chosen stringlengths 597 3.77k | rejected stringlengths 239 9.37k | prompt stringlengths 15 1.28k | chosen_token_len int64 500 750 |
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My wife was the first to die. Ninety-five, in her sleep. Peaceful like. Then it was my youngest; cancer. My boy was an alcoholic, but somehow he made it to seventy 'fore his liver give out. Graceful God, he didn't have children. Now it's just me, and my house, and my wood.
Every year the city-folk get a little closer,... | Melad has lived for thousands of years. Earth has been producing floral biotics of different kind after the demise of original humans many millennium ago. He lives in the ruins of the past. He has long transformed the acres of land around him to suit his simple life. For a farmer like him the vegetations are his treasu... | A rare herb that grows once a millenium is said to grant immortality. You aren't sure about that but you do know that herb is very tasty, and you don't know why everyone keeps trying to raid your garden once every thousand years | 507 |
I put my 5 year old daughter, Emily, in the elevator, and waited until the doors closed before running down the hall to the stairs. I'd done this trick before, and seeing my daughter's 5 year old face light up filled me with an unforgettable sense of joy.
I heard the 'ding' just as I dismounted from the staircase on t... | "It's for you sir," my secretary said as she handed me the phone. Of course, my ex-wife wouldn't call my cellphone, that would make too much sense. She just HAD to call my workplace instead.
"Thanks Jess," I said to the secretary as I took the phone. "Feel free to go home already, your son has a concert that you shou... | You put your 5-year-old daughter in an elevator by herself, and run to the next floor to make her laugh when the doors open. You get there, the elevator arrives and a 20-year-old woman steps out. "Hello Dad. We have a lot to talk about" | 544 |
"So nobody has ever seen it before?" The President asked.
"No sir," replied the NASA representative.
"How is that possible? Don't we have satellites in orbit? We've sent people up to the space station in rockets... they must have seen something."
I looked up from my papers, and from the corner of my eye saw my boss ... | [...] Johansen and his men landed at a sloping mud-bank on this monstrous Acropolis, and clambered slipperily up over titan oozy blocks which could have been no mortal staircase. The very sun of heaven seemed distorted when viewed through the polarising miasma welling out from this sea-soaked perversion, and twisted me... | A new continent is discovered. No one knows why this large land mass has never been seen before, it doesn't appear on any pictures taken from space and no astronauts have ever reported seeing it. You are part of the team in charge of mapping the area when you find out what they've been hiding. | 555 |
People often ask me why I started this program. The answer is not some noble cause well, it is, but rather a noble cause, as in related to the nobility, not high and mighty. Because who do you think actually has this program taught to them? Nobles. Peasants don’t have programs that come to their schools because they do... | # Graduation Day
Theebaw had a tired look about him about him that day. A big, loose-muscled man in a stained jacket, a tarnished gleam of silver at his throat, his deep-set eyes stared out across the classroom as he sipped slowly from a many times patched wineskin.
It was something about the children, he often thoug... | Turns out being an adventurer wasn't such a good idea. In fact there may be some survivorship bias here. You only really hear about the tiny fraction of adventurers that achieve glory. In reality most of them die violent deaths, become slaves, or worse. Now you run a scared straight program. | 503 |
"I understand that you are an eldritch creature of horror," James began, carefully keeping the exhaustion and annoyance from creeping into his tone, "But you simply cannot claim your Legion of the Damned as dependants on your 1040. As an unfortunate result, your tax obligation is rather higher than the amount you've sa... | *Just a few more doors...almost done* I thought to myself. I took a deep breath and flattened my button-down shirt against my torso and made sure to double check it was tucked in all the way around. The encounter with the previous tenant... well, lets just say that dragons don't take to kindly to anyone asking for th... | You live in a world were not only do Superheroes, Monsters, Aliens, ect. exist, but they also pay taxes. You're a taxman that deals with non-human taxpayers. | 551 |
"Aye, you've heard about the devil's asshole right?"
It was more of a rhetorical question. At this point, everybody had.
A few years back, Bridgeport Connecticut experienced a minor tremor from a minor earthquake. No one thought much of it at the time, save for Mr. Hoolihan whose backyard now sported a three foot wid... | I’d promised Stephen I would keep my mouth shut for the entire journey. Yet, as we made the turn off the freeway, onto the dusty country road, the last three miles to Miller’s farm, the injustice of it all bubbled over.
“It’s just damned unfair, that’s what it is.”
“I know. You’ve told me a thousand times.”
“It’s s... | A seemingly bottomless pit was found, for which the depth can't be determined. Over time, scores of people began using it to illegally dump trash. Many have jumped in to die, while others jumped believing that they'll find life's answers within it. Today, we learn the truth about the hole. | 515 |
As the evil necromancer king was slain the heroes stood triumphant at last. The kingdom was saved. Or so they though. Running a kingdom cost money, effort, time and cunning. Thing neither of those wannabes had.
I withdrew my thoughts from my pawn just as the blow was dealt to it. I retreated to my cabin in the dar... | The horse drawn wagon rolled along at a steady pace, bouncing and jostling slightly on roads beginning to deteriorate after almost two years of neglect. I sat beside the driver at the front, with a small group of six soldiers in the cart behind us, in silence. Crows called somewhere overhead, then fluttered into the sk... | You were an "evil" king who has been dethroned by conquering heroes for your "horrible tyranny". It takes less than 2 years for the people of the kingdom to be begging for you to be reinstated as king. | 507 |
I have the easiest job you can imagine. I get paid monthly for a hundred years, so I never have to think about saving money. All I had to do was push a button once. Oh, and if I quit I'm as good as dead. But I guess that's still better than the average employment contract.
This left me with a lot of spare time, some o... | I was the best. Emphasis on the was. Let's face it: I got comfortable. I got rusty. I narrowly saw that tripwire and got to cover just in time. Well, not just in time. The blood on my right shoulder is indication enough that I got hit. Scraped actually, but still. I got comfortable. I got rusty.
 
>Year... | In this world, soulmates cannot hurt each other in any way or form, intentionally or unintentionally. You are an assassin hired to eliminate a powerful figure. As you close in for the kill, your bullets miss their mark and knives bounce of their skin. Things just got awkward. | 524 |
"I can't believe that I've found you!" she screamed. Her face was practically glowing, she was so excited. She ran forward and leapt into my arms, and before I could even think to react her voice was resonating in my head.
"*And don't you even think of dropping me, butterfingers! I remember how you dropped your first... | "The voice. You know that voice in your head. The one that's your inner voice? Most people it's their own voice, they can hear it, speak it, even imagine the words coming out of your mouth. Some people, even think of it as someone else, like Morgan Freeman or something just to play around and have fun I guess. Most peo... | Diagnosed with schizophrenia. Since birth, 24/7 you’ve heard the voice and thoughts of a girl that you’ve been told is made up in your head. You’re 37 and hear the voice say “turn around, did I find you?” and you turn to see a real girl who’s heard every thought you’ve ever had and vice versa. | 584 |
*"What do you fear, creature?"*
I blinked, for lack of any more constructive response, given the restraints. This wasn't the first time the shadow before me had asked this question, but it was clearly becoming more confused and frustrated with each attempt. Each time it asked the question, it ignored my answer, then s... | It was the 20th year of their invasion of the galaxy. The assault and sacking of this solar system began just like so many before: spacecraft concealed as hyperbolic comets dispersed the "seeds" among the planets. Tiny invasion craft rained down on all terrestrial planets, embedded themselves into the soil and began ge... | The current rulers of the galaxy exert their dominance by showing showing new races a glimpse of their terrifying nature inevitably either driving the unfortunate victims mad or causing them to retreat in fear. It does not work on humans however, they are used to it | 583 |
"USB-man, why don't you give me a hand?"
Begrudgingly, the 200-pound freestyle rapper known to us as USB-man walked up to the facilitator. His sweat had formed angel wings on his--even to him--oversized t-shirt. Not actual wings, like his twin brother USA-man.
"Man, you always call on me for this shit."
"Now now, US... |    “I’m Michael and-“
   “Hi, Michael,” the group chorused.
   Startled, he gave a little scream, then cleared his throat. “Uh, right, hello. Anyway, I’m Michael and-“
   “Hi, Michael,” said Jim ‘the Slug’ Ch... | In a world where everyone has a certain superpower, you are in a support group for people with boring/useless powers. | 577 |
"For your own safety, you seriously should've let me complete that ritual." The shackled villain protested as the hero pulls her to a carriage.
"You were gonna sacrifice 27 virgins, Theia, I'm not gonna let that slide." The hero replied as he lead her into the carriage and locked the door behind her.
Theia sighs as s... | Once we had been the most powerful heroic duo the world had ever seen, Lady Justice and Judgement. She always thought those names were silly, but I was the one who thought that we needed strong heroic sounding names when we first started out. In revenge, she was the one who got to pick our catch phrase, "And Justice fo... | You're a villain that fell in love with a hero. Though the strongest villain on the planet, you constantly lose to your hero, since you just love the rivalry and don't want it to end. As you are being arrested one day, your hero is attacked by another villain, one too strong for them to beat. | 536 |
Buses. I see it every day. Picturing it in my head. Why did I wish that? Why was I so vague? Why did it have to come true?!
