Datasets:

euclaise
/

WritingPrompts_binarized

Dataset card Data Studio Files Files and versions Community

Split (1)

train · 353k rows

post_title stringlengths 8 313	chosen stringlengths 1 39.5k	rejected stringlengths 1 13.8k
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	I opened my eyes slowly, one hand sliding over my face. Something didn't feel....right? Didn't feel like...me? I pulled my hand away and look at it. That's not my hand! I'm controlling it, the fingers move when I will them to but they are too thin and those freshly manicured nails are all wrong. I install atmosphere initiators on Mars; I brought life to The Red Planet! My hands are gnarled and the nails broken from the labor, this isn't right! That's when I look down and see...breasts?? What the hell is going on here?! That's when I realize for the first time I'm sitting up. That's not right either. I WAS in bed. I remember it so clearly. Everyone had sworn Mars would be different, that we would be careful of our greed. But we hadn't had we? We had used Mars up just like Earth. Slowly we had started to to use up one another until we were all gone. Recycling ourselves for resources on death, then we didn't even wait for death, as soon as we had grown old or weak we were recycled. Everyone but me, I was the last, alone, in bed, slowly dying, rationing out my last rations. But I'd faced it like a man because....because I WAS a man! "Here we sit for the last two God damned hours while she lays around taking her time dying! " "You'd think she would have had the decency to remember the rest of us and jump off a damn cliff or something instead of leaving us waiting. I didn't save five paychecks to sit on my ass bored watching Mercy strapped to a rig talking to herself" Voices? But...everyone is dead! I blink in the light and see four others sitting around in strange exo-rigs. They look like the rigs we used to install the initiators, exo suits designed to enhance our strength to lift on the heavy components but these are different, sensory leads and cortex scanners, nutrient feeds and vital monitors. "Christ Mercy, next time something like that happens can you at least suicide out for the rest of us?" I turn my head and the owner of the rough voice is looking at me. I blink at the man and his shaved head and I know I look stupid because I can see it in his face. "Aww shit! Shit Mercy! Doc! Mercy's gone and Overlapped! No wonder she didn't suicide out, she think she's her character damn it! " Now here I am, staring at this little man in the sweater. He's been telling me for the last three years my name is Mercy Evans. I'm from New York. I've never been to Mars. I've got three children that I gave birth to. That I was in a state of the art simulation as a character called Jason Owens. My character installed atmosphere initiators on Mars. I don't believe him. I'll never believe him. Why would I chose hard labor and not a life of luxury or adventure in a simulation? I look out the window again as he rattles on, his voice lost as I gaze out at the people staring down at their phones, their eyes down as the moving sidewalks take their frail bodies along. The cars driven autonomously. The ai driven robots raising new buildings, repairing roadways, taking groceries to their destination. Why would I choose manual labor?	"Oh geez, there's one left." The green thing laughs at the blue thing and points a... squiggly- what was that word- pseudopod? At me. "So I..." The green thing melts into the ground. Dead? The blue thing laughs and wiggles up to me. I'm so tired. Maybe I'm hallucinating. "See. It's fun. Create a sun, pour some fertilizer on the planet and see how long they last." I lift my head and reach out to touch the thing. What, it's real? My hands are sticky. "Who are you?" Is all I can mutter. The blue creature wiggles in place. "Listen man. You lived longer than everyone else. Er, I mean longer than the other rounds. You won. You should be proud. You proud?" I look back at a picture of my wife. She was brave, she got a horse, got some food, and fed everyone she could. I stayed home to fend for myself. I cried when I heard what the gangs did her. "No, I'm not proud." I look at my hands and remember them around the leader's neck. Blue wiggles. "Okay, I'll make you a deal. Come with me, you can get a front-row seat to the next generation. And when they die out, you die too." I can't see anything. I use the last of my power to nod and I feel myself falling. I wake up and I'm a bunch of red goo. Blue is standing next to me. "Welcome to the next round. Anything you want to look at?" I walk (walk? slither?) over and look at the wall. I can see my hometown. And one particular woman catches my attention. Blue wiggles nervously. "W-wait, how are you controlling that?" I wave a pseudopod and the cavern collapses upon the Blue thing. I'm not going to mess up again.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	“OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?” \~\~\~ Everything faded to black. \~\~\~ I opened my eyes to chaos. Total and utter chaos. I was standing in the middle of a street as people – scared and screaming – sprinted past me. The sky was red and smoke blanketed the neighborhood. “What the fuck?” I’ve feel like I've been here before…but when? My head was fuzzy and ached. “Dude come on! Don’t just stand there! We’ve got to get out of here!” I turned around. I recognized his face instantly. “Sammy? But....didn't you die? What’s going on?” Didn't he die? I feel like he did but I can't remember... “Lets go!” Sammy grabbed my arm and we started running like our life depended on it because apparently, it did. We weren’t running for long before we found shelter. There was a house a few blocks away that was conveniently empty. I’m not sure why we took shelter here, it was just like every other house on the street, but as soon as we entered Sammy sighed. “We’re safe. Come on, help me board up these windows. We don’t want any unwelcome guests breaking in.” “Dude? What the hell is going on? Unwelcome guests? Why are we safe here? What!?” He looked at me with an expression I couldn’t read. Then he started twitching, his body vibrating. It looked as if he was phasing in and out of reality and I stared in horror. Then it stopped. “We’re safe. Come on, help me board up these windows. We don’t want any unwelcome guests breaking in.” He walked over to a stack of wooden boards, picked up a hammer and began boarding up the entry ways. “You didn’t answer my question! What’s going on?” As soon as the words left my mouth, the TV turned on, it was almost like my words triggered it. It was a news channel, the headline flashed across the screen in bold red letters: ZOMBIE OUTBREAK. Downtown San Diego is in chaos right now, the latest city to have fallen victim to the Reanimatia Epidemic. The death toll is unknown and is rising rapidly. We urge all civilians to stay inside, block all doors and don’t let anyone in. The disease seems to be bloodborne – passed by blood or other bodily fluids. If bitten by the infected, seek medical attention immediately. Please stay tuned as – “as we continue to report further developments.” The TV shut off. I’ve heard this before. I glanced over to Sammy, he has already managed to board up all the windows and doors in the front. I didn’t know it was physically possible to do that so quickly. “Sammy? Something is wrong. I feel like I’ve been here before. I feel like I’ve done all of this before.” “Hey, why don’t you start boarding up the back door? I’ll head upstairs.” He gestured to another stack of boards in the hallway and they began to glow faintly. I began to walk towards the hallway, instinctively. It felt as if a wave crashed over me, I remembered everything. “Sammy! Wait don’t go upstairs! There’s a –“ But it was too late. His scream will haunt my dreams forever. They already have. And I knew I was next. The zombie came down the stairs with uncanny agility and stood before me. “Look. I don’t know what sick fucking game this is but I’m not playing it! I’m not doing this! Three years!! I spent three damn years surviving this shit and I won’t do it again!” My body began to twitch – no… it began to glitch. To my right was a crowbar, glowing slightly. But I wasn’t picking it up. Not this time. The zombie lunged. \~\~\~ “Dude why didn’t you fight it!? You just stood there! Now we lost!” “I don’t know, the game glitched or something! I tried to grab the crowbar, but my character wasn’t moving! This game is rigged. Screw this. Let’s play something else.” \~\~\~ Everything went black. &#x200B; \------- I haven't written anything in a long time so I'm a bit rusty. Hope you guys enjoy though!	"Oh geez, there's one left." The green thing laughs at the blue thing and points a... squiggly- what was that word- pseudopod? At me. "So I..." The green thing melts into the ground. Dead? The blue thing laughs and wiggles up to me. I'm so tired. Maybe I'm hallucinating. "See. It's fun. Create a sun, pour some fertilizer on the planet and see how long they last." I lift my head and reach out to touch the thing. What, it's real? My hands are sticky. "Who are you?" Is all I can mutter. The blue creature wiggles in place. "Listen man. You lived longer than everyone else. Er, I mean longer than the other rounds. You won. You should be proud. You proud?" I look back at a picture of my wife. She was brave, she got a horse, got some food, and fed everyone she could. I stayed home to fend for myself. I cried when I heard what the gangs did her. "No, I'm not proud." I look at my hands and remember them around the leader's neck. Blue wiggles. "Okay, I'll make you a deal. Come with me, you can get a front-row seat to the next generation. And when they die out, you die too." I can't see anything. I use the last of my power to nod and I feel myself falling. I wake up and I'm a bunch of red goo. Blue is standing next to me. "Welcome to the next round. Anything you want to look at?" I walk (walk? slither?) over and look at the wall. I can see my hometown. And one particular woman catches my attention. Blue wiggles nervously. "W-wait, how are you controlling that?" I wave a pseudopod and the cavern collapses upon the Blue thing. I'm not going to mess up again.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	I shut my eyes as soon as I had opened them. I slowly began to see the world around me in fleeting glimpses, and began to struggle against whatever was binding me to this chair as I saw an indiscernible blob inching closer and closer to me. As my vision cleared up I was repulsed by what I saw. When I finally noticed the weapons these things were carrying, I stopped my struggling and began to listen to what they were saying. Once they finally reached my chair, and stared at me expectantly, I responded with my best approximation of their dialect; "Winner winner chicken dinner, amirite, broskis?". And then there was silence.	I guess that is it. I struggled to breath one more time of the fresh air. What a lovely world He has created, yet how we have ruined it. After the Disaster, many have lost faith, and many have lost hope. Who can blame them. When we found out that, all human are unable to see anything and unable to reproduce because of that catastrophe, the world collapsed. I probably am the last one living, with the faith that He is still in control. This faith has saved me many years from the dark. I learned how to do things to survive without seeing them, just like I learned to believe Him without seeing. The first few years are the most difficult. Sometimes I just can't get anything right. And it seems the demon just got too much freedom. How lucky, Book of Job is already there to calm me down. And I had the luxury to understand the true joy that Job enjoyed. No, it's not about the recovery of health and family,but that He is replying. However, I laughed so hard every when I read He blames Job for accusing Him. It is so fulfilling yet so embarrassing to experience this! Sure this story I will never be tried off, even though I was not there being Job. I would rather He make a joke and shout "Surprise!" than this dramatic show up. Now that my time is numbered. Although the first days after the catastrophe is sad. I heard many crying all day long. But the sadness gone quickly. Those were able to survive all have some reason to be opstmistic. That's actually a good time. Everyone lost sight, but in return we get happy friends. To maintain a living was not easy. However we managed to get enough people in this continent into a city that can support us. It's a miracle. I can't figure out in other ways. But we then find out there's no new life no matter how hard we try or pray. Not many can bear this fact. We lost a lot of people. The rest can't make the city functional. So our life turned into more natural. 120 days ago, my last friend died. This is probably the best/worst time one can experience. I think, I pray, I give up, yet I return. Sometimes I get the feeling that I probably won't be able to know if He is truly what He said he is. Maybe my life is just meanless. But the Book of Job always saved me. "He appeared in the wind saying... " What a wonderful show up. And You must already know how bad I wanted to experience this. But still nothing happened. Now I guess I have to meet you after a long sleep. Well at least You told me so... "OH MY GOD FINALLY, can we do it all over again?" It doesn't seems long before my final breath. So, this is it. Finally I got to meet You! Wait, what is this strange place? Not that bright as I expected, and these people in weird dress dancing. Aren't they supposed to be standing aside the white throne? And what does that mean "all over again"? That's not how You wrote in the Book. This is my saddest moment of my entire life. I am so sad that I already unable to feel anything around or exist. I don't know how long it past, and, in a voice that I have never heard of yet will I never mistaken, "Surprise!" In the wind He appears.