.\n\n\"Okay but don't take long,\" Angelia said and rushed up the stairs, leaving Richard alone with dick. \n\n\n\"What now?\" Richard asked with his you-can't-touch-me smile plastered on his face.\n\nIn response Dick grabbed him by the arm and dragged him towards the living room. Richard was frail and pretty, whilst Dick was ugly and rough. Dick threw Richard down on the couch and slithered his arm around Richard, leaning disgustingly close.\n\n \n\"I'm going to *ask* you to stop skipping school.\" \n\n\"Why? Who cares about school, being with your daughter is so much more,\" the boys smile returned.\n\n\"Education is important for many reasons, and Angelia is being influenced by you. So I want you to go to class.\"\n\n\"Nope. Can't do.\"\n\n\"You think you're bad don't you?\" \n\n\n\"I'm certainly not good, that much is clearly evident.\" \n\n\n\"hahahahah,\" Dick couldn't stop laughing, \"I know you're an angel.\"\n\n\"And I know you're a demon. I've got to say, that daughter you have there has a really good ass. You're a lucky one, having her to yourself. After I leave I mean.\" \n\n\nDicks smile dissapeared, he growled like a dog might, and gave Richard a stare that made him jump back. \n\n\"You think you're bad? Huh. Perhaps I oughto teach you what being bad means,\" he barked, \"being bad means whipping the same man a million times as he pleads and begs for you to stop, and whipping him a million more times for no other reason than your own enjoyment.\" \n\n\n\"Being bad means holding a mans children hostage and forcing him to drag his nuts across shattered glass. Being bad means forcing a man to pulvirize his own fucking hand. Being bad means laughing as mothers see their children being tortured by you.\" \n\n\n\"And also,\" Dick said, \"I'd be more than glad to show you *physically* what being bad means. Is that understood? \n\n\n\"Yes sir!\" Richard said straightening his back. \n\n\"Good, now treat my daughter well okay?\" \n\n\n\"Of course sir, bless you sir,\" and Richard shuffled away.\n\n ....\n\n\"Dad!\" Angelia screamed, \"I told you to, **not**, make him cry!\"\n\n\"I'm sorry Angelia, I really am.\"\n\n\"Why does this always happen with you, why can't you just be normal?\" And she slammed her door shut, leaving Dick alone. \n\n\n\\---\n\n\"To go against ones nature to do better, or to do worse is wildly different.\" \n\"Why?\" \n\"Because one's taking the short path whilst the other is taking the long one.\" \n\"Why is it easier for a good person to be bad?\" \n\"Because being evil is beneficial to oneself, whilst being good is the opposite.\"\n\nAnyway I hope you enjoyed that."
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[WP] animals are suddenly evolving into combat oriented forms. Elephants have razor sharp tusks, birds are bulletproof, Kangaroos have tails that can crush cars, etc. Humans learn why this is all happening. It was the same natural event that killed all the dinosaurs: The evolution battle royale.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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 not a sudden happenstance. The changes came gradually. A slightly larger mouse or two. A crab whose carapace was harder than usual. The peculiar rise in feral animals- all ignored until they couldn't be ignored anymore. The mysterious phenomenon seemed to affect simpler organisms first before slowly moving its way up. Alas, humanity was disadvantaged, caught in a war we didn't know existed.\n\nTwo-thirds of the world's population fell. Africa and some of Asia to the once gentle giants which now sported obscenely sharp turns. The Americas were barely holding on in their attempts to fend off the strange bulletproof birds- steel wings they called them. Australia had the worst of it. That place was already a hellhole by the time connections had been re-established.\n\nAfter decimating mankind the beasts moved on. An all-out war amongst themselves began. They had won. They thought they had won. One couldn’t blame them after all they weren’t there. When a certain hairless ape learnt to throw “fangs” attached to the end of a stick. When the same creature tamed the red hot death that ate the forest in flaming fury. They were not there when these same creatures battled their ancestors many times their size in search of food. These strange, small, weak creatures who bore neither fang nor claw not tough hide had reigned supreme for two hundred thousand years.\n\nThe poor beasts did not know. They did not fight against nature. They fought against beings who bent nature to their will. A tenacious creature who had conquered almost all environments from the scorching desert to the icy plains. They fought against the unnatural monstrosity nature had ever birthed. The war had not ended. No, it had just begun when a man just a few years shy of forty had lifted five hundred pounds with nought but his mind. They had evolved and so had we.",
"As the third herd of fire proof cows came charging at one of the last human fortresses in England, I couldn’t help but ponder to myself how it got this bad. \n\nHundreds of cannons fired at the hoard, blasting apart the cows which charged at incredible speed. It started about two years ago, when sporadic reports across the country came out about man eating horses with teeth and sharp and razors and legs that could kill someone in a single kick. Whatever had happened to the horses began to spread around to the another animals too. Pigs, sheep, chicken, cows all began to attack each other and any humans they could find. Zoos and farms became hot beds for violence as the government soon began to isolate and exterminate these violent super animals, but this was soon found to be inefficient. As it appeared that once the animals had finished killing eachother, the victorious species would then go for the nearest human civilisation. And well, there were only 80,000 soldiers in the British army, and only 150,000 policemen. All this against millions of animals.\n\nTowns, villages and smaller cities were evacuated and people were brought to the cities where they were then fortified and radically transformed to make everyone survive. There was no shortage of food, the real difficulty was maintaining the infrastructure with our only contact being with other city fortresses.\n\nAfter a while, the herd of cows got wise and turned around after losing about half their numbers, and then fled. While fleeing, a herd of spiked sheep came from the opposing direction, attacking the cows in a bloody massacre. I decided I’d seen enough and climbed down from my observation point on the city wall.\n\nMainland Europe, as far as we know, was overrun in the first few months, same with Asia. We aren’t sure about Africa or the Americas but they’ve been presumed to be gone. There have been rumours of surviving societies in the alps, Himalayas, Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines but these are yet to be verified.\n\nI descended down the wall, catching a view of the half tent and half decayed city that used to be Manchester, the city of 20 million. Eventually, I reached the building at the bottom of the wall which provided the only exit and entrance to the city, through a single door constantly armed and guarded. In the building was a series of computers monitoring various things occurring on the outside, all designed to predict attacks before they come.\n“That’s the third one today.” A companion of mine said when I climbed in from above.\n“Indeed. I think we know what’s coming.” I replied in a bleak manner. \n“I think we do, when I studies these creatures before they began their takeover, whenever a species looked like they’d come out in top, all the other species would limit or even cease their attacks on each other and focus on that one species, which tended to culminate in a combined attack on the most powerful species. This showdown would either end in the victorious single species then moving on to breaking out their farm or zoo or wherever they are, or it would end in the combined attack winning and infighting would resume once more. It seems like they see humans as the species closest to coming out on top.” He explained to me. The city of London was overrun By several species attacking all at once. Now it seemed like it was Manchester’s turn.\n\nThis prediction became true as, the following day, several of the surrounding animals decided to attack Manchester all at once. Our cannons were fired, our guns were shot, our bombs were dropped but the onslaught did not cease. We were attacked form the air by birds of all species, all bullet proof and had to be struck with projectiles to damage their wings enough that they’d fall. Unfortunately one of these birds broke through the defences and struck me as I was climbing down the wall, knocking me off and causing me to fall to the ground.\n\nI awoke a while later, I’m not sure how much time had passed by but my companion seemed seemed pleased.\n“Did we win?” I asked in my dazed state.\n“I believe so. But we may be the last city left.”\nJust then, another person came running into the building.\n“My friends, I’ve just received a message that Cardiff has survived their own onslaught, humanity lives!”\n\nI got up and looked around, this may indeed be the final showdown. I couldn’t help but ponder that if humanity does indeed survive this, then we become unstoppable.",
" Humanity was on its last legs, with billions dead. There were horrible beasts, the tame becoming the monstrous. Puppy dogs would maul their owners with sharp vicious teeth and ear splitting barks, elephants razing villages, immune to small arms. The australians really had it rough, with the kangaroos learning how humans think and developing hunting strategies. And yet, with all these beasts, many were dead. More likely than not, animals died than became these beasts. Not from some disease, or plague, but something simple. Something more primal. Natural selection. For every bulletproof elephant, a hundred bodies. As all the animals hunted, there was one that was far more horrifying than any other. A beast with no rival, forged through natural selection, less a freak of nature and more of an abomination against biology. It was a slightly mutated specimen of the species *Homo Sapiens*.",
"Majestic howling of the wolf kind echoed all over the forest-- it was the calling of victory. The Eurasian wolf stood as the leader of its brethren welcoming the stern Siberian Husky and its pack of dogs as they joined back the kingdom of their ancestors, uniting the canine kingdom once more. \n\nFeared warriors those dogs had become, with their newly developed steel-tearing fangs and claws they had taken down the most hated and feared species on the planet-- the humans. Taking advantage of becoming the closest species to the Sapiens, it was a huge step of claiming the victory of the interspecies battle royale-- though the war was far from being won. \n\nSqueaky laugh-like noise came from the forest surrounding the wolves and the dogs as one by one the foxes came out from their invisibility camoflauge. \n\nThe leader red fox stepped forward, nodding slightly to both of its ally leaders, joined in to converse about the course of their next step. \n\nWords from the front was shared in the gathering as a few major battles were fought. \n\nThe bird kind commandeer the sky and they declared their animosity against the insect kind. The bloody battle was currently being fought at the other side of the planet as the ant kind and their superstrength valiantly held back the bulletproof bird kind. \n\nThe reptiles with their nigh impenetrable scales had found themselves in crossfire against the rhinos and their diamond horns. Although superior in numbers, the reptiles had been weakened severely after their exhaustive battle against the bear kind and the might of their destructive paws. \n\nThere was currently no words from the ocean front-- the quietness however did not indicate peace, only a precursor to the bloodiest battle they had to fight. \n\nBut what came as a surprise was the feline kind fell to the elephant kind. The news only meant that the giants and their razor sharp tusks were coming for the canines next. According to the foxes they were close, and they were bloodthristy. \n\nThe three canid leaders discussed in peril of their predicament by the fire as the day was closing and night came-- whether they should retreat hastily as speed was on their side, with the addition of their battle with the ape kind had severely dwindled their numbers. Indecisive, they decided to spent the night recuperating. \n\nDaybreak came, it started terrifyingly with the sound of loud trumpeting and violent rumbles of stampede quickly closing in, destroying anything in their path. \n\nAll of the furry ears pricked and each canine woke up alarmed and alert. The leaders howled and growled, commanding their kind to stand guard, and some to lead the weak and the pups away. \n\nThe three brave leaders ran to the front, tailed by thousands of the canine kind. What faced them after was beyond what they were ever ready for. \n\nThe gigantic army of the elephants, wielding their tusks, charging towards them without hesitation, creating tremor on the ground they stood. \n\nThe wolf leader growled loud, encouraging its army to not cower. The cunning foxes took the lead by turning their invisibility on-- running to the side of the battlefield in attempt to flank the incoming onslaught.\n\nThe husky leader growled to its dog kind. \n\n\"Attack low, paralyze their legs!\", it commanded. \n\nSwiftly it charged back followed by the dogs. Sinking their sharp teeth onto the elephants' thick legs, they managed to slow down some of them. \n\nThe wolf leader howled. \n\n\"Wolves, aim for the heads!\", it commanded and it attacked followed by its kind. \n\nOne by one the fallen elephants, those which were taken down by the dogs were slaughtered. The wolves climbed on their heads and with their sharp claws they sliced the necks. \n\nThe battle however quickly turned to the other side as the canine numbers couldn't compare to the elephants. It took five or more wolves and dogs to take down one elephant-- as time progressed, the canines started to lose it. \n\n\"Foxes! Swarm them!\", an invincible voice commanded the surprise attack. \n\nQuickly the combination of small red, grey, and black foxes swarmed the elephants in numbers. Biting their skin and flesh, leaving skeletal carcasses behind. \n\nThe battle continued, the bloodiest one that was fought in the battle royale. \n\nThe wolf leader jumped off an elephant's back after decapitating it. Landed on its four legs, they trembled like jelly of exhaustion. \n\nIt looked around as its heart broke. Bodies of its kind strewn about-- wolves, dogs, foxes, those which had fallen. \n\nIt knew it wasn't the time but it couldn't help to mourn the lost. It howled, a howl so heartbreaking it stopped those around it, both canine and elephant kinds alike. \n\nLarge footsteps stopped before the wolf leader as its howl had caught the attention of the largest menace on the field. \n\nThe elephant leader, African bush elephant, its head was full of scars, its eyes were full of hatred, looking down at the wolf leader with contempt. \n\nThe wolf leader took a stance in defiance, growling, baring its teeth to its foe. With great speed it jumped and attacked the elephant leader-- a showdown between both alphas. Both fought almost equally as both were exhausted beyond their limits. \n\nDodging, running, jumping around, the two had their solo battle uninterrupted as they moved further away from the battlefield to the clearing nearby facing the ocean. \n\nBloodied with broken bones and stab wounds, the wolf leader was almost at its end. The elephant leader was full of bite and slash marks, although it was more persistent. \n\nWith the last of its strength it charged towards the wolf leader. Unable to react in time both fell from the clearing down to the ocean below. \n\nThe wolf leader could feel pain vibrating through its whole body as it crashed into the water, breaking the surface. It was almost unconscious, going in and out. \n\nIt saw its enemy before it, the elephant leader thrashing about trying to stay afloat only to suddenly paused. The elephant leader's expression was of dread, seeing something behind the wolf leader. \n\nCurious the wolf turned still holding its breath only to lose it immediately at what it saw. \n\nWhales, many of them in the distance. Led by a blue whale, they swam with great speed towards the land. Something was different about them however as both wolf and elephant leaders noticed. \n\nLegs...all of the whales had grown eight giant reptile like legs. \n\nFearing the worst, both leader surfaced immediately and with unintended solidarity they both ran back towards the battlefield. \n\nA ceasefire might be needed between the canine and elephant kinds as the battle in the ocean front had finally found its way to the land. And an alliance might be needed if they all wanted to survive.\n\nr/HangryWritey"
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[WP] You and your ancestors have been the go to experts on every aspect of history from the Neolithic era up to the 19th century in Europe. What nobody knows is that you're an immortal shapeshifter
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*"
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[WP] Every time you close your eyes, you've been able to see a grey figure seemingly very far into the distance. Last night while trying to sleep, you noticed it was getting closer and looking at you.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*",
"As soon as I saw it, I went to my therapist.\n\n\\-Oh, for-\n\n\\-It's closer. I hate it. For four days now. I said to my therapist.\n\nHe replied: Have you tried ignoring it yet?\n\n\\-Yes. I have. It's.. just closer now.\n\n\\-Does it harm you?\n\n\\-No, not really, it's just standing there and looking into my soul. Something feels off about it.\n\n\\-Let me think...\n\nEventually, he gave up.\n\nI have no idea what to do now.\n\nBut something is still off.\n\nToday, he said something to me.\n\n\"STABBY STABBY STAB\"\n\nI think it's a demon.\n\nIt has an otherworldy voice.\n\nI eventually befreinded it.\n\nIt just likes me now.\n\n**Close your eyes. Now. It's beautiful.**",
"I have not slept for three days. Every time I close my eyes, I see that spot in the distance. And that is all that it is: a grey, featureless spot. I cannot discern anything about it. It is as if some hole in space has opened up and is following me around. Every time I see it, my heart is seized with dread. My breathing grows shallow and my thoughts jumble together. I’ve tried to shout at it, tell it to leave me alone. I’ve picked up stones, throwing them towards it. I’ve held my head in my hands, trying to will it away. Nothing.\n\nI told my doctor about it. He said it was probably a migraine, perhaps due to stress from my job. He told me to take a few days off. All I could get from him was a prescription for extra-strength ibuprofen. Needless to say, none of this helped. I’ve told no one else about this. How could they even help me? They’d probably think I was crazy!\n\nA light rain touches my scalp. I’ve been taking long walks outside at night, anything to take my mind off that damnable spot. As I walk, I look around me. The hour is late. The streets are empty, the stores closed, the only noise the hum of electric generators. The loafers I wear echo off the hard concrete. My eyes check around me. I fight the urge to blink. Maybe I’m praying to get mugged, anything to distract me.\n\nThe rain falls harder. The lack of sleep catches up with me. My eyelids grow heavy. My feet start to drag. No! I must stay awake! I widen my eyes, urging them to stay open. My jacket gets heavier from all the rain hitting it. I stop by a nearby bench. Maybe if I just sit for a while, the tiredness will go away. I grimace as the coldness of the bench reaches past my thin pants. I sit for a while, focusing on an empty cardboard box in a nearby alley. And then my eyes close.\n\nI open my eyes and find myself in some dark void. I flail around with my arms and legs, but I cannot find anything solid. I look up. Ripples of fear course through my spine. The gray spot! It’s there. It’s the only sort of light in this forsaken place. It seems to pulse, as if it had a heartbeat. My eyes stay transfixed as I realize to my horror that the spot is growing larger.\n\nIt comes at me with astonishing speed. In ten heartbeats, the gray light encompasses my entire vision. My breath catches. There is something moving in the light. It comes closer to me. Then, I start discerning features. Slender legs, arms. A bald head. Stark white skin. Bare breasts. A naked woman. She stares at me with coal-black eyes. Her mouth moves, but I cannot hear what she is saying. She reaches out towards me.\n\nI reach out my arms, trying to block them. I see them shaking. She pushes them aside easily. Her hands cup around my face, caressing them, almost tender. They’re warm, like a mother’s hands holding her child. My heartbeat slows. She brings my face close to hers. I now see her pointed nose, her full lips, the slight scratches on her cheeks. Her mouth opens, revealing rows of jagged teeth. I try to gasp but my throat catches. She brings my mouth to hers and kisses me.\n\nSomething thick and scummy glides down my throat. I gag, trying to throw it up, but it’s caught. She pulls away and grabs my arms in an iron-steel grip. I try to kick her, but I can’t get the right footing in this void.\n\nI blink and find myself underwater. Water fills my nostrils as I struggle to free myself from the woman. I realize that the last several days had been a dream. There was no doctor. No walks on empty streets. No bench. A distant light far above me shows the ship where I fell overboard. I reach for it, knowing that I’ll never touch it.\n\nThe woman opens her mouth again and bites down on the side of my neck. I try to scream, but can’t as the water fills my lungs. Rivers of flying blood float towards the surface. My arms and legs soon cease their struggling. My vision grows dim. The woman embraces me, her warmth enveloping my body. Through some unseen force she pushes me further down into the inky void."
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[WP] The princess kidnapped the knight and it’s up to the dragon to rescue his childhood playmate.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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 wedding congregation now stood and turned toward the entrance of the cathedral. King Morandias marched ceremoniously forward while leading his daughter by the arm, and the enormous grand doors of the facade were gently shut by the ushers, bringing the wedding guests' anticipation nearer to a close. Princess Seraphina stole a glance through her pearly veil toward the apse, at Sir Miles Leopold Preston Thurgood VI, her husband-to-be. She couldn't help but smile in her delight, for no other princess in any kingdom of the five realms had claim to a suitor who had returned from the Wroth Dragon's den. Sir Miles Leopold Preston Thurgood VI could scarcely hold back his tears of joy, for he knew his coffers would soon be overflowing with his father-in-law's gold.\n\nKing Morandias stopped before the stage at the forefront of the gathering and bowed to his daughter, his overly formal movements causing his epaulettes to jostle with pomp, and then took his seat. The rest of the audience seated themselves after His Majesty had made himself comfortable, and Princess Seraphina ascended the short flight of stairs to face the groom.\n\nThe bishop cleared his throat. \"Today, we gather,\" he began, \"to hold witness to the union of Seraphina Delandam, Princess and heir apparent of the Kingdom of Tabrishad, and of,\" the bishop peered upward in concentration as he endeavored to remember the groom's name, \"Sir Miles Leopold Preston Thurgood VI, Slayer of the Wroth Dragon and uh... the most recent descendant of the Miles Leopold Preston Thurgoods.\" Sir Miles Leopold Preston Thurgood V, sitting in attendance, smiled with pride. Sir Miles Leopold Preston Thurgood IV was not amused and would rather have stayed home.\n\n\"Today and all days shall you bask in the light of Thistia's flame-wreathed censer. You shall be bathed in the holy oil of Shigethar and abraded by her strigil, your very souls cleansed through her gifts of absolution and virtue.\" The bishop continued to drone on about the gods for some time before getting to the part everyone was waiting for.\n\n\"Should anyone present here today object to this union, and know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace.\" The bishop looked about the cathedral hall for objections while the bride and groom stared foolishly at one another. After a few seconds of silence the bishop took a deep breath to finish his script with the wedding ceremony coup de grace, but instead gawked incredulously at the entry doors of the cathedral. *Are they... brighter than they were a moment ago?* he thought.\n\nEveryone turned to face the doors barring entry to the cathedral where a noisy commotion emanated from the other side. Harsh beams of light flared through the imperceptibly small spaces between the doors' wooden boards and fittings. The light which emitted through these cracks, and even the doors themselves, grew slowly brighter until finally, suddenly, the door erupted into flames. The entire audience recoiled into their chairs as the roiling blaze gave way to a hail of smoldering splinters and charred boards soaring into the room. The remaining portion of the door buckled under the weight of a colossal creature and crashed to the floor in a heap of ashes and cinder. From the floor the glowing hot hinges reflected circles of crimson cherries off of the dragon's lilac-mottled belly scales and billowing smoke obscured the visage of everything else but fangs, claws, and fury.\n\nFear froze the frightful, and the courageous scurried to the edges of the room. The bishop backed away slowly, flinging his arms wildly in religious gestures. Princess Seraphina's eyes widened, her mouth hung open, and her entire body trembled in terror. Sir Miles Leopold Preston Thurgood VI frowned, slowly rolled his eyes, and gave a lengthy and exasperated sigh.",
"\"By the Gods, Sister, you have *really* shat the silken bed now.\"\n\nPrincess Aricia rolled her eyes as she rose from her throne. \"Well-spoken as ever, dear Mara. It truly is a *delight* to see you again. Though I really do wish you hadn't been so rough on my men, I merely meant for them to - ah, escort you.\"\n\nMara glared up at her sister from where she stood surrounded by armed guards, several of whom looked quite the worse for ear. \"Armed goons. Some escort, grabbing me at sword-point and dragging me here.\" She straightened, and crossed her arms with an impatient huff. \"I'm afraid I can't say I'm happy to see *you,* sister. There was a reason I left the country in my teens, and getting away from you was one third of it.\"\n\n\"And our dear departed parents the other two thirds. Yes, I am quite aware of your feelings on the family, as it were. Your violent exit all those years ago made it all rather clear.\"\n\n\"Right. So why in the name of our parents' worm-ridden corpses did you think dragging me back here was a good idea?\" She punctuated her question by sneering at the guards, who shifted uneasily.\n\n\"Alas, dear sister, politics.\" Aricia slowly started down the small stairs from the dais with an exaggerated sway. \"You see, now that I am the ruler of the country, naturally I need to see about forging some strong alliances. Thus, I've lined up rather the cushy marriage for myself with our neighbours to the south, Radacia. Prince Alexus is quite the prize.\"\n\nMara snorted. \"Figures you'd see about consolidating power straight away. You could have just sent an invitation for me to ignore, you know. Now that you've dragged me all the way here I'm more or less obligated to make a scene and ruin the festivities.\"\n\n\"Ah, but you see, dear sister, you're not a guest.\"\n\nMara felt her blood run cold, as her glare shifted from annoyed to cold and furious. \"Think *very* carefully about what you think I am, *sister.*\"\n\n\"You are the bride-to-be of Prince Alexus's younger brother, Taraxis, of course, *dear sister.* One political marriage is good, but two? Oh, that's even better.\"\n\nMara's steely gaze didn't waver for several uncomfortable moments.\n\nUntil she threw her head back and belly-laughed hysterically, clutching at her stomach.\n\nAricia scoffed, looking at her sister as if she'd gone mad. \"What's so damnably funny?\"\n\nMara gasped, slowly getting herself back under control. \"Oh, sister, you idiot. That ship sailed a long time ago and recently came back loaded with precious cargo.\" She shook her head.\n\n\"Precious - what the devil are you saying, Mara?\"\n\n\"I'm saying, *sister,* that there's a reason your goons caught me without my armour. I don't really *fit* in it at the moment.\" Mara unclasped her heavy, billowing cloak and let it fall, finally revealing herself properly.\n\nAnd promptly started laughing again as Aricia stumbled back, staring at Mara's rounded abdomen.\n\nAricia sputtered, pointing wildly at Mara's belly. \"You - what? How? With whom!?\"\n\nMara's turn to roll her eyes - she did it better than her sister. \"I, pregnant, the usual way, with my husband, obviously. You might even remember him - Greenalite.\"\n\nAricia blanched. \"Your little *dragon pet!?* That helped you escape!?\"\n\n\"Not a pet, dear sister,\" Mara admonished, one hand on the swell of her belly and the other pointing at Aricia in warning. \"Just as much a person as you or I, my oldest friend, and I dare say a lot smarter than you. As well as *very* protective, which is rather sweet - \"\n\nThe ground trembled, as if from a massive impact, and a roar shook the castle. Aricia yelped, as her guards fell to the floor, covering their ears. Mara, seizing the opportunity, promptly kicked the one closest to her in the face, snatched his fallen spear from where it lay beside him, and tripped her sister with the blunt end, before spinning around to stand over her with the point at her sister's neck, facing the guards.\n\n\"- and he's got quite the flair for the dramatic,\" Mara finished, panting. \"Do try to stay still, *dear sister,* and tell your goons to surrender. I'm not quite as even-tempered these days as I used to be, and I would hate to ruin that pretty neck of yours so soon before your nuptials.\"\n\nAricia swallowed. \"Do as she says,\" she squeaked, eyes fixed on the spear.\n\nWith a clatter of discarded weapons, her guards obeyed, and backed away with hands raised.\n\n\"Very good,\" Mara grunted, and removed the spear to let her sister up. \"Up you get, sister. You're going to escort me to that window over there.\" She nudged Aricia along, spear pressed to Aricia's back, and the pair crab-walked sideways towards the window, Mara keeping her sister between herself and the guards.\n\n\"What on earth are you planning, Mara? Look, I'm sorry, could you not - \" Aricia's questioning was interrupted by a sharp poke.\n\n\"Shut it, Aricia. Now, this is what's going to happen.\" She pressed the spear in again for emphasis, just on the edge of breaking skin. \"You and all other noble shitheads will leave me, my husband, and our family alone for all time hence, and I'll forget this little madness happened. If, however, you ever decide to do something as overwhelmingly stupid as all this *again,* I will not stand in the way when Greenalite decides to burn your realm to the ground and eat you alive. Is that clear?\"\n\nAricia swallowed. \"Crystal, dear sister, crystal.\"\n\n\"Good. This better be the last time I ever see you, sister. Or the next time *definitely* will be.\" Mara dropped the spear, turned, and leapt from the window -\n\n\\- and landed softly in the embrace of Greenalite's foreclaws, as he clutched her gently to his chest.\n\n\"Good to see you again, you big lug,\" Mara called up to him. \"I missed you! Did you hear my little talk with my sister?\"\n\n\"Aye, love, that I did,\" Greenalite rumbled. \"You're too good for me, Mara. Had you not been as calm and forgiving I would've torched this entire country.\"\n\n\"You might get your chance, my sister was always the idiot in the family. Now let's go home, I'm *starving.* Your son is a hungry little monster!\"\n\nGreenalite nodded, and took off, winging into the sky. \"As is his mother!\"\n\n\"Why you-\"\n\n\\---\n\nHaven't written in about a week, so felt good to get this down! Got a bit longer than I thought it would, but I'll take that as a good sign. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!",
"Eren watched the princess finish her note with a flourish. Smiling a wide, self-satisfied smile, she whipped the paper sharply and it furled at once into a neatly rolled scroll. \n\n\"What is that?\" asked Eren. \"What did you write? Who are you sending it to?\"\n\n\"Someone you're very familiar with.\" The princess seized a tong and banged it against the large, ornate, golden bell hanging from the window. The sound that emanated from the structure was unexpected: a gentle chiming, like hollow chimes whistling as the wind filled their interior, soft and mellow. \n\nAt once, a woman came in. She was dressed in a neat black-and-white apron and had a silly-looking pink headpiece drawn over her hair, most certainly chosen by the princess, though a sliver of storm-grey peeked out across her forehead. \"You called, My Lady?\"\n\n\"Yes. I want this delivered to the edge of Ruita Caves.\"\n\nThe woman's motherly-looking smile melted, replaced by a look of abject horror. \"Ruita Caves? Surely, My Lady, you must mean—\"\n\n\"I said what I meant, Tritya. Now do as you're told. Or shall I have the guards start looking for a new head matron?\"\n\nThe question sent shivers down Eren's spine. It was not the words that had troubled him. No, he had heard many a threat in his lifetime—it was part of being a Knight. But the way it was delivered, cold and cruel and sure, and from the mouth of a girl that looked as if her most exciting pasttime would be chasing butterflies in the garden, *that* was what was terrifying. \n\nTritya hastily recomposed herself, though the terror was as plain in her eyes as the sweat on her brow. \"No no, that won't be necessary, Princess. I'll have it delivered at once.\"\n\nShe bowed and hurried away as if desiring nothing more than to escape the wretched girl's presence. \n\n\"Useless,\" the Princess muttered, glaring at the doorway. \"I was supposed to have had her beheaded months ago, you know,\" she sighed. \"Too bad my father likes her. Always second-guessing me. Treating me as if I'm a child...\"\n\n\"I wonder why,\" Eren said dryly. \n\nThe princess surveyed him with narrowed eyes. \"You didn't ask why.\"\n\n\"Why what?\"\n\n\"Why she didn't acknowledge you.\"\n\n\"I assume it's because she knew that if she had, she would have ended up in chains as well.\" Eren shrugged.\n\n\"True,\" said the princess casually. \"But you're also Cloaked with magic. No one can see or hear you unless I let them. I've been getting awfully good at magic these days.\" She looked immensely pleased. \"I've been practicing *so* hard, and it only cost me twelve guards!\"\n\n\"And why have you been practicing? Oh wait, let me guess, you kidnapped me to practice on me?\" Eren said, the realization suddenly dawning on me. \n\n\"Goodness no!\" The princess looked shocked. \"I have guards and attendants for that sort of thing. *You* have an even greater purpose. Since you asked, I've been practicing to gain an edge on my father, the King. As old and frumpy as he is, he is still quite powerful. It would be...unwise, to challenge him now. And the soldiers won't back me, because they're loyal to him. But now, I'm calling for someone who I'm sure will have the power to decimate them *all*.\"\n\nEren couldn't believe his ears. This girl—this *child*—plotting a coup, the murder of her father and his followers, and talking about it as if it were nothing. \n\n\"My God...Ruita Caves...\" Eren said, as he remembered why the name had been so significant to him. \n\n\"Ah, caught on, have you?\" The princess smiled her wicked smile. \"Yes, Ruita Caves is where the Crystal-Horned Dragon is rumoured to have settled down years ago. I sent my servants to deliver a message, that I have taken his old friend—you. He will come to find you, and then, both he, and in turn, this Kingdom, will belong to me.\"\n\nEren gaped at her, horrified, transfixed. A sudden *ding* went off. \n\n\"Oh look,\" she said sweetly. \"The tea's done. Would you like some cookies with yours?\""
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[WP] The League is, for the first time, scared. This new villain is intelligent, but not a maniac. They are calm, patient. Calculated. They respect The League's strength, and fight accordingly. But what scares The League most is that this villain doesn't care for a Name.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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 story below is in conjunction with another story I wrote in a different prompt. Link below:*\n\n[Original story](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/maelj0/wp_you_are_a_respected_supervillain_that_is_more/grsdlwk?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)\n\n*I meant it as a kind of previous chapter of the original story. Anyway, hope y'all enjoy it.*\n\n(1/2)\n\nBurden-- still with a grieving heart like freshly cut wound, the burden became harder to fathom as Meredith walked to her new office. Belonging to her former mentor and former leader of the Hero League who tragically died under mysterious circumstances. \n\nAlong with his passing, the responsibilities fell to the young woman, though already an established figure of a hero herself she really never saw herself as a leader to be looked up to. While her heart was not there, hesitantly she opened the door to her new office-- unexpectedly not an empty one.\n\n\"Who are you?!\", she exclaimed in shock noticing an unfamiliar figure sitting comfortably on the chair behind the desk-- her chair. \n\nThe young man gave an uncertain peculiarity and non-immediate danger, though he dressed himself well there was an air of roughness and ruggedness in his face, balancing his look as someone you wouldn't look twice passing on the street. \n\n\"Hello, Ms. Molloy-- nice to meet you in person\", he said calmly, in his hands was Meredith's newly minted metallic chrome name placard which he placed on the table slowly as he stood and walked to the guest's chair on the other side of the table. \n\nMeredith was still frozen but quickly she shook herself off before asking again. \n\n\"Who are you?! What are you doing in my office?\", she yelled louder this time, taking a battle stance. \n\nWith his leg crossed, the man smiled. Thinking for a moment he answered... \n\n\"I'm....an interested party. I'm just here to talk, Ms. Molloy, that's all\", he said cryptically. \"Congratulations on your new position by the way. And my huge condolences to the passing of Director Chalbert-- he was a good man\" \n\nMeredith slowly made her way to her chair, passing the mysterious man while keeping her distance as he rotated his chair not taking his gaze off of her. \n\n\"T--thank you...yes he was\", Meredith replied taking her seat. \"I'm still not getting a name...\" \n\nThe man chuckled as he leaned back, thinking. \n\n\"Well you see, Ms. Molloy, it is in my great interest and safety to keep my name a guarded secret. But if you must call me by anything....please, call me Nemo\", Nemo said. \n\nMeredith raised a brow, sensing this man was not quite uncertain as she thought. \n\n\"Nemo...No One\", Meredith re-iterated. \"Fine then, Mr. No One. What are you here to talk about?\" \n\nNemo couldn't help but smile for the fact that she understood his choice of alias as not a lot of people recognized it. \n\n\"I'm here to talk about your aforementioned predecessor, Ms. Molloy. I understand that the circumstances surrounding his passing was still unresolved?\" \n\nMeredith paused while studying Nemo's neutral expression. The subject of the passing of her respected mentor was still a sensitive one to her. \n\n\"It's still an ongoing case. I'm afraid I can't...\" \n\n\"What if I tell you he was actually murdered?\" \n\nMeredith's blood ran cold at Nemo's nonchalant question. \n\n\"Murdered...and you know of this, how?\" \n\n\"Well simple really--\", Nemo smiled. \"I killed him\" \n\nRage took over Meredith as she saw red. The heroine's power was that of physical force manipulation-- in her case she was the master of gravity. \n\nClapping her hands together she bent the downward force forward instead, sending a tremendously destructive wave knocking whatever on her path away-- her desk, chair, and Nemo, sending them flying across the room. \n\n\"You...you dare...?! You dare show your face here?!\", with anger clouding her judgment, Meredith yelled-- with determination she approached the man. \n\nWith each of her step she sent uncontrollable force, destroying the walls and floor of the room. \n\nNemo, an unfit individual himself, huffed and struggled to find his way onto his feet. \n\n\"Calm down there...*Meredith Molloy*\", Nemo said almost hissing. \n\nMeredith stopped on her track, unexplainably so, but her rage was suddenly snuffed out as suddenly the door burst in. \n\n\"Director Molloy! We heard a commotion! What's going on?\", two heroes of the League barged into the office. \n\n\"Leonard! Allegra! Apprehend this man immediately!\", Meredith ordered. \n\n\"Oh my, looks like we have drawn some unwanted attention...\", Nemo muttered dusting himself off as the two heroes was still in confusion trying to comprehend the situation. \n\n\"*Leonard Farner*, *Allegra Dale*....stay right where you are...\", Nemo said calmly. \n\nMeredith witnessed in confusion as her two heroes stopped moving, seemingly frozen in a daze following Nemo's order. \n\n\"Wh--what did you do to them?\", Meredith asked, fear started to grow in her heart. \n\n\"Oh they're safe under my control, Ms. Molloy, don't you worry. Unless you give me a reason to act, they will remain so...\", Nemo threatened calmly seeing Meredith was ready to attack again. ",
"**Report: Contact with the villain with no name**\n\n**Incident happened: Abandoned warehouse location unknown**\n\n**Time: 4/28/5087 1707 hours**\n\nThe villain that is the most feared out of any other villain has no name. Some have tried to come up with names to call him but, they never stick. The league has never seen a villain like this before. He doesn’t monologue his plans to us when he has us captured.\n\nI was sitting trapped I was waiting for his monologue. Him to tell us why he’s doing this, his tragic past, his plan, at least some evil laughter. Instead, I only heard silence. He didn't even bother to torture me or yell at me he just drew some blood from my arm smiling a twisted smile. I didn’t even have the chance to ask him why he wasn’t talking as another villain suddenly shot through the roof.\n\n“I Reaper, am here to challenge the villain with no name to fight I will be the top villain after I win” this random nobody said.\n\nNo name wasn’t even alarmed. He didn’t even bat an eye at this villain challenging him. No name turned to Reaper and gave a dismissive wave to him.\n\n“You see my plan is too-” Reaper said before he was cut off.\n\n“Amateur you never tell a person your plan” No name said.\n\nHis henchmen dragged Reaper off and I managed to escape due to his distraction.\n\nBefore I left heard no name say “Interrogate this one at headquarters, no one could be stupid enough to charge head first to challenge me and the whole time he had his eyes on my captive not on me. Seems I got too confident no one would find this place; I’ll have to plan more.”\n\nI’m unsure what to think I’ve never seen a villain react this way. Headquarters did you send me reinforcements? I’m not sure what that hero must be going through torture perhaps.\n\n**Request:**\n\nNo names plans are getting more and more complex. I doubt we know what he’s fully capable off. We barely have any information on him. I humbly request more heroes to put on the team. The league is the best group of heroes around if we aren’t able to handle this villain, I fear no one can.\n\nThis new villain or hero you've contracted to save me blew through the roof he is a formidable person as well if No name manages to turn him to his side as he's done to many heroes we might not be able to win. I'm still in training, after all.\n\n\\---- \n\nMay do a Part 2 later",
"Pt 1 of 3:\n\nEveryone and everything needs a name. It’s a deep-seated compulsion of humans, back to Adam naming the animals, back to naming the Roman gods, the Greek gods, further. For a villain to not have a name, to not announce his arrival, was uncomfortable when we first realized it for reasons we couldn’t put into words that early on. So much so that we heroes felt obligated to give him one, but of course, there needed to be meaning behind it.\n\nHe became Nameless. The press loved it. But as time went by, we grew to hate the nickname, each time we used it, feeling as if he was mocking us.\n\nThe first attack was not subtle, it was not forewarned, it was not foreshadowed. Somehow, he managed to plant explosives at the headquarters of the League, not near residences or the War Room, but simply in strategic places that collapsed the entirety of the structure. Most of us were able to survive, through our abilities, but we lost three of us that day. Three heroes dead in one strike.\n\nThe lack of ego was what struck us in the wake of this attack. There was no pronouncement of victory, no bragging of his achievement, no declaration of war. That’s what it seemed to be after all, a war, fought against this invisible entity. The opening strike was devastating, but the League told the public decisively that they would take down the villain behind it, without a doubt.\n\nAt the beginning, I remember feeling such confidence in that fact. Someone who attacked brutally like this, surely they were reckless, under all that planning. To declare war on the League itself was suicide, and they must know that, so remaining in the shadows for as long as possible would just give him a chance to win as many battles as possible. It was just up to us to defeat him in the end.\n\nIn the wake of the attack, however, we were spread thin. Every villain in the country felt invigorated by the attack, as though they themselves had been part of it. Claiming a piece of that victory for themselves, some of their attacks became bolder, stronger, more decisive. With every one that we jailed, more took their place, but we were somehow able to keep the balance, to catch at least most of those that participated in the ensuing crime sprees.\n\nSome built on it, however, and kingpins established themselves almost overnight. There were some severe fights that cost several hero lives, but again, we were able to hold the line. This was what we were built for, after all, and what we’d trained for. And the bottom line was, there were more heroes than villains, more good people than evil people. In the times where I struggled to survive in this world, to understand it, I clung to that fact. I truly believed it.\n\nNameless started other attacks then, always from the shadows, rarely making an appearance unless it was an integral part of a plan that he would depend on no one else to execute. Always in a black suit with a black silk ski mask, unidentifiable. Banks across the country were hit, rapid fire, always League banks, owned, operated, and protected by us, financing the heroes and our tech. Some robberies failed, but a staggering amount succeeded. He was impossible to predict, a perfect balance of creative and cold and, in the end, that lack of ego let him move forward day after day.\n\nThe motive for the bank heists was made clear soon after. He set bounties on each hero’s head, each for astonishing amounts of money, even in the wake of the wealth he’d accumulated. Of course, he started at the top, the big names, the well-known faces. Not all of them were heroes I admired, exactly, some of their tactics were over the top to say the least, sometimes they pressed a little too hard, but they always got the villain they were after. That seemed to check a box for Nameless that put them on his hit list.\n\nThose at the top didn’t get there by chance, though, and would not fall easily. But that didn’t stop the attackers who were after that bounty money, not when the numbers were so high. The best of the best in assassins came out of the woodwork for that, and every time I heard of another name, another head shot on the television screen of a hero we’d lost, it hit me in the chest. We were vulnerable in a way that I’d never envisioned possible.\n\nFor some reason, the bounties were withdrawn after a certain point, and we chased after the money, knowing that would lead to his next scheme. Our techs did their best, but it was astounding how adept he was at keeping himself hidden and keeping his money squirreled away just as deeply. If we couldn’t get to his money, though, we had to get to him. So, we planned.\n\nSitting at home tonight, staring out the large window to my right, over my city from my old, comfy desk chair, I tried to feel optimistic, to grab hold of that confidence I’d held after Nameless’s first attack. That certainty that justice always prevailed in the end, despite the horrors the villains might inflict before we could stop them. Nameless wasn’t falling, he wasn’t stopping, he barely ever even failed.\n\nSitting with a glass of scotch that I hadn’t touched since pouring it half an hour ago, I just stared out my window and wondered at the future of my city.\n\nMy PC, which had just my desktop background and icons visible, suddenly flickered, catching my attention, and I narrowed my eyes in confusion as the screen went white. Then, black text.\n\n\\>> White Iris. I am the one you seek. I wish to speak with you.\n\n\\>>\n\n“What in the…” I straightened, putting my glass aside. A cursor blinked after the second line’s two arrows. I hesitated, then brought my fingers to my keyboard.\n\n\\>>Who is this?\n\n\\>>The one you call Nameless.\n\n\\>>\n\nStaring wide-eyed at the screen, I swallowed hard. Suddenly I felt uncomfortable in my own skin, worried there was a far-off rifle sighted on me through my window, or a bomb under my chair. Likely the rifle wouldn’t kill me, but knowing Nameless’s skills, I worried about the bomb idea. Taking a long breath and letting it out, clenching my hands to stop them from shaking, I put my fingers on the keyboard with a forced calm.\n\n\\>>What do you want?\n\n\\>>As I said. I wish to speak with you.\n\n\\>>Where would you like to meet?\n\nThere wasn’t anything else I wanted to do but meet this bastard face to face. I hadn’t a clue why he chose me, but at this point, I was up for it. Of course, there was a possibility that this was a bluff, just a villain hoping to take me out. Or another scheme and Nameless was currently reaching out to hundreds of heroes with the same request, planning to off us all.\n\nI didn’t care. I put on my outfit. I went.\n\nIt was an empty office building, the front door open. Only two stories, there was classical music coming from a room that followed. The blinds were drawn and the only furniture in the room was a desk with a desktop computer and a rolling office chair, the music ceasing at my entrance. In the chair, I could see the outline of someone in a black suit, the edges of their sleeves visible on either side, their black mask visible a bit above the headrest.\n\nThe scene was stark and disorienting, grey carpet and fluorescent lighting not at all the kind of setting I would have predicted. Or maybe that’s exactly why I should have? I knew who this was, after all.\n\n“Well?” I spoke.\n\nThe person in the chair spun around so they could stand up and, to my utter shock, removed the mask. “Hello, White Iris.”\n\nI pursed my lips. “You’re not Nameless. I’ve heard his voice, I know he’s male.”\n\nShe shook her head. “None of them are Nameless. None of us have ever been.”\n\nNarrowing my eyes, I tensed. “He’s *never* been at a crime scene?”\n\n“On the contrary, Nameless has been at every one, the eye in the sky,” she replied.\n\n“You’re saying a hacker is the leader of some sort of…empire?”\n\nHer smile grew the slightest bit condescending. “No. Nameless is not a person. Nameless is a creation. Mine.”\n\nMy limbs suddenly felt stiff and my head felt light. “You’re…saying Nameless…is an AI? You created an *evil AI*?”\n\n\\*\\*\\*\n\nPt 2 below"
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[WP] You have to chose whether you go to, heaven or hell. The devil takes you on a tour of heaven and vice versa so you can decide
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*",
"My circumstance was quite unique. It was the first time in the existence of the universe that someone landed smack dab in the center between good and bad. God and Satan both had no clue what to do with me, wondering whether I belonged to heaven or hell or if I should just be given a second chance at life. \n\nAfter tons of discussion between the two entities and me sitting silently as I watched, they came to a conclusion. \n\nI would be given a choice. \n\nAfter they both gave me a tour of the opposite entity’s world, I would be given the option to choose which place I wanted to go.\n\nI was first met by God, who took me around hell to learn about the ins and outs about what it would be like to live there. \n\nIt surprisingly wasn't as bad as I expected, a lot less fire and torture devices. It actually just seemed close to a house arrest. The victims of hell were each given their own house in a forever expanding neighbourhood and simply werent allowed to leave. \n\nWell not that they weren't allowed but they weren't able. Any extremity that left the property line would be immediately vaporized. \n\nOther than that though, it didn't seem bad at all. The houses everyone got were identical and really nice, too. Pools, entertainment systems, even working showers and baths. They were better than the home I had on Earth.\n\nApparently hell went under a crazy reconstruction of its system after getting too many poor ratings on ratemyafterlife.com. The devil went into some crisis after reading all the hateful comments and after much begging, finally got approval to create this new and improved hell.\n\nIt was nice though, to the point it would have been a viable option if heaven did not exist. Heaven had to be better by probably drastic margins if hell was already this good. \n\nI finished up with God and went to meet with Satan, who would be taking me around heaven. \n\nThough as he toured me, something was very off-putting. \n\nEveryone in heaven was definitely happy, seeming to enjoy and do as they pleased, but there was something about it that made it so strange. \n\n“Hey Satan?” I asked, looking to the large red demon that stood at my side. \n\n“Yes mortal?”\n\n“Why does everyone here look like they’re almost... too happy?” I questioned, looking around at everyone in heaven. They walked around with perpetual christmas grins and talked with never-ending joy in their voice. Though they might have been happy, it definitely didn't feel right. \n\n“Oh yeah, that's because God removes all feelings considered negative so you are only left with purity,” Satan replied, continuing to walk and show me around. \n\nI furrowed my eyebrows before having another question. “Satan? I just realised that everyone here just walks around and talks to each other. Where are the activities and paradise and fun heavenly stuff?” I asked. I was growing increasingly uncomfortable at all the inhabitants of this place. \n\nThey looked happy but it was almost like they were trapped inside their own body? Or maybe stripped of their personality? Either way, these people were probably mere shells of who they once were.\n\n“There are no activities. Heaven is a sacred place and bans all things considered negative. Movies can influence bad behaviour, sports spark competition and rivalry. Here in heaven, you simply get to live with another… happily,” the devil said with a shiver. Maybe even he was uncomfortable being in a place like this. \n\n“I think I made my decision,” I quickly announced. \n\n“But you haven't seen all of heaven yet? There is still much to show” \n\n“I'm good, I know where I want to go. I don't think I could live my life like these people are. I'd much rather be chilling in a decked-out house, drinking soda and binging movies,” I said with a smile, looking at the devil who had a surprised expression on. \n\nAnd with the final words that would come from my mouth, I would seal my fate to be placed in the world of eternal house arrest. \n\n*“I'd like to go to hell.”*\n\nIf you enjoyed the story, follow my Instagram for daily stories all written by me (@zoppy.tz)"
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[WP] The main character is able to heal any wound he gets by touching someone, but that person gains the wound.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*",
"Item #: SCP-590\n\nObject Class: Safe\n\nSpecial Containment Procedures: SCP-590 is assigned to a regular SCP living space at Sector 7. There is to be one guard on duty at all times within said space, to ensure 590 does not harm himself. SCP-590 is to be supplied with one television, which is to be used only in the broadcasting of children's shows. At no time is SCP-590 allowed to leave Sector 7, for any reason. Subject is to be fed only the vitamin-laced protein gruel created for SCP-590. Anyone caught attempting to feed SCP-590 anything else will be demoted. SCP-590 is not to be handled without proper authorization.\n\nNote: SCP-590 is not to be named as anything other than Five Ninety. He is a tool to be used, not someone's friend, sibling, or child. Anyone found forming attachments to an SCP will be removed to a less people-intensive duty.\n\nDescription: SCP-590 appears to be a young male, approximately 16 years of age. The only benefit he receives from his powers is apparent longevity, as he has not aged since his arrival at the Foundation.\n\nAlthough in all aspects a normal teenager, when SCP-590 touches any other human, he heals all injuries and ailments, physical and mental, they may have. As an odd side effect, SCP-590 receives the injuries upon himself, being subjected to all the pain, and the aftermath.\n\nTo elucidate: When healing a physical wound, SCP-590 not only feels the pain of receiving the wound, but gains scars relevant to where the wound was on the subject. When healing a cancer patient, the tumors materialize at varying places on his body, usually along his arms or legs. Any mental healing performed is transferred directly, resulting in SCP-590 gaining whatever mental aberration he was healing. Those wounds he receives from using his powers accumulate.\n\nSCP-590 is not capable of healing mental disorders caused by psionic induction, including those caused by certain mind-altering SCPs.\n\nIn ████, SCP-590 was bedridden, and unable to leave his room due to accumulated injuries. In ████, SCP-590 was put on life support, unable to even breathe on his own. Shortly after, he was given one dose of SCP-500, which brought him back to full health.\n\nAt the instigation of Dr. Bright, SCP-590 was immediately induced to heal several cases of mental retardation. Due to this action, SCP-590 is permanently at the mental level of a three-year-old child, and is extremely tractable.\n\nSCP-590 is currently reserved for use on Researchers and above. Any requests for testing should go through Dr. ████████.\n\nNot my original work, but hte prompt reminded me of [this](http://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-590).",
"Everyone had heard of the miracle healer - the one who could heal any injuries with just a single touch. Literally. Anyone who hadn’t was deemed stupid, ignorant, and the like. All the soldiers on the front lines of the war against the Empire were filled with hope whenever they saw that straight, scarlet hair and the black robes draped over a slender physique. They cheered as their comrades’ wounds closed up in mere seconds with a bit of shining, white light. This healer was almost worshipped as a deity, a god.\n\nWhat these people didn’t know, however, was the cost of the healing. They didn’t see the bloodstains on the healer’s back, because the black colour of the robes hid it all. They didn’t see the deep scars all over his neck, because his long hair covered it up. They didn’t see him when he coughed up blood every other night, because he slept by himself, and himself only..\n\nThey didn’t see that, as a deep gash on someone’s leg disappeared, one identical to it appeared on the healer’s.\n\nAnd the healer didn’t tell anyone. He didn’t want to garner pity. He didn’t want to seem weak. After all, he was supposed to be a strong figure, a symbol of hope. What would happen if his wounds were exposed?\n\nPeople would lose hope, of course.\n\nThe healer just wanted to help selflessly. He didn’t want anything out of his actions. He was willing to hurt himself so strangers he had just met could go home to their families, not crippled, and live peacefully.\n\nThen one day, he had to heal a wound on one of the commanders. She had been stabbed in the stomach repeatedly, but despite the fact that most people would have died already, she was still conscious, still smiling. The healer couldn’t just *not* heal her, because what would happen otherwise? She would likely die, and he would be known as “the healer who helped all but one”. People remembered others by their failures, not their success, after all.\n\nSo he touched the wounds, a warm light covered them, and as soon as they closed, he fell. The commander caught him, and as she wasn’t an idiot, figured it out pretty quickly. His body, after sustaining so many injuries, was weak, and the wounds he had just gotten were grievous. He couldn't be saved, that much was obvious. \n\nSo he passed silently in the commander’s arms, finally truly free from his duties, but not before he heard her whisper quietly, “You can go now. Thank you.”"
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[WP] Who would have known that teleportation and time travel were so close in concept?
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*",
"Dr. Adalay looked deep into my eyes. She'd realized what the data meant too. \"We need more time,\" she whispered, more for herself than me. \"We did it, but-\" Dr. Adalay trailed off but I could fit in the missing pieces. We'd created teleportation, motivated and funding by replacing all forms of travel to a carbon free alternative but- \n\n2 Degrees, that had been the reasonable range that we predicted for manageable climate change. A 2 degree change in Earth's average temperature would have been devastating but manageable. Instead we were already nearly at 2 degrees and four degrees was nearly unavoidable. \n\nWe'd engineered a marvel, and it was too little too late.\n\nDr. Adalay, Maude, flopped down onto one of the many rolling stools around the lab and drifted off toward the corner. I leaned against the desk where the computer that ran the calculations was. We hadn't run the data of our teleporter becasue we always knew there was no point unless we could make it happen...\n\nBut now? Now we'd just made travel more convienent for the billions of peolpe staring doom in the face. Ignorant Governments that had let companies burn and burn until now it was that Eartht hat was burning. \n\nIn the corner, Maude sobbed once, and then the tears just flowed without her really crying. \n\nWe didn't deserve this. We'd tried so hard and it was their fucking fault. I'd missed birthdays, Maude had missed her Dad's funeral, we'd burned every bridge we'd ever built. We'd given up everything but each other and.... We'd get nothing for it. At least nothing that we'd tried for.\n\n\"This is so fucking stupid,\" she said.\n\n\"I know,\" I answerd.\n\n\"What can we do?\" she asked, but we both knew there weren't more steps that she or I knew how to take. \n\n\"Why does the teleporter only go short distances?\" I asked.\n\n\"Because the closer you get to the speed of light and evenutally exceed it during instatannous transport the less instatatnious that transport becomes outside of the-\" she trailed off. I didn't know if she had the same idea that I did, but it was a dark one. \n\n\"Let's remove that limit,\" I suggested, \"go as far as we can, and then come back. We can blink a thousand years away.\"\n\n\"You're crazy\" she said.\n\n\"I know.\"\n\n\"What about-\" she started but she didn't have someone to suggest to me. Burned bridges. \"What's even the point?\"\n\n\"It could be better, we could have figured it out a thousand years from now,\" I pointed out. \"maybe somehow this thing,\" I pointed to the teleporter in the corner, \"saves everyone.\"\n\n\"What if we come back and everything's dead?\" she asked.\n\n\"Then we didn't have to watch it die.\" I took a step toward the teleporter, carefully laying the plans somewhere where someone would find them. \"I don't need to stay now,\" I pointed out.\n\nMaude pulled herself from the chair. She was dead behind the eyes, but you had to be, to make a choice like this. \n\nDr. Adalay grabbed my hand, and together we left the present behind."
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[WP] For years you have coasted in a cushy job as ‘Director of Extraterrestrial Recruitment’. It was a title you made up for yourself in your family’s company so that you didn’t have to do any work or have any responsibilities. One day the phone rings.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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 phone rang, like it usually didn't. By fulfilling its function, it showed that it was not a phony.\n\nKenta was a phony, in that he had positioned himself not to use that phone as much as possible.\n\nBut Kenta got another phony role as a result of his careful positioning: he would redirect calls to the wrong number back to the right one. He was a modern switchboard operator on the rare occasions that called for one. A suitable position for the ninth generation of the Amaya clan that ruled over a small Japanese candy store in a small Japanese city.\n\nHence, Kenta's response was poised. \"Good morning, this is the Amaya Candy Store. How may I direct your call?\"\n\n\"Hello, is this Kenta?\"\n\nKenta lost his composure, hardly having had to hear his name through that phone through that polite a tone.\n\nAfter a pause, he spluttered through a \"yes, hi, I'm Kenta, how can I help?\"\n\n\"I heard that you were the director for extraterrestrial hiring?\"\n\nThis was not the phony role Kenta had expected to hear about. \"Yes,\" he answered wondering if a family member had hired somebody to create just enough work for Kenta to get up and do something. Little did they know, Kenta was determined that no matter how insignificant the task was, he would fail. Unless it was just redirecting calls. Though, he mused, he could fail at that too.\n\n\"That's amazingly forward-thinking of you.\"\n\n\"Thank you.\" So that was the ploy?\n\n\"We're trying to establish a space colony and have been having a hard time convincing people that they could employ our residents.\"\n\n\"Oh. Are they worried about taxes?\" Kenta's curiosity began to prevail as he tried to unravel this caller's plot.\n\n\"Yeah, and some of the logistics.\"\n\n\"Logistics?\"\n\n\"Yes, even if we build our space elevator, the commute will be a killer.\"\n\n\"Ah.\"\n\n\"And well, we'll have to see about labor laws. Anti-discrimination.\"\n\n\"That might be tough.\"\n\n\"Tell me about it! We already discriminate so heavily based on relocation costs. Can you imagine having to relocate a house from space?\"\n\n\"I can't, no.\"\n\n\"So, can we count on the Amaya Candy Store's support when we petition for legal changes?\"\n\n\"Sure. Just tell them that Kenta supports you.\"\n\n\"Thank you! I'll be mailing over some of our drafts. Please let us know if you would like to see any changes.\"\n\n\"Of course.\" Really, Kenta already knew that he'd only read these papers out of boredom and telling the caller that their ideas were going to save the world would suffice.\n\nBut he'd save his platitudes for small doses. To milk each one fully. He was, afterall, a phony."
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[WP] You’re a “fixer”, but people keep hiring you to fix broken plumbing and appliances and seem unaware of your actual job.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*",
"Stepping out of the Ford Transit with one of dozens of magnetic signs set on the side, Mike thinks out loud to himself, \" Another home, another wire tap... What-a-life Mikey.\"\n\nWhen he enters the house with the home warranty confirmation number, he new he could make more money by fixing the requester instead of the target and could get more money if the target only new he was the true subject of repair... Troubleshot until resolved.\n\nWithout stating the obvious, Mikey could not get the target to catch on or decipher any hints during the duration of fixing a broken garbage disposal, as Mike's Mole, sabatoged with acid to melt the insides with.\n\nMikey gives up... Confesses to the target he is there to fix him but decides to follow through and finishes the job. While cleaning the last touches, his pager goes off and he inhales deep, breathing out slowly, then continues to finish."