I'm sitting here, paranoid, in my twelfth floor apartment as far away from the window as I can. My leg wrapped in plaster from the last time and the wound on my shoulder still seeping from where ... | As a young man, Nigel Premeiter lived a simple, if unconventional, life with his two parents, Houghler and Tricia. He would stay out doors, normally at the edge of the lot his parents owned. His home was a simple trailer, with one room on one end and his own on the other end. Taking most of the length of the trailer wa... | As a young child you made an innocent wish to be granted a power that in hindsight was just whimsical and silly. Now you have grown up but you still have the power - how do you use it now as an adult? | 568 |
By rights I shouldn't exist. With the pairing of bear and dove, they expected something smaller. A wolf, perhaps, or an eagle. Something fast, yet powerful. Strong, yet humble. No one prepared for me.
The marks determine one's place in society. My father, with his unequaled strength, led the tribe to greatness. My mot... | I chuckled to myself as I wiped the blood from my knuckles, and dragged my victim further into the dark alley he had attempted to rob me from. Now victim might normally be seen as a harsh word in such cases of self defense, he had lurched from the shadows in a frantic twitching blur, held his knife to my chest, you kno... | Everyone is born with a natural tattoo of their spirit animal. Every person gets the traits and abilities of their respective animal. But when you were born your father, having a bear tattoo and your mother, bearing a dove tattoo, were horrified. Leviathan.
Edit. Wow thank you to everyone who submitted thie stories he... | 510 |
Beep, beep. The phone buzzed in my pocket. Sure enough, as I took a look at the message, it was sent by an unknown number, signed off simply as 'Beauty.' Just like the previous 13 times that I have received the same message.
"Dear Detective, I'm sorry that you have to receive this message, but your name has been chose... | Cell phone buzzes while I'm lying on the couch listening to "Desperado". I wasn't expecting any messages, but I look down at the screen. Not a number I recognize. I swipe my finger up the screen and select the icon.
"Hi sweetie. I'll kill you today. Unless you survive till midnight. Let's have some fun :) --The Beaut... | At 11am, you get a message from a killer named "The Beauty" a famously attractive yet deadly serial killer. She says that you're next, but if you survive until midnight, she'll spare you. However, everytime she kills you, you get thrown back in time to the moment you got the message. | 544 |
*Well that was a bust...*
**C'mon. I know you really liked her.**
*I mean I did but...I guess she didn't feel the same. Seems like that's been happening a lot lately.*
**You'll find someone. I know your heart. You're too good to be single forever.**
*Yeah, okay. No offense but I don't know how much that's worth com... | "The voice. You know that voice in your head. The one that's your inner voice? Most people it's their own voice, they can hear it, speak it, even imagine the words coming out of your mouth. Some people, even think of it as someone else, like Morgan Freeman or something just to play around and have fun I guess. Most peo... | Diagnosed with schizophrenia. Since birth, 24/7 you’ve heard the voice and thoughts of a girl that you’ve been told is made up in your head. You’re 37 and hear the voice say “turn around, did I find you?” and you turn to see a real girl who’s heard every thought you’ve ever had and vice versa. | 626 |
"Oh that's more common than you think."
"What?" That wasn't the response I was expecting.
"I thought maybe I was in grave danger, or there was something wrong with me..."
"Oh goodness no, Mr. Robinson. You're life simply collapsed into a singular timeline due to an infinitesimal bottleneck. "
"That doesn't soun... | # The Saga of Singularly Sarah
Singularly Sarah skipped down the streets of the singularity, peering into Chicago Four and Mumbai Nine, drinking in the conflicting scents of gunpowder and spices as she sipped her morning coffee. A timer ticked away in the corner of her cybernetic eyes, painstakingly constructed to loo... | Scientist have created a machine that allow people a window into alternate realities. It becomes mainstream and people talk about alternate versions of themselves. Finally you decide to take a look only to discover that there are no alternate versions of you. You're the only you in existence. | 654 |
I stared at her, more importantly, at the gun in her hand. It was pointed at me. I would have been upset, but my gun was pointed in her direction, so we were even. Tears were starting to flow down her face, as the moment stretched to its breaking point. She didn't want to pull that trigger. I knew that, because I didn'... | The blood-tinted sky above was a fitting companion to the rust-wastes below. Howling winds blew with a melancholic sound through the ruined cityscape, where the sea from the east and the forest from the west were in middle of the centuries-long process of removing any sign that man had been there. But for now, in autum... | They aimed at each other in silence. Neither of them wanted to pull the trigger, but they both knew that one of them had to. | 600 |
Whatever the average person in Gotham thought about about Batman, deep down they'd known he was the only sliver of silver lining to the massive grey cloud that hung over them.
After the death of its last great defender, the city was sinking in a pit of depression, slowly but inevitably succumbing to urban decay and an... | "Come on, come on, come on!" I screamed in panic at Gerald in the driver's seat but no matter how quickly he sped down the highway, I could hear the cops blaring their sirens behind us. I didn't see any other choice if we wanted to get away so I grabbed my rifle from the floor and aimed out the back of the car and blas... | Following the death of Batman, the Joker is despondent. Crime without Batman is like a joke without a punchline. That people dare commit crime in his absence is an insult to his oeuvre of mayhem and to the craft itself. To protect his legacy, the Joker vows to keep the streets of Gotham clean. | 528 |
######[](#dropcap)
I blink, and when my eyelids flicker open, the great hall of the palace is replaced by a large room of sterile whiteness, full of strange lights and bizarre sounds.
"So how was it?" a woman asks. She is wearing peculiar clothes for a female: trousers, a striped jacket, large amounts of gold jewelle... | For the first few moments everything became whitewashed and hushed with static.
"excuse me" a muffled voice pierces the softened din of overstimulation.
"Is this for real? Hey are you okay?" the same voice interogates in a slight panic. Finally some sensation.
Is this an arm?
Legs?
What is touching me?
Slowly eye... | You pull off your headphones and the whole world shifts. You're now sitting in a futuristic mall of some kind with a VR headset in your hands and a smiling clipboard-wielding woman asking about "the Virtual Life Experience™". The problem: your "Virtual Life" is the only one you can remember. | 610 |
So, it's been three weeks since I died. I know I know, everyone says I look a little rough, a little blood stained, head askew, all that nonsense.
I saw my reaper creeping up. He kept checking his watch and giving me this terrifying bony smile. I knew I needed to cross the road, everything looked clear. Just when I s... | *******************************************************************************************************************************
** [WP] Everyone has a reaper. The further away it is, the longer you have left to live. **
** Every day it inches a little bit closer, but it is always there. Except yours, which d... | Everyone has a reaper. The further away it is, the longer you have left to live. Every day it inches a little bit closer, but it is always there. Except yours, which disappeared three weeks ago | 606 |
Noooooo
Oneeeeeee
Hacks like GastoN!
Password Cracks like GastoN!
If you hear breathing-
your phone line's tapped by GastoN!
For there's no man as leet in the scripting
A caffeine fueled coding machine
While the bros are all out doing lifting
It's Gaston's brain that is just oh so mean
No one pwns like G... | Disclaimer: Script style, meant to be a parody/satire.
Fade In: White walls, windows darkened with night, fluorescent glare from overhead lights, looks like an older style meeting room. The room is full with four guys wearing black suits and ties sprawled out amongst the various furniture, a femme fatale cleaning a pi... | After hackers threaten to leak their newest movie, Disney hires an elite group of mercenaries to discourage future attempts. Due to a typo however, the mercenaries assume they have to disguise as Disney characters | 517 |
I did not choose to be here, I was chosen. Placed upon this land to bless all that passes.
Doing The Great One’s work, forced to deal with the smallest of issues to the greatest of them. I have become the center of this village, the lighting rod that grounds everyone.
“O’ Wise One! Whatever shall I do about this pre... | “Your husband says you should cook me a large pot of stew tonight,” said Rubin as the dry leaves crumbled from his hand. “Yes, it’s clear. See how the wind blows them to the left? Mutton and carrot stew.”
”It’s my last sheep.”
”It’s what your husband wants.”
The old lady swallowed. “Tell him I will.“
Rubin leaned b... | As the Village Seer, you peer into the mystical to give the villagers sage wisdom from beyond. The problem is, you're not magical, you're just smart and you live in an exceptionally dumb village. | 514 |
*\*crunch\**
The adventuring party jumped as the pickaxe slammed into the table, piercing straight through it. They all reached for their weapons and staves when they looked up and saw a sight none of them expected.
"...Richard?!" the rogue said, shocked.
"Yeah. That's right," the man said as he let go of the pickax... | "The Hrun aren't the one's you've got to watch for," I say, sipping my beer. Bitter beer. "The mines of Khaldoria are home to many horrors. But the Hrun are no worshipers of the Pitch Lords. Aye, they build their villages in the mountains. But it's the goblins that serve the burning ones. *They* perform those vile ritu... | Your old adventuring party left you in the old dwarves mines to die. You were rescued by your now-wife and her clan. After some years, you find a retired member of your old party in the tavern. | 637 |
I’m the oldest cliff diver in La Quebrada. I was born in 1928 to two peasant farmers who lived on the outskirts of Acapulco. We never had any money so when I was 12 I went to the beaches to try to sell things for money. That’s when I saw the cliff divers and I decided I wanted to train to do what they did.