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	"OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?" The voice came booming into my ears causing me to jerk up in response, pulling on the plasmotic tubes which engulfed my face and connected me to the master matryoshka. I groaned in pain and shock, as reality came flashing back into being. My name is Joan, no...Kristoph. Sarah? I...I couldn't remember. \\\\ It had been three years since the invasion, one since the new world government decided they had no choice, and three days since the end of the world. I am all that's left. The Gortans had arrived under a guise of peace and prosperity, guaranteeing Earth a place in their galactic empire. That was before one of our people, a radical, planted a bomb in their ambassador's chambers. It took only nine minutes from the explosion to the utter obliteration of every capital city on the planet...nine minutes. The shitty thing is that the Ambassador was immediately "re-lifed" as the Gortans call it, meaning the bastard radical who kicked off our enslavement did it all for nothing. The remaining human governments went underground at that point, resistances springing up across all nations. Eventually a new world government was formed, whose sole purpose was the rejection of the Gortan enslavement. How naive we were. A resistance cell "discovered" a new weapon, a weapon that could target the specific biological structure of any given organism, thereby disrupting their cellular biology at a molecular level. Of course they turned it on without checking that it was geared towards the Gortan. Nine minutes would have been a blessing compared to what happened next. Quickly, over the course of three days, people began dropping dead of some unknown virus or bacterial infection. Their bodies decaying from the inside out, shutting down, and emulsifying into a gelatinous goo. The only reason we know it was a human resistance cell that caused this, was that the remaining CDC (under Gortan control of course) members tracked down the source to patient zero. The very resistance cell member who pressed the button...me. So here I sit, gun in hand, staring down a barrel of my own making. The Gortan's have left the Earth, humanity no longer a viable flock for their increasing, and ever expanding, empire. I killed everyone...it was all my fault... \BANG\ \\\\ Wait...matryoshka...I...I didn't kill everyone, it..oh gods. Tears begin to fall down my face as I wrack in heaping sobs over the choices I had made, the potential devastation I could have caused. I look up at the man in the next bio vault. "I...I'm okay...that was just, way more intense then I realized it was going to be." The man smiles at me, with a big grin. "You pressed the damn button didn't you?! Bwhahah, oh my gods, what a noob. Yeah everyone does that at least once. Well, you got it out of your system, see if you can make emperor of the Gortan's this time around okay?"	I guess that is it. I struggled to breath one more time of the fresh air. What a lovely world He has created, yet how we have ruined it. After the Disaster, many have lost faith, and many have lost hope. Who can blame them. When we found out that, all human are unable to see anything and unable to reproduce because of that catastrophe, the world collapsed. I probably am the last one living, with the faith that He is still in control. This faith has saved me many years from the dark. I learned how to do things to survive without seeing them, just like I learned to believe Him without seeing. The first few years are the most difficult. Sometimes I just can't get anything right. And it seems the demon just got too much freedom. How lucky, Book of Job is already there to calm me down. And I had the luxury to understand the true joy that Job enjoyed. No, it's not about the recovery of health and family,but that He is replying. However, I laughed so hard every when I read He blames Job for accusing Him. It is so fulfilling yet so embarrassing to experience this! Sure this story I will never be tried off, even though I was not there being Job. I would rather He make a joke and shout "Surprise!" than this dramatic show up. Now that my time is numbered. Although the first days after the catastrophe is sad. I heard many crying all day long. But the sadness gone quickly. Those were able to survive all have some reason to be opstmistic. That's actually a good time. Everyone lost sight, but in return we get happy friends. To maintain a living was not easy. However we managed to get enough people in this continent into a city that can support us. It's a miracle. I can't figure out in other ways. But we then find out there's no new life no matter how hard we try or pray. Not many can bear this fact. We lost a lot of people. The rest can't make the city functional. So our life turned into more natural. 120 days ago, my last friend died. This is probably the best/worst time one can experience. I think, I pray, I give up, yet I return. Sometimes I get the feeling that I probably won't be able to know if He is truly what He said he is. Maybe my life is just meanless. But the Book of Job always saved me. "He appeared in the wind saying... " What a wonderful show up. And You must already know how bad I wanted to experience this. But still nothing happened. Now I guess I have to meet you after a long sleep. Well at least You told me so... "OH MY GOD FINALLY, can we do it all over again?" It doesn't seems long before my final breath. So, this is it. Finally I got to meet You! Wait, what is this strange place? Not that bright as I expected, and these people in weird dress dancing. Aren't they supposed to be standing aside the white throne? And what does that mean "all over again"? That's not how You wrote in the Book. This is my saddest moment of my entire life. I am so sad that I already unable to feel anything around or exist. I don't know how long it past, and, in a voice that I have never heard of yet will I never mistaken, "Surprise!" In the wind He appears.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	I havent seen another person in 16 years, 2 months, and 6 days. The small lines on the wall above my bed remind me this is still real. They kept me sane all these years. After being here so long, so alone, you dont strive for humanity like you did at first. I dont find myself lonely anymore. The first 5 years were the hardest, but after that, you start to forget. You try not to reminisce because the memories can be painful. Instead, you forget. It can get peaceful. Everything has started over growing the buildings and houses that used to thrive with human life. There is no buzzing of lights and electricity, no roar of engines or horn beeps as people rush to their jobs. Its quiet. Its birds, and wind, and rain. Its.. peaceful. I found my peace and that's why it's time to go. The animals started dying off about 2 years ago and what ones are left are mutated from radiation. Not safe for consumption. So today, I am going to die. Today I will be reunited with my friends and family. Today, those memories fill me like the waves of a hurricane. Today, is my last day alone. I am weak, I've never been this weak, I start closing up my shelter, but then I remember it's pointless, I wont make it back. I start down the road of what used to be a busy down town of a small town. It's beautiful here. The end of humanity did well for the planet. I walk until I cant anymore. I lay down, in the forest, I listen to the song birds that now make the strangest, deepest, songs, oh how they have changed. How everything has changed, how i have changed. The sky is clear, the sun is bright, i close my eyes, I remember being afraid to die. Afraid of "nothing". But now I dont have any thoughts, I dont remember why I was afraid to die in the first place. I take a deep breath of air, I let it fill my lungs, and then I'm gone. I wake up in the forest, at first I think I just fell asleep, until I notice it's different. The trees are more vibrant, there are wild flowers everywhere. I'm in a big open space kind of like a field, it's different.. where am I? Something moves in the cornner of my eye, I jump up out of instinct but am in awe when i recognize the shape and size to be my own. No it's not my own, it's another person. As they move closer i realize it's not just any person, it's my mom. "My sweet boy, we have all been waiting for you here." I notice how shes younger, the lines on her face that I religiously remembered are gone, her eyes seem a brighter blue, her hair longer and softer and no longer streaked with strands of silver. She wraps her arms around me. "oh my God! FINALLY! can we start the next round now?" I turn to the voice behind me grinning from ear to ear. I could never forget that voice, I could never forget that attitude. My little sister. She runs up and jumps onto me. "I missed you big brother. Although, even in death you keep me waiting." "I dont think I had much of a choice lisa." I chuckle into her hair. "God I missed you" "I hate to cut this short, especially seeing you two get along. It's good to know it only takes 16 years of you two not seeing each other to finally get along, however now that we have everyone, it's time to celebrate and go back." "Go back?" I panic. "I just got here mom, I'm not ready to go back. I spent my life alone and learning to be alone. Why would we go back? That place is filled with radiation, the animals are sick and mutated. The water is no longer drinkable, we cant survive there." "Calm down toby." She smiles but it's a grim sort of smile, like she knew I would feel this way, but knows it doesnt matter how I feel." "You-you weren't supposed to last that long on earth. I mean who could possibly live and survive all that. You had no hunting skills, no medicinal skills, no survival skills.. I mean, you were supposed to die with the rest of us.. you weren't supposed to stay there. We have all been watching you for years.. the makers have even watched. It was something they've never seen before. I hate to say it, but we need to go back. While you've been down there for 16 years, we have been up here for centuries. You've only been dead a mere 4 hours on earth, but it has been weeks up here already. You havent felt the time difference yet." "I refuse to go back." That's all I can say. I feel the anger behind my voice but somehow when I say it I sound like a stubborn child. How could they expect me to go back there. To possibly be the last survivor again. I will not go back. "My sweet sweet boy, after seeing you survive all that, you're not going to be able to stay here. They are going to want to figure out why you're the only one to survive it. I'm sorry son, but.." Shes interrupted by a man "but toby will be the only person going back. Toby, we can explain everything to you..alone. Follow me into the light chambers." I get up from my seat, take a deep breath, and follow him. Now I remember why I was so afraid to die. Not because I am the last survivor, not because of nothing. Because of him. I know this man, and he is the reason I was afraid to die.	I guess that is it. I struggled to breath one more time of the fresh air. What a lovely world He has created, yet how we have ruined it. After the Disaster, many have lost faith, and many have lost hope. Who can blame them. When we found out that, all human are unable to see anything and unable to reproduce because of that catastrophe, the world collapsed. I probably am the last one living, with the faith that He is still in control. This faith has saved me many years from the dark. I learned how to do things to survive without seeing them, just like I learned to believe Him without seeing. The first few years are the most difficult. Sometimes I just can't get anything right. And it seems the demon just got too much freedom. How lucky, Book of Job is already there to calm me down. And I had the luxury to understand the true joy that Job enjoyed. No, it's not about the recovery of health and family,but that He is replying. However, I laughed so hard every when I read He blames Job for accusing Him. It is so fulfilling yet so embarrassing to experience this! Sure this story I will never be tried off, even though I was not there being Job. I would rather He make a joke and shout "Surprise!" than this dramatic show up. Now that my time is numbered. Although the first days after the catastrophe is sad. I heard many crying all day long. But the sadness gone quickly. Those were able to survive all have some reason to be opstmistic. That's actually a good time. Everyone lost sight, but in return we get happy friends. To maintain a living was not easy. However we managed to get enough people in this continent into a city that can support us. It's a miracle. I can't figure out in other ways. But we then find out there's no new life no matter how hard we try or pray. Not many can bear this fact. We lost a lot of people. The rest can't make the city functional. So our life turned into more natural. 120 days ago, my last friend died. This is probably the best/worst time one can experience. I think, I pray, I give up, yet I return. Sometimes I get the feeling that I probably won't be able to know if He is truly what He said he is. Maybe my life is just meanless. But the Book of Job always saved me. "He appeared in the wind saying... " What a wonderful show up. And You must already know how bad I wanted to experience this. But still nothing happened. Now I guess I have to meet you after a long sleep. Well at least You told me so... "OH MY GOD FINALLY, can we do it all over again?" It doesn't seems long before my final breath. So, this is it. Finally I got to meet You! Wait, what is this strange place? Not that bright as I expected, and these people in weird dress dancing. Aren't they supposed to be standing aside the white throne? And what does that mean "all over again"? That's not how You wrote in the Book. This is my saddest moment of my entire life. I am so sad that I already unable to feel anything around or exist. I don't know how long it past, and, in a voice that I have never heard of yet will I never mistaken, "Surprise!" In the wind He appears.