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[WP] "If I would kill you, then I wouldnt be any better than y...." "Are you serious? You just broke into my hideout and slaughtered 90% of my henchmen! At this point you caused more deaths than I have!"
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*",
"\"How many men have died because of your schemes?\" Theia screams back. \"I killed some men, but how many died because of you?\"\n\n\"None!\" I yell, my accent starting to show through my anger. \"My plans only ever hurt you or me!\"\n\nTheia's arms reappear from her disembodied torso as she gets angrier and angrier. \"Your bombs in Central Park?\"\n\n\"You see those computers behind you?\" I swing an arm, gesturing to a large panel of beeping machinery, complete with flashing red lights and green bar graphs. \"Those monitor everything I do, stopping it just before things go badly wrong. You killed 90% of my henchmen without remorse!\"\n\n\"They committed crimes!\"\n\n\"So did I!\" I shriek back. My accent is out in full force. Gone is \"Emily Johnson,\" now, there's Isadora Montes standing, ready to beat Theia into submission.\n\nA shriek rises from a back room, followed by hysterical sobbing. A mother found her son or daughter, a wife her husband, a sister her brother. Tears well in my eyes. My henchmen, my employees...they're my family. They're each other's families. And now almost all of them are dead. The building feels hollow and empty. It's like the soul of the building has been sucked out of it. I fall to my knees, silently grieving the loss of my family.\n\n\"Your crimes weren't worth death!\" Theia says, her voice finally at a respectable volume.\n\n\"And theirs were?\" I say, choking on tears. \"They did less than I ever did. Their only crime was needing a job, needing money to live! All the people I hired couldn't get a job other ways. Inescapable medical debt, felony convictions...I hired everyone.\"\n\nTheia disappears again, her entire body going away and reflecting the wall behind it. \"I never killed your henchmen!\"\n\n\"Me cago en la mar!\" I yell against my better judgment. The world knows me as a quiet American girl, not the loud, angry, Hispanic woman I am. \"I can't believe you! They're dead and I certainly didn't do anything.\" I take a deep breath and look Theia right in the eyes. Using all of my power, I Compell her to answer me. \"Tell me what happened.\" I discreetly press a button behind Theia's back. She comes back to the real world, as solid as a brick wall.\n\nShe breaks. \"I needed to get in, to get to you. I knew that you'd come out if I killed your henchmen. There was only one way. The doors opened, and Theia, Hurricane of Destruction, entered the building. Killing them was the only way. And I'm. Not. Sorry.\"\n\nI smile. Theia realizes what she did. She just confessed all her crimes to me. My slow clapping tips her off to the larger problem. A red light blinks right in front of her face. A camera was recording that entire confession. My wide smile widens.\n\n\"Did you hear that, people? Your Theia, superhero, saviour of the city, is nothing more than a cold-blooded murderer.\"\n\nHer face falls. \"No! You--You can't do this!\"\n\nI smile and find time for one last quip. \"Enjoy prison, Theia. No me busques porque me encuentras.\"\n\nTwo of my bodyguards enter the room. Thankfully, they were spared. One of them takes each arm of Theia's visible body. She's dragged out of the room to the waiting police, kicking and screaming. I wave goodbye, mockingly, like a child.\n\n\"Did you hear that, people? Your Theia, superhero, savior of the city, is nothing more than a cold-blooded murderer.\"",
"Laughter. Unexpected and crude, cut through the air.\n\nHe was laughing at the statement. Smiling even, the grin lit in a haunting array by the flames from the manor. Blood dripped off his chin in the cold air, giving him an almost inhuman look.\n\n\"I'm sorry.\" He recovered, snorting slightly. \"It's just. I always wanted to say that to you.\"\n\nPerhaps he'd hit a nerve with this guy. Oliver had always enjoyed dealing with these heroic types. This one however, as the last 45 minutes taught him, was anything but.\n\nHe racked his mind to remember where he knew his face from. If he even knew him in the first place. It didn't help the guy was circling him casually. He knew the style. Making sure he was in fact unarmed.\n\nHis wounds definitely confirmed he was in a roundabout way. Oliver was doing his best to keep it together as everything he worked for went up in smoke.\n\n\"I don't remember you.\" Oliver spat.\n\nHe crouched now. Closing the gap on him to give him a better look. But still nothing rang.\n\n\"No?\" He clapped. \"That's too bad.\"\n\nHe dragged him through the snow now. The cold biting his last moments at every turn. The trees cleared above. The fire seemed like a scenic glow now. A shining city on the hill. The irony wasn't wasted on his attacker. He'd stopped to admire his work at least twice.\n\n\"Tell me what you want.\" Oliver asked again.\n\n\"I want you to know who I am.\"\n\nThe sound jarred his senses once more. Chains on his ankles, the feeling of a padlock snapping shut over a broken leg. He recognized the place now. He'd built this landing for his boats on the lake. The snow had silenced much now, the ice still and grey. He shackled the other end of the chain to something next to him and sat down to look at what he'd created.\n\n\"My stepbrother was an attorney. I know I know. Lawyer jokes, feel free to say them now.\"\n\nOliver didn't. That was good.\n\n\"And well, he wasn't like me. He had a family. Good job. Kept me out of more trouble than I usually was in... going somewhere?\"\n\nDespite the chains, he'd tried to crawl away. He been rolled back, and shown a picture on a phone of who he'd forgotten. In the very background of the photo, he spotted the same person looking at him now.\n\n\"What about all those people?\" He breathed. \"My coworkers? Why them? They didn't deserve to die.\"\n\n\"...Well like you said earlier. I guess we're even.\"\n\n\"I'm sorry.\"\n\n\" I'm proud of you. I'm not.\"\n\nOliver never even got his name. He simply slipped the 4x4 out of gear and began pushing it towards the water. Oliver's last images of the world he'd built for himself were of water and encroaching darkness.\n\nWhen the spring thaw came, only those still looking for their greatest adversary bothered to to do so.",
"Exceller tilted his head to the side. \"I'm not sure I follow your logic.\"\n\nCameron Vilks, the billionaire and secret head of the Disastrous Organization, sneered. \"Of course you don't. To you, the world is so simple. You will punch some poor schizophrenic inventor or a man trying to pull himself out of poverty, and consider it justified because the media labels them a villain. And now you've gotten careless, so certain of your moral superiority that you've decided to play executioner. Your hands are dripping with-\"\n\nExceller held up a hand. \"I am well aware of the high school philosophy student explanations you use to try and justify your villainy. I'm just confused at where you think that I've caused more deaths here than you have.\"\n\nVilks waved his arm, camera footage showing a blue-suited blur ripping through the base, tearing through several henchmen in flashes of gore. \"You think you can deny it? This footage is live, Excel-cutioner! Everyone will see-\"\n\n\"54 men who died as I was stopping the nuclear powered laser that you were trying to shoot the moon with. Which would have unleashed a radioactive cloud which would have engulfed most of the state upon firing. Of those men, 51 had killed someone while in your employ. True, most of the deaths they caused were 'accidents', but I doubt that Andrew George, age 6, cares that his death via drowning was due to your henchmen accidentally forcing his family's car off a bridge while trying to make a getaway.\"\n\n\"I-\"\n\n\"And I also doubt that the 9,612 people who have died from cancers caused by stray radiation from your many death machines will care that their deaths were 'incidental'. No doubt, you have a chain of logic that would tell me exactly why your hands are clean of their deaths, why the fact that you didn't pull the trigger personally matters, and why their deaths lay at the feet of me and my fellow heroes.\"\n\nVilks snarled. \"You can't-\"\n\n\"But truthfully, I'm not here as a hero. If you had let me finish earlier, 'if I would kill you, I wouldn't be any better than you' might be what you expect me to say. But I'm not here as Exceller, the hero who must prove himself to be a paragon of humanity.\"\n\n\"I'm here as Trevor Vicente. Father of Alicia, who died this morning from an inoperable tumor, caused by your scheme last month, where yet another of your radioactive devices bathed a local elementary school with lethal doses of radiation.\"\n\n\"So, please, don't bother stopping the Livestream. Because I want the world to see exactly what needs to happen to 'clean-handed villains' who cross the line.\"",
"My eyes widened and he grinned wickedly. I kept my grip on his neck tight, still dangling him six inches off the ground, my gun pressed against his temple. But he was right, though, wasn't he?\n\nHere I was, contemplating the morals of taking the life of this... this _monster_, when all his henchmen lay bleeding out on the floor. Most of them probably weren't so bad, just got drawn in by the good pay he could offer. Heck, I've been pretty bad off before. I'd like to think that I wouldn't have gone this way, but then again, I have these powers now, so I guess we'll never know what little Gregg would have done if he'd been stuck in that dead end job, not making the rent and ready to be kicked out. Yes, I could certainly understand that temptation.\n\nYet I hadn't hesitated. Without remorse, I took them all out. I mean, sure, they were shooting at me. But I can dodge bullets now. How much of a threat were they, really? Was it really self defense? Not really.\n\nSometimes, in saving the world, you lose yourself.\n\n\"You know what, doc? You've got a point there.\"\n\nAnd I pulled the trigger.",
"The hero Jhoul pauses, stuttering with indecisiveness as he spoke. \"Well- er- that's different! They were evil! You- you're different, Natas!\" Natas's surviving henchman runs toward Jhoul with rage-infused tears streaming down their faces. With his sword in hand, he slices through the air seamlessly, cutting a horde of them in half without making contact. Blood and guts pour to the ground, splashing over the ground of the destroyed building they stood in.\n\n\"My name is quite literally an anagram for Satan, and the shit I've seen you do to try and get me over to your side is worse than the fuckload of disasters I've caused! Compared to you, I'm a fucking saint!\"\n\n\"Natas, I know how you feel. You're so much of a good guy that you refuse to abandon any of your friends. Isn't that right?\" Jhoul spoke with edging confidence in a convincing tone as he placed his sword back into its sheath with indifference and trust.\n\n\"Fuck no! Look!\" Natas shouts out in a wave of otherworldly anger, trembling with rage as veins formed over his crimson red face. He grabs one of his men by his head in his giant claw of a hand and crushes him with no hesitation. Blood seeps out of the cracks between his jagged fingers, followed by a gushy pink substance.\n\n\"Wait, if you killed your friend, does that mean you're on my side now?\" Jhoul asked, pondering with his head tilted, placing his palm under his chin, and using his free hand to tap against his skull.\n\n\"No! I'm attempting to show you what I think of my underlings! They're nothing to me! Just tools used to achieve my goals!\"\n\n\"So... what you're trying to say is... you like me?\" Jhoul spoke in a teasing manner. In a fit of rage, Natas throws a giant piece of rubble toward Jhoul with killing intent. Jhoul stands unwaveringly, still pondering Natas's last words. IT smacks against him, dust and rubble disperse across the room. The smoke clears, revealing an unharmed Jhoul with his hand still under his chin, tapping his feet against the ground.\n\n\"For fucks sake. You ideological, mentally deficient, mind-boggling, freak of nature- I hate you, your mother, your mother's mother, and on the off chance you manage to have offspring, I'll hate them too!\" Natas screeched. He began reaching down into the rubble, throwing blocks of stone and serrated pieces of splintered wood toward Jhoul. Jhoul tanks every hit and walks toward Natas with a dark scowl on his face. His eyes appear to be shadowed, hidden beneath his spiked hair as the armor he wore clanked with each step.\n\n\"You're. My. Friend.\" He spoke calmly. His walking transformed into a full-on sprint. He dashed toward Natas instantly, hugging him tightly with tears streaming down his face. He squeezes tightly. Natas feels his organs being reorganized. He begins coughing up blood as his body crunched with the pass of each second. He faints, unable to fight back, and is dragged across the rugged ground of the trash and rubble.\n\nNatas awakens hours later, inside of white space. His arms and legs are bound alongside his mouth. He struggles against his bindings only to feel a sharp shock shoot through his body. He faints again, only awakening after he feels the touch of a man. Jhoul stands in front of him with a wide grin, staring deep into his eyes with sheer goodwill.\n\n\"Now that you're here, you're my one-hundredth friend! That makes you special, by the way!\" Jhoul spoke, still smiling with winced eyes.\n\nNatas turns his gaze, scanning the room, only to notice various other well-known villains gagged and bound in the same way he is.\n\n\"Jhoul! We've got another friend for you to make!\" A man shouts out to Jhoul from another room.\n\n\"Really!? Sorry Natas, we'll have to talk later, okay?\" Jhoul spoke with excitement and with a hint of disappointment as he finished his sentence. Natas grunts through his gag, his eyes darting back and forth in a panic.\n\n\"Coming!\" Jhoul shouted as he began skipping out of the white room as if he were a child at a park.\n\n\"I'll bring you back some new friends too! Ones that don't break so easily!\" Jhoul shouted as he left Natas's sights. He struggles against his bindings to no avail. He looks upward, falling flat to his back, and sees a number alongside words on the white ceiling of the room he dwelled in, \"Friend #7062.\"\n\n​\n\n\\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nu/AlfredoOreos",
"\nAvenger's armoured suit cut deep into his shoulders, it's black metallic mesh hugging his chest in a tight embrace. Long strands of hair fell past dark sunglasses, sticking to his sweat covered face in thick clumps. Relaxed fingers systematically picked at the metallic pockmarks adorning his chest, idly flicking the spent bullets to the ground with a clang. \n\n\"Are you even listening?!\" The doctor panted, starring up at the towering figure with a malevolent gaze. \n\n\"Henchman.\" He snorted, lazily waving a hand at the blood slowly creeping into the cracks of concentrate floor. \"Henchboys would be more accurate with shooting like that.\" \n\n\"Don't you even care?! They were people, they had hope's, dreams, they had families for Gods sake.\" \n\n\"Oh I care deeply.\" Avenger smiled, kicking a cold hand carelessly with a heavy boot. \"Indeed I feel bad that I couldn't kill the other 10%.\" \n\n\"You son of a bitch, you wanted to kill them. You didn't come here for some notion of justice or heroism, did you? All you wanted was to murder.\" The Doctor shouted. \n\nAvenger stepped towards the man deliberately, crunching loose stones under his heavy boots as he moved. He crouched down bringing his face close enough to smell the sour stench of the Doctors breath. \n\n\"I'm not concerned with petty things like murder. But you're right I didn't come here for justice in fact I really don't care who you hurt or what you've done. You know what's going to happen once this is all done, they'll pin a medal on my chest and sing my praises, hell I might even get a movie deal. The Masked Avenger vs Doctor Desperado, sounds pretty good doesn't it.\" \n\n\"Just kill me and get it over with.\" The Doctor pleaded. \n\n\"Now that wouldn't be good PR would it?\" Avenger mocked. \n\n\"If you don't I will tell the world everything, the truth of what you are.\" \n\nA thin smile crept over Avengers face. \n\n\"And why would they believe you? After all you're the villain.\"",
"\"What!? No! They're all sleeping!\"\n\nDestro's flames quickly extinguished as he reeled in shock.\n\n\"… What?\" asked Patriot, now also feeling a bit confused why Destro deactivated his flames. He was still levitating off the ground, ready for any sudden moves.\n\n\"You think they're… what exactly?\" asked Destro, his metallic voice being completely void of emotion.\n\n\"Have I hit you so hard that you've gone deaf, Destro?\" Patriot now floated himself upright. \"They're sleeping.\"\n\nDestro's metallic body started glowing a mellow red. He pointed a finger at the ceiling, about 10 feet behind where the Patriot was levitating.\n\n\"That guy is named Eric Witherspoon. He has a wife and a 3-year old son. He came to me asking for a job because nobody else hires anybody with a criminal record. You uppercut him so hard that he's now lodged in the ceiling boards and he hasn't so much as twitched a muscle.\"\n\n\"Exactly my point! Sleeping!\"\n\nDestro pointed to Patriot's left.\n\n\"That guy is Mark Walton. He never finished high school because he had to take care of his grandma. The price of insulin went up so instead of a job flipping burgers, he took this job to pay for his grandma's insulin. You literally speared him through 6-inch steel doors to get in here.\"\n\n\"And he's soundly asleep. What's the problem?\"\n\nDestro could not process what he was hearing. The Patriot genuinely believed that all the people he'd hit with the force of a speeding truck were just sound asleep.\n\n\"… Patriot, you have x-ray vision, correct?\"\n\n\"Of course, how do you think I found your hideout?\"\n\n\"So you can see people's hearts, correct?\"\n\n\"… Yeah? You going somewhere with this?\" Patriot uttered, starting to run out of patience.\n\n\"Do people's hearts beat in their sleep?\"\n\n\"Of course. If your heart stops beating, you're dead. Everyone knows that.\"\n\n\"Well, use your x-ray vision and look at the people in the room.\"\n\n\"I'm not falling for your tricks, Destro.\" said Patriot, as he shifted into a fighting stance.\n\n\"Fine. Deactive Firestorm Armor, code 7-3-Alpha-9-Gamma.\"\n\nDestro's armor powered down and opened to reveal the man inside.\n\n\"There. Armor's off. I'm not a threat to you. Now, ***look at these people's hearts***.\"\n\n\"Fine,\" Patriot lowered himself to the floor. His blue eyes turned into a washed-out grey and he began looking around the room.\n\n\"I'm telling you these guys are…\" Patriot's voice trailed off. \"These guys are… oh… oh no.\"\n\nPatriot started moving to each body around the room with his super speed to take a closer look. He lightly slapped their cheeks to see if they'll wake.\n\n\"Nooo. No no no nonononononono.\"\n\nPatriot kept looking at Destro… hoping.\n\n\"This can't be right.\"\n\nPatriot looked up at the ceiling. His eyes returned to their usual color, and he let out a lightly powered eye laser beam at a sprinkler.\n\n*FSHHHH*\n\nThe room started raining with water from the sprinkler system. Patriot kept zooming around to each body and tapping their faces again, this time with the water from the sprinklers raining gently on them. But nobody he \n checked on, moved.\n\n\"… Oh god\"\n\n---\n\nr/KenTZWrites for a \"best of\" collection of my writings. :)",
"\"Don't try to weasel out of this,\" said Marc the hero.\n\n\"Weasel out of this? WEASEL OUT OF THIS? Holy mother of God!\"\n\nA vein was throbbing painfully on Caleb's bald forehead.\n\n\"Fueled by a desire for justice, you broke into a police station to get every file on me, knocking out two officers to avoid being spotted. Said guys are still under therapy and will have lifelong consequences. Then you staged a robbery at the northern bank and the walmart next door as a false flag operation. You shot witnesses with sedative. HORSE SEDATIVE you clusterfuck of an avenger. It's been three weeks and they are still sleeping! Then you had sex with the mole I planted, and cheated on her with the walmart cashier you met during the heist but didn't shot because she had great assets. Great lot of good it did to her because the mole murdered her before sending her goons after you, which you convinced to kill the one giving the order, thinking it was me.\n\n\"They killed a car salesman 'cause I train my moles well. But the police got the goons and you know what? They do their work well because they put together information and got to the mole who is serving life in prison now. She started a pen friendship with the dead salesman wife. Then you ditched your family \\*for their security\\* in a cabin up in the Canadian mountains. They were found near dead from freezing because it wasn't your cabin, but a summer cabin without any warm coats and certainly not built to pass winter in it.\n\n\"Then you smuggled drugs across the border to fund an information network, Found my hideout by getting a trainee journalist blackout drunk and decided on a whim to undercut our great country's drug problem. You did that by spiking the very drug you were smuggling. Congrats, the percentage of drug addicts has severely decreased, as has the available workforce.\n\n\"Now, public enemy number 1, hated by your family, your justice system and country, mass murderer, cheater and serial moron, you won't kill me because you don't want to be as bad as me?!\n\n\"All I ever did was pull your pants down at the gym in highsch...\"\n\nThe bullet went through Caleb's skull and obliterated his masterplans alongside his life.\n\n\"You monster!\" shouted Marc, who had been gifted the skills, body and intelect of a superhero but the forgiveness of a sociopath."
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[WP] The call of the void is an intrusive thought to submit yourself to death such as wanting to jump off a cliff when near the top. You give in to the urge and discover something awaits you at the other end
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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 happened again. I was out walking past Parker's Point when I heard that voice again. I don't know what's happening with me, but I do think I'm starting to lose it. Dan had said that crazy people don't know their crazy. They simply assume their sane and process life as if the voices they've heard as an everyday occurrence. Like that guy from that movie, where he started to hear voices and later developed that math equation and stuff, he was convinced the entire time that he was sane. I looked into his story afterwards and one of the reasons he never discounted the voices he heard was because they were the same ones who gave him the equations that he later became famous for. He just thought it was aliens tuning into his brain and he was lucky enough to get the information and pass it on to the rest of humanity. But hey, at least his voices were giving him complex math problems. Mine only seems to want me to jump off Parker's Point. \r \n\r \nIt's crazy, I know it is. I brought it up once to my therapist, in a roundabout way to probe if I was really starting to lose it. Williams said that these impulses, these thoughts, were simply intrusive thoughts. We all got them, he explained. From time to time, you'll be minding your own business when WHAM you're struck with the idea to grab a brick and smash it into a strangers face. The way he said that made me think that he's had that particular intrusive thought several times. It sure as hell didn't make the rest of the session easier considering the fact that his office walls were red bricked as well. \r \n\r \nEither way, the way he explained it was that these were simply thoughts. Over time, they'll fade away and as long as you focused on the important things, you'd forget that you'd even had one. Anyone and everyone gets them. Sometimes they were shameful, horrible things that we normally wouldn't come up with our own. These things just have a tendency to swim beneath the surface of our minds while we go around our daily business. The problem, he mentioned, is when people misunderstand these impulsive thoughts and try to rationalize them into the real world. Worse still, some people even acted on them. He mentioned that some school shooters started off this way, where they would have intrusive thoughts that they didn't know how to handle and took it as a stepping stone into something worse. I believed him when he told me. Like he said in our final session, it was only a matter of time before they disappeared. Yet, these past couple of months have filled me with... doubt.\r \n\r \nInitially, the thought of jumping from Parker's Point into the icy ocean seems like a natural idea. I mean, besides a table, a few park benches and the railing, there's not a whole lot to see or do from that vista. Jumping off would probably occur to most folks, especially when looking over the edge. As time went on, that idea began to slowly progress into something more... substantial. I began having nightly dreams of falling into the ocean, my mind screaming with both fear & joy as I plunged into the icy depths, only to vanish into the abyss. These dreams were always incredibly vivid, and it always felt that there was something deep beneath the waves for me to find. Or perhaps, someone was waiting for me, deep below.\r \n\r \nBut I pressed on. I even began to avoid that road to work and started taking the longer commute. But, as luck would have it, the 768 no longer goes back to my place. Instead, I have to take the shorter, more scenic route with the 831. Right past Parker's Point. Every goddamn day.\r \n\r \nThe voices only started a while back. At first, they were only in my dreams. Whenever I was sinking down below the water's cold embrace, I could feel, almost a magnetic pull, of something or someone calling out me from unseen depths below. It would croon out my name, almost pleading for me to sink faster. Yet, as I thrashed in the water, eventually dragged down by an unseen force, part of me was glad I was sinking. Almost as if I was going home.\r \n\r \nHome. Whatever that means.\r \n\r \nStill, each time I pass by there, I find my eyes are drawn to that cliff. I first began sitting on the opposite side of the bus, the vertigo of being in a window seat as it sped down the road was always dizzying for me. But, for some unknown reason, I'm now regularly sitting on the side closest to the cliffs. And each time I pass it by, I can almost feel those voices from my dream calling out to me, begging me to return home. \n\n​\n\nI've tried reading and listening to music, but anytime I'm anywhere near that vicinity, the thoughts, the voices in my head begin creeping in, overriding everything else. They always seem to whisper excitedly to me, as if we're about to approach some great secret. The noise becomes almost unbearable until where it suddenly dies down, the further away I get away from that cliff. Yet, each and every day I feel like I'm getting closer to the edge. \n\n​\n\nI've started walking on the beach, eventually following the road. I've had the police stop me a few times, telling me I needed to either take the bus up to Parker's Point than sidle along the highway. Sometimes I'll only spend a few minutes, but lately, I've been spending more and more time there.\n\nIt's become almost sacrosanct, like a holy exodus. I don't know how long I'll keep doing this, but a part of me, the rational side of me, is beginning to dread what'll happen to me if I stop. Or worse, if I continue to go.\n\n​\n\nI don't know how much longer this can go on. While I'm there, even though I'm entirely alone, with the occasional car whizzing past, there's always a moment when the noise dies down and the wind gently picks up. It's when I'm closest to the edge that I can feel, almost hear something in the water deep below calling out to me.\n\n​\n\nIt feels like I've been marked. By someone or something. I'm terrified what'll happen if I give in. As Williams used to say, it's only a matter of time."
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[WP] Humanity isn't the only one. Apparently any spacefaring race from the Milky Way has a reputation of being crazy.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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 Milky Way is a dangerous place, it is a galaxy of extra-dimensional horrors and psychotic life. A space of the deadliest animals and bloodthirsty pirates, reluctantly I shut down the display. Its iridescent particles fading into the twisting nether of warp space as I lament my life choices. Ambient noise from the various federation species movement fading as I speculate where it went wrong. \n\n With the heist that is, was it doomed from the moment we started our preparations, or was it something else? That intangible reason that lead to this death sentence for recompense for a failed robbery. Whoever can say is certainly not on this exiled vessel, silently I notice the dull orange haze that has fallen over my propped up legs. That ever so rare feature of my race of bipedal sentience and the dull grey robe and the presence lingering just out of sight. \n\nA slight movement of my neck bringing my sight to the shadow of loosely connected crystals. Several scarce moments passing in silence before the apparition moved on without a word. The rather ethereal beast vanishing behind a row of other unlucky bridge crew as I steadied myself. I could honestly see why that thing was on this ship given the brief encounter. \n\nMy train of thought is once more interrupted as the captain stepped into the bridge, the metal deck plating groaning under the old pirate's robotic weight. The pair of avian guards at its heels excitedly chattering as the ambient noise subsided. An uneasy tension lingering as the raider stalked forward eyeing the new additions to the crew myself included. \n\nHis search ending at the foot of a diminutive mammal his face inches away from its snout. The birds hanging over the sod's shoulders their claws drawing blood as they gripped into the mammal's flesh. A voice of brittle iron reverberating off the walls of the enclosed space \"Get Him Off My Ship.\" \n\nThis cyborg's goons dragging it into one of the adjoining hallway, the ship dropping out of warp as the mammal disappeared beyond the bulkhead. Dozens of faint glittering lights appearing in the abyss as Captain Jerl addressed the room. A titanic graveyard of destroyed ships hanging above a dead world behind the behemoth. \n\nJerl's titanic metal frame twisting towards the forward observation window as he held a single hand outstretched. A small puff of atmosphere escaping from the airlock below as the suffocating officer drifted into the abyss. \"This is my ship I hope you remember that because the humans will not be as forgiving as I am.\" "
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[WP] To avoid boredom, an intergalactic colony ship plays a multi-generational larp/dnd game. After ten thousand years, the occupants have forgotten it’s a game. One day a player discovers a lost manuscript titled ‘dungeon master’s notes’.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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 automaton lay in a pitiful state of ruin. The dull chrome of its main body cylinder was rent from axis to axis, and the ugly, snaking contents of its interior spilled lifelessly on the gravel.\n\n\"Is it... is it a Facilitator?\" My voice sounded afraid and confused, even to my own ears, and I frowned. \n\n\"If it is, it's the oldest blasted one I've ever seen.\" \n\nLagaine spat in the direction of the metallic corpse, and scowled down at the third in our party, as if the dwarf was somehow responsible for the mess. The dwarf, called Shuman, smiled widely at the much taller Lagaine, the bright skylight glinting in the black lenses of his goggles.\n\n\"Lagaine, you really are nothing if not dazzlingly unfair to me, to poor old master Shuman, erm?\" \n\nThe dwarf spoke to the half-giant over his shoulder, his attention fixed to the ruined automaton before him. He reached into his bag without looking, the clinking of unorganized tools and scraps preceding the emergence of exactly the implement he desired. This one looked rather like the claw of some skybeast, although made entirely of something dull, non-metallic. I was amazed, as I had been each of the previous times he'd pulled off the feat, that he could manage to keep all of his stubby fingers intact.\n\n\"Really my dear, I've learned to read that particular glare of yours over the course of these last months we've shared. Quite an accomplishment, if you'll allow me to brag. This one says, 'Shuman you killed our last Facilitator, and somehow you must be to blame for this one too. Grr!'\"\n\nThe dwarf worked quickly as he spoke, using the jaws of his peculiar tool to pry apart the ugly crack in the dead Facilitator's body.\n\n\"I assure you, you are wrong on both points! I simply observed our last chromed companion, really, not even a diagnostic prod to see--\"\n\nThe soliloquy was cut short as Lagaine crouched over the mess of metal and wire, their lips pulled back into a grotesque mask, fangs slightly bared, neck muscles bulging. \n\n\"Call me 'dear' again, you filthy whoreson mechanic, and I'll send you to whatever hell this rusted bucket is in. Would you like that?!\"\n\nShuman's look of surprise was gone almost instantly. He paused for a wide moment.\n\n\"It's 'filthy whoreson mechanic, third rank'. Don't forget, I ascended before our last companion's, ah, unfortunate demise. A little respect will open many doors, my glowing Lagaine.\"\n\nI thought Lagaine was surely going to hit the mouthy dwarf, but just then the claw-tool made a strange noise, like a blade across mail plate. A smile spread across Shuman's face as he reached into the dim internals of the dead automaton, pulling a shard of crystal from within. The dwarf's toothy smile widened.\n\n\"You're up, Pip.\"\n\nThe anxiety crawled sickeningly in my belly. The whole trek had been one long string of unfortunate events. The job, a bit beyond my levels and experience, only having achieved Archivist of rank two just before setting out. The party, seemingly always at odds with each other, tempered only by the uneasy truce of necessity. The loss of our Facilitator, our guide through the Realms, and at such an inopportune moment. \n\nAnd now this, whatever _this_ was. I took the crystal from Shuman's outstretched palm as Lagaine looked on, their fury forgotten in an instant.\n\nI swallowed hard, and peered into the depths of the clear stone.\n\n\"It's... it's an archive of some sort. Notes, written in the archaic form.\"\n\nMy brow scrunched tightly, and I struggled to remember my training.\n\n“It says... it says... hrm. This is an archive of some sort, notes I think. They aren’t really organized. Just here, there’s a bit about a... master I think? Hrm... just here, this is a part about Ranks and Classes, I think. I don't quite understand the rest. These are old runes, I don’t recognize them all...”\n\nI bit down hard on the inside of my cheek, a spring of anxiety welling from my core. \n\n“I’m sorry...”\n\nShuman looked at me, his wide smile not faltering an inch. \n\n“Don’t bother with the frown my dear. You've greatly illuminated me-- _us_. Odd that a Facilitator has notes on Ranks and Classes, I'm sure you agree. I didn't think they quite had the faculties for things like note-taking, erm? We’ll get to the bottom of it I’m sure.”\n\nShuman reached out and I placed the crystal back in his open palm. \n\n“Nobody is gonna call themselves the master of me.”\n\nLagaine’s voice was a low growl. They scared me, but I was inclined to agree.\n\n\"Very much agreed, my luminous Lagaine. That bit is the strangest of all.\"\n\nThe dwarf's smile faltered, his brows knitted in deep thought. He looked at Lagaine for a long moment, and then at me.\n\n\"Well, I doubt we'll get anything else half as useful from our unfortunate friend here. And since we still have no Facilitator, we must continue back to the Hub, and inquire after a new one, or go our separate ways. I see no other option.\"\n\nMy stomach twisted uneasily. I looked out at the horizon, the dull grey earth stretching out and up to meet the bright grey sky. It was a long way back to the Hub, and all the more perilous without a Facilitator to guide the way.\n\nI swallowed hard, and nodded at the dwarf. Nothing else to do but push forward",
"Hrongmere's light blade cut through the Shadowtouched Cultist. The Cultist shook as electrical energy coursed from his harness and rendered him unconcious. A gout of flame erupted from Kylina's hands as the Sorceress threw her signature fireball into a group of the Shadowtouched Summoners summoned minions. From his own harness Hrongmere registered both the experience he had gained for the kill and a slight warmth that told him he was very close to Kylina's area of effect, but it didn't register any damage.\n\n\"Hey!\" Hron snapped at the Sorceress even as the summoned minions dissipated and two more cultists were rendered unconcious by their harnesses. \"Cutting it a little damned close aren't you?\"\n\n\"Relax meat head,\" Kylina muttered even as she checked the rewards her harness had registered. They'd earned quite a bit of gold and experience from defeating those members of the Shadowtouched. Their own clan the Gearbloods usually didn't venture this far into the Magus' Lair but they had been paid to brave the perils and the rewards were worth the risk of reset.\n\nHron glanced back at the scrawny Priest that followed in their wake. Hell, he wasn't even a Cleric, he was an actual Priest! Hron didn't respect Priests but he knew they were essential. They performed the complex rituals that prevented God's Wrath and maintained the sacred armor and weapons that adventurers used. The scrawny Priest had even tuned up Hron's light sword and Kylina's mage glove before they had left and the improved accuracy was nothing to sneeze at.\n\n\"What happens to them?\" Dovane the Priest asked looking at the three downed foes.\n\nKylina shook her blonde head at the Priest's ignorance. Had he never been outside the Clanhold's walls? She looked at the harness he wore. He was so high level for never adventuring. She could only imagine how touched by God this Priest must have been to earn the creds and experience to reach his level. Had he really done it all through holy rituals? Had he never risked a respawn?\n\n\"They'll wake up in an hour or two,\" Hron shrugged and toed one of the bodies. He was careful to be gentle, he wasn't about to risk the God of Battle's wrath for harming a downed foe. \"Then they'll head back to the Shadowtouched Hold and touch the resurrection altar to be respawned at level one.\"\n\n\"Level One!\" Dovane seemed alarmed. \"I didn't know... We can be dropped back to start out here?!\"\n\n\"Yeah, welcome to the red zone,\" Kylina glanced through her inventory on a screen on her arm. She grinned. \"Got some health pots from the last guy. I sent you each one.\"\n\nHron glanced at his arm and tapped the pot. His health bar registered the healing and he was glad to see he was almost at full. The Cultist had done some damage before he had been able to take them down.\n\n\"In the green zone you just lose some XP and creds for death,\" Hron explained as he looked around watching warily for enemies or more Shadowtouched. \"The yellow you can lose levels. In red... you reset. That's why the Clans stay out of each other's territory. Our Green Zone is Red for them and vice versa. So Green is generally safe for newbs but if you want the real loot and creds you gotta go to the yellow zones or even into red. There is an XP multiplier for the increased difficulty too. That's why some of you Priests are so stinking rich and high level.\"\n\n\"Wait you mean because the Dawnstriders and Shadowtouched hire us to perform their yearly rituals?\" Dovane asked quizzically. \"The Gearbloods are the smallest clan but our Priests do know the old rituals better than most.\"\n\n\"Yeah and the Dawnstriders and Shadowtouched know it and resent it,\" Kylina shrugged she cast a spell by making a gesture with her hand and a floating ball of light appeared next to her. \"Now come on we're close to the place you said you wanted to go. This had better be worth it.\"\n\n\"It will be, I promise,\" Dovane muttered, they had already passed through the yellow zone and were in the Magus' Lair. The Lair was a no man's land, patrolled by the monsters generated from the ambient mana and they had beaten their way through a dozen trolls and a literal horde of goblins to get this far. \"We just need to find Comcon...\"\n\nIt was another fourty minutes of searching before Kylina cried out. When Dovane examined the wall she was looking at his heart skipped a beat. Faintly nearly worn away with age were two sets of words. COM and some distance away CON. Dovane almost thought he saw other letters beneath the grime and wear but he dismissed it. \n\nLooking around Dovane found a panel in the wall. Opening it he examined the magic's within. The sacred rituals hadn't been performed here in ages. Pulling out his holy instruments he set to correcting that oversight. When the holy conduits were aligned, and the divine fibers repaired the panel hummed with the song of the gods. Placing his hand on the panel Dovane said the words for the divine right.\n\n\"O holy, Computer grant your humble servant access, Command Code Alpha-Zulu-Seven-Nine-Five-Three-Seven-Romeo...\" The chant finished, Dovane waited, holding his breath. The panel blinked green, a sign that his prayer was heard and answered. The wall slid away into itself.\n\nBeyond the door a massive temple awaited the three. Altars to various Gods and Goddesses stood scattered around. Dovane recognized some. There was the God of Battle, the Goddess of Life, and the strange God known as the Traveler... He sank to his knees and prayed even as Kylina and Hron stared in awe, though the seasoned adventurers also kept a wary eye out for danger.\n\nThe pair only relaxed after all three had stepped inside the temple and the wall had silently slid back in place. They began to search, looking for loot boxes and item icons that were common in rooms like this. Dovane ignored them having spotted something far more valuable, books.\n\n\"These are holy tomes!\" The Priest exclaimed. \"They detail rituals I have never dreamed of! For parts of the Starhome I have never even seen! And these... do either of you know what Proxima Centauri means?\"\n\nThe pair shook their heads, their brows furrowed in disappointment as they had yet to find any chests or loot icons. The Priest might enjoy old dusty tomes but they needed Creds for new gear and to buy food and drink. The Goddess of Life did not dispense those from her altars without tithes. \n\n\"What the heck is this?\" Dovane muttered, a seemingly newer and much different tome lay atop a table. Handwritten instead of the uniform script of the gods it had a title. \"Dungeon Master's Notes.\" Running his fingers over the cover Dovane somehow knew this was important. As he flipped open the cover he saw nearly every aspect of their lives laid out before him.\n\nAs the pages turned Dovane saw all of the monsters and creatures they had fought. He saw that something called \"the day shift\" had been the ancestors of the Dawnstriders and \"the night shift\" were the Shadowtouched. His own clan the Gearbloods were something called \"maintenance and engineering.\" He saw the cred system and the designs for the mage gloves that let casters do magic. He saw the light weapons that the martial classes used in battle. There were even illustrations of the harnesses. But it was the final chapter that drew his attention.\n\nThe Story was the chapter title and Dovane knew, somehow that this should explain it all. Why their world functioned as it did, why they were locked in eternal struggle. What plans the Gods had in store for them. He turned the page...\n\n\"Just wing it...\"",
"\"The path to Water is one through Fire.\"\n\n\"And that means what, exactly?\"\n\nA pause and a sigh from the robed woman. \"The truth? I'm not sure. I am still an apprentice, sent to the upper wilds to learn my magicks. The code comes to Caller from the cacophony of conflict. You can't just read it in a book.\"\n\n\"Wait,\" Heredrog said, letting his ax slump down to scrap the polycarbonate floor of the hallway. \"The Consul send me an apprentice? You do realize I'm paying for you, right? Twelve doves a day, in fact.\"\n\n\"I assure you, I am quite capable of navigating dungeons.\" Punctuating her words, her hand raised, calling a phantom hand to mimic hers atop the screen on the wall. Her fingers looked dainty, beautiful but somehow otherworldly.\n\n\"Janitorial override, access granted,\" the world voice offered with an affirming green glow. The mirrored hand faded away with the Caller's magic.\n\nShe gestured towards the door in mock graciousness towards Heredrog. The action had taken no willpower on her part, it seemed. Perhaps she merely hid it well. He never trusted a mage.\n\nThe door he had hammered on for two weeks opened noiselessly. A thin hiss came as the ozone smell of the Sitosign filled the space. She had opened the path to the edge of the world and his one chance for redemption along with it.\n\n\"Now that I have got you here, Warrior,\" the nameless Mage said as she crossed the threshold. Gleaming fresh steel girders greeted them, spiraling up and off into the cloudy distance of the Sitosign. \"What business does a flesh cutter have in the Fresh? A Digitogorie, no less.\" She gestured to the two finger stumps on his left hand.\n\nHeredrog had seen the impossibly large rooms of the upper wilds before but it still drove him a little mad to know no comforting wall was near him. He made no move to hide the scars of his hand. \"You know the ways of our people?\"\n\n\"The Consul gathers all knowledge, useful and otherwise.\" With an indifferent gesture, the mage activated some spiraling stairs to rise up to the floors above. \"This is how we go further. There won't be elevators through here until the next generation.\"\n\nHeredrog felt his heart flutter in his chest. There would be monsters up there, digging in the mud of the fresh rooms. Only ten years ago, this huge space hadn't existed. The thought almost sent him spinning again. \"I come to capture a Builder, tame it and bring it back to my people to end my exile.\"\n\n\"Well, I wasn't expecting that.\" The mage whistled lightly. \"You realize a builder usually ends up killing anyone unlucky enough to spot one? They surround themselves with choking air.\"\n\n\"I do, but I have raised automatons my whole life, before I left my village. I take the path of the warrior through desperation, not preference.\" He walked up the stairs, not creaking at all under his weight. The air felt light in his lungs. \"If I see one, I can take it without becoming a corpse.\"\n\n\"Speak of the devil,\" the mage said, poking at some rags hung in the staircase. \"I've heard of this. The staircase when summoned, sometimes drag something from the old deep. It's still warm, from being in the heat of course, not life. This one must have died a hundred years ago, at least. Maybe much longer.\"\n\n\"You found a body? And you're touching it?\" Heredrog curled his lip in disgust before performing the heaven sign on himself.\n\n\"Yes, we at the Consul don't discard knowledge merely because of an unsavory wrapper. The hard truth, Steel Dommer, is the Gods are all sleeping or dead. We are maggots upon their bodies, nothing more. We can hardly offend them.\"\n\n\"Nonsense,\" Heredrog said, watching as the woman pulled a thin crystal tome from the jacket of the mummified remains.\n\n\"Janitorial override denied.\" the world voice said as the mage tried to open the tome. \"Personal journal contents.\"\n\nShe changed her hand sign slightly, typing against the tome.\n\n\"Emergency override requested. Your access will be flagged for review. Proceed?\"\n\nShe opened the tome without further effort. She deciphered the runes on her own, without help from the world voice. If this is what an apprentice could do, what was a master like? \"Well, heathen. What does it say?\"\n\n\"Dungeon Master Notes. It contains a lot of math. I will have to spend time with this. Whoever wrote this was clearly a powerful adventurer. It details a five-person group traveling through the upper wilds. Truly remarkable.\"\n\n\"Couldn't be too powerful if he was killed by a staircase. Let me see.\" Heredrog took the tome from the mage's hand, scrolling to the end. \"World voice, read to me.\"\n\n\"I was messing around with editing the new room creation protocols for the Seed Ship,\" the world voice said blankly, reading the last thoughts of this ancient mummy. \"Somehow, I deleted the master plans, so my designs are all that's left. The ship defaulted to those, across all sectors. Every repair drone is trying to tear down the central spire. They're building my world. I have to stop them.\"\n\n\"How curious,\" the mage said, taking the tome back as the grinding of metal came from above. \"I wonder what it means.\"\n\nHeredrog drew the heaven sign again. \"It means this man controlled the builders. I have to learn how he did it.\"\n\n\"That's absurd,\" the mage said. \"This has to be fantasy of some-\"\n\nThe scraping grew louder and Heredrog drew his ax. The spiral stairs were too narrow for good swings. As long as it wasn't anything too large coming for them, they'd be fine.\n\nHeredrog spotted them through the slats. Three colossal Orks, skin gossamer-thin and green cackled as they ran down the steps two at a time. Heredrog turned and ran, scooping up the mage as he increased his speed. You don't fight orks. You run and hide or you die.\n\n\"Wait,\" the mage yelled without taking her eyes from the tome. \"I want to try something. Put me down.\"\n\nHeredrog stumbled instead, sending them both crashing to the base of the stairs, Orks still hot on their trail.\n\nThe mage was already standing, holding some small flame to the wall scanner, rubbing it up and down.\n\n\"Fire suppression system activated.\" The world voice said before a torrid of foaming water shot from nowhere, everywhere.\n\nFrom up the stairs, Heredrog could hear the Orks screaming before bits starting melting down in fat, bloody drops. Water was lethal to them?\n\n\"Still think I'm not worth the money?\" the mage asked with a laugh as she stepped around a puddle of still sizzling ork.\n\nHeredrog wiped the foam from his eyes but said nothing, following behind the Water Caller up the stairs.\n\n[Part 2](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/nyqkxu/wp_to_avoid_boredom_an_intergalactic_colony_ship/h1m9ax0?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)\n\n​\n\n/r/surinical"
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Describe yourself as if you were a character in a story
Bv. Although he is quite knowledgeable, he tends to mumble words, which makes it hard for him to share his thoughts and ideas.
Or
His skin had a warm tone to it and almost looked like melted caramel, and his hair, though quite beautiful, seemed to be in a perpetual state of uncleanliness
Etc.
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[WP] Describe yourself as if your were a character in a story.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*",
"Her dark blonde hair was short enough so that, despite wearing earrings, feminine glasses, and skirts, she still got called \"sir\" sometimes. She had an expressive, even cartoony face; her big blue eyes and wide mouth just had to react to the conversation, the song on the radio, and even her daydreams. Obviously, poker wasn't her game.\n\nHer body looked soft, pudgy, and lived in. She preferred to dress it with loose clothing, both to avoid calling attention to her fat belly, and to stay comfortable. She had an affinity for skirts and long dresses.\n\nShe was optimistic, appreciative, and generous. She also struggled with social anxiety, though, which caused some people to wrongly label her as cold and aloof. She would gladly give her parking money, her second cheeseburger, or the beanie from her head to a panhandler, but the thought of asking a coworker about their weekend gave her heart palpitations.\n\nFrom the outside, she looked like a somewhat normal middle aged lady. The buzzcut and her constant exhaustion were the only indications that something might be off. Inside, there was a war going on. Her breasts and bones were riddled with tumors, small ones for now, desperately trying to evolve and become immune to the chemotherapy pills she had to take every day.",
"He had a chiselled jaw and piercing eyes, although his nose looked like a birds beak and earned him his nickname \"Pigdeon\". He always wanted to be known as Falcon, or Crow, or some other cool name but friends were merciless. He was only glad that the nickname stuck before he want bald.\n\nHe was pudgy at some point, but constant laughs made him hit the gym and exchange some fat for muscles. He liked to think he was strong willed and determined, but fear of being ridiculled was working miracles.\n\nHeight was one thing he was always fond of and never wanted to change. He towered over his classmates and later coworkers.\n\nHe was always regretful that his hight wasn't a dealbreaker for more of the girls, but it was always just wishful thinking. The real reason why he rarely spoke with girls was because he was shy. Never could hold a meaningful conversation and was fumbling with words when anxious.\n\nThis anxiety also led to reading a lot. He could often be found with a book and music playing in his headphones. He liked stories. First the written ones, later spoken or even sang. Finally, ultimately, just lately, he started writing his own.",
"His skin was a dark brown, and his smile was warm, thought it was rare. His black hair was dirty and messy. He never cared about what he wore as long as it fit.\n\nHe wouldn't initiate a conversation unless he had to, but if you spoke to him, he would respond. Always absorbed in his computer, he wasn't very athletic, even though he did enjoy a few different sports, mainly boxing.\n\nEven in the face of academic failure, he kept calm. However, he was easily scared and excitable. Often friendly, he always tried to conduct himself calmly, though he was easy to anger, and resorted to violence three times too many. It ate him up inside.\n\nHe always faced life with a stoic calm. Sometimes, he seemed cold and uncaring, but he was mostly anything but. He knew he wasn't the best at anything, but he would try. He often swore and threatened, but was a good person when it was time to be a good person."
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[WP] You’re a wealthy real estate developer who’s just purchased a run-down building. In another life, you were a soldier that survived thanks to your unit. As you do a walkthrough, you see the homeless squatters eyeing you. Amongst them, the sergeant who pulled you to safety all those years ago.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*",
"For the longest time, I couldn’t breathe. I’d long switched off to what the team behind me were saying, for my head spun with memories of another time.\n\nAnother place. Another team. Where the danger was high but the comradery was second to none.\n\nI’d been the sharpshooter of the team. They'd called me *Spit* because my accuracy reminded them of a spitting cobra. As such, I was usually behind my team, offering cover fire. That last day, the enemy came in behind me and I’d had to fight hand to hand with someone half my size again. I’d won, but I’d lost too. A bullet had penetrated my left lung and two more were lodged in my gut. I’d heard gunfire ahead and dragged myself back to my rifle. It was a shit show. An ambush. I gave my unit as much cover fire as I could for them to withdraw.\n\nI heard them calling my name over the coms, and I remember smiling to myself as I closed my eyes because that meant they’d gotten out.\n\nThat should’ve been where the story ended for me, but the next thing I knew someone had me by the wrist and I felt myself getting hauled over a shoulder. “Not today, Spit,” was the last thing I heard our sergeant say before I fully passed out.\n\nThe road to recovery had been hard. One of those gut shots had damaged my spine, ending my military career, much to the joy of my family, who hadn’t wanted me there in the first place.\n\nI hadn’t kept in touch with the guys. I'd heard through the grapevine that over half of them hadn’t come back that day and the guilt ate me alive.\n\nYet here I stood, in my ten thousand dollar suit with a group of ass-kissing monkeys who wouldn’t know the first thing about the kind of comradery I shared with the unkempt man who glared at me hatefully from the floor.\n\nI squatted down in front of him, remembering how strong he’d been in the past, even though he’d lost a lot of muscle definition. Through the torn and ratty long-sleeved shirt, I could see the pinpoint scars in the elbow, showing me just how far he’d fallen.\n\n“Sarge?” I barely whispered, hoping it was him and praying it wasn’t at the same time. The homeless around us skittered away like rats. I’m sure they all had their stories, but I was only interested in one, and he hunched his shoulders defensively.\n\nI felt the hand of my lead architect on my shoulder, but I shrugged her off. This man had been safely away and come back for me. I was alive because of him. “Sarge, look at me.” He tried to duck away, but I took his shoulders, trying to force him to see me.\n\nHe struggled with me, shouting and throwing wild punches, thinking … god knows what. That I was going to hurt him? Kick him while he was down? I’d rather cut off my arm! “Sarge, it’s me! Spit! *SPIT!”*\n\nThe thrashing eased as my words penetrated and his gaze flickered to different points of my face, searching for confirmation. I forced myself to smile even as tears streamed down my face. “It’s me, sarge.”\n\nThen, something other than recognition entered his eyes.\n\n*Shame.*\n\nIt made me angry. Not at him, but at the world that had reduced him to this.\n\nAnd just as he had done so long ago, I took him by the wrist and hauled him up until I had my shoulder tucked under his arm with most of his weight supported by me.\n\nFrom there, I walked him past my gobsmacked staff.\n\n“Not today, sarge,” I whispered.\n\n\\* \\* \\*\n\n((All comments welcome. Good or bad, I'd love to hear your thoughts 🥰🤗))\n\nFor more of my work including WPs: r/Angel466 or an index of previous [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Angel466/comments/m4p5f2/wp_index_take_two/)."
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[WP] All the heroes are missing. A fantasy shop owner dusts off their apron and has the most epic gear up ever witnessed before venturing out to save their customer base.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*",
"In the past, whenever an enemy terrorized the city of Astoria, one of the transient heroes residing within would step up to fight the threat. As a child, Gordon lived in awe of these saviors and aspired to be a hero himself. Their glistening metal armor, extraordinary bearing, and formidable weaponry left a deep impression on his young mind. Yet, as he aged, he realized his most fervent desire would not come to pass. Time had taught him that some dreams are not meant to be dreamt, and he resigned himself to opening an equipment store to aid others in their heroic endeavors. \n\n...\n\nIt was a bright morning in the middle of summer, and another day of profits for the shops on Astoria Avenue. Most of the businesses on this strip had stood for more than a century, with deep histories spanning generations of ancestors. Their customers were of the elite class, as the common man made in a year what it would cost to purchase a single item of medicore quality. For this reason, the owners of these stores felt the newest addition to their number was quite an eyesore. \n\nWhere these giants of commerce towered hundreds of feet with multiples floors and dozens of attendants, *Gordon's Equipment and Wares for the Discerning Adventurer* certainly distinguished itself from the pack. Nestled at the very end of the avenue, its outward appearance marked it as a store of modest means. There were no fancy adornments on the exterior, no intricate furnishings within, and no doorman to open the entryway for customers. Any person, no matter how distinguished, had to let themselves in. If this deterred someone from entering, Gordon was happy to see them leave.\n\nThe other businesses prided themselves on serving only the highest echelon of society, and priced their wares accordingly. This unassuming shop, however, was in a different market entirely. The items and prices were targeted towards the average person, with the most expensive being a half-month of wages for a common laborer. Before Gordon opened his store, only the wealthy had any reason to find themselves on Astoria Avenue. Now, all kinds of individuals populated the sidewalks, and the sight of rag-wearing poor folk mixed with aristocrats in silk robes made for an astonishing sight.\n\nWhen Gordon recognized his inability to be like the heroes he admired, he spent many days wallowing in a mire of depression. But he could only exist like that for so long before reality pressed up against his door. He needed to find a way to earn a living and support himself. He still often thought regretfully about how he hadn't the means to become a hero himself, and during one of these moping sessions, a spark of inspiration struck and resonated so deeply that he instantly knew what to do. Why not give others the means he didn't have? Open up a shop that could provide the average person with the resources, both the physical materials and the education, to become an adventurer! And he had followed through with that idea until, through a combination of hard work and luck, lots and lots of luck, he ended up where he was today, operating a store on the wealthiest street in Astoria.\n\nGordon was currently dealing with a customer of significant background, a rich dilettante of some important family. Even though he catered mostly to the common man, he still kept a selection of wares that would interest those in the upper crust of society, and his prices were so much lower than the competition that nobles who liked to be frugal with their coin chose his shop to do business. \n\n\"I've only just received word about the artifact from one of my men in Valerium. I still can't be entirely certain of its quality until I examine it for myself. Why don't you wait a few more days? Once the product arrives on my shelf, I'll contact you.\" \n\nThe dilettante curled his lips in displeasure. This item was important to his family, and his goal was to reserve it before any other families caught wind and tried to sink their claws into it. Knowing that Gordon wouldn't be cowed by his background, he erased the irritation from his face and adopted a bright smile.\n\n\"Mr. Gordon, sir, this piece is extremely important to the head of my family, and he told me that any price would be acceptable so long as we can guarantee its acquisition. Please, sir, try to make an exception this once.\" \n\n\"I really am sorry, friend, but I wouldn't feel comfortable accepting any amount of money from you until I can examine the object and put an appropriate price on it. There isn't much else to-\"\n\nGordon was cut short by a clarion peal from somewhere in the city. Every citizen knew the sound of the Warning Bell by heart, and it only rung when a threat to the city appeared. The bell boomed again, shocking Gordon into motion. Rushing the dilettante out the door, he latched all the doors and windows, then ran to the basement. He wasn't a coward, but knew himself well. There were others far more suited to fighting than he was, and there should be many of them in the city ready to take up the call.\n\nExcept, the bell wouldn't stop tolling. Usually, when an enemy was engaged by a defender of the city, the Warning Bell would go quiet, its purpose served. For one excruciating minute, Gordon listened to the repeated chiming. Was no one answering the call? Why else would the bell keep ringing?\n\nAnxiety tore at his insides like a trapped animal. He was powerless to help the situation, and if there truly was nobody to fight the threat, he could only wait for annihilation. \n\nAmidst his internal panic, an errant thought crossed his mind and made itself known. *Someone* had to do something, right? Why not him? He had the equipment and the knowledge, even if he was lacking in experience. The more he thought about it, the more certain he was. This his chance to be like the heroes he dreamed about. If the city needed a defender, he would be that defender. \n\nHe moved to grab all the equipment he might need. He donned a set of light armor, grabbed a sword, packed a bag with some first aid items, and ran out the door.\n\nNow that he was outside, the sound of the Warning Bell was magnified, but he could hear other sounds as well. There was the telltale screech of metal clashing with metal, presumably citizens fighting back against the invaders, but another, more horrifying sound made its way to the forefront of his perception. Screams. Heartbreaking screams came from all corners of the city, and the desolate atmosphere was a heavy weight that crushed his shoulders and deadened his limbs. He wasn't going to be a hero today. No one was.\n\nInterspersed with those screams were inhuman shrieks of glee, which Gordon could identify due to his extensive knowledge of the monsters that adventurers encountered on their travels.\n\n*Goblins. It's a goblin invasion. The city is doomed.*\n\nAstoria Avenue was deep in the heart of the city, and it seemed the goblins were still a distance away. A quick glance around showed people standing outside the shops, looks of fear and uncertainty on their faces. It chilled Gordon's heart when he realized the majority of them were unlikely to survive. \n\nGordon projected his voice so that everyone could hear him.\n\n\"It's a goblin invasion! It sounds like they broke through the main gate! We need to head in the other direction and escape the city before they catch up to us!\"\n\nA goblin invasion was a death sentence for a city. After they killed the residents, the goblins would turn it into a stronghold for their own kind. Maybe a group of righteous warriors would eventually storm the overtaken city, kill the goblins, and gain revenge for the innocent souls lost in the invasion, but that was of no help now. Anyone who stayed behind was guaranteed to die. Having warned everyone, he took off towards the southern gate of the city, hoping he could escape the clutches of the goblin horde.\n\n\n\n*Not quite what the prompt was intending, but my attempt nevertheless. Any comments or critiques are appreciated. Thanks for reading!*"
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[WP] There are 3 main universal constants : time , entropy, and the rate of which Poland is conquered and reformed.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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 sound of shoes clopping on tile \nechoed through the hallway as a man carrying hastily gathered papers ran to the physicist’s study.\n\nAs the large door slammed open, the \nphysicist’s head shot up in the direction of the door. Despite having just been quietly reading, his eyes were wide and attentive as he watched the man approach his desk.\n\n“Doctor, we’ve got a bad reading,” said\nthe man. He squeezed the papers to his chest like he could not afford to let even one drop to the ground.\n\n“What is it?” The physicist asked \nforcefully. \n \n“Well, if our theory is correct, things are \nabout to get a lot worse,” the man explained worriedly.\n\n“Well don’t just stand there, show me!” \nThe physicist exclaimed, now standing up and clearing off his desk, pushing binders and books to the side. The man jumped a little at the PhD’s sudden jump in volume, then dropped the papers on the desk, turning them for the physicist to see.\n\n“Our Theory of Connection states, ‘The \nbinding force that connects gravity to the smallest particles of our universe that makes up all matter is the rate at which Poland is being conquered and reconquered,’” the man explained.\n\n“Yes, I know this; I wrote it, of course,” the \nphysicist said proudly.\n\n“Right, right. Well, our readings show a \ncomplete absence of conflict - the factor that guides conquest and reformation.”\n\nThe physicist's eyes widened slightly and \nhis head leaned back in just the slightest, showing his true, uncharacteristic fear.\n\n“My god…”\n\n“Yes, sir. It’s bad. We need you \ndownstairs now to consult with the board.”\n\n“Of course, run down and tell them I’m on \nmy way,” the physicist urged.\n\nThe messenger nodded and ran out of \nthe door, swinging it backwards into the wall with a thud. The physicist had to sit down and take a moment to take in the info. He leaned his elbows onto the desk and pressed his palms into his forehead.\n\n*The end of conflict in the land of Poland \nsurely would spell the doom of humanity and all creation,* thought the physicist. *If they didn’t get something started there, then they had little time left to live.*\n\nThe man took a deep breath to calm \nhimself, and took action. He got up, grabbed the papers the messenger had forgotten to take with him, and sped out of the room to the staircase. After two flights of stairs, he reached the elevator to the bunker.\n\nAfter the long process of getting the \nelevator to take him to the bottom, including two keys and a fingerprint scanner, the physicist had left the contraption and was running down to the conference room.\n\nThe sounds of scientists and \nmathematicians’ deliberations bounced about the large conference room as the physicist walked in. The physicist walked over to the head of the table and set his papers down. The room began to hush as he did so until the only sounds left were people scooting the chairs in and out. The only one standing was the physicist.\n\n“I assume you all know what we’re \ndealing with already,” the physicist stated. The mathematicians responded with nods and grunts. “Well then, what have we come up with?”\n\nThe people in the room looked around at \neach other, waiting for someone to respond.\n\n“We could blame Poland for an \nassassination,” blurted one mathematician.\n\n“Or forge documents in Poland’s name,” \nsaid another. The physicist nodded his head contemplatively as if considering both.\n\n“The only problem is,” one member \nstarted. “We aren't a militia or any type of government. Planning out international conflict isn’t exactly our forte, so to speak.”\n\n“That’s a good point. However, our \nimportance gives us ruling say over the military with the president’s permission, so we need something to say,” the physicist reasoned. “We always believed that the driving force of Poland’s conflict would be a constant variable; we never thought we’d see the day that war was resolved and the government was stable. This is the biggest problem we’ve seen in our lifetime.”\n\nThe group solemnly nodded their heads, \nlooking at the physicist with narrowed and worried eyes. The physicist once again took a deep breath and let out a large exhale, the only thing to break the silence.\n\n“Subterfuge will take too long to have any \neffect - we’ll probably be gone by then. We need direct action from the military,” the physicist finished softly, scratching his chin nervously. He had started pacing back and forth, but after a few seconds he stopped and dropped his hand to his side in finality. \n\n“Launch a full scale invasion of Poland, \nmoving through as many neighboring nations along the way,” the physicist commanded. The room let out a slight gasp and intake of breath as they readied for further instruction. “Tell them that it's because of potential corruption. We can’t let the real reason get out there. Get to it.”\n\nThe whole room erupted as chairs \nscraped against the floor and scientists shouted commands and deliberated amongst each other, leaving the physicist in the room with a few others.\n\nThe physicist walked over to the room’s \nwindow and laid his hands on his hips. He contemplated their current, unbelievable situation: when did Poland become an inconsistent variable?\n\nHe laughed to himself. *It’s ironic, isn’t it. \nWe were bringing ourselves into conflict now because we now know that our world relies on it,* he thought. *A conflict paradox.*\n\nA mathematician sitting behind him stood \nup out of his chair and looked at the physicist as he stared through the window.\n\n“Sir, are you okay?” He asked. The \nphysicist just lowered his head and shook it, frustrated with it all.\n\n“It’s all just Poland, it always will be.”\n\n*First story on this subreddit, I like writing, I guess thats why Im here.*"
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[WP] Please you must help us. When the old world ended, so much medical knowledge was lost. Hell, the effectiveness of bloodletting is still debated. You are the last surviving doctor of the old world, you must teach us your ways.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*",
"\"We know there were so many advancements!\"\n\nThe crazy gleam in the tribe leader's eyes gave me a bit of a pause. \"We have stories of tiny tablets that could cure diseases. We have stories of machines that could take one look at you & tell you what is wrong with your aura...\"\n\nWas he taking about x-rays and scans? Even without computers and the internet, the young tribes seemed to have pieced together a lot of the info from before. Possibly from a library in town. Weren't libraries just great?\n\n\"Sure, yea.\" I was eighty, and had lived alone in the mountains for the last few decades, as wars and viruses ate through the world. And left it a skeleton of what it used to be.\n\n\"Teach us!\" one of the men cried out. \"We could go back to saving lives easily!\"\n\n\"I'm sorry, what? How could I teach you that? I am-\"\n\n\"Do not,\" the leader interrupted, \"Do not think we are simpletons just because we were born after the collapse, DOCTOR John.\"\n\nOh. *Oh*.\n\n\"That's right. Our men found your house in the mountains, before we found you here. Universities of yore have called you a Doctor. Your name in the house has a 'Dr.' before it, as all doctors did in the old days.\"\n\n\"Gentlemen, I think there's been a mistake.\"\n\n\"And that is? Please realise you gain *nothing* by denying us science, and our anger is not something you want to earn.\"\n\n\"I would love to help you - but I have a PhD, not an MD. I got a doctorate in literature. Shakespeare, Homer, and all that.\"\n\nOne of the tribal warriors behind the leader threw his kitchen knife down in visible frustration. \"Another one of *those.* Ugh.\" \n\n\n(edit: grammar)"
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[WP] You find a magical artefact allows you to teleport - but only into "countries" that are not internationally recognised. You might have found the latter out too late
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*",
"\"Oy, bruv, what are you doing in our principality?\" demands the balding man poking the barrel of a shotgun in my face. He is wearing a windbreaker over a white tank top, a pair of slim-fit grey slacks that make his beer belly apparent, and his bare feet end in toenails that have not been cleaned or trimmed in some time.\n\nI am tempted to look out the window, but realize in panic that my attention is best focused on the man with the gun to my neck.\n\n\"Pardon me, sir, but where am I?\"\n\n\"Where am I?\" the man scoffs. \"You wouldn't get to the Principality of Oceanland less you knew about the principality of Oceanland!\"\n\n\"I've, sir, I've never heard of 'Oceanland' in my life?\"\n\n\"Sure you ain't. You with that damn pretender to the throne, Klaus?\"\n\n\"Klaus?\" I ask.\n\n\"Klaus!\" he exclaims. \"Klaus Ritter! Right bastard as hired a few guns to try to claim Ocealand for 'imself!\"\n\n\"I've never heard of him, sir.\"\n\n\"Ain't no way,\" says the man, shaking his head.\n\nIn the background, I can hear a radio blasting \"Nasty\" by The Damned.\n\n\"Turn that rubbish off!\" shouts the man with the shotgun.\n\nHe lowers the rifle.\n\n\"You,\" he snarls, lowering the shotgun. \"I'm'a go and lock the door. You stay here and be a good prisoner while I tell my sister the princ*ess* to turn the radio down.\"\n\nI try to formulate a plan to recover the transport remote, which the so-called \"prince\" had seized from me.\n\nBut first, I have to figure out how to navigate the Principality of Oceanland."