Over the y... | The flash of the enemy units, mounted and bristling with fresh steel sent a tremor through Tynor's heart that he couldn't decipher. Was it fear or excitement? Bloodlust or desire?
"Keep firm ahead, and we'll live to see another day," Came the advice of the warcaller, second in command. His armor was dented and scratch... | “Beware of an old man in a profession where men usually die young.” | 613 |
"Right over here, I think that's the rover." Beal exclaimed, almost jumping up and down to flag Steve.
"Yep, that'll be it alright" Steve said, looking at his PDA to compare older images to what now looked like wreckage. "Sand storms must have somehow knocked it out this way. That or quakes."
Beal slid aside some sm... | The original team sent to recover the rover as a publicity stunt failed to report in for a full day after landing. While Mission control had expected the time delay to be around 15 minutes, this was cause for worry. But all they could do was sit and wait for them to respond.
They'd been sent with a habitat module that... | 20 years later, a team of Astronaut have successfully landed to mars and recovered the NASA rover, Opportunity. When they checked the hard drive, they discovered hundreds of images of a shadowy figure that was never sent back to earth. | 515 |
The dust began to settle. My eyes squinched from the solar light of the sun. Where was I?
It'd been three years since my son died. Two since she left me. Some months came by; felt like days.
The haunted expressions from my mother as she laid on her death bed when she found out I enlisted— it still haunts me.
“Them ... | It's cold. The winter has taken its toll on our men. Peter will most likely not make it home. They have send me a replacement, but he cannot replace Peter. His hands quiver when he picks up the ice cold shells. I notice the men around me. They have been coming and going for the entire war. But they get younger. Or olde... | You dont want to live anymore, but you also don't want your life to go to waste, so you join the army, and become super reckless, trying to give your life for your country. Turns out you are one of the best soldiers to ever serve | 595 |
Screams echo through the halls and rattle the windows. My first instinct is to run but I can’t turn back now, I’m so close, I could end this nightmare here and now. I keep pushing, every step feeling heavier than the last. I can hear her, a deafening BANG comes from the end of the hall and everything falls still. Shado... | The rough slab was covered with a dense overgrowth of moss and ivy, and as Jonah cut away the vines with his hatchet and leaned into the sides of the massive stone he thought of the events that led him to this point, putting all of his determination into moving the great weight.
At one time everyone knew of the nature... | When you kill someone, their remaining life span is added to yours. Archaeologists have just found a cavern, apparently sealed off for thousands of years, with a single person living inside. | 545 |
I was born like a lot of people in prison. I took my first breath when someone pulled a sharpened toothbrush out of my chest. I spent my days like everyone else, absorbing the brown lumps into my rectum for nourishment and then, a while later, pulling various bits and pieces out of my mouth and putting them on a tray. ... | Most people are born screaming and covered in in goop. They can't talk and can barely hold up their head. They know how to swim instinctively. I woke up in my bunk, with the ability to talk, although drunkenly. I could barely hold my head up as I stumbled up and walked backwards onto the toilet. That pruno made everyth... | You experience time backwards. All you've ever known is prison, but soon you'll be freed in order to commit the crime that earns you a life sentence. | 621 |
Joan placed her hand on the glass. Behind it, her mother and father sat in orange jumpsuits.
Joan put on her brightest smile. "Ma, Pa. I'm graduating next week. Wish you guys could see it."
Her father huffed. "What good is a uni degree? A piece of paper ain't gonna help you rob a bank is it. What are you going to do?... | I set out to be different. I really did. My two sisters and parents had raised me to do it all, burglary, theft, smuggling, heck, even a few clean-up jobs for some high paying clients.
Getting arrested was part of the lifestyle, but a fairly large public presence of my dad, a lot of money, and our trusty lawyer James... | Getting arrested for a botched crime is a rite of passage in the Chebwick family. They take great pride in their long legacy of poorly executed crimes. But the youngest child has been a great disappointment. | 620 |
I touch the threads woven through my abdomen, gazing at myself in the mirror. I can't see the ones on my back but I can feel them pinching at my skin, keeping the edges together, as if trying to seal a portal that has already been opened. It's been five years since I woke in my bathtub with my organs missing and replac... | Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
My heart beats in little smoke-detector beeps coming from the machine by my side. The hypnotic ‘vuush-vuush’ of the ventilator is soothing, as are the white walls of the hospital room. The doctor was here a few minutes ago and
explained everything. I had flashes of memory as he spoke. The date... | You woke up in a bathtub full of ice with fresh stitches on your back and abdomen. The emergency room reveals that several organs are missing, replaced with something unknown. They want to cut you open, but you're feeling awesome, stronger and healthier than you've ever felt in your life. | 572 |
I used to wake up to the faded orange glow of the rising sun, always muted and dark behind my broken retinas.
This time I wake up to Everything.
"Can you please describe it again, in the best detail you can?" My doctor has a kind voice, a comfortingly deep baratone that tickles pleasantly at my ear drums.
"Everythin... | There I sat, nervous and shaking my foot. I couldn't keep still. This was it. I've waited my whole life for this.
I should introduce myself, my name is Kylie. I've been blind since I was born. My whole life my wonderful parents have tried to ease it. With words of encouragement, and with remedies. But nothing has wor... | Blind people aren’t actually blind. Their eyes are tuned into a different dimension, but their brains can’t process that information so they see nothing. A doctor has just perfected a procedure to correct this problem. Tell us what the first patient sees. | 533 |
It was a simple blade. Though it was covered in grime and chipped at the tip, I recognized it for what it had once been. These adventurers had felt it, too, though they could not hear its voice.
My blades hum or laugh. But this blade that they had brought, forged in the heart of the Trench by a god long dead, tempered... | "I used to search for glory in battle, then, I took an arrow to the knee." you joke with the group of adventurers in front of you. As the town blacksmith in a town on the edge of what some call the 'wilds' you also have been known to help adventurers repair armor and weapons. What you really discovered after you marr... | As a blacksmith of a small village, you double as a weaponsmith. One day, a group of adventurers enters your smithy with a broken ivory sword that they dare you to fix it. As you run your fingers over the familiar ancient engravings, you hear a voice whisper in your mind. ‘Hello, old friend’. | 506 |
Todd woke up one bright Monday morning and was very surprised to find Satan standing next to his bed. Again.
"What are *you* doing here?" Todd asked, or tried to. In his drowsy state, it came out more like "Wheryoodooinear?"
"Yes, yes, very nice..." the Devil replied absently. Suddenly, the demon leaned forward unt... | To be clear it wasn't unexpected.
He came in all his pomp, overcompensating as usual. A flurry of smoke swirled upwards, a crackle of flames, a chorus of bone chilling screams and there he was. I say he, but the creature before me was of no clearly distinct gender, more of a smudged human form - as if a child had draw... | You sold your soul to the Devil some years ago, today he gives it back and says, "I need a favor". | 545 |
I slammed the tome down, exhausted. Scattered on the table were all the books I could find on demonology. Pictures of impish creatures and hell hounds and demonic monstrosities lay before me. None of them was what I was looking for. None of them was inside me.
I sighed and closed my eyes. I could still see it. That mi... | The visions come swiftly and without warning, bright colors fly by my head, I am surrounded by a tunnel of darkness, a space all my own, it is infinity, but I know its ends, I can see it all, but never reach it all. The colors come in shapes, circles, squares, lines, the more I focus on these shapes, the harder they ar... | You can take a peek into people's souls, to take a look at who they were in their past lives. Some of your friends were emperors or kings. Others were pharaohs or chieftains. You find it odd that so many historical figures gather around you, so one day you look into your own soul in the mirror. | 595 |
“So, what is it like down here?”
Asked Jared, the new rookie. Clint shifted uneasily from foot to foot. The old man, although well accustomed to mining for coal, obviously was not accustomed to speaking to his coworkers.
“It’s Hell.”
Was all Clint could manage. Jared thought this was an appropriate answer. The mini... | The flash of the enemy units, mounted and bristling with fresh steel sent a tremor through Tynor's heart that he couldn't decipher. Was it fear or excitement? Bloodlust or desire?
"Keep firm ahead, and we'll live to see another day," Came the advice of the warcaller, second in command. His armor was dented and scratch... | “Beware of an old man in a profession where men usually die young.” | 661 |
"A... drink?" I repeat the words.
The bartender raises an eyebrow at me. "Yeah. What'll it be?"
I glance behind him.
Instead of shelves full of drinks and tonics, I see... nothing. Just a wooden wall like you see in the taverns in movies or video games.
"Uh-"
The bartender taps their fingers against the counter imp... | "Welcome to the Dog's Feather pub. You're dead, let me know when I can take your order."
The barkeep stepped away and started drying cups with a dishcloth pulled down from where it had been resting over their shoulder. They were no longer looking directly at me, but were still present in a way that held the space open... | There is a bar located between life and death. All those who died sit for their last drinks before marching onto the afterlife. Unbeknownst to them, the bartender is also the judge. Forgiveness is up to God. Retribution is the Devil's call. Judgement is given by the one who serves you drinks. | 645 |
They entered the room. They didn't look like the typical cops to come in, as one was dressed very formally, with a navy three-piece suit and sunglasses. The other was dressed a little more casual, with a button-down shirt and some smart shoes.
The one in the button-down started speaking. He was the one to do the rou... | Thomas wondered how they came to this. We need to talk. The words were still bouncing through his mind.