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	Data log entry 529442: It's been a while since we've had anyone to talk to, right Mr rock? It sucks really, we still haven't found a way to clone ourselves... Oh? Is that so Mr rock, I'm crazy and I'm talking to myself? Well you can just go fuck yourself against an asteroid then...bye. I'll just find a new rock to talk to. A bigger rock, one with smoother edges than you. Still... no rock is as smooth is the soft skin of another living being... It's really been so long. I cant remember how long ago we left the earth. And all the other humans died off naturally of old age, extinct from the last great war. But not us, right Mr rock? We invented eternal youth and went off into space before they got us too. Still sometimes I wish I had gone down with them. But i must remain hopeful! It's been a million years at least since then and We're still here! You haven't radioactively decayed on me yet, and i won't either. So long as i have this ship and a supply of matter, i can convert it into anything we need, a nifty invention of someone that passed long ago, Dr whosawhats or something. We've been through 3 galaxies so far and still no other sign of life though. Never a single response from our deep space broadcasts... It really feels like humanity was the only sentient life in the universe. But as long as there's hope, there is a chance. With luck, maybe we stumble across a species advanced enough to grow life artificially from a DNA... Data log entry 925551: I've been on my own for I dont know how long. I'm not sure why i even enter these since no one's out there. My mind is so numb. I cant even tell if time passes, but the ship says its been 6 million years since the earth passed. I've gone across 7 galaxies now with no sign of anything but stars and lifeless planets too toxic and massive to approach. I've managed to avoid any destructive obstacles for so long... But my engines were hit by a stray asteroid belt during my sleep a few hours earlier. The repair system was also damaged. What an awful combination... if i can't repair either of those by myself then i won't be able to outmanuever another asteroid like that. Data log entry 925552: I've been drifting for a while now... There is no repairing this ship. It really seems this is it for humanities last hope. I havent been able to obtain any matter from drifting and my reserve stock is gone... nothing to eat, nothing to drink. What a way to go. I'm just going to rest... this is the last da... "Fucking finally. 6 million years, really? Just fucking die with the rest of us next time moron" I wasnt sure what was going on. I couldn't feel my existence and yet I exist and could hear voices chattering. "Hello?" I called... "Can we reboot already holy shit. I want to live so bad" "What's going on...?" Everything was black... suddenly a screen appeared with some captions "The Elder Scrolls V"...."Skyrim"	I guess that is it. I struggled to breath one more time of the fresh air. What a lovely world He has created, yet how we have ruined it. After the Disaster, many have lost faith, and many have lost hope. Who can blame them. When we found out that, all human are unable to see anything and unable to reproduce because of that catastrophe, the world collapsed. I probably am the last one living, with the faith that He is still in control. This faith has saved me many years from the dark. I learned how to do things to survive without seeing them, just like I learned to believe Him without seeing. The first few years are the most difficult. Sometimes I just can't get anything right. And it seems the demon just got too much freedom. How lucky, Book of Job is already there to calm me down. And I had the luxury to understand the true joy that Job enjoyed. No, it's not about the recovery of health and family,but that He is replying. However, I laughed so hard every when I read He blames Job for accusing Him. It is so fulfilling yet so embarrassing to experience this! Sure this story I will never be tried off, even though I was not there being Job. I would rather He make a joke and shout "Surprise!" than this dramatic show up. Now that my time is numbered. Although the first days after the catastrophe is sad. I heard many crying all day long. But the sadness gone quickly. Those were able to survive all have some reason to be opstmistic. That's actually a good time. Everyone lost sight, but in return we get happy friends. To maintain a living was not easy. However we managed to get enough people in this continent into a city that can support us. It's a miracle. I can't figure out in other ways. But we then find out there's no new life no matter how hard we try or pray. Not many can bear this fact. We lost a lot of people. The rest can't make the city functional. So our life turned into more natural. 120 days ago, my last friend died. This is probably the best/worst time one can experience. I think, I pray, I give up, yet I return. Sometimes I get the feeling that I probably won't be able to know if He is truly what He said he is. Maybe my life is just meanless. But the Book of Job always saved me. "He appeared in the wind saying... " What a wonderful show up. And You must already know how bad I wanted to experience this. But still nothing happened. Now I guess I have to meet you after a long sleep. Well at least You told me so... "OH MY GOD FINALLY, can we do it all over again?" It doesn't seems long before my final breath. So, this is it. Finally I got to meet You! Wait, what is this strange place? Not that bright as I expected, and these people in weird dress dancing. Aren't they supposed to be standing aside the white throne? And what does that mean "all over again"? That's not how You wrote in the Book. This is my saddest moment of my entire life. I am so sad that I already unable to feel anything around or exist. I don't know how long it past, and, in a voice that I have never heard of yet will I never mistaken, "Surprise!" In the wind He appears.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	I shut my eyes as soon as I had opened them. I slowly began to see the world around me in fleeting glimpses, and began to struggle against whatever was binding me to this chair as I saw an indiscernible blob inching closer and closer to me. As my vision cleared up I was repulsed by what I saw. When I finally noticed the weapons these things were carrying, I stopped my struggling and began to listen to what they were saying. Once they finally reached my chair, and stared at me expectantly, I responded with my best approximation of their dialect; "Winner winner chicken dinner, amirite, broskis?". And then there was silence.	"Seriously!", I said, "you know, you get in a stiff situation and you fight for your life to get out of it". "Okay...?" Said the rest of the group, "But then, when you're defeated and on your last knee, you come to terms with your faith and prepare yourself to meet your maker.." I continued. "Yeah, sure sure" they replied. "So answer me this, why is it it that when I've readied myself to be touched by the fickle finger of fate, to kick the metaphorical bucket, to make out with the angel of death, to wash myself in the river of holy light, That I wake up and have to look at all of you big dumb fugs?" There's a long pause, the rest of the party sit in astonishment. "We thought you would want to be revivified, to finish what we started, you know the adventure, our mission, the campaign." I swallowed to clear my throat, confused but determined, "Campaign? I.. I felt like I really died" I just noticed the tear stains on my friends faces as we set around my friend Robert's dining room table. Grid paper laid out flat, miniature characters placed around a slain storm giant, who laid face down in the middle of the map. I felt the warm tear roll down my face. "That's D&D for you", Robert said, " it can drawl you in If you let it". "Well", I said, "I guess I let it" "Are you ready to continue this journey?" He asked, "ALWAYS" I said.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	"OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?" The voice came booming into my ears causing me to jerk up in response, pulling on the plasmotic tubes which engulfed my face and connected me to the master matryoshka. I groaned in pain and shock, as reality came flashing back into being. My name is Joan, no...Kristoph. Sarah? I...I couldn't remember. \\\\ It had been three years since the invasion, one since the new world government decided they had no choice, and three days since the end of the world. I am all that's left. The Gortans had arrived under a guise of peace and prosperity, guaranteeing Earth a place in their galactic empire. That was before one of our people, a radical, planted a bomb in their ambassador's chambers. It took only nine minutes from the explosion to the utter obliteration of every capital city on the planet...nine minutes. The shitty thing is that the Ambassador was immediately "re-lifed" as the Gortans call it, meaning the bastard radical who kicked off our enslavement did it all for nothing. The remaining human governments went underground at that point, resistances springing up across all nations. Eventually a new world government was formed, whose sole purpose was the rejection of the Gortan enslavement. How naive we were. A resistance cell "discovered" a new weapon, a weapon that could target the specific biological structure of any given organism, thereby disrupting their cellular biology at a molecular level. Of course they turned it on without checking that it was geared towards the Gortan. Nine minutes would have been a blessing compared to what happened next. Quickly, over the course of three days, people began dropping dead of some unknown virus or bacterial infection. Their bodies decaying from the inside out, shutting down, and emulsifying into a gelatinous goo. The only reason we know it was a human resistance cell that caused this, was that the remaining CDC (under Gortan control of course) members tracked down the source to patient zero. The very resistance cell member who pressed the button...me. So here I sit, gun in hand, staring down a barrel of my own making. The Gortan's have left the Earth, humanity no longer a viable flock for their increasing, and ever expanding, empire. I killed everyone...it was all my fault... \BANG\ \\\\ Wait...matryoshka...I...I didn't kill everyone, it..oh gods. Tears begin to fall down my face as I wrack in heaping sobs over the choices I had made, the potential devastation I could have caused. I look up at the man in the next bio vault. "I...I'm okay...that was just, way more intense then I realized it was going to be." The man smiles at me, with a big grin. "You pressed the damn button didn't you?! Bwhahah, oh my gods, what a noob. Yeah everyone does that at least once. Well, you got it out of your system, see if you can make emperor of the Gortan's this time around okay?"	"Seriously!", I said, "you know, you get in a stiff situation and you fight for your life to get out of it". "Okay...?" Said the rest of the group, "But then, when you're defeated and on your last knee, you come to terms with your faith and prepare yourself to meet your maker.." I continued. "Yeah, sure sure" they replied. "So answer me this, why is it it that when I've readied myself to be touched by the fickle finger of fate, to kick the metaphorical bucket, to make out with the angel of death, to wash myself in the river of holy light, That I wake up and have to look at all of you big dumb fugs?" There's a long pause, the rest of the party sit in astonishment. "We thought you would want to be revivified, to finish what we started, you know the adventure, our mission, the campaign." I swallowed to clear my throat, confused but determined, "Campaign? I.. I felt like I really died" I just noticed the tear stains on my friends faces as we set around my friend Robert's dining room table. Grid paper laid out flat, miniature characters placed around a slain storm giant, who laid face down in the middle of the map. I felt the warm tear roll down my face. "That's D&D for you", Robert said, " it can drawl you in If you let it". "Well", I said, "I guess I let it" "Are you ready to continue this journey?" He asked, "ALWAYS" I said.