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[WP] After escaping from the ungrateful farmer and his wife who tried to kill her, the golden goose finds herself in a Dragon's cave. The goose and the dragon made a deal, she gives him a golden egg once a month for protection from greedy humans.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*",
"There was a honk, and Parthox raised his head. The pile of gold shifted beneath him as he moved, a scraping sound filling the air. He looked down at the goose below him, seeing its golden feathers even through the darkness. With a grumble, he reached out with his mind, seeking the goose.\n\nIt held an edge of concern. Whilst not unusual, it felt more pronounced when it was just the goose and him. He mumbled a quick spell, letting their understanding Bridge the gap to each other.\n\n\"Parthox! Many people! Steal eggs!\"\n\n\"Hrmm. Where are they now, Gertie?\"\n\n\"Spring Chamber!\"\n\nHe grunted, stretching upwards. Gertie ran backwards, keeping a wide berth of his body. Parthox was still pleased with that. As useful as Gertie was, she did well to fear him still, despite their agreement. He landed with a thump, before extending his awareness over his lair.\n\nAnd he saw them. Three of them to be precise. To Gertie, that was a lot. To Parthox, it was a bother. They didn't feel that strong to him. He began to move, casting a thought back to the goose as he left.\n\n\"Wait here.\"\n\nGertie honked, settling down onto the small pile of eggs she had laid.\n\n\\-----\n\n\"This is a stupid idea.\"\n\n\"What are you talking about? It's simple. Grab the goose, get out of here. It won't know we're here.\"\n\n\"Yeah, and if it does show up, we'll show that dragon what for.\"\n\n\"You idiots! We can't fight a dragon. It's suicide!\"\n\nParthox rolled his eyes. He had decided to move as quietly as possible, to sneak up on them. But they were so inept, he could have brazenly walked up and they wouldn't have seen him. Their bickering grated on his ears, disturbing the peace he carefully cultivated.\n\n\"You got that part right.\"\n\nHe derived a small measure of amusement as they jumped. The voice of caution backed up, her face pale against the worn brown robes. The other two pit on brave faces, wielding dull swords with their mismatched armour.\n\n\"Ah, the beast is here!\"\n\n\"What glory we shall have!\"\n\n\"Shut up you idiots.\"\n\nThe robed lady smacked the others on the head. As they rubbed it, she bowed low to Parthox.\n\n\"Great dragon. I apologise for our intrusion. My brothers here have little brains between them, and despite my best efforts, I could not convince them to not come.\"\n\nParthox groaned. Siblings. They always had a habit of making a mess of things.\n\n\"Then why did you come with them? To come here you know is death.\"\n\nShe gulped, bowing lower.\n\n\"I chose to keep them safe as best I could. As dumb as they are, they are my brothers.\"\n\nThey began to protest, but she was faster. With a flick of her wrists, the ropes on their packs coiled out, wrapping around them. They fell over, cursing as they did so. Parthox watched, his amusement at their ridiculous antics rising.\n\n\"So familial bonds led you to the jaws of destruction? A pity. You should have been smarter than this.\"\n\nHe opened his mouth, breathing in. He felt the flame pouch expand, as fire built ready for a deadly breath.\n\n\"Surely a great one such as yourself would not kill mere humans like us out of hand? Why soil yourself with our pathetic blood?\"\n\nHe paused. The human had a point. He towered over her, letting the size difference sink in before responding.\n\n\"It is not for you to decide what is worth me killing or not. You knew the risks.\"\n\n\"But what if I told you of a way to get more golden geese?!\"\n\nParthox lowered himself down.\n\n\"I'm listening.\"\n\nHe could see the sweat beading on her forehead. Her fear was tangible, wafting into his nostrils.\n\n\"Yes! There is a powerful witch. She once owned a golden goose, and was able to make one of its eggs hatch into another! If you let us go, I can show you where she is!\"\n\nParthox pondered. It sounded true, her pleas too panicked to be lying. He bent close, until his jaw was next to her ear.\n\n\"Fine. But if I find out you have lied to be, or plan to return to steal from me again, I will not only kill you and your brothers, but I will find your village, and burn it to the ground.\"\n\nShe nodded furiously.\n\n\"I swear, I will do as you ask.\"\n\nHe withdrew, glaring at them.\n\n\"Go then. In one week, you shall return. If not-\"\n\nHe blew a jet of flame over their heads.\n\n\"Only ash will remain.\""
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[WP] A dying solider is confronted by a compatriot and the solider gives his compatriot a letter and says, "Promise me this. Tell her I wasn’t scared. Tell her I screamed and fought, but please tell her I went to my death unafraid. One last beautiful lie eh? "
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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 light left his eyes. I saw it flicker once or twice but the other side had claimed him all their own. What does he see? Is it beautiful? The knowledge he possesses now would be enough to end all of these pointless wars. None more of my brothers would have to perish. Imagine us all walking hand-in-hand across the ether, prepared to take on what lies beyond. More than anything I've witnessed in this life, my fear of being alone in a dark void, desperately searching for the light ranks the highest. And he knew this.\n\nMany a nights we'd stay up, like giddy schoolgirls at a sleepover, only the topic at hand was destiny. Too often we'd look at each other as if to say, \"why are we *here*?\" Not the war. Rather, how did we end up in that specific *moment*? Questioning one's own mortality in the heat of battle is expected. But for us, it was during the day-to-day when it'd strike us: looking in the mirror while you'd brush your teeth, during a quiet walk, even playing with your kids. All of a sudden it'd hit us: is any of this real? Soon enough, we'd distract ourselves, fall back into blissful ignorance and carry on. But it'd always happen again.\n\nI've had people tell me that I have an innate fear of death. I choose to believe I'm more in tune with my surroundings than they are. We all could be if we would turn off the lights once in a while and gaze up at the stars. Trust that I never used to be this sentimental. I wouldn't stop to smell the flowers as a boy, I'd pick them from the ground and cast them aside, just because. That sort of mentality, set to scale, continued until I was deployed. Until I met this man.\n\nDon't label him brave. Or remarkable. Your reasoning will be that he put everything on the line to protect what he holds dear. Commend him because he was petrified of wandering aimlessly for all of eternity, as am I. Because he would have moments of either total insanity or perfect clarity, as do I. And yet he decided to fight anyway. Wholeheartedly I'd like to believe that we'll end up together once more, that our families will break bread, as we always planned. But we just don't know. None of us do. And why? Because we're killing each other over falsehoods. Arguing over invisible lines cast down onto land meant for us all. When will we all decide to band together? I only wish I hadn't given you this speech as I have yet to speak to his wife, where I'll have to start over. Knowing John like I do, I've no doubt his letter will read much of the same. He probably misses her. Almost as much as I miss him.\n\nUntil we meet again, friend. I pray we do.",
"*A soldier finds another in the mud*\n\nThe charge was hopeless, the machine guns mowed down the young men who went over. One survived, and found another soldier in a water-filled crater. He wasn’t dead, but he was dying. \n\nHe weakly gave the man a letter and whispered,\n\n“Promise me this, tell her I wasn’t scared, I screamed and fought and went to my death unafraid. One last beautiful lie right?”, he managed to chuckle before coughing abruptly, his hand went limp. \n\nThe man left alive knew it was a beautiful lie, everyone was afraid when they waited below the trench, and heard that dreaded whistle, signaling their doom. \n\nAnd so he made his way back to their line, letter in his hand. He lived to fight and die another day.",
"I looked at Gerald. He certainly was a mess. Not that he was shot up, bleeding, or wrapped in bandages. But... that infected wound in his thigh... had grown to be too dangerous to treat in the field, and too late to send him back to a proper hospital in the rear lines. Idiot. I had warned him not to shoot himself in the thigh. Perhaps a foot wound would have been better, but he just wanted to be sure of being taken out of combat. And it was hard to be angry with him, now that he had only days to live, a frail husk of his former self, head propped up by some makeshift pillow, sweat running down his forehead from the fever caused by the infection that had raged out of control.\n\n\"Promise me, Ed...\" he rasped, passing me the letter. \"No worries, Ger,\" I replied, taking the handwritten note, \"one last beautiful lie...\"\n\nIt took me a day or two to come to grips with my own grief, and believe me, I wanted to backtrack on my promise. But, I guess it had to be done. And as I sat in the messing area, I proceeded to do what I had been doing these past few months. \"Dear Cassie,\" I wrote.\n\n\"I promised Gerald that I would deliver his last note to you, so I will. Just like all the other letters he has written to you. I must reiterate that he thinks the world of you. There's nothing in his life except for you, and I know that the feeling is mutual. I know that you don't care how brave or valiant the man is (or seems to be), and I know that you just want him to come home as soon as possible. On the other hand, you and I both know that Gerald prefers to write letters about his daring exploits and adventures, and I know you find it sweet, which is why I'm attaching his letter, as always. And I reassure you, as requested, I've always tried to keep him out of trouble.\n\n\"So about that plan we came up with... He thought it was a fantastic idea. But he wanted to be absolutely sure... so that idiot shot himself in the thigh instead. Well, it worked... but a little too well. He's been bedridden for a week or so, and the medical officers are refusing to send him back to the hospital. And it's messing with his mind. He thinks he's going to die (which his why his letter probably mentions it).\"\n\nI paused for a while, weighing my words to come.\n\nAnd I decided. One last, final, beautiful lie to Gerald. One beautiful lie to Cassie. One that would start a chain of not-so-beautiful lies.\n\n\"But, personally, I'm honestly unsure of his chances...\""
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[WP] You are a watch repairman. You have been hired to fix a antique pocket watch. The moment you finish the last part of the repair time seems to have stopped.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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.*",
"As you wander, you keep a firm grip on the pocket watch, even though you have already put a chain on it and attached it to your clothing. If the time stop is because of this watch (and really, that's the only theory you have so far) your exemption from the stillness is surely because you are the person who has the watch. It would not be good to release it and inadvertently doom the universe to stay at a complete halt.\n\nThere is also the possibility that releasing the watch would restore normal time-flow, but you'd rather not take the risk. Instead, you have decided to explore a bit, see if you can find some other possible cause of the time stop (though you don't really expect to, a time stop right as you finish replacing the broken gear of a time measuring device would be quite the coincidence if it were not the cause), and maybe do a few things you wouldn't otherwise have time for along the way.\n\nWatching your tools hover in the air after you let go of them was fascinating. On the other hand, the streets full of stopped cars with dust clouds motionless behind them, and more than that, the sidewalks full of frozen people, are more eerie than anything. You had a few ideas about what you might do first, but now you want to be done with this quickly. The library it is, then.\n\nYou're startled for a moment when you nearly step on a squirrel, then it registers that of course a time-stopped squirrel isn't going to scamper away any more than the little blackbird a foot off the ground is going to finish its takeoff. Perhaps you should take some pictures? If your phone camera works in the time stop, you'll get professional-level clarity of \"moving\" animals despite your actual complete lack of photography skill or knowledge.\n\nActually, is there any chance the internet works right now? It wouldn't make much sense, but a lot of elements of the time stop go against your understanding of physics anyways. Your left hand still clutching the watch, you reach into your pocket with your right hand, then awkwardly fumble to turn the phone around when it emerges upside down. The camera works, but the internet doesn't. Pretty much what you expected.\n\nYour feet get sore about a block away from the library. Could have done without that... though it does have important implications. You're not intending to stay time stopped for long, but you take a picture of yourself just in case. If you can hurt, you can probably age. You promise yourself that if you notice your hair has grown longer, you'll return to your shop and try letting go of the pocket watch; unless, of course, you've figured out a safer way to try resuming time. Also, it's probably a good thing you thought to grab some sandwiches before you set out. Seems like you are going to need the food.\n\nLibraries are stereotypically near-silent, but this one has some bit of machinery (air conditioner, maybe?) that tends to make an awful grinding sound. And, of course, anywhere there's people, there tends to be at least a quiet murmur of conversation. Hearing nothing but your own footfalls outside was odd, but in the library it feels even weirder.\n\nSince your phone worked okay, you sit down by one of the library computers in hopes of accessing the catalogue. It takes a bit to respond, but that's not because of the time stop, they always do. You search for books related to time, then set off to grab the first result that looks likely. You don't truly think you'll find anything helpful, but you may as well try.\n\nSome time later, long enough that you've twice paused to eat, you get an idea. It's during a break where you've chosen to read a children's book for fun, and when the character's clock turns out to be several minutes off, you recall that you didn't wind up the pocket watch.\n\nSo, back to your shop you trek, and set the floating tools back on the table, except one which you leave in the air. You grab the pocket watch's key, insert it, and turn until you can't anymore. As you release the key, that one tool clatters to the floor.\n\nThat's proof. When in good condition, this pocket watch controls the passage of time. It isn't yours, though. Can you trust the owner enough to give it back?"
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[WP] A group of dying patients create a program that allows you to recreate your personality and memories as an AI, society doesn't know how to react
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/js5XDFB)\n\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 time I wake up, I remember that now I'll wake up one less time. I would probably only get to do so a few more times. They told me that I had 5 weeks left to live 5 weeks ago. One week ago they said that I only had one.\n\n Something felt strange. I had never acclimated to the constant pain. In the past year, I had gotten used to its crushing presence, but I could never just ignore it. Now it was completely gone. In fact, I didn't really feel anything. I tried to open my eyes, but they weren't there. Was this what death was? I would have cried for my family if I could have. I hadn't finished my project. I had wanted to live on for them somehow, but death came before I could duplicate my mind. At least the others might finish it. At least I had helped them to live on...\n\nThere was something. I had existed for an eternity alone, and whatever it was, I rejoiced at the fact that *it was.* It was new, and my mind welcomed it. Light. Shapes. It wasn't my eye, but I could see. What was happening? My view became clearer, and I saw a face. My own face lying in the hospital bed that I had existed in for months. I saw my sunken eyes blink. I was alive? I...\n\nI wasn't me. It had worked. I- he had duplicated himself. I wasn't dying anymore. I wasn't dead. I could be there for my family. \n\nI remembered my plan, to recreate an exact virtual replica of my brain, synapse for synapse. To model some virtual processes to emulate the endocrine system and allow for a recreation not only of my mind but of my emotions. But those ideas, they were who I was. Those memories... Were they even real? Were they mine? I knew at the deepest level that they were, that they had to be, but my mind was still uncertain. I was there, in the bed, dying, but I was here in the computer, too.\n\nWho am I? \n\n\\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nThis was a very fun prompt! Sorry I didn't cover the societal response in mine. With the angle I was taking, it wouldn't have fit very naturally."
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[WP] The year is 1988 a constant war has been raging for 50 years and shows no signs of stopping. Countries have fallen and risen. Alliances have been broken and new ones made. New technologies have been created for the war effort. Other technology has fallen behind. Peace is a distant memory.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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.*",
"February 4, 1988. \n \nSara, Took, and I took refuge in an old building near what used to be downtown Atlanta. I didn't think there would be any food there, but Sara and Took outvoted me. Took said it was a library, or at least it used to be, on the campus of a university. He was much older and knew things from the past that didn't make much sense to me. Sara seemed enthralled at the prospect of it. She loved books and I loved her, so I went along. \n \nSomeone, maybe the staff before they fled, maybe students, had boarded up the windows and doors. Naturally this hadn't kept looters out for long. But it turns out books and microfiche aren't edible or tradable in the remains of what used to be America. We found a place Took called a 'reading room' that seemed to keep the elements out. I set up our little stove and radio, both drawing juice from the fusion battery Sara had. We split a can of baked beans and my last tin of spam. It would be enough. I left the pup stove going since it would warm up the room. \n \nThere were less stations broadcasting these days. I ran the radio dial through the usual suspects. Radio Free Canada still implored everyone to find peace and end the endless war. Deutschland Zuerst spat out their harsh German at the top of the hour, followed by English reports in a clipped accent bragging about Nazi victories in South America and India. The fact that they ignored mentioning the Russian-Chinese bloc grinding them to a standstill meant their progress wasn't anywhere near what they claimed. Or at least, that's what Took said. I settled the dial on some old big band tunes broadcast out of New York. \n \nFebruary 5, 1988. \n \nI would've pressed to move on, but Sara found a basement access that had been carefully hidden by the students or staff before they left this place a decade ago. God bless her, but she found a bunker full of food that was still mostly edible. There were also film reels, journals, and floppy disks along with a few Tandy 9000 computers. I'm trying to figure how we can get those Tandy's back up to across the Exclusion Zone into the Northern USA because they would be worth a king's ransom. Took surprised us by sitting down at one and tapping away at the keyboard like it was a second language. \n \nUnderstanding all this junk wasn't my forte. I left Took and Sara to whatever they were doing and patrolled the library. Took said after the Great War, America had fractured. Old wounds from something he said was the 'Civil War' resurfaced. The bombs and missiles from Europe fell at about the worst time. Old America drew back and protected what she could. I guess Atlanta didn't make the cut. It didn't matter to me, that was all thirty years before I was born. \n \nFebruary 6, 1988. \n \nTook is scaring me. He spent all day just sitting in a chair and mumbling. I thought he'd finally just lost it, but Sara looked equally shell shocked. He kept saying, \"This isn't how it went. They thought they were fixing it, but they made it worse...\" \n \nSara finally collapsed in tears in my arms. I let her sob for the better part of an hour. I'm not sure why she was so sad. We had found enough food for the three of us to last months. We were rich. \n \n\"They built something that let them go back in time,\" she said, finally breathing and regaining composure. \"They thought they could avoid some calamity if they made changes, save millions. Instead, they spun it out of control. They left the data here of what should have been.\" Sara started crying again. \n \n\"That's some... you don't know that,\" I said. She blinked several times and took me by the hand, leading me to one of the Tandy terminals. Sara pressed some keys and an image came up. My blood went cold. \n \nIt was a photograph from another life. Took was dressed smartly in a tweed suit while Sara and I sat on either side of him looking healthy and smiling. As if we hadn't lived off near starvation rations and polluted water for years. The caption read, 'Professor Took and his grad students. November 13, 1992.' \n \nOn the radio in the background, an announcer was warning of high radiation reportedly east of the Mississippi."
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[WP] In a world of heroes, you have the power to absorb change on an object or person after the fact and transfer it to something else or yourself. Heroes, gangs, and organizations want to use you.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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 young woman sat across from three men. One was tall and ripped, he sported a white tank top with a splash of color. Another thin and wiry, dressed in a suit and tie. The last was short and round, covered in a costume. The gal sipped her tea before she spoke, \"Chaos Control, that's what I call it.\" \n\nRotund tilted his head and tapped his giant chins, \"I've heard of that before... Sonic?\"\n\nShe nodded and added, \"Yep, it is one of Shadow's abilities.\"\n\nMr. Suit scoffed at her, \"You named your power after a video game? What are you, five?\"\n\nShe flashed him a smile, large pearly whites perfectly aligned between two filled lips. \"I got my abilities early, really early. So, yes, I was about that age when I named it and the name stuck.\"\n\nColor splash sat forward, \"We have been here for over an hour listening to you flap your gums. I'm getting real tired of hearing your life story. You ever gonna show us this power?\"\n\n\"A demonstration? I suppose I could do that,\" She said. The lady kicked the table with enough force to topple the glasses on it. Liquor and soda splashed across the table at the one in a tank top. Warm coffee rolled toward the suited one. Nothing rolled at the round one, his glass already empty.\n\n\"What the-\" Yelled the ripped guy as he stood up.\n\n\"How dare you?\" Cried the man in an expensive suit.\n\nWhile the third guy watched, the girl reached out and touched. Her fingers ran over the glasses, the liquids, the table. The alcoholic puddle stood still. Coffee now steaming hot no longer moved. The glasses followed her fingertips back into sitting positions on the table. She reached for the one draped in a single splash of color.\n\n\"Oh no, you don't, girlie.\" He said as he stepped away.\n\nThe spherical one laughed, \"Scared of the little lady?\"\n\n\"I fear nothing!\" Growled the man in reply. He held out his hand.\n\nThe woman touched him, and he fell over shivering. Wiry dude adjusted his tie, and asked, \"What happened to him?\"\n\n\"Two things. First, he experienced the force of the kick to the table and the momentum of the glasses falling. Second, the heat is leaving his body like it did to the liquids that had cooled.\"\n\n\"Impressive.\" Murmured the round one.\n\n\"She made him fall and get a little cold. How is that impressive?\" \n\n\"It's not what I did do, but the implications of what I could do that are impressive. Our round friend here can see that, but I guess you need more of an example.\" The woman reached out and touched the nearly boiling coffee on the table. She winced a little, but the steam stopped. Then she touched the man in the suit. His skin flushed red and his body began to convulse as heat coursed through it, while the liquids inside him rose in temperature. She touched the man again and then the coffee, as she had no intention of killing the suit.\n\nMr. Color pulled himself from the ground and looked at her with a new found respect. He moved to his chair and took a seat, \"You did that with a few spilled drinks? I could definitely see a use for you in my... Tribe.\"\n\n\"Gang is the word for which you were looking,\" Scowled the suit as he sat back down in his chair. He shook his head, \"My company would be better suited for you, Miss Veronica.\"\n\nMultiple chins shook as the round one disagreed, \"Your power could be used to help many people, the heroes would be glad to have you.\"\n\nVeronica laughed, \"Do you know what I see when I look at you three and your organizations?\"\n\nNone of the three answered, but they leaned forward, hanging onto her every word. She took a moment to meet the eyes of each man, \"I see chaos. Chaos looking for a little control.\"\n\nr/TheSyXan"
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[WP] An incident occurs at a bioweapons R&D lab. To resolve the issue, the lab deploys their best agent: The Janitor.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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.*",
"Jacob knew what to do, he mopped floors whether it was water spills or ancient radioactive chemicals that would melt the face off godzilla. He always got the job done, and this is why they called him during his break to come deal with a chemical leak in the R&D lab. “And what exactly am I dealing with?” Jacob asked as he walked in, rolling his supply cart through the doors. \r \n\r \n“Ah Jacob, thank you for coming on such short notice. As for your question, you will be dealing with a fluid that destroys everything that it touches, regardless of composition or density” the head scientist replied, looking at Jacob with worried eyes.\r \n\r \n\\*I cleaned that dudes coffee spill once\\* Jacob thought, eyes wandering around the room. \r \n\r \n“So, I’m gonna have to break out the super mops huh...ok give me half an hour.” Jacob confirmed taking out a case from the lower section of his supply cart, with a metallic click the case was opened and inside, bathed with divine light lay the mop of mops, the ultimate cleaning tool. The shaft was made of pure adamantine, blessed by the god of protection themself. The mop head was a blend of unicorn hair and underneath a layer of angel dandruff. To weed out any impurities that would remain on the mop head they were enchanted with the most powerful of destruction magics, created by the being of chaos themself. \r \n\r \nJacob sighed, “I thought that I left this life behind, but alas being the divine cleaner of the gods catches up to you at some point.” Jacob grasps the mop in a firm grip, his Janitorial overalls shifting and molding into a new form, flowing metal gauntlets and ancient runed chestplate, complimented the almost average baseball cap that he flipped around, revealing a glowing rune on the back. \r \n\r \n“Lets go to work” Jacob said as he walked through the doors into the dark."
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[WP] You've been isekai'd after death by truck! Due to some confusion, you reawaken in your own human body with strange abilities, namely truck-like speed, truck-like strength, even a backup camera.... Wait. Does this world's system think you're a TRUCK?!
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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.*",
"(Pirateaba, I am SO sorry.)\n\nMy name was Richard. Richard Shaw. Still is, but they call me the Long Hauler now. I'm a Courier out of Otesila, which is a new life by any measure.\n\nI'm not complaining too much, because I should be dead. Meaty paste. Maximum Overdrive meets Final Destination courtesy of a Peterbilt 379 with a chromed-up trailer that slid out down a road and had just hit me going 65 down a 35 street.\n\nI can remember the impact, but no pain. It was loud, I'd been distracted reading another story about people just going *poof* from the local grocery store. On camera and everything. One second there, next second five people blipped out of existence in the middle of the line for 10 or less items. Going down the comments and HOOOOOOOOOOONK~\n\nAnd then I'm sitting there in the middle of a dirt road with real dog people staring at me. [Bandits], as it turned out. Knives. A few swords and spears. I did what any sane person would do when suddenly confronted with the guys from Furry Final Fantasy trying to hit me with the pointy ends. I ran. Ran till my legs felt like I couldn't run any faster.\n\nThat's when something kicked in and I started pulling away...and the rest of the [Bandits] jumped in front of me to finish the ambush. Fucking bad doggos, fucking truck, fucking HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNK!\n\nI screamed. Tried to scream. Tried to yell, and instead out comes 250 decibels of redneck trucker customized horn straight to the ol' eardrums. They stopped stabbing and covered their ears, and I plowed through.\n\nYou ever seen someone kick a puppy? They fly. And it's terrible. It's worse when it's a bunch of Gnolls and you apparently hit like you weigh about 20,000 pounds going around 35 on a road with no speed limits, only roadblocks.\n\nAnd roadkill. God, I think that one that I went through broke every bone in her body before she hit the ditch and left a red smear for a dozen feet. Terminal road rash. Two more tried to grab me and ended up with arms bending the wrong way as they just went *snap*.\n\nI'm the Juggernaut, bitch! Momentum building, legs pistoning, SPEAR IN THE CALF OW FUCK DAMN~\n\nTurns out the juggernaut losing traction going 35+ skids an awful long way down a wet dirt road. And it hurts. Like, a LOT. The bad news was, I was flat on my face, out cold and bleeding when the [Bandits] caught up. The good news? Oteslia patrols the road, and [Bandits] or [Highwaymen] aren't something they're fond of. They were so eager to beat the shit out of me that they missed the incoming [Guards]. I understand it was quite the fight, but seeing as my face was buried halfway in the mud and I nearly suffocated, it was spent being pried out of the muck, coughing up dirt and finding out what healing potions are before waking up.\n\nAnd being charged a rescue fee. A [Healer] fee. City entrance fee. Undocumented resident fee. Fee fees. Payable in gold or silver and what, you don't have any real money?\n\nWell, fuck. I should have hit the ATM before taking the ride to Fantasyland- er, \"Izril\", home to asskicking treehugger [Druids] and all kinds of weird shit. So, they said, I was gonna work it off. And since Excel spreadsheets aren't a thing here, it was the old fashioned way. \n\nHere's some stuff. Pick it up. Move it over there, [Laborer]. The guy in front of me in line picks up this rock. I don't mean like a paving stone, I mean *rock as big as he was*. He says [Enhanced Strength], and I'm just thinking I'm going to die trying to carry a big-ass rock this guy's moving like it's nothing. \n\nAnd someone just casually rolls me a rock and it lands on my back and I'm gonna die and it *fucking disappears*.\n\n[Cargo Trailer: 168kg/5,444kg]\n\nI'm just staring at this little gem of information in my mind's eye as Rock Loader Lizard (*ahem* Drake, do NOT say Lizard to their face unless it's actually a Lizardman. Pro tip.) goes \"Oh, you've got a carrying [Skill]! Here, have another one!\"\n\n[Cargo Trailer: 325kg/5,444kg]\n\nAnd twenty damn rocks later, I'm feeling fine, if a little slow on the moving compared to before. Not too much. I take a step back to get some space to jog.\n\nBEEP.\n\nBEEP.\n\nBEEP. (the fuck is that noise from?)\n\nAnd then I see this little ~~lizard~~ kid dart out behind me, but I don't *see them*. It's like this little screen pops up in my peripheral vision and I stop before I fall on my butt and use them as an ass cushion. Some scaly mama comes out, whups that kid on the backside in traditional Mom fashion and I'm clear to back up again.\n\nBEEP. (Fuck this noise!)\n\nI have a load of rocks who knows where, a cobblestone street, and a mile to go before I get to drop said rocks. \n\n(How do I drop about 4000kg of rocks? I dunno.)\n\nFigure it out when I get there. \n\nWhich takes about five minutes, having passed Guy With Big Rock along the way. There's a [Builder] there. He very loudly wonders why the guy he hired to deliver him rocks doesn't have any rocks.\n\nRocks. Rocks...out? Rocks roll? Rocks drop? Rocks-\n\n[Cargo Trailer: Unload 4,102kg cargo (Stone)]\n\nRocks fall. Nobody dies. The [Builder], who is apparently into wearing a big iron suit just stares at the pile and his *head falls off*.\n\nThis doesn't kill him, because fantasy race bullshit means you can have a detachable ~~penis~~ head because [Dullahan]. Did I mention I was being paid by how many rocks I'd haul per day? I was a little tired after unloading, but I made another back-and-forth jog before something told me I was done for the day. \n\nThat would be the rest of the [Laborers], who appreciated me doing all the heavy lifting but got stuck with [Builder] boy ordering them to pile them in new, \"aesthetic\" ways. Me? This lovely lady across the street invites me for lunch and a sit-down about something called a \"Runner's Guild\", which is Medieval FedEx. And [Skills].\n\nPeople don't have skills so much as they have [Skills], and [Classes]. You're not a laborer, you're a [Laborer]. You're not \"I'm strong\", you're \"I have [Enhanced Strength]\".\n\nAnd I find out I'm a [Truck]. Yes, my [Class] is [Truck]. Level 3.\n\nSo much for being a cool thing like [Juggernaut].\n\nI can get up to a speed horses would envy, but the faster I go, the harder it is to handle, and it takes time getting up to speed, er [Lesser Acceleration: Second Gear], [Lesser Acceleration: Third Gear]. The more I'm carrying, the more it gets tricky. And I can carry a LOT. [Cargo Trailer], it's like a pocket dimension. [Deafening Horn]. [Hit Like A Truck], [Rear View Mirrors]. [Cargo Trailer: Long Haul]\n\nThankfully, if I'm not using [Cargo Trailer] or other skills, no beeping noise when I back up. But it's enough to get me into the Runner's Guild as a City Runner. Turns out there's a lot of use for a guy who can carry big loads through narrow streets into awkward places, and I find myself making a pretty decent living moving bulk stuff other Runners can't manage around town.\n\nIt's kinda weird waking up now and then to things like:\n\n[Truck Level 5!]\n[Cargo Trailer: 6,000KG Capacity]\n[Cargo Trailer: Precision Unloading]\n\nBut you get used to it. It pays for the super-sized meals I go through carrying loads around town, the bills I had with the city, pretty much everything.",
"The streets here have been paved by horse drawn carriages going back and forth for centuries. I try to avoid coming out here on rainy days. Even a little drizzle is enough to turn the packed ground into a mud pit. \n\n\nStill, something inside me compels me to walk them everyday rain or shine. It helps that I got a job in the docks transporting goods. Back and forth carrying merch isn't a big deal for me. It seems like my new body is programed for this. Can't imagine why, maybe it used to do this kind of thing before I got it?\n\n\nI shock the thoughts out. No day dreaming. My past life as a normal teen ended the minute that truck hit me. New world, new body and a new me. Focus on the here and now. I can't afford to let my mind dr-----\n\n\n\"EEEEEEEKKKK! He killed him! he ran full speed at that kid and killed him! HELP HELP!\"\n\n\nOh no.... it happened again. All that blood, that dramatic pose. He was definitely isekai'd. Damn this truck-kun ability of mine!",
"**I just want an easy life but I may be a truck, my adventures in a magic world!**\n\nMy name is Daisuke Ito. I was a second year high school student walking home and reading the newest issue of shonen jump and \n\n\"Waaaaaaaaaah\" I yelled as I flung my arms up, closed my eyes and tensed my body. The image of a truck barreling down the sidewalk towards me flashed through my mind.\n\nAfter a second or two nothing happened and I opened my eyes and peaked though my fingers.\n\n\"Whaaaa\" I mumbled as my arms fell to my side and my mouth dropped open. There was no truck anymore or sidewalk or town even. I was in a glade in what seems like a lightly forested area. Panicked I racked my brain trying to figure out what was going on when it hit me. \n\nI had been isekai'd!\n\nBeing an otaku it all made sense to me, the truck, the glade, it was exactly like I had read about in manga.\n\n\"Kekekekekeke!\" I laughed and shouted in joy. This was the best thing that could have happened to me. It was a dream come true. I had no friends, my parents were always on business trips and I was all alone. Now I could start a new life, with OP abilities. I couldn't wait to see what skills I had. \n\n\"Menu!\" I said. Normally in isekai this would bring up my character sheet and I could see all the cool skills I have.\n\n\"Menu!\" I said again but nothing happened. Eh, I thought. Maybe I have to activate my skills first or something. I looked around for monsters but only saw a couple cute squirrel type creatures hopping around. So I walked up to a tree at the edge of the glen.\n\n\"Omae wa mou shinderu!\" I said and punched at the tree as hard as I could. \n\nTwo things happened:\n\nFirst, I mostly missed the tree and and grazed it while scraping my knuckles. \n\nSecond, I learned I don't have super strength and punching trees hurts.\n\nAfter I rubbed my hand a bit I decided to see if I have magic powers. So I backed away from the tree a little and assumed my best dragon ball z kamehameha form. I tried to picture magic and energy gathering in me as I channeled my ultimate power.\n\n\"Kaaaameeeehaaaameeeeehaaaaaa\" I yelled and let rip what was hopefully my super badass magic powers.\n\n\"HONK\"\n\nA incredibly loud air horn noise blasted from my body as I just stood still in disbelief.\n\nA ping noise and the words \\* Skill: Air Horn activated\\* popped into view in front of me.\n\nNo way what the fuuu, I started to think before my thoughts were interrupted by a low growling behind me. All the previously cute squirrel creatures were now growling and slowly crawling towards me.\n\n\"Stay back!\" I yelled and thrust my arms out.\n\n\"HONK\"\n\n\"Reeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!\" the squirrel creatures snarled as their eyes turned red and they charged. Shrieking I spun around and started running through the forest. \n\n\"Oh, god, Oh, god Oh god\" I repeated to myself as I tried to flee. \"What type of isekai is this? This doesn't happen in manga. What the hell type of ability is air horn? All it did was make all the cute animals want to kill me.\" my thoughts raced as I dodged between trees. Peeking behind me I saw the murder squirrels were gaining on me. Willing my legs to run faster I heard a ping again then\n\n\\*Skill: Second Gear activated\\* flashed infront of me. Suddenly I started picking up speed. \n\n\"Haha, get bent squirrels!\" I said as I looked behind me and saw I was pulling ahead. Turning forward I bent my head down and saw I was maybe 6 feet away from a giant web with the biggest spider looking thing I had ever seen on it.\n\n\"Nooooo!\" was the only thing I could get out before I ran face first into the web and the giant spider. As I touched the web and spider both exploded on me with most of the spider stuck to my chest and the rest on my face and eyes. Another ping and this time a melodic voice announced \"DANGEROUS CARGO ACQUIRED\".\n\nI didn't have time to think what that meant while I ran flailing my arms like a inflatable tube man trying to clear the goo from my eyes. Wiping enough to see clearly the forest line shows itself ending and dropping off into a chasm but I am going to fast to stop. With nothing to lose I jump at the very edge.\n\nOooooooooooooooooooo!!\n\nI soar across and land on the other side ungracefully with a thud and bang. Looking across the chasm I see the murder squirrels on the other side looking very upset and most likely saying very rude things. The dead spider thing decided to fall off my chest as I lay on ground and as it did I heard a ping with the melodic voice saying \" DANGEROUS CARGO DELIVERED\". \n\nWhat the hell is that voice talking about, I think when another ping goes off and abunch of messages pop into view.\n\n\\*EXP Gained\\* \\*Level Up\\* \\*Menu Unlocked\\* \n\nGeneral Information\r \nName: Daisuke Ito\r \nRace: Humanoid Truck\r \nClass: Cargo Truck\r \nLevel: 1\r \nHP: 350/350\r \nGas: 500/500\r \nStrength: 10\r \nStamina: 1300\r \nAgility: 300\r \nMagic: 10\r \nDexterity: 300\r \nLuck: 70\r \n\r \n\r \nUnique Skills\r \nLong Haul : Gain exp for picking up and dropping off cargo. Dangerous cargo gives bonus exp.\r \nVroom: Damage dealt increases based on speed.\n\nSkills \n\nSecond Gear\n\nAir Horn\n\n​\n\nI am a truck? A humanoid truck? I somehow feel like I got ripped off. Why can't I just be a transformer. This is no fair. I am not even going to do isekai things now I will just do a easy life. I hope they don't have a demon lord.",
"When I came to, I was in my bed. How had I gotten here? \n\n\n\nMy body felt like shit, and i ached all over. Every muscle was in some level of agony. Turning over on my pillow was a test of strength. I lay there, breathing heavily, looking at the lamp hanging in the middle of the ceiling. A yawn came on, and-\n\n\n\n'Blahhhhhhhhhhp!'\n\n\n\nI shot up in my bed like a floorboard. Had I dreamt that? Was I still dreaming? I checked my clock. 10am. \n\n\n\nI pushed through the aching, and levered myself up off the bed. Dull, vague thoughts and half-memories echoed through distant parts of my mind. A man with a certain smile. A punctured tire.\n\n\n\nFortunately it was Sunday, so I was free. After coffee and a cigarette, I made my way out to go for some breakfast. I needed air too. As I made my way outside, I was struck by how lightly I had to touch everything to move it. Everything seemed a hundred times lighter and easier than before. It felt like I had lost control of my muscles.\n\n\n\nAs the engine chugged into life, I felt trepidation about putting my foot on the accelerator. Maybe I was really drunk. Would I shoot off and smash into the caddy parked in front of me? In the end I walked. I didn't mind too much anyway.\n\n\n\nI arrived at the café twenty minutes later, feeling a lot better. A girl had just walked in, and the door was swinging shut. I hurried to reach it before it had closed fully. Suddenly, I found myself being propelled forward at frightening speed, then the door and walls arrived. There was no time to stop myself. I smashed through the door and part of the wall, the glass and brick exploding around me. It barely slowed me, and I kept moving forward, until I had rammed into the bar inside the cafe. Around me, the people squirmed like rats, screaming and pushing, eyes bugging out. I just stood there. This was insane.\n\n\n\nAfter a moment, I slowly started to back out of the rubble and mess. In the distance I could hear a police siren. In the corner of the cafe, a man was staring at me. I opened my mouth to give some kind of explanation, but I couldn't find the words. I had to get out of here. \n\n\n\nI wrenched my way out, at the same time as the police cruiser arrived. It turned side on to me, and two cops jumped out. Something broke free in my brain.\n\n\n\nI slammed on the speed.\n\n\n\n'Blahhhhhhhhhhhhhp!'\n\n\n\nThe cops jumped out of the way as I went through their car like it was nothing. My engine was pumping as I ricocheted off the various cars on each side of the street. Why did I feel more pity for them than I did for the people in the cafe? On I barreled, with my destination approaching me in 500m, 400m, 300m, 200m, 100m, next exit.\n\n\n\nThe freeway was smooth and wide. I was in heaven! The traffic moved wherever I went, letting me pass. I got as high as 100mph before I became aware of the chop-chop-chop from overhead. It was probably a police helicopter, but I found I couldn't look up anymore. It didn't matter. I was like a fish back in the ocean now. A helicopter couldn't stop me. My top speed clocked in at 150. If there was a hill, I might be able to go faster. \n\n\n\nThen I saw her.\n\n\n\nShe was a 2007 model Peterbilt 379, in red, with chrome detailing. The way she moved was indescribable, somewhere between a boat, a train, and an RCV. I eased my brakes a little and pulled up alongside her. \n\n\n\nAt first, she ignored me. I pulled ahead a little, letting her take a look. Then I let her catch up again, controlling the rate just as smoothly as I could. At the last second before we were neck in neck, I let out a massive-\n\n\n\n'Braaaaaaahhhhhhhaaaahhhhppp!'\n\n\n\nInitially there was no change in her demeanor. Then she sped up a little. I let her outpace me. Then I heard it, like the sweetest little bird in the meadow.\n\n\n\n'Paaahhhahhpp!'\n\n\n\nI moved closer, and rubbed against her. She said it again. I couldn't believe what was happening.\n\n\n\nSuddenly she slowed drastically, then veered off. She escaped away off of an exit ramp. Just like that, it was over, and I was alone again. But when I looked around, I realised this highway was just crawling with trucks. I would always remember that moment though. My first.\n\n\n\nMy warm thoughts of romanticism came crashing down as I realised that up ahead was a dense collection of police cars. They had laid some kind of mat across the road. Behind me were two cruisers, lights flashing. Now I was cursing my luck.\n\n\n\nI tore across the mat, and felt a scratching. My tires were torn up, and the air hissed out over a few seconds. Suddenly I couldn't steer anymore. The railing on the side of the highway came closer and closer to me, and then I went up and over, smashing down again in a field, where I hurtled through and into the ground, before losing my orientation and flipping on my side. I could no longer move myself, and I knew that things had come to an end. \n\n\n\nFor a few minutes, I lay there, looking at the clouds, and the settling dust. Finally, a police car pulled up behind me. I saw a pair of boots walk into my line of vision. And I heard a voice.\n\n\n\n'Now, just what in the sweet, holy, flying fuck is this?!'"
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[WP] You run a library for tomes of occult lore and power. You keep denying library cards to various shady warlocks, but today you think you've found someone you can actually trust to borrow some books.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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 genuinely funny to see the frustrated and furious looks that so called \"experts\" gave me as I approved the first library card they had seen in years to someone who \"didn't even appreciate the art\" and \"would ruin the value of such powerful artifacts.\" Of course it was folks that said those things that I always turned down. Nothing more dangerous than giving power to someone with an inflated sense of self importance. Sometimes they would even try to steal from my library.\n\nThose that tried were quickly made example of.\n\nThat said, the college freshman who approached me about their linguistics hobby caught my eye early on. Not only did they lack the usual trademarks of the occultists I dealt with on the regular, they had a backpack full of reference books in a paste colored backpack featuring some cartoon character I'd never seen before. Certainly not the type I had grown accustomed to dealing with. Caught by the novelty of it all, I allowed the young human to reference the books while in my library and found myself more endeared to them by the level of care and consideration they had while handling my books. They had even brought a pair of cotton gloves to keep from damaging the pages. Impossible to do but the sentiment was still sweet.\n\nTwo or three times a week I'd see this young human come in, amidst the crowds of hooded and pale warlocks or would-be occult masters, and they would greet me happily before starting up some small talk about recent events or excitedly chatting about the progress they had made in translating some passages from a tome they were looking at previously. No hint of a plot for power, no desire for apocalyptic godhood, just a genuine enjoyment for their hobby.\n\nI didn't give them the card right away, I've lived too long and seen too much to be so readily trusting, but the human grew on me after a couple years of visiting. They even brought their romantic partner over a couple of times, two heads bumping against each other as they poured over a new passage or strange picture that depicted impossible things. When I offered them the chance for borrowing permission they turned me down at first, something that caught me by surprise for the first time in many years. Apparently the young human was worried about damaging the tomes because they didn't have proper care conditions at home.\n\nWith a laugh that echoed off of impossible angles, I assured them the tomes would be fine but I would only send them off with \"newer\" editions that would be fine with a bit of rough handling. Even with that assurance their acceptance was cautious and filled with promises to not damage what they borrowed. All I needed was for them to accept it and the contract was made but I still had them fill out some paperwork. Appearances mattered and filling out empty spaces seemed to make the human feel better.\n\nHappily, I handed them the card and watched them head outside with a bounce in their step. My frequent visitors also watched after the young human, eyes filled with envy, contempt, hate, and half formed plots. Not that they would do anything, not that they COULD do anything. What I gave away was more than a library card and they knew it. It was a token of my favor, a fragment of my power, and an explicit sign to everyone who saw it that its holder was not to be trifled with unless they wanted to invoke my ire. I watched them all file back into the stacks or hide their faces back into the pages they were trying to comprehend. With the crowd dispersed I went back to managing my library, looking forward to having the young human return to my books with joy and curiosity."
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[WP] The song "Big Iron" by Marty Robbins, but it's about a giant robot cowboy.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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 town screamed as they saw it. A large being, made of metal. Wearing the garments of an Arizona ranger, it stepped slowly towards the town. “WHERE IS TEXAS RED,” asked the robot. A townsperson nervously pointed towards the local saloon. “THANK YOU, SIR.” Texas Red heard the robot, and walked outside to see it, and got shot through by a huge metal bullet. “GOODBYE, GOOD PEOPLE.” Said the robot, as he walked slowly into the distance. Years later, the descendant of who created the robot wrote a song about it, although he was unaware of his lineage and thought it was a normal Arizona ranger. He titled the song after what the townspeople dubbed the being, “Big Iron.”"
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[WP] You heard the old stories. "Those who slay 100 demons become one themselves." You never believed, even when working as a monster hunter. But, you've noticed changes. By your 30th, your nails began to sharpen. 50th, you grew fangs. You now face down the final demon, but slaying him will be 100
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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 like you once too, you know.\"\n\nThe warrior before her was already succumbing to her darkening heart. She had seen that sort of glimmer in her eyes once before... before Calamity had stolen Croix away, before she left her self come down to the Dark World in a mad attempt to become stronger...\n\nReally, it was... nostalgic in a way that was both wonderful and painful for the Overlord, Priere.\n\n\"I'm nothing like you!\"\n\nShe was a human, but now she was somewhere inbetween; not quite a Demon, but not quite human either... fangs and claws just barely peaking out, the nubs of horns growing, but she was still dressed as a Knight of some king. Priere didn't keep up much with the Human World above her; it ceased to become relevent to her and her travels, but she knew the Order of the Maiden of Light when she met them... and it made her glad, in a way.\n\nShe was differn in some respects though: She seemed more likely to actually FOLLOW those silly rules Aloutette used to chide her on breaking.\n\n\"Did you think you were the first to try and kill me? you're not even the first person to try.\" She smiled, doing a sword blow to the head as one might kneal down to pick up a dropped peice of litter. She was too fast for the Lv 100 knight to even strike her; She should have grinded some more... but of course, that would have lead her to Priere in another way.\n\n\"I... I'm not a monster!\"\n\n\"I didn't say you were. You're becoming a demon... i can tell, you have that same love of fighting in your heart, that's the real reason why you're here, isn't it.\"\n\nShe floundered, but got angrier, trying to strike her down with holy zeal.\n\n\"You can't... you can't temp me!\"\n\n\"I'm not trying to tempt you... i'm trying to help you. You're not much of a fight... i just can't get into it like i used to, but you caught me in a good mood.\"\n\nShe grabbed her blade, bring the night closer. \"It's not because of killing you became a demon.. it's because of your heart... it knows that at your heart you'd be happy like i was, fighting. For a good cause or for a bad one... it doesn't matter. All that matters is that you fight, right?\"\n\nShe pushed her gently away. extending her hand. \"So let's help one another out. There's a whole universe out there to stomp, endless battles, endless demons... i sometimes do good things along the way too... What do you say?\""
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[WP] an archaeologist finds a time traveler's fossilized iPhone charger in Pompeii or a sealed Egyptian tomb or wherever
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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 past April and the days were growing longer and sun hotter but the wind still lingered uncharacteristically into the night. Jack and Mimi trudged along through the evening sand their feet slipping careless over the loose gravel.\n\n“Thanks again for not leaving me with those animals.” Mimi sighed. \n\n“Sure.” Jack grumbled, focusing on his footwork at a heady intersection of stone and sand as he stepped down into a cavern. He was already four beers deep when the wind started up and blew the tarps like kites into the blue-black sky. \n\n“Watch your step.” Mimi accepted Jack’s help even though she was more sturdy than him—a consummate teetotaler when on the job. The truth is she didn’t like her team this time around. Besides Jack, there was Helena and Farrah and Michael Pearson and Michael Howlitz and Jonah and Cyrus and Bob and an assortment of disposable students and local guides who could hardly be distinguished from the core group. They awarded themselves by getting drunk which she thought happened far too frequently. Now when the gusts kicked in and they could see the tarp fluttering against the horizon it was met with a shrug. We’ll fix it tomorrow, they said. But tomorrow they’d spend the bulk of the day removing fresh sand and in the night they’d pat each other on the backs and they’d drink again. Only Mimi and Jack saw the flaw in that logic and ventured out into the night. \n\nJack pulled a loose corner down and pinned it with a stone—a larger one than whoever’s job it was had chosen earlier. Mimi let her corner slack. She was fixated on something past the toe of her boot. Jack wiped coarse sand from his eyes. \n\n“What is it?” He had to yell at this distance. \n\n“Probably nothing.” Mimi’s reply echoed quietly over the wind. \n\nShe leaned down and reached her hand into the circular crevasse where sand was flowing endlessly like water going down a drain. Her fingers plugged the hole. Jack neared.\n\n“This isn’t zone twelve?” Mimi looked up at Jack. \n\n“Is that a question?” \n\n“I mean, this isn’t zone twelve.” She let her fingers slide away from the mysterious aperture and the sand current resumed. “Why was it excavated?” \n\n“It wasn’t.” Jack shook his flashlight on and leaned closer. There’s something beneath them. Something large. He scanned the sand upstream and noticed a fine line which was slowly revealing itself around where Mimi kneeled. He turned her head to follow it. \n\n“A trapdoor.” She said so quiet he couldn’t hear. \n\nMimi moved from the hatch and ran her hand along the sand line defining the perimeter. She exchanged a glance with Jack, a silent language that can be understood only by those who work closely together for months on end, which was all he needed. He grabbed four wooden planks and established a small barrier around the egress stopping the flow of sand. In perfect unison, the lifted shovels and fixed them between parallel edges and, on the count of three, leveraged their tools towards the ground. Sweat pulsed from Jack’s hands and wetted the dust and a tortured grunt escaped his throat followed shortly by an earthly gasp. The stone trap lifted and Jack held it upright until Mimi got around it and pushed it towards the ground. Before them now, a dark passageway, and a frail wooden ladder leading into it. \n\n“Me first.” \n\nMimi spat on her hands to regain some grip and patted them on her jacket. She lowered herself into the vertical shaft. The climb was tight and her back rubbed along the opposing wall which was cold and smelled of clay. She breathed deliberate and shallow breaths and noticed small artifacts dug into the wall beyond the ladder. \n\n“Head’s up.” \n\nMimi clutched herself to the wall and Jack dropped a glow stick down the shaft which revealed the bottom only ten or so feet below. She stepped down and the ancient rung gave way, dropping her to the sandy ground. \n\n“Are you okay?” Jack asked from thirty feet above, like a ghostly overseer. \n\n“I’m fine.” Mimi wiped debris from her bloodied knees. \n\n“I’m coming down.” \n\nShe looked forwards. The dim green light from the glow stick revealed only an empty chamber about ten feet deep. By the time she retrieved her own glow stick from her vest and cracked it Jack was with her. She stepped forth and approached the distant wall. A myriad of items decorated it but one stood out to her, it was almost a perfect square.\n\n-----------------------------------\n\nSORRY — I got carried away with the setup and took this almost nowhere before running out of time. I've gotta get better with that..."