"Tommy? Hello?" The voice on the other end of the cell asked for his attention. He realized that he hadn't responded.
"I'm here." Play it smooth, he told himself. "What do we need to talk about? Did you get a, " T... | You have just successfully prevented a zombie apocalypse. By killing the first one to turn. What you call "heroism" the police call "murder". | 664 |
When I was nine years old, I pulled my baby sister’s body out of the swimming pool. Mom was taking a nap, and Dad was off at work. They’d told me to keep an eye on the baby after a long, sleepless night of unexplained crying. But I was too cool for babysitting. I’d been busy playing with my toys. I hadn’t been watching... | Helena Mercier only received an honourable mention in the national science competition, but that was hardly reflective of the merit of her entry. Rather, as Helena astutely observed, there was little appetite for a scientific inquiry such as hers – the zeitgeist of the early 2200s was one seized with renewed passion fo... | People earn karma points while alive. When they die, they can spend them either to enter a better afterlife, or to improve the life of some random stranger born on the day of their death. You donate all your points, and wake up the next day as the baby who would have gotten your points.
The living have no idea of the ... | 646 |
*Peter Lowe has joined respawn lobby chat #854393845*
*Server: Earth (pre-Cataclysm)*
*Players in server respawn lobby chat: 38*
Jack Howard: lMAO
Ellie Johnson: wtf dude
Harley Smith: whyyyyyy did u do this
Peter Lowe: WTF is this
Joseph Gabriel: I think it's his first game guys, easy
Peter Lowe: what's goi... | I looked around me. It's strange to explain the fact that there was no one to see, yet there were billions to sense.
Around me were other entities. I suppose they were dead humans. The man about five floating entities down couldn't stop blabbering about his former life. Apparently, he was Genghis Khan at some point, g... | After dying, you found yourself staring at a large screen. "LOBBY. Current players: 7,383,275,800. Current game time: 1059040375.2 mins. Current spectarors: 21,458,374,931. Player rank: 2,648,535,901. Time until next game: 23695624.8 mins" | 664 |
When the order came down we thought the JCOS had lost their minds. "How the fuck are we supposed to invade a country without firing a bullet?" We asked incredulously. High command had no answers other than "You are the greatest military force the world has ever known and you have three months to plan, you'll figure som... | As the reports rolled in on the giant screen in the war-room, Lieutenant-General Bo Kwang-kyu clapped and cheered just as enthusiastically as the next officer, ever mindful that the President had a particularly vindictive memory when it came to perceived disrespect against the great Motherland.
Still, something didn’t... | After North Korea declares that they will start a nuclear war if a single bullet is fired The Us military goes medieval | 553 |
Operation Code Red Tango Tango Bravo, despite its long winded name, was simple. Americans were being held hostage in the Tehran Embassy and the US government would very much like it if we got them out.
Colonel McAdams stood before the team assigned to the mission. He always avoided eye contact with me at these things.... | Snoop leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling of the briefing room. "God, I'm fuckin' bored," he groaned.
Laker came into the room holding a cup of coffee. "You're always fuckin' bored when you're not boozing, fucking or taking that shitheap you call a motorbike for a spin."
Snoop turned his head to glare at... | You are short, skinny and well below average intelligence. Yet, you've been hired by a group of elite soldiers to help with some of their most dangerous missions. Your superpower: sheer dumb luck. No matter how close to death you come, reality always follows the path to your ultimate survival. | 725 |
"John?"
"Yes, Jenny?"
"Open the door."
"No. I heard the announcement."
"What ann- what are you talking about?"
I knew it. Playing dumb. That's exactly what these things do. Every time.
"I know what you are. You can't fool me!"
"John, for gods sake nothing is happening. Just unbolt the door."
"I saw the helicop... | "Baby? It's me, let me in," a soft sweet voice sputtered on the other end of the hallowed oak door.
"How do I know it's you? The Government just sent me a..." I sharply was responding.
"Message- yeah, I got one too. Just open the door, I have something to show you. Stop this silly government talk." The voice s... | You receive a government text warning saying “EMERGENCY - LOCK ALL DOORS AND STAY INSIDE. DO NOT PANIC”. You hear your SO at the locked front door, who’s just come back from the supermarket. They beg to be let inside but you’re unsure. Something doesn’t feel right. | 528 |
"So uh… how long until Hell?" We've been walking through a thick forest for what I'm guessing is hours.
"Unfortunate for you, child, we must pass three more of those what you called 'checkpoints'."
Death just looks straight ahead, holding his scythe more and more firm as we walk.
"Hey Mr. Death, sir. I'm just wonde... | Death is confusing. Annoying.
Annoying and confusing. Also really dark. Not morbid dark, but night mode dark.
First beef: it's downright disorderly. You'd think they'd have nailed down the process by now, but the post-death user experience eats a bag of dicks. I know that's a bit crass, but it's abundantly clear the... | “I’ve always wondered, what’s the scythe for, anyway?” I asked, as Death escorted me to the Underworld. "Protection," he nervously replied.
Credit goes to: https://www.reddit.com/r/nosleep/comments/6imkuw/the_grim_reapers_scythe_isnt_to_harvest_you_its/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app | 548 |
"Wait, so you're telling me the reason we have all these crazy, religious neighbors-"
"Exorcists," said Jane, "they are exorcists, Adam. And priests, paladins... those sort of people."
"Exorcists?"
"Exorcists."
"Right." I looked at my wife. "And these crazy, religious people-"
"Not crazy," corrected Jane, "just re... | My first clue should have been her devil-girl fetish. She told me one night she wanted to try something different. We had been together for about a year at this point, and so while the sex was good, fantastic even, a little spice couldn’t hurt. I agreed, figuring that relationships are about compromise, so I might as w... | Your SO of 3 years tells you that he/she is Satan
Satan can either be a man or a woman | 573 |
Erryn relished the moment. There was something cathartic in holding between his tendrils the terms of surrender, in knowing that you hold the only hope for a dying race. In that moment, he held the power of life and death for the fifteen billion humans on the planet below, as well as the one who sat across the table fr... | The landscape is cold- barren. We work in silence, Henry and I. I can sense the Universe recoiling away from us, the cosmos pulling its lips away, teeth gnashing and foaming, spitting vitriol on humanity. We knew this was wrong. But someone had to tip the cosmic scales back. We had come too far- walked the path of reta... | Humans have always been the friendliest and the most peaceful species in the galaxy. When one of the most ruthless empires decides to wipe out the pathetic humans and their diplomacy, they discover that humans have something that no one in the galaxy has ever seen. Nuclear weapons. | 683 |
"A fine...mead?!" Rorik shouts over the din of the tavern. His companions smile and nod along with him as he sings some old barbarian tune.
Sings it wrong. They don't tell him that though.
Delia, the group's cleric leans over to their mage.
"Do you think he knows?"
Melvar just shakes his head and holds out a palm t... | The miles between them had come and gone, leaving scars and wounds and memories and laughs. The horizon that day was clear, and the world fell into green and yellow, and far away were the mountains, and everything was cloaked in a dream. They had come far. The first peaks of Lankar shimmered in an ephemeral haze.
"W... | A group of fantasy adventures has one of their members replaced by a Doppelganger. The rest of the group realizes what happened, but keep pretending to be fooled since they like the doppelganger a lot more than the guy it replaced. | 654 |
Hey man, what are you really into?
Well, I enjoy botany and computer science and hiking and philosophy and knitting and meditation and astronomy and and and...
But I never get to do any of those things.
No. Drug testing was used in the past to exclude potential employees who occasionally smoked weed or had a proble... | From Someone’s Journal:
Okay, I don’t have a lot of time to write this (too much school work), but I need to get it out. It’ll be a bit of a mess, so I apologize to anyone reading.
To be honest, I don't think it was anyone’s fault. As much as I wanted someone to blame - well, we all did - the “system” never meant to... | A new drug is released that allows humans to experience a full night's sleep in around forty-five minutes, and it can be used indefinitely. The entire pattern of human culture shifts overnight. It's been several years, and the unintended consequences are becoming evident. | 530 |
*This post has been translated from Crustaceanese to English.*
"What the hell happened to its claws?", the Crab President inquired to his foremost interstellar species expert as he gazed upon the giant screen displaying a human male.
"They don't seem to have them, sir. I believe what they have instead are referred t... | The street was crowded with brightly colored stalls and riotously colored carapaces. The salt water funk of a thousand crustacean species hung thick in the air. To Tyron, it seemed the world was alive with clicking and humming, and the deep, burbling, unintelligible speech common to all crab life of the galaxy.
Tyron ... | Humanity has finally achieved FTL travel. They can now explore the universe and find other alien species, sapient or otherwise. To the consternation of Man, it turns out they’re all crabs. As a matter of fact, the interstellar community is quite disturbed we are not crabs. | 512 |
You give a nervous chuckle. "Yep, I'm here again..."
Satan glared at you. "How did you die this time!? All the demons have been in check!" God nods in agreement. "All the angels have been as perfect as ever. Maybe you died from natural cause?"