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	I havent seen another person in 16 years, 2 months, and 6 days. The small lines on the wall above my bed remind me this is still real. They kept me sane all these years. After being here so long, so alone, you dont strive for humanity like you did at first. I dont find myself lonely anymore. The first 5 years were the hardest, but after that, you start to forget. You try not to reminisce because the memories can be painful. Instead, you forget. It can get peaceful. Everything has started over growing the buildings and houses that used to thrive with human life. There is no buzzing of lights and electricity, no roar of engines or horn beeps as people rush to their jobs. Its quiet. Its birds, and wind, and rain. Its.. peaceful. I found my peace and that's why it's time to go. The animals started dying off about 2 years ago and what ones are left are mutated from radiation. Not safe for consumption. So today, I am going to die. Today I will be reunited with my friends and family. Today, those memories fill me like the waves of a hurricane. Today, is my last day alone. I am weak, I've never been this weak, I start closing up my shelter, but then I remember it's pointless, I wont make it back. I start down the road of what used to be a busy down town of a small town. It's beautiful here. The end of humanity did well for the planet. I walk until I cant anymore. I lay down, in the forest, I listen to the song birds that now make the strangest, deepest, songs, oh how they have changed. How everything has changed, how i have changed. The sky is clear, the sun is bright, i close my eyes, I remember being afraid to die. Afraid of "nothing". But now I dont have any thoughts, I dont remember why I was afraid to die in the first place. I take a deep breath of air, I let it fill my lungs, and then I'm gone. I wake up in the forest, at first I think I just fell asleep, until I notice it's different. The trees are more vibrant, there are wild flowers everywhere. I'm in a big open space kind of like a field, it's different.. where am I? Something moves in the cornner of my eye, I jump up out of instinct but am in awe when i recognize the shape and size to be my own. No it's not my own, it's another person. As they move closer i realize it's not just any person, it's my mom. "My sweet boy, we have all been waiting for you here." I notice how shes younger, the lines on her face that I religiously remembered are gone, her eyes seem a brighter blue, her hair longer and softer and no longer streaked with strands of silver. She wraps her arms around me. "oh my God! FINALLY! can we start the next round now?" I turn to the voice behind me grinning from ear to ear. I could never forget that voice, I could never forget that attitude. My little sister. She runs up and jumps onto me. "I missed you big brother. Although, even in death you keep me waiting." "I dont think I had much of a choice lisa." I chuckle into her hair. "God I missed you" "I hate to cut this short, especially seeing you two get along. It's good to know it only takes 16 years of you two not seeing each other to finally get along, however now that we have everyone, it's time to celebrate and go back." "Go back?" I panic. "I just got here mom, I'm not ready to go back. I spent my life alone and learning to be alone. Why would we go back? That place is filled with radiation, the animals are sick and mutated. The water is no longer drinkable, we cant survive there." "Calm down toby." She smiles but it's a grim sort of smile, like she knew I would feel this way, but knows it doesnt matter how I feel." "You-you weren't supposed to last that long on earth. I mean who could possibly live and survive all that. You had no hunting skills, no medicinal skills, no survival skills.. I mean, you were supposed to die with the rest of us.. you weren't supposed to stay there. We have all been watching you for years.. the makers have even watched. It was something they've never seen before. I hate to say it, but we need to go back. While you've been down there for 16 years, we have been up here for centuries. You've only been dead a mere 4 hours on earth, but it has been weeks up here already. You havent felt the time difference yet." "I refuse to go back." That's all I can say. I feel the anger behind my voice but somehow when I say it I sound like a stubborn child. How could they expect me to go back there. To possibly be the last survivor again. I will not go back. "My sweet sweet boy, after seeing you survive all that, you're not going to be able to stay here. They are going to want to figure out why you're the only one to survive it. I'm sorry son, but.." Shes interrupted by a man "but toby will be the only person going back. Toby, we can explain everything to you..alone. Follow me into the light chambers." I get up from my seat, take a deep breath, and follow him. Now I remember why I was so afraid to die. Not because I am the last survivor, not because of nothing. Because of him. I know this man, and he is the reason I was afraid to die.	"Seriously!", I said, "you know, you get in a stiff situation and you fight for your life to get out of it". "Okay...?" Said the rest of the group, "But then, when you're defeated and on your last knee, you come to terms with your faith and prepare yourself to meet your maker.." I continued. "Yeah, sure sure" they replied. "So answer me this, why is it it that when I've readied myself to be touched by the fickle finger of fate, to kick the metaphorical bucket, to make out with the angel of death, to wash myself in the river of holy light, That I wake up and have to look at all of you big dumb fugs?" There's a long pause, the rest of the party sit in astonishment. "We thought you would want to be revivified, to finish what we started, you know the adventure, our mission, the campaign." I swallowed to clear my throat, confused but determined, "Campaign? I.. I felt like I really died" I just noticed the tear stains on my friends faces as we set around my friend Robert's dining room table. Grid paper laid out flat, miniature characters placed around a slain storm giant, who laid face down in the middle of the map. I felt the warm tear roll down my face. "That's D&D for you", Robert said, " it can drawl you in If you let it". "Well", I said, "I guess I let it" "Are you ready to continue this journey?" He asked, "ALWAYS" I said.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	Data log entry 529442: It's been a while since we've had anyone to talk to, right Mr rock? It sucks really, we still haven't found a way to clone ourselves... Oh? Is that so Mr rock, I'm crazy and I'm talking to myself? Well you can just go fuck yourself against an asteroid then...bye. I'll just find a new rock to talk to. A bigger rock, one with smoother edges than you. Still... no rock is as smooth is the soft skin of another living being... It's really been so long. I cant remember how long ago we left the earth. And all the other humans died off naturally of old age, extinct from the last great war. But not us, right Mr rock? We invented eternal youth and went off into space before they got us too. Still sometimes I wish I had gone down with them. But i must remain hopeful! It's been a million years at least since then and We're still here! You haven't radioactively decayed on me yet, and i won't either. So long as i have this ship and a supply of matter, i can convert it into anything we need, a nifty invention of someone that passed long ago, Dr whosawhats or something. We've been through 3 galaxies so far and still no other sign of life though. Never a single response from our deep space broadcasts... It really feels like humanity was the only sentient life in the universe. But as long as there's hope, there is a chance. With luck, maybe we stumble across a species advanced enough to grow life artificially from a DNA... Data log entry 925551: I've been on my own for I dont know how long. I'm not sure why i even enter these since no one's out there. My mind is so numb. I cant even tell if time passes, but the ship says its been 6 million years since the earth passed. I've gone across 7 galaxies now with no sign of anything but stars and lifeless planets too toxic and massive to approach. I've managed to avoid any destructive obstacles for so long... But my engines were hit by a stray asteroid belt during my sleep a few hours earlier. The repair system was also damaged. What an awful combination... if i can't repair either of those by myself then i won't be able to outmanuever another asteroid like that. Data log entry 925552: I've been drifting for a while now... There is no repairing this ship. It really seems this is it for humanities last hope. I havent been able to obtain any matter from drifting and my reserve stock is gone... nothing to eat, nothing to drink. What a way to go. I'm just going to rest... this is the last da... "Fucking finally. 6 million years, really? Just fucking die with the rest of us next time moron" I wasnt sure what was going on. I couldn't feel my existence and yet I exist and could hear voices chattering. "Hello?" I called... "Can we reboot already holy shit. I want to live so bad" "What's going on...?" Everything was black... suddenly a screen appeared with some captions "The Elder Scrolls V"...."Skyrim"	"Seriously!", I said, "you know, you get in a stiff situation and you fight for your life to get out of it". "Okay...?" Said the rest of the group, "But then, when you're defeated and on your last knee, you come to terms with your faith and prepare yourself to meet your maker.." I continued. "Yeah, sure sure" they replied. "So answer me this, why is it it that when I've readied myself to be touched by the fickle finger of fate, to kick the metaphorical bucket, to make out with the angel of death, to wash myself in the river of holy light, That I wake up and have to look at all of you big dumb fugs?" There's a long pause, the rest of the party sit in astonishment. "We thought you would want to be revivified, to finish what we started, you know the adventure, our mission, the campaign." I swallowed to clear my throat, confused but determined, "Campaign? I.. I felt like I really died" I just noticed the tear stains on my friends faces as we set around my friend Robert's dining room table. Grid paper laid out flat, miniature characters placed around a slain storm giant, who laid face down in the middle of the map. I felt the warm tear roll down my face. "That's D&D for you", Robert said, " it can drawl you in If you let it". "Well", I said, "I guess I let it" "Are you ready to continue this journey?" He asked, "ALWAYS" I said.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	"OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?" The voice came booming into my ears causing me to jerk up in response, pulling on the plasmotic tubes which engulfed my face and connected me to the master matryoshka. I groaned in pain and shock, as reality came flashing back into being. My name is Joan, no...Kristoph. Sarah? I...I couldn't remember. \\\\ It had been three years since the invasion, one since the new world government decided they had no choice, and three days since the end of the world. I am all that's left. The Gortans had arrived under a guise of peace and prosperity, guaranteeing Earth a place in their galactic empire. That was before one of our people, a radical, planted a bomb in their ambassador's chambers. It took only nine minutes from the explosion to the utter obliteration of every capital city on the planet...nine minutes. The shitty thing is that the Ambassador was immediately "re-lifed" as the Gortans call it, meaning the bastard radical who kicked off our enslavement did it all for nothing. The remaining human governments went underground at that point, resistances springing up across all nations. Eventually a new world government was formed, whose sole purpose was the rejection of the Gortan enslavement. How naive we were. A resistance cell "discovered" a new weapon, a weapon that could target the specific biological structure of any given organism, thereby disrupting their cellular biology at a molecular level. Of course they turned it on without checking that it was geared towards the Gortan. Nine minutes would have been a blessing compared to what happened next. Quickly, over the course of three days, people began dropping dead of some unknown virus or bacterial infection. Their bodies decaying from the inside out, shutting down, and emulsifying into a gelatinous goo. The only reason we know it was a human resistance cell that caused this, was that the remaining CDC (under Gortan control of course) members tracked down the source to patient zero. The very resistance cell member who pressed the button...me. So here I sit, gun in hand, staring down a barrel of my own making. The Gortan's have left the Earth, humanity no longer a viable flock for their increasing, and ever expanding, empire. I killed everyone...it was all my fault... \BANG\ \\\\ Wait...matryoshka...I...I didn't kill everyone, it..oh gods. Tears begin to fall down my face as I wrack in heaping sobs over the choices I had made, the potential devastation I could have caused. I look up at the man in the next bio vault. "I...I'm okay...that was just, way more intense then I realized it was going to be." The man smiles at me, with a big grin. "You pressed the damn button didn't you?! Bwhahah, oh my gods, what a noob. Yeah everyone does that at least once. Well, you got it out of your system, see if you can make emperor of the Gortan's this time around okay?"	I open my eyes to see a bright blue sky, I heard some chattering, so I looked around and I see my sister's, brother's, mother, father, all of my friends, and my pets. I was in shock, I didn't know what so say or do, I just stared at them with wide eyes that were filed with tears of happiness. My eldest sister, Alexandra walked up to me and hugged me, she probably could have crushed me. "Alexandra!? Wh-what happened?" I had a million questions running through my head. "Shh...we'll explain it to you later, okay?" "Okay.." She let go off me and I looked around at the people again, I was looking for someone in particular, I was looking for my husband, Kyle. He stayed with me through thick and thin. Until he died from frostbite, I stayed with him until his final breath. Suddenly I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder, I look over at the person and see Kyle. I immediately pull him into a tight embrace. I then heard he whisper in me ear. "So, can we finally start the next round of Dungeons and Dragons?" He said jokingly. "Hahah. Of course that's the first thing you ask me." I said while tears stream down my face. "Alright, we have a lot of time so no rush for seeing everyone again" We all lived happily after that, we got to do whatever we wanted. Also, if you wanted to know what killed the human race off, it was war, people started invading the towns or cities and killed of everyone there, it was terrible...a lot of unnecessary bloodshed. We all got past that and are now living pretty good after-lifes. (This is my first time doing one of these. What do y'all think? Criticism and tips are accepted.) u/Majorbear26