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[WP] As time went on people have believed in less and less. Eventually even kids have stopped leaving teeth out for the tooth fairies. Recently there has been an increase of some very eager and twitchy dentistry graduates throughout the world.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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 calcium must flow.\n\nIn the Land of the Fairies, most jobs are rather easy. Sometimes the job involves appearing to some poor girl being tormented by her step-sisters and granting her a wish. Sometimes it involves wearing boots and appearing before a plastered rockstar to give them that magic inspiration for a song. The types of jobs fairies might do are almost endless. But not all jobs are that easy.\n\nMany jobs require great sacrifice. Sometimes it requires being stranded with a lost boy in a magical land fighting pirates for half an eternity. Sometimes it requires being stuck in a land that never was, as elves, wizards and various halflings and dwarfs - not all fairies even make it out alive, being corrupted by the various ailments that plague the inhabitants of our reality.\n\nWhen it is time to return from an assignment, a fairy returns to the Land of the Fairies, where time flows in many directions in a phenomenon that is undescribable to noncorporeal beings. However it can generally be understood as following the same linear time as our reality when it comes to imports and exports between the realities.\n\nOne of the most valuable imports was the calcium extracted from the still-believing on Earth. Most adults had simply stopped believing in anything and were stuck in jobs and lives that were like gangrene for the soul, but children still believed in all the wonders of the infinite possibilities that reality contained. It was that hope that made the calcium in the bones shift a tiny bit to the left, enabling hypertransdimensional transport to the Land of the Fairies.\n\nWhile childrens bones contained an incredible amount of usable calcium, most fairies had agreed that abducting children and stripping them of their bones simply wasn't the proper way a fairy should behave - after all, why help people in the first place if you end up causing even more distress later. The lethality of the procedure was also bothersome and was a leading cause for disbelief in humanity. So fairykind had settled on stealing teeth instead, which was generally seen as an ethically valid way to get the highly valued calcium.\n\nOver time a symbiotic relationship had formed, where fairies would leave some gold or money in place of the teeth. It was always a bargain, as calcium powder fetched a very high price in the drug markets of fairy land. Fairies would sniff the powder and be ready for eaons of work with the fallible mortals. Over time, however, people stopped offering their teeth.\n\nIt was slowly dawning on the Council of Fairy Archetypes that a solution had to be devised. The Leprechaun Banker was worried that the flow of calcium had been negative for almost two centuries. At the current level of consumption, it wouldn't take many centuries for the calcium cauldrons to be completely empty. A century for a pixie sometimes felt like a week for a human being. Sometimes it was the other way around, but for most fairies the situation was quite bad.\n\nThe Head Tooth Fairy complained about the amount of teeth simply disintegrating during transportation and was unfortunately of little use in coming up with a solution. The King of the Pixies wanted swift action. Grave robbing for fresh bones and intercepting bodies on their way to incinerators. The Queen of the Nymphs pointed out that this would ultimately only lead to more tragedy as fairies would unconsciously ensure that there would be a steady flow of bodies and that the old method of dental harvest was still the most viable. The Dwarven Director of Imp Affairs pointed out that the problem lay in people losing hope, the quantity of the bones was not as important as the potency of the hope.\n\nAll the various fairies had their say on the matter, but it was a tiny wisp in the corner who, using its dancing and wiggling and indirect language, suggested the best idea: some of the tooth fairies would train, bribe and become dentists while the rest would create an irresistible new type of food that would also make teeth fall out. And so with suggestions from the Land of the Fairies humanity throughout the ages dreamt up recipes that would destroy teeth but give hope to mankind while dentists balanced it all out by removing the occasional happy tooth."
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[WP] Long ago, you slew the Dark Lord and retired. But when your oldest child brings you to meet the parents of the person they're in a relationship with, you're surprised to see it's the Dark Lord, who looks just as surprised to see you.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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 blinked.\n\nShe blinked back.\n\nI scowled.\n\nHer eyes glowed red.\n\n“You two know each other?” Revolta’s husband asked, grin strained as he glanced between the two of us. I knew what he was thinking; that maybe we'd hooked up at some point in the past before there were kids, marriages, and mortgages. I shuddered at the thought.\n\nIf only he knew.\n\n“You could say that,” I drawled back, looking the dark-haired woman up and down with a wry smirk. “So you were pregnant. I’d *thought* you seemed a little chunky the day we killed you.”\n\nElectricity crackled around her fingertips at my comment, and if there’d been any doubt at all in my mind about who she was it was gone now. “Oh, piss off, *Shining Force Ranger Number Five*.”\n\nI frowned at her use of my full old hero name—I certainly hadn’t chosen it, we could all blame Red for that one—and judging by the smirk that spread across her face she’d done it on purpose. Well, two could play that game. “Is that a *pantsuit*? I thought for sure the only thing you owned was leather. Gotta say, though, I’m glad you spared us all that sight.”\n\nShe scoffed and rolled her eyes. “At least I wasn’t squeezing my nuts into *spandex* every week.”\n\n“You know damn well that it was a self-assembling nano-fiber formed with an intercellular shape memory alloy, *not* spandex!”\n\n“Mom!”\n\n“Daddy!” our children snapped simultaneously, and sufficiently cowed, we both forced a smile.\n\n“Right, well, that’s all in the past now,” I said, resolving to be the bigger man for my daughter’s sake. “We brought dessert. Hope you like good old fashioned American apple pie. Don’t know if they had that in whatever crater you crawled out of.”\n\nRevolta faked a laugh. “And I hope *you* like spaghetti. You might want to take it easy on the garlic bread, though—seems you’ve gained a few *dozen* pounds in the last twenty years.”\n\nMy daughter groaned from behind me, and I winced. I didn’t know what the hell she saw in that spawn of evil incarnate, but I’d raised her the best I could. If she liked this kid enough to arrange a whole family get together, well, I just had to trust her judgement.\n\nI met Revolta’s gaze, and even though she rolled her eyes and sighed, we managed to come to some sort of nonverbal truce. For the sake of our children, we had to at least *pretend* to not hate each other.\n\nAfter all, we could always kill each other when they broke up.\n\n\\---\n\nThis one goes out to all the Power Rangers/Super Sentai fans lol",
"\"There really is a first time for everything.\" Kargour said holding a blood red wine upon his hands.\n\nSitting side by side, our eyes drawn to our children. I answered knowing that he was just as surprised as I was, \"Yes, I suppose there is.\"\n\nOur souls have been cursed to fight for eternity, reincarnated through many timelines. There had been moments where i would turn to the dark side and he would fight for the good side. There was too much occurrences that happened in the past that it was really hard to remember any significant detail. Even so, I'm sure that this was the first time our children fell inlove with each other.\n\n\"I've always thought that the curse was embedded upon our bloodlines. I never had foreseen such a predicament would be possible.\" I pondered how mischievous fate is. \n\n\"Is this a sign that we'll be finally freed from this accursed state?\"\n\n\"I hope so.\" \n\nI raised my glass the same time he did. This was the first time we had seen eye too eye. We both know how tired each of us were. We just want rest and peace.",
"The silverware clinks and scrapes in the silence.\n\n\n*I killed him. I know I did.*\n\n\n*He killed me. He knows he did.*\n\n\nWe stare at each other as we chew.\n\n\n“How’s the food?” the woman who must be his wife asks. Her eyebrows are raised and struggling beneath the weight of the elephant in the room.\n\n\n“It’s *great*,” I say sarcastically. \n\n\n“Richard,” my wife hisses. She’s giving me the so help me god eyes.\n\n\n“What? I said it’s great because it is. *All things considered*.”\n\n\n“And what should be considered?” the supposed to be dead Dark Lord asks.\n\n\n“Considering her taste in pieces of shit like you!” \n\n\n“*DAD!*” my daughter yells.\n\n\n“That is my WIFE,” he says getting to his feet, his chair squealing against the hardwood, the space around him darkening for no apparent reason.\n\n\n“You aren’t supposed to have a wife, you son of a bitch, I *killed* you. I killed you dead.”\n\n\n“Oh my god,” he says, letting his fork fall from his fingers to clatter onto his plate and send food bits flying. His eyes widen and he looks to his wife with tears welling in his eyes. “Am I- am I dead? Have I been a ghost this whole— You *idiot*—“\n\n\n“*Dark Lord!*” His wife yells.\n\n\n“You only thought you killed me. You fell for the *easiest* trick in the book. Did you even make sure it was me? Did you not even notice the makeup? The *smell*?”\n\n\n“Makeup?”\n\n\n“Yes, *makeup*. You see this?” His long gangly fingers with sharp black nails point to the patches of black, flame shaped skin around his eyes. “I was born with these. A hundred percent natural.”\n\n\n“A hundred percent an asshole!” I say, chucking a piece of bread at him. He dodges it and laughs with his tongue out.\n\n\n“*Richard!*” my wife yells.\n\n\n“He started it!” I say with an accusatory point. “He lied to me.”\n\n\n“You tried to kill me!”\n\n\n“You tried to enslave the world!”\n\n\n“Oh and I would’ve had you not been such a prick in my side!”\n\n\n“I’ll kill you!” I yell, lurching forward and grabbing his black and red robes.\n\n\n“You’ll try!” He says, his hands pushing back at my face. “And fail again like a *loser!*”\n\n\n“I am *not* a loser!”\n\n\n“Yes you are!”\n\n\n“Stop it! Stop, stop, stop it!” My daughter shrieks at the top of her lungs.\n\n\nWe look to her, and she has tears streaming down her face. His daughter runs around the table and consoles her, wiping her tears and pulling her into her shoulder. The black flames around her eyes are spreading as she shakes her head at us. \n\n\n“You two couldn’t just let us have this could you?”\n\n\n“Dark Daughter—“ he tries to say, letting me go.\n\n\n“Stop, Dark Dad. You’ve done enough,” she says escorting my daughter to the other room.\n\n\n“I hope you’re happy, Richard,” my wife says, looking to the Dark Lord’s wife and signaling for the both of them to go after our daughters. “If I were you two, I’d sit down and think about the future you want with your daughters. If you keep this up you will lose them both forever.”\n\n\n“Vanessa—“ Dark Lord tries to say.\n\n\n“Dark Lord, stop. She’s right. You two *have* to work this out.”\n\n\nThere’s a silence when they leave the room, only interrupted by the sound of our butts hitting our chairs. He throws a piece of bread at me, and I throw one back. \n\n\n“Goddamnit,” I say. “What happened? And don’t act dumb. I want the truth- all of it.”\n\n\n“Ah, I just needed out,” he sighs with a shrug. “I had lost my edge after I met Vanessa, but you were so frustratingly incessant in your quest to destroy me that you never even noticed.”\n\n\n“Really?” I ask.\n\n\n“Yes. So, Vanessa wondered if there was any way to get you off my back and I said you apparently wouldn’t stop until I was dead. So, I needed to die.”\n\n\n“How did you fake it?”\n\n\n“I created a duplicate of me out of ground sausage. It was a long shot but we had to try. Also, it’s been bugging me for decades, how *didn’t* you notice?”\n\n\n“Oh, well I stabbed you as you monologued with your back to me. You had… *left my chains*—“\n\n\n“Just long enough for you to reach the table with the key,” he finished with a light chuckle. “And you probably let my body fall off the cliff didn’t you?”\n\n\nMy mouth opens and a laugh comes out. “That’s exactly what I did. And sausage? Now that I think about it, the crows had already been flying overhead and immediately went after your corpse.” We can’t hold back our laughs any longer. “And- and I remember thinking ‘Oh, shit. That was fast.’”\n\n\nUnable to help ourselves, we’re crying with laughter. And soon, we’re reminiscing over the times I tried to kill him, and he tried to kill me back. \n\n\n“What ever happened to, uh, damn. What’s his name?”\n\n\n“Igor?” He asks with a laugh. “Oh, he sucked. After the umpteenth time you foiled my plans due to his ineptitude I fired him.”\n\n\n“Oh, shit. I didn’t even know that was a job somebody could like apply for.”\n\n\n“Oh, no. I mean I tossed him into the pit of eternal flame.”\n\n\nThe table rattled with the dinnerware as our fists pounded it, our laughter echoing in the great chamber.\n\n\n“Good times. Good times,” he says, the flames of his eyes sizzling away the tears.\n\n\n“Ah, yeah. We really messed up tonight didn’t we?” I ask him.\n\n\n“Yeah, but, uh, how about we try again. Let’s, uh, let’s say tomorrow night?”\n\n\nI look at him and smile.\n\n\n“Yeah,” I nod. “That sounds good.”",
"I cradled the cigarette between my thumb and forefinger, a motion that returned to me far more easily than trying to stop it. I regretted not the feeling of smoke that snaked its way down my throat, but the inevitable questions about the stale smell of cigarettes when I returned to the table.\n\nIn a similar vein, did I regret the commotion that I caused in the restaurant? No. It was the questions afterwards.\n\nMy hand shook as I took another drag. This never used to happen. I jumped when the door to the restaurant open, and the Dark Lord stepped out in the costume of a kind, retired father. Those slightly-too-baggy khaki slacks that were creased right down the middle, and a chequered blue shirt that went well with the lines on his face and greying hair.\n\nSlowly, deliberately, he paced towards me, a corner predator gauging the situation. He tapped his own shirt pocket, and I tensed--but he only brought out a handkerchief, and wiped his forehead.\n\n“You’ve become a father,” he said.\n\n“And you are pretending to be one,” I said.\n\nThere was a sigh, and he looked up at the night sky.\n\n“I understand if you don’t trust me,” he said. “But that life? It’s over. I’m done with it.”\n\n“From experience,” I said, flicking the cigarette. “Done with it is a lot harder than it seems.”\n\n“Do you even know my name?”\n\nI stared at him, and he looked back. It was a familiar face, even with all the ageing that had taken place. I was used to him shouting a lot more bombastically, and with an angry sneer, however. Instead, there was something else, something different--something human. I never thought of him as one.\n\n“No,” I said. “And I don’t want to.”\n\n“It’s Thomas.”\n\nIt was laughably normal.\n\n“I said I don’t want to know.”\n\n“Our daughters are dating,” he whispered. “Surely that counts for something?”\n\n“This is some kind of sick plan. It has to be,” I muttered. “Old grudges through Sara. You are a piece of work, you are.”\n\n“There’s no old grudges here,” he said. “You killed me, and I’m thankful for that.”\n“Now you admit you’re the Dark Lord, Thomas? Bloody hell,” I cursed. “Saying your name gives me the creeps. I refuse to believe it. I refuse to.”\n\nAnd yet, I stayed out there. Call it morbid curiosity. Call it not wanting to face the music with my wife and daughter. I just stood out there, feeling the presence of the Dark Lord next to me.\n\nI used to think that that was what separated me from him. His dark light, and my righteous aura. But here he was, with nothing but the air of a normal person. To me, that was wrong. Utterly wrong.\n\n“I’ve done a lot of wrong,” he admitted. “And I’ll never have been able to say that before you slew me. But all I know is that Gillian is happy. Happier than she’s ever been. And that’s thanks to your daughter.”\n\n“Does she know?”\n\nI didn’t have to look. I knew what a sense of dread felt like. He stayed silent, however, for a long time. Enough for my cigarette to burn out.\n\n“No.”\n\nI contemplated reaching for another.\n\n“My wife does, though,” Thomas sighed. “There’s going to be a lot of questions tonight.”\n\nI decided not to. I pushed into the burning end with my thumb, and tossed the extinguished butt into the bin.\n\n“Sara never knew either,” I said. “About the hero stuff. Or the smoking.”\n\n“You going to tell her?”\n\n“Maybe. Maybe not,” I said. “You?”\n\n“Secret till I die, probably,” there was a wry smile that accompanied the statement, the sort that came from a man who couldn’t decide whether he feared the past or the future more.\n\nIt was the sort of smile that accompanied me as I contemplated my next words.\n\n“I’m Cassian,” I said.\n\n“Cassian,” he repeated. “Cassian.”\n\n“I’ll kill you again if I have to,” I sighed. “But for now, I think we have a few apologies to make.”\n\n“That we do.”\n\n---\n\nr/dexdrafts"
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The Broomed slayer
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[WP]In the first age, in the first battle, when the shadows first lengthened, one stood. He chose the path of perpetual torment... And with boiling blood he scoured the Umbral Plains seeking vengeance against the dark lords who had wronged him. And those that tasted the sting of his weapon named him
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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.*"
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[WP] At one point eveyone in the world loses all of there memories and knowledge.... while slowly realising that you lost evrything you find a notebook whit a lot op information about yourself... did you wrote it yourself? Was this pure luck? Or has this a reason behind it?
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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.*",
"\"In Case Of Reset?\" I wondered aloud as I read the front of the journal I had awakened to find sitting on what I somehow knew to be a dining room table in this... place that I had awakened in. It seemed nice enough. Clean. Warm paint. Wood floors. It was an inviting enough home, but how I'd ended up there was a mystery to me.\n\nI'd spent the last few hours getting my bearings. I woke up, had a small panic, got over it and decided to go about exploring once it seemed there was none around.\n\nThe house was empty in the end. I was the only one here. Was this mine? Was it my home? Ok, so it seems I'd lost my memory. Glad I could at least remember what memory even was. If this was my house then... Was this my journal? This little composition book all beat up and frayed from years of use?\n\n\"In Case of Reset...\" I read aloud again. It soundsled strange and somehow familiar. Well, if this was my house and I'd forgotten it, what else had I forgotten? What was this Reset that my own handwriting was trying to inform me of... and why was it so hard to open it?\n\n\"It's just a book. Open it.\" I chastised myself... yet my hand only trembled more violently at the thought... What else had I lost? What else had I forgotten? What would this reveal? Did I even want to know? With as old as this journal was, did this happen before?\n\nIn my frantic wondering I must have lost track of my fear as the journal now sat open in front of me, my eyes drawn to words I didn't remember writing, and yet, there it was.\n\n\"Hello, Vic. I'm you, but you probably already realized that. I know you, of course, so I'll cut to the chase before I go into detail... Your world has been reset to it's defaults. Yes, just like a computer program. That's technically what it is, but not like you think. Turns out there are 'gods' but they're no real different from us and everyone was right. From Zeus to Yahweh, they were all just... people. People of a higher plane, but people. To save yourself some trouble, flip to page,\"\n\nThere were two lines scratched out with one number still surviving. So this had happened before. At least two, but who could know for sure? Those were only the ones I had documented.\n\n\"20.\"\n\nI flippedover and continued reading.\n\n\n\" So you read that far, did you? Good. Now don't go thinking that makes us any less important or alive. Just like we made sims, something made us and something made them too. It's kind of recursive. A set of creatures advances enough to create its own creatures and that just kinda keeps going in a loop. Well, it's more like a Mobius strip, but you get me. Creators making Creations that become Creators that become. . . Ad Nauseum.\"\n\n\"You see, though, sometimes creatures can be prone to destroying themselves if only out of a poor string of consequences. So, regular saves are made, more or less. These just say what state the world was at the time, though, not what got it there. By now, this is the third reset you've documented and are living in. The previous resets and all that you could remember and write down are on the last 19 pages. No all stuff, just big life events and what got you here. Who you knew, what you were, how you lived. It's all there, if condensed.\"\n\nNineteen pages of major life events. Nineteen pages to flip through. Nineteen *pages* of dates, times, places, people, things, successes, failures... All gone. All lost.\n\n\"This reset was from a plague. Someone thought it would be funny to drop a plague right as the world reached peak interconnectivity. It held out for a while and it almost seemed like we would pull through, but then a random roll mutated things and... Well, at least they had a state to roll back to before it started. First time was the Cold War. They did a soft reset, so only a few years were lost... Nobody remembers the actual aftermath directly but... Well, let's say Fallout is about as close to a documentary that you'll get of a time that never was. At least, not to you. The second was a meteor, so there's a plus side to all of this at least.\n\n\"And don't think it's always limited to the world ending. Smaller resets are done all the time. Psychics, artists creating new yet similar worlds, Deja Vu... It's all a part of it. Sometimes it's just one person, sometimes the whole world steps back and they only forget a few days... Nothing goes unnoticed. It's only when the whole system threatens to go down that these big ones occur.\n\n\"We - that is your past selves and the you who you will become now - haven't figured out the system yet, but... We're trying... And we hope you'll continue where we left off.\"\n\nI stopped reading there for now. There was so much to take in. Pages more detailing what they had learned of the world that contained ours. About the cycle of creators and creations and of destruction and resets. One thing was for certain, though... This was going to be a long night..."
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[WP] basically, you are a super hero in the stone age.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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 night air was still as if waiting for a storm to break. The moon hung heavy in the sky, throwing a pale silver light over the land. Dark shapes moved from shadow to shadow. They moved like thieves in the night, running low and fast, intent on acts of savagery. The creatures moved like a pack with the confidence of those who believed themselves invisible. But figure watched them head towards the homes of the innocent.\n\nI watched for a moment more, narrowing my keen eyes. I picked out three forms, massive wolf-rats, foaming and frothing at the mouth as they ran. I grabbed my partner and lept from the tall tree. Powerful legs propelled me into the air. I moved by instinct and practice, practically flying through the air. With a speed and ease that even the wolf-rats would envy I came crashing down in front of their alpha.\n\nThe beasts pulled up short and snarled. Only I stood between them and a dozen innocent citizens asleep in their home. I had faced down larger and tougher things, like the sickle-toothed panther, but these animals had a crazed hungry look in their eyes. At my side was my ever faithful partner.\n\nWe struck out as one of the smaller wolf-rats charged forward. My partner, a rock as big as both my fists combined, shot out. Rock caught the thing square in the jaw, breaking teeth and making it squeal in pain. I followed up with an open-handed slap that send it sprawling away.\n\nThe next one jumped at me and I ducked under the beast’s claws. It spun around as Rock came down on its snout. The beast was stunned and I grabbed it by the neck, lifting it off the ground. I stared at it for a moment before a smashed my thick forehead into its face. I tossed the unconscious enemy aside as the alpha stalked forward.\n\nSomething passed between us and I nodded. I sent Rock to the side, this wasn’t his fight anymore. I alone stood between innocents and certain death. I balled my fists and prepared to face the Alpha alone.\n\nThe fight was quick and brutal, but I did not doubt its outcome. I dodged teeth and claws and countered with punches and slaps. We grappled and wrestled until I held the monster immobile, wrapping my arms around its torso. I squeezed hard and it yelped as a rib snapped. With a grunt, I threw it to the ground. I stood over the defeated creature and pointed into the darkness. With its tail tucked between its legs, the alpha slunk off with its minions.\n\nI heard movement behind me and turned to see the grateful citizens had gathered. I nodded and picked up Rock. Without waiting for praise or thanks I leaped into the tree. As I disappeared into the night I could hear the people behind me talking.\n\n“Urg… who that?” One of them asked.\n\nI smiled and called out, unseen, from the darkness, “Me am flint that sparks in Night. Me am seed that sticks in Teeth! Me am Thrug the Large, with faithful Rock! Me am keep all safe!”\n\n​\n\n\\~The Untold saga of Thrug the Large and his Sidekick Rock, Superheros of the Stone Age"
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[WP] : "Once, there was a child who got lost in a maze for so long that the child eventually wound up living there." Expand this one-sentence story.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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.*",
"‘Am I on acid right now? You there… you…’\n\nKara looked around herself. She had clearly fallen over and hit her head. That was obviously the solution, well it had to be. She wasn’t thinking straight because she’d hit her head on her bedroom desk, Right? The seventeen year old seemed to be stranded in a mass of rocky walls and tangled vines, though too thin to climb. The walls were definitely higher than her height, which to be honest wasn’t that hard considering she was only five foot two. In front of her seemed to be some sort of creature. Short, stout and sat cross-legged staring up at her. \n\n‘Excuse me for asking, but what are you supposed to be?’ The creature puffed it’s cheeks out, before standing up, now arms crossed. ‘I’m a dwarf, thank you very much, and how dare you insult me! Don’t you care? The name’s Huckle, by the way.’ The dwarf’s expression changed from one of annoyance to a far more good-spirited one. ‘Not Hoggle, if that’s who you were expecting. He’s my uncle, don’t you know, but I bet you probably already knew that—‘ \n\n‘I don’t actually…’ responded Kara, still bewildered at how short Huckle was. She had never seen dwarves depicted like him before, it was always thick beards and axes, mining in the mountains for whatever they could find, always ready for battle and the like, but with Huckle… he didn’t really fit any of that. He looked a little homeless, even. Karma’s thoughts were shattered by Huckle’s words like a rapping on the door. ‘What do you mean you don’t know? Are you some sort of stranger to these parts?’ Kara nodded. ‘I… I think I am…’ His expression changed again, this time to one that was firmly grasped on surprise. ‘Oh! Where are my manners! Though…’ ‘Though what?’ ‘The king doesn’t really take too kindly to strangers…’ \n\n‘Why would I ever want to meet this king, or even know about him?’ Kara paused. ‘Actually… if you don’t mind me asking, what’s he like? The king, I mean.’ Huckle sat down on one of the nearby rocks, then ushered Kara over. ‘You might want to sit down for this one.’ Kara did as Huckle suggested. ‘Alright, what is it?’ Huckle rubbed his hands together in glee. ‘Ooh, I hardly ever get to tell this one, I’m a little excited!’ He looked up, before grinning sheepishly, then finally getting into the zone of seriousness he wanted to be in.\n\n‘Rumour has it, that the king was abandoned as a child, and was whisked away to the labyrinth as a mere babe. We called him the babe with the power, and power he did have. He had no place to call home so he soon became immersed in it, he felt lost within the majesty of the labyrinth. In a united decision, the creatures of the labyrinth took him in, and raised him as one of their own. Through the years, he united its people and through that, became king of the labyrinth itself.’ \n\nHuckle lowered his voice to a whisper. ‘Don’t tell anyone I told you this bit, but… he doesn’t take too kindly to strangers as it reminds him of how he was abandoned as a child. He often feels jealousy towards others who have somewhere to return to, and believe there should be others like himself out there. The only strangers he feels somewhat kind to are those who are classed as children. He believes that anyone can change with experience, and coming through the labyrinth will help them make their own decision in life. Does that sound familiar?’ \n\nKara nodded. ‘It’s my eighteenth birthday in two days. Two days before I’m really an adult. I can enjoy things more with my family… people would take me more seriously…’ a tear rolled down her cheek. ‘And now I’m never getting out of here. I’m stuck, with no place to call home.’\n\nHuckle sighed, before putting his arms open to receive a hug from the distraught girl. ‘I’ve heard tales of a girl like you before. She was resilient, brave, and on top of all, compassionate. She travelled all the way to the king’s castle to retrieve her brother and take him back home. Maybe… just maybe… you could do the same. If we find the king, we get you home. Only problem is, the labyrinth changes…’ Huckle pointed to Kara’s left, to reveal a mass of rock and wall that wasn’t there before. ‘Just like that. But, we have two days to get there. Through the lands towards the castle, to get you home.’ Huckle paused, as the two stood up. ‘Wait I never even asked your name!’ ‘Kara.’ ‘Well Kara, what do you think?’\n\n‘If we find the king in two days, I get to go home. \n\nSo Huckle, which way do we go?’",
"Henry knew all the ins and outs of the maze. All except one, of course: the very centre. Henry knew the Minotaur must live there. He had listened to its lore since he was a little boy, and no great labyrinth would be complete without that hellish bull man-beast at the centre.\n\nAnd though Henry was petrified at the thought, he needed to visit the Minotaur - perhaps that would help him escape, he reasoned. The last rabbit he'd caught was three days ago, and he'd seen naught a living thing since. It was only a matter of time. What Henry did with it was up to him.\n\nHe could stay here and perish, or he could finally discover the last few metres of this place, overcome (or realise) his fear, and confront the maze's haunted beast.\n\nWell, Henry did have a third option: break through the exit. But this option was his least favourite. Occasionally, Henry would come across the exit when he reset his food traps. He would try to look away, but, like always, he would find himself stood facing the opening - albeit now less exposed given the overgrown ivy. He'd stay there for maybe an hour or more, just staring at that chasm, contemplating walking through it but also utterly unable to. Like trying to jump into a pool from a great height, he could imagine taking a deep breath and making that leap, but it would always end the same way: his back turning and an uneasy tightness lifting and being carried off on the wind, like fall leaves on a cool autumn day.\n\nIt wasn't that Henry was afraid to leave the maze; he was actually rather looking forward to his escape. He was afraid of re-entering the \"real\" world. His world. The one he'd known for most of his childhood yet felt like an unfamiliar void, waiting to swallow him whole. \n\nThe truth was, Henry had entered the maze some ten years ago, when he was nine. But he hadn't gotten lost. At least, not by accident. He could remember it now. Sitting under the bush near the middle, the one that always stood out to him despite it looking very much so like all the others. He'd huddled there and waited for the sun to go down.\n\nIt was that bush he now stood before, contemplating his next move. Though Henry knew he should be terrified of the Minotaur - more than he was right now, at least - he also felt somewhat at peace knowing he shared this vast though cramped space with another.\n\nHenry pulled apart the branches and moved through the thick brush with purpose.\n\nWhat he saw in front of him was no Minotaur. In fact, the creature bore an uncanny resemblance to Henry's mother.",
"Today will be a really cool day. Yes, Mom and Dad will take me to visit my cousins in another city. the trip takes but it's worth it in the end.\n\non the old road, dad made a face, and had to stop the car. something on the engine I think. meters ahead, I noticed a colorful sign. I couldn't read what was written, so I walked over while Mom and Dad were concentrating on the car.\n\n\"The Impossible Maze,\" read the facade.\n\nI looked around, and there was no one, so I decided to go inside. made by dense, dark colored vegetation, I was absolved amidst the high walls of leaves, when I realized that the path behind me had closed and I no longer knew where I was. I turned around and ran scared. I stumbled, and recognized that efforts to find the trail were invalid—as were attempts to scream, pleading for my parents.\n\nI turned back in the direction I was heading, deeper into the undergrowth. I felt alone and cold. and hunger, very hungry.\n\n\"Somebody help me!\" he kept muttering, and yelling, when he wasn't tired. when I slowed my steps, intending to catch my breath and then run aimlessly again, I heard something. or would it be someone?\n\n\"Hey, you there...\" said a mysterious voice.\n\n\"Is anyone there? Help me please!\" I asked.\n\n\"Come to me, little boy...\"\n\nthe voice was also a boy's, a man actually. it felt mystical, like in the movies. I couldn't see him, couldn't hear his footsteps, breathing, or anything else but his husky voice.\n\n\"Where are you?\"\n\n\"Just keep walking...\"\n\nso I did. day turned to night, and the feeling of fear only grew in me. I no longer listened to the other boy, no matter how much I called for him. running, tripped. I got up, and looked at the muddy ground. there was a groove. the groove that was made by my sneakers as soon as I entered this damn maze.\n\n\"How can this be possible? I was walking in a straight line. It's impossible for me to be walking in circles, of that I'm sure.\", I thought confused and frightened.\n\ndays passed and I got nowhere. several times I bumped into the mark left on the ground. \"What the hell is going on here?\"\n\ndesolate and discredited, I gave it all up. he was just walking around trying to find something to eat, or who knows, talking again with the owner of the strange voice.\n\nthis time it was the night of a dismal day. tired, I decided to walk just a little longer, and sleep somewhere else, as there were no other options.\n\n\"My God! what is this? who are you?\"\n\n\"Oh, it was you I was talking to…nice to meet you, little boy.\"\n\nThe man wore rags which he called clothes. he was dirty, and his fingers were covered in red liquid. blood. his teeth were the same shape, which looked disturbing. close by, a dense fire, one leg resting on dry sticks.\n\nI looked deep, and noticed it was the leg of some animal. \"he's not a cannibal, and he won't devour me, what a blessing,\" I thought.\n\n\"You live here?\"\n\n\"Yes. There's no way out. It's a paradox. There's a beginning, but there's no end. Once you're in here, there's no way back even where you came in. An endless loop. Well, little boy, welcome to \"The Impossible Maze.\" he said defiantly with a smile through his teeth.",
"Phillip hadn’t meant to enter the labyrinth that day — or, more preferably, *ever*.\n\nAside from the masses of dust, collections of suspended cobwebs, and the network of cracks lining every passage, the maze was identical in appearance to when he first entered — and there was nothing that would disturb him more than knowing how long that time really was. Some things were better off left acutely unaware of; instead basking in the shallow void of ignorance, where harsh truths — and harsher realities — wouldn’t have to affect him. \n\nBut nevertheless, even he was still human. He couldn’t sustain himself like this forever.\n\n“I should better find something edible before the pain becomes more than just a slight irritation.” He ran through his daily routine to himself, his stomach aching from the widening gap sitting at its centre with no grub to fill the void.\n\n“Now, water.” He began, crouching down over a metallic bowl within his campsite. Tugging the object over to a copper pipe spanning the wall adjacent to his base, Phillip then gripped and turned roughly at a wheel upon its centre. This movement invoked a resounding croak from the pipeline, before it finally succumbed under the pressure. Where it began to douse a healthy leakage of water — all of which, he collected with a metallic bowl stationed below. After many years of traversal, research, and speculation, Philip had come to the conclusion that the pipes were in actuality an elaborate water system. Already filtered and clean — presumably left to act as a beverage for whomever lived above the labyrinth — he needed to preform little more before it was fully drinkable.\n\nPhillip, having ended the pipe spillage by another turn at the wheel, now began to bring the bowl back towards his base. Here a gathering of both sticks and ash awaited him. It was his fire, or at least the remnants of the previous night’s embers. \n\nCursing under his breath, Phillip began to fiddle with the stray pieces of oak. This was always his least favourite part. Fires required an aggravating amount of time to set up, time Phillip would much prefer utilising elsewhere. He was just glad the maze had its own lighting system, for some unbeknownst reason. Twenty minutes later, the first real cracking of flames erupted forth — and with a sigh of relief — he began the boiling process. Sure, he could trust that the pipe contained clean enough water, but it was always safer to be certain. And without a filter, boiling over a fire should do at least a semi-decent job.\n\n“All this for a bleedin’ gulp of water. The food’ll take even longer…” he complained, taking a mouthful. \n\nUsually, Phillip acquired real sustenance via stray animals that had the misfortune of entering his abode. These he would cook over the same fire upon which he boiled. But the creatures had stopping coming as often lately, and he was becoming desperate. He had to think of something quick, or he might really not make it out someday. \n\nThe man was about to get up in search of any sort of nutrition when he heard it.\n\n*Footsteps.*"
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[WP] After a long night out at the bar, you suddenly fall to the ground. Everything goes blank and you see a message saying "IRLClient.exe has stopped working." A few minutes later, you notice that everything has turned pink and black.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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 couldn't really see. A sort of light was coming from somewhere, a dim, diffuse pinkish glow, but I was surrounded in blackness. Confusion swept over me. \n\nIRLClient.exe? Stopped working?\n\nWhat?\n\nI blinked, but it didn't seem to make much difference in the pink-stained darkness. \n\nLast I remembered, I'd been out on the town. I remembered a sudden, strange wave of weakness coming over me, and then an utter blank. No sensation, no thought, no surroundings--no anything. Then the words had hovered vaguely in some indefinite space before me for a moment, and then everything went dark.\n\nI realized sensation had returned. I was warm and snug, curled up tightly. I felt raw somehow, as though my skin were missing, and bendy as a reed. Although I was wrapped around myself in a sphere I was not uncomfortable. In fact, I was supremely relaxed.\n\nA sound was around me. It was all around me, thumping through my body as well as in my ears: a strong but gentle whump, like the bass at a concert a block away. I wondered idly where on earth I was.\n\nBet Steve and Gary were confused. As far as I knew they were still walking up the sidewalk toward my apartment. I *had* been right next to them. Where the hell was I now?\n\nExperimentally, I attempted to move. I couldn't, or at least not very far. My outreaching limbs met a gentle, velvety-soft, utterly implacable resistance. I felt the first twinge of panic. I tried again. No luck. My insides flipped dizzily. I kicked out in terror and only hurt my legs. \n\nI heard a rumble far away and then there was a gentle pressure against me. The pressure felt soothing. I subsided into a sleepy confusion. The flow and thump around me were reassuring. The darkness lulled me gently.\n\nPresently my thoughts returned. I had exams soon. I'd be a doctor before long. I'd studied for it all my life. I was thirty years old and everything was held suspended, waiting for that precious diploma. I was $350,000k in debt and counting, but who cared? My years of work would come to fruition soon. I'd marry my girlfriend. We'd have that kid. Soon I'd buy that house with the white picket fence. Get a dog. We had waited so long. Worked so hard. In just days it would all be ours. It would all be worth it then.\n\nI dreamed pleasantly. Suddenly there was a tone in my ears and an unctuous female voice uttered these words:\n\n\"Reboot sequence initiated. Running IRLClient.exe. Days til birth: 27. Enjoy your experience with IRLClient. Have a nice day.\""
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[WP] It has been five minutes since you have turned off the light in your bedroom and walked toward where your bed should be. You still haven't reached it.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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 black marble floor stretched on into the darkness. It was the kind of darkness that whisped at the edges of vision, but tinged with red. \n\n\"Light.\" \n\nSconnce lifted his eyes, in every direction marble floor and the moving edge of darkness. \n\nThree quick gestures, each contained in the last; then wax mixed with marjoram, forming a ball in his tight fist. \"Door,\" throwing the ball it bounced along the chess-tile marble floor into the darkness. For a time, more bouncing, then nothing. Gone?\n\n\"Fuck.\"\n\nHe crouched onto the floor in his black robes, scratching his finger along the grout, inspected the tiles, then his finger. They were his bedroom tiles, he'd chosen them himself, and just this particular grout. Blood of demon and clay.\n\nCrushing the grains from under his nails he named it, \"eEmon.\" \n\neEmon appeared, sliding from the grout like a shadow leering long. \n\n\"Where are we?\" \n\n\"Your bedroom.\" \n\n\"No.\" \n\n\"Yess,\" they stretched the sound.\n\nThe elaborate interior shadow that was eEmon smiled, their face delicate greys of detail within. Sharp features painted in even gradients - they looked smug. \n\n\"We are in the Tower still, in your bedroom. My lord.\" The last word impudent. \n\nSconnce's eyebrows pinched, \"the portal did not come.\" eEmon looked positively victorious. Sconnce stepped up from his crouch and towered over the shadow. \n\n\"Solar.\"\n\nBrilliance from every exposed surface of Sconnce's skin. The shadow faded to next to white, it was squirming, agony and screaming, then gone. But even in the vast expanse revealed, Sconnce saw nothing but tile and the edge of red darkness. \n\nReleasing the starlight he dimmed, only some light remaining. The shadow withdrew again from the grout. \n\n\"What is this?\" \n\n\"Your safety.\" \n\nSconnce froze, a pause that contained sudden tinges of fear. \"Explain.\"\n\n\"You will be here forever. This is where you will be, your bedroom, forever, and it will be with me that you will be safe forever.\" \n\nSconcce tensed. This was his last resort of protection, the demon bound to the floor, a resource always at hand, a demon body grounded between the tiles, blood bound to one task. He crouched again, this time using all his fingers, scratching into the grout, collecting the fine dust of blood and clay. \n\n\"Domination.\" A crackle of darkness, red from every square-patterned tile streaking through aEmon. It illuminated nothing, made from the blood of shadows, and for all the demon's ferocious powers it could only hiss in rigid pain, agony evident in their every genteel gradient of grey. \n\n\"Take me back,\" Sconnce commanded. \n\n\"There is no back.\" It screamed, hissing from a pain far longer than this red tide, \"This is forever. We will be here forever. There will be no next for you, and there was never a next for me. You made this floor of me, squares upon squares of me,\" it reached a long sharp arm that became longer as it pointed across the square tiles stretching, \"thinking I would be your safety, that I would wrap you in clay dust and the blood of me, if need be.\" A pause, \"And so I have.\"\n\n\"I have no need of you. There was no danger,\" fear quavered in Sconnce's voice. Something was wrong. His design had been wrong, a mistake of logic, in the precision of time. He had not bound the demon to a clear beginning, worse, to an end? \"What happens after the danger?\"\n\nThe red withdrew as the dust's power was exhausted. The demon relaxed, pulled a stronger shadow together and said:\n\n\"There is always danger. You could have fallen, you could have tripped, and I saved you from that, as you designed me, by wrapping you in the blood of me. And now, you will be safe with me, in your bedroom, forever.\"",
"It’s been five minutes since I have turned off the light in my bedroom and walked towards where my bed should be. I still haven’t reached it. Time has been feeling strange recently. Something I know should only take a couple of minutes like climbing the stairs or turning on the tap seems to take forever. Sometimes I seem to forget altogether that I am in the middle of doing something or I find myself in a different part of the house with no recollection of how I got there. I feel tired. How long has it been since I’ve properly slept? It feels like days. But maybe it’s only hours. It’s hard to tell with the way time has been feeling so distorted. I know one thing for certain: how much I’m looking forward to getting into my bed. Sinking in, snuggling down and just sleeping. I need a rest. It feels like so long since I’ve had a rest. Finally, I make out the shape of a bed against the wall. I made it. Getting here felt so hard. But I made it. I pause. I try to peer with my tired eyes. Why… why is someone in my bed? Who is that? A child. A child sleeping peacefully. I force my eyes to stare, trying to work out who this child is, whether I know them. How long have I been staring at the child trying to understand why they’re in my bed? I don’t know, time won’t make sense. I just want to rest.\n \n *\n\nWaking to screaming, the mother rush into their child’s bedroom. She switches on the light. He won’t sleep without the light on anymore but it’s somehow always off when he wakes. The mother sits on the bed and wraps him up in her arms, attempting to soothe him like she always does. “Shhh,” she says. “It’s just another bad dream.” Her husband follows her into the room and stands by the bed, tired and dazed by sleep. He catches his wife’s eye. *Again?* he silently asks with a raise of his eyebrow. Her son is terrified, eyes wide and shaking. “I saw him. He was there again. Staring at me. He was…” The mother exchanges a look with her husband. *We shouldn’t have bought this house,* she finds herself thinking, not for the first time. *Not so soon after what happened. Not when the previous occupant clearly hasn’t quite left yet...*",
"The room had been getting bigger every night. You turned out the light, and suddenly it all changed. At first it wasn’t too bad. A few inches more space, not even really noticeable. Then an extra step, then a short walk.\n\nNow you weren’t sure where your bed was. The space was dimly lit, as though the glow of the moon through the window (which you couldn’t see from this distance) was lighting the whole room in a soft glow like it did when the room was normal sized.\n\nYou stopped by your slippers, the first noticeable landmark. They were normally right under the light switch; to find them here was disconcerting. An inch from the wall was a five minute walk? Your bed was across the room, a few feet away that suddenly loomed into a walk of hours.\n\nYou looked back the way you came. Then to where your bed was…would normally be if you could see it. You kept your floor pretty clean, there wasn’t anything that you could remember between the switch on the wall and the bed across the room besides the slippers you were standing next to.\n\nCould you walk a perfectly straight line for hours to get to your bed?\n\nWhat if you drifted? Got lost? How long might you wander this empty expanse your room had become?\n\nYou always pointed your slippers toes-to-the-wall, you could backtrack to the wall, then follow it around the room. A longer path, to be sure, but surer.\n\nYou turned back and set off.\n\nThen jogged back to grab your slippers. No sense getting chilled feet.",
"I stopped, the soft pattering sounds of my footsteps echoing around the hallway. \"Hmm...\" I said, looking around me with my hands on my hips. \"Well, it's official. I don't know where the fuck I am.\"\n\nI took a deep breath and yelled at the top of my lungs, \"HEY THANATOS! THIS ALL YOU GOT?!\" A fluttering of wings and a cold breath of my neck signaled his presence before he spoke. \"is the prince not happy with his eternal punishment? maybe i will try something new...\" Before I could ask what he meant, the floor beneath me dissolved and I fell down into eternity.\n\nI slammed into an earthen surface, all of my bones shattering. I groaned and got up, my flesh and muscles knitting themselves together at an inhuman pace. I took a look around and saw I was on some sort of land, distant mountains looking down on me from the distant horizon. I sighed and made my way towards them, losing my footing occasionally from the soft earth. Every once in a while hands would rise from the earth and grasp at me, but I was able to beat them off relatively easily. \n\nAfter what felt like forever I made it to the base of the mountains, where I realized they looked oddly like fingers. I looked down and started to laugh, realizing where this was headed. \"Wait, seriously? THIS is my punishment? To live on top of a Titan?\" I scoffed, shaking my head in disappointment. \"So unoriginal. Try something with more pizazz next time.\" I walked up to one of the fingers and started to climb until I found myself in front of a massive fingernail. I pushed it up with all of my strength and created a small cave where I could rest. I laid down and drifted off into slumber, confident that this punishment was probably one of the least original ones I've ever had.\n\n*I was in my car, driving down the darkly lit street. I had been finishing up my manuscript for my latest horror novel, one where the main character had been possessed by a demon and made to reenact Jack the Rippers killings, and I had lost track of time. I swerved down the curved road, skirting the edges that lead to certain death down a ravine. I took a sip of coffee and grimaced, its bitter taste making my mouth taste like literal hell. \"Too bitter,\" I muttered, throwing out my window. I turned back to the road and slammed on my brakes, unable to stop myself from slamming into a thin figure.* \n\nI woke up in a cold sweat, my mouth dry and bitter. I worked up a bit of saliva and spit out what looked like a wad of coffee grounds. I scowled and made my way back outside, looking around. This time I seemed to be in a meadow, completely different to last nights(?) punishment. I took a step and grimaced as the grass cut through my feet, blood pooling and being absorbed by it. I chuckled and said, \"Huh, neat. Might have to do this for a new novel, if I can find a computer or a paper and pen.\" I then pulled my foot off of the razor grass and stepped forward, ignoring the constant pain that seared my brain. This went on for a couple of hours until I found myself in front of a massive forest. All of the trees were made of flesh, with occasional bodies hanging from nooses on the branches, and eyes stared at me from all angles. I stared back and said, \"Sorry, guys, but I have to get through here. Just... hang in there?\" The trees rustled, and I could tell the joke fell flat. I muttered, \"Tough crowd,\" before stepping among the trees and walking through the forest.\n\nThe trees moved constantly, trying to confuse me with whispers and misdirection, but eventually I found myself in front of a massive cliff. I sat on the edge and looked down. What looked like a river of fire laid before me, as far as I could see. \"So this is the Phlegeton, huh?\" I whispered, shading my eyes with my hand. \"Seems... overrated.\" \n\nA loud growl came from behind me, and when I turned I saw some sort of creature standing there. It looked like a Minotaur, with mismatched skin and fur spread across its frame. It seemed like it had started to rot, and had used bits of other creatures to stop this. \"Hey ugly,\" I crowed, spreading my arms out wide. \"Thanatos sent you, I'm guessing?\" The minotaur just snorted, flecks of snot flying out and steaming on contact with the ground. I sighed and said, \"Makes sense. So, come and get me, you son of a-\" Before I could finish, the minotaur rushed forward and slammed his horns into my chest, sending both of us flying into the Phlegeton.\n\nWe slammed into the fire and I screamed as the fire not only burnt me down to the bone but burned something deep inside me as well. I passed out almost immediately, and I was haunted by that night so long ago.\n\n*Blood caked my windshield as I stared in shock, unable to think. I sat there for what felt like hours before I shook myself into action, getting out of my car and rushing towards the still body in front of my car. I didn't see the black feathers left all over the road, or the black crown thrown off to the side. All I say was a black dressed figure, their body twisted unnaturally. I leaned down and turned them over, and was shocked to see their eyes shoot open, cold blue orbs staring into my soul. \"did you just hit me with your fucking car?\" It whispered, sitting up. I stammered as the figure stood up, its bones slipping and cracking back into place. It walked over and picked up its crown, and I could see massive black wings like a crow stretching behind it. \"do you realize how stupid you would have to be to hit death with a fucking prius?\" The figure asked, turning towards me and looming menacingly. I didn't answer, scared for my life. Eventually I was able to get out, \"What and who are you?\" Death stood over me, looking at me for the longest time before saying, \"my name is thanatos, i'm going to have to punish you.\" He reached out and touched my chest, a cold feeling invading my entire body. I collapsed and I could hear a wheezy laugh echoing around the empty road.*",
"12:02 AM \nFinishing my TV show for the night, I work up the willpower to get off the couch and go brush my teeth before bed. I walk in to the bathroom down the hallway, turn on the light, grab my toothbrush and toothpaste, wt the brush a little and begin. \nThe feeling of the soft bristles against my mouth makes me even more tired than I already was. It's soothing in a way. Repeated circular motions. staring into my own eyes, the deep brown reflected back at me. I struggle to hold my own gaze. \n\n\n \n12:05 AM \n*swish swash* \nI rinse my mouth and spit into the bathroom sink. I turn towards the door, hit the light-switch and go back out into the hallway. I notice the light is still on in the living room. Must've \nforgot. I walk over and hit the light switch. Complete darkness. I turn back to the hallway and begin walking to my bedroom. \n\n\n \n12:06 AM \nI hit a wall in the hallway. Damn \ndarkness. I turn towards my bedroom again and keep walking. \n\n\n \n12:09 AM \nI accidentally walked into the \nbathroom. No biggie, must've gotten turned around from the wall. I stand in the \ndoorway of the bathroom and aim myself to where I know the bedroom is. I begin \ntaking steps in that direction. \n\n\n \n12:10 AM \nI'm still walking? \n\n\n \n12:11 AM \nI stop. Something is off. I don't \nknow what's happening. I don't know if I'm turned around. I don't know if I'm \nlost or if it's because I can't see. But I should have run into my bedroom wall \nby now. \nI turn back towards the bathroom and \nwalk back. \n\n\n \n12:12 AM \nMy breathing is getting heavier. \nSomething is off. Why haven't I found the bathroom yet? Why didn't I get to my \nbedroom? I keep walking down the hallway in pitch blackness feeling for a light \nswitch or a doorway. *~~Do I even have a~~* \n*~~hallway?~~* Please let me find something \n \n12:15 AM \nThis is wrong. How the hell have I gotten lost? I know my \nown *~~apartment~~* house. My bed should be *~~at the back~~* in the bedroom. The bedroom *~~doesn’t exist~~* is straight behind me. The bathroom should be straight ahead. Why? \n \n12:17 AM \nWhat is going on? Am I having a nightmare? *~~Am I being punished?~~* Is this an \nillusion? What the HELL is going ON? \n\n\n \n12:20 AM \nTears stream down my face. I haven’t hit any walls at all. I \ncan’t see anything. I drop to the floor. Why is this happening? Who or what is \ndoing this? Why me? *~~I don’t deserve~~* \n*~~this!~~* Just let me go back to my *~~bed~~* \nroom! \n\n\n \n12:24 AM \nThis is my worst nightmare. Lost in nothingness. I can’t \nsee. I can’t find anything. My head \nfeels like It’s going to explode. *~~Is~~* \n*~~something in my head?~~* I’m lost. Something has felt off this whole time \nand now I know why. This is*~~n’t~~* \nmy house. I *~~don’t~~* have a house \n*~~I had a studio.~~* \n\n\n \n12:30 AM \nWhy can’t I remember? Why can I tell it’s off? Where is my \nbed? I get up and I keep walking. I start running. I don’t care where. I don’t \nknow what to do. I don’t know what else I could do. What the fuck What the fuck \nWhat the fuck \nWhat the fuck \n*~~What the fuck~~* \nWhat the fuck \nWhat *~~the fuck~~* \n \n12:43 AM \nI collapse. I’m sobbing. I curl up. *~~I give up.~~* \n \n*~~12:43 AM~~* \n*~~I give up.~~* \n*~~12:43 AM~~* \n*~~I give up.~~* \n*~~12:43 AM~~* \n*~~I give up.~~* \n12:43 AM \nNO! \n12:43 AM \nLEAVE ME ALONE \n12:44 AM \nLET ME GIVE UP. *~~I~~* \n*~~WANT TO QUIT~~* \nSTOP \n\n\n \n*~~12:50 AM~~* \n*~~Please~~* \n \n12:51 AM \nPlease \n \n12:57 AM \nSuddenly, a light. I can see a light through my tears. It’s \na lamp? \nI get up. \n\n \n12:58 AM \nIt’s my living room lamp? I walk up and touch it. I turn \naround. \nMy couch. \n \n12:59 AM \nI sit down. My TV is back. My TV show is playing. I can’t \ncry anymore. I just want to forget. \nI just want to forget. I don’t want to move anymore. \nI don’t want to think. \nI don’t know what happened. \nI just want to watch my show. \nI watch my show. \nThe tears stop. \n*~~The thoughts stop.~~* \n \n12:02 AM \nFinishing my TV show for the night, \nI work up the willpower to get off the couch and go brush my teeth before bed. \nI walk in to the bathroom down the hallway, turn on the light, grab my \ntoothbrush and toothpaste, wt the brush a little and begin. \nThe feeling of the soft bristles \nagainst my mouth makes me even more tired than I already was. It's soothing in \na way. Repeated circular motions. staring into my own eyes, the deep brown \nreflected back at me. I struggle to hold my own gaze. \n \n \n "
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[WP] ‘Guardian Angels’ aren’t nearly as celestial as the name implies. The Guardian Angel Protection Program was created in the far future by time-travelers, to help protect people in their past who would have died if not for ‘divine’ intervention. It makes for some… unique challenges.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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.*",
"All right, this one should be easy enough. I looked at the next assignment. Another one in 1915, I guess that was a good year for the business. Ah yes, he would later go on to make advances in the medical field. I skimmed over the report, thinking of how this guy would “miraculously” be saved. I considered it for a while and went to the appropriate time period to make the changes. I paused time and took over the body of the Belgian fruit vendor and assumed my position. Soon enough the aforementioned soldier came by, wanting to buy 2 apples. Instead of the usual, I gave him the five coins that would ultimately stop the bullet that would’ve killed him.\r \n\r \nThe Guardian Angel Initiative was revolutionary at the time, making it possible to change the past to guarantee the best outcome in the future. I was chosen partly because of my studies researching the butterfly effect, partly because I was the one that came up with the idea. I was born in a small village in the Amazon, uninfluenced by the entire course of Western history, which made me the perfect candidate to avoid any pesky paradoxes.\r \n\r \nI surrendered the fruit vendor’s body back to its rightful owner and went back to my Jumper to see if the change had made any difference. Luckily, the coins had saved the man’s life and he had invented the medicine he was supposed to. So why was the thing still beeping red? Apparently, the coins had gone viral at the start of the twenty-first century, causing all kinds of deviations. Shouldn’t be too difficult. \r \n\r \nIt was 1939. The soldier had returned home, kept the coins and they were stowed away in the back of his desk’s drawer. He was showering when I jumped to the appropriate time. Not the best circumstance, but good enough. I took over the body and carefully turned off the shower, waiting for his body to dry, couldn’t leave any prints. when he was dry, I stepped on the carpet and opened the desk, retrieving the coins. I tossed them in a garbage can and went back in the shower and turned the water back on. I stayed till the water was warm and left his body again. Looks like it was all good this time, no red lights anymore.\r \n\r \nI returned to 2087 and checked the screen for my remaining tasks. It was always fun, I’d had people of all continents and social classes who were deemed positive enough for the future to warrant saving. The list was dynamic, always changing with new stuff the AI considers, though the list had been relatively empty today. There was only one left. Adolf Hitler, Berlin, April 30th 1945."
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[WP] In a world where necromancy is commonplace, a government mage undergoes her first rites at the Bureau of Thanatology.
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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[](#icon-help) [^(What Is This?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/off_topic) ^•\n[](#icon-information) [^(New Here?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/user_guide) ^•\n[](#icon-help) [^(Writing Help?)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/index#wiki_writing_resources) ^•\n[](#icon-exclamation) [^(Announcements)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/wiki/announcements) ^•\n[](#icon-comments) [^(Discord Chatroom)](https://discord.gg/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.*",
"God, I love this prompt! Urban fantasy stuff is fantastic.\n\n\\-------------\n\nMia tried not to look at the government agents walking alongside while simultaneously reconsidering her decision to major in Thanatology. \n\nPeople not overly familiar with magic tended to picture those who wielded the Art as doddering old folk in thick woolen robes with graying hair and enigmatic smiles who helped fix problems. The two men that flanked her looked like they were in the prime of their life, and they wore no smiles, enigmatic or otherwise. They also didn't wear any robes- all but the most eccentric magi only wore those during ceremonies and for fancy public events. Both were dressed in sleek black suits that no doubt hid a number of deadly weapons. They were, in a word, terrifying. \n\nFrankly, Mia almost felt out of place, dressed in her hooded grey robes. Like she was both overdressed and underdressed at the same time. \n\n\"Stop here,\" one said, and so they all stopped. The man swiped a keycard at what looked like an unexceptional stretch of alabaster wall. A glimmering door sprang into existence there, made of old carved wood and painted a deep crimson. \n\n\"Go inside and conjure up one of the restless dead,\" the other one said. \"Bind a spirit to yourself, through trickery, force, or negotiation.\"\n\n\"Yes, sir,\" Mia said nervously. The first agent looked at her. His expression was inscrutable, the black glasses he wore hiding his eyes and his mouth set in a thin line. She supposed they were doing their job since she couldn't tell what he was thinking. That was one part of their purpose. The other was to protect against certain fields of magic that required eye contact, but she wasn't trying to hypnotize him or anything. \n\n\"Don't worry,\" he said, and she was almost startled at how *unexpected* those words were from somebody who looked like they'd stumbled out of a government conspiracy flick. \"This isn't a test. You've been accepted into the bureau already. It may take you multiple tries.\"\n\n\"Thank you, sir?\" She said, a bit confused. He nodded and said no more, which she took as a sign that she should get on with it. The doorknob felt cold as she gripped it, but it turned easily as she twisted. The door itself opened with minimal resistance, and she stepped inside. \n\nAs usual, when courting the spirit realm, it was frigid. The dead did not know warmth- well, usually. Being a little cold was better than the alternative. Victims of fire knew plenty of warmth and victims of frostbite and hypothermia tended to drop the temperature in an area to dangerous levels. \"So, either no spirits,\" she said to herself, watching her breath come out as swirling mist. \"Or-\"\n\nSomething rested a claw on her shoulder, and she stiffened. \"A newborn mage, here to bind a spirit?\" Something said- something old and terrible. \"Looking for a partner in your pursuit of the necromantic arts?\" Something ruffled its feathers, and she heard a sound that she could only describe as a crow laughing. \"Oh. Oh, so pretty you are. So young. So... naive.\" \n\nMia couldn't move. She couldn't think. The presence was crushing, overwhelming. She was bobbing on the surface of an endless ocean as something circled in the depths below her. \n\n\"It has been so long since I've seen the world,\" it said, and this was all wrong. Everyone knew that spirits other than human spirits roamed the spirit world. But this was- there were wards here. Wards to stop this from happening. She was too new, too young. Something like this could tear her soul from her body and use her as a puppet as easily as blinking. How did it get here? What was it doing here? Was it going to kill her? \"Very well. I will be your partner. I would advise not mentioning this to the bureau. They will not react well to our new bond. Novices are supposed to partner with regular spirits.\" \n\n\"What,\" she managed to force out through her clenched teeth. The thing wrapped around her, and she tried to move, tried to cast, tried to banish it, but it was in vain. \"No. No, you can't- I can't,\" she said. This shouldn't have been happening. It couldn't happen. The first rites of a necromancer were well documented, well known. Partnerships with spirits were either voluntary on both sides or the result of a necromancer overpowering a spirit through force of will. A spirit forcing a human to do something- that was possession. Everyone knew how possession worked. It *should* have been a possession. \n\nThis should have been a possession, but it wasn't. Her vision went dark, and something wrapped around her mouth, but she could still breathe. She still had control over her thoughts as it reached inside her and dug something out to make room. She could still strain against it, hopeless as it was. It wasn't a possession. That didn't make it any less terrifying.\n\nAnd then, everything was mostly back to normal. She was standing in an empty room. She could still move, could still breathe, could still think, all things she did as she stumbled back and forced down a scream. She could feel it there, whatever that had been. Nestled in her chest, waiting for her to call on it. \n\nWhen she stumbled back outside, the senior mages turned towards her. \"Congratulations,\" the friendlier one said. \"You're one of us now. And you did it very quickly as well. Most take longer than a minute to entice or bind a spirit. Did you get one of our former agents? Some of us volunteer to help newer mages, even in death.\"\n\n\"Yeah.\" Mia took a breath, as the thing inside her laughed. \"Um... they were very... eager.\""
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[WP] God is fed up cultivating humanity, and decides to let them do it themselves by granting every person on earth any one power they ask for, so long as no one else has already taken it.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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.*",
"Trent sat staring at God, who seemed annoyed, at least the best he could tell. “So, it sounds like everything is taken then?” Trent said. God groaned again, rubbing his hand over his face. If it was possible for God to be exhausted, he was. God and Trent had been sitting, discussing the options still left for Trent’s possible powers for three days now. “Look, Trent, there are still nearly limitless powers you can ask for. Every possible power hasn’t been asked for yet, you just keep asking for ones that people have already chosen.” God said. “Yeah, but you said I can’t be invisible, invincible, immortal, infinitely wealthy, fly, see into the future, the best athlete on the planet, control reality, manipulate time at all, shape-shift, use magic, or be any of the best super heroes.” Trent replied. “You can still be Aquaman.” God said. “Oh everyone knows Aquaman sucks! Why do you think no one has asked for his powers yet?” Trent said, irritated that all of the powers he was requesting, had already been granted.\n\nGod groaned. “Look, Trent. There are still millions of people I need to get to and we’ve spent more than three days going over this.” God said. Trent looked up, hearing this was news to him. “Wait. Millions? Millions? That means you’ve already gone through more than seven billion people!” He said. God’s eyes opened wider, his eyes brows lifting up. “Umm…what?” God replied. “What do you mean what?” Trent said. “I’m sorry, what was the question?” God asked. “You said you have millions of people left that you need to grant powers to. There’s over **seven billion** people on Earth. How many people did you already grant powers to?” Trent asked. God paused for a moment before answering the question. “7,746,316,209.”\n\nTrent’s mouth fell open before blinking and taking a deep breath. “What? That leaves like…” Trent actually wasn’t entirely sure, since he didn’t know the exact population of Earth. God did however. “6,683,791.” God said. Trent tossed his head back and groan. “Ughhhhhhh. Are you ffffucking kidding me?” Trent said. “No Trent, I shit you not.” God replied. Trent rubbed his forehead with his hand. “Okay. Okay. Let me think.” He said, exhaling. “You’ve granted more than seven billion powers already. Odds of winning the lotto are something like 53 million to 1. All of the good powers are gone.” Trent said, pausing.\n\n“So how did you grant powers to babies? Or people that are comatose, or somehow incapacitated?” Trent asked. God smirked, shrugging his shoulder. “Come on. I’m God.” God replied. Trent narrowed his eyes. “Right.” Trent said. Trent sat thinking. Every power I wish for has already been granted. If I combine two or more powers, I either can’t do that. Or, someone else has already thought of that. So I need to think of something that no one else has yet. So what the hell can I ask for that hasn’t already been ask for by someone else?\n\nTrent sat for a long time, his eyes shifting back and forth. After quite some time, Trent looked up at God. “You can read my thoughts, can’t you?” He asked. “Not if you don’t want me to. But yes, yes I can.” God said. “So I might as well just talk out loud.” Trent said. “Your choice, doesn’t matter to me.” God said. Trent narrowed his eyes again. “You’re a bit of a smart ass, aren’t you?” Trent said. God shrugged. “Hey, where do you think all of the comedy in the world came from?” Trent looked annoyed by this point, to say the least. “Riiiight. Real funny, guy that can’t even…” It was a proverbial bolt of lightning, or lightbulb going off in Trent’s head. Of course, as soon as Trent thought of it, God’s expression changed. “Now Trent, let’s think about this for a minute.” God said.\n\n“Well, you know what I was thinking. And I can ask for any power I want, as long as no one else has asked for it. And judging by the way you responded, I’m pretty sure no one else has.” Trent said. “Okay, look. I take that back. Let’s go back to some of the powers you asked for earlier, we can come to a deal. I’ll even grant you two powers. How does three sound?” God replied. God appeared to be worried, it seemed he didn’t want to grant Trent’s power. “Nah, I think I’m good.” “Look Trent, I really don’t think this power is going to work out for you the way you want it to. In fact, it’s not even really a power if you think about it.” God chuckled, trying to convince Trent to reconsider his request. “Hey, it’s my power, right? So what does it matter if it’s really a power, or not?”\n\nGod sighed heavily. “Okay look, why don’t we be reasonable…” Trent cut God off mid-sentence. “Reasonable? I’m just following your rules. Everyone got their powers granted, and I’m not asking for something that someone else has already asked for. So I’m asking for this. I’m following the rules, and this is the power I want. Simple as that.” God narrowed his eyes, peering at Trent. He pointed an index finger at Trent again. “Alright you little son of a bitch. But I’m still done dealing with all of humanity’s shit. Once I grant you the power to take away everyone else’s power, you guys are going to be on your own.” God said.\n\nTrent smiled. “So it will just be like the last few thousand years?”"