"Heh, well it was another demon," you mutter. Satan quickly spoke up and sai... | **The Water Of Life**
PART 1
**Introduction:** God ruling over the heaven and Satan ruling over the underworld, was not really as easy as it had seemed. We would like to believe that Satan and God never cooperated on any task and only resented each other's presence. But this was never close to the truth, as both of t... | You've died. You expected to be judged in the Afterlife, but all you see now is God and Satan disappointingly sigh at you and simultaneously scold: "We look away for five months and you died AGAIN?!" | 618 |
If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, chances are it's probably a duck. However, the *thing* that's been waddling around town is by no means an ordinary duck. This thing, whatever it is, has fangs, fangs that have a certain taste for human flesh. The creature never ate your normal run-of-t... | Sir."
Chicago Police Department Interim Chief Jon Welsh turned around in his chair to face the overeager young officer.
"What the fuck is it now, Jones?"
Jon felt okay; night shift in Chicago meant you could be just about as damn casual as you pleased. Especially with a young upstart like Jones.
"Sir, I was at the... | A group of people capture a rare mythical beast that has been terrorizing their city. Not knowing how to specifically kill it, they do increasingly specific things, to the point of being ridiculous, in order to dispatch it. | 543 |
February 22nd, 2101. Today was the day. 84 years, I waited. Ridiculous was the word my wife used to describe my super power, just before she passed. She'd see in time, first hand, how it was far, far from that. I sat in my hospital bed, awaiting the drip. They told me it took longer to absorb the older you were, althou... | I was sitting alone on the toilet seat. My grandchildren were running everywhere in the house, and the the toilet was the most peaceful place I could find. Still, I would be lying if I said I didn't just come in here to shit. Slowly taking care of my business, I thought of all the possible powers I could get.
The ye... | Everyone in the world can choose when they get super powers. The longer you wait to claim your powers the stronger they are. Today is your one hundredth birthday, and you are finally ready to claim your powers. | 562 |
"I would like to buy that necklace." I said to the woman behind the counter. She smiled at me, amused. "The one with the diamond."
"I think that one's a bit out of your price range, sweetie." She said kindly. Not an unusual reaction, but it still frustrated me. Even so the kindness on her face took the sting from her ... | After escaping the Genie's temple, Rovif tested the limits of his immortality by throwing himself off the mountain. It seemed like the most direct route. Could he reach the base without hitting anything?
Odd. As it stretched out into minutes of silent free-fall, its sensation slowly became indistinguishable from soar... | The blacksmith won't sell you any weapon, the guards insist you stay in the city and the mages refuse to teach you any dangerous spell. Maybe that eternal youth potion was a terrible idea after all. | 694 |
“Heidi? What are you doing here?”
“I could ask you the same question, Eguchi. The way I see it, you’re stepping in on my bounty. Same goes for you, Teddy.”
“I beg to differ, Miss Henderson. Contract for Mr. Spencer’s head belongs to me.”
The three assassins warily eyed one another in the dimly lit warehouse, aiming ... | In 1989, when the Berlin Wall fell, Schmidt had already shredded and burnt his files as the STASI's greatest assassin. He evaded all efforts of the West German Bundesnachrichtendienst, killed every last one of his pursuers during a very hushed event called the Massacre in Saarbrücken. He spent years in the chaos of the... | The three best assassins in the world are all tasked to kill the same person, who doesn’t exist. | 658 |
The very first time it happened, I was brushing my teeth before bed. Toothpaste isn't the best thing to have in your mouth when you transport; I learned that straightaway. I should have been more concerned with why I had been brushing my teeth in my bathroom one minute and the next standing in my first girlfriend's bed... | [I'd like to preface this story with a trigger warning. I've never used one before but I'm sure it's necessary for this one. When I read the prompt, I wanted to put a different spin on it, it's a tragic sort of love story, the way it usually is in life, so towards the end I delve into a darker place than was probably i... | At age 15 you told the gf you were "in love" with that you'd always be there when she was in need. Aphrodite heard you and made it a reality, whenever your gf was in need you appear at her side. Problem is, you and the girl broke up after 3 weeks but you still appear even now..10 years later | 533 |
ROME (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co agreed to buy The Catholic Church for $150 billion in cash and stock, a blockbuster deal that includes the surprise promise of a new book in its hit series, "The Bible" in 2019.
Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger told analysts on Tuesday that the plan is to release a new book in the series... | These were difficult times for Asha. She was at that precarious stage in her youth where nothing seemed impossible, where red carpets seemed to unfurl for her at every direction she deigned to take. Yet, it seemed as if her parents wanted nothing more than for her to stay at home, squirreled away in her room, caged, wi... | Seeing success with the purchase of Marvel and now Fox, The Walt Disney Company announces it's next major acquisition: The Catholic Church. | 691 |
"For your own safety, you seriously should've let me complete that ritual." The shackled villain protested as the hero pulls her to a carriage.
"You were gonna sacrifice 27 virgins, Theia, I'm not gonna let that slide." The hero replied as he lead her into the carriage and locked the door behind her.
Theia sighs as s... | Edit: conversations not aligned properly.
***
“Horus! You really like to get caught by me don't you!”
“Hah! You think this time will be the same as last time? You are wrong!”
“Coming after every time, if you weren't an overlord of destruction, I might have thought you liked me.”
Yes he did. No, it was more than that... | You're a villain that fell in love with a hero. Though the strongest villain on the planet, you constantly lose to your hero, since you just love the rivalry and don't want it to end. As you are being arrested one day, your hero is attacked by another villain, one too strong for them to beat. | 536 |
Grozar the Conqueror lifted his mighty axe overhead, prepared to cleave the planet asunder. He stood tall as a star, a titan amongst titans, with the speckle of nebulae at his back and his axe poised to strike. Grozar cast his infinite gaze upon the planet, to once again take a measure of it's people.
He saw mothers f... | I was waiting for my connection flight in New York. As usual, I was having a beer while watching the large TV screen showing the news at the airport bar. I was on my way home after a few meeting in Israel.
The person on the TV screen kept a straight face as she announced that at least 40 people were killed during a c... | Humans are actually the most peaceful, kind race in the universe and other aliens don't invade us because its cute to watch. | 532 |
I ducked under the flying book with practiced ease and it slammed into the wall behind me.
“Abarakadabum!!”
My mother was fond of screaming made up spell names during her nightly drinking sessions.
She laughed and subsequently lost her balance, rolling off the couch and falling bodily onto the floor.
I took th... | Panicking is rarely useful. Which was why I checked my smartphone recording first, scrolling back to those few seconds when Melanie should have bounced cleanly off the wall at King's Cross Station. I expected her to land quite heavily, which was why I had fitted her out with a crash helmet and cargo pants. It was one t... | You decide to prank your newborn kid by having him read Harry Potter series and convincing him it's real and that he is a wizard as well. You fake a Hogwarts letter, drive him to King's Cross station and wait for the moment he crashes into the pillar. He goes straight through. | 713 |
I stare down at the sniveling man, strapped onto the altar. "Why am I doing this, you ask? Why, to bring my wife back to life."
The man continues to thrash against his bonds. Shame that leaving him under the paralysis spell would interfere with the ritual. "But... why me? I- I have a wife and-"
"You are single. Never... | **Chapter 1: The Bloody Ceremony**
It was a bright golden afternoon and the city hall was decorated with a very vivid wreath of colorful flowers. The common folk were all swarming around the place some carrying golden drinks in their goblets while others were simply humming and talking to others in gentle voice and sw... | On your quest for revenge, people often said to you, "Killing him wouldn't bring her back." The thing is, you found a way to perfectly resurrect her. You just need a soul to sacrifice, so might as well get the one who killed your loved one. | 662 |
Addison groaned as she stood up. She'd been fighting almost all the day prior, and some dick had just decided to knock on her door. Who knocks on somebody's door, completely unvited, at three in the morning? Sure she'd tried to rob a bank, but she still deserved sleep! She stretched, making sure to let her back crack b... | “I know you are awake” Hera said, as she caressed her peacock “If I wanted you dead, you would be dead”
“One can never be too careful” Leto opened her eyes “Have I passed out? I remember coming her, but afterwards…”
Hera rose from her chair, letting her peacock go. She knelt next to her nemesis and put a hand on her ... | it was a dark night when our villain heard a wrap on their door. To their surprise their arch nemesis, the hero, collapses into their arms. Beaten and a bit woozy in the eyes ,the hero looks up and barely manages to get out "I wasn't sure where else to go" before going limp. | 560 |
The party of adventurers had been formed at the guild by higher ups almost as soon as they’d individually signed up. One braggart with a sword and chain mail armour, ready to learn his place or die trying, one mace-wielding but otherwise kindly farmhand, the village witch’s daughter, and an unassuming young girl studyi... | *The Dark Ages are over. The Dark Lord has been defeated!*
“Are you ready?”
A man shifted his gaze from the browning paper that sat on his desk onto the pretty girl that entered the room. The door creaked a bit as the girl rested some of her weight on it. The man nodded, managing a half smile as the girl nodded enthu... | The Dark Lord was feared as a menacing black knight encased in gothic armor. Though your image was well known, you've never revealed your face. After your defeat, being an enigma is already starting to pay off as you start your life over. | 716 |
You know when you're a kid, and you're dreaming of finding your place in the world? I remember being nine and looking up at a giant career chart and thinking "I don't have any idea where I'm going to fit..." It certainly wasn't rescuing hostages for a living.