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	I havent seen another person in 16 years, 2 months, and 6 days. The small lines on the wall above my bed remind me this is still real. They kept me sane all these years. After being here so long, so alone, you dont strive for humanity like you did at first. I dont find myself lonely anymore. The first 5 years were the hardest, but after that, you start to forget. You try not to reminisce because the memories can be painful. Instead, you forget. It can get peaceful. Everything has started over growing the buildings and houses that used to thrive with human life. There is no buzzing of lights and electricity, no roar of engines or horn beeps as people rush to their jobs. Its quiet. Its birds, and wind, and rain. Its.. peaceful. I found my peace and that's why it's time to go. The animals started dying off about 2 years ago and what ones are left are mutated from radiation. Not safe for consumption. So today, I am going to die. Today I will be reunited with my friends and family. Today, those memories fill me like the waves of a hurricane. Today, is my last day alone. I am weak, I've never been this weak, I start closing up my shelter, but then I remember it's pointless, I wont make it back. I start down the road of what used to be a busy down town of a small town. It's beautiful here. The end of humanity did well for the planet. I walk until I cant anymore. I lay down, in the forest, I listen to the song birds that now make the strangest, deepest, songs, oh how they have changed. How everything has changed, how i have changed. The sky is clear, the sun is bright, i close my eyes, I remember being afraid to die. Afraid of "nothing". But now I dont have any thoughts, I dont remember why I was afraid to die in the first place. I take a deep breath of air, I let it fill my lungs, and then I'm gone. I wake up in the forest, at first I think I just fell asleep, until I notice it's different. The trees are more vibrant, there are wild flowers everywhere. I'm in a big open space kind of like a field, it's different.. where am I? Something moves in the cornner of my eye, I jump up out of instinct but am in awe when i recognize the shape and size to be my own. No it's not my own, it's another person. As they move closer i realize it's not just any person, it's my mom. "My sweet boy, we have all been waiting for you here." I notice how shes younger, the lines on her face that I religiously remembered are gone, her eyes seem a brighter blue, her hair longer and softer and no longer streaked with strands of silver. She wraps her arms around me. "oh my God! FINALLY! can we start the next round now?" I turn to the voice behind me grinning from ear to ear. I could never forget that voice, I could never forget that attitude. My little sister. She runs up and jumps onto me. "I missed you big brother. Although, even in death you keep me waiting." "I dont think I had much of a choice lisa." I chuckle into her hair. "God I missed you" "I hate to cut this short, especially seeing you two get along. It's good to know it only takes 16 years of you two not seeing each other to finally get along, however now that we have everyone, it's time to celebrate and go back." "Go back?" I panic. "I just got here mom, I'm not ready to go back. I spent my life alone and learning to be alone. Why would we go back? That place is filled with radiation, the animals are sick and mutated. The water is no longer drinkable, we cant survive there." "Calm down toby." She smiles but it's a grim sort of smile, like she knew I would feel this way, but knows it doesnt matter how I feel." "You-you weren't supposed to last that long on earth. I mean who could possibly live and survive all that. You had no hunting skills, no medicinal skills, no survival skills.. I mean, you were supposed to die with the rest of us.. you weren't supposed to stay there. We have all been watching you for years.. the makers have even watched. It was something they've never seen before. I hate to say it, but we need to go back. While you've been down there for 16 years, we have been up here for centuries. You've only been dead a mere 4 hours on earth, but it has been weeks up here already. You havent felt the time difference yet." "I refuse to go back." That's all I can say. I feel the anger behind my voice but somehow when I say it I sound like a stubborn child. How could they expect me to go back there. To possibly be the last survivor again. I will not go back. "My sweet sweet boy, after seeing you survive all that, you're not going to be able to stay here. They are going to want to figure out why you're the only one to survive it. I'm sorry son, but.." Shes interrupted by a man "but toby will be the only person going back. Toby, we can explain everything to you..alone. Follow me into the light chambers." I get up from my seat, take a deep breath, and follow him. Now I remember why I was so afraid to die. Not because I am the last survivor, not because of nothing. Because of him. I know this man, and he is the reason I was afraid to die.	I open my eyes to see a bright blue sky, I heard some chattering, so I looked around and I see my sister's, brother's, mother, father, all of my friends, and my pets. I was in shock, I didn't know what so say or do, I just stared at them with wide eyes that were filed with tears of happiness. My eldest sister, Alexandra walked up to me and hugged me, she probably could have crushed me. "Alexandra!? Wh-what happened?" I had a million questions running through my head. "Shh...we'll explain it to you later, okay?" "Okay.." She let go off me and I looked around at the people again, I was looking for someone in particular, I was looking for my husband, Kyle. He stayed with me through thick and thin. Until he died from frostbite, I stayed with him until his final breath. Suddenly I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder, I look over at the person and see Kyle. I immediately pull him into a tight embrace. I then heard he whisper in me ear. "So, can we finally start the next round of Dungeons and Dragons?" He said jokingly. "Hahah. Of course that's the first thing you ask me." I said while tears stream down my face. "Alright, we have a lot of time so no rush for seeing everyone again" We all lived happily after that, we got to do whatever we wanted. Also, if you wanted to know what killed the human race off, it was war, people started invading the towns or cities and killed of everyone there, it was terrible...a lot of unnecessary bloodshed. We all got past that and are now living pretty good after-lifes. (This is my first time doing one of these. What do y'all think? Criticism and tips are accepted.) u/Majorbear26
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	I havent seen another person in 16 years, 2 months, and 6 days. The small lines on the wall above my bed remind me this is still real. They kept me sane all these years. After being here so long, so alone, you dont strive for humanity like you did at first. I dont find myself lonely anymore. The first 5 years were the hardest, but after that, you start to forget. You try not to reminisce because the memories can be painful. Instead, you forget. It can get peaceful. Everything has started over growing the buildings and houses that used to thrive with human life. There is no buzzing of lights and electricity, no roar of engines or horn beeps as people rush to their jobs. Its quiet. Its birds, and wind, and rain. Its.. peaceful. I found my peace and that's why it's time to go. The animals started dying off about 2 years ago and what ones are left are mutated from radiation. Not safe for consumption. So today, I am going to die. Today I will be reunited with my friends and family. Today, those memories fill me like the waves of a hurricane. Today, is my last day alone. I am weak, I've never been this weak, I start closing up my shelter, but then I remember it's pointless, I wont make it back. I start down the road of what used to be a busy down town of a small town. It's beautiful here. The end of humanity did well for the planet. I walk until I cant anymore. I lay down, in the forest, I listen to the song birds that now make the strangest, deepest, songs, oh how they have changed. How everything has changed, how i have changed. The sky is clear, the sun is bright, i close my eyes, I remember being afraid to die. Afraid of "nothing". But now I dont have any thoughts, I dont remember why I was afraid to die in the first place. I take a deep breath of air, I let it fill my lungs, and then I'm gone. I wake up in the forest, at first I think I just fell asleep, until I notice it's different. The trees are more vibrant, there are wild flowers everywhere. I'm in a big open space kind of like a field, it's different.. where am I? Something moves in the cornner of my eye, I jump up out of instinct but am in awe when i recognize the shape and size to be my own. No it's not my own, it's another person. As they move closer i realize it's not just any person, it's my mom. "My sweet boy, we have all been waiting for you here." I notice how shes younger, the lines on her face that I religiously remembered are gone, her eyes seem a brighter blue, her hair longer and softer and no longer streaked with strands of silver. She wraps her arms around me. "oh my God! FINALLY! can we start the next round now?" I turn to the voice behind me grinning from ear to ear. I could never forget that voice, I could never forget that attitude. My little sister. She runs up and jumps onto me. "I missed you big brother. Although, even in death you keep me waiting." "I dont think I had much of a choice lisa." I chuckle into her hair. "God I missed you" "I hate to cut this short, especially seeing you two get along. It's good to know it only takes 16 years of you two not seeing each other to finally get along, however now that we have everyone, it's time to celebrate and go back." "Go back?" I panic. "I just got here mom, I'm not ready to go back. I spent my life alone and learning to be alone. Why would we go back? That place is filled with radiation, the animals are sick and mutated. The water is no longer drinkable, we cant survive there." "Calm down toby." She smiles but it's a grim sort of smile, like she knew I would feel this way, but knows it doesnt matter how I feel." "You-you weren't supposed to last that long on earth. I mean who could possibly live and survive all that. You had no hunting skills, no medicinal skills, no survival skills.. I mean, you were supposed to die with the rest of us.. you weren't supposed to stay there. We have all been watching you for years.. the makers have even watched. It was something they've never seen before. I hate to say it, but we need to go back. While you've been down there for 16 years, we have been up here for centuries. You've only been dead a mere 4 hours on earth, but it has been weeks up here already. You havent felt the time difference yet." "I refuse to go back." That's all I can say. I feel the anger behind my voice but somehow when I say it I sound like a stubborn child. How could they expect me to go back there. To possibly be the last survivor again. I will not go back. "My sweet sweet boy, after seeing you survive all that, you're not going to be able to stay here. They are going to want to figure out why you're the only one to survive it. I'm sorry son, but.." Shes interrupted by a man "but toby will be the only person going back. Toby, we can explain everything to you..alone. Follow me into the light chambers." I get up from my seat, take a deep breath, and follow him. Now I remember why I was so afraid to die. Not because I am the last survivor, not because of nothing. Because of him. I know this man, and he is the reason I was afraid to die.	"Yeah, yeah," you hear someone else say, from somewhere. The world lurches. You see nothing, but you feel as if you are thrown with great force. Still in darkness, you lurch to a halt. Or, at least, what you think is a halt. From somewhere - everywhere - there's a new, strange sound. After a moment, you realize it is a song to which you can barely make out the lyrics: "... hot, dense state, then nearly fourt-" "For God's sake, skip the cutscene!" the first voice exclaims, cutting over the song. "I wanna get to the game." The song abruptly ends, the world lurches erratically for a moment, then nothing. Absolutely nothing. The memory is scrubbed, existence is reset, or some other, equally inexplicable thing happened. Whatever it was, you are gone. A new "round" has started, and you are not part of it. Not yet.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	I havent seen another person in 16 years, 2 months, and 6 days. The small lines on the wall above my bed remind me this is still real. They kept me sane all these years. After being here so long, so alone, you dont strive for humanity like you did at first. I dont find myself lonely anymore. The first 5 years were the hardest, but after that, you start to forget. You try not to reminisce because the memories can be painful. Instead, you forget. It can get peaceful. Everything has started over growing the buildings and houses that used to thrive with human life. There is no buzzing of lights and electricity, no roar of engines or horn beeps as people rush to their jobs. Its quiet. Its birds, and wind, and rain. Its.. peaceful. I found my peace and that's why it's time to go. The animals started dying off about 2 years ago and what ones are left are mutated from radiation. Not safe for consumption. So today, I am going to die. Today I will be reunited with my friends and family. Today, those memories fill me like the waves of a hurricane. Today, is my last day alone. I am weak, I've never been this weak, I start closing up my shelter, but then I remember it's pointless, I wont make it back. I start down the road of what used to be a busy down town of a small town. It's beautiful here. The end of humanity did well for the planet. I walk until I cant anymore. I lay down, in the forest, I listen to the song birds that now make the strangest, deepest, songs, oh how they have changed. How everything has changed, how i have changed. The sky is clear, the sun is bright, i close my eyes, I remember being afraid to die. Afraid of "nothing". But now I dont have any thoughts, I dont remember why I was afraid to die in the first place. I take a deep breath of air, I let it fill my lungs, and then I'm gone. I wake up in the forest, at first I think I just fell asleep, until I notice it's different. The trees are more vibrant, there are wild flowers everywhere. I'm in a big open space kind of like a field, it's different.. where am I? Something moves in the cornner of my eye, I jump up out of instinct but am in awe when i recognize the shape and size to be my own. No it's not my own, it's another person. As they move closer i realize it's not just any person, it's my mom. "My sweet boy, we have all been waiting for you here." I notice how shes younger, the lines on her face that I religiously remembered are gone, her eyes seem a brighter blue, her hair longer and softer and no longer