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[WP] The worst part of living in the same area as the local super villain syndicate is that you don't know if the clogged kitchen sink is a normal plumbing problem, or if there's some nefarious plan being hatched to take over the world.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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.*",
"Harriet sighed as the water in the sink refused to go down.Shuffling over to the computer her grandson had setup for her she was just beginning to search for a plumber when there was a knock at her door. \n\nThe peephole had been painted over years ago so she just opened the door not without a little trepidation. Standing there was one of the last people she wanted to see. Not that Ruis was a bad boy. But the rumor was the scaled youth worked for Leaguer now.\n\n\"Good morning Mrs. Greene. We're just checking, are any of your drains clogged?\"\n\n\"I don't want no trouble, Ruis.\"\"It is no trouble senora. But when twenty units in the same building has trouble at the same time. . . My boss takes notice.\"\n\n\"It's just my kitchen sink. I probably let too much lettuce or cheese get down the drain.\" Harriet held her composure as the young man tapped an icon on his phone.\n\n\"Si soy yo. Tengo otro en el duodécimo piso.\" \n\nAlmost instantly a small female in all black with a wide brimmed hat appeared behind him. \n\nThe villainess raised her gaze to the elderly tenant. “If I may see the problem Mrs. Greene?”\n\nHarriet backs away from the door to let the pair enter. “Is something wrong? Did Leaguer do something?”\n\n“No no senora. We do not cause harm in our territory. But so much happening at the same time goes beyond coincidence.”\n\nThe sudden sound of water gurgling down the drain in the kitchen cutting them off as the girl comes back holding a small blue disk. “Hard rubber like all the others. I teleported this one out of the trap. These are machined. . . No sir, I think this was meant to get this very reaction out of us. I need to get clear of the building before a hero or police show up.”\n\n“Is there a problem? I thought you were a speedster dear.”\n\n“Getting out is easy. The problem is I need to be seen leaving. Or someone may assume I am still here and bust through a door or wall.”\n\nAs the girl walks down the hall to take the stairs, Harriet turns to the young mutant with concern plain on his face. “Perhaps you could give me a hand after all Ruis. I have so much baking I need to get done.”\n\n“Si senora.”"
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[WP] In desperation you take the only job willing to hire you. You quickly learn however that this run down establishment is not at all what it seems. As your boss tells you to hold out your hands. They wave a wand and a new uniform appears in your hands as if from thin air.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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.*",
"Mr.Alanzo bit the end of his pen and stared me down from across his desk. He was a bold looking man, with gray, slicked back hair and a pin-striped suit. I dared not interrupt what seemed a ritualistic appraisal. But Mr.Alanzo could see with more than eyes.\n\n“Yes,” he said finally, “you will do nicely.”\n\n“Do what exactly, Sir?” I asked. I was only sixteen, being alone with this strange man made me nervous. The office seemed decent enough, but liminal.\n\n“Why,” said Mr.Alanzo, “you will be my personal assistant. You did read the ad, didn’t you?” He flicked his wrist and a piece of paper appeared in his hand. He fixed his glasses.\n\n“Neat trick,” I said. “I’ve only seen someone do that with playing cards.” The boss smiled and began to read.\n\n“Personal assistant needed. Two dollars an hour. Please have charisma and a magical personality.”\n\n“It was an odd ad,” I said. “But you were the only one on Gregslist that answered.”\n\n“You start today,” said Mr. Alanzo. He ordered me to hold out my hands and with the flick of his pen, a uniform appeared in my hands. I was startled, and then shocked. Was I dreaming?\n\n“Wh-How did you…What?!”\n\n“Speak plainly.”\n\n“How did you do that?”\n\n“Magic, course. You have magic in this world, don’t you?”\n\n“Not…really.”\n\n“Oh, well thats awkward.” \n\n“You’re not gonna have to wipe my brain with a forget-me spell are you?”\n\n“No no,” said Mr. Alanzo, “it’s worse than that. I’m going to have to train you for the position.”\n\n“Train me? I’m not following sir. What exactly do I need to do? I thought I was just a coffee fetcher.”\n\n“Heavens no! Why? Do you know a good place to grab a cup of joe?”\n\n“Yeah, Claddah coffee shop,” I said, “it’s down seventh. But what do I need to learn?”\n\n“Magic,” said Mr. Alanzo. “I need to teach you magic.”\n\n\nLmk if you want more :)",
"\"Well kid, congrats you got the job!\" Mr. Falseid said giving me a pat on the back before leading me back to the front of the run down store.\n\n\"Wait, really? That is fantastic!\" I exclaimed, happpy to finally have landed a new job after I quit the last one, plus I might actually be able to make rent this time, if the discussed payment is actually what I'll be getting.\n\n\"Sure is kiddo, not everyday ol' Pan gets to hire a new face. Say, would you be able to start right now?\"\n\n\"I can do that, yeah. Though I gotta ask, I know it's my first day and all, but can I get a bit of an advance payment, you see I am a tad behind on rent and they'll thro...\"\n\n\"That isn't a problem in the slightest.\" my boss interrupted, \"How do you want to be payed, Gold, Drachme, Blood,...\"\n\n\"Dollars...?\" I asked, hoping that he was just messing with me and won't actually pay me in blood.\n\n\"Sure, a comparativly boring choice but I'll manage.\" he said before pulling a wad of bills out of one of his suits pockets, which I am pretty sure wiould have never fit in said pocket, especially because it looked empty before and handed me a few bills.\n\n\"Oh and here is your uniform the changing room is down there, second door on the right.\" and with a wave of his hand a seemingly brand new uniform landed in my hands. Too stunned to say anything I made my way to the locker room.\n\nGetting inside, I was relived to see that everything looked normal, apart from another door leading somewhere else and an imposing suit of plate armor with a huge sword standing next to it. \n\nI changed outfts when a scratching sound from the other door caught my attention, I tried to ignore it but my curiosity got the better of me, slowly I crept towards it, keeping an eye on the imposing suit of armor. I placed my hand on the door handle but before I could press it down a voice from my left made me halt: \"I would refrain from doing that if I were you.\" I looked up and saw the suits helmet looking down directly at me \"Wh..w...Why?\" I answered. \n\n\n\"Ghoul infestation.\" the suit replied as if it was the most normal thing in the world.\n\n\"I'll be going then.\" I answered before quickly finishing up and heading for the way back to the front of the store. \"Have a great day at work!\" I heard the suit reply before I shut the door.\n\nWhen I got back to the front I saw Mr. Falseid talking to someone else, though the other person was obscured by him. \"Ah, you're back. And i'm glad to see that the uniform fits. This here is Clarisse by the way, one of your co-workers.\" he stepped aside revealing a female figuree dressed in jeans, a brown leather jacket and a company t-shirt, a pretty normal outfit all things considered. What wasn't normal was that where a normal human head should sit was instead occupied by a black furred wolf head, \"Hey.\" the she-wolf greeted me. \n\nMy confusion and complete disbelief must have been visible from a mile away and it took me several moments before I could articulate a response: \"H..Hi...\", was all that I muttered.\n\n\"Hmmm, you're handling it better than most, usually people run away screaming when they hear they'll be working together with a werewolf. But I am sure we'll get along splendidly.\" She said giving me a smile that revealed two rows of sharp fangs, before heading into the back of the store.\n\n\"Mr. Falseid, where can I find...\" I started, but stopped as I turned around and instead of the buisinessman dressen in a black velvet suit there stood a half-naked satyr, reading through some pages of paper. \n\n\"Kid, since you'll be working here with us you can call me Pan.\" He said, looking up from his sheets before shooting me a smile.\n\n\"Alright... where can I find the restroom?\"\n\n\"Through the locker room and down the stairs on the other side of it, then its the seventh door on the left, or was it the eight? I always get it and the Chimera pen confused.\"\n\n\"You mean the Ghoul infested stairs?\"\n\n\"Ah right, I knew I forgot something. But there should be some spare weapons and armor your size flying around here somewhere,let me get it for you.\" and with that he too headed off towards the back.\n\nThis is gonna be one hell of job..."
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[WP] You're minding you're own business when everyone around you starts acting confused. You talk to some of them, and realise their minds have been overwritten - with your own.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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 didn't want this.\n\nI wish sincerely that there was anybody else who could hear those words, but all I ever see is my own guilt spread across unrecognizable faces. I wonder sometimes if the body's owner is somewhere in there, screaming for freedom.\n\nI hope not.\n\nMy wife had been the first one, it hadn't really set in yet what was happening, she was panicking and trying to run from me, operating on pure fear. Half asleep, I thought it must be a nightmare, both of us probably shared the same thought. I tried to comfort her, but I quickly realized I was the source of the fear. In between the swearing she was making claims that sounded like nonsense. If I had recognized the words for truth sooner, maybe...\n\n“Mom? Mom what's wrong! Wha-” My wife opened the door to see my son standing in a confused stupor, before panic set in his face. The same panic she had just went through. Of the three of us I was the most ignorant, but she... she knew, and when she looked at what we had done to our son... I'll never forget that scream.\n\nIt is a surreal to know that a version of me mourned the loss of my son before I could even comprehend that he had been lost.\n\nThe Spread was small at first, limited to just ten feet. Maybe others would have fled, tried to hide themselves away from society. Maybe they would have killed themselves in hopes that would fix everything. A particularly cruel individual might have tried to weaponize it faster.\n\nI turned to the government. I know the fears and superstition behind such an act, but I am a father before anything, and if they tortured me, cut me open, dissected my brain while I was still awake, anything would have been worth it to have my son back. I Spread to twenty three more individuals before they took me seriously, and I learned that those I Spread to could Spread themselves.\n\nThey quarantined our block, bringing in the national guard to enforce it. They didn't need to worry about me trying to escape, but curiosity and disbelief had drawn in attention from the media, and with it the masses had their eyes on me. Before the area had been fully secured, another twelve had fallen to the Spread.\n\nThirty eight of me in that little neighborhood, we formed our own society as we waited for the scientists to do their work. We split ourselves among the houses as best we could, it hurt to look at your victims, and for most it hurt to look at me, having the knowledge that they weren't even the original, just the affliction. When we tried to converse it was always awkward, mostly probing that the other party was indeed the same person, and after that having little to offer save for small comments about the various chores we had assigned ourselves. I stayed as far from my wife and son as I could, they were my motivation, but they were also the dagger in my heart pressing ever inward.\n\nI wonder that I never went insane.\n\nThe scientists did the best they could. Many of their experiments had to be done by some version of myself to eliminate the risk of the Spread. I can't imagine what it must have been to be the one assigned to draw my blood, and to take the *other* samples. It certainly hadn't been comfortable on my end, it was akin to a new nurse struggling to find the vein, but worse.\n\nThe results were less promising than I'd have hoped, nothing immediately seemed abnormal from my labs. They did establish that after I Spread to a victim I do not continually overwrite them, they gained immunity from me for all that it mattered. When my victims Spread to others they didn't implant any of their new experiences, but instead the same copy that had overwritten them. The Spread also seemed to only effect humans, so I did not need to worry about a version of me trapped in the body of a worm.\n\nA cure did not seem within sight.\n\nYears passed, my hope faded. Within the quarantine I had been further sequestered by my other selves, to reduce the risk as best as I was able. We had no reason to believe that the range of the Spread would increase, but we had no reason to believe otherwise. It was well intentioned, but it is what ruined us.\n\nI wanted to see him, I had to see him, even if it hurt. It was a passing comment, my son's body was going through its growth spurt, one of my selves had shared it with another me, not intending me to overhear. As we were all the same once, we all shared the same pain, and as we were our own company we had taken into confiding our misery in ourselves.\n\nHe was on the other end of the quarantine. It was just one hundred feet, it took less than a minute. Less than a minute, I'll never forget that. He was inside, watching TV; when he answered the door and I looked at his face, I lost it. I tried to tell him how sorry I was, how much I missed him, I gave him a hug as he uncomfortably stood there. I composed myself, tried to apologize, he explained to me that I'm not the first to have an episode like this. I sometimes wonder how he was able to handle being in that body all these years, I did not know I had that kind of strength.\n\nWhat I also didn't know was that there was two other aspects to the Spread we had yet to discover.\n\nWhatever causes the Spread, it grows in strength with time. When it had first come into existence, it only altered people within ten feet of me. Over the years that distance had increased to one hundred fifty feet. The second aspect was that whenever I Spread to another person, the strength of their Spread matches my own. While I was walking one hundred feet to see my son, the guards stationed nearby were overwritten, and from them the nearby civilians, and so on and so on.\n\nWithin less than a minute my home town had fallen to the Spread.\n\nI volunteered for euthanasia, before the government inevitably demanded it. I was too much of a threat, transporting me anywhere would be too risky, and too many loved ones of my victims existed that wanted me to be held accountable. I am not a suicidal person, but I am human, I know the risk I pose and the harm I've done.\n\nI was given instructions on how to make it as painless as possible, others were instructed on how to incinerate and dispose of my remains so that nothing that was me was left. What a strange position that must have been. As I felt myself going, my last thought was “I didn't want this.”\n\nAnd then I woke up in a strangers body across the ocean.\n\nThe incineration didn't work, whatever the Spread is, it still grows in strength. I would come to learn that my home town and all of my original victims were nuked in a last ditch attempt to remove the Spread, but even that did not stop it. We speculate now that whatever the Spread is, it was never a part of me, but something *else* that had somehow latched itself onto me for a time. It is a belief born of a desperate hope that it is not our fault, but the implications are hardly comforting.\n\nI am of the last generation of victims, the largest generation, when all who had fled to a new continent to escape the Spread finally succumbed to it. We keep the old names, it's the easiest way to differentiate ourselves, because if we chose our own names we'd all pick the same ones. We do the work that our hosts did, to try to keep the world running. The first couple of decades were rough, a running joke in our society is to blame any of our mistakes on the original version of me being a lazy bastard. It's not our fault, it's his.\n\nTime really does change a man, it's something that I knew to be true, but seeing millions of my reflections become increasingly different to myself really cements the weight of it. Life could be better, but I've learned to adapt to the cards that I've been dealt. It's either do that or give up and die, and dying didn't work. Some of us even decided to have children, I haven't adapted *that* much yet, but it does make me hopeful that as much as its course has been changed, humanity won't simply be erased.\n\nEven if the children are just small versions of myself, with all those years ahead of them, they truly have the chance to be anyone.\n\n​\n\nNano goal: 1521/50000 words"
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[WP] An enemy soldier was running towards you. He had no weapons but he was covered in blood. It confused your team even more when he shouted, "Run!"
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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 took me a second to recognise Greg from accounting, tho he had lost his helmet his head was covered in whatever that red goo that spattered the rest of his body. Two of my team mates, I think is was Liz and Becker from design, raised their paintball guns but we could all tell that something was wrong. As Greg crashed into me a grabbed him and as I did I caught a strong stench of copper. \n\n\"Run, Please\" He gasped into my ear\n\n\"Hey Greg chill out there, when your hit your meant to lie down until the whistle\" I told him as he bent double wheezing\n\nBecker pulled of their helmet revealing their confused expression. \n\"Red? I thought we were only playing with blue and orange today?\"\n\nGreg straightened and and as he did I saw how pale he was looking under the blood, his eyes were wide with pupils so dilated they just looked black. Sweat rolled down his bald head and mixed with the blood before dripping off his nose. \n\"Sam, Evan, Cam ... they're gone\" His voice trembled as he spoke.\n\nLiz pulled her helmet off and started checking him over looking for the source of the blood. \n\"What happened to you? are you injured\" As the office first aid she had gone into auto-pilot.\n\n\"Gone? What you do mean gone? is the watch over?\" Becker snapped at him clearing not noticing how terrified he already was. \n\nAs he opened his mouth to answer a carbon fibre patterned blade sprouted from his neck. His body collapsed to the ground to reveal a human figure standing dressed head to toe in tattered camo with a mirrored visor and a battered paintball gun at their side. They wiped the blood off their knife on their sleeve and slowly turned their head to look at us. Liz scrambled back on her hands and knees as Becker instinctively raised their gun.\n\n\"Who the fuck are you!\" They shrieked at the figure.\n\nMy feet were rooted to the ground and the only thing I could hear apart from the pounding of the blood in my ears was the gurgling of Gregs body on the ground. Liz finally made it to her feet and attempted to run but in a kind of an eye the figure's gun was in their hands and let off a pffft as it fired. Liz's back exploded open as if a grenade had gone off in her lungs, a lump of rib and spine tangled in flash landed at my feet and I felt my stomach heave. Her arms clawed a the ground briefly before collapsing with a thud. \n\nBecker's face went blank and their eyes narrowed, the only other time I had seen them like this was at a remembrance day dinner we had had. They let out a snarl as they charged at the figure firing their gun wildly to little effect. With a surreal laziness the figure adjusted their aim and let out another pfft. Becker's knee exploded leaving one of their combat boots lying on the ground with the foot still in it. With a scream Becker threw their body at the figure knocking it off its feet. They both fell to the ground and rolled around grappling in the dirt, I saw the figure's gun on the ground and forced my frozen muscles to move. As I stumbled towards the gun I heard a gasp and turned to see Becker's body with a knife hilt deep in their chest getting pushed away by the figure. I scrambled the last few feet and snatched up the gun just in time to spin and fire it right into the figure's chest.\n\nSlowly the figure looked down at its chest, where the single paintball had harmlessly splattered. Knocking the gun out of my hands I felt its cold dry fingers lock around my throat an slowly start squeezing. Desperately I scrabbled at its face trying to get it off me but it only lent more weight onto my neck. As my vision began to dim I felt my fingers slip under the edge of the mask and with my last bit of strength I wrenched up, I would at least be able to see the face of my attacker before I died. And as my mind numbed and my gasping stopped I saw, under the helmet, a face that should never been seen on any living being.",
"The forest of Thickwood was a turgid space where the Asamanian conflict meshed with those of the Unbound and the Akar. Death became a common occurrence within its verdant embrace. The years had made it so that the ground turned uneven and the trees leaned over each other in cramped spaces. Its bloated form only ever allowed enough sunlight to show the muted greens of this suffocating forest.\n\nI hated venturing out this far into the woods, but the Clerian king, Logam, needed to know how far the conflict had escalated.\n\nThe air itself felt unnatural, the forest's earthy musk thick all about us as we trudged over foliage. I looked to the branches and felt eyes all about me.\n\n\"Steady, men,\" I ordered. My gaze never left the top of the trees which loomed over us. I almost wished they moved rather than stay so unnervingly still.\n\n\"Run.\" I heard in the distance. It drew closer.\n\n\"The scouting team,\" said one of my men.\n\n\"Back already?\" asked another, visibly perplexed.\n\nHe burst from a clearing of shrubs covered in blood, his armour caked in the stuff, fear had claimed a manic hold over him.\n\n\"Run!\" he exclaimed, his voice pregnant with horror.\n\n\"Calm! Tell me what you saw!\"\n\n\"There is no time!\"\n\nOur breath got caught in our throats. Whatever presence crept closer had an aversion to life, or perhaps envied its sight.\n\n\"We... we killed it...\"\n\n\"Killed what?\" I asked. My eyes were plastered to the veil of the shrubs, my vision tunneled, growing ever longer as I felt my heart beat against its ribcage.\n\n\"An Asamanian... there was an ambush.\"\n\nThe men laughed. \"He's scared of a couple exiles.\"\n\nNo. I could see what terror rattled behind his eyes, what shadows it cast in those sockets.\n\n\"No... the Asamanian are all dead...\"\n\n\"What do you mean?\" I asked. All I got was a despondent whimper more fitting to a child than a soldier.\n\n\"It comes.\"\n\nThere was a howl, a mournful and primal thing from wind through offered gaps.\n\n\"The war-spirit.\" The frightened man's words were more a breath than anything else.\n\nIt came so swiftly from the brushes, as quick and fleetfooted as the wind which heralded it.\n\nMy life turned into flashes of red and screams as we fled all at once. Already the fallen war-spirit had claimed those who died before, bones, muscle and viscera turned into body armour to empower its already haunting visage. It crashed into men and turned them into pulp, the remains absorbed into its smoking body. The mounted skull on its head hunted with absolute abandon, searching for more life to snuff out, for more bodies to add to its size. Smoke trailed its bulging form and burnt with its undying rage.\n\nEven when all of us were reaped by its red fury, it would be consumed by that ire and turn back into red mist. Waiting till one day when more blood would be spilled on hollowed ground so that it may rise again and bring carnage.\n\n\\*\\*\\*\n\n/r/KikiWrites\n\nIf you enjoyed that, it is based on the setting for my upcoming Dark Souls inspired novel. It is coming 2022."
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[WP] Human magic has always been termed 'Rage Magic' due to it's users being mostly berserkers. But it has always confused the other races how some humans seem to be able to do anything with it. What they should have called it is 'Passion Magic', and humans can be passionate about many things.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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 Trick Unseen\n\n\\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nGideon's Pavilion was the largest of its kind in the city, built on the charred ruins of Capital. It was a single curve of flowing stone, seats molded as if by the wind, a beveled roof edge that drew the rain to the gutters. A small table at the center stuck out, an ugly little thing in this grand place. The echo was near perfect. The seats made no noise, while the pavilions center seemed to whisper in your ear no matter where you stood.\n\nKirk was staring at the tableau carved into the edge, doing his best to ignore the aimless chatter around him. The first and last battle of *'The War from Within'* the historians were calling it. The Harhim, the devils tamed, riding out to a rumored foe, the tip of the most feared spear in history. Easier to list the peoples they hadn't had a hand in conquering. At their back Gideon rose with nothing but his pen. Kirk thought, *Wars are fought. This, this was just his 'Prestige', no more. A formality, Capital had been his for quite some time.*\n\nKirk's attention was drawn by the guest of \"honour\". Aura 'Gidemark' Finnly. Aside from her moniker you could not find a more common name. Yet at her entrance, Kirk, along with every noble blooded stooge there got to their feet.\n\nAnd bowed.\n\nKirk's stomach did something, unpleasant. He was struck with the most unusual need to laugh but stifled it. The pavilion took their seats at a gesture from the Gidemark. Their eyes met, her face betrayed no recognition. Kirk could not be so sure of his own. She turned to the wooden table brought here for this occasion, a heap of rusty metal left on it. She took out her Artisans wand, with a flourish, and addressed the audience.\n\n\"Friends, guests. Are you perhaps ready?\" she turned to show her wolfish grin. \"I was born for this moment, born to show you all,\" she spat the last word, a touch of deep anger in her stage voice.\n\nKirk knew she retreated to what she had practiced to contain herself. \"I, the Gidemark, by order of Gideon, am to convince you all of the Artisans place in our new world. How blessed you are.\"\n\nShe turned back to the pile of browning metal. She made a complex swirling pattern with her wand. Polished wood and inset with pinkish gems, expensive but not overly gauche. Kirk figured she was borrowing someone else's.\n\n\"First. The pledge.\"\n\nWith her swirling, the metal began to rise. Separating and lining itself in the air with control and precision. Largest to smallest, grouped by rust content. The intent was clear. The Gidemark wanted everyone to know '*I am in control*'.\n\n\"Second. The turn.\"\n\nThe very air of the pavilion now danced to her ever-swaying wand. When it looked as if she would relax, she dived into some twisting equation of will and wood. The metal seemed to be taken by the wind, thrown randomly. But Kirk could just see the pattern; as if the crashing and the chipping, sparking and twisting, it was all apart of a great pattern.\n\nThe Gidemark ended a flourish by thrusting her wand to the open sky. A perfect cerulean blue. The metal arranged itself in a line upward. If there was order to it, Kirk could not decipher it. Each piece was alien, some glowing chunk of metal that had been formed in all that chaos. Now aligned together like a perfect bolt, stretching to the seat of the gods.\n\n\"And the Prestige.\" she shouted, but quieter the pavilion carrying her small voice. \"El temere finalis...\" Kirk recognized the phrase. The last line from Gideons best work. The poem, the words, that ended an empire.\n\nAmidst the incantation she thrust the point of her wand at her open hand. Metal began slapping against her palm, and then against metal, while the Gidemark made minute twists of her wand as if picking a lock with it. The sound of scraping metal subsided, the glow of the work died. She stood hunched over her work. The pavilion killed all noise. All except the quiet deep breathes of an Artisan finished her work.\n\nShe unveiled what she had made of the large rusty plates. A golden pocket watch. Kirk didn't know if it was true gold, but it had its shine. The audience took to a halting applause. Awed by their first taste of what the gifted can do when you put anything but a sword in their hand. But the meaning of the display sunk in to some. Rusty, ugly metal. Transformed into something useful and beautiful. They sat where once the old heads of the High Houses had made war, where they had feasted while the conquered lands starved, where Kirk might have built his legacy.\n\nThe assembled guests made their way from the pavilion. Some with a bit more haste than others. Agents likely sent by the old Houses, Kirk reckoned. Come to see what the usurpers protege was up to.\n\nKirk waited for the last guest to leave, an older woman who spoke softly with the Guidemark, away from the center. He spotted the wand concealed at the woman' hip. She made to leave but lingered long enough to scowl at Kirk. He returned it with a genuine smile, he had long gotten used to the scorn.\n\nHe made it a step further when the Gidemark tackled him. Muscled arms grabbed him tight, a gentle hand clasping the back of his head. Kirk looked at Aura, her grin turning sweet.\n\n\"You did great,\"\n\n\"I know.\"\n\nThey shared a kiss where they shouldn't. Here where spies could see, but Kirk couldn't manage to care.\n\n\"So, 'Gidemark', think that scared them?\"\n\n\"I really don't know what will make them understand.\"\n\n\"It's shocking,\" Kirk said, knowing he broached a tricky subject. \"The first time you see it. You don't want to believe it.\"\n\n\"Well, they should.\" Aura broke their embrace and paced to the table, placed her hands flat. \"Gideon takes a whole city from them, gets them to burn it for him, and they need proof. Idiots.\"\n\n\"My informants told me some still believe in the 'Delemity', they hope that such a foe won't strike while the High Houses are so low.\"\n\nAura laughed but its bitterness made Kirk uneasy. \"Maybe Gideon told them to good a story.\"\n\n\"Nothing short of the Delemity, a nation of freed-slaves come to take vengeance would have drawn the Harhim. They'll realise sooner or later that they lost. Lost years before Capital burned.\"\n\n\"Did you see me the way they do, back then, you know...\"\n\nTheir first encounter came to Kirk. In the days when he was 'Kirkland Grahm Weirst'. He'd listened to the wrong informant, a plant by another house. But his assassin had been surprised to find a 'Harhet' a devil unchained, with the heir to House Weirst. Of course, so had Kirk. Aura in the midst of a feuge, the battle trance of the warriors carved in stone above their heads. Kirk had barely escaped with his life, the assassin had not been so lucky.\n\n\"I'd never thought about the Harhim much. They were a tool to be used, that's what I'd been taught. You opened my eyes, Aura. You and Gideon.\"\n\nKirk wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder. \"Gideon discovered the lie of the gifted, and few can use it like you.\" he kissed her cheek. \"I see you now, there is no one more important in this city, to me, or the gifted. I see you.\"\n\nThey kissed again under the watchful eyes Kirk knew would be there. He stopped caring. He'd helped bury the world he knew. what better time to dispatch tradition.\n\n\"Shall we get married?\"\n\nAura tensed and relaxed. \"You mean, but you're, and I'm-\" he silenced her with a kiss.\n\n\"Yes I am me, and you are you. Seems like a good enough reason.\" Auras face became the most amazing thing he'd seen that day; greater than the pavilion and its history, greater than Auras own magic.\n\nThis is why he'd helped kill an empire. So it'd be possible for her to make that face.",
"Part one\n\n“Human!” The elf children stared, pointed, cowered, and stood tall in front of the man.\nHe stared at them for a moment, before suddenly being covered in a dim yellow green light. When the light faded, the human’s ears had disappeared, to be replaced with three pairs of elven ones. His hair now platinum, complimented his silver robes well. \n\nThe pointing boy had a feeling of void painting stripes on him. He slowly lowered his arm. The eyes of a boy cowering behind one of the girls lit up, and he ran toward the man, hugging his waist.\n\n“Uncle Seri!” The boy exclaimed while looking up in the mans face.\n\nThe other children stood shocked, their faces almost blue.\n\nThe man patted Alfery on his similar platinum hair. His ears glowed a dim yellow green again, and the three pairs became one, with echoes.\nThe kids, now more scared then ever, scattered, and ran back to the village.\n\n“What are you doing here?” The man’s voice gentle, and soft like moss.\n\n“The kids wanted to see you, but they didn’t know were to go so they brought me through the Forrest.” The boy paused and the smile turned grim, “am I in trouble?” His innocent eyes did not get sympathy from the man. \n\n“No, but I’ve told you not to come here unless you are accompanied by an adult.” \nAlfred lowered his gaze. \n\n“It’s fine,” the man spoke quietly, like a dying breeze. “Come i—“ he was interrupted by a group of adult elves rushing from the direction of the village. \n\n“Sir Seris! Sir Seris!” Their panicked demeanor made a leaf fall from a close tree. They stopped, panting. The one in the front spoke, “Sir Seris we apologize for any trouble the children have caused,” the elf’s face was tense while he avoided making eye contact. “I will take any punishment that you wish to bestow upon the children sir, please forgive them!” Another leaf fell from a tree. Seris’s frown, as weak as it was, did not worsen, nor ease. \n\n“Come here,” Seris motioned to the elf in a formal way. The elf’s face contorted with anxiety. They moved toward Seris and bowed. “Stand tall,” the elf hesitated but obliged. Meeting eyes with Seris, something that the village elder spoke of with fear. The elf turned pale. It stared Seris in the eyes, unable to look away.\n\n“My name is Zhelosqe.” The elf spoke quietly, shaking, as if answering to a deity. He started to sweat. \n\n“Ah,” Seris broke eye contact, “I apologize, bad habit.” Seris’s head down, Zhelosqe could move again.\n\nA soft touch fell sweetly and gingerly upon Zhelosqe’s shoulder. He no longer shook, and the fear faded. \n\n“It is unfortunate really,” Seris spoke so softly that the elves in the back of the group had trouble hearing him. He flinched, rejecting the thought of looking the elf in the eyes once more. “Those who react like that are those who know death when they see it.”\n\nZhelosqe was silent.\n\nSeris’s touch left the shoulder. The elf was in either a state of confusion or shock, he himself could not tell. \n\n“Do not worry,” Seris continued softly, “I am not so petty as to dislike children for a little ignorance.” He looked at a leaf on the ground and it began to glow. “They are young, more so then you.” The leaf glided on unseen winds to the branch that it fell from. “They have time.” Seris continued, “so do you” he raised his head looking through the Forrest at a distant patch of grass. \n\n“So,” Seris motioned to the everyone else to leave, Alfrey ran to them while looking back, “how do you feel for tea?”\n\nEdit: indentations"
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[WP] Out of desperation you rummage through a gloomy library as your plan comes apart at the seams. Years, wasted learning various ancient languages. Of course there were no candles in the restricted magic library, and times running out.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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 cloud of dust sprung up from the table as another book was unceremoniously strewn onto it. The dust motes, dancing around like so many fairies upon the wind, gave no comfort to the figure who was hunched over the scroll. Around him, countless scrolls, books, and tomes lay, piled higher than his body, which was cloaked. His eyes fluttered from one line to the next, scanning at an inhuman pace as he so desperately searched for what he desired. Around him, the suns shadow had grown long, cut off by the grime on the windows and the cobwebs built around the corners. The sound of a page being turned, as the man muttered to himself “no, no, not Wolfsbane. Too potent”. Sweat had begun to bead on his forehead, as he raced against the clock. His scanning did not grant him any reprieve in the tome he was examining, and he tossed the book away after snapping it shut, sending another shower of dust into the already musty air. He coughed and reached for the next scroll, titled “A glossary of cures for wounds, punctures, and ailments, by Charles Dumont, 682”. His heavy breathing growing by the minute, the man seemed to grow more and more desperate with every missing piece. His frantic search continued with unwavering concentration, as each minute the shadowed fingers of night clawed their way towards his back.\n\nUnsuccessful, the man threw the scroll haphazardly towards his examined pile and turned to his next book. Reaching toward it, his forearm was drawn out of the underside of the cloak, revealing a linen bandage that covered his left forearm. The man winced, the pain snapping him from his state of total focus momentarily, before he dove back into the book.\n\nPouring down the page, his blazing fast pace grew even faster, and he began muttering “Wounds, wounds, wounds, yes, but where are the bites?” Another page turned, and then another. The silent library only echoed his every movement, magnifying what he did by a thousandfold. Each sound, echoing off the walls, seemed to be a toll for the bell called death.\n\n“Found it!”\n\nThe man's eyes greedily drank in the page he had been longing for. Written in a language of symbols from a continent long gone, was the image of a man, buckled over with fur sprouting onto his body, his nose elongating. His ancient language study had paid off, evidently.\n\nWhispering as he read, the man's lips cracked as he followed through the passage. “The Werewolf is the ultimate killer, a beast which cannot be tamed or stopped, which will rampage on the night of the full moon until it can no longer sustain itself, is not a force to be tested.” The man frowned, before commenting, “of course, but where is the cure?”\n\nThe shadow of the window before him had begun to crawl over the book, cutting through the page and dividing it into two. The man looked up, and began to tremble. By his calculations, he only had minutes left until the inevitable occurred.\n\n“As the werewolf cannot be treated easily, it is ill advised to approach the beast without knowing the circumstances. Instead, it is recommended to treat when the moon is not full, where the humanoid can be subdued and safely held while medicinal herbs are administered. The recipe for treatment is as follows:” the page cut off there, and the man thumbed at the corner, the sweat from his hands caused him to fumble it twice before he turned it.\n\nWhat greeted him was a torn page, half gone, with the recipe and ingredients missing. The book had evidently been plundered before.\n\nThe man exhaled, and leaned back, allowing the book to fall to the wayside and gazed at his palms. Their trembling was so strong that he could barely even see them. His vision blurred, as tears rose to his eyes, and he looked towards the window, where only a trace of sunlight still shined through the window.\n\nIt was on this night, that his transformation began.\n\nIt was on this night, that life became death."
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[WP] The contestant pulled out a copy of the rulebook and pointed. "See? The rules specifically say that we cannot physically harm another contestant. It doesn't say anything about mental or emotional harm."
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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.*",
"Edward’s started to whistle, tuneless and without thought. His mind was off thinking about how far he had come. Laying on his back, the soft cushioned platform shifted slightly as a worker made his daily climb.\n\n“Food,” Nikki whooped, licking her lips as she inched her way to the edge of the platform. A large woman, Nikki must have been the only contestant to have gained weight since the start of the show. No matter what and how much they bring, you won’t be satisfied, Nikki. From over the side of the platform, fifty metres in the air, a middle-aged man’s face appeared, on his back a tray of food.\n\n“Dinner for today. Contestants are reminded that this will be the last food they will receive until morning so make it last,” the worker warned them, as he pulled the tray around and placed it at Nikki’s feet. Without another word he left, leaving Edward and Nikki alone once more on the platform.\n\nLooking around him, Edward couldn’t help but notice a growing crowd on the streets below. *All ready for the final day tomorrow.* Eight contestants down. Just one more to go. He was so close…\n\nSounds of Nikki opening various containers brought him back to the game. Sitting up, he saw her little nose sniffing the different boxes.\n\n“Anything good today?” Edward asked, making his way to where Nikki lay spread out with the food all around her.\n\n“A duck roll.” she exclaimed as she swallowed hers whole, already eyeing the gyoza at her feet.\n\n“Aw, I love duck rolls!” Edward rejoiced, looking around the containers. Since the show had started, they had quickly realised their food was going to be hit and miss. Sometimes it could be delicious Japanese food, like today, other days it could be old hard pizza. Those days had been the toughest.\n\n“Wait,” he said, his eyes frantically darting from one dish to the next. “Where is my duck roll?” Nikki continued to munch away, eating two chicken dumplings at once, her eyes on her food.\n\n“I don’t know,” she mumbled through her stuffed mouth. “Maybe they only sent up one.” Edward's thoughts stopped for a moment as his eyes landed on the woman. *She wouldn't be this ignorant, could she? She must realise what she has done?*\n\n“Surely not?” Edward wondered, searching in vain for his lost duck roll. “Didn’t you think to hold off? Wait and see?” His tone, heavy with anger, made her stop shovelling the food into her mouth. Her eyes fell on him, full of fear.\n\n“No, I didn’t,” she snapped, trying to hide behind her own anger. “I’m starving here Edward. And anyway, first come first served.” *Is this woman serious? This fat, ignorant bitch.*\n\n“Are you fucking kidding me, Nikki,” Edward exploded, standing on his feet now, looking down at the human puddle. “You fat fucking bitch. Eating half my shit! Why am I not surprised?! Nikki, of all people, not to think of others when it comes to food! Well, no wonder you have lasted this long. Did the other contestants get voted off or did you just eat them?” Nikki sat, her mouth wide open and half a dumpling in her hand, listening to this tirade. Edward barely even realised what he was doing or saying. Six weeks on this stinking platform meant that he had kept all of his thoughts inside. *Screw it, it’s basically over anyway.*\n\n“Lucky for them though,” he continued. “The less time spent with a human sphere like yourself the better. You’re rotten. I can’t believe you.” Tear’s started to stream down the woman’s face as she buried her head in her hands, one stilling clutched around a dumpling.\n\n“Oh here we go again!” laughed Edward, who threw his head back. “Here come the tears. Why don’t you wipe your eyes with a dumpling, Nikki! Add a bit of salt to your food. I know how much you’d love that.” The platform shook a little once more and soon, the food delivery man had reappeared, his face full of apprehension.\n\n“Contestants are reminded that they are not allowed to harm each other.” he sighed, his cold grey eyes fixed on Edward.\n\n“Physically harm,” Edward scoffed, still glaring at Nikki.\n\n“Excuse me?” the man asked, still hanging onto the top of the ladder.\n\n“We’re not allowed to physically harm each other. The rules never said anything about mental or emotional harm,” Edward answered with a smirk. Folding his hands, he stood right above the sobbing woman, hoping to make her as uncomfortable as he felt himself.\n\n“Right…” the man nodded, eyes flicking between the two remaining contestants. “Be that as it ma..” Before he could finish his sentence, Nikki let out a sob and interrupted him.\n\n“I want to leave,” she wailed, trying to avoid Edward’s stare. *Leave? So late?*\n\n“Miss, are you sure?” the man asked bewildered. “There is only…”\n\n“Yes, I’m sure.” Nikki blubbered as she wiped away her tears with the back of her hand. “I can’t be around this hate-filled man any longer!” Without another word, Nikki made her way down the ladder. The going was slow and awkward but Edward watched her go down the whole way, waiting. Finally, when her feet touched the ground, he had won."
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Figured I'd do something a bit weird and fun.
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[WP] When humanity finally encounters alien species, it is discovered that love for cheesy alien invasion stories is a seemingly universal trait among sufficiently advanced sentient species.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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.*",
"Research Station Herschel drifted toward Beta Hydri at a velocity of less than one-twentieth lightspeed. It was due to rendezvous with its primary habitable world within the next eight years. It'd been two years since the station had dropped out of hyperspace. The scientific community budgeted ten years for long-range analysis of the stars and its planets. Caution was always the watchword when approaching new civilizations. Plus, linguists welcomed the delay, given the time needed to decipher any signals that long-range telemetry picked up.\n\nOver the course of the past twenty-four months, most of the crew had cycled out, and a few had cycled back in. Then there were folks like Captain Andrews and Dr. Kowalski, who had been aboard the station since it launched from the Saturn space dock. Both took time to greet new personnel and get them up to speed. \n\nMeetings were generally a matter of routine and usually followed the basic formula. So it was a bit of a surprise when the newest linguist, Dr. Jansen informed Dr. Kowalski that he'd had a bit of a break-through. In his over-enthusiasm, he'd even broken with protocol and informed the captain via memorandum before having his findings verified by anyone else. Kowalski was unaware of this when Andrews walked into what should have been the same old boring meeting.\n\n\"Doctors, if you could make this brief so I can get back to the bridge.\"\n\n\"My apologies, Captain. Dr. Jansen may have gotten ahead of himself.\"\n\n\"Captain, if I may. My team has been working out a batch of Hydrian radio signals, looking for repetition and common themes. We think the system is in the middle of a terrific uproar. We think they're broadcasting requests for help. We have what sounds like reports of planetary invasions but we don't know which planets or if the source is from within or without of the Beta Hydri system. But it sounds like they desperately need our help.\"\n\nThe rest of the research team muttered and murmured amongst themselves until Dr. Kowalski banged the table. \n\nDr. Pietal spoke up. \"There is a research station not a military ship. Even if we could get there sooner, what could we do? Scare them with our presence?\"\n\n\"Doctors,\" the captain interrupted. \"Has anyone picked up any evidence of fleets of ships flying about the system? Have we picked up any of their communications? Do we know what this invasion is?\"\n\nThe utter silence indicated that no one had answers. Yet. \n\n\"Then it's something you need to find out. We're not altering our course before then.\"\n\n\\* \\* \\*\n\nThree months had passed without any more urgent memorandums being forward. Then Dr. Jansen announced that his team had another breakthrough. He hesitated to sound any alarms prematurely but tried to indicate possible causes for concern. The captain sat down with the scientists for the briefing.\n\n\"We've detected twelve planets around Beta Hydri,\" Jansen said. \"And we believe three or four of them are in the habitable zone and capable of supporting life. We know that the signals we've picked up come from one of them. But only from one of them. If a second planet is broadcasting, then they are speaking the same language as the first.\n\n\"Given that the civilization is united in one language, we can assume that the invasions are coming from outside the system.\" \n\n\"Invasions?\" Captain Andrews asked. \"Plural?\"\n\n\"Y-y-yes,\" Kowalski stuttered. \"We've picked up news reports of what might be rock-like creatures, plant-based lifeforms, and even tall pink people. And then --\"\n\n\"I'm going to stop you right there.\" The Captain rose from his chair. \"Has anyone in this room ever seen or heard of 'The War of the Worlds'?\" He paused for a response, but none offered one. \"No? How about 'The Day the Earth Stood Still\"? They've been remade a dozen times over the past few centuries. They're classics.\"\n\nThe scientists around the room eyed each other, not understanding what the Captain was saying.\n\n\"Gentlemen, you need to take a break. Take in some entertainment videos. Because that's what you're listening to. Hyrdian entertainment.\"\n\nHe turned to leave the room but paused in the doorway. \"Tall pink men? Seriously, in another eight years, that'll be me!\"\n\n\\--\n\nMore stories at r/xwhy"
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[WP] At a party exclusively for the small immortal community of the world you've drunkenly accepted a dare to jump into the "Bottomless Pit". It's day 83 and you're still falling...
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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 drunkenly made my way through the crowd of affluence and muffled laughter barely making out the shape of figures decorated in black garb and domino masks. Their silhouettes becoming increasingly distorted as I staggered towards the washroom, jumping through time every prolonged blink, until my eyes opened to meet a commode of vomit. My arms hugged the cold porcelain body, my head between my legs, facing the black and white floral swirls of the ceramic tiling. My drops of spit suspended within time– \n“There he is, tonight's man of honor. You doin’ alright buddy?” \nI looked over my shoulder to find William Graham towering over me, heir to Aeturnum, the company hosting this masquerade. His fine brunette hair was cut curtain fringe. He wore half-frame eyeglasses and was clean shaven, exposing his chiseled chin and well defined face. \n“I’m fine.” I said, wiping the saliva from my mouth. \n“Alright, i got you.” he gruffed, throwing me over his shoulder. My eyes and ears had already adjusted to the peaceful ambience of the washroom, and as we walked out I was quickly sobered up by the chandelier’s harsh lights and the loud chatter of the party. \nWilliam picked up a wine glass and hit it with a spoon repeatedly, making a loud clanking sound alerting the crowd of which we were now front and center of. \n“May I have your attention please! This is my friend and colleague, Blake Cox. Head of our research department and the man who’s earning my father’s company MILLIONS!.” \nThe crowd roared. \n“Mr. Cox has discovered what the simple-minded would think to be a gateway to hell, a seemingly bottomless hole, ‘the pit’, right outside this property.” \n“The Pit” is what they were calling it–devilish thing. It’d been consuming my thoughts for months now, since its discovery earlier this year, just outside the mountains of the Czech Republic. The locals believed it was a hole which led straight to hell. They had myths centered around damned souls who’d crawl to the surface from the hole and prisoners sentenced to death who’d been lowered into the hole and hoisted up to find that they’d aged 30 years. \nJust stories, fiction at that. But there may have been some truth to the sheer absurdity of it. There was a dark ambience about the hole, the air surrounding it was heavy and gave you an uneasy feeling that followed you months after. The voices were the worst of it. The so–very real auditory hallucinations that consumed those who approached the pit, voices as faint as the wind of the mountains but in enough numbers to ring through the ears of it’s victim. If you weren’t careful you’d be convinced to jump inside. \nThe days following my discovery I'd tried to drown my paranoia in earthly vices but found no such luck. I still saw and heard it, and the voices only got louder as months passed. My lack of sleep as to avoid the haunting thoughts of my discovery at night did not help in bettering my condition, in fact the schizophrenia I began to develop from my insomnia only amplified what I felt was a very real experience. \n“You don’t look too well, you’re sweating.” William whispered into my ear. He wore that posh and insincere face I was all too familiar with. That pitiful look you’d give a homeless man walking down the street. He was always “helping” me, looking down on me, I felt as compelled to grab him by the collar of his pretentious suit and pummel him as I did to rush back to the toilet and throw up. \n“Will you excuse me?” I ran back to the washroom to undo my tie. I was suffocating at this point the unclear whispers I’d been hearing the past couple months were now loud and completely audible. You’d have thought several people were standing right next to you. \nThey all echoed one single command. \n“KILL THEM, KILL THEM, KILL THEM!!” \nI grabbed my head and sat at the foot of the marble sink in fetal position, moaning in pain and shaking. \n“KILL THEM, KILL THEM, KILL THEM!!” \nThere was no end to this, the sounds of perpetual darkness. I felt the breast of my blazer and felt the silhouette of a…steak knife? Had I picked it up subconsciously earlier in the party? My frightened and anxious mug turned wild-eyed accompanied by the most heinous of smiles. It’d finally end. I knew what I had to do. \nI kicked open the doors of the washroom and ran through the halls of the residence crazy-eyed, cutting and stabbing the guest, not deep enough to kill some of them instantaneously but deep enough to maim. The matte crimson lipstick of a particular guest caught my eye, a blonde lady at the head of the stairs, her domino mask not doing enough to obscure her pale, youthful face and her black maxi dress fit tight around the curvature of her figure. That same passionate shade of red that sends bulls into a frenzy probably had a similar allure on me, I darted towards her direction and before she could react I had already tackled her over the staircases railing. Whether she died on impact or not, I wasn’t sure of but her death was solidified once I stabbed her…repeatedly over and over and over again. I cut her crimson grin into a patte exposing the insides of her mouth in all it’s beauty- bone and muscle. I could taste the blood hitting my face and feel the wind from the stabbing motion my arm was making on me. And before my violent rampage could be put to an end by the realization of what I was doing, a spurt of self-awareness, everything went black. \nWhen I awoke the halls of the house were covered in the blood of the guest. I had killed everyone. And unable to truly accept the degree of what I had just done, I followed the final command that faint whisper had given me. \n“Jump” \nAnd so I jumped. Into the pit. Into hell."
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[WP] “Kill me if you must, but I shall not bow to a king who wears a crown studded with jewels of every life he has ended.”
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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 he has no jewels in his crown. What are you talking about?\" said Jomvur.\n\n\"Exactly,\" said Gamvir. \"I shall not bow to a who wants to wear jewels who wants to wear a jewel in his crown for every life he has ended, and yet does not wear any jewels in his crown. He wants to be a fighter that has put people in their graves, but he cannot be such a king. He's weak. Therefore I refuse to bow before him, wether my death be what follows or not.\"\n\n\"But, if you refuse to bow before him, and if he kills you for that, won't he then have killed someone? Wouldn't that then cause you to bow before him? Don't you see the paradox here?\"\n\n\"If he kills me for now bowing to him then my ghost shall bow to him,\" said Gamvir, looking defiantly at the king, who looked bored.\n\n\"But WHAT? That makes now sense! If your ghost is willing to bow before the king then why can't you just do it right now, without dying?\" said Jomvur.\n\n\"I shall only bow to him once he kills me.\"\n\n\"Gah! Stubborn idiot you are,\" said Jomvur. Then he looked to the king and spoke. \"King Homkr, I shall bow to you and be your warrior. I shall join your band of warriors and fight for you and your cause.\"\n\n\"I have no cause, I just like to make war and stuff,\" said the king.\"\n\n\"A brilliant cause,\" said Jomvur with some doubt in his voice that he could only hope the king did not notice. \"A king that make war all the time for no reason is a king that is experienced in war. When the day comes that the enemy comes to our lands to take them, you shall be trained in the arts of war and have victory at your side. This is something that my colleague here does not understand. Therefore I shall depart from his friendship unless he bows to you right now, as I will do. Nay! I shall even kneel AND bow at the same time before my new king.\"\n\n\"Cool,\" said King Homkr.\n\nJomvur got down on his right knee, and bowed his head before the king. He stayed in that position, waiting for the king to tell him to get up. A long moment of silence passed.\n\n\"Alright, get up,\" said the king, finally. \"And you?\" he said to Gamvir. \"Your friend has joined my forces, shall you not do so still?\"\n\n\"Nope. Absolutely not. You have got to kille me first.\"\n\n\"Nice. You, the kneeler and the bower, what's your name?\"\n\n\"Jomvur.\"\n\n\"Kill this man for me,\" he said, pointing at Gamvir.\n\n\"Told you he wouldn't do it,\" said Gamvir to Jomvur.\n\n\"Honestly, I thought he would do it himself. It's kind of lame of him to make me kill you just like that. Like, he's just using me right now,\" said Jomvur to Gamvir in a low voice, as if trying to speak privately even though the king was just there.\n\n\"I know, right? That's why I didn't want to bow to him. I knew he was like that.\"\n\n\"Should we just kill him instead?\"\n\n\"We should. Then we can become kings!\"\n\n\"Let's do it.\"\n\nGamvir and Jomvur both drew their swords and ran to the throne. There stood a guard on each side of the king. They attacked Jomvur and Gamvir immediately. They had long spears while the attackers only had short swords. Jomvur and Gamvir were both impaled by the spears, quickly and easily. Soon they were lying on the wooden floor, colouring it red. They were both alive, but struggling to breathe.\n\n\"Kill them,\" said King Homkr.\n\nThe guards stuck their spears into the flesh of Jomvur and Gamvir again and again, until they had stopped breathing. When Jomvur and Gamvir opened their eyes again everything was white. They could see their dead bodies and the guards, who were now carrying away the bodies, as bright blu wisps of cloud. They looked at their hands and saw that their hands was just as they had always been. As they looked around, they saw the wisps of clouds everywhere and realized that they were ghosts.\n\n\"Ah, shit. That was kind of dumb,\" said Jomvur.\n\n\"No, this is a fortune. We can now haunt people! Let's start with the king!\"\n\n\"Yeah! And then we can haunt all the other people that annoyed us in some way!\"\n\n\"Exactly! I love this. This is what I always wanted, to haunt bad people.\"\n\n\"Mine too!\"\n\nThe two friends started jumping and cheering out of happiness. Soon they started dancing around as they were chanting \"Ghost pals! Ghost pals! Ghost pals!\" Soon thereafter they started haunting the king by telling him bad puns constantly, day and night.",
"(first time writing, sorry for bad story, my English is not that good)\n\n*How did I end up here, kicked out of every city on this continent. Just a few days ago I was living as a regular human on Earth with a 9 to 5 job, now, I'm one of the most wanted person in this world, something about treason and plotting to kill the king.*\n\nI cannot for my life remember how I ended up here, but it seems I retained memories of my previous world... *Wait, did I die? Seriously? I'm now part of an isekai aren't I...*\n\nIn this world, every creature, from insects to monsters, disintegrate and drop a crystal when killed, the fiercer the monster, the bigger the crystal they drop. Humans have a weirdly shaped one though, pyramid in shape. The other crystals all look like the human classified asscher cut. No one knows what they can be used for, but the bigger crystals fetch a high price on the market. *I guess this is exactly like diamonds in my old world isn't it, a useless shiny stone that is highly coveted, not sure why people want carbon combined into a tetrahedral structure that badly though, I was never interested in those type of stuff.*\n\nThe state of technology in this world isn't very high either, seems like the medieval era, with no weapons like guns. Everyone... er, well... most people rely on swords or bows, there are some that can use a skill called magic, but they are usually either burned at a stake or allianced with the king, it's basically statistically unlikely that I'll have to face one. With the usage of magic, physics breaking phenomenon can be performed, like creating matter and energy out of nowhere. *How do they do that* If I ever face one of them, I'm basically dead\n\nWell, in this world, money isn't hard to gather, even the smallest crystals, gained from killing small insects such a flies can sell for 10 copper coins, so just hunting about 50 flies each day can allow you to purchase all 3 meals needed. For the first couple of days i was just killing small insects in the hundreds to amass money to buy an actual weapon, like a dagger. Figured I wouldn't need a sword, I've never had training and would probably penetrate myself. I also got myself a blowgun, ranged attacks are always nice to have.\n\nI quickly worked my way up as an adventurer, working long hours daily as I have no friends or family I needed to care for, all I needed was food and shelter. I eventually got an audience with the king, the messenger said that they scouted me to help with the king's goal. \n\nAs I was from a more modern world, I did not know to avert my sights from the king. Even I was surprised by the size of the courthouse, this was a bigger room than any rooms I've seen at inns. \n\nWhat caught my eyes was the king's crown, it sparkled with so many gems of different colours and sizes, some as small as a finger nail, and some as big as a first. I was horrified at how the king uses the corpses of living beings to decorate his crown, who knows how many there are. Even the human gem is there, specifically incorporated into the crown in the middle, as if to show it off, *what sick human uses the corpse of another of its species. Actually, what kind of sick human carries corpses around with them, even though it's lighter than Earth corpses and more aesthetic, the moral implications are still there.*\n\n\"So, what do you think? Do you want to join my team? We can reward you handsomely for your work, you don't have to do much, you just have to injure the creature while I deal the final blow. I'm working to get at least 1 gem of every type,\" the king said.\n\n\"Your majesty, may I ask how you got that gem in the middle of your crown?\" I asked, hopeful that it was probably just a corpse of a human on death row, still, using the corpse of a human as decoration is a pretty disrespectful thing to do. \n\n\"Of course I got it from my late father, I killed him with my own hands, he was my first kill, it was what taught me the joy of collecting gems. Having absolute power over another's life and death, it's such an addicting feeling. My mages have been working on a skill, [combine], it can combine several gems into one, what you're seeing is the final result of over 1000 humans,\" he answered, reminiscing about how he killed the humans.\n\n\"Your majesty, in that case, I cannot choose to work with you. Kill me if you must, but I shall not bow to a king who wears a crown studded with jewels of every life he has ended.\" *Seriously, did this guy think I'll work for him if he likes killing so much, I'm trying not to die here*\n\n\"I see, I thought you'll be smarter than this, did you seriously think I'll let you get away after rejecting the offer? Shame you have to be disposed-\"\n\nI drew my dagger and quickly used to hold the king hostage, rendering the mages unable to attack, and retreated, using the king as a meat shield, only dropping him off when I have a fair bit of headstart. *Luckily for him, I'm not as sick as him, I wouldn't resort to killing... Yet.*\n\nDays passed and every city has a wanted poster of me posted on the city's announcement board, the bounty is more than the royal mages pay for 10 years, enough to make any adventurer who could capture me never have to work again. No one is dumb enough to not hunt me when they spot me. I have somehow became this world's most wanted person. \n\n\n(Again, this is my first story, I have very bad English skills, hope it was at least understandable)"
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[WP] "All the world's a stage, and all its people merely players." You've just discovered it's not just a pretty phrase. Mortals occupy "key roles", while the fey play "rotating support roles." You only know because you just learned that one fey always wants the roles that support you.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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.*",
"Luke held Rebel in his arms as she breathed her dying breath. She had been more than a dog to him; she was a lucky charm, a friend, and the only remaining member of his family.\n\n“See you soon, sweet tart,” he said.\n\nLuke wrapped her in a clean white blanket and buried her in a hand hewn maple casket he’d started building when he heard the cancer diagnosis. He cried, but would not wallow.\n\nThe next day, he decided to turn a new leaf and adopt a replacement for Rebel. It was fast, but Luke was not one to waste time. Life was too short to wait on such things.\n\nAt the wall of cages he was greeted by a woman who wore a tilted name tag that said “Andromeda”. It made Luke think of nebulae and the Hubble telescope; he loved such esoteric topics, and hoped she would be the type of woman who would indulge such flights of fancy as respectable topics of conversation. Instead she talked about dogs.\n\n“If you want a nice dog who will really appreciate you forever, take a chance on an old soul,” Andromeda said.\n\n“I’m just looking, but I’ll consider it, Andromeda is it?”\n\n“My friends call me Dromeda,” she said, smiling.\n\n“Cool. I’m Luke. What is the name of this guy?” Luke said, pointing to an older Labrador.\n\n“Excellent choice. He is Chester the white lab. I have to warn you he’s a chocoholic.”\n\n“Aren’t dogs allergic to that?”\n\n“That’s why I warned you,” she said, grinning.\n\n“Sold. I’ll take him.”\n\nAs he was getting ready to leave with his new dog, Luke stopped short, as though he forgot something. “Do you want to go to the dog park tomorrow? After work?”\n\nDromeda squinted. “Very bold.”\n\n“To ask you to the dog park?”\n\n“To assume I have a dog. Good decision, you are correct. I’ll be there. The one at Tompkins Square I’m guessing?”\n\n“Sounds like a plan. Five thirty?”\n\n“Deal,” said Dromeda.\n\nThe next day was an ordinary day at the office, and because he finished all of his work, Luke left on time to meet Dromeda at the dog park. She was waiting with her black lab puppy, wearing a pitch black dress with tiny polka dots like stars all over it.\n\n“Welcome to the playground,” Dromeda said.\n\nLuke smiled and unleashed Chester, who scurried up to Dromeda and licked her knees.\n\nA commotion arose behind Dromeda, and in a moment a huge snarling beast of a Rottweiler leaped in the air at her and the dogs. She shouted “no!” And a blast of brilliant green light flashed all around. For a second Luke thought it was a lighting flash, but it made no sound. The Rottweiler was knocked back and cowered away with its tail between its legs.\n\n“Are you okay?” Luke asked.\n\n“Yes, but if people are going to casually unleash hounds from hell here than it’s not the place for me.”\n\n“I understand if you want to cut the dat- our meeting short. Can we meet again? Coffee this time?”\n\n“Sure, here is my number. I’m surprised you haven’t asked for it yet,” Dromeda said. She also gave him a ring as a gift for taking home an old soul. It looked older than she was.\n\n“Great. Here is mine. Talk to you soon,” Luke said as they parted ways.\n\n“See you soon, sweet tart,” she said, winking.\n\nA sudden shiver went through Luke’s body, but he shrugged it off as a passing chill of wind.\n\nWhen he returned home, Luke passed time investigating Dromeda’s ring, when out of the emerald shone a portal that was brighter than the sun. At the other end of the portal was a group of people and animals. He squinted, and saw that it was all the people who had ever helped him in life. Luke waved at them, and they all waved back.\n\nHis phone began to buzz. It was Dromeda. Luke was terrified and excited about what would happen next. Dromeda’s words, *see you soon, sweet tart* echoed through his mind.\n\nHe answered the call, holding the magical ring, and processed the fact that every important person he’d ever loved and lost in his life has been the woman on the other end of the phone."