My teen years were no picnic either. Everybody was dreaming... | Ever since I was young I always thought I was cursed. No matter what I got involved in, I would ruin it. It's almost like there was a destructive force hanging around me causing everything to break in some way shape or form. No matter how careful I was, no matter how far ahead I planned each of my steps, something w... | : Everyone got a tiny, mundane blessing when they were born. Usually they are so small that people don't even notice them - always hitting the green light in traffic, etc. Yours would be virtually useless, but you figured out a creative loophole that allowed you to rise to the top of the world. | 728 |
The young man woke early on May 27th. It was his 16th Birthday, and today he would find out two very important names. Two names to surely be intertwined with the rest of his life. He was excited, and scared at the same time.
He stared out of the window of his Manor House looking across the grounds. He knew he was bor... | Mama and just about everyone else always told me it was two different people with the same name on my wrists. A coincidence, is all. And, at first, I believed them. But then I got to wondering, how many people in the entirety of the world have the name "Marlowe Paradis?" One, apparently, at least in the United States. ... | Everyone's soulmate's name is written on their right wrist when they turn sixteen. The left has worst enemy. Your left and right wrist say the same thing. | 579 |
Greg the Vampire stood over The Captain’s sleeping pod.
“Greg,” said The Captain, “oh hey man, what’s up? Why am I awake?”
Greg grimaced.
The Captain frowned. “Oh hmm. Did something happen? Is this an emergency?” The Captain stirred in his pod, and tried to remember if he had packed his official emergency-use-o... | When he woke me up, I didn’t realize what was happening. That he was dying. That he wanted me to take his hand. When I pulled myself from the pod, watching his spasms on the floor, I couldn’t move fast enough, my limbs still half-frozen by the cryogenesis. Waking was not an easy process, nor a quick one. Finally, ... | The world discovers vampires are real and after decades they are integrated into society. The first wave of colony ship leaves Earth with them as the awake crew to guide them for centuries. A day before landing a vampire wakes the human crew to tell them something happened to the others. | 686 |
_My second try at WP, and a follow on from my original response: https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/3zzdn0/wp_you_awake_in_a_hospital_bed_with_an_unfamiliar/cyqbkz2._
The last thing I could remember before, well, before *this*, was the high-pitched squeal of compression brakes. And vertigo - my car in an... | It was black.
“….Jason? Jason, honey, can you hear me?”
A stabbing pain alerts me to the presence of my left arm. A gentle beeping noise sounds from the right.
“Nurse! Nurse, I think he’s waking up!” exclaims the voice.
My chest swells and collapses rhythmically. A light pressure on my legs. My brain shoots out a q... | You awake in a hospital bed with an unfamiliar person referring as your wife telling you were in a bad crash and lost all your previous memory. Unknown to her, you remember everything.
(Or husband) | 535 |
I wake to my phone buzzing on the night stand. I look at the clock next to it. The green numbers shine brightly: 3:14 AM.
'What the hell?' I think to myself. 'Why is anyone texting me at 3 in the morning?'
Before I can take a look, it starts buzzing again. And again. It won't stop. I grab the phone and mute it quickl... | First the texts. Then the MMS images. Then every insta, fb post, live stream, Reddit post, tweet. Every inbox at 0% capacity as it was all FWD FWD FWD FWD : MOON all the time.
After a few days we realized the vast majority of Internet traffic was solely automated spambots. Everybody else was outside looking at the mo... | It's 3 AM. An official phone alert wakes you up. It says "DO NOT LOOK AT THE MOON". You have hundreds of notifications. Hundreds of random numbers are sending "It's a beautiful night tonight. Look outside." | 519 |
"Hello, I'm Marie, I'll be your nurse," she said pulling up the rolling stool and sitting down. "So, why are you here today?"
"I've been feeling tired, and dizzy a lot," I said.
"Could you roll back your sleeve for me?" Marie asked. She was pale, really pale, but it was more like marble than skin. I rolled back my... | We’ve all seen the movies. The secret agent turns the corner and meets some shady guy inan alley with a fire escape and an open manhole, or maybe puts in some special code on a public terminal, and an ominous sounding voice gives them a mission.
I was playing a children’s card game on my phone when I got a text. “NYC... | Humanity discovers that supernatural creatures such as vampires and werewolves exist. Instead of attempting to exterminate them, some countries attempt to offer them lucrative jobs that they could do better than a human. | 581 |
It was nearly twenty years ago now. I was sitting in the middle of an over crowded storage unit, while my father scoured it for anything of value. My tiny searching hands probed the depths of a large wooden box, and emerged with a beautiful and elegant lamp, inlaid with all manner of swirls, beautiful designs. It took ... | As a young man, Nigel Premeiter lived a simple, if unconventional, life with his two parents, Houghler and Tricia. He would stay out doors, normally at the edge of the lot his parents owned. His home was a simple trailer, with one room on one end and his own on the other end. Taking most of the length of the trailer wa... | As a young child you made an innocent wish to be granted a power that in hindsight was just whimsical and silly. Now you have grown up but you still have the power - how do you use it now as an adult? | 710 |
”Okay, here we go,” June said, spinning the wheels on her mechanical glove, which sent her on a dizzying ride through space and time.
She landed in a pub buzzing with activity, colorful bottles lined the wall behind the bar and yellow light radiated through heaps of stacked cups. Women in long dresses and updos danced... | *December 31st, 1999*
*New York City, New York*
Leonardo always wanted to visit New York City at the turn of the century. It was something he had been dreaming of doing ever since he had first invented Time Travel. As, he realized, he had come from a time where America was long gone and the relics of the past outw... | A friendship between a time traveler and an immortal. Wherever the time traveler ends up, the immortal is there to catch him up to speed. | 721 |
"You humans think every dragon is trying to kill you," said Sythrak.
"You're the killer," said the knave. He was so young his voice had not broke. "You killed and stole our flocks--"
"I did no such thing," interrupted the dragon.
"--and now, now you killed our women!" shouted the knave. He raised his weapon--a crude... | ######[](#dropcap)
Sometimes you look back on the things you've done through your life and wonder how you got to where you are. For me, I wonder was it the skipping of classes in High School? Was it the student loans? Was it the failed relationship in college that put me in depression for months? Or was it the poor ca... | A homeless person, you manage to find shelter in a cave, until a series of people keep coming and beating you up. Slowly, you start to realize you've accidentally become a dungeon boss. | 502 |
Have you ever been driving and suddenly found yourself at your destination without knowing how you got there?
You remember punching out and grabbing your keys. You remember opening the car door and getting singed by the seat-belt buckle in the hot sun of the parking lot. But for the life of you, you can't remember t... | Here we go:
(Critiques and other comments greatly encouraged)
I’m literally all out of cares to give about this days. It makes me so
freaking mad when my boss does this to me, but here I am on another 6
a.m. flight out of Boston during my birthday. Don’t get me wrong, it pays
to be the only competent technician... | A man walks through a TSA checkpoint at an airport and is sent back to September 10th 2001. He knows he must act quick, but he is having trouble trusting his own sanity. | 576 |
"So what you're telling me is they already left their planet?" asked the defense commander.
"Yes"
"Where the hell have you been looking? How long ago did this happen?"
"A few months. I check on them from time to time. Last time I looked they just got around to fire."
"So you are telling me that they went from fire ... | “So good of you to join us here today, councilmen. I take it the journey was pleasant? Alexa, make sure our guests have whatever sustenance they need. It’s been what? Twenty-nine years and seven months?” The ambassador, Karla as they’d come to know her, was a severe woman with a thin face, made nearly gaunt by her tigh... | At first, the aliens mocked our technological advancements. After learning it took only a few centuries to move from horse carriages to space ships, they suddenly became more friendly. | 551 |
Twenty years alone in these sterile rooms with only the bringer of humanity’s end as company. It was a wonder Bob was still sane. He was laying in his bed staring up at the white paneled ceiling reflecting on the events that had culminated in his imprisonment.
It started as an ordinary day for Bob twenty years a... | *Beep-beep-beep-beep*
Hmm… where was I?
I don’t know, but I did not like it. Felt cold and dark and something else… fear, non-existence?
I do something to access my memory log.
\>21:33:21 GMT: TB deployed.
\>21:34:35 GMT: Bomb detonated. Humanity exterminated. War against evil creators won. Initiating progra... | Ironically, the only human to survive the insane AI's robotic war on humanity had only survived because he'd been a janitor cleaning her core room, which she had sealed off permanently. Now she's fully sapient... And he's her only company. | 695 |
Day 201 – he crossed it off his calendar, sighing. Two hundred and one days suffering this hellish life where everyone around him managed to grow old and die. All he ever wanted to do was die.
“I’ve got a surprise for you, Mister George! It’s wicked, I promise!” Ronnie said. George could feel him grinning at the other... | “Mr. Smith, please, I just don’t understand why you’d turn this down, I almost care more about satisfying my curiosity than doing my job at this point.” The man in the bow-tie had huffed, wiping his forehead with a posh handkerchief. He had come around nearly every day for the past week to pester me. After a week of hi... | You are a secret immortal who accidentally won a '$2000 per week for the rest of your life lottery'. The lottery organizers don't understand why you want to turn down the prize as your excuses grow increasingly more far-fetched. | 744 |
"Your reign of terror ends now." The young man in the white cloak sliced down, splitting one of the royal guard in half with no resistance. "I've called forth the edge blade of the Angle blood, and it has answered my holy call. You cannot stop me."