streaked with strands of silver. She wraps her arms around me. "oh my God! FINALLY! can we start the next round now?" I turn to the voice behind me grinning from ear to ear. I could never forget that voice, I could never forget that attitude. My little sister. She runs up and jumps onto me. "I missed you big brother. Although, even in death you keep me waiting." "I dont think I had much of a choice lisa." I chuckle into her hair. "God I missed you" "I hate to cut this short, especially seeing you two get along. It's good to know it only takes 16 years of you two not seeing each other to finally get along, however now that we have everyone, it's time to celebrate and go back." "Go back?" I panic. "I just got here mom, I'm not ready to go back. I spent my life alone and learning to be alone. Why would we go back? That place is filled with radiation, the animals are sick and mutated. The water is no longer drinkable, we cant survive there." "Calm down toby." She smiles but it's a grim sort of smile, like she knew I would feel this way, but knows it doesnt matter how I feel." "You-you weren't supposed to last that long on earth. I mean who could possibly live and survive all that. You had no hunting skills, no medicinal skills, no survival skills.. I mean, you were supposed to die with the rest of us.. you weren't supposed to stay there. We have all been watching you for years.. the makers have even watched. It was something they've never seen before. I hate to say it, but we need to go back. While you've been down there for 16 years, we have been up here for centuries. You've only been dead a mere 4 hours on earth, but it has been weeks up here already. You havent felt the time difference yet." "I refuse to go back." That's all I can say. I feel the anger behind my voice but somehow when I say it I sound like a stubborn child. How could they expect me to go back there. To possibly be the last survivor again. I will not go back. "My sweet sweet boy, after seeing you survive all that, you're not going to be able to stay here. They are going to want to figure out why you're the only one to survive it. I'm sorry son, but.." Shes interrupted by a man "but toby will be the only person going back. Toby, we can explain everything to you..alone. Follow me into the light chambers." I get up from my seat, take a deep breath, and follow him. Now I remember why I was so afraid to die. Not because I am the last survivor, not because of nothing. Because of him. I know this man, and he is the reason I was afraid to die.	"You couldn't die faster?" This is it. This is God. The years of long suffering paid off. There's no oxygen in Heaven? There's no oxygen in Heaven! The sticky slimy cellophane substance covered him like deli meat and responded to the movement of its caterpillar. It carefully retracted into a sponge like substance - seemingly knowing how long its inhabitant could go without the life force of algae thirty three. "Help me!" His arms haphazardly flailed inside the organic eggplant shaped cocoon with the gooey plastic algae falling three feet to the ground. With methodical intent it crawled intelligently to the largest sponge. "Oh my God! I'm dead! I died! What's happening! I'm so sorry I watched those hidden camera videos!" Eve smiled at the man behind the eggplant cellophane. "You owe me twenty Kronars. He's a crier and a beggar." Darius, all smiles, moved his hand over algae thirty three. "Figured he would'a been a laufer." The plastic responded by vibrating - almost violently - then suddenly disappearing. "I like the laufers." Nehorai fell from the sudden disappearance of algae thirty three. His naked body pale against the wood colored floor that was unusually soft. He started sobbing. "Was I this pathetic at the spawn?" "Everyone is when reaching the fourth dimension." "Timeline one!" a inside joke shouted from the gathering crowd. Nehorai was naked on the floor. "This is hell isn't it?" Eve handed him a towel made of cottonwood. "This is hell." She shook her head in exasperation. "No, this is not hell. We're about to go to the next dimension." "Timeline o -" She waved her hand to silence the badgering. "These are all the souls of humanity." She reached a hand down to Nehorai. "All the souls." He accepted it and stood like a new born calf. The dome firmament contained no stars, moon, sun. It had a soft white glow that he would later learn never fades. The make shift city looked like a smaller metropolitan area on Earth. "This doesn't look like billions." "You are correct! There are 144,000 of us." She starts leading him through the crowd. "We've been waiting for you." Nehorai looked confused as he was for it did not look like 144,000. "You're confused. You've never heard of a NPC?" The crowd parted as they walked from the edge of the domed firmament. "Most of the humans on Earth were just a manifestation of what you were conditioned to understand. You'll come to discover even men of music or arena sports never saw more than 144,000." "How did he," They reached a small building with SETTLE spelled across the side from a vine that was very much alive. "How did he get here before us?" "Darius is the first among many. The living green responds to him. It responds to others. It just listens to him." "But he's -" "The only black man? Yes." The vine moved the door open for them as they grew closer. "Ya ready for yer mind to be blown?" The black man was standing in the doorway. Eve lead him inside. Nehorai took one last look behind him. The door closed.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	"What?" I exclaimed with an ethereal sensation enveloping what must be my consciousness. &#x200B; "Come on Cockbag how'd you get away with being a serial killer?" An older male voice challenged me. &#x200B; "You killed me Cockbag." A distinctly child like voice said, I could see it was a boy no more than 12 in my minds eye. &#x200B; I try to turn around, but its blackness. More accusations greet me. &#x200B; "I trusted you, and let you out of jail when the others said you were guilty. How could I have been so wrong." A woman's voice lamented. &#x200B; "What's going on here?" I demanded, I could feel the icy tendrils of fear wrap around what I thought to be me, or was it my sins? &#x200B; "We are waiting for the next round to start. I vote we do away with him post haste." An older gentleman replied. &#x200B; "Do away with me! Who the hell do you think you are?" I exclaimed. &#x200B; "He was the mayor, and a damned good one. He drove out the organized crime, kept us calm during that arson spree. But then you killed him as he slept in his humble home Cockbag." The voice of my self proclaimed jailor said. &#x200B; "Ugh this is terrible I have no idea whats going on." I cried wanting to run but no sense of legs or gravity to help me flee. &#x200B; "He pee himself yet." A voice said softly from another world. &#x200B; "Pee myself?" &#x200B; "Hmm, oh you should start peeing yourself now Cockbag, payback is coming." Said the disembodied child. &#x200B; "No he hasn't, who the fuck says peed anyone more?" A hazy female voice giggled. &#x200B; "Who is that?" I demanded. &#x200B; "Its Fisher King." The boy replied. &#x200B; "You're not a woman Fisher." I said snarkily. &#x200B; "I didn't say anything." The jailor said. &#x200B; The cold has become a minor chill now. The sound of rushing water seems to fill the empty void. I hear the voices calling to me but can't make it out. Its like an ocean is drowning them out and then I feel it. Its like water rushing up my noise, I feel myself choke. This is it my punishment. &#x200B; "Oh fuck I think you drowned him." The hazy female voice shouted. &#x200B; "You said pouring water between glasses would definitely make him piss himself!" The soft voice said. &#x200B; Light pours into my eyes as I clear the water from my lungs, my face is wet. Rolling my head over I see my hand in a bowl of melted ice. I sigh as I come to realize I soaking wet head is now soaking my gaming laptop. I languidly roll my eyes around until my roommates come into focus and view. &#x200B; "Its warm water you fucking moron. Warm water is supposed to make you pee." I said leaning back into my chair. &#x200B; "Maybe, but he didn't do two tabs of acid before an all night gaming session." My female roomie retorted. &#x200B; "Ready up Cockbag420." Fisher King commanded through the speakers of my laptop. &#x200B; "Seriously who doesn't use headphones." My soft-voiced-doesn't-know-its-warm-water-to-pee roommate observed with disgust. &#x200B; I look back to my computer screen, the next round my role is Mayor. Half my face is now titled like a keyboard and its only 7am. I do the only thing that makes sense when its time to peace out. With a key stroke its all over. &#x200B; "Who the fuck reveals they are the Mayor in the first round, this game is fucking ruined." The jailor from the last rounded shouted. &#x200B; "Who the fuck plays the Town of Salem." My female roommate chuckles as she and her partner in crime help me up. &#x200B; My previously unfeeling legs begin to tingle and I can't even move. The sensations of nerve endings screaming to my brain take center stage of my consciousness. I let out a guttural low roar. &#x200B; "Oh shit he pissed himself I told you it would work!" Soft-voice-who-know-will-refuse-that-it-was-anything-but-my-hand-in-cold-water shouted in victory.	A tremendous cheer echoes across the emptiness. "Wh-what? Where am I?" I say it but I don't hear it. I turn around, only to realise I am not facing in any direction. "What is this? What's happened?" "It's okay, honey, we were all just waiting for you to be finished." The voice is different, but unmistakable. I feel tears start to well up in my nonexistent eyes. "Mum? Mum is that you?" I try to look around for her, but have no eyes with which to do so, nor any direction around which to orient myself. "Yes, honey, I'm here, and so are We all. We've been waiting for you so that We-" "W-wait. All? Jackie? Eri? ...Arin? Are you there?" I call out to them, and without hearing the responses I feel their presence around me. His presence.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	Blinding light hits my eyes like a like a thousand suns through a magnifying glass. I hear a booming voice. “I told you to stop taking my name in vain!” the voice bellows, followed by hearty laughter from lots of people. My eyes are still slammed shut from the harsh light, like how they were after being pepper sprayed during the shelter riots of 20…..26…..27? I can’t remember. It didn’t matter anyway. It turned out that nuclear fall-out shelters couldn’t protect against a asteroid strike sent by...sent by whom? Sent by no one! I’m being ridiculous. The light is less harsh, I try opening my eyes. Still bright, but I’m starting to see a gathering of dark figures. “It’s alright, he’ll come around, he does this every time”. The woman’s voice was familiar. “What the-where am I?” I call out to no one in particular, I suppose whomever I heard speaking (I’m honestly surprised I can speak). “Well let’s see, you died, so where do you think you are?” “Heaven? Hell?” “No stupid, I mean you died here, so you were sent down there” “What?! I don’t even remember dying! How-” The woman speaking to me materializes more, and the light fades to a thick white fog. The woman is pointing toward what looks like a pit through the fog. I figure out that I’m on a stone balcony, lying on a bench, also stone, with the giant domed room and figures in my line of vision becoming ever more clear as an abundance of other men and women. All with balconies of their own. The room I’m looking at is impossibly huge, as if it spans for a city, yet I can see everything on the other side of the room if I squint hard enough, unless the fog gets in the way. My head is in the lap of the woman speaking to me. It appears that I’m still human, just a regular guy in fact. In the center of this room is a massive pit containing a vast body of water. More amazingly, is how suddenly I remember my own death. But it certainly wasn’t here, wherever “here” is. “I seriously thought that the black plague was it! This game could’ve ended like 500 years ago!” A higher pitched male voice hurriedly exclaimed. I was killed by Apophis, or rather, the world it left behind after it impacted. I never thought I would live long enough to see it. After the announcement was made world wide of our impending doom caught by astronomers in the year 2013, and later confirmed with 98% certainty in the year 2018 almost every resource on the planet was diverted to plans to attempt to destroy the asteroid, leave the planet, or figure out how to withstand the impact. Wars were fought, entire continents were obliterated, and the space program never came to real fruition. “Yeah, or at least nuclear holocaust, when that first atom was split I was like ‘yep! This is it’. Sounds like I owe someone a drink!” The idea that would’ve saved them all was in it’s experimental phase and that was what saved me from the impact. My wife, Anne and I volunteered for a form of Cryo-sleep while being launched out to space in these pods that were supposed to be programmed to do a U-Turn back to Earth. We got launched months before impact. I lift up my head and see who’s lap I’m in. I woke up in my capsule to a blue wasteland. There was no way to tell where I’d landed, only that I was extremely lucky to be on land. Everywhere I looked surrounding the island our capsule landed on was water. I went to Anne’s sleep tube to see if she was awake yet. What I saw was a pale, semi frozen body of my now dead wife. First I was in shock, then I was overcome by intense grief. I must’ve been in tears for months straight. Maybe years. I lived on that island for the rest of my miserable life, missing the woman I loved. I succumbed to starvation and thirst, knowing I’d never see her again. I came into this place as a still grieving man. With Anne laughing in my face. I am in tears right now, hugging her so tightly. “You are so dramatic!” She laughs “Was it really that bad down there? Baldur….you ok?” She looks concerned. She lifts me up out of her lap and props me against her. With her hands she massages my shoulders and with one of wings she wipes tears off my cheeks. Wings. “Baldur…..” The name rings a bell. That’s a weird name. Is that my name? “Yes, Baldur! That’s you!” Anne’s eyes were lit up in amusement. “You, Baldur, me FREYA” she says in an obvious Tarzan spoof. I’m only confused at this point. I need to know more. I stand up and step to the balcony to gaze at the people surrounding me in a dome-like structure. The words “Ragnarok”. Were lit up in large fiery letters suspended above the pool of water. I look at the speck in the water. I’m staring at the island I died on. On it, my own corpse. Everyone here is a God. I am a God. And we’ve been playing this game for a while now. Only it’s a lot more fun when Loki doesn’t kill you near the end-game, condemning you to being one of the pieces on the board. Every time I’ve woken up after dying down there I’ve been the same emotional mess. And I lose my memory. Being a human is bad for the brain. I turn around and give Freya my best grin. She is literally a Goddess. “Thanks for keeping me company down there.” “No problem! You about ready?” I pick up my dice and cards from the bench I was lying on while I was “dead” and give Tyr, the game master, a nod. “The God of innocence is finally back! Very well played Baldur, it looks like you’ve won this round, the asteroid that Tyr had sent to finish the game wasn’t able to kill everyone you clever devil!” says Tyr. “Hang on, let me set the board back up” says Odin. “Hey no hard feelings right?” says Loki. Massive tiles began raining from the open roof of the dome-like structure, each with different masses of land on them, first creating a flat map of what almost looks like Earth, but with different continents. The game board levitates and morphs into a globe suspended for everyone to see. Little humanoid figures begin walking on the continents. “Wait, can I be the God of Mischief this time?” I say. Odin looks at Loki. Loki shrugs, “How bad could it be?”	