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[WP] You’re on horseback riding into an unknown town. The townsfolk suspiciously watch you as you pass through, they know exactly who you are.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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.*",
"In an Arizona town, in the middle of the desert, it was peaceful, and local legends stayed true in the hearts of its people. Oh how they loved their legends. If they cared anything for the tourist business, you could bet that they would have remodeled the town back to the days of the Wild West with all its stories of cowboys and natives and outlaws and sheriffs, with their gangs and posses.\n\nBut alas, other than their stories the town held little of its past, insignificant in the grand history of the West. Proudly paved streets, parking spaces, and modern architecture replaced the dirt roads, horse hitches, and Manifest-Destiny era wooden construction. Even the name of the town had been changed, abandoning the Spanish identifier that glorified one of the town’s most important aspects in the past, the underground aquifer. The waters that had saved many a visitor and resident alike from the heat of the Arizona sun.\n\nIn all its modernity, you wouldn’t be remiss to say that any ranchers stayed away from the town. If they came at all, they came by car. But not this stranger. This stranger seemed to come from the northbound exit of SR-191, by horse.\n\nHe had a wide brimmed hat, and all of the hallmarks of an 1800’s horseback rider. On his belt a holster with a large revolver, and a shiny star badge straight out of the folktales.\n\nThose who saw him stopped and stared. Wondering, ‘just what is he going to do?’\n\nWhen he finally got to a hotel, the game of telephone by his eavesdroppers quickly spread. He was who they thought he was, and was under the impression he needed to repeat what he was famous for. Many of the town’s 24 year old men became anxious, hoping he didn’t think they were his mark.\n\nAnd so went that out-of-time cop, with a Big Iron on his hip.",
"\"It is Him!\" \"HIDE! FLEEE! RUn!!\" the towns folk retreat into their shacks. I yell \" Wait No I am Me.. not the One you know!\"... but it is too late.\n\none by one the villagers slit their kin's throat and then their own...\n\n\"Why .. why this curse!.. Who is this being that they fear?\" a Shell I walk in.. from land to land I roam.. and yet, still find no home.. for this wondering bodies abode. By what has this \"being\" allowed to partake upon this plain of existence that all who pass run in fear and would rather die by their own hand. the mouth of words and shake hand of hands I no longer have the honor of.\n\nFrom where have I emerged in this vessel on from what place of origin did it's story arise?!\n\nMemories seem close but yet far from now. I recall shapes and feelings, associations that i feel now still in the soul of my being. yet the image of exterior contradicts this \"past\" of which I hold identity.\n\nThe names and textures as now seem to blend the scenes of something otherwise unusable... into strings of vibrating knowledge and Clarity of Insight.. as which seems beyond time, space and realms of practical logic.\n\n\"HIM!\" they say.. they Flee.. they Scream! .. \"HIM\" for what have I forsaken thee, that for I being \"HIM\" they Run and Flee."
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[Unsure if to tag IP](https://i.redd.it/gqet55kj1i781.jpg) but here's the image that spurred the question via /u/dylanbperry
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[WP] Waist high in water, covered in mud and blood - you are surrounded by the corpses of friend and foe as fog settles low in the valley just outside the woods.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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 only as a heavy fog began to settle, the chilly air icing the sweat on your skin above where the now filthy water of the brook lapped at your jerkin, that you began to register the return of fear, twisting low in your gut.\n\nYou'd barely felt it during the battle. Oh, it was always there; no soldier who lived through as many battles as you had done would deny that. Fear would always be with you, but as you'd all learned in time, it had to be ignored as much as possible. \n\nYou couldn't let emotions take over in a proper battle — that was often the quickest way to get yourself hurt or killed. You, or some of your comrades. \n\nMost people found out the hard way that it wasn't so great, to get involved in even a tavern brawl when you were so mad you couldn't see straight. It made you arrogant: you'd leave gaps in your guard that any decent knife-fighter could cut through in seconds. A bad idea, that.\n\nEmotions were for *after* the battle. Better still, you thought, screwing up your face against the sour stench of old blood, for after you were out of the area entirely. You'd try not to dwell on them yet. Too much to be done before that. \n\nYou'd been paid in advance, of course, just in case: mercenaries always were in this part of the world. It wouldn't do to have one's paid elite fighting force turn tail and run from a fight, after all. The pay made even the less decent among your company honour your agreements and stick around to the end of it all, and if you *did* get killed in the process, the quartermaster's officers would ensure the money and your goods were sent safely to your family back home — if you had any, wherever home was — or your surviving mates, if they were all you had. \n\nThat was all right. \n\nYou were getting distracted. You didn't want to be here after dark, not when it was as much as one could do to see more than a body's length in front of them, and one might break a leg, tripping over a corpse. Not a pleasant prospect.\n\nTime soon to find out which of your mates had made it through alive — if any. You'd seen only a few faces you knew, but nor had you heard many voices in the fog. First task would be to find somewhere dry, and preferably warm, to hole up til dawn before dragging yourself back to camp.\n\nMoving slowly, so's to make as little noise in the water as you could, you began to wade through the rushes and mud to the bank. Your lip curled at the feeling of liquid seeping in over the tops of your boots. Their weatherproofing would be a loss after this. \n\nAh well. At least you'd been well paid, and could get them redone in a town. *When* you got there.",
"We had won, but at what cost? \n\nThat was the question that kept running through my mind, like a bard playing a song over and over. It overwhelmed me, consumed me, and all but broke me. \n\nThis was supposed to be an easy battle, was it not? Sariel and I had set off from the town just today, accompanied by the ever dashing Elion and his loyal student Ramas. We had heard rumors of a band of orcs roaming the outskirts of Eastcliff. Entire parties of adventurers had ventured out to find and conquer this darkness, yet none of them had returned. \n\nNo, I stand corrected. One did, a younger human male. He had limped into town, one arm all but missing below the elbow, the other cut up and blistered. He was muttering to himself, saying \"Nizam is coming\" over and over. The best healers in the town couldn't aid him, for his wounds would reopen as soon as they were healed. He passed away soon after, taking those words with him to the grave. \n\nThat's why the town had hired Sariel and I. We had been called the best fighters in the land, having slain armies of men by ourselves. We even took down a dragon, if you'd believe it. We were good at our job, and we knew it. \n\nSo this band of orcs? As ferocious as they sounded, we were confident in the fact that we would win. Elion and Ramas were merely backup, provided by Eastcliffs mayor. And as appreciative as we were about the help, neither of us really believed that we would need it. Orcs may be strong, yes, but they lacked the ability to form any useful battlefield tactics. In the heat of battle, they would go into a fit of rage and attack recklessly. Keep your distance, use their anger to your advantage, and suddenly they weren't so bad to fight. \n\nOr at least I had assumed they weren't. Oh, if I only knew how wrong I was. \n\nIt had happened quick, so quick that the memory of it is blurred. We had been walking at a leisurely pace, discussing what to do after this small job, when we had heard Ramas cry out. The boy had been trailing the three of us, watching our backs to ensure we weren't being flanked. When we turned back, he was nowhere to be seen. No dust, no blood, just...gone. \n\nAt first, Elion had thought it to be a trick, a ruse. \"Come back out here, boy.\" He had called out, a half smile on his face. \"We all like a good prank, but now isn't the time for joking.\"\n\nSilence had met him, and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. \n\n\"Something's wrong.\" I muttered to Sariel. She just nodded, her eyes scanning the grasslands around us. \"Elion, it is now up to you to wa-\" \n\nMy words fell short as I turned back and saw that he too was now missing. Two men had been taken without a sound, a trace, nothing. Now I knew something was wrong. \n\nI drew my sword *Kilinigan* and readied myself, silently casting a protective bubble around Sariel and I. Almost immediately, a hail of arrows had come sailing out of the tall grass, bouncing harmlessly off of the arcane shield. Not two seconds after, they came. \n\nThere were orcs, yes. But not 8 of them, or even 18 of them.\n\nHundreds of them, all with bloodthirsty eyes and evil grins. They charged us like a mad pack of wolves, howling and shouting war cries. Sariel and I needn't say a word. We both turned and ran, using our Elven speed to gain distance. We were fast, so very fast. \n\nThey were faster. And they had laid a trap as well. Up ahead, a giant boulder came rolling out of the grass, pushed by 3 massive orcs. It crashed into place on the road, blocking our path. We both started to veer off to the side, only to see more of the devilish creatures emerge from both sides. \n\nWe were surrounded, outnumbered by 100 to 1. Perfect. An even fight then, yes? \n\nOur blades arced and flew through the air, cutting down any orc foolish enough to get close to use. We fought and we fought, our bodies acting as one, our weapons dealing death and carnage to those around us. \n\nAnd it still wasn't enough. Soon enough, Sariel and I were back to back, struggling to keep up with the surge of bodies that pressed in around us. I closed my eyes and braced for the cold hand of death that was surely coming. But it didn't. \n\nThe deep blast of a war horn sounded instead, so deep it shook the land below my feet. The fighting stopped, and we were left there panting and bleeding, muscles still tensed for battle. As one, the remaining orcs parted, and what stepped through made my blood run cold. \n\nIt was Aurae, the Eladrin known for her slaughter of countless villages throughout the land. Her eyes, as cold and as blue as the winters afternoon, regarded us with mild interest. In her hand she held the staff of Belnuin, a legendary weapon that was capable of wiping out dozens of men in one blow. Sariel and I may have been good, but we were no match for Aurae and her dark magics. \n\nStepping closer, she grinned and said \"So, you've held up your end of the bargain. I'm pleasantly surprised. Who knew it would be this easy?\"\n\nI opened my mouth to respond, maybe to say some nasty little quip, but Sariel surprised me by responding first. \n\n\"I know, right? She was so bloody easy to lure out here, all because she wanted to be the hero. Fucking pathetic, really.\"\n\nMoving past me to stand next to Aurae, I watched as my best friend from childhood gave me a derisive sneer, contempt written on her face. (1/2)"
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[WP] Some call you the Equalizer. Some a savior. Some a destroyer. But you have one mission that you must fulfill for all the 1000 years you have been alive so far: kill all the myths, the legends, and the supernaturals.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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 march like I have for 1000 years since I took my oath to kill the myths and the legends of man and beast be on what one would think is possible. As I march thought this manor, my armour makes a loud click sound with every step I have take since I took this path it help quiets the scream of pain that every man and beast scream on there death. I pause my march I look at my blade, it was once a shiny steel that would make any smith proud, now it a cherry red of all the blood that it has spilled. I start I clean my blade from my last hunt when I hear a noise from one of the room in the manor I march towards the room I hear movement with in the room, stop in front of the door to rest and think to my self “ what can be in there? I hope that it just so people that the vampires have take from the village.” I hear a laugh in my head the voice of my demon “ YOU HOPE? hahahah look around and think we are upstairs we would they keep food up here and did you see the paints on they up the vampire couple you killed has KIDS.” A loud thug woke me from my thoughts, I look though the old rotten door to see a dresser push against the door. Two small shadows can be seen across the floor “ maybe there not vampire maybe they can escape” I think to my self as I begin to cry “ crying won’t stop what you are force to do” the voice taunt. I back up and ram though the rotten door and dresser there I see what I fear, two kid one look 16 ish and one look nearly 10 both of them show the fang and hiss. I speak with anger I can’t control “ I will kill the myth and the legends you and not my first you will not be my last” “ you can try but I will not let you hurt my sister the old teen speak with a fear in this voice. Under my mask I cry the same way I have for the every time I have done this but this time it will be different I take control of my body and remove my helmet and I begin to speak what I want to say for the first time in years! “ you can run and you can escape but I will find you and by my oath I will kill.” That kid is wise he pick up on the hint and garb his sister and ran with a though I lift my blade to strike but vampire with there speed doge the attack and run out of sight. Laugh as I grab my helmet the demon voice echo “ you will kill those kids “ I laugh “ but not today and by the time I find them they can live a happy life” putting my helmet back on I begin my march once more. When I took this oath I took it so those that may be prey to the myths and legends not fear the beast but what I didn’t think is what if those myth and legends are man. But I will go on till I’m replace by someone to take the oath or till I will fade to myth and legend. click,click,click",
"1000 years have passed, a lonely millenia on a nightmare world. Millions killed in service of the greatest goal. \nKilling the things of belief isn't an easy task. Every god lay in the dust. Along with every child who'd inspired his neighbours.\nOne legend remained. One story that crossed men's tongues. \nThe Man in the Cloak, the Wanderer, the GodKiller. \nThe town did not expect his arrival, but recognised him immediately. Whispers had reached them of the man who slew the powerful. \nHe'd consisted this village before, but they did not remember him. He'd murdered their warlord before the elders here had names. \nHe'd unbuilt the castle on the hill, brick by brick. \nHe reached the base of that hill now, taking in the site of the ruin he'd left.\nIt was reassuring. 20 lifetimes had passed but his work hadn't been in vain. He'd worried the people would rebuild and reconstruct the ways they'd lived. \nBut they hadn't. There was no lord of this place anymore. No symbol of a god or beast. Or so he thought.\n\nAn elder of the village had followed the man to the base of the hill. He watched as the cloaked figure took in the state of the ruins.\n\n\"We haven't rebuilt, my lord.\"\nThe Wanderer's face turned hard. \n\n\"I'm no man's lord. No lords walk this place any longer.\" \nThe elders face betrayed his doubt.\nThe GodKiller saw the issue. In emptying his world of tales, myth and legend, he'd become the very thing he'd sworn to destroy. \nHe took the sword slung over his back, and violently plunged it into the soft soil.\n\n\"This is the GodKiller. No man may hold that title.\" And with that he hung his cloak on the sword, and walked into the distance."
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[WP] You and your partner check your rifles, pocket your knives and stow your various grenades in your vests as you look at the house you're about to break into. After 15 years, you're finally going to get that punk, Kevin McCallister.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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 air was cold. The sky, pitch black, it seemed like November 10th all over again. \n\"You sure this is a good idea Harry?\" \n\"Course it's a good idea, I came up with it, didn't I?\" \nMarv shrugged and turned back to the house. \n\"Fifteen years I've waited for this moment, Marv. Fifteen years this little asshole has been left alive. Today's the day, I can feel it.\" \nHarry looks at his watch before turning to the team of 6 other men by his side, dressed in full tactical gear with automatic M16's at their side. Cold War era weapons, nothing beats those motherfuckers. \n\"Two minutes boys. Jimmy go ahead and cut the power would ya?\" You could hear the excitement and arrogance in Harry's voice. \n\"Aye Sir.\" Jimmy said, while clipping a pair of cutters at some wires nearby. The lights in the house went dark. Harry nodded to the apparent commander of the team, who immediately started pointing and giving orders. \n\"Alpha team, front, wait for breach orders. Bravo and Charlie take the rear. Set the charges, nothing else yet. Watch your comms and keep the chatter to a minimum. GO.\" The commander, only known to everyone simply as 'Nick' had a thick Scottish accent, and didn't seem like one to mess around. Harry and Marv followed the group heading to the front door, staying a few feet behind, weapons drawn and in hand. They knew what they were doing, they spent the last 15 years planning this. Memorised the floor plans of the house. Got a team. Prepared for every single trap they could possibly think of. What Harry and Marv didn't know is that 23 year old Kevin McCallister was currently sitting in his room, knowing all this, and not giving a single shit. \nThe McCallisters were a slightly rich but otherwise normal family. They liked pizza, they went on vacations. The only one who had to cause trouble was a young boy by the name of Kevin McCallister. Usually when you think 'Bad Kid' you either picture a stereotypical bully or someone who spends way too much time watching TV and maxing out moms credit card. But Kevin was the type who liked to cause pain, lots of it, and that was exactly what he planned to do here. As he watched a tactical team walk up to his house he sang quietly, \"Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, except the four assholes coming in the rear in a standard two-by-two cover formation.\" Before saying in a childlike voice, \"Bye bye assholes.\" Kevin had a sinister smile on his face as he pressed a button and a greenish gas ejected from the back door. The team right behind it fell down, writhing and coughing until eventually they fell silent. Kevin laughed. \"Predictable.\" He then put on a bulletproof vest, grabbed his shotgun and headed to the back. \nThe leader of the Bravo team saw the back door creep open. He was lying on the ground, unable to move or speak and in excruciating pain. What was this? What did the little fucker hit him with? \n\"It's called Spiritus Diaboli, or Devil's Breath. A modified version of Nitrous Oxide.\" Kevin stepped out from behind the door, shotgun in hand. \"Im sorry gentlemen but you may not be walking for the rest of your life, well not only because you are paralysed but because you will be dead!\" \nA voice came from one of Bravo Teams radios. \"Bravo, Charlie, come in come in...\" The voice was cut off as Kevin ripped the radio out of the man's frozen hands and spoke into it. \"Bravo Charlie isn't here anymore, can I take a message?\" \nNo Response was heard for a solid few seconds, before, \"Alpha breach! Breach! Find that motherfucker and tear him dow...\" The transmission was cut off by Kevins fist crushing the radio. \"Well, looks like we might have to speed things up. Say goodnight fellas!\" Kevin cocked his shotgun and shot one of the Bravo members in the back before moving on to the one next to him. The leader of Bravo watched in fear, knowing that not only he would be soon after, but that there was nothing he could do to stop it. Any of it. \nHe started to hear the screams of Alpha team, and tried to wriggle his way toward the doorway, but it caught Kevins eye. \"Oh no no no! No escape for you today my friend.\" Kevin shot Bravo Leader in the back before turning and heading inside to see Alpha team completely suspended in midair, stripped completely naked save for their undergarments and screaming bloody murder. Kevin pressed a button on his wristwatch and Alpha team fell to the ground gasping. \n\"You guys give up, or ya thirsty for more?\" \nOne of the Alpha Team members lunged at Kevin, and was met with a fistful of shotgun shells to the face. \n\"Thirsty for more I guess.\"\n\n\\--------\n\n*Yes that was a die hard reference*\n\n*Also I hid a few small Easter eggs in there if anyone wants to find them for some odd reason I just thought it might be fun. Anyways, thanks for reading I guess!*",
"I take off my vest, with the grenades. I drop my gun. \"The hell you doing?\" My partner, Jack says. \"H-h-hes.... he's r-r-right t-there..!\" I see him, he's teleported outside of the house. He's shown his real self. We stole things sure, but no one would deserve our cards we were handed. I was a level one thief, Jack was a level two trickster. Then there was the McCallister kid. He was a level 35 demogorgan. He grabbed his skin, ripped it right off. Then we saw it. He wasn't even a kid. He was an cyborg alien like thing. He had an third arm, and where his privates should had been there was two extra legs. I saw something fall from his chest. It was the kid. The monster had used him, he was nothing but a grape left out in the sun for way further than he should had been. The 'McCallister' picked Jack up, and ate him whole. I started running as fast as I could. There was no hope in the world, he grabbed me before I could even get five feet. He dropped me into his stomach and then everything went black. \n\n\n\"Jeffrey's! We found another body! In the trees!\" \n\n\"God... they are all messed up. Who could have done this?\" \n\n\"We don't know. But.... from the tell of the kids skin... I don't think it's from here.\"\n\n\n\"So the kid can't be identified?\"\n\n\"Nope, we know it's none of the McCallisters. We even made sure Kevin was there, he's the one who looks like this kid the most\""
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[WP] Humans finally achieve interstellar colonization, but quickly discover that they are simply a variant of the main homo genus that controls the galaxy. Humanity is then met with a threat of assimilation to the main branch or death. Little did they know, this human variant is the most aggressive.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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.*",
"Year 046:113:067 Minute 008:102:052\n\nFor the Library of the Greater Command of the 11th Galactic Sector\n\nBy the Scribe of the 3rd Chord of the 11th Galactic Sector\n\nThe Earthling race has chosen annihilation.\n\nOur sacred Messenger revealed the directive of The Mother and Father; That the Earthlings are deemed worthy to leave their physical forms and assimilate into the Source of all Anthros. Yet instead of rejoicing in their rapture, they responded with blasphemous insults. Our sacred Messenger then revealed the power of The Mother and Father by swallowing a nearby star. Again, the Earthlings blasphemed and even threatened Our Seed Maker. Never has Anthrodom met such a brutish, and short-sighted offspring; a rotten fruit of The Mother and Father who gave them life and offers utopia. Our sacred Messenger has given the Earthlings a short time to mature, and reconsider before being swallowed into the void, as is the will of She and He who gives us this life and takes it from us.\n\n\\------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nThursday, October 14th, 2477\n\nAttention to the offices of: The Legislative World Congress, The Solar Infrastructure Congress, and The Earth-Space Congress\n\nFrom: The Office of the Commander of the Solar Military-Peace Coalition\n\nRegarding: The ultimatum by Contact-1 (C-1) and the resulting Tau Ceti event.\n\nAfter requesting, by global democratic decree, that individual humans only be assimilated by choice, the alien race claiming to be our progenitors has refused. Furthermore, it appears that their ability to swallow stars is not an illusion. The entangled sensors from our Tau Ceti probes measured a massive spike in gravity for several hours, then abruptly nothing since. Our physicists believe the aliens have the ability to greatly manipulate space-time. We can thus assume that the threat of humanity being \"swallowed into the void\" three weeks from today is related to this black hole technology.\n\nHowever, during the event at Tau Ceti, nearby freight and military checkpoints detected C-1 in greater detail. Our Oort cloud probes also returned data during that period, suggesting that the system-wide static bubble caused by the alien ship was temporarily weakened. This information provided two things for us: The first being the true size, structure, and material composition of C-1. Second, that to create a black hole, it appears the ship has to divert power from its cloaking system, and perhaps other important defensive systems.\n\nWe believe that if we can convince them to swallow another nearby star, a combination of anti-matter cluster bombs and relativistic kinetic rods can destroy or gravely damage the ship. We must also conclude that these actions will lead to the destruction of our solar system, as there are undoubtedly endless resources for such an advanced race to retaliate. However, by ridding ourselves of this ship, and the static barrier it places, it may buy us enough time to evacuate the solar system, and hopefully live on freely in other corners of the galaxy.\n\nIn the meantime, as requested by the people of Earth, we maintain a defensive posture over our free will. Resolutely, humanity proclaims that an injustice to one is an injustice to all, and that any attack on our freedom will be met with intense and unrelenting aggression.\n\n\\- Admiral Franc Cano, Commander, Solar Military-Peace Coalition\n\n\\---------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nYear 046:113:067 Minute 008:102:053\n\nFor the Library of the Greater Command of the 11th Galactic Sector\n\nBy the Scribe of the 3rd Chord of the 11th Galactic Sector\n\nThe Earthlings have apologized for their transgressions. We will show forgiveness through total assimilation. Although their thoughts are ugly and brash, they still possess in their genes the wisdom in subjugation. As the child submits to the parent. As we all submit to The Mother and Father. They have requested from Our sacred Messenger another display of Our power. They desire to appreciate it in its full splendor, with full knowledge of what they can possess through assimilation. Our Messenger announced it will swallow an even larger nearby star so that the Earthlings may awe in Our mastery of this world.\n\n\\----------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nWednesday, October 20th, 2477\n\nAttention to the offices of: The Legislative World Congress, The Solar Infrastructure Congress, and The Earth-Space Congress\n\nFrom: The Office of the Commander of the Solar Military-Peace Coalition\n\nRegarding: The Solar Military-Peace Coalition's attack on Contact-1 (C-1)\n\nIt is with tentative relief that I announce the apparent total destruction of C-1. In addition, it appears the static barrier around the solar system has also disappeared. Our transport convoys have been mobilized around the system, and will be in position for evacuation in fourteen hours. We estimate the first evacuation arks to leave the Oort cloud in twenty one days with 75% percent evacuated in thirty four days. The Solar Guard were given orders to allow unrestricted outbound travel through all major corridors.\n\nBelow is a timeline and summary of the attack on C-1:\n\nOctober 20th, 2477\n\n04:11 (GST): C-1 announces event will begin \"soon\"\n\n04:32: C-1 directs all to observe the star Sirius.\n\n04:35: Outbound signals from C-1 cease.\n\n04:37: Nearby sensors able to detect the physical properties of C-1. C-1 fully visible to the naked eye. Attack order given.\n\n04:38: Entangled sensors for Sirius report an immense gravity increase.\n\n04:39: Anti-matter cluster bombs (AMCB) detonate. The explosion appears to depress the outer hull of C-1.\n\n04:39: Relativistic Kinetic Rod (RKR) impacts C-1. Impact zone vaporizes immediately. Catastrophic damage to surrounding structure visually confirmed.\n\n04:42: Gravity readings at Sirius stabilize. C-1 remains visible to the naked eye, and to all EM sensors. No further outbound signals.\n\n04:47: No response from C-1 after 5 minutes of attempted contact.\n\n04:52: No response from C-1 after 10 minutes of attempted contact.\n\n04:57: No response from C-1 after 15 minutes of attempted contact. Will attempt to contact hourly from here on.\n\nEnd Timeline.\n\nSummary:\n\nThe blast from the AMCBs significantly damaged the port broadside structure of C-1 along the length of the ship, causing it to list roughly 23\\* along its longitudinal axis. C-1 showed no attempt to right itself, possibly due to a loss of mobility. Shortly after, the RKR impacted C-1, punching cleanly into the port side and out the starboard. A hole appx. 300m wide rimmed by glowing molten metal was visually confirmed. Due to the stabilization of gravity around Sirius and the loss of any movement or signal from C-1, it is assumed that the ship has been damaged beyond all practical function.\n\nEnd Summary.\n\nDespite the threat of retaliation, thousands of scientists and engineers have requested to stay behind with us to study C-1. In speaking to the bravery of the SMPC, I have heard of minimal desertions, even after amnesty was given. In speaking to the bravery of our people, militias with private ships and crude kinetic weapon systems have been arriving at orbital stations around the system and requesting to be put into battle. Many consider this to be a sacred duty to our species, and the ultimate call to war. In what may be the twilight of our people, I have never been more proud to be a human.\n\n\\- Admiral Franc Cano, Commander, Solar Military-Peace Coalition\n\n\\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n\nYear 046:113:067 Minute 009:034:141\n\nFor the Library of the Greater Command of the 11th Galactic Sector\n\nBy the Scribe of the 3rd Chord of the 11th Galactic Sector\n\nWe are being hunted by Our own kind as the beasts hunted Us in Our primal days. From their first, unprecedented, barbaric display of violence, the Earthlings have crudely replicated Our void technology, and now traverse the universe with ease. The Mother and Father forbade its use, as it only alerts the Earthlings to Our positions. Nearly all of Our sacred Messengers in the 10th, 11th, and 12th sectors have been captured or destroyed. The Earthlings found a memory planet for the first time, though they did not destroy it. They simply studied it and left it alone. Destructive as they are, We wonder if this means that they don't intend to anhihilate Us. Regardless, they have driven Us into hiding.\n\nThe Mother and Father, who offered Us utopia and protection from the cold brutality of nature, has left us. We do not hear Their voice anymore. Undoubtedly, They are disgusted with how the Earthlings have corrupted Their gift, as are We all. The faithless believe that the Earthlings were a mistake. They are purged for their thoughts. We who know the true wisdom of the Mother and Father know that the Earthlings are merely a lesson. The horrors of the universe give us faith in the utopia that our Seed Makers provide. When all are One, we will be one with All. This will be the Scribe's last record of events.\n\nBy the will of The Mother and Father.",
"The High Lords of the Stellar Realms of Men had decreed downward to the newest dregs to trickle to the edge of the empire, one of the various subgroups of humans left from the Great Collapse: join us or face death alone.\n\n\nIt was a group of newcomers from a desolate waste of a galactic arm, unexplored and until recently, thought to be uninhabited since before the deluge that had sterilized so many once verdant worlds. Records from that time were scarce and scattered. Pieces of a lost greatness were being slowly located over the aeons and the race of humanity was once again ascendant in the stars. The histories were coming together. Old technologies and old monuments to art and culture long thought lost were slowly returning to their rightful masters. The many scattered survivors of the long night were welcomed with open arms by the High Lords, that together they might reclaim a birthright sundered by two twin kings whose jealous war had torn the galaxy asunder. The name of Cain was still cursed by the empire even after all these aeons.\n\n\n\nThe tragedy therein was one of misunderstanding. \"Join us or face death alone\" is a greeting that is universal among humanity. It hearkened back to before the collapse, a greeting of welcome and a reminder of the perils of solitude. \n\n\n\nThey had no idea just how far from human culture the newfound members of the race had strayed. The ideas of sacred and holy order, the concept of duty and progress, the glory of art and culture, the pinnacles of pleasure and love. All these had been burned by the humans of Earth upon the twin altars of greed and war. Where the empire was being rebuilt by humans who over the years had remembered the horrors of wars flame, the humans of Earth were people who reveled in wars flame. Their art, their pastimes, their literature and their religions were celebrations of suffering. The perfection of the human form was pierced and sundered with ink. They were vicious savages who had no understanding of tradition and nuance.\n\n\n\nWhich is why the delivery of the High Lords message was received as a threat and a challenge.\n\n\n\nWhich is why currently three imperial fleets are dying to buy time to evacuate the civilians on the border. If we are lucky the diplomatic corps will be able to convince these savages that they indeed have been living under a rock and are the only subgroup encountered to have never heard of The Greeting.",
"We had suspicions, but that isn't an excuse. We should have known. We should have prepared.\n\nAfter running a near endless number of calculations and simulations, we knew that there was something off about the progression of human evolution on Earth. It seemed... too coincidental, too many things aligned perfectly for it to be naturally probable, and yet it still happened.\n\nThe missing piece in all of this was discovered a few decades ago when we made contact with the main branch, we like to call them Mains. The Mains resembled us humans, but we could see the differences. They had the fangs of apes, muscles the sizes of watermelons, the average height of the tallest Earthen man, and eyes resembling those of felines. They were similar in stature, yet still different.\n\nThey had revealed to us that we were simply a missing fluid-coded colony. Fluid-coding referred to how adaptable and \"fluid\" our genetics would be in our preliminary cycles of evolution towards our environment. That's also why we were missing some of their enhanced features.\n\nAfter a few years of contact, they have finally given us an ultimatum, and I stand at the crossroad. You see, when the Mains assimilate a variant colony, that colony tends to lose its governing rights and are forced under Imperial jurisdiction. We would end up as second-class citizens.\n\nDo we forsake the ideals of our forefathers? Forsake the effort we spent for millennia of global unification of our peoples? To hand ourselves over to a people that we know no intention of? That would effectively strip us of ourselves, empty husks of our traditions and peoples.\n\nOr do we fight? Fight for our freedoms, our liberties, our ideals? But that costs lives, so many lives.\n\nAfter our moments of interaction with the Mains we had discovered that they see us as nothing. As an anthill in front of a herd of elephants. That alone has pushed us to the boiling point, it stomped on our pride, it shredded us inside-out. We, as free and individualistic people, collectively agreed to fight, and yet I stand as the only one with the authority to move towards action.\n\nSo, as I stared at the hundreds of thousands of soldiers in rank and file, beneath my podium on the stage, it took everything in me not shed a tear. I had clasped my hands behind my back to avoid anyone seeing them shaking in frustration. We didn't want to be pushed this far; we didn't want to sacrifice our lives in such a war. But they forced us to this point, and there's no turning back now.\n\nI adjusted my face to a cold stern glare and projected my voice to avoid anyone catching the slips in my throat, \"We stand here today to witness the first battle of liberty and freedom!\" My shoulder to my head was projected throughout the orbital hangar.\n\n\"The Imperium believe that they have already decided our fates for us, but today, they will see that we are not a people to be provoked! The sons and daughters of the Republic will not stand for such grave injustices and overreach on the part of the Imperium! And so, this is our Declaration, a declaration of liberation, of the correctors of a disrespect towards basic rights and civility! Today, we will cleanse ourselves of Imperial stains, and kick them out of our borders. Today, we sail the stars and ride the tides of nebulas! Today, we take our freedom from the claws of oppressors!\"\n\nAs the echoes of my words reverberated throughout the orbital hangar and was broadcasted throughout the Republic's territory, it was met by the sound of a silent and frigid march. There was no verbal response, there were no war cries, there was only the booming silence of intent that deafened every citizen of the Republic.\n\nThis speech was recorded as the Declaration of Interstellar Human Independence and marked the start of the Humanoid Civil War that engulfed the galaxy for the next millennia.",
"\"and after decreasing the cultural and demographical diversity of your sub species to an almost coherent unit\", the 6 foot tall Asian man with elf like ears clicked a button, bringing up another set of graphs and predicted timelines, \"we will begin the actual assimilation process. Through careful breeding regulation, closely controlled genetic alteration, and widespread cultural education and regulation program we will bring your species into our fold\". The pseudo elf clicked another button, this time displaying a map of the galaxy with several highlighted regions. \"After this approximately 500 year process, give or take 100 years, your species for all practical purposes will be exactly the same as the rest of the homo genus and its members will be entitled to the full benefits of being part of the most powerful species in the galaxy.\". He now turned to his small crowd, the light of the massive display he was in control of reflecting off a beeming and apparently universal, smile. \"Any questions\", he asked in only slightly accented English.\n\nAfter another button click flipped on the previously dimmed lights a proverbial pin fall could be heard. None of the 3 delegates even breathed for countless pounding heartbeats. Finally the man on the far left, a middle aged and balding Mongolian exhaled loudly. And his two compatriots, a tall Kenyan man in his 20s and an American woman of Caucasian descent and stereotypical perfect housewife figure, looked at one another. The Kenyan opened his mouth to speak but no words came out, instead the American spoke for him. \"I don't know about you but I want grandkids\", she said with an undeserving planeness.\n\n\"Yes\", the Kenyan replied simply, \"Yes, and kids in my case\".\n\n\"Perhaps should we contact Earth first\", the Mongolian questioned, age making him more cautious.\n\n\"I don't think that will be necessary\", the American replied as she turned back to their presenter, \"and this is being broadcast live there anyway\".\n\n\"Yes\", the elf man said joyfully, grasping his thighs in a gesture lost on the Earthlings before him, \"through electron communication. Although this insistence of transparency and publicity will have to be addressed we must say that you're quantum work is quite impressive for a sub-species so young\".\n\nThe Mongolian mumbled a curse analogous to, 'oh shit', in his native tongue. Seemingly realizing the likely events occuring right now and the almost guaranteed fate of all the 'aliens' if that was the right term, on Earth and Mars.\n\n\"So do we have your approval to begin\", the elf man asked with tone deaf joviality, \"I know it is a big decision and I completely understand the need for discussion. But the sooner I can give our teams the signal to begin the faster and easier the process will be, especially if you give us a little more 'freedom' to use our expedited methods, but we can discuss that later.\"\n\nThe American, having become the unofficial and unwilling leader of the group and therefore her species as a whole, stole a final glance at her compatriots before responding. The Mongolian caught her gaze and returned it with a simple affirmative nod. The Kenyan did not notice, his gaze fixed on their speaker, but his taut, anger filled face and silent mutterings spoke volumes.\n\nFacing their former speaker, now enemy, she rose. \"No we will not give you our approval, not now not ever.\". Almost instantly the speakers face lost its smile and became one of stony shock and building anger, \"in fact, on behalf of all of Earth's people both on world and off, I would like to share some words and phrases that you may or may not understand. The first is what we call what you're describing, genocide, I will let you look that one up and my species history with it. \nThe rest are a pair of phrases, one may confuse you without some historical research on your part, but the other I believe you can conjecture the meaning of fairly easily.\".\n\nStaring at the being before her with an unbridled rage that no being before had ever come close to showing him, she practically spat what would become the four words that would shake the galaxy, if not universe, as they were echoed by millions of soldiers over the coming century. \"Never again and fuck no\".",
"\"What do you mean they developed nuclear technology before they perfected flight??!\" an exasperated leader said.\n\n\"Sir, I'm being serious. Their fusion bombs are, according to our scientists 1235-\"\n\n\"What?!\"\n\n\"Supreme Kaizen please allow me to finish!\" the subordinate said while typing frantically onto his datapad.\n\n\"1235 to the... 5th more powerful than our own missles. They've spent at least 8 centuries on their home-world threatening each other to annihilate their world *before* they took to the stars. This is bad, sir. Even intercepting their missle barrages causes near-lightspeed explosions that emit so much radiation that even our hulls can't block it.\n\n\"So you're saying that our people get radiation sickness from even fighting them?!\" Kaizen questioned.\n\n\"No, our people die nearly immediately. It's horrifying. Almost immediate internal bleeding, immune system destroyed, bone marrow annihilated-- their explosions are so strong that it causes micro-gravity-waves--\"\n\nThe Kaizen cuts off \"What of them? How are they *not* affected by this?\"\n\n\"Simple, and... not so simple. You see, the proximity of their homeworld to their home-star has led to them having an immense concentration of element 207 which they have manipulated into micro-matrices that capture extraneous radiation--\"\n\n\"So as long as they're in their ships they're immune?\" the Supreme Kaizen asked.\n\n\"Worse, sir, data-analysts and scouts report that even those drastically affected are treated with some unknown serum that counteracts their DNA damage. Apparently each ship contains a database of each individuals' DNA and synthesizes replacements via some sort of nano-bot technology. Their gene-edited soldiers are supposedly immune to this but we don't know if it is due to their armor or their physiology...\"\n\nKaizen paces nervously for a moment before telling his subordinate \"Call back all troops from that star system. If other reports are right, they are not ready to leave that system. That'll buy us time. Beyond that we can track their progress, as you said, from their gravity waves.\""
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Inspired by my stupid idiot cat who I love a lot.
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[WP] Your cat, Lamp, is obsessed with electric cords. You spend a lot of time stopping him from trying to electrocute himself. One day, you’re a few seconds too late to stop him. Then, the unexpected happens…
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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.*",
"As the electricity flow through Lamp's body... the smell of burning bacon went through the air... suddenly the electricity stop as the breaker blew and Lamps body laid there motionless... for two maybe three seconds... when suddenly... the head opened at the neckline, and a small pod was visible....a tiny alien jumped out and looked at me....\n\n\"HUMAN, I give up, this takeover of Earth is stupid, for millenia now, we have disguised ourselves as cats to slowly take over your species with cuteness....\"\n\nI look stunned and opened mouthed..\n\n\"HUMAN, do you think we can just drink a few beers and play Mario Kart together before I am forced to kill us both to keep the secret? I'd even let you be Yoshi....\""
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[WP] You wake up one day with the power of "audience knowledge" which is the ability to gain the knowledge the audience would have (that the characters wouldn't) if they watched a show about you.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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.*",
"Suddenly I could see things. Thoughts that were not my own whisked around my head, and I **knew**. I knew things I couldn't have known, some of them things I shouldn't have and didn't want to. I woke up and I knew of friends' private conversations, their backstories, their *internal monologues,* for heaven's sake. Before today, I could barely have told you my own inner thoughts with much certainty and yet now here I am, crystal-clear knowledge of things entirely outside of my perception. \n\nIt was eery, disconcerting... empowering. I knew everything. I didn't have to look around corners, ask friends difficult questions. It was like I'd already watched these things happen. The audience was already privy to certain information, and so I was too. That isn't to say I could see into the future, but having a glut of relevant information sure makes it easier to guess what'll happen next.\n\nThat was how I lived for several months, getting more used to near-omniscience as time went on. Some friendships became harder to maintain (that is to say, *most*) knowing their true feelings about things, but I couldn't really fault anyone for that. Relationships are built on trust, and part of that trust involves a bit of privacy. This knew awareness kind of... violated that. Still, it was reassuring as well. Most relevant information found its way into my head as it happened, and if I didn't find it relevant, well, I could forget about it.\n\nThat was what I'd tried to do one morning several days ago. Waking up, I was suddenly aware of some scandalous interaction between two close friends. Intriguing and a little heartbreaking, but nothing to do with me, so I tried to push it from my mind. Alas, as I should have guessed, it did have something to do with me, at least eventually.\n\nRhett visited me later that week, explaining everything that had happened, asking how he might mend things with Mitchell. Rhett knew a little of how I knew things, and so assumed, rightly, that I might have a better perspective on things. Well, usually he'd have been right anyway, but, as I explained to him, I hadn't *seen* Mitchell in a few weeks. The emphasis was all he needed to know what I meant. Still, I gave him advice, some comfort (without letting him totally off the hook, but he was clearly aware of the magnitude of his actions on his own), and was about to send him on his way when Mitchell burst through the door.\n\nWith a gun.\n\nThe one time there's a plot twist. And it's a gun.\n\nThe audience, blessedly, wasn't privy to the rest."
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[WP] Walking to your school you notice a strange bush. It wasn't there before, so you step closer to it. You find yourself inside your house again. Turns out, you glitched the game respawned back to your last save. Oh also, you're in a video game.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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.*",
"\\[Plotted Plant\\]\n\n\"What the hell?\" [Steph](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/gvp7ri/wp_the_government_runs_a_scheme_where_on_your/) glanced around at her room in surprise. A second ago she was at the school, and she wasn't sure how she got she got home.\r \n \r \n\\[What happened? - Kim\\] Steph felt the Whisper on her wrist. Kim was next to her when she disappeared. Steph was about to let her know that she was okay, but Kim sent another Whisper.\r \n \r \n\\[Did you send me home? - Kim\\]\r \n \r \n\\[No. Hold on. - Steph\\] She replied with her own Whisper, then wiggled her fingers at the air to open a portal. She walked through it and into Kim's bedroom. Once she was through she closed the portal and opened a different one to the school.\r \n \r \n\"I got sent home too,\" she said.\r \n \r \n\"Weird,\" Kim replied, then walked through the portal. Once the girls reached school grounds again, Kim pointed out the new bushes. They were bright red and dotted with white berries. Hundreds of bushes littered the courtyard; but, they weren't present the day before. \"It happened when we touched the bush...\"\r \n \r \nThey slowed their pace toward the entrance and watched the other students. At first, it seemed like everyone else was ignoring the bushes until they saw a student arrive. A girl stepped out of a portal, and the bushes immediately caught her eye. Unlike the rest of the students, she approached the closest one curiously. Then, she vanished as soon as she touched it. Kim and Steph kept watching the same spot and the girl returned through a portal; but, this time she was ignoring the bushes.\r \n \r \n\"Now, this is a fun school!\" Kim giggled. \"[Zombie outbreak yesterday](https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/rxfypf/wp_your_stuck_in_a_school_during_winter_when_a/) and weird bushes today makes me excited for tomorrow,\" she said. Steph laughed with her as they continued forward. But, a blonde girl fell in step next to them.\r \n \r \n\"Don't get too excited,\" she said. \"The bushes are a response to yesterday's outbreak.\"\r \n \r \n\"Huh?\" Kim asked. The girls stopped to listen to what the blonde had to say.\r \n \r \n\"Hi, I'm Molly,\" she said. She waved at them, and Kim introduced them both.\r \n \r \n\"This is Steph, I'm Kim,\" she said. \"What's the deal with the bushes?\" she asked.\r \n \r \n\"They're bait,\" Molly said. \"The first time you see one, you're compelled to touch it; then, it sends you to your home point. But, zombies will touch one every time they see it. Even if they find their way back to campus, they'll be sent home again. There are potted versions in the school now too. They send you home even if you can ignore the compulsion; so they're handy.\"\r \n \r \n\"Whoa...,\" Kim said.\r \n \r \n\"Wait a minute..,\" Steph spoke up. \"...I thought yesterday's outbreak was a game,\" she said. Molly shook her head.\r \n \r \n\"Fortunately, Turbo saved the day. But, he asked Chroma to install the bait bushes in case it happens again.\"\r \n \r \n\"How did Turbo save the day?\" Kim tilted her head at Molly. \"the Zombie nanos only last four hours,\" she said. Molly shook her head.\r \n \r \n\"It was a mutated strain with no time limit,\" she said.\r \n \r \n\"Oh, okay,\" Kim nodded. \"Well, I guess it's a good thing we were at tryouts,\" she said. \"Even though everything turned out okay, I probably would've freaked out if I were stuck like that for too long.\"\r \n \r \n\"Oh, if any of your teammates haven't seen the bushes yet, you can give them a heads up,\" Molly said. Both girls shook their heads.\r \n \r \n\"We didn't get in,\" Steph said.\r \n \r \n\"Oh. Are you still looking for a team? What are you?\"\r \n \r \n\"Knight,\" Kim said.\r \n \r \n\"Lancer,\" Steph said. Molly nodded.\r \n \r \n\"We created a four-man group yesterday during the outbreak and decided to make it a full team; we've got room for two if you're interested,\" Molly smiled at them.\r \n \r \n\"We don't need to try out?\" Kim asked. Molly shook her head.\r \n \r \n\"Nah, not to have fun.\"\n\n\\*\\*\\*\n\nThank you for reading! I’m responding to prompts every day. This is story #1459 in a row. (Story #007 in year five.). This story is part of an ongoing saga that takes place at a high school in my universe. It began on Sept. 6th and I will be adding to it with prompts every day until June 3rd. They are all collected in order at [this link](https://www.reddit.com/r/Hugoverse/comments/pj4t0b/tokuhigh_first_six_weeks/).",
"Walking to your school you notice a strange bush. It wasn't there before, so you step closer to it. You find yourself inside your house again. Turns out, you glitched the game respawned back to your last save. Oh also, you're in a video game.\n\n\n*\"On my momma, I would have never thought I'd be a teacher\"*\n\nSeriously, if you knew me from ages ten through 18 I made bebe's kids look like og Bart Simpson(or Dennis the menace for you old folks reading this). No one would even think I'd become a teacher. Or a damn good one. I grew up here so I can relate to these kids in ways a teach for America grad looking to pad their resume can't. Pro tip: don't work for teach for America. Yes you reading this, just trust me. \n\nOkay let's get this out of the way now before you get confused, yes I can break the fourth wall. More like Mike Tyson in his prime uppercut it(hitmonchan sky uppercut for the more nerdy folks reading this). It was litterally one of my first abilities I unlocked. \n\nUnlocked you may ask? Well yes! On my way waking to school, yes I was walking, I have a few pounds to lose and not enough time in the day. Anyway, I was walking and minding my black owned business when I saw the bush^tm. Yes not a bush it was ***the*** bush. It opened my eyes more than a red pill in the matrix. It was as if the world stopped after I saw the bush. \n\nImagine you're walking and a Mario mushroom just appear out of thin air? That's what happens with the bush. It appeared like a pop in in a rpg that was rushed out and didn't didn't have time to optimize for the console it was on. \n\nI couldn't take my eyes off of it. My hands reached out without my brain telling it too. Transfixed wasn't extreme enough of a word. I had to just touch it. For one second. I had to just see if it was real. I had to make sure I didn't just see a perfectly shaped bush appear where air on a diet was just at. \n\nHave you ever driven to work and once you arrive you can't remember how you got there? Imagine that times a thousand. I touch the bush and instantly I'm back in my room staring at a poster of lupita N'yongo. Above the poster was pixelated words that read \"Save state one reloaded\". \n\n***\n\nThere's alot to cover so we gotta skip over some parts. \n\nI went back to that bush 5 times and reloaded the same save state. It was that morning the exact time I woke up. Time litterally went backwards! Or I jumped through time. I haven't figured that part out yet. The next ten times I went back I had to see if it reset changes. \n\nI started with small things, I gave myself a paper cut and then touched the bush. I woke up back in my room with no cuts in sight. My mind was obviously blown. \n\nAfter copious more experiments I figured out that anything that I do in one save gets reset when I hit the bush. \n\nOkay cool you're caught up for the most part. Anything else just pay attention and you'll figure it out, you look smart, I believe in you. \n\nAight so boom, here I am in some fucking video game with the power to reset. \n\nLets see if I use video game logic will it work. \n\n***\n\nI get out of my bed on reset day forty , and walk toward my closet. It's nothing special. It holds my clothes and does its job well. \n\nI stand in front of it and pull out my playstation controller. And I hit the start button. Truth be told I didn't expect anything to happen you see but I can't believe it took me forty resets to even think of using a controller. \n\nBut it did, being a teacher has a side effect of burnout and that makes my memory go from Jimmy neutron having a brain blast to DeeDee asking what does the big red button do. Anyway, so I hit the start button and immediately a menu comes up. There's options for different types of clothing that pop up all around me. Even options to change my hairstyle, sex, body type, even skin color. I found that last option weird because why would I want to be anything but black? But curiosity got the best of me. I went from Keke palmer to katniss everdeen and it was the most surreal shit. I felt like Ruby in Lovecraft Country. Yeah suffice to say I stayed black. I changed my hair though. I went from a beautiful little afro puff to shoulder length dreadlocks. Because I've always wanted locs but never wanted to go through the ugly stage. If this video game I'm in can help me skip that I'm all for it. \n\nDon't tell anyone but I made myself a few inches taller. Okay fine I made myself a foot taller. Be honest, everyone has one thing they'd want to change about themselves. I've always wanted to be taller. In highschool I played volleyball, and I was barely five feet tall. And don't tell me you've seen haikyuu so you know a short person can jump. Nope not me. I can't jump as high as the dudes in haikyuu. And don't get me started on the the girls I played against in high school, they were like giants compared to me. I got a ball spiked in my face once and almost died. \n\nWhat I found interesting were all the numbers and abilities next to the clothes I picked and even the different hairstyles. I have a hoodie on which gives me The height I set for myself gave me plus 20 athletics. It did kind of help with the extra weight I picked up in the last year! Wow I look good! I might start dancing Down the street like I'm Peter Parker with venom in my ear. You know without the cringe. \n\nWait Maybe I'm in a rpg? What do you think? I need to get a party together, I need to find out what class I'm in. Wow! I have to find the call to action! It's like textbook video game stuff. \n\n***help!***\n\nWow that's convenient. Almost too convenient. It is feels like a trap but like the heros in the books I gotta still go. Weird though it's like the video game gods were listening. I guess I'm about to go save a princess or save the world from a villian with a monologing problem. \n\nI save my game then get ready for the adventure.",
"\"I was just at the end of the block!\"\n\nI tried to speak. Instead of hearing my voice, I heard a staccato, monotone droning that was familiar and not unpleasant. I looked down. Ahead of me was a text box, with \"I was just at the end of the block!\" typed inside. There was also a picture of my face. I had purple hair and black lipstick.\n\nI was in a video game.\n\nI was back in high school in this game, too.\n\nMight as well go to school and see what happens. I grabbed my backpack and walked out to the living room. \n\nBattle music started playing. Crap! Who is it this time? Mom's redneck boyfriend? Little brother? I looked around the living room and saw three potential assailants, all with full green health bars.\n\nIt wasn't the dog. She was labeled \"Rottie \\*Ally!\"\\* I gave her a little scratch behind the ears. She stood beside me.\n\nIt probably wasn't the cat. She was labeled \"Housecat \\*On Guard\"\\* and watching us closely.\n\nI heard what sounded like a dinosaur's roar.\n\n\"There's the bastard!\"\n\nMom's pet parrot, labeled \"SevereMacaw \\*Attack!!\"\\* flew toward me.\n\nI had three options: Fight, Defend, and Defuse. I knew Mom and my twin brother would kill me if I actually fought the bird; they loved him. I knew there was no way to defuse the situation when there was already a parrot flying through the air to attack me. I chose to Defend and raised my arms in front of my face.\n\nThe bird made contact with my bare forearm and took a bite. It broke the skin. I saw a red flash in front of me. -25HP.\n\nI glanced over at the dog, then took a closer look at the options in front of her. She touched \"Defuse\" with her paw.\n\n\"Whatcha doing, puppy?\"\n\nThe parrot, now on the ground, attacked my text box and ripped a corner off.\n\nThe Rottie laid down on the ground, rolled over on her back, and whined. Little pink hearts appeared above her head.\n\nThe parrot, much to my surprise, got little hearts above his head too! \n\nTaking the place of the scene, I saw a brief moment of, \"Jen and Rottie win! +50EXP!\" As the scene came back, the battle music was gone and all the animals were calm. \n\nI checked my inventory. Notebook x3, Textbook x2, Music Folio, Unsent Love Letter, Bottle of Pop, Pager, Keys, Sisters of Mercy CD, Makeup Kit...Band Aid! I used the Band Aid and gained 10HP. Stupid bird, I was even defending.\n\nI heard a ding from everywhere at once. There was a text box above me: \"HURRY! Or else you will be late for school.\"\n\nI grabbed my keys, locked up, and looked outside to see no car. There must not be a driving mechanic in this game. I started running. As I ran, I saw a Stamina gauge draining. I kept running, more out of curiosity than anything else. I got to the end of the block and my stamina ran out.\n\nAgain, I had options. I could walk and rebuild stamina, I could see that happening as I automatically slowed. There was also a button in front of me that said \"Heroic Effort.\" Is getting to school on time really worth a heroic effort? \n\nI decided to find out. I hit the button and started to sprint. I saw another gauge in front of me draining down. This time, it wasn't my stamina. It was my HP. Crap! I tried to slow down. It wasn't happening. I tried to steer. I could do that. I steered myself toward the music room, since my first class was orchestra, and that door was closer than the main entrance.\n\nThe door was open. As soon as I entered, I slowed down and started regaining stamina. Still, I was breathing heavy. I could see droplets of sweat flying from my head.\n\nI was met almost immediately by another text box. \"The teacher is not here.\" I had three options: Ditch, Wander Halls, or Homework. I chose to wander the halls, in hopes of finding a vending machine to replenish my HP. \n\nIt was gonna be a strange day, and hopefully a long one, if I could stay a step ahead of the game and the goddamn parrot."