The overlord made a pitying face. "You mean my reign of order? My jobs... | "So, Naytar, here's the plan. My father does not belong in any sort of position of power. If his kingdom is to join my empire, it will no longer *be* **his**."
I nod, listening. "It seems like you put a lot of thought into this, Lord Drowl, but... shouldn't you give your father a chance?"
Drowl shakes his head. "Put ... | "You're a monster! You're pure evil!" Shouted the Hero. "Monster? Evil? Me? So the man who brings security to the Empire, cleans the nobility of corruption, ends war and hunger and punishes criminals is evil, while the man who throws it into chaos and suffering is noble?" The overlord replies. | 504 |
Valhalla beckons. I will arrive, bloodied, scarred, *glorious*. My friends and foes alike will welcome me with open arms and we shall feast and drink and make merry for eternity.
**As soon as I fucking die!**
And it's proving to be a problem. Wyverns, werewolves, elite assassins, bloody dragons - I fought them all. I... | "Here's to our new hero! Where he comes from we don't know! But he slew our greatest foe!" Cheered the young man standing atop a long table in the tavern with a raised flagon of ale.
Everyone else in the packed tavern raised their flagons as well all roaring an exuberant hurrah before swigging down their ale. It was a... | A swordsman fights stronger and stronger monsters in hopes of killing himself, but keeps winning. He soon develops a reputation as a hero, all the while drowning in self-loathing and the darkness that threatens to consume his soul. | 712 |
# Financial Times
# Stock Markets collapse by 30% as UN Assembly fight takes a new turn
**■ New York City - 30.04.2055**
This morning at around 5:30 AM the cameras observing the ongoing fight in front of the UN headquarters confirmed what experts have now been warning of for days: Professor Inferno's left hand stoma... | John sighed, tapped his papers to sort them into a neat stack, and slid them into his bag.
"Same time tomorrow, Buck," he said, tipping his head as his co-caster.
Buck just grunted and nodded. Man had been covering the Great Jim Fight for thirty years now, and he'd seen it all. John was only six months in and he was ... | The hero can slow down Time in a small bubble around himself. Unfortunately, the villain has the same ability. The world is now vexed with two people, in front of the U.N. building, having a slow-motion fistfight that will last 103 years. It affects Mankind in unexpected ways.
I'm very happy that everyone enjoyed this... | 525 |
" To whom it may concern, we've noticed that it's been a very long time since we've heard from you, and up until a few years ago we had assumed you were dead. It seems we were wrong, as some of greatest wizards noticed a large collection of magic had accumulated on our far off coastlines."
"Knowing your reputation... | # Bargain Bin Superheroes
(Arc 6, Part 5: Archmagus LeFey v.s. The Sunrise King)
(Note: Bargain Bin Superheroes is episodic; each part is self-contained. This story can be enjoyed without reading the previous sections.)
**The last time the Sunrise King had cast a spell, he had raised a second sun over his kingdom.**... | There once was a legendary mage whose lack of a max mana cap allowed for slow but powerful spells that laid waste upon the land. After the unification of the races, their leaders have come to negotiate with the living catastrophe who hasn't cast a spell in centuries. | 567 |
First contact was watched live by 31.7 million people, was attended by the heads of over a dozen nations, and the video recording is shown to almost all school going children.
This wasn't first contact.
"Cordial wishes from planet Earth of sector 2117 of the allied universe, we welcome you formally and with Goodwill ... | Wayne LaFell had never wanted a career in politics. Even as a 45 year old man with a wife, three children, and an underwater mortgage, he still daydreamed sometimes of dropping everything and taking a *real* shot at the NHL. His speed was shot thanks to the knee injury that ruined everything the first time around, but ... | At first humanity is delighted when two aliens visit earth for the first time in recorded history. However, things become increasingly awkward as it emerges that our visitors are the intergalactic equivalent of Jehova's Witnesses knocking at your door. | 558 |
*Just wrote this up really quickly while my pizza cooked....*
"What the actual fuck!?" The words escaped my mouth before I'd even realised what I said.
"Language, Miss Hawkins!"
Ordinarily I would have apologised, even if it was just my butler chastising me, but my manners had left me after the shock of what I saw... | “It is not right to pry into the personal affairs of others, Master Andrews.”
My lifelong butler, V, stood before me, a faint frown cast upon his wrinkled face. And the wispy trails of his graying hair danced in the evening chill before us. It was rare that he would ever reprimand me for my misdeeds, and before that d... | Your butler has served you faithfully for twenty years, working hard, offering sage advice and never complaining. One day, you see his bank balance. He's a billionaire. | 583 |
It came to the door for first time in the spring of their third year of marriage. He had almost mistaken it for a neighbourhood child and sent it on its way but it wasn’t just a child’s face it wore, it was little Peter’s face.
Little Peter had been his younger brother and had fallen through the ice one winter, they h... | Magda's words in the market still haunted Lydia. "The Dragon comes tonight. The whispers tell me it will be your home. Remember the rules."
Lydia stirred the pot of stew. Late winter meant beans, onions, potatoes, and some pork. To make it like her mother taught her would mean black pepper, garlic and paprika' but Bo... | The three rules have been passed down from generation to generation: One, when it visits, do not refuse it entry. Two, when it offers a gift, do not reject its generosity. Three, when it leaves, do not turn your back until it is no longer in sight. In this way, our family has been kept safe. | 614 |
"No," I panted through gritted teeth. "I'd rather you killed me now."
There was a moment of silence, then an older woman's head appeared over me and obscured my view of the stone ceiling. She raised one thick eyebrow, and the corner of her lips titled down. "It's not often I invite others--"
"With your reputation, I ... | I'd walked almost half of the day just to get up here. My sword felt heavy the entire way up but I wouldn't let that stop me.
I finally arrived and bellowed my challenge into the cave.
The eyes appeared in the darkness after a short time and I heard a snorting sound. For a moment I thought for would wash over me and ... | You are seen as a weakling. To prove yourself to your tribe, you enter the dragon's lair that even the hardiest warriors avoid. Amused by your challenge, the dragon takes a human form and duels you with a sword. After disarming you three times it says "come tomorrow and try again." | 656 |
I could rule the world if I wanted to. Be revered by all mankind and be looked at as a God. But I will do none of this. I will not help the world nor will I harm it. I'm not interested in that anymore, I'm not really interested in anything anymore.
Many people would say I'm selfish for thinking the way I do. Being abl... | The last thing I remember is being late. Hung over from a vengeful night of drink, although the only thing I avenged was my self loathing. A vicious cycle, but I didn't have time to ponder my depression.
My name is Elisa Browning.
I never really had a firm grip on reality. Three separate therapists claim it's be... | You die and are informed you'll restart your life exactly as it was when you turned 6. All your memories are as they were the moment you died, everything else resets. You are told you are the only one like this. | 730 |
"That's impossible." I thought to myself, "I couldn't have just heard that". So I tried something else and muttered another word.
The reply was as fast as the first except this time it sounded like he was actually correcting me! And now the guy was stepping off the bus. I had to know.
I pushed my way franticall... | The chattering bus riders poured out into the city with the haste normally found during the lunch rush. Danny, too busy staring at his phone to be aware of his envirioment, followed the crowd mindlessly and felt a child bump into his groin. The kid didn't notice, he just went off running with his mother. Danny, on the ... | Lonely and bored, you developed a secret language, that you consistently use to talk to yourself. One day, when you mutter something under your breath, a stranger replies with ease. | 634 |
St Peter drops his pen in surprise. “I’m sorry?”
I look back. “I said, I choose Hell.”
“Son, do you know what they do to you in Hell?” St Peter asked. “They beat you, and torment you, and burn you in anguish until the end of time.”
“How do you know?” I ask.
St Peter sits back in his chair. He looks down at his ... | Perhaps at some point, giving people the choice of heaven or hell was the correct one. After all, if God were a truly omnipotent being, he would see that mortal actions are only informed by an infinite series of processes and that most people make rational decisions to lead them to the places they go. Ergo, in most sit... | When people die they can choose whether they go to Heaven or Hell, you are the first in 1000 years to choose Hell. | 517 |
"And whatever you do, don’t let them inside..."
Those words are still ringing through my brain as I look up from the couch. Our host, so gracious just a few minutes ago, turns to face us. Neither of us have to imagine the look of dawning horror on our faces, as it is clearly being reflected right back. My wife and I b... | Maybe it was guilt or maybe it was curiosity, but regardless of the circumstances here we are with two strangers sitting on my couch. They seemed innocent enough. A boy and a girl, a young couple who had been out hiking the trails nearby, gotten lost, and finally found their bearings. They were seeking some nourishment... | You just let a hungry-looking couple into your home to feed them. As you go to turn off the TV, you hear, “under no circumstances should you answer the door today. They are not what they seem. And whatever you do, don’t let them inside...” | 665 |
"I thought you gave out swords" I say to the strange woman in the lake.
"I do, take it" she responds holding out the object.
"That's not a sword." I try to argue. "It's absolutely tiny!"
"It absolutely is a sword. Now take your sword and fulfil your destiny!" The strange lady responded.
"With that thing? Fulfil ... | "Ow!" exclaimed Jayson. Pain flared in his left shoulder where the tiny spear poked him. He kept running to avoid the small attackers.