A tremendous cheer echoes across the emptiness. "Wh-what? Where am I?" I say it but I don't hear it. I turn around, only to realise I am not facing in any direction. "What is this? What's happened?" "It's okay, honey, we were all just waiting for you to be finished." The voice is different, but unmistakable. I feel tears start to well up in my nonexistent eyes. "Mum? Mum is that you?" I try to look around for her, but have no eyes with which to do so, nor any direction around which to orient myself. "Yes, honey, I'm here, and so are We all. We've been waiting for you so that We-" "W-wait. All? Jackie? Eri? ...Arin? Are you there?" I call out to them, and without hearing the responses I feel their presence around me. His presence.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	Sophie was supposed to last longer than me. She was younger, stronger, and more resilient. Or, at least, that was what I thought before I ended up picking a spade up and attempting to bury her six feet beneath the ground. By attempt, I mean, I tried for six and ended up with two. Sorry, Soph. Wiping sweat off my brow, I look up and see the sun beginning to set. It's time to head home; there's nothing to light my way when night falls. Giving the unevened mound another pat for good measure and nodding at the other grave next to hers, I rest the spade on my shoulder and begin the quiet walk back from the park. The only sounds that accompanied me was my shallow breath, my feet against the ground, and the trees. The leaves rustled drily against dappled, golden sunlight. The city has never felt so quiet. No sirens. No lights. The cranes gather dust. Ground-level shops lay ravaged, windows broken, empty boxes laying around. I see my reflection, broken, and note the redness in my aching eyes. I turn away from a tiring image. Without Sophie, the city's population count rests on my shoulders. Perhaps the world, even. We used to look for survivors, the two of us, but all we found were bodies and the remnants of the lives they used to live. Irregardless of the futility, we kept searching. It was the only thing left to consume our time, after all. Hope, that is. Not sure if I have any left in me, but we'll see. Maybe tomorrow I might be able to gather a little bit more. I unlock the door to my apartment complex and walk up. Up and up the stairs until the fifthteenth floor. The sun doesn't look yellow anymore by the time I reach my floor level. It looks dark red, like a sprawling rose. It's the most red I've ever seen it. My apartment is dark. The curtains are shut tight. I lay down in my bed, dropping the spade besides me, and I turn on my phone, something I hadn't done in such a long time. There 25% battery left, just in case. I doubt I'll need to save it anymore, through. I decide to scroll through my pictures one last time. Tony and I river-rafting. Celebrating my father's 61st birthday with a picnic at the local park. My cousin and I at the beach gathering seashells to add to our collection. Clara and I singing Ariana Grande. And there's Sophie's pictures. Sophie and I taking a selfie at the top of a mountain. A video of us attempting to dance in a ballroom and failing. Snapchat screenshots of Sophie dressed in a cat ears filter, smiling brightly with digital mascara. And us holding hands at our wedding ceremony. I let the glow of her face against the backlight of the phone sear into my retinas. I memorize it, her at her happiest, not her wrapped in bed, sweat piercing her face, hollowed eyes shut tightly against a fever that was never going to break. I close my eyes, and I still see her. Sophie, dancing and smiling and somehow alive. I drop the dying phone from my loosened hand and hear it land on the floor with a thump. Resting my hand over my heart, I can imagine her mouth move, speaking with a ghost's whisper. "I love you." No, that... That's real. It feels real. "Grant, can you hear me?" Sophie is here. I must have fallen asleep. It must be a dream. We're no longer in our bedroom. Instead, we're in the park I buried her in, and I'm lying on a bed of flowers. Sophie is crouched above me, hair curtaining her face, and I can see a living tree blooming above her. My mouth runs dry. It feels so real. She gently rests her hand on top of my hand still resting on my chest. It's warm. She isn't smiling anymore. "Grant, your heart," she says, eyebrows furrowed with worry. "Are you okay?" I notice, as she speaks, that beneath the palm of my hand, is silence. I look up at my wife, and tears begin to pour from me. "Soph, it's you." Before she can say anything, I gather her in my arms and hug her tightly by the waist. She shrieks in surprise, and then she laughs. I can feel her resting her head on top of mine's. I feel her hugging back, and I can't believe it. We're dead but we're here, in each other's arms. What a world. "Did I just have a heart attack?" I ask, trying to process it all. "Not sure," she replies with some amusement. "But, you definitely died in your sleep. That's way more peaceful than how I went about it." She pauses. "I'm jealous, actually." Suddenly, something bombards us and pushes us to the ground. I hit my head against the ground, groaning. I can hear childish laugher. "Oh my GOD, finally! Can we start the next round now?!" "Clara," Sophie says chidefully. I freeze. A young girl, with bright, brown eyes and auburn hair lifts her head as she clambers off of us. "Sorry, Mom," she says. "Dad," she looks at me and adds as an afterthought. "Clara," I say breathlessly. I sweep her up in my arms and squeeze her just as tight as my mom. She squirms. "Oh my God, you've grown so much since..." Since we had to bury you... "Stop reminding me, ugh! I'm trying to grow as as fast as I can!" she growls and pushes me off. I laugh, the loudest I've laughed in such a long time. "Sweetheart, you're beautiful," I say tearfully. "Both of you. This is the happiest I've ever felt in my life." "Save the cryfest for later, Dad," Clara says, rolling her eyes and standing up. "We've got a world to regrow. I, for one, want to get started on our park before someone else does." "What?" I look to Sophie for clarification. "Clara filled me in, Grant," Sophie says soothefully. She holds her hand and a red rose blooms in her palm. Smiling, she places it in my hand. I look at the flower with wonder. "Get up, Dad," Clara declares brightly, hands on her hips. Sophie softly rests her hands on her shoulders. "There's clearly work to be done, now that we're out of the way. We may be dead, but we're not dead and uselesss. Up and at 'em!"	A tremendous cheer echoes across the emptiness. "Wh-what? Where am I?" I say it but I don't hear it. I turn around, only to realise I am not facing in any direction. "What is this? What's happened?" "It's okay, honey, we were all just waiting for you to be finished." The voice is different, but unmistakable. I feel tears start to well up in my nonexistent eyes. "Mum? Mum is that you?" I try to look around for her, but have no eyes with which to do so, nor any direction around which to orient myself. "Yes, honey, I'm here, and so are We all. We've been waiting for you so that We-" "W-wait. All? Jackie? Eri? ...Arin? Are you there?" I call out to them, and without hearing the responses I feel their presence around me. His presence.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	I opened my eyes slowly, one hand sliding over my face. Something didn't feel....right? Didn't feel like...me? I pulled my hand away and look at it. That's not my hand! I'm controlling it, the fingers move when I will them to but they are too thin and those freshly manicured nails are all wrong. I install atmosphere initiators on Mars; I brought life to The Red Planet! My hands are gnarled and the nails broken from the labor, this isn't right! That's when I look down and see...breasts?? What the hell is going on here?! That's when I realize for the first time I'm sitting up. That's not right either. I WAS in bed. I remember it so clearly. Everyone had sworn Mars would be different, that we would be careful of our greed. But we hadn't had we? We had used Mars up just like Earth. Slowly we had started to to use up one another until we were all gone. Recycling ourselves for resources on death, then we didn't even wait for death, as soon as we had grown old or weak we were recycled. Everyone but me, I was the last, alone, in bed, slowly dying, rationing out my last rations. But I'd faced it like a man because....because I WAS a man! "Here we sit for the last two God damned hours while she lays around taking her time dying! " "You'd think she would have had the decency to remember the rest of us and jump off a damn cliff or something instead of leaving us waiting. I didn't save five paychecks to sit on my ass bored watching Mercy strapped to a rig talking to herself" Voices? But...everyone is dead! I blink in the light and see four others sitting around in strange exo-rigs. They look like the rigs we used to install the initiators, exo suits designed to enhance our strength to lift on the heavy components but these are different, sensory leads and cortex scanners, nutrient feeds and vital monitors. "Christ Mercy, next time something like that happens can you at least suicide out for the rest of us?" I turn my head and the owner of the rough voice is looking at me. I blink at the man and his shaved head and I know I look stupid because I can see it in his face. "Aww shit! Shit Mercy! Doc! Mercy's gone and Overlapped! No wonder she didn't suicide out, she think she's her character damn it! " Now here I am, staring at this little man in the sweater. He's been telling me for the last three years my name is Mercy Evans. I'm from New York. I've never been to Mars. I've got three children that I gave birth to. That I was in a state of the art simulation as a character called Jason Owens. My character installed atmosphere initiators on Mars. I don't believe him. I'll never believe him. Why would I chose hard labor and not a life of luxury or adventure in a simulation? I look out the window again as he rattles on, his voice lost as I gaze out at the people staring down at their phones, their eyes down as the moving sidewalks take their frail bodies along. The cars driven autonomously. The ai driven robots raising new buildings, repairing roadways, taking groceries to their destination. Why would I choose manual labor?	A tremendous cheer echoes across the emptiness. "Wh-what? Where am I?" I say it but I don't hear it. I turn around, only to realise I am not facing in any direction. "What is this? What's happened?" "It's okay, honey, we were all just waiting for you to be finished." The voice is different, but unmistakable. I feel tears start to well up in my nonexistent eyes. "Mum? Mum is that you?" I try to look around for her, but have no eyes with which to do so, nor any direction around which to orient myself. "Yes, honey, I'm here, and so are We all. We've been waiting for you so that We-" "W-wait. All? Jackie? Eri? ...Arin? Are you there?" I call out to them, and without hearing the responses I feel their presence around me. His presence.