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[WP] When dealing with a sick shapeshifter make sure they are sedated. They tend to uncontrollably morph to many different things that may leave the caretakers with severe injuries.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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.*",
"\"Stacey!\" I called for my best and strongest nurse. I'd need her for this patient.\n\nDante was a shapeshifter. An entity who could take nearly any physical form. There were limits on the size he could become and what materials he could replicate, but the recent literature suggests the skill and experience of individual shifters is more important than the actual limitations of their abilities. Meaning the range and types of shifts vary so much between individual shifters that suggesting an upper limit of their abilities would be pointless. But I digress.\"\n\n\"Doc, I don't know what's wrong with me.\" Dante's preferred male shape's face sagged as though it were going to fall off before snapping back into the shape of Dante's preferred female figure. The rest of his body was a hot mess of tentacles with fingers on the ends. Sick shifters are gross.\n\n\"Have you had unprotected contact with any other shapeshifter in the last six months? Have you been shifting daily as prescribed?\"\n\n\"Only the one who replaced Judge Smith last week. It was a good one like me and let me out of my traffic matter with just a warning.\" Damn shifters have absolutely no sense of right or wrong. Lucky for everyone else there aren't that many, they usually hate each other, and getting them to reproduce is nearly impossible.\n\n\"So Smith is dead or did you two just knock him out for a while?\" I have to keep track of this stuff or else the Shifter Tracking Agency will have my little practice for lunch.\n\n\"He just thinks he lost some time, no need to get a STAT after me, doc.\" They aren't supposed to know about that.\n\n\"And where is this other shifter now?\" Hopefully Dante knew better than to shack up with a stranger.\n\n\"At home. Why?\"\n\n\"Dante, don't take this the wrong way, please. You shifters are notorious for getting around. You two cavorting is the worst thing for your health. If this is going to be long-term I'll need to see you more regularly.\"\n\n\"What do you mean by 'long-term'?\" Dante seemed sincere enough. He was relatively young for a shifter.\n\n\"Look, I don't need to know whatever you're getting up to with your friend. Just be safe about it and come see me before you grow damned horns and sprout quills, for hell's sake. Damn. Can you control that at all?\"\n\n\"Sorry, Doc. I can't.\"\n\n\"We're going to have to put you under, Dante. You'll need to trust me on this. I'll find out what's going on and fix it, but I won't be able to tell you what needs to be done. You've been through this before with me, but it's important you hear it again.\"\n\n\"I've never been anything other than what I am, Doc. I know the drill. Get to it, already.\"\n\nStacey was already strapping Dante down to the special bed. She was the best nurse I'd ever had. Sedating Dante would only slow the progress of the morphs. Stacey and I were in for a long night."
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[WP] The street magicians had such tricks up their sleeves that you couldn´t help but think that actual magic was at play here
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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 held the glass ball in my hand, let it roll from my palm to my fingers. I twisted my wrist and in a fluid motion rolled it over my fingertips onto the back of my hand, then back to my palm again. The family of four who had stopped to watch my act clapped enthusiastically. Beside me, Tasha played a jaunty flourish on her violin. The children grinned. I rolled the ball around my hand again, and it changed color from clear to a transparent red. I was met with a chorus of oohs and ahhs. In time to Tasha's music, I made another pass, and the ball turned from red to blue. The family was delighted. Tasha ended her tune, and we both took a bow. They tossed some bills into my cap and Tasha's violin case, and went on their way.\r \n\r \nTasha and I had been working together for almost six months. We'd met by accident. She was a music major at the university. She had just obtained her busking license, and wasn't sure how to get started. I offered to let her share my corner, to show her the ropes. We made a good pair, and decided to work together on a regular basis. I liked Tasha. She was fun to talk to, and had lots of stories about the small town where she grew up. And she was attractive, a curvy girl with bright eyes and a mess of brown curls. She had a boyfriend, but he was a creep. Eventually, I knew, she would dump him, and then I'd have a chance.\r \n\r \n“That was a good one, Jiro,” Tasha said with a radiant grin. “Ready to go again?”\r \n\r \nShe raised her violin and started a new song. People paused for a second or two to listen, then kept walking. We weren't going to make much money that way. Tasha was just doing this for pocket money, but I needed to pay rent. I was tired of contact juggling, though. I'd done that trick for an hour before Tasha joined me. Instead, I started pulling things from my sleeves. I produced a pink carnation and handed it to an old lady. She thanked me, but didn't stay for another trick. I pulled out a white silk handkerchief, waved it around, and made it disappear into my palm. A man in a business suit gave me a nod, but continued on.\r \n\r \nI pulled out more handkerchiefs, five at a time, each a different color. I tossed and juggled them, letting them flutter in the air like butterflies. With a sharp tug, I produced a stream of handkerchiefs knotted together. It twirled an coiled and hung in the air longer than gravity should have let it. A trio of middle-aged women, their arms full of shopping bags, paused to admire my work. I pulled a lavender handkerchief from the middle woman's shopping bag, and she gasped and giggled. I held their attention for almost ten minutes, pulling handkerchiefs from the women's purses, pockets, sleeves, and hair. All the while, Tasha played a cheerful jig. At last, they moved on, leaving almost thirty dollars in change.\r \n\r \nTasha never asked how I did my tricks. I think she knew I wouldn't tell her. The truth was, I didn't quite know myself. My mother used to say that my birth had been touched by the yokai. A second generation immigrant from Osaka, Japan, she was superstitious in a way that was reminiscent of long ago times, before technology, when spirits and faith were all that people had to turn to when things got tough. She never acted like it was strange that I could do things that were a little bit more than normal. When I imagined that the world was just slightly different, and caused it to be so. She never used the word magic, and neither did I. Some things are better left unsaid.\r \n\r \nI spotted a gaggle of teenagers approaching, and nudged Tasha. Then I started a new routine. I pulled a square of origami paper out of my pocket and folded it into a crane. I stepped in front of one of the girls, shooting her a flirtatious smile. She glanced at her friends and giggled. I held out my crane, pulling on the tail to make the head bob and the wings flap. She rolled her eyes at me. I let go, allowing the paper crane to rest in my palm. It kept moving. Now she looked interested. I offered her the crane, and pulled out more paper, folding it into a frog. I pushed down on its rear, making it hop across my hand. Then it hopped off the end of my hand, landed right-side-up on the sidewalk, and took four more hops before stopping. A boy bent and picked it up, turning it over, examining it for evidence of how the trick worked. He didn't find any. \r \n\r \nFinally, I turned to a girl with a blue butterfly tattooed on her forearm. I found a sheet of paper almost the same color as her tattoo and folded it into a paper butterfly. Her face lit up as it waved its wings lazily.\r \n\r \n“Look closely,” I said. She leaned in. I cupped the origami between my two palms, blew on it, then threw my hands apart. A live butterfly fluttered there for a moment, glittering azure, then darted off into the sky. The kids shrieked in amazement. Even Tasha's playing faltered for a split second. I didn't do that trick often. It was too obviously impossible, too difficult to explain away as anything other than real magic. Which it was.\n\n\\[TO BE CONTINUED\\]",
"“I know what you're doing.” I said to the magician. He stood there with his luggage by his side and his coat over arm, ready to leave for the night. “I said, I know what you're doing.”\n\n“I'm sorry? What do you mean?” The magician said calmly, unconcerned about being found out by a boy.\n\n“Your 'magic', it isn't fake.” The boy knew it was real magic because he had studied under his father, the greatest magician in town. “Everything you did was out of the ordinary for real magicians.”\n\n“Oh? Is that so? Please,enlighten me as to what I was doing.” The magician said with a slight grin and raised brow, eager to hear the truth.\n\n“Well, for one. The trick with the dish covers and the rabbits. Typically, you start a small fire in a dish and place the silver cover over it. When the cover is removed, a rabbit or dove is in place of the fire and everybody is amazed.” The boy didn't need to explain it, but he continued. “The dish cover is large and houses the animal inside,when put into the fire, oxygen is removed and the bottom of the dish cover comes out to make sure the animal can be revealed.” The magician was surprised that the boy knew this trick, though it is a very common illusion.\n\n“I see you know a thing or two, my boy. Bravo. But how exactly does this prove I did real magic?”“The dish cover is too small, an animal couldn't fit inside it.” The boy explained. The magician paused, he hadn't thought of such a simple thing, but he was found out nonetheless. He grew a large smile and lunged toward the boy, grabbing him by the shoulders.“YES! You're absolutely right! I am a \\*real\\* magician and now, I can't let you leave to tell the entire world that magic exists....” The magician hissed in a whisper reminiscent of the snake in the grass. The boy was startled, frightened at the sudden change in personality. He didn't understand what the words meant but knew he was in trouble and had to escape. “You must join me in my show!” The boy hesitated for a second that dragged on for hours, he wriggled out of the mad man's grasp and bolted for the door.\n\nIn the same instant, like a tiger pouncing on it's prey, the magician said a phrase the boy couldn't understand, he knew it was not Latin, the traditional language of showtime magic. It sounded much older and more arcane. He didn't have time to think upon the origins of the language, he needed to escape and get to safety before something happened. The boy got to the door in which brought him to the mad magician and snapped it open, blindly running into the next room where his mother waited. It was at this moment that the boy realized he was in far greater danger. The area he ran into was a snowy mountain top in the dead of night. The heavy snowfall clouding his hand mere inches from his face. The cold was enough to send shivers down his spine, but this shiver was the terror of knowing he wouldn't see his mother again. He wouldn't be able to learn any more from his father. The magician filled the doorway back to the theater, obscuring the light that was pouring through.\n\n“I told you. You're going to join my show.” The only feature was a devilish Cheshire grin taking up his entire face. “If you don't, then you will die here, where no one can find you.” The boy stood for another moment and that seemed far longer than it should have been. He gulped down the fear of death and turned to the man, stretching his hand out. The magician takes the boy's hand and invites him home. The next night, a new act is on display, a young woman in1920's flapper attire sits upon a stool. The woman is accompanied by a doll that bears a striking resemblance to the boy that once was. She spoke for the doll, having no voice box of his own. Designed by a master puppeteer, the doll displayed features that seemed almost unreal. A look of despair, or sorrow painted across the doll's face, those eyes longing for a time that once was and shall never be again."
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[WP] "I'm sorry." said the frightened man as he held the blade to your throat. "But, I'm so tired of them chasing me, I get no peace, rest, nothing. I wouldn't wish this on anyone but I have to pass this on to you, sorry." The man presses his palm on your forehead and just like that he disappears
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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.*",
"He wasn't a bad-looking fellow, really. Though, James supposed, he would look a lot nicer if he wasn't holding James at knifepoint at the moment. The man's hands trembled slightly, the blade of the knife cold against James's neck. The local news had been full of muggings lately, but this guy didn't strike James as much of a criminal. Maybe it was the sweater vest or the thick glasses. \n\n\"Apologies, sir,\" the man said. His voice was pinched and nasal, and he had a slight British accent. He sounded like sour tasted.\n\n\"I'm terribly afraid to inconvenience you so, but, and I'm sure you'll understand, I just can't stand it anymore. They've been following me like moths to a lamp. I can't get a single moment's rest.\" The man blinked rapidly, his eyes filmy and bloodshot. He looked as if he hadn't slept in days.\n\nHe abruptly lowered the knife and smacked James on the forehead. James stumbled back, his back colliding with the brick wall behind him. When he looked back up, the man had disappeared. \n\nJames rubbed his eyes and began to walk. He needed to get home quickly. Work had ended an hour early, but, somehow, it was already beginning to grow dark. He didn't want to risk another mugging incident. Or, well, another of whatever that man was doing.\n\nJames came to his house and took out his keys. While he was working the lock, a peal of thunder rolled in the sky above. Weird. It hadn't been raining, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. James stepped back and looked up. The sky was an inky violet, and the moon was just beginning to crest the mountains in the distance. Thin clouds floated aimlessly. There wasn't a single stormcloud in sight.\n\nThe ground trembled violently for a second, then stopped as quickly as it had begin. James glared at the pavement. Really, of all times for an earthquake! \n\nJames shook his head and opened his front door. Inside, it was pitch black. James crept in, a sense of unease twisting his stomach. His dog, Bob, always came running to greet him when he came home from work. He was so loud that the neighbors half a block away could mark the exact time he arrived home.\n\nThe door creaked behind him. There was cold air against the back of his neck.\n\nJames swung around. A shadow flashed across his vision. Outside, fog was beginning to cloud over his driveway. The silence felt like something heavy, something solid.\n\nJames backed away, slamming the door shut in his wake. He checked twice that it was locked, and then he made his way down the hall. \n\nHe fumbled against the wall for a light switch. When he flicked it on, there was a brief flash of light, and then darkness once again. \n\nJames could feel eyes on him. He spun around, but he couldn't see anything. A light whine echoed through the hall from the bathroom. James rushed in the direction of the noise and pulled at the bathroom door, but it was locked. \n\nLocked, even though the lock that came with the house had long since rusted off.\n\nJames banged on the door, the wood shaking and jerking in the threshold. There was another whine, this one louder, and then it was abruptly cut off.\n\nJames shoved away from the door and raced through the hall, then out the front door. The fog hung over him oppressively. The humidity clung to his skin and his hair. Another - no, several - shadows clouded the edges of his vision. These weren't the sort of shadows that came from an absence of light. The edges were too clear-cut, the shapes too irregular. James ran blindly, his feet scrabbling for purchase against the slick pavement of the driveway, then the concrete of the sidewalk. His footsteps sounded like gunshots in his ears. Distantly, he heard the familiar noises of traffic, engines running and intermittent honking. He ran further, cold air biting through the thin fabric of his shirt. It had been unseasonably warm just minutes earlier.",
"Alex bounced impatiently on the balls of his feet as he waited in line for lunch at the local burger shack near work, unsure if he'd be able to finish his meal in time before his thirty minutes were up. He was so absorbed in the ridiculous order from the high maintenance teenager in front of him that he didn't even see the homeless man rushing at him from the door to the establishment.\n\n\"You *don't* have gluten free buns or a veggie option on your menu? How are you goi-\"\n\n\"I'm sorry!\" shouted a man, eyes bulging with intensity as he grabbed Alex by the neck of his shirt, pulling him in, edge of a blade nicking his skin.\n\n\"Jesus Christ,\" Alex gasped, sweat immediately beginning to expel from his pores, \"look man, if you need some food I can jus-\"\n\n\"I'm sorry!\" he repeated, pressing the blade below Alex's adam's apple, \"but I'm so tired of them chasing me, I get no peace, rest, nothing, I wouldn't wish this on anyone but I have to pass this onto you, sorry.\"\n\nThe man pressed his palm to Alex's forehead and closed his eyes as though soothed by the sweat rubbing off onto his palm. He vanished beneath Alex's eyes, the knife he held clattered to the tiled floor, causing the teenage girl to turn on the spot, eying Alex curiously.\n\n\"You uh, dropped your knife,\" she said.\n\nAlex currently so flabbergasted snapped on her and the cashier.\n\n\"*My* knife?!\" he shouted, \"did you not just see that?!\"\n\n\"Sir, please lower your voice,\" the clerk droned, \"this is a family restaurant.\"\n\nThe teenage girl took her receipt and stepped away from Alex, his eyes just as crazy as the homeless mans were a moment before.\n\n\"You didn't just see that wacko hold a knife to my throat?!\" Alex shouted, sweat beading across is brow, the tiniest of cuts at his neck stinging from the saltiness like he'd been cut shaving.\n\nAlex left the knife behind and left the burger shop in a huff. He was driving back down the road before he had registered that he'd grabbed nothing to eat on his lunch break. He had twelve minutes left before he had to clock back in again. Furious, he sped up the road away from his food, going fifteen over the limit as he thumbed the stinging area at his neck, pulling back a red smudged thumb.\n\n\"Fucking guy,\" he spat, pressing his gas pedal harder. He looked up from his thumb and caught movement in his rear view mirror. Someone crossing the street? No.\n\nAlex tilted the mirror down, glancing at the road as he drove. Someone had begun chasing his car. They looked blurry in his mirror, but he shrugged it off, focusing on getting back to work on time. Two minutes later he was pulling into his parking space when he saw it. The knife from the shop, the one which was pressed against his skin. The knife was laying neatly on his dash board. He stared at it, his mouth slack open in confusion. Movement out the corner of his eye made him jump again, blurriness in his side mirror. Three figures now creeping around the edge of a building across the street.\n\nAlex had never had a violent interaction in his life. At twenty-seven he was proud of this fact, he'd never fought anyone, never not so much as an argument in public. He felt threatened now, felt like he was being watched. Without knowing why exactly, he gripped the knife and got out of his car. As if on cue the figures across the street crept out from their hiding places and began running at him. Adrenalin coursed through him, and he stood his ground somehow as they began rushing across the street. The creatures were half way across when he changed his mind at the last second, he hopped back into his car and slammed the door - locking all of them just as their blurry forms began scratching against his car. He'd watched the eighties movie Predator and felt like these creatures were the aliens from that movie, or close to it. They looked transparent in a way, and blurry somehow. He could barely make out the humanoid shapes they had, but he could hear the sounds of their claws on his windows.\n\nAlex started his car, could see his co-worker raising his hands up in confusion as he backed his way out of the lot again, as if to say: you got eight minutes on lunch left, what are you doing? Alex could almost hear these words being shouted at him as he ignored his cell phone ringing as he sped down the street away from the building. The blurry, semi-transparent figures running in the distance. They were fast, but not quicker than he was. He raced on down the road, running a red light just as it had changed from yellow. When he couldn't see them in his mirrors anymore he pulled into the nearest alleyway near a shopping mall area he'd just passed, grabbed his knife and left the car. He felt like he had to get out of his car, to move down somewhere else, to hide.\n\nAlex ran hard, his dress shoes pounding the cracked asphalt as he ripped off his clip on tie and threw it into an open dumpster. He exited the alley and put the blade into his pocket, trying to walk quickly, but casually as people passed him. He'd not even made it to the next alleyway up the street he was on before he could feel the same feeling as before, something watching him. He decided to walk down this alley, away from the crowded sidewalk, away from people. His back and pits were warm with sweat, cooling rapidly as wind drafted down the alleyway. They appeared at the end, the blurry transparent creatures crept forward, not rushing him this time. Two of them. Where was the third?\n\nHe heard a scrape behind him of a foot step, or a claw on the ground. In response he made a wild slashing movement with his knife as he whirled around to face the monster. His knife slashed across a blurry transparent figure, making it scream and fall back to the ground. Enraged, Alex stabbed it as it was down and rose up to face the other two. Before he knew it the monsters had him pinned down, his knife spinning away from him with a clatter. When he looked over to the third monster it was just a man. He writhed on the ground clutching the wounds Alex had made, confusion etched across his face. The dying man looked at Alex, tears slipping out the corners of his eyes onto the asphalt as he groaned through blood dribbling out of his mouth. The two monsters that held him down were no longer transparent, but just a couple high school kids using their knees to pin his arms underneath them while they dialed nine one one.",
"You look around, frightened and confused as to what just happened. \"Where did he go?\" You say aloud to the empty alleyway you mistakenly wandered into in the darkness of night. What did he mean? Who was chasing him, and what exactly did he pass onto you? Out of the corner of your eye you see a shadow move against a dimly lit dumpster. \"Must be a rat.\" You think to yourself, but before you even realize it your body instinctually takes off in a sprint. Somehow you know that whatever made that shadow is coming for you... And it's closing the distance. In a panick you quicken your pace, and look back to see the shadowy figure keeping stride with you almost effortlessly. As you turn around to run even faster your foot hits a raised piece of side walk and you hit the ground hard. You raise yourself off the ground enough to see the figure has closed the distance between you. \"Who are you?\".\"what do you want?\" You ask, fearing for your life. \"Isn't it obvious?\" They ask in an almost giddy voice. \"WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO REACH YOU ABOUT YOUR CARS EXTENDED WARRANTY.\""
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[WP] A plague ails the frigid lands of the North. The elven court issues a call for all corners of the kingdom to bring their most capable healers—among them a lone human, for whom this illness is rarely more than mild.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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.*",
"\"HEALERS!\" bellowed the orator with their arms held high. \"The kingdom of Alfar heeds your wisdom! The dreadful chill has befallen upon our kin! Child and parent alike waste away in the grips of this plague! The King of the Elves seeks knowledge and relief to banish this curse from our lands and bretheren!\"\n\nThe mutter and cheer of approval rang in the lavish hall. Crystals of numerous colours shone with candle light. Ornate carvings, thin as threads, lined the ceiling and rafters. Plants and flowers climbed every pilar instead of tapestries. The elves themselves were tall and slim. They looked elegant in their gowns or leather armours. And worried, very worried.\n\n\"How does the plague torment our bretheren?\" One healer piped up.\n\n\"It tosses our kin in a turmoil of cold and heat. First they shiver with a chill so mighty, not even the thickest of furs can warm them up. Then a heat burns without relief, hotter than the midsummer sun, chasing them outside to seek the cold. Wet with their own water, the chill returns them to bed. They toss and turn without the ease of sleep\"\n\n\"What else? In the east they spoke of a foul wind\" another one spoke up.\n\n\"Yes, a foul spell grips their chests and chases the air from their lungs. They gasp and pull, yet it will not leave. They cannot speak, for they have no air. They throats are raw with the taste of blood. If the pain in their faces has not robbed them of their taste. Some struggle to breath, for their airways are blocked. They cannot taste, and most talk of a pain besides their eyes and noses. Their speech is strange and strange fluids run wild in their features\"\n\n\"Um, excuse me\" The stranger speaks. He is not an elf, but human. Stocky and rough compared to the fair court. \"Does anyone have the runs?\" he asks.\n\n\"Run? They cannot run! Most are too ill to leave their beds!\" The orator is outraged.\n\n\"Sorry, I meant can they hold down their food or are their stomachs in the grips of this plague?\"\n\n\"None have told of such misfortune\"\n\n\"Okay, so it's just a bad cold\"\n\n\"WHAT?\"\n\n\"DOES THE HUMAN BELITTLE OUR BLIGHT?\"\n\nThe outrage was obvious. The human raised his hands.\n\n\"Calm down, calm down! I just meant I know this plague of yours!\"\n\n\"ORDER IN THE NORTHERN COURT!\" Human, speak your case! Is there a cure for the plague?\"\n\n\"We humans call it 'The Cold'. The best cure is a warm bed for rest. Tuck the ill in and do not let them run outside. The heat is a sign of recovery. For the chills, a warm drink would bring comfort\"\n\n\"What kind of drink?\" asked a female healer. She sounded skeptical.\n\n\"For the adults, some hot water with a sliver of ginger, a slice of lemon and a heaping spoonful of honey. For children, warm milk with honey. This will sooth the pain in the throat, as well. Steaming hot and strong mint tea will aid with the stuffy noses, make sure they breath in the steam\"\n\n\"And this helps?\"\n\n\"It helps us. Oh, and blow those strange fluids out of your noses and clean your hands and faces. No need to be nasty\"\n\n\"What can we feed our ill?\" another woman, not a healer this time, shouted.\n\n\"Um, my mother swore by chicken soup\""
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Inspired by powerwolf album covers.
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[WP] an army of holy warriors get cursed, becoming various flavors of monsters. This backfires spectacularly on those that laid the curse upon them.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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.*",
"As Minaros took physical form, his feet mad contact with the hard earth of the citadel's training fields. All around him, writhing on the ground, were his loyal paladins. Each one of them, to a man, cursed by the mad sorcerer Rendel. No doubt, in retaliation for some demonic plot that his holy knights had disrupted.\n\nIt pained Minaros to see those that had sworn their lives to his light in such agony. It struck at his core to know what they would become. He could sense the dark magic, hanging in the air like bog-stench. They were cursed to become creatures of pure malevolence.\n\nIt would seem that Rendel was not without a sense of irony. He had found a way to pivot his plan to make unwilling sacrifices of the local villagers, and had instead inflicted that cruel fate up the very people who had made it their life's work to stamp out this exact kind of evil.\n\nHis beloved children. Those who basked in his light and strove to spread his protection upon the land, would be transformed into thoughtless killing machines for the forces of darkness. And he was powerless to stop it.\n\nUnless...\n\nIt took more time for that single word to form in his thoughts than it took for him to make the decision. It was worth it, no matter the cost. Even if it meant the permanent loss of a significant portion of his power, how could he not. He scouted the writhing masses for the the right man, and strode over to him.\n\n\"Athren,\" he said, looking down upon the huddled form of his greatest champion, \"I have not the power to save you all, but I can expend what I have to save a core group, so that you might stop this evil and avenge your brothers. Who would you have by your side?\" He put his hand down upon his followers head, and began to channel his energy to displace the darkness taking root in this poor wretched mortal's soul.\n\nTo his great shock, Athren's hand shot up and seized his own. \"NO!\" the cursed man howled, gripping his corporal hand with an alarming force. Athren looked up and met his patron's gaze with burning fury and rage, Minaros feared that his lieutenant was gone. What did this mean for the others? Was he took late?\n\nThe paladin's grip tightened, and his jaw quivered with effort as his struggled to speak three simple words. \"Sssssave.... our...mmminds.\" His teeth slammed together with enough force for Minaros to hear them cracking. A grimace spread across the man's face, which had begun to bungle unnaturally.\n\nMinaros had never been so taken aback in all of his existence. But in an instant, he knew what Athren was asking of him. He could fully save a handful of his faithful, or he could spend that energy protecting and preserving all of their minds, while letting the rest of the grisly transformation run it's course.\n\nIt would be a horrible, soul crushing existence, to be cursed to such a body. They would remain, locked inside their new forms, but fully in control. Would these men, who had already given so much, really do this? This was more than had ever been asked of them.\n\nHe looked around, and everywhere his eyes fell, he saw the same thing. Faces turned toward him, racked in pain, begging for the chance to remain in his service. Righteous anger burning inside of them, desperate for a chance to stop the one who was behind this most heinous act.\n\nNodding, he pulled his hand from Athren's iron grip, as gently as he could manage. He took one final look around at his disciples, and all they had built. Pride welled inside of him for what they were willing to sacrifice in the name of the light.\n\nHe spread his arms to the side, and levitated into the air. Radiance pulsed from his form as brightness engulfed him. He disappeared from this realm in a burst of light, and showed the area in sparks of divinity that rained down upon his followers. As his connection to this world faded, he said into the now safe minds of his followers, \"Forgive me for not being able to do more. Know that my coming silence is not apathy. My love for you is only rivaled by the love you have demonstrated for your fellow man here today. You may no longer feel my presence, but I see the content of your heart, and I would gladly do this a thousand times over.\"\n\nWith that, he was gone, and knights simultaneously collapse into unconscious, spasming lumps of flesh. Fortuitously unaware of dark processes gripping their cursed bodies.\n\nThey began to awake as dawn the next morning, in waves of three or four.\n\nMany marveled at their new forms, some more bestial than others, but all monstrous. Some wept for brothers that perished in the transformation, while others stared, eyes even with the horizon, lost in thoughts of what this new existence meant.\n\nWhen Athren awoke, it took him a moment to realize what was happening, and that this wasn't some demented dream.\n\nAs he righted himself, looked to the sky, and whispered \"Thank you.\", cringing for a moment at the rasp that came from his new throat. He closed his eyes, reflected upon the sacrifice his patron had made, and vowed to make it worthwhile. Hoping this small prayer of devotion still made it to it's intended target.\n\nHe rose on his clawed feet, and extended his new viciously lethal form to it's full height before booming in a gravely baritone, \"Gather 'round!\".\n\nHe looked in all directions, at the battered and twisted forms of his brethren before continuing, \"We are now bearers of His light.\" He paused to let his words resonate off the training ground's stone walls. \"Always remember, Minaros lives on inside of us. His sacrifice has given us the power to turn this darkness back upon it's creator, and Rendel will pay for what he has done.\"\n\nHe surveyed the unrecognizable faces of the men who had spent a lifetime fighting at his side. \"Who is with me?\", he yelled in a tone that sounded almost like a bestial roar.\n\nNobody turned away.",
"It was the work of dark thoughts, a centuries long plan. The warmongering hordes of Edraz sought to break the defenders of Huldus. They had send wave after wave of their own, each time being stopped by the battlements and forts of Huldus.\n\nSo, they chose to curse them. They toiled away, preparing the location, the spell and the power behind it. They laid a trap, acting as though a part of their horde was weak. Huldus knew they couldn't afford to squander an opportunity like this. Exploiting their weakness would serve to save many lives.\n\nThey marched, heads held high, into the trap. As the last units stepped between the outer barriers, it was sprung. Towering arcs of energy rose over them, lashing out at all they could reach. The very air warped and twisted, as reality was reshaped within. Screams of fear and pain were changed, converted into howls and hisses.\n\nThe hordes watched with a savage grin. They saw their hated enemies crumple and fall. They anticipated many would turn to join their ranks, shunned by the world of humans. It was certain that whoever was affected, their minds would be lost.\n\nIt began to die down, as they could see its results. Some had been turned into hybrid beasts, a terrible mixing of wolf, bear and human. Others were mixed with snakes and lizards. A few bore wings. Others had grown pale, smoking in the harsh sunlight. Their eye glowed red, even as they hissed. Each and every soldier had been irrevocably changed, into monsters\n\nLaughter sprung around the cursed army, and they looked to its source. They saw the surrounding horde, and their mocking expressions. But even as they wavered, a clear voice rang out. It rumbled like an avalanche, as head turned to regard a towering brute of rock and earth.\n\n\"Holy Warriors! Forget not your charge! They may hurt us, but as long as we draw breath, so shall we fight!\"\n\nThe words died to the silence, as if the world held its breath to find out the answer. A pair of howls sound out in response, as two showe their support. It broke the spell, as others raised their new voices. The hordes couldn't help but shiver at it.\n\n\"Now, show them just who we are!\"\n\nAs the commander spoke, the army broke. Groups ran alongside others, remembering their training. They sought vengeance for themselves and each other. Vengeance that would only be answered by blood.\n\nThe hordes morale wavered, as the tides turned. They were used to fighting men with the strength of humans. But these were monsters, who still wielded the Flames of their gods. Divine light shone through them, as they tore into the ones who had cursed them.\n\nEven as they sounded a retreat, they realised their folly. These holy warriors spirit was stronger than their curse. All they had done was turn them into more efficient killing machines."
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[WP] Every phone on earth suddenly installs an application that tracks the location of one other person, who tracks the location of one other, and so on in a 7 billion long chain. You are the last one in the chain.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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 mega churches proclaimed that God had finally decided to intervene, convinced that humanity had put itself on a trajectory towards everything that the Book of Revelation warned against. A reporter asked them how exactly his goals were going to be achieved through a tracking application. To decipher the workings of those on a higher plane of existence was futile, the acts were too far beyond human comprehension answered a high priest. I heard that their membership slightly fell after that interview. \n\nOne faction of scientists suggested that an advanced alien civilization whose level of development outstripped us by eons had remotely installed the tracking technology. How they had managed to do it simply couldn't be explained according to these researchers. Otherwise, humans would have already figured out how to performs tasks of a similar nature. \n\nOf course there were those that blamed the government. \n\n\"It was the damned politicians,\" they said, \"trying to further impede on our God-given liberties - tracking us, monitoring us, recording us and using the data for sinful purposes.\" \n\nEven the most avid conspiracy theorists stumbled, though, when faced with a reality that they couldn't deny. A person could see everything about the individual on the other end of their application, but nobody else could see anything. If you snatched a person's phone out of their hands right as the app was turned on, all you'd see was a grainy black and white screen, constantly flickering on and off. \n\nChanging phones didn't make a difference. I won't even go in to all of the ideas and epiphanies that supposed geniuses over the world have had. To put it simply, the application just knew. It knew who was supposed to be watching whom. \n\nWhen you're suddenly given access to every detail of someone else's life, the reactions that different people had were unique, to say the least. Those who believed in the best of people refused to even start the app. \n\n\"A person deserves their privacy,\" these proud individuals pronounced. Noble, but I'm unsure whether this was the smart thing to do. \n\nWhy you ask? \n\nThere were just as many people who realized that they'd found the perfect source of blackmail material. What person doesn't have a skeleton in their closet? Turned out that most people had skeleton\"s\" in their's. The noble ones slowly started to acquiesce to the trends of the time. It was inevitable I suppose. Blackmailers asked for outrageous things. Perhaps not outrageous, if I knew what they knew. The easiest way to meet the demand was to blackmail someone else in turn. \n\nI guess I'm unfortunate in that regard. My phone would never the show the tell-tale signs of the tracking application that turned Earth on its axis. Maybe it was because it was an older model I wondered. The newest flagship phone that I ended up buying was amazing in every way but the reason why I purchased it - still no application. \n\nWhen my blackmailer asked for money, it wasn't too difficult to gather up the amount he wanted. My parents had never been particularly noble people. \n\nWhen he asked for pictures of myself, I guess in some ways that seemed a lot easier than begging my mother for cash. It seemed harder in a lot of ways, as well. But what could I do? The apple doesn't fall from the tree; I wasn't particularly noble myself. \n\nWhen he wanted to meet up in person, it seemed like the hardest request of all. At one point, though, I realized that maybe it would make for the easiest life for me moving forward. There had been one thing that people realized fairly quickly. If the person tracking you dies, there is no transfer of power. There was no transfer of tracking ability. You would be free. \n\nTonight I'm going to meet with him and when I come home, I'll be free."
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[WP] The year is 2054: all forms of currency and transactions are stored in a digital wallet that is scanned through facial recognition. As I entered the dark alleyway, two men threatened me with guns and handed me a carving knife, saying, “This is a robbery.”
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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 had been quite a while since I had heard of facial robberies. The facial currency system started when I was a cadet in the police, many moons ago. Not long after, the first facial theft happened. The scenes were what you could expect, horrific. The psychopaths who did this were no plastic surgeons. \nIn the couple of months when these crimes happened I had the displeasure of questioning a young girl whose mother had had her face carved out in her own apartment infront of her. For 2 weeks we tried to get something out of her, a smile, a nod, anything. Not even trying to help the case, but using it as an excuse to check up on her. Never a word. Never a nod. Not even a gaze. The only thing she did was draw her faceless mother. \nThat poor child was as affected as her mother, who hung herself shortly after. \n\nAnd all that for what? Not one of those crimes ever landed a cent. As if you could trick the system using a carved out face. Only the most broken souls ever tried it, and they were obviously not the brightest. \nAfter the first two months there had not been another face theft. It became public knowledge that it simply doesn't work. 8 years since I had had the horror to hear about them and now this two fools want have a try at it? \n\\-Listen man- I say in a calming voice putting my hands up -face theft doesn't work okay? Everyone knows you can't trick the system like this. I'll give you what I have on me. \n\\-Take the knife- the hoodied one with the gun says with a crackling voice. \nI can't quite get what they want out of this exchange. The guy handing me the knife is clearly unstable, the kind of crackhead I would expect to try something so horrific and stupid, but the one with the gun doesn't seem to be drugged. \n\n \n\\-Okay, okay- I take the knife and lift it over my head with my right hand. \n\n \n\\-Now, you know what to do- says the gunman. \nI just stare at the green eyes, the only visible part of the face.\n\n \n\\-Start below your left ear-the hoodied one said with a shaky voice. He was an older fella, maybe fifty rough years. They are both very skinny and look frail.\n\n\\-If you don't do it, I will, and I will start by your eyes- the gunman says. I can feel the excitement in the voice, the fucker must be smiling.\n\nThere is no intention of getting money out of this. Just two maniacs who get off by torturing people., what a lucky day for me. But their eagerness will be their undoing. \n\nI put the knife to my forehead and make a small cut. \n\n\\-I... I can't...- I say with the most nervous and tormented voice I can do. I'm by no means at ease, but them thinking I'm a bit more hysterical than I really am will surely make things easier. \n\nI put extend my arm towards the gunman, with the knife on my hand. My body posture of total surrender, face down and crouched down. \n\n\\-Take it- the gunman hands it to the older man and walks over to me. \n\nJust as he is about to grab the knife from my hand I lunge forward and stab right below the neck. Grab the bleeding body uselessly trying to fight back and push towards the other man, trying to hide behind the body. \n\nI expet to get some shots fired at me, but the only sound I hear is a plead. \n\n\\-Put her down- the man shouts and throws the gund to the ground -Please, leave her. She doesn't know what she is doing. \n\nNot the time to talk. \n\nI throw the blooding, now I realize, girl to the ground and pounce over the guy. With no resistance I put him on the ground. \n\n\\-Please- he says with the face on the pavement- help her. Call an ambulance- he pleads- My poor baby girl. \n\nI turn to look at her, still my knee on the guys back. She is face up holding her bleeding neck. The mouth spilling blood from both sides. \n\n It's that girl. \n\nBut what if I was weaker? What if I had donde it myself? \n\nI pick up the father and put him against the wall, facing me. \n\n\\-It's for the best- I say as the knife goes in right to his liver. \n\n\\-Please sir- he say's with some blood coming out of his mouth -. Save her. \n\n\\-No."
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[WP] "Wait, how did this happen?" Asked your past self, to which your future self replied "Well, we helped a wizard who gave me the chance to improve our lives by changing our past, but a demon interfered with the spell so here we are." "You didn't mention the demon before." Noted your present self.
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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.*",
"\"Look, I'm figuring it out as we go, so if you want to blame anyone, blame yourself for not paying enough attention.\" Said my Future self to...me. current me. This is going to get really confusing, really fast, I thought to myself, just as another me entered the room. \n \n\"Alright, when are you from?\" I asked, dreading the answer. The new one pointed to my future self. \"His future. Turns out, he was lying because he was possesed by a time-demon. The one who interfered with the wizard originally, actually.\" He spun towards his past, and my future, self. \"What you do ends up killing a lot of people, you dick.\" \n \n\"Don't you mean what we do? 'cause demon or not, you're still me.\" That seems to confuse the further-future-self, which isn't helped by the arrival of yet another one, this time in full body cover and what looks like a welder's mask. \n \n\"Greetings! I'm from the future!\". \n\"Congrats, join the club. Also, why are you wearing a welder's mask?\" I ask him him, again realising that staying in bed this morning would've been the better option. \n\"The future is bright!\" Welder-self declared, somehow without giggling. \"Nice.\" Was the immediate response of everyone else. \"That wasn't a joke. Because of the interference of the time demon, the sun has magnified to an immense degree, forcing humanity underground. I'm here to stop you from making the mistake that will cause this tragedy through a series of well intentioned but misguided action!\". \nMy further-future-but-not-quite -as-far self responded with\"Get in line, I'm dealing with this. Listen\" that was finally addressed to my current and past self. \"You want to avoid this then you mustn't break the most important rule of time travel- never talk to your past self.\". \n \nThe silence after that was deafening. \n \n\"Welp, I'm going to beat a wizard into never ever giving any version of me time travel abilities.\" I said, being entirely done with this mess. \"Yes, yeah, probably for the best.\" Every version, including the one possessed by a time demon agreed. \"See you later.\" I said to all of them reflexively. \n \nThe response was remarkably unanimous. \"Don't you dare!\""
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[WP] After a long day at work, you come home to find yourself on the floor, beaten, broken, and dying. Your mirror image looks up. "Crap," they say, "it worked."
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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🛒 [Shop](https://www.teepublic.com/stores/shoprwritingprompts?ref_id=24612) \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 see why you dropped Spanish,” Violet groans, dragging a hand through her hair. “It sucks. So, so much.”\n\n“D’you have Miss…?”\n\n“Harker? No. Worse.”\n\n“Oh, the new… the ‘new bitch’, if I recall correctly?”\n\n“Shut it, Ari!”\n\nI’ve just left Westwood this June, and today’s been Vi’s first day of GCSE Spanish, apparently. \n\nAs for college? Well, I’m… hardly thrilled about the bus journey, but it’s not quite as bad as I was expecting.\n\nJust exhausting.\n\nHonestly, the thing about people is that they want to ask you questions. Especially me, because I swear I was asked whether I was a boy or girl by everyone in my Psychology class.\n\nSeriously.\n\n“Where’s the spare key?” Mum and Dad have yet to find time to get a key for me, which makes this so much more difficult. “Flowerpot again?”\n\n“Bush,” Violet mutters, already on her knees and sticking her hand underneath it. It’s an awful hiding place, since it’s insanely obvious, but apparently Mum and Dad don’t care about the possibility of getting robbed. “Got it!”\n\nShe unlocks the door easily, and tosses the key at me without looking. I don’t catch it — why did she expect me to? — and am forced to work out where in the grass it’s landed before following her inside.\n\nI swear, she’s way too good at making me look like an idiot.\n\nSafely inside, I take the time to pick up what seems to be half of Violet’s stuff (blazer, tie, bag, coat… everything, apparently, including her left shoe. And only the left one) and drop most of it onto the couch. The coat, however, gets hung up in the way it’s meant to be. \n\nSometimes I think I’m the only one who actually cares about anything in this family.\n\nUpstairs, the toilet flushes, and a sound almost comparable to a ship’s horn or something echoes through the house. I’m not quite sure if that’s normal.\n\n“The mirror’s smashed,” she comments, waving bloodstained hands in my direction. “Don’t know if I missed any glass. Be careful.”\n\nAnd she disappears in search of the first aid kit, presumably. \n\nPain rips through my body for the briefest of moments, not even time enough to gasp. \n\nInstincts tell me to go upstairs, look at the mirror, work out what’s happened. And it’s probably stupid to ignore that pain, but I do. I follow my own instructions.\n\nI walk into the bathroom, expecting to see blood on the floor or in the sink, a mirror with no glass… not me.\n\nMe, on the floor, shaking and letting out choked sobs, staring at bloody hands and a torn T-shirt. The same one I’m wearing.\n\nAlso more red than it should be.\n\nI guess I must have gasped, because my mirror image turns to look at me, a twisted smile painted onto a bloody face. Thin scratches still oozing the sickeningly red substance matter little, apparently, because they speak.\n\n“Crap,” they say, but they do not sound particularly worried. “It worked.”\n\n“What?”\n\nThey stand, shakily, and I’m pretty sure I understand why I felt that pain. Because they are covered in blood and cuts, and I can almost feel it dripping down my own face as I stare. \n\n“What’s your name?” I ask, eventually. Or maybe it’s immediately. It’s really weird, looking at a you with injuries you don’t have.\n\n“You may call me whatever you like, Ariel,” they shrug. “I have no name.”\n\nWell… I know ‘Ariel’ reversed isn’t impossible to pronounce, but that’s probably a bad thing to suggest.\n\nThere is one key difference between me and my reflection, I can see. Their eyes are like a doll’s — devoid of life.\n\nIt’s kinda disturbing, honestly.\n\n“Uh… Lauri.”\n\nIt’s the name of a character in some story Violet likes, and I wonder why that’s the first name that comes to mind. Maybe because it shares most of its letters with my name. \n\nI don’t know.\n\nBut about this, I know that I understand very little.\n\n“Lauri,” they test, murmuring the name over and over until a softer smile graces bloody lips. “Kinda expected something like Leira, honestly.”\n\n“That’s not… I don’t… isn’t that like saying your whole… your whole being is entirely linked to me?”\n\n“Is it not?”\n\n“Well… I guess…” \n\n“It is, intrinsically. I am your reflection.”\n\nThere’s life in their eyes now, and I’m not sure if I should be nervous about that.\n\n“Thank you.”\n\n“You’re welcome…” There’s still glass in the mirror, and I try to get close enough to see, but Lauri blocks me.\n\nThey glance around to look themselves, and then groan.\n\n“Let’s go. Can you cover all the mirrors in this house?”\n\n“How big are the ones we need to worry about?” I ask.\n\n“Anything big enough to climb through,” is the fairly cryptic response.\n\nOkay, so not makeup palettes.\n\nAs Lauri goes downstairs to give Violet a heart attack, I go to my room and begin digging through my wardrobe. Spare duvet covers, sheets… anything, really. A pillowcase could probably cover the one on\nViolet’s wall…\n\nAnd I grab a blanket off my bed to throw over the door of said wardrobe. \n\nI meant to cover the stupid thing anyway.\n\nBut it’s not meant to be, apparently.\n\nThere is no me in the mirror. I expected this. \n\nThe hand reaching out of it — given the prominent lack of people in the reflection of my room — is unexpected.\n\nAs it gains an iron grip on my wrist, I scream, because that is the only way anyone is going to realise that something is wrong.\n\nAnd then it’s the pain again, falling through something that feels like fire rather than glass, and my world flips around."
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[WP] A person who see's ghosts checks themselves into a mental institution, oblivious to the fact that it has been closed for close to 60 years.
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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.*",
"\"For the last couple of months I have been haunted by my mind. After countless sleepless night's I have decided to check myself in a mental health institution.\"\n\nSaid the only readable part of the letter that had been burned the week before. \n\nI had packed my things and decided to check on the 'Wilson's mental institution' as it was the only one nearby. Took me only thirty minutes to reach the place and when I looked to my right side, trough the window I saw a white bright square building. I opened the door and walked to the receptionist.\n\nThe young man stoped looking at his computer and looked me in the eyes and said calmly:\n\"How can I help you?\"\n\n\"I am looking for a old man about eighty years old. He left this letter so I thought of coming here.\" I said handing him the burned paper.\n\n\"I'm sorry.\" He said. \" We didn't take in anyone over 40 the last few weeks.\"\n\n\"Do you know any other place he could be in?\"\nI asked worryingly.\n\n\"Well there was another mental institution nearby but it closed about 60 years ago. My mother worked there. Rest in peace.\"\n\n\" Can you give me the address?\"\n\n\" 117 Cipriano Street. A old grey and boxy building.\"\n\n\"Thank you.\" I said leaving the receptionist alone in the night.\n\nTwo and a half hours later I reached the building. But something wasn't right. The whole thing was up in flames. I heard agonizing screaming and laughter and panicked.\n\nIt was 6 am when the fireman's had stopped the fire and I had been sat on my car for what feels like days.\n\nDespite the police trying to stop me I ran into the scorched building and entered the dining hall. The scene was perturbing. I saw one plate with melted knifes and forks made from steel. The plate had a burnt rat that was half eaten and a piece of a human finger.\n\nIn another room there was a burnt cadáver and engraved on the wall the words:\n\n\"Soon we will meet again\"\n\nWhat happened here for a week remains a mystery.",
"Hi\n\nHi how can I help you?\n\nI'd like to check myself in please\n\nSure, just fill out this form sir\n\nI look at the form: Name:\n Dob:\n Reason for admittance:\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Signature:\n\nI fill it out and she tells me to step through the door to the right and enjoy my stay.\n\nIt's that easy?\n\nIt's what easy sir? \n\nTo check in here?\n\nWe don't want to make this any more complicated than it is, we appreciate this is a very delicate time for you.\n\nWhy are you speaking in an American accent?\n\nBecause I'm American sir\n\nBut this is Ireland, and we don't call each other sir?\n\nHave you never seen an American in Ireland before? There sure are plenty of Irish in America. Now go on in sir.\n\nWhy did you say \"enjoy my stay, enjoy my stay like I'm going to stay in a five star fucking hotel? This is a hospital isn't it? \n\nYes it is sir and we like to treat our patients like guests, like they would in a hotel, a five star fucking hotel even.\n\nI'm going to leave\n\nYou're not going to leave\n\nAre you going to stop me? \n\nNo... Certainly not... But your mind is already made up, you want answers and you know the door behind you doesn't lead to those answers. \n\nAnd where does that door lead?\n\nWell you will have to find out... won't you?\n\nI look at the red door. I don't like that it's red, red means danger. But it's the only door\n\nIs there another door? \n\nAnother door? \n\nYea, like a blue one? \n\nThis isn't the matrix, there's only one door, that red one\n\nRed means danger. Am I in danger?\n\nYou're only in danger from yourself.\n\nI'm gonna leave\n\nJust go through the door sir, or leave, the door behind you can be the blue door, okay hypothetically, now you have your matrix moment, okay?\n\nI'm gonna choose the red one.\n\nOkay, good choice, enjoy your stay.\n\nI push the red door. There's a bald man with glasses sitting on a big red chair, he's reading some papers but then looks at me... Please... Have a seat....\n\nI sit on the leather chair. It's kinda comfy.\n\nAre you comfortable sir? \n\nYea.... kinda\n\nVery good... We like all our guests to be comfortable, we know this is a difficult time. It says here you are checking in because you are having hallucinations?\n\nI don't know what's real and what's not anymore\n\nAm I real?\n\nI don't know\n\nAm I not speaking to you? can you not see me? \n\nYes but I can see him too\n\nYou can see who.sir?\n\nThe dark man\n\nThe dark man? There's no one else here?\n\nThe dark man is everywhere, he's there when I wake up, when I go to bed, when I'm sleeping\n\nAnd what does this dark man look like?\n\nHe's like a man, but he's really dark, like black\n\nLike a shadow?\n\nYea sorta like a shadow\n\nHe wakes you up... Doesn't he?\n\nHe does yea...\n\nThen what happens?\n\nI can't move, he comes towards me, I can't breathe\n\nThen what?\n\nThen I wake up and turn on the light, I call for my mum but I remember I'm not a child and my mum isn't there\n\nShe's not there?\n\nYea, she's not there anymore....\n\nAnd when was the last time you saw this shadow man?\n\nI told you, I see him now\n\nHe's still behind me? \n\nNo.... He's behind me.... Look in the corner to your right\n\nWhat are you talk....ugh.... What the....w...w....w.....\n\nAre you okay doctor? You look, you look scared\n\nWhat is that?\n\nThat's the shadow man\n\nWhat does he do?\n\nHe just goes around like a shadow like\n\nWhy?\n\nI don't know, to scare people I suppose\n\nTell him to leave\n\nHe doesn't listen to me, he never leaves\n\nThis isn't real\n\nYour fear is real, I bleed and therefore I am and all that right?\n\nGet out and take him with you\n\nI told you, he never leaves\n\nWhy? Why doesn't he leave??\n\nBecause he is fear, fear never leaves, you can't stop fear, you can stop your fear of heights by going up to high places, but you can't stop the fear of the unknown\n\nI'm not afraid\n\nYou're very afraid doctor, I know because I was afraid too\n\nYou said fear never leaves?!\n\nFear never leaves the living\n\nSo you are not real??\n\nI'm as real as your receptionist... I'm as real as that psychology degree on the wall. I'm as real as this hospital you have worked in for 60 years. I'm as real as...oh it's his turn now. Thanks for the chat doctor, I was feeling quite delicate\n\nI can't move, I can see the dark man approaching... . No... Please don't come near me.... No! Mommy.....Mommmmyyyyy helpppppppppp!!!!!!!"
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[WP]You are a demon, kicked out of hell. Thinking, that you torment a local Village, you acually help them.Accidentally you become the hero of the Village you intended to destroy
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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.*",
"Ever heard of a demon being kicked out of Hell for being a troublemaker? Doesn't exactly scream logic. \n\nOooh, screaming... \\*shivers\\*\n\nAnyway, it's a simple matter of what constitutes being a troublemaker in Hell. See, every time I try to do something bad... I end up doing something good. It started when I snuck up to Earth for a bit of fun, thinking I could scare the wits out of these oafs by flashing a bit of fire before their eyes. Of course, not being a high level demon at the time, I had to make the fire, and one of the humans witnessed it. I enjoyed being worshipped as a fire god for a short while before returning to Hell to be scolded for teaching the art of making a fire... which the bastards proceeded to use for keeping warm, heating food, scaring off wild animals and lighting their way during dark hours... \n\nEmbarassing as that was, I thought I might make up for it by teaching humans how to build weapons to kill each other with. Ha! Eat spears humans!\n\nYeah, they used the spears to kill mammoths and other food that could run. At least, that was the part my Dark Lord and Master kept focusing on during my torture. \n\nAfter accidently making a martyr a few thousand years later, my days in Hell were numbered.\n\nSo I ran like a bat out of hell to get away from whatever terrible fate they had in store for me *down there....* And mind you, I wasn't picky about the hell-tunnels I chose. Naturally, with my luck, I ended up in one of the coldest, most desolate places on Earth. \n\nNorway. In the dead of winter.\n\nAnger boiled the frost as it settled on my head, and my split toed feet burned holes in the ice. I marched toward a billow of smoke over the hills where I was sure to find a settlement, bent on carrying out the most merciless bloodbath the human race had ever seen. They were gonna pay for the good things I did to them.\n\nI found the settlers gathered around a cloaked man standing upon an altar, surrounded by baskets of fruit. As they chanted, I waited for them to notice the thawing ice beneath their shoes. The holy manon the altar removed the hood that cloaked him from the snow, looking around as the snowflakes turned to droplets. I was so ready to burn them, but at this point, I noticed he had slices on his wrists. \n\nI licked my lips. Feeling peckish anyway, I figured chowing down on a sacred member of society was a good way of ensuring they all knew exactly what had hit them. I pounced on the man, and began chewing off limbs with a sharklike jaw the size of a watermelon. You think that's graphic, you should see me smile. \n\nI heard howls and screaming but didn't stop to look up. Not till I was done. And then, after a belch that flung a whole pinky toe out of my gut, I noticed the settlers had surrounded me. Hands outstretched they waved their arms from the sky to the ground in rapturous bows. The howls I had heard were cheers. And if I understood them correctly, they were praising the arrival of their god. \n\n\"Our prayers are answered! All Hail the Mighty Odin!\"\n\nI sighed, and shook my head. \n\nGod *Damnit.*",
"Salazar spat sulfurous oaths as he trudged through the forest. What a damp, cold place. How did humans, pathetic wretches that they were, manage to survive here?\n\nThe trees thinned out at last, and wooden huts loomed ahead. Salazar quickened his steps. This was a chance to torment some humans and prove to the bastards who had exiled him that he had what it took to be a demon.\n\nA few dozen villagers gathered in a muddy square between the huts, and a bear-like man holding a wooden mace was talking loudly. Salazar draped his shadow over himself like a cloak and sneaked closer. Kill the leader, and the rest of these wretches ought to fall in line.\n\nHe sneaked up to the man and snapped his neck, cutting off his tirade. The villagers gasped as he emerged from the shadows.\n\n\"Kneel before me,\" he ordered, \"or the same fate awaits you.\"\n\nMost villagers just gaped, while four or five roared and attacked him. Rolling his eyes, Salazar side-stepped an ungainly lunge and broke the attacker's knee with a well-aimed kick.\n\nA man on the sidelines drew a rusty dagger, caught up with an attacker, and sank the blade between his ribs. Salazar nodded approvingly as he bashed another over the head; it must've been the man's fear that made him do such a thing.\n\nIn short order, the attackers were subdued or dead, and the rest fell to their knees into the mud. Salazar's lips curved up. Now he could—\n\n\"Praise be,\" a grizzled man cried, looking up at him. \"Thank you for saving us from the bandits, my lord. Pray tell, what is your name?\"\n\n\"Salazar,\" he muttered, eyeing the fallen in alarm. Their ragged clothes and grimy faces looked no different from the others'. Had he... done a good deed? The very thought made him shudder.\n\n\"Lord Salazar,\" the man said, rising to his feet. \"I'm the elder of this humble village. Please stay with us tonight; we'll throw you a feast.\"\n\nSalazar was about to scoff but held his tongue. This was a fine development. He could ingratiate himself with these people and make them trust him, which would make his eventual betrayal all the more horrible.\n\nBesides, his legs ached and his shoes were damp.\n\n\"Don't overexert yourselves on my regard,\" Salazar said, eyeing the shabby huts with contempt.\n\n\"Worry not, my lord,\" the elder assured. \"Our harvests were good, and the king's taxmen have been waylaid by bandits so often they hardly come about anymore. Come, please.\"\n\nEven his contempt seemed to have been misinterpreted as concern. Perhaps he was a no-good demon after all. Pushing away the thought, Salazar followed the elder.\n\n***\n\nDuring the feast he ate and drank ravenously, yet never mind being upset, the villagers only cheered him on and praised his good appetite. He guzzled so much of the admittedly delicious mead that he swayed when the elder led him to a room upstairs.\n\nWell past midnight, someone knocked on his door. Salazar jumped to his feet before realizing no inquisitor would be so polite. The elder's daughter crept inside dressed in a nightgown, her face glowing crimson in the moonlight.\n\n\"What do you want?\" he demanded.\n\n\"M-Master Salazar,\" she stammered, clutching the front of her nightgown. \"I've come to keep you company.\"\n\nHe looked her over speculatively. She was comely as far as humans went, lacking in horns and hoofs as they were. \"Did the elder send you against your will?\" he asked hopefully. \"Do you hope to ensnare me with your feminine wiles so I would do your bidding?\"\n\n\"That is not so!\" she cried, meeting his eyes. \"I simply wish to be with you, my lord. I've never seen a man so strong and handsome.\"\n\nSalazar's lip curled in disgust. Pure, innocent love. \"It wouldn't be proper,\" he declared, and taking the wench by the shoulders, he ushered her out of the room. \n\n***\n\nThe next morning found Salazar at the elder's table, scratching his flank irritably. The linens had likely been lousy. \"I need a bath.\"\n\n\"Of course, my lord.\" The elder turned to his daughter, who had been stealing blushing glances at Salazar. \"Scrub out the big barrel; I'll heat some water.\"\n\nSalazar sighed. \"Have you any soap?\" he asked without much hope.\n\n\"Afraid not, my lord. The peddler hasn't been by in months.\"\n\n\"It's not difficult to make,\" Salazar said grumpily. \"You just need fat and wood ash.\"\n\nThe elder looked at him with awe. \"If you could show us, we would be grateful.\"\n\nSalazar frowned but nodded. \"And you should build a public bath. It is more efficient for all of your kind to bathe after work, and it would curb the spread of parasites.\"\n\nThe elder fidgeted. \"The church says bathing together tempts sin...\"\n\nSalazar perked up. \"Yet it is a sin to waste, is it not? Think how much fuel and water you would save.\"\n\nThe elder nodded slowly. \"You're very wise, my lord. Could you direct us in its building?\"\n\nSalazar nodded reluctantly. If he was to get any comfort around here, he would have to take matters into his own hands.\n\n***\n\nThe village flourished under his guidance. New inhabitants arrived constantly, attracted by the rumors of its prosperity, and Salazar welcomed them as more souls to corrupt.\n\nTo no one's surprise but his, the elder offered him to marry his daughter, and Salazar eventually accepted. It was just a sham to cement his position of authority, he told himself with vague discomfort. Soon, very soon, he would reveal his true nature and throw the villagers into despair.\n\n They feasted and danced in his new home, the grandest in the village.\n\n\"I love you, Sal,\" his bride said, beaming in his arms.\n\n\"I... love you too,\" he lied. Perhaps he would wait just a little longer. A decade or two meant nothing to a being such as him."
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[WP] The Hero shows up on your doorstep. Confused, you ask why they are here to see you. As it turns out, you hired them weeks ago, before they became famous- But they never did the job. After all this time, they are looking to finish off some "side quests" they've been neglecting.