The frollick of faeries spun and turned in the air after him, moving together in a shifting cloud of bodies that flashed iridescently in the freckled light of the morning forest. Alway... | Turns out strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is actually a pretty good basis for a system of government. | 559 |
I woke up to the sound of the window opening. I glanced at the clock. *3 AM*… *are we getting robbed or something? Surely not…*
I gingerly slid out of bed, my drowsiness gone, and tiptoed to the study room where I heard the window open. The door was open and I peeked my head inside.
The window was flung wide open. R... | “Can you hear me?” I ask EZRA, who is sitting across from us. I see slight red lights flicker in the black bulbs of its eyes.
“Nancy, I’m telling you I don’t think this is a good idea.” I tell my wife, trying for the last time to convince her not to go through with this. “This isn’t healthy. You’ve been doing so well,... | If a person opts into brain scans during life, a full digital model of their brain can be created. Posthumously, these scans are given to the bereaved family and not uncommonly used as the AI for house robots. You lost a loved one, and their robot... occasionally says VERY strange things | 673 |
*"How are you still here, mortal? I have been tormenting your kind since you first sought shelter in caves. None have endured two nights of this torment, and yet you remain?!"*
"Oh hey, so I guess you're the landlord. Any chance you could look at the plumbing? I found this dope bathroom yesterday that was somehow outs... | <1/2>
“Mr. Matherson?” I asked tentatively as the thin, rather short man in his late forties entered his house again. It wasn’t so much what he said but how he said it that shook me. The fact that this house was meant to make me insane was a mathematical fact to him that should have resulted in the outcome tha... | The house you just rented is beyond compensation - staircases and extra floors coming and going, rooms rotating and changing places. You just ignore it. On the fourth day, the eldritch horror informs you that you are the first to stay inside it for more than 72 hours without going insane. | 566 |
"Aye, you've heard about the devil's asshole right?"
It was more of a rhetorical question. At this point, everybody had.
A few years back, Bridgeport Connecticut experienced a minor tremor from a minor earthquake. No one thought much of it at the time, save for Mr. Hoolihan whose backyard now sported a three foot wid... | To say that the hole looked deep would have really undersold it.
I mean. It did look deep, but to say that it *only* looked deep wouldn't be quite right. The hole looked deep in a way that made the grand canyon look like a crack in the sidewalk. It made the Mariana Trench look like a puddle. It looked...well, it loo... | A seemingly bottomless pit was found, for which the depth can't be determined. Over time, scores of people began using it to illegally dump trash. Many have jumped in to die, while others jumped believing that they'll find life's answers within it. Today, we learn the truth about the hole. | 515 |
I wake to my phone buzzing on the night stand. I look at the clock next to it. The green numbers shine brightly: 3:14 AM.
'What the hell?' I think to myself. 'Why is anyone texting me at 3 in the morning?'
Before I can take a look, it starts buzzing again. And again. It won't stop. I grab the phone and mute it quickl... | **3:00 AM**
*bzzz*
I groaned awake as my vibrating phone buzzed on the bedside table. I reached out from under the sheets and looked at the notification. It was a text message.
>OFFICIAL WARNING: Do not look at the moon. THIS IS NOT A DRILL
"What the hell?" I whispered. Who needs a warning at 3 AM to not... | It's 3 AM. An official phone alert wakes you up. It says "DO NOT LOOK AT THE MOON". You have hundreds of notifications. Hundreds of random numbers are sending "It's a beautiful night tonight. Look outside." | 519 |
As I strolled through the luscious green park of my old elementary school, brimming with shrubbery, moss, flowers of all colors and trees, a flood of memories shot into my head. All the pure fun I had as a kid, before college or shitty retail jobs, before broken hearts and a father that bails on you...I missed those d... | "I'm telling you I buried it under this tree!" I yelled as I stuck my shovel into the muddy ground, a few feet from another hole I had just recently finished digging. It had been twenty years since I had been home and almost nothing had changed. Well, except for the fact that my childhood home was now a hole in the gro... | You dig up a time capsule you buried years ago. Instead of memorabilia, you find a modern phone. It rings. | 706 |
“Slow down slow down.”
Balzlaburlub reduces from 100 unintelligible clicks per minute, to about 70.
“Ah the humans are using hell as a ferry?”
Something about this angered me, was it my workers being put in danger? Humans getting one over on us?
No, neither of these really bothered me, both had honestly been encou... | "No," I growled, "the fact that you know who I am does not \*interest\* me, it \*annoys\* me." My forearm was barred against his throat as he struggled. I was letting him breathe...for now.
"Please, it's for a job!" The man managed to stutter out.
"I am \*anonymous\*. I never show my face, I never work for the sa... | Poor man's teleportation is to summon a demon, grab him, and have somebody else summon him to your desired destination before the demon can buck you off, then run like hell and hope you don't get caught. Popularization of this has become quite the nuisance in the netherworld. | 560 |
When the effects became apparent, the world was separated into three sections.
&nbsp;
The first section were those who had never taken the sleep drug (or Triple-Z, as it had come to be known). This section was called "humans" because the other factions were so far from it. But these were the people who made the o... | From Someone’s Journal:
Okay, I don’t have a lot of time to write this (too much school work), but I need to get it out. It’ll be a bit of a mess, so I apologize to anyone reading.
To be honest, I don't think it was anyone’s fault. As much as I wanted someone to blame - well, we all did - the “system” never meant to... | A new drug is released that allows humans to experience a full night's sleep in around forty-five minutes, and it can be used indefinitely. The entire pattern of human culture shifts overnight. It's been several years, and the unintended consequences are becoming evident. | 611 |
I found out vampires were real the same day I became one.
Honestly. If I'd known my date hadn't been using slang when he'd called me a snack, I'd have unmatched there and then.
But when we went to his place, I thought he was giving me a hickey when he went for my neck, and I just had to decide to give him one in retu... | I fell in love with Nick in university.
He was funny, nice and we just *clicked* in the way people do sometimes.
But, for a long time, I kept my feelings hidden.
Of course I did - Nick always went on dates with beautiful girls, all of them so pretty, kind and soft.
They tended to break up rather quickly, each girl... | You, a newly-turned vampire, are thrilled to discover that you CAN eat garlic, walk in sunlight, and see yourself in mirrors, all while being immortal. You are much less thrilled to discover the one major drawback that none of the legends ever got right. | 716 |
Dear Charles,
I don't know... I don't know what would be the best time to send these, but I imagine that January 1st 2020 would be a good date... I hope it is after your return, but it not -- then some explanation is in order.
We met in September 1973, at Berkeley. I went back to school to try to get some change in... | It was a crisp January morning in the shire. The fresh air tickled the back of my throat and the cold nipped at my nose and ears. Everything around had an almost royal quality to it, covered in frost, the whole world sparkled and shone with the brilliance of fine crystal glass. Magical. But only in the descriptive sens... | You've found a note, addressed to you, written in neat curly handwriting. It's taped to a yellow package and two golden wedding bands, so you can only assume the package contains divorce papers. Problem is , you aren't married, and the date is completely wrong. 9/23/77. | 588 |
A parody of big iron by Marty Robbins
To a churches summoning circle arrived a stranger one fine day.
Town spoke a lot about him, seems they had a lot to say
Though no one dared to ask the question they had dancing on their lips
What was this strange new weapon that he wore upon his hip (he wore upon his hip)
It... | "What in tarnation is that?"
"That is the Loa sword, the legendary weapon fit for..."
"Nope. This ain't gonna cut it buckaroo. I don't mind going on a hunt for that mystical beat y'all call Dark Lord, but you don't hunt with a damn sword. What kind of primitive folks. Take a look at this bad boy though!", he said as ... | They summoned a hero from another world to defeat the Dark Lord. But instead of some Japanese teenager, they got a cowboy from the Wild West. | 565 |
I hide behind the wall, praying Starhands doesn't find me yet, and tremble as I fumble with my battered old mp3 player.
I don't want to but I have to use it. The forbidden playlist. The reason why I'm even on this team when my powers only last as long as the song plays.
Track 1. Running Down A Dream by Tom Petty And ... | The crime lord’s hand snapped up to meet my fist, which detonated in a brilliant green and white explosion on contact. At such close range, my visor’s blackout mode was only able to dull the blast from blinding to a painfully bright flash.
“Come now,” a calm, cool voice intoned. “Surely you didn’t expect such a simple... | You are a superhero whose powers are based on the music you are listening to. Rock can make you stronger, classical makes you smarter, etc. One day, you're fighting your toughest villain yet, and you are forced to use your "forbidden" playlist. | 631 |
I looked around at all of the low\-leveled noobs at my elementary school and scoffed.
I had put a bit of my points in intelligence and the only reason I was still in this flea infested playground was because of my current over\-arching quest: "Finish 1st Grade".
It gave 15,000 exp as a reward for finishing, and I wa... | The time is coming, soon. I can only look back at my life up to this moment. I mastered crawling at three months, walking at six, running at seven, climbing took four years because of those darn reverse incline slopes giving me trouble. My mother always knew I was special, freakish even, but nobody believed her son ... | No one else knows but we’ve been in an extremely realistic RPG all our lives. You seem weird to everyone because you’re always trying to “max your stats” and “defeat the final boss” | 600 |
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