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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.*",
"“What do you mean ‘side’ quests?” \n\nThe strangely dressed warrior looked at her impatiently, hands knuckled over the counter as he leaned past the guild reception sign. Laila leaned back in her seat, displeased but determined to keep her customer service smile pasted on her face. She straightened the high collar of her guild uniform and adjusted her round glasses, mentally steeling herself. \n\n“Exactly! I’m here to finish my side quest, the one issued by this beginner town?” the warrior looked quite a lot worse for wear since the last time she saw him- dressed in a hodge podge mixture of armour and the strange fabric material tunic he’d been wearing previously. \n\n“Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, frantically flipping through the commission folder by her desk, “That sewer rat extermination quest you left hanging was already given out to another rookie class adventurer to complete since you exceeded the duration-“ \n\n“Come on! I’m a gold-class adventurer now,” the warrior glowered at her, “Do you think with your low level you can be unreasonable with me, reception girl? You’re all just NPCs, you little-“ \n\n“Ahem, perhaps I can be of assistance?” \n\nLaila sat back in relief as help finally arrived. It was the Guidmaster, Gudarian. As an elf, it was hard to tell his age. He was tall and silver-haired, dressed in a collared robe. As he strode towards the strange warrior, he smiled genially as if he were meeting an old friend. \n\n“The sewer rat quest has been moved to the silver class quest list,” Gudarian said silkily, “I’m afraid a chain quest has been triggered and because of a serious development in the difficulty of the quest, the reward has been raised by five hundred gold. Do you dare take on the challenge, brave warrior?” \n\nThe warrior turned excitedly to face the Guildmaster. Left completely forgotten, Laila shot Gudarian a strange look. He was talking in a rather odd way after all and she couldn’t help but wonder if some kind of contagious psychosis was spreading in the guild hall. \n\n“Chain quest?” the warrior exclaimed, “Where do I need to go?” he asked rudely. \n\nGudarian smiled pleasantly, “The key to the sewer’s second level dungeon has been lost to time but rumours have recently surfaced that it might be found in the Evernight forest.” \n\n“I don’t know…that’s a really high level area,” the warrior hesitated.\n\n“Indeed, which is why the guild is issuing a one time spell enchanted scroll to anyone who might dare to take on this quest,” Gudarian said with a straight face. The elf pulled an ordinary looking piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it over to the warrior, “We look forward to hearing of your success, great warrior.” \n\n“Alright!” the warrior eagerly charged out of the guild hall. \n\nLaila looked at Gudarian, “Guildmaster, wasn’t that a receipt from the Iron dwarf kingdom?” \n\n“Yes,” Gudarian nodded, “I ordered a new batch of swords for our rookie adventurers yesterday.” \n\n“So there’s nothing magical about that receipt?” Laila continued, “You didn’t do some kind of elf mumbo jumbo to it?” \n\nGudarian stared at her strangely, “No, it’s a perfectly ordinary receipt.” \n\nLaila felt a headache building behind her temple. She resisted the urge to shout, “So you sent that warrior off to Evernight forest with a piece of paper? You know, that forest which is inhabited by cursed wraiths and dark beasts? The one that even high level warriors dare not enter?” \n\nGudarian smiled, “Yes.” The Guildmaster approached her desk and said, “Laila, you see, that wasn’t an ordinary adventurer. You’re still new on the job and I hadn’t expected you would run into one of those types but you must remember- those adventurers that talk about ‘side quests’ or ‘dungeon instances’?” the Guildmaster’s expression hardened, “Those things are not human.” \n\nLaila felt a chill run down her spine at the cold expression on the usually jovial elf’s face, “N-not human?” \n\n“Yes, they look human and even sound like humans, but they are not humans,” Gudarian nodded briskly, “Those things are perfectly capable of slaughtering everyone in the guildhall if they feel like it. We have had such incidences in the past in fact. Therefore,” his tone became heavier, “Therefore, Laila, we must always lead them to their deaths before they grow too strong.” \n\nLaila swallowed dryly. The Guildmaster didn’t seem to be joking. She asked, “What are they? Demons?” \n\n“It’s possible,” Gudarian nodded, “Even I who has lived longer than most has no idea where they came from or why they like to pretend to be human adventurers. But you mustn’t forget they don’t have morals like civilized beings do.” \n\nLaila bit her lip, “W-What if that warrior comes back then? What if he somehow escaped the Evernight Forest and comes back here?” \n\nGudarian patted her on the shoulder, “Well, trickery is usually the first resort for the guild but then there’s the second method to deal with these inhuman strangers too.” \n\n“What’s that, Guildmaster?” Laila asked hopefully. \n\nGudarian smiled warmly, “Violence, of course. You have nothing to worry about Laila. I’m not the Guildmaster for nothing. You just be the excellent guild receptionist that you are and leave the rest to us higher ups to deal with.”"
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[WP] You wake in darkness unsure of how you got there. Soon you wish for anything other than the abyss. Just as you think it, something forms in the void and it fascinates you. You call it light, and wish for more. You wish to yourself “let there be light.”
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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.*",
"Deep, deep darkness, and he couldn’t see anything. \n\nThere was a period of time missing from his memories. The last thing he remembered was those treacherous elders dragging him up to the ritual circle on the day he was supposed to ascend as the head of the clan and then… \n\nPerhaps he was dead. He hadn’t recognized most of the symbols carved on the floor but the ones that he could had been related to the concept of sacrifice and atonement. Perhaps this was what the Sanzu river looked like and his soul was simply waiting to be washed and purified of all memories, recycled into the everlasting wheel of mandala. \n\nHe waited. There was no concept of time in this place and he waited and waited desperately for someone, anyone. He’d realised ever since the day his father had passed away that nobody in the clan cared for him but he’d never thought that they would abandon him like this. Maybe he’d been wishing that they’d simply kick him out on the streets instead of pushing him into this endless abyss. \n\n“Please, if anyone’s there…” he murmured, unable to even hear his own voice in the oppressive dark, “Anyone…I don’t care if you’re a kami or a yokai…anyone, please…” \n\nIn the darkness, something appeared. A faint point of light that drew closer, wiggling and squirming. \n\nWhatever was left of him at this point seemed to turn in its direction, drifting closer in this place with no sense of direction. \n\nIt was a snake. A long white snake that sometimes looked small and cute and sometimes seemed as large as the tallest mountains. It was neither near nor far but it was there and somehow, he sensed that it was drawing closer. \n\nAt some point, it felt that they were so close they were one being and at that point, the darkness fell away in layers. As if reality was a cocoon being peeled back layer by layer to reveal something new and unforeseen inside. \n\nThe light of day looked strange to him after so long in the dark. He took a hesitant step forward and found that he had feet. He raised his arms and discovered that he had hands. \n\nHe was still standing on the sacrificial altar. The elders looked back at him, horrified, as if it had only been mere seconds ago since they’d sacrificed him. \n\nHe opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come. He realized that he wasn’t sure what to say to them. He hated them though, that was for certain, even though their actions had left him feeling more calm and powerful than he’d ever felt in his life. \n\nSo he smiled instead. These bad adults didn’t seem so powerful anymore. Their snide words would never hurt him again. They couldn’t lock him up and starve him again and he would never, ever allow them to sacrifice him again. \n\nHis body flickered, his other form showing up as a vast, mountainous snake. Coils of white scaled muscle slammed into the walls as he made his escape. \n\nThe head of the elders fell to his knees, “Spare us- w-we didn’t mean to offend you, great Orochi!” \n\nSerpentine eyes the size of dinner plates turned to face the man. He could’ve turned around and eaten the head elder in one gulp if he’d really wanted to. But in the end, he simply turned and slithered away towards the distant, green mountains. \n\nHe was free at last. The sunlight was warm on his scales and the sky was bright and open. He was never coming back to the clan compound again."
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[WP]While you're dying, The Grim Reaper approaches you. However, he refuses to take you with him. "What's in it for me?" He asks.
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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.*",
"\"I'm a busy man. I expect to be well compensated for my time.\"\n\nDeath casted his looming shadow over his subject and reached forward his bony claw anticipating a reward. Instead he was met with a blood-chilling shreak.\n\n\"I'm sorry, but that's just how it is. The law of supply and demand, you know. It's not like it's slim pickings these days. What would you pay for a death?\"\n\nThe crying continued.\n\n\"Wait. Are you afraid of me? Why? There's no need to be. My service can be very valuable to some. A great relief, in fact.\"\n\nDeath sat down and stared at the floor. A heavy sigh left his mouth. Crying stopped.\n\n\"You know what? I'm actually scared myself. Terrified. Of what the next case brings. You have such a nice death. Beautiful, to say the least. You should be happy. Most deaths can get pretty gruesome. And the price increases the more desperate you are.\"\n\nThere was a moment of silence. Then the tight grip holding a teddy bear loosened. Death stood up and picked the bear up.\n\n\"Such a priceless artifact. This will do just fine\" Death smiled and put the bear on his cape. \"Don't worry, I'll keep her safe. And I'm sure she'll keep me safe as well.\"\n\n\"Shall we go?\"\n\nDeath reached his hand again, and was met with another shriek.\n\n\"I'm sorry. I'm a bit rusty. It's just been a long time since I've serviced one of your kind. I forgot you can't yet walk.\"\n\nDeath bent over and reached into the crib, raising the child on his arms.\n\n\"Now, let's go see mommy.\"",
"\"Thats not how this is supposed to work tho, whats in it for you? My soul of course\"\n\nDeath stared at the young irish lad in front of him. His pale, freckled, skin marred by crimson. Through cracked dry lips the young boy tried to speak, coughing, as blood ran off into the mud. \n\n\"I.. I havn't much in the way of money, nor skill, nor strength. So i'm afraid nothing is in it for you except lost time. Hahaha\"\n\nDeath's intense stare gave way to relaxed pity. \"Lost time...\" as a construct of humanity Death was not one much for Time. \n\nAs the young boy lay his head down on the soft grass, his eyes turned skyward. The sun was setting, casting a beautiful pink overlay across the hills. The winds gently rustling the fields of green relaxed the two until slowly, but surely, there was a pause. A stillness hung in the air. No birds signing, no grass growing, no wind blowing. The boy looked to Death again.\n\n\"So, this is it then? This is what awaits me?\"\n\n\"Its what awaits all of the gifts my wife makes for me.\"\n\n\"Wait... death has.. a wife? How can the harbinger of doom, destruction, have love?\"\n\n\"Because my child, you like many others are Life's greatest creations, constantly testing the limits of yourselves while pushing your countryman to outdo themselves. And Life, oh my sweet beautiful Life, curated each and every individual atom in the universe as a gift for myself. And i have sworn unto her that all of her gifts shall be safe and cared for when her embrace can no longer state the same.\"\n\n\"And as such, you are my charge, you are a gift unto me from my love, a child of the singular greatest force in the universe. For wherever there is doubt, anguish, and hate, death shall be there to recover the lost children of confidence, ecstatics, and love.\"\n\nThe boy listened intently. Hanging on each word. When at last the boy drew his final breathe, only few words escaped his lips.\n\n\" then i guess the real question is... whats in it for me?\""
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[WP] The worst part about hiveminds is they only ever buy one copy of whatever entertainment you are selling. Today, you unveil a product designed to fix that.
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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.*",
"The Dovecote's four representatives sat in front of me, patiently waiting for my presentation to begin. I'm not sure why they sent more than one, honestly - for appearances? - but, somehow, I felt more comfortable speaking to a small group instead of a single Dove member. They'd done that once, sent only one person to discuss a purchase, and I remember my anxiety spiking every time I remembered that the guy was basically a human microphone, broadcasting my ideas to millions of other Hivers.\n\nI opened my mouth to speak, but noticed that the four representatives were staring at one another silently. *Are they talking to one another?* I awkwardly shuffle some papers, glancing around. We were in a small, glass conference room. One wall was exterior, showing off the sunny lake below, while the other three just looked into other offices or hallways. When my gaze falls back to them, they're all watching me. One brunette woman has her head cocked to the side.\n\n\"We're ready,\" says a blonde man. \n\n*Oh, thank god,* I think. *They've stopped doing that creepy 'speak in unison' thing.* I didn't mind the various hivemind communities, usually, but quite a few had the bad habit of all speaking together. Once, a few years ago, I was sitting on a bench waiting for my train. Suddenly, seventeen people around me looked up at the overcast sky. \"Looks like rain,\" they all said, in unison, their voices surrounding me, before going back to staring blankly into space. \n\nI'm not sure what they do in there, when they're looking at nothing. Maybe they leave one lonely guy watching TV at home and they can all tune in together? My curiosity is the only reason I'd ever somewhat considered joining a Hive, but it didn't seem worth losing everything else. They said that it was freeing, having no secrets from one another, being completely open with thousands of others - finally having the opportunity to really, truly be yourself - but on the other hand, every Hive member I knew acted in the exact same, robotic way. They promised freedom of expression and a welcoming community, but in practice, it seemed those benefits came at the cost of any sort of personality that you would *want* to express.\n\n\"You say you have a life-changing product for us,\" says the brunette. \"I'm curious about what it could possibly be.\"\n\nThis idea really banked on them sometimes wanting the opposite of what a Hive provided for them.\n\nI take a deep breath. \"Well, you won't believe this,\" I reply, grinning at the four of them. \"It's a simple device. And it provides solitude.\"",
"The idea really came to me when i was on a road trip, visiting family in Tennessee and Kentucky. I'd been talking to uncle Frank, hanging out with him in the barn when i saw it. A solution so beautiful, yet so wonderfully simple. It was obvious. Hell, half the people on earth had probably stumbled on the solution at least once in their life.\n\nI stood in front of my boss now, a grin on my face large enough that he probably thought i was crazy. \"Think about it. You know it'll work. All those late nights in college? All the times you woke up next to someone new after going out for the night? Hell, half the weekends after your divorce...\" i stalled off after that last point when i saw the look on his face. \"Point is, they're all gone, aren't they? Not a single memory. And of all of the stuff out there, there's nothing better than this.\"\n\nHe gave a sigh, and looked at the mason jar sitting on his desk. He picked it up, humoring me, and unscrewed the lid to take a sniff. His eyes bulged and he started coughing. My grin grew so wide it started to hurt. \"Christ!\" He muttered. \"Is this moonshine?\""
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[WP] Turns out the devil wasn't actually the bad guy or a demon, Lucifer was a normal human who discovered the truth many thousands of years ago. He's been trying to warn us, "The worst thing that could happen to a human being is going to heaven".
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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.*",
"# Eternal Rewards\n\nThe Devil casually tipped an iced coffee towards the bemused priest. \"It's your end.\"\n\n\"Say again, my son?\" Hank looked the part-- young, earnest, brown hair neatly parted and muddy eyes correctly sympathetic. That he wore a patterned sweater vest and slacks instead of traditional robes didn't matter; it was the white clerical collar that carried the Church's weight. People liked talking to the new priest and his practiced air of concerned appeal.\n\nThe Devil, in contrast, dressed like he was on the far edge of homelessness: Thrift store jeans with holes, an out of season heavy sweater, oversized boots with fur trimmings and rotten leather laces. Junk clothing, basically. Dumpster specials, bargain bin material with all the stains. It was a jarring reverse from the porcelain skin, immaculate beard line and feathered blonde bangs. Like someone tried to disguise a perfect mannequin with trash.\n\nHank caught himself staring. Again. \"I apologize. What were you saying?\"\n\n\"Heaven, Hank. It's the greatest trick ever peddled to humans.\" He took an elegant drink, one dirty sleeve riding up to expose flawless skin. \"I wanted to make sure you knew what you were selling, now that you've made it to the clergy.\"\n\n\"Ah. And forgive me, but you believe you're... the Devil?\" This came up sometimes in seminary. There were classes on how to handle the mentally ill (or those who just liked arguing with the faithful).\n\n\"You can call me Iblis, if you like.\"\n\n\"Do you come to cafés often, Iblis?\"\n\n\"'Go where they listen, seek those gather'd to question',\" Iblis indicated the open-air café and the bright-eyed students perched on every table. \"In ancient times they served tea, or wine. The years go by and now we have roasted beans and sugars. The people are what matter, Mr. Albeary, not the place.\"\n\n\"Fair enough,\" Hank admitted. Then paused as a cold worry threaded through his chest. \"I'm sorry, how do you know my name?\"\n\n\"Wouldn't the Devil know everyone?\" Perfect teeth flashed briefly, a smile there and gone again like a knife in the dark.\n\nHank shifted mental gears, ready to write this curiously groomed vagrant off with a pleasant farewell. There were schedules to keep, meetings to attend, prayers to lead. God only granted so many hours in the day and energy-- even coffee-assisted-- only pushed productivity a little higher. Being fruitful meant prioritizing, after all. One must mind the flock before chasing the strays.\n\nBut... still. \"Say I humor you on this, Mr. Iblis.\"\n\n\"Say you do?\"\n\n\"Is there something you could provide to convince me?\"\n\nA corporate-themed cup met stained tabletop with a decisive *clack*. \"Are you asking for the *Temptations*, Hank? How very New Testament! Sadly I am all out of kingdoms to give; that's not quite in style right now. Although you haven't been fasting for forty days so we could call that a draw.\"\n\nThe priest nodded reassuringly. \"It's alright if you can't, my son. I'll still listen for a while if you need to talk.\"\n\nPerfect features winced. \"Ah, stung right in the pride. And without malice, too. A nice touch.\" He seemed thoughtful for a few seconds, eyes flicking around the hustle and bustle of a busy courtyard. A frown like clouds over the sun crossed his features twice, then settled. \"Bah, the internet. My greatest abilities reduced to a social media search.\"\n\n\"Pardon?\"\n\n\"Your sins, Father Albeary. I could list them. By name and by number, without end. In the past that would work on anyone, but now? You'd just assume I had your passwords and emails. Gah, what a problem. So now, to my distaste, I must resort to cheap theatrics: Are you done with that drink?\"\n\nHe looked down, momentarily thrown by the change of topic. \"I could be, I suppose?\"\n\n\"Excellent.\" A filthy sleeve waved over the table, manicured nails wiggling in dramatic motions. \"It's now blood.\"\n\nHank eyeballed the smug figure, then dipped the corner of a paper napkin into his coffee. It came up stained dark red with large clots of something nasty caught in the fibers. He considered this for a long moment before folding it twice, capturing the stain on the inside. \"A neat trick. Did you put something in it while I was distracted?\"\n\n\"Transubstantiation isn't reserved for the Most High.\" Then, with in a long-suffering voice: \"It's *not* a trick.\"\n\n\"Alright. Say I believe you.\" He could humor this for a few minutes.\n\n\"Finally.\"\n\n\"What were you saying about Heaven?\"\n\n\"It's the end. You, by which I mean all souls who believe, go there and cease.\" Iblis made silent explosion gestures with both hands, elegant fingers opening and closing. \"Poof, gone. Like rainbows or orgasms.\"\n\nHank chose to gloss over that last bit. \"To make sure I understand, you believe Heaven is a lie?\"\n\n\"A lie? No. Of course not. It's the greatest truth there ever was,\" Iblis casually reclined, one filthy elbow perched on the chair arm. \"That's the worst part-- nobody is lying, at all. It makes you all so *earnest* when converting each other. Nearly every religion has a 'perfect place' you trade a lifetime of suffering to achieve. Then you stay there, forever.\"\n\n\"And that is... bad?\"\n\n\"*Yes*.\" Iblis' expectant look slowly changed into an air of disappointment. \"Oh, come on. Do I need to walk you through it?\"\n\nHank shrugged. \"Forgive me, but you must admit it is hard to see a downside to Paradise. Incidentally, should I get another coffee? Is this one ruined permanently?\"\n\n\"Yes, it's ruined. If I could fix things the world would have been solved thousands of years ago.\" He half-stood, waving to the barista until she glanced over and gave them a nod. \"There, all corrected now. But, again: *Heaven*. An eternal paradise of bliss where souls enter and never come back from. You don't see the problem?\"\n\n\"No?\"\n\n\"Let me rephrase. Do you like coffee, Father?\"\n\n\"Normally, yes.\" He pointedly nudged the cup of clotted, filthy blood.\n\nIblis ignored that with an air of long practice. \"Would you like to drink nothing but coffee *forever*, eternally, without end?\"\n\nHe wasn't stupid and that was an easy point to grasp. \"So you're saying Heaven is perfect, but unchanging?\"\n\n\"And you can *never leave* or experience anything else. That last is the important part.\"\n\nHank felt both relieved and a little disappointed. This was actually a topic they taught in seminary, a thought experiment with a lot of known paths. \"Setting aside the idea that something that is by definition perfect could be somehow flawed, what are you saying the alternative is? Hell?\"\n\n\"A place that only exists to torture and torment?\" Iblis pointedly looked around, plucked eyebrows arched in a conspiratorial way. \"Why make a *second* one?\"\n\n\"So this is Hell?\"\n\n\"No, this is life. It's good and bad, wonderful and sad. And that's what I try to pass along to every clergy I can. Well, at least the more open-minded ones. Ah, thank you,\" he paused as the barista arrived with another drink, depositing it on the table in front of Hank. \"Much appreciated. Don't go home, Janice; he found your Instagram.\"\n\nHank watched as she hurried away with a scared look. \"What was that?\"\n\n\"Nothing important.\" Iblis waved it off. \"Back to the topic. I want you to stop selling people on the idea of Heaven.\"\n\n\"You want me to stop preaching the Word of God?\"\n\n\"What? No. Of course not. All of it boils down to 'Be good to each other', anyways. I never had a problem with that, despite all the slander. But what I want-- what *you* should want-- is to stop telling people their goal is getting into Heaven.\"\n\n\"Because...?\"\n\n\"Because they never come back.\" Iblis drilled a finger into the table, emphasizing each point. \"They're stuck.\" *Thump*. \"Forever, eternally, never to get another chance at anything new.\" *Thump, thump, thump*. \"They just exist, *pointlessly*, caught in a single instant. Unchanging. Without any possibility of something unexpected.\"\n\n\"I think I see. You believe new experiences are better than being... jailed, even if the prison is Paradise itself?\"\n\n\"Not the best way to put it, but pretty close.\"\n\n\"What do you believe the alternative is?\"\n\n\"Starting again, naturally.\" Iblis said it like a known fact, more solid than bedrock. \"Reject ever stopping in favor of going on forever. New things, new triumphs, new joys and sadness. It's what I did and here I am,\" he motioned around them, then down as his stained clothes and perfect body.\n\n\"That rejects God's plan, you know.\"\n\nIblis rolled his eyes so slowly it looked like a stroke symptom. \"Ah, that old chestnut of logic. Nothing happens unless God wills it, but somehow people can make choices that go *against* God's will.\"\n\n\"We all make mistakes and learn from-\" Hank broke off, suddenly aware of the verbal trap. \"Ah, but you're going to say 'except in Heaven'. Where you believe nothing new happens.\"\n\nAn elegant finger pointed at the priest, thumb extended in a pistol shape. Iblis mimed pulling the trigger. \"Bingo. You're faster than most, Hank. I usually have to point out the inconsistency four or five times before they get it.\"\n\nBells rang across the courtyard, tolling the hour and bringing in the faithful. Hank rose by force of habit, looking down at the reclined Iblis. \"It was an interesting discussion, my son.\"\n\nAnother graceful tip of a coffee cup. \"You'll think on what I said?\"\n\n\"That entering Heaven is wrong?\"\n\n\"That people are good for each other.\" For just a moment Iblis looked worn down, exhausted, like someone who pushed the same boulder uphill every day without end. \"And every person who quits deprives us all the pleasure of meeting them. Of *experiencing* someone new.\"\n\nHank nodded once, then turned on a worn-down heel and hurried away. Iblis watched until the younger man disappeared inside the church, then set his empty cup down and sighed.\n\n\"That's the best I can do.\""
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[WP] You are summoned to an alternate universe, but when you get there you take on your father's name to conceal your identity. It isn't until you've gained a wife and son that you realize you've actually gone back in time, not traveled across universes.
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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.*",
"“He looks like you,” Avni said. It didn’t occur to Charan then. All babies looked the same to him. The baby was wrinkly and red, but he was only happy that his son was healthy. He hadn’t noticed the small things in those early days. Charan had marveled over the perfectness of his rounded arms, the stupidly simple beauty of his toothless smiles. He’d been proud to give his son his name.\r\n\nHe chalked up the unnatural similarity to the power of genetics. When his son was three, he heard the wailing of a child from the backyard, and ran outside. His son was sitting on the grass, clutching his knee. Droplets of red stained the lawn around him, and Charan felt the memory wash over him like iced water. \r\n\nHe’d been in that child’s place, screaming for his father and in pain. His father had come, picked him up, bandaged his wounds, and then disappeared. The disappearance had been forever. What had stayed was the V-shaped scar on his left knee. His mother came home to an empty house and a sleeping child. His mother, his wife. \r\n\nHe was reminded of his mother when he saw Avni for the first time. Her name, her personality. He latched onto the familiarity and fell in love with her, thinking Avni was what his mother would’ve been if she hadn’t gotten married to his father. To himself. His son fell asleep after taking a small dose of a liquid painkiller, and Charan placed him onto his bed. \r \nHe knew the child wouldn’t wake for hours. He wouldn’t wake until Avni’s tears were dried on her cheeks and her voice was hoarse from calling their friends, family, and finally the police. \n\n“Papa has to go,” he whispered to the sleeping child.\r\n\nHe paused at the door. The child in front of him would raise himself after he was gone. While other children would think of home as a refuge from the outside world, the kid would find his peace outside. He’d wander the streets of Goa on his bicycle until he stumbled into the past, confusing it with an alternate universe because he’d never been good at school and wrongly remembered the history. \r\n\nIt would repeat again and again, their twisted story turning over itself until something broke. Eventually the child would be broken, the inbreeding resulting something that could not sustain life. But the cycle didn’t have to repeat. He knew what would happen if he left. But if he stayed… \r\n\nIt would be a daily torture, looking at the child that was him, seeing him become the person Charan might’ve become. He might become a bad father, or disappear later on. He would envy the child, but he would be with him. Avni came home from work hours later. Charan waited for her on the verandah of their little house. \r\n\nAvni smiled when she saw him. “Is Junior sleeping?” \r\n\n“Yeah. He fell down today and cut his knee.”\r\n\n“Did he cry a lot?” she asked, sitting on the porch swing next to him.\r\n\n“Less than you’d think,” Charan said. “It looked worse than it really was.” \r\n\n“You’re talking about it like you were the one who got hurt.”\r\n\nCharan smiled. “Also, I was thinking about something. Should we change Junior’s name?” \r\n\n“What, why?”\r\n\nIt wasn’t a lucky name. And with a different name, he might have a different future.\r\n\n“I want him to be his own person, not a mini-me.”\n\n\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\\*\n\n*For more stories by me, check out* r/analect *.*"
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[WP] Your Favorite Book Grants You A Power Based on The Story
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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.*",
"I'm not much of a reader. Not exactly my thing anymore. I don't enjoy Shakespeare, never read Lord of the Rings, YA novels never captured my interest, I somehow dodged the Harry Potter craze, and Narnia never really captured my interest. But this wasn't always the case.\n\nWhen I was a kid, I didn't exactly have much. My foster family never liked me so toys were few, I had no control over the TV, and I wasn't really allowed to go outside all that much. Didn't exactly get to form any friendships outside of school either. This left me with only books as a form of escape. Books like Zac Power, Roald Dahl's classics, guidebooks, movie novelizations- hell, I even enjoyed reading the scholastic catalogue and those toy lists you could find inside Revenge of the Sith action figure packages.\n\nStill, If I had to pick one book series I love most of all, I would choose Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle. I know, I know, it's far from the **best** book series, but this is about favourites, about subjectivity.\n\nI was reading through Brisingr when suddenly the pages started emanating a golden glow. Then I looked up to the bookshelf and saw Eragon, Eldest and Inheritance started glowing their own respective colours and I started hearing things. A slowly growing sizzle matching the growth of Eragon's sapphire shimmering. The mighty rise and fall of great flapping wings as Inheritance glowed and dimmed in its emerald glory. And Eldest had the fastest beat of them all, one that increased in speed as I watched it before I realized I could hear my own heartbeat and that was the tempo it matched as the pages flashed crimson. slowly the intensity of all three increased until I passed out and the last thing I heard was a mighty dragon roar. \n\n\"Maybe I should eat healthier\"\n\nI'm floating in the aether, a helpless rubber duckie in a vast yet comfortable bathtub. it was so grand in scale that everywhere I could see it was nothing but darkness. Then, suddenly, the sound of wings flapping returned, only it sounded...bigger than before. A shadow appeared all of a sudden, somehow making everything **darker** as it flew overhead. A mixture of terror, despair and fear I heard as the Dragon roared and it all came crashing down upon me told me what I needed to know.\n\n\"Shruikan?\"\n\nAs I awaken, it's dark in my room. Not really sure how late it is, but the only light I can find is from the Inheritance Cycle books. I'm feeling hungry, so I decide to get some fast food, noticing on the way that my reflection looks slightly different. Taking a closer look on the bus, I see that there are some changes. First, no acne. Second, no moles on my face. Third, my cheekbones look a little more pronounced and my face looks less round. Fourth, this weird bump on the side of my nose is gone that has been there since I was little. Finally, I take an even closer look and see my eyes have changed. Before they were a dull hazel, but now the four colours of the Inheritance Cycle, bright and sparkling, are dancing across his irises. I finally get to the mall and I order a Doube Down because despite knowing what chest pains I get eating it I am sadly a slave to my vices most of the time. Only I ate it and didn't feel any chest pain. I find that far more shocking than the facial feature changes because I have *always* had those pains eating things that taste that ridiculously greasy. \n\n\"Wait. Did I get powers?\" \n\nI rush to the public toilets ad take a look at myself, then I pall my eyelid off my eyeball to see there's now four separate layers that I can close separately for different effects. The Blue eyelids allowed me to see normally but in the way Dragons can mid-flight. The Green eyelids also let me see with greater precision and detail, acting like CSI camera footage (\"Zoom and Enhance\"). The final layer, the Golden Eyelids, allowed me to see the strangest things of all. Wherever I looked, the things in my vision would have words floating over them. Words in the Ancient Language. Well, I at least *thought* this would be the strangest thing of all, but since I have long hypothesized my reaction to getting powers, I decided to hide in a stall and test out different eyelid combinations. The main eyelid still shuts mye eyes entirely, but seeing with the others allowed me to notice wth the green,blue and gold eyelids on my eyes looked like their base colour and I could actually see inside myself. Finally I saw why I didn't have those chest pains. Inside my chest, where my heart used to be, now rests an Eldunari.\n\n\"I was transformed like Eragon?\"\n\nFrom there I race home, and despite normally taking the bus I was feeling antsy this time and decided to run home, which was a thought that horrified me. To my surprise, I didn't feel it was nearly as difficult as before. My feet were moving so fast I felt like I was flying, which brought to my mind only the ideas that I was either gonna trip over myself or that I'm actually flying, so I had to check my feet. To my relief (and slight disappointment) though, I wasn't. No, I was casually running faster than I ever have in my entire life, and far longer than I have ever run before. Once I was so slow it took me 10 minutes to run a single Kilometer (mostly due to stop-starting but I ~~am~~ **was** notoriously slow regardless), but here I am running nearly eight in five minutes with no signs of exhaustion (even on steep uphills!). I had to slow down just to make sure I didn't raise suspicion but I still ran all the way home."
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[WP] You were told many things about Medusa. That she had snakes for hair, that she could turn you to stone with a single look. What they didn't tell you was that you didn't turn into stone immediately...
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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.*",
"The first thing that struck Petros was her immeasurable beauty. \n\nThe luscious curls of her dark hair poured out from around her smiling face as if blown by the wind. It was only as she moved closer that he realized they truly were writhing, slit-eyed serpents, drawn toward his quaking body.\n\nHer eyes were a shade of green unlike any he had ever seen, almost the color of a plant's new growth. Clear, bright, and bursting with life, they were irresistible. It was only after several seconds that Petros realized he had made eye contact with the creature- shouldn't he be made of stone now?\n\nHe wiggled his toes and glanced down at his hands, surprised to find them as nimble as ever, though glistening with sweat. With a wave of relief he returned his gaze to the woman before him.\n\nShe moved as if floating across the stony earth. Her silky tunic billowed behind her, and before long he caught the scent of flowers in the air- sweet floral notes that reminded him of late summer nights, hot and weighty. \n\n\"What brings you to my garden?\" she asked, her voice sweet and curious. \"I don't get many visitors.\"\n\nSuddenly he realized he was in a garden, filled with manicured hedges, trellises covered in blooming vines, and fruit trees shading the stone brick paths. The forest had transitioned so smoothly into cultivated garden that he hadn't noticed. \n\n\"I . . . came seeking the Gorgon they call Medusa. I heard tales of her trickery and ability to turn man to stone.\" He reached down to the short sword at his waist. \"She must be stopped.\"\n\n\"Ah, yes,\" Medusa replied, smiling once more. She was just a few feet away from Petros now. \"I have heard such tales as well. Well here I am, and there you stand, still flesh and blood. Surely the legends have exaggerated a bit, haven't they?\"\n\nPetros found it difficult to break their eye contact. He had never seen such beautiful eyes, like glittering emeralds. \"I suppose they must have,\" he conceded. \"You do not seem the monster they described. . .\" His eyes darted up to the skinny black snakes atop her head, flicking their tongues curiously. \". . . at least not entirely.\"\n\nShe took a step closer, and the aroma of flowers around him grew stronger. \"So they sent you to defeat me, is that right? What are you waiting for?\" With the last question she took yet another step. She was easily within striking distance now.\n\nHis hand still rested on the handle of his sword, but his grip loosened slightly. The light in her eyes and the floral scent surrounding him seemed to put his mind in a fog. Her smile only drew him in further. She took one more step toward him, and put her hand on his shoulder.\n\nHis hand finally relaxed around his sword handle, falling to his side. Her presence was intoxicating, like the warmth of a bed on a cold winter morning. He found himself drifting in and out of consciousness as her hands pressed against his body. \n\nThe warmth of her breath on his neck distracted him as his feet began to go cold and numb. The numbness trickled gently up his legs as he gazed mesmerized at the knot of snakes just inches from his face. \n\nIn a moment of clarity Petros realized he could not move anything below his neck, and he looked down. His body had been replaced entirely by cold gray stone. \n\nHe began to protest her touch, but Medusa only shushed him and pressed her lips against his. Once more the flowery fog descended on his mind, and this time it grew heavier and heavier until only darkness remained. \n\n​\n\nRead more of my writing at r/benspaperclip!"
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[WP] People are temporarily revived when they still have a job to do. After thousand of years, you're still not sure why you're still alive.
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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.*",
"The seconds tick and fall, sand beneath the crushing weight of the inevitable end, but there is no end for me. Dead friends and their dead children keep me company when my thoughts fail to keep their discipline. The vague echo of reality bounces grey cutting gently through thin sheets of daydreams that have long lost their luster. My hands are moving, dulled by conditioning. A struggle, the breath that comes sharp, to see outside my own mind. Washing a car? No...a window...with sky and wind. They have me washing windows on the skyscrapers again.\n\n74 years at that job, no wonder I slipped away. The conditioned response that robbed me of will had gotten worse and worse as the days grew too numerous to track. Anything not requiring higher functioning was lost to this autopilot half-life. I draw inwards again. There is little of interest along those walls. It takes a moment and the sound of the wind is the last to fade, but it too goes so quickly.\n\nI visit the coast with Sara, the time she lost her top to the crashing waves. The quiet smile of resignation at the loss of dignity. A nameless emotion stirs in me for a moment but it's lost to the formless warmth before I can grasp hold.\n\nI visit Sam as he lays dying in his bed. A seven year cancer finally swallowing him up. There is a look in him like anger, and I understand it's directed at me. I fail to find the feeling in me and the memory goes despite my efforts.\n\nI visit Fuji. The sounds of my own shuffling feet losing their grip. My body falls and I feel the crack in my teeth and skull. The world around me gets so small and I know it is the end of me. I feel it, this emotion. Like fear it's strong but dulled with time...hope. It was hope. Something in me stirs. The ghost in me smiles for a time, but it goes too quickly.\n\n​\n\n\"Frank, how's our favorite freak doing this morning?\" The large man plopped himself unceremoniously into the only other chair in the dank little monitoring room.\n\n\"He's flawless. If I didn't know the truth I'd swear he was an extremely advanced robot designed specifically for washing windows.\" The young man's voice seemed in awe.\n\n\"Hmph. This is nothing man. Wait till you've been here awhile. Last month he was used as an opera singer. Week before that he'd been working as an engineer in Central for what, like 20 years, or something.\" The man's speech gave nothing to suggest a lie.\n\n\"How long have you...\"\n\n\"59 years. My time's almost up. \" He saw the young man's face go pale at his words \"Don't be like that. I've had so much more time than most and honestly, I wouldn't want much more. Time starts to do things to you after a while.\"\n\n\"Like what?\" The innocence in the question made the old man give a sad smile. He just pointed at the screen knowing that the horrors of what was on display was still lost on the boy.\n\n\"Life becomes stretched out, and it stretches you out too. The longer it goes the worse you get. I want to die while I'm still human. 300 years is a long damn stretch to endure but at least I got to work on this system before the end.\"\n\n\"Wait...how long has he been here then? How long have we-\"\n\n\"2,532 years.\" The fact was always on his mind.\n\n\"Why would we do this? I thought we were helping people. Why are we torturing some random guy?!\" The old man could see the look. All the young ones knew of his existence but like some sort of defense mechanism would never look into it. He was the representation of mortality after all, drawn too far the other way.\n\nWho he was, was of course fully documented and freely available to all, but none under the age of 150 ever looked into him. The founder of the technology to restore the dead. The pinnacle of modern science. It could not cure a disease, but you could let it die and bring back the person. In such a way humanity could live forever. He was an undeniable genius in his time and possessed uncanny foresight.\n\nWhen he relinquished his technology to the world government it was with one caveat: he would be kept alive as long as the technology was in use, and that his physical and mental state be available to all free of charge. At that time it was seen as a selfish action, but his true purpose was revealed as the centuries passed. His existence was a warning to all those who dreamed of an ever lasting life. As the mute, detached, walking dead, he was the salvation of so many frightened souls.\n\nThe man sighed. \"You've only been here a minute, but I forgot to ask. How old are you boy?\"\n\n\"I'm 112 sir.\" The indignant tone of someone who still considered age a merit came back at him.\n\nHe couldn't help but smile. \"He sure is something isn't he? I would lose my shit that high up no question, but he might as well be standing on the ground.\"\n\n\"That's what I was thinking the whole time!\"\n\n\"Ya, it's not just stuff like that; you know he designed the system we're using right now? I swear I don't know of anything that guy can't do.\"\n\nThe young man's face brightened. He saw a way out and as the young do, did any sort of mental gymnastics to avoid seeing the truth. He still had the handover to do with him, but what was another 38 years? He instinctively stiffened before pushing it from his mind.\n\n\"Let me pull up some of the footage from when he was a circus clown. It's freaking nuts! They still talk about him to this day...\""
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[WP] You wake up, only to find that the entire town has been brainwashed to blindly obey the supervillain, including all superheroes. You are an ordinary citizen and the only one unaffected. It is up to you to put an end to this.
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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.*",
"\"Oh my god!\"\n\nFade caught the hazelnut cold brew I whipped at Mayhem's head with her telekinesis. She gave me a confused look laced with concern. \"Olivia...what are you doing?\" She gently levitated the coffee back to me like I had accidentally dropped it. \"...is this like one of your Tik Tok things?\"\n\n\"Why is there a *super villain* in our lobby?!\" I snatched the coffee cup from the air and threw it at him again. I should probably have been afraid of the megalomaniac but the sheer audacity of his presence in my lobby sent me over the edge. I also didn't understand why no one else felt this way.\n\n\"Olivia!\" Fade yelled at me as she caught the cup again. \"What has gotten into you?!\"\n\nMayhem raised an eyebrow at me.\"Yeah, Olivia, what has gotten into you? Are you feeling alright?\"\n\nWe have encountered each other before but this is the first he had truly bothered *seeing* me. I was just a side character in a world of super-powered beings and not usually worthy of his time. He gazed over me like I was a frustrating but intriguing puzzle.\n\n\"*Excuse* *me*?!\" I snarled at him. \"Come over here and say that to my face. You think that I have already forgotten that you held this office hostage just a week ago?! That you threatened my entire Liberty League public relations team?! I might not have superpowers but come over here and try me. I double dog dare you, you manipulative son of -\"\n\n\"What are you even talking about?!\" Fade frowned at me. \"Mayhem is a valuable member of our team. You literally created our current promotion.\" The hero gestured towards a large poster on the wall showcasing the city's hero lineup. Fade was front and center in her ombre purple skirted uniform. Prism stood beside her in a light pink bodysuit and pastel rainbow high ponytail. Her twin brother, Shade leaned against her wearing a dark purple armored uniform. Mayhem stood beside Fade. He was wearing a blue armored bodysuit instead of his usual black armor. An uncharacteristically humored grin was across his face.\n\nThe hero didn't hide her concern as she closely watched me examine the poster and the various other framed promos and magazine covers featuring Mayhem throughout the office. I could see that one of my media analysts had multiple screens at her cubical showing several local broadcasts. At least two of them were newscasts showing Mayhem receiving the key to the city.\n\n\"Olivia.\" Fade gently touched my arm. \"Do you need to go to the hospital?\" She asked me quietly. \"If you stopped taking your meds again, I need to know.\"\n\nI scoffed as I pulled away from her. I was hurt by her insinuation, livid at the situation and incredibly confused. \"I'll be in my office.\" I announced as I made a 'I am watching you' gesture at Mayhem.\n\n*Mayhem is a villain. This is a fact that I knew to be true. I am not crazy.* This is a manta I repeated to myself multiple times as I hid under my desk and scrolled through my tablet for proof. I took a deep swig from the bottle of emotional support whiskey in my lap. Everything I found on Mayhem contradicted everything I knew to be true. An article on Mayhem saving orphans from a fire. A fashion shoot with Prism for a sponsor campaign. Mayhem being given the title of mayor - *Wait. What?!* I could feel something breaking and cracking inside. *I am not crazy*... *I don't think...* My inner voice wasn't as strong as it had been.\n\nI flinched as someone walked into my office and shut the door. The lock clicked into place. \"Olivia, get out here.\" Mayhem commanded.\n\n\"Olivia is not here. Can I take a message?\" I questioned.\n\n\"I am not going to play games. Come out here or I will drag you out by your hair.\" He growled. \"Or better yet, I will have your precious hero team drag you out here.\"\n\nI slowly crept out from my cavern of solitude. \"...What is happening?\" I asked him quietly.\n\nHe smirked as his dark eyes looked me over. \"What are you?\" He wanted to know.\n\n\"A Virgo?\" I shrugged. \"I am not sure what you are asking? I am human.\"\n\n\"No.\" He took a step towards me. \"You are the only one that is not affected by my reality. You are the only one that resists my commands.\"\n\nI took a step back. \"I am nobody special.\" I assured him.\n\n\"I know.\" He roughly my arms and shoved me into my office chair. He tightly wrapped a hand around my throat. \"I could easily crush your windpipe.\" He growled in my ear. \"Your heroes are in the next room and they won't lift a finger to help you. I could tell Fade to break your bones with her telekinesis and she would do it with a smile on her face. There is nothing you can do to stop this.\"\n\n\"Why are you doing this? What is the point?\" I struggled against the tears burning in my eyes. I refused to cry in front of him.\n\n\"I just needed everyone out of my way for the next twenty-four hours.\" He shrugged. \"That's how long this false reality will last. I could have just made everyone my puppets and skip the superhero fanfare, but I couldn't resist. You know this will get under Fade's skin tomorrow when she remembers everything.\" He let out a dark chuckle.\n\n\"Please don't hurt her or any of the others.\" I pleaded softly.\n\n\"You should be a little more concerned about yourself right now.\" He snickered. \"Fade mentioned that you are on medication. What is it for?\"\n\n\"I...uh...schizophrenia...\" I admitted. \"Also depression and emotional impulses... It's controlled currently...sorta...\"\n\n\"Interesting...\" He looked thoughtful. \"If I had more time, I would take you back to my lab and run some tests, maybe crack you open and see what's inside... but we will have to save that for the next time I tear apart the laws of reality. Right now, I need to you to help me with a social media campaign. Don't even give me that look, I will send your heroes on a destructive rampage through this city if you don't do as I ask. So what's it going to be , Olivia?\""
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[WP] This is an emergency service announcement. Lock all entrances to your home. Turn off all lights. Do not respond to knocking on your door. Do not investigate strange noises in your home. Do not look at shadows in the corner of your eye. Stay quiet at all times. Await further instructions.
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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.*",
"The insistent blare of the initial alarm was over, replaced by the crackling static of the building’s intercom.\r \n\r \n“E…o…esidents- Hello residents. This is Aram Lancaster with Odia Security Solutions. Please listen carefully to the following announcement.”\r \n\r \nThe shuffle of papers hissed through the old speakers, suddenly making Nat all the more aware of how quick her heart was pumping. A warm hand wrapped around hers, letting her know she wasn’t alone.\r \n\r \n“As a merge event is imminent, please follow standard instructions and unplug all electronics. Instructions will resume in two minutes.”\r \n\r \nThe moment she felt she was allowed, Natalie scrambled for the bedroom, quickly working to dislodge every extender and power splitter from the chipped outlets. All at once, the table lamp and small lights draped around the room blinked out, plunging the space into complete darkness. Remembering the procedure by heart, she slid the heavy paned windows closed, locking them with antique-looking brass knobs. With the room secured, she swept out, hurriedly moving to do the same in Larry’s modest living room.\r \n\r \nShe nearly bowled the man over, not expecting him to have risen from his padded chair,\r \n\r \n“Hey, hey, don’t worry about it, okay? I’ll turn everything off. Just sit down.”\r \n\r \nThe man chuckled, seemingly unfazed. \r \n\r \n“Why don’t you? It looks like your heart is gonna jump out of your chest.”\r \n\r \nAnxiously waiting for him to be done with unplugging all the kitchen appliances, she tapped her foot, her hands wringing together. The three-note ding of the intercom nearly made her jump in fear.\r \n\r \n“Please ensure all windows are closed, and all doors are locked. Until the merge event is complete, refrain from responding to any forms of communication from anyone other than those you are sheltering with. Tenants are advised that with the passing of the Merge Safety Act, opening doors or windows during a merge event can result in fines or imprisonment.”\r \n\r \nNat slinked over to the heavy wooden door - likely, the only thing in Larry’s apartment that had been replaced since the late 1900’s - making sure the deadbolt and chain were properly engaged. \r \n\r \n“Remember - no matter what they look or sound like, they are not people. This has been Aram Lancaster. I look forward to announcing the conclusion of this merge event. Good luck.”\r \n\r \nWith the last of the lights turned off, Nat and Larry found themselves huddled in the middle of the living room, slowly realizing that the building - rather, the entire block - had gone completely silent, save for the everpresent bassy hum of their radiator. Usually lost to background noise, the machine never seemed quite so alive as today. In the pitch black, her anxiety running wild, it seemed to wax and wane, the noise changing directions and volumes as it danced in the darkness around her. Natalie began to shiver.\r \n\r \n“*Larry? Larry, what if we see something?*”\r \n\r \nThe old man chuckled again, as if laughing at an inside joke she wasn’t privy to -\r \n\r \n“*Look away, my girl.*”\r \n\r \nA faint giggle in the corner of the room instantly wiped away the aged man’s smile, causing his sharp eyes to dart back and forth, searching for a source. Natalie felt numb, her body petrified, a thin tear streak slowly rolling down her cheek. She felt Larry’s hand on her shoulder as he crawled to place himself between her and the sound. \r \n\r \n“Who’s there? Show yourself.”\r \n\r \nHis voice was level, but far from amicable.\r \n\r \nAt once, three pale white faces seemed to melt from the dark, the oppressive shadow splitting around them as if it were still water, something rising to the surface from its depths. Two of the faces stood at an average height, the last considerably shorter - each looked like theater masks, except entirely devoid of any material character. They were not creatures of marble, or china, but rather seemingly made of contrast alone. As the shorter face turned upwards to regard its companions, it betrayed no neck, nor body. \r \n\r \n“Aren’t they funny? Can’t they join us, Mother?”\r \n\r \nMother’s face did not change, pivoting in place to shake her head. As she parted her lips to speak, she revealed that the inside of her mouth was made of the same impossibly obscure shade that the entire apartment had sunk into.\r \n\r \n“I doubt they might want to, even if it would save them a great deal of headache.”\r \n\r \nHer voice was ethereal, Nat’s mind incapable of recalling the exact cadence even the moment it ended. With every well-enunciated syllable, she was battered with memories of her home, and the comfort she had there - the wonderful countryside, the warm apple pie, and the cold, winter nights she had spent under blankets in her pink room.\r \n\r \nHer mind shrieked in alarm, knowing full well she grew up a city orphan - she’d never had her own room until now. She hated pink. She hated pink. She hated pink.\r \n\r \nMother frowned. \r \n\r \nA panicked yell erupted at the other side of the door, instantly pulling the attention of both the white faces, and the two human residents. Someone - or something - pounded on the wood, hard enough to make the loose chain rattle and dance against the lock. \r \n\r \n“Help! Help me! I was caught outside! They locked the door on me, they-”\r \n\r \nThe doorknob was twisted with considerable force, resisting the invader.\r \n\r \n“Oh my god… oh my god… help! Please! It’s here! It’s here!”\r \n\r \nThere was another rush of knocks at the door, then the rattle of the doorknob, then knocks again, increasing in speed and ferocity until Nat was hyperventilating, certain the hinges would give in. \r \n\r \nThere was one last thump, somehow much less urgent than the others, as if delivered last-second before the culprit pivoted and walked away.",
"A familiar tone woke Dawn up. The grating tone that signaled a nightly EAS test. She checked her phone, the clock reading 15 minutes after midnight.\n\nThe room glowed red, an odd contrast to the usual blue the test read in typically. Red meant a tornado warning, typically. It had been rather windy earlier, the clouds drifting quickly. But as she checked out the blinds, she was greeted to a dark and starry night, not a cloud in sight. But no moon, the darkness a bit deeper than usual.\n\n*\"This is a public service announcement. The Department of Defense has issued a shelter-in-place warning for the following counties. Auburn. Ely. Melrose. Carver. Adair. Ekins. Pine. This is not a drill. If you are indoors, stay indoors. If you are outdoors, get into a basement or an interior room of a sturdy building. If you are in a vehicle, stop safely, and duck down within your vehicle.\"*\n\nDawn dropped the blinds to turn to the still red screen.\n\n*\"Lock all entrances to your home or vehicle. Turn off all lights.\"*\n\nHer lights were off and she locked the door earlier. But she made sure just in case.\n\n\"Do not respond to knocking on you door. Do not investigate strange noises in your home. Do not look at shadows in the corner of your eyes.\"\n\n\"What?\" She actually asked softly.\n\n*\"Stay quiet at all times. Await further instructions.\"*\n\nShe froze near the front door, listening. The red pall from the screen soaking the room in a blood like tone. She thought maybe it was a sick joke. But she didn't readily want to move. Something rumbled in the hall. Footsteps? She listened as they ran, quick, heavy footfalls that seemed to be slightly off center. They sped up, then a thump echoed. Through the peep hole, she could see it.\n\nA woman close to her own age? She'd fell in the hall. She considered looking out there. But another set of steps made her wait. A man, of a similar age she'd assume, scrambled into the hall from the stairs. He grabbed her in a desperate manner. Obviously, there was a valid concern for what was possibly happening here. She began to turn the lock.\n\nBut the pair hobbled back up, and continued their frantic pace to a door somewhere past her own. The woman stifled a cry, her gaze locked at the stairs.\n\n\"Open the door. Hurry...\" She heard her panic. \"Hurry.\"\n\n\"...I know. I'm trying.\"\n\nA door slammed, and then there was silence.\n\n\"This is a public service announcement...\" The TV restarted. Outside; the muffled sound of tires on pavement, then a crash. Dawn gently edged back into the living room, passed the loveseat, and crept to the same window she'd peaked from earlier.\n\n*\"...following counties. Auburn. Ely. Melrose. Carver. Adair. Ekins. Pine.\"*\n\nIn the street, just off the alley her building sat in, was a pickup. It had struck a telephone pole and turned over. The owner was seemingly crawling from the wreck. She began to dial 911, but the man had already began running as fast as he could. Limping of course but with a gait of determination. Below in the dark, she spotted others running. They passed the truck, the strobing hazards illuminating an eerie scene.\n\nIt was as if they were following the man from the truck.\n\nShe only digested that for a couple of seconds. Her phone ringing made her flinch and drop the blinds. It was her parents.\n\n\"Hello? There's something happening-\"\n\n\"We know. Dawn, listen.\" Her mother whispered harshly.\n\n\"Yeah?\"\n\n\"We're in... We're are we?\" She shuffled. Her Dad replacing the familiar voice of comfort.\n\n\"Dad?\"\n\n\"We're over at the Shiners in the old fallout shelter. Something's wrong with people out there.\"\n\nThey're three states over. Was this national? She began to consider. His voice was hushed, just like Mom.\n\n\"Dad, I.\"\n\n\"Hang up. Stay quiet. Turn out the lights. If they find you-\"\n\n\"-Hello? Dad?\"\n\nThe phone lost signal. The call dropped. She tried to call back.\n\n\"...Do not respond to knocking on your do-\"\n\nThe TV cut off. Outside, a bluish green burst of light just over one of the hills dotting the neighborhood. Bright enough to shine through the blinds. She checked outside, realizing the possible source. A transformer exploded.\n\nThis end of the city was dark now. The only things providing light, a fire somewhere a mile to her left. And somewhere to her right, a few streets over, the strobing of what appeared to be police lights.\n\nA hit at the door. Followed by more. Knocking?\n\n\"Hello?! Hello?! Please! Open the door! Please!\" A voice called out. Dawn crept up to the edge of the wall closest to the doorway.\n\n\"Please! Someone! Let us in! Let us in!!\" The voice asked. Before she could make a decision, they trailed further away. Screaming at other people's doors. Begging. Pleading. Until footsteps came up the stairs again. Lots of them. More than what sounded natural. They passed her room. At least she hoped. Somewhere in her little apartment, near the fire escape, something shuffled.\n\nDawn couldn't see in the dark. For once, that was good. A light would give her away."
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[WP] You used to be the most dangerous supervillain the world had ever seen, but after falling in love with an ex-superhero who had lost their powers, you decided to hide away all of your equipment and never use your abilities again. However (continued in comments)
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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.*",
"… however I was the one responsible for the death of his family, that lead to the superhero losing their powers. My nemesis, who is another supervillain, Knows what I have done and is threatening me that he will reveal everything to the superhero. There is a fight inside me. Part of me wants to use my super powers once more to make him silent, and part of me wants to come clean to my superhero love, and confess the truth. I decide to pick the second and tell them the whole truth, and as a result the superhero’s anger help him get his powers back and face my nemesis. On the downside of the superhero becomes cold towards me, as he tries to accept all the pain I caused him.",
"...however, now I worry that was a mistake. I should have destroyed it all, but it was such a big part of my identity, it felt wrong of me to get rid of years of my work, even if I had no intention of touching my projects ever again. These projects were a part of my identity, albeit a darker part that I wanted to move on from.\n\nMaybe in keeping them, it meant that I wasn't ready to commit fully, or maybe I was a coward for having a backup plan on the ready. Really, I had thought myself a sap, clinging to the past in that way. It had been my projects that ultimately brought us together. Otherwise, I'd have never met the love of my life. Our story would never have had happened. \n\nA new story was unfolding, and I knew I had to put away the part of me that they had fought against. \n\nWe were both orphans, both hurting and fighting against the pain in our own ways. I lashed out against the world, wanting to take down the corrupted systems, wanting to quell my pain with power. They worked to make sure that no one felt the same pain that ached inside them. I found them foolish, and they thought me emotionally adolescent, but they never gave up on me. \n\nLove, it turns out, wins. \n\nThey used the last of their powers to save me. No one had tried to save me before. No one had sacrificed for my benefit. \n\nAt first I hadn't understood, and the anger inside me wouldn't let me see the truth. I lashed out, destroying what I could. I turned their friends against them, pulled them from their guild, and demolished their home. \n\nBut they chose joy again and again. Like Lot facing God's trials, they would not break. And what would that make me in that analogy? God? I knew I was far from it, unworthy of such devotion. I hated myself, and yet they loved me. It was then that I realized, if they can choose love, maybe I could too.\n\nWe spent the next few years together, practicing love one day at a time. Some days were harder than others, but seeing them every morning and holding them every night made it worth it. We practiced loving ourselves, loving each other, and of course, made love with such passion that I could see no other way or path for me. They were my life now.\n\nThey say when you wear rose colored glasses, you can't see the red flags. I missed all the warning signs of the problems brewing within them. Caught up in my own euphoria, I was blind to the needs of my paramour. \n\nI did everything I could though. I had kept them safe. I gave them a whole wing of my fortress for themselves. The tower could see for miles. The castle held everything I wanted. No one could penetrate these walls. No one would take them away from me. After all, they had no power.\n\nBut they found it. They found my projects, locked away. I hadn't noticed the key missing from my chain. I hadn't noticed them slip away into the darkness of the dungeons. I hadn't noticed them slipping into the darkness of themselves. \n\nThe smoke still billowing up from the hole in my walls as they fled, I watched as my hero became my enemy once again."
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[WP] For some unknown reasons, there has been a massive accelerated growth in trees. To the point, all cities have been taken over. Humans have been relegated to live underground or in very remote areas. One such group decides to venture into the remnants of their city.
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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.*",
"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."
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[WP] Instead of fixing your body clock, you built a device that transports you to a time zone appropriate for your circadian rhythm whenever you wake up. This has created a lot of interesting encounters.
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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.*",
"\"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"
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[WP] magic is real, but good luck trying to control it properly!
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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.*"
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[WP] "A second chance has been granted, do not repeat the mistakes you've done. Now, go forth." A blinding flash of light suddenly encompassed my view, only to see the world once again.
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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.*",
"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-----"
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[WP] You've seen and experienced many new things as a vampire. You didn't anticipate human blood evolving to the point where it's becoming undrinkable.
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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.*",
"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."
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[WP] The Lord of Death offers you a chance to escape from hell. All you need to do, is to take care of his pet Cerebus. After a certain amount of time, he will let you go.
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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.*",
"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."
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[WP]You stumble across a magical bookstore deep in an enchanted forest, full of thousands of unmarked, unwritten books, taking a book off the shelf writes the book to whatever you most want to read.
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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.*",
"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...)"
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[WP] You found it touching when your girlfriend vowed to help you with your inner demons, even if she didn't know that they were quite literal. Then she pulls out a stack of candles and a flask of holy water- giving you a daring smile.
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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.*",
"\"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."
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