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	“OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?” \~\~\~ Everything faded to black. \~\~\~ I opened my eyes to chaos. Total and utter chaos. I was standing in the middle of a street as people – scared and screaming – sprinted past me. The sky was red and smoke blanketed the neighborhood. “What the fuck?” I’ve feel like I've been here before…but when? My head was fuzzy and ached. “Dude come on! Don’t just stand there! We’ve got to get out of here!” I turned around. I recognized his face instantly. “Sammy? But....didn't you die? What’s going on?” Didn't he die? I feel like he did but I can't remember... “Lets go!” Sammy grabbed my arm and we started running like our life depended on it because apparently, it did. We weren’t running for long before we found shelter. There was a house a few blocks away that was conveniently empty. I’m not sure why we took shelter here, it was just like every other house on the street, but as soon as we entered Sammy sighed. “We’re safe. Come on, help me board up these windows. We don’t want any unwelcome guests breaking in.” “Dude? What the hell is going on? Unwelcome guests? Why are we safe here? What!?” He looked at me with an expression I couldn’t read. Then he started twitching, his body vibrating. It looked as if he was phasing in and out of reality and I stared in horror. Then it stopped. “We’re safe. Come on, help me board up these windows. We don’t want any unwelcome guests breaking in.” He walked over to a stack of wooden boards, picked up a hammer and began boarding up the entry ways. “You didn’t answer my question! What’s going on?” As soon as the words left my mouth, the TV turned on, it was almost like my words triggered it. It was a news channel, the headline flashed across the screen in bold red letters: ZOMBIE OUTBREAK. Downtown San Diego is in chaos right now, the latest city to have fallen victim to the Reanimatia Epidemic. The death toll is unknown and is rising rapidly. We urge all civilians to stay inside, block all doors and don’t let anyone in. The disease seems to be bloodborne – passed by blood or other bodily fluids. If bitten by the infected, seek medical attention immediately. Please stay tuned as – “as we continue to report further developments.” The TV shut off. I’ve heard this before. I glanced over to Sammy, he has already managed to board up all the windows and doors in the front. I didn’t know it was physically possible to do that so quickly. “Sammy? Something is wrong. I feel like I’ve been here before. I feel like I’ve done all of this before.” “Hey, why don’t you start boarding up the back door? I’ll head upstairs.” He gestured to another stack of boards in the hallway and they began to glow faintly. I began to walk towards the hallway, instinctively. It felt as if a wave crashed over me, I remembered everything. “Sammy! Wait don’t go upstairs! There’s a –“ But it was too late. His scream will haunt my dreams forever. They already have. And I knew I was next. The zombie came down the stairs with uncanny agility and stood before me. “Look. I don’t know what sick fucking game this is but I’m not playing it! I’m not doing this! Three years!! I spent three damn years surviving this shit and I won’t do it again!” My body began to twitch – no… it began to glitch. To my right was a crowbar, glowing slightly. But I wasn’t picking it up. Not this time. The zombie lunged. \~\~\~ “Dude why didn’t you fight it!? You just stood there! Now we lost!” “I don’t know, the game glitched or something! I tried to grab the crowbar, but my character wasn’t moving! This game is rigged. Screw this. Let’s play something else.” \~\~\~ Everything went black. &#x200B; \------- I haven't written anything in a long time so I'm a bit rusty. Hope you guys enjoy though!	A tremendous cheer echoes across the emptiness. "Wh-what? Where am I?" I say it but I don't hear it. I turn around, only to realise I am not facing in any direction. "What is this? What's happened?" "It's okay, honey, we were all just waiting for you to be finished." The voice is different, but unmistakable. I feel tears start to well up in my nonexistent eyes. "Mum? Mum is that you?" I try to look around for her, but have no eyes with which to do so, nor any direction around which to orient myself. "Yes, honey, I'm here, and so are We all. We've been waiting for you so that We-" "W-wait. All? Jackie? Eri? ...Arin? Are you there?" I call out to them, and without hearing the responses I feel their presence around me. His presence.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	"OH MY GOD, FINALLY!!!!!" The yelling and sudden chorus of cheers made Adalyn's eyes snap open, only to be greeted with the brightest light possible, so she snapped them closed once more. "Can we start the next round now?" A more feminine voice asked, sounding further away this time. Voices began to murmur all around her, until she heard a soft, clear voice sound next to her. "Come on. You can open them properly now. It's time to celebrate after all." Was that voice talking to her? She cracked open her eyes slowly. The place was so bright and as her eyes focused, she realised she was looking at the brightest blue sky she had ever seen. She was resting against something, but leaning back against.... her hands smoothed over the surface underneath her..... bark? Was she leaning on a tree? When she finally looked away from the sky she saw them. Millions upon millions of people spread out around her, some chattering amongst themselves, some staring intently and.... happily, at her? What was this? "Adalyn?" A recognisable, little voice called quietly. She snapped her head to the right and immediately her eyes filled with tears. Her throat felt tight and she felt she couldn't breathe, let alone speak. Tears began to spill from the little girls eyes, her lip quivering so badly Adalyn felt her arms raise automatically, beckoning the girl from long ago. "Tillie?" The little girl ran forward and they embraced so strongly, it surely should have crushed the girl. She couldn't manage anymore words, just cried and cried. Her sister! Her little sister who had died from meningitis in 1978 was here? She had so many questions, but was sure her throat had closed as she finished calling out Tillie's name. "Adalyn." She heard this voice and opened her eyes to see her mother, looking as young as she remembered from her youth. But she'd died from cancer in 1995.... "Mu...." she couldn't finish the word mum. Couldn't get anything else out. Just held her arms open for her to join the embrace. As she stepped forward another face came into view. Jared. Of course. Her heart broke. He too looked as handsome as the day she met him, young, strong and incredibly dashing. His broad smile beamed at her and filled her with love. He stepped forward and embraced her fully as her mother and sister stepped back. She breathed him in. Still the same. After all these years? Like evergreen woods with a hint of mint and all man. She drank him in, with her senses and hands. She held his face, tears now flowing like a waterfall. Her mouth kept opening but nothing could come out. He just smiled a watery smile and nodded. He knew what she wanted to say. She spied movement behind him and finally looked around properly, soon realising that all those faces, all those closest to her, were everyone she had ever cared about or held dearly in her heart. Friends, and family alike. She was so filled with love, with happiness. "H-....How?" She croaked out. She looked to Jared for answers. "We've all been waiting. Waiting for you to finally join us all so we can start again." He was still holding her shoulders, rubbing down her arms, staring into her eyes. She couldn't understand what he meant. "But... but the virus?.... everyone was dying... everyone was hurting....." She shook her head, trying to remember the awful images that had plagued her as she desperately tried to survive. "Well-" "That, I can answer." A strong, female voice called out. She looked left, seeing a tall, beautiful and proud looking woman walking towards her, everyone parting to let her through. "I am Imeria, Goddess of reincarnation. Myself and my fellow gods and goddess' have been watching earth, helping you all for more years than your mind can comprehend. I am responsible for deciding which life you get to live next, whether it be full of pain or full of joy, depending on your previous life's choices and deeds. But we realised that human kind was becoming sick. You were destroying your world and each other far quicker than we had ever imagined. You were not learning from misdeeds and greed had become the main path for many of you. I grew tired. We all did. We gave so many chances, so many opportunities for all of you to choose the bright path, the path to help one and other. But your greed and hunger was too strong. So we decided that humankind had run it's course, for now. We made the virus. In fact we made all the diseases, first slow and manageable, ones to just thin your numbers, to humble you but you were all so clever, you beat them all, eventually. Until, finally, we created the virus. I have to admit, even that was slower than we had liked. Everyone around you, not just your loved ones, but everyone, has been waiting. Waiting for the last of you to perish. Waiting for you to finish your fight. To die. So that you all can blossom again." She knew she should feel furious. Outraged. How dare they play with everyone's life? With their souls? But she couldn't. She couldn't be angry. This goddess was right. They all were. Everywhere she looked, every person's face was peaceful. Accepting and understanding. Just like her, they all knew, knew that what they had done to the world, to each other, was beyond devastating. And it took this divine intervention to set them free. "So... what now?" She questioned. "Now, you bloom. The world is healing itself, and I will begin preparations for this new world. It will be a world without technology, without money, or greed. It will be life and survival. It will be the time of the fauna." She smiled softly and Adalyn felt grateful, happy and excited, but fearful. She squeezed Jareds hand. He kisses hers gently and she looked into his soft green eyes. Those eyes that reminded her of the crisp, fresh, summer grass, on the hills behind their home. She'd just got him back. Got them all back. She looked around at the faces once more and faced the goddess. "Together?" Her voice trembled at the end. The goddess smiled softly. She looked back at Jared. He touched his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. "Together." He whispered.	A tremendous cheer echoes across the emptiness. "Wh-what? Where am I?" I say it but I don't hear it. I turn around, only to realise I am not facing in any direction. "What is this? What's happened?" "It's okay, honey, we were all just waiting for you to be finished." The voice is different, but unmistakable. I feel tears start to well up in my nonexistent eyes. "Mum? Mum is that you?" I try to look around for her, but have no eyes with which to do so, nor any direction around which to orient myself. "Yes, honey, I'm here, and so are We all. We've been waiting for you so that We-" "W-wait. All? Jackie? Eri? ...Arin? Are you there?" I call out to them, and without hearing the responses I feel their presence around me. His presence.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	Blinding light hits my eyes like a like a thousand suns through a magnifying glass. I hear a booming voice. “I told you to stop taking my name in vain!” the voice bellows, followed by hearty laughter from lots of people. My eyes are still slammed shut from the harsh light, like how they were after being pepper sprayed during the shelter riots of 20…..26…..27? I can’t remember. It didn’t matter anyway. It turned out that nuclear fall-out shelters couldn’t protect against a asteroid strike sent by...sent by whom? Sent by no one! I’m being ridiculous. The light is less harsh, I try opening my eyes. Still bright, but I’m starting to see a gathering of dark figures. “It’s alright, he’ll come around, he does this every time”. The woman’s voice was familiar. “What the-where am I?” I call out to no one in particular, I suppose whomever I heard speaking (I’m honestly surprised I can speak). “Well let’s see, you died, so where do you think you are?” “Heaven? Hell?” “No stupid, I mean you died here, so you were sent down there” “What?! I don’t even remember dying! How-” The woman speaking to me materializes more, and the light fades to a thick white fog. The woman is pointing toward what looks like a pit through the fog. I figure out that I’m on a stone balcony, lying on a bench, also stone, with the giant domed room and figures in my line of vision becoming ever more clear as an abundance of other men and women. All with balconies of their own. The room I’m looking at is impossibly huge, as if it spans for a city, yet I can see everything on the other side of the room if I squint hard enough, unless the fog gets in the way. My head is in the lap of the woman speaking to me. It appears that I’m still human, just a regular guy in fact. In the center of this room is a massive pit containing a vast body of water. More amazingly, is how suddenly I remember my own death. But it certainly wasn’t here, wherever “here” is. “I seriously thought that the black plague was it! This game could’ve ended like 500 years ago!” A higher pitched male voice hurriedly exclaimed. I was killed by Apophis, or rather, the world it left behind after it impacted. I never thought I would live long enough to see it. After the announcement was made world wide of our impending doom caught by astronomers in the year 2013, and later confirmed with 98% certainty in the year 2018 almost every resource on the planet was diverted to plans to attempt to destroy the asteroid, leave the planet, or figure out how to withstand the impact. Wars were fought, entire continents were obliterated, and the space program never came to real fruition. “Yeah, or at least nuclear holocaust, when that first atom was split I was like ‘yep! This is it’. Sounds like I owe someone a drink!” The idea that would’ve saved them all was in it’s experimental phase and that was what saved me from the impact. My wife, Anne and I volunteered for a form of Cryo-sleep while being launched out to space in these pods that were supposed to be programmed to do a U-Turn back to Earth. We got launched months before impact. I lift up my head and see who’s lap I’m in. I woke up in my capsule to a blue wasteland. There was no way to tell where I’d landed, only that I was extremely lucky to be on land. Everywhere I looked surrounding the island our capsule landed on was water. I went to Anne’s sleep tube to see if she was awake yet. What I saw was a pale, semi frozen body of my now dead wife. First I was in shock, then I was overcome by intense grief. I must’ve been in tears for months straight. Maybe years. I lived on that island for the rest of my miserable life, missing the woman I loved. I succumbed to starvation and thirst, knowing I’d never see her again. I came into this place as a still grieving man. With Anne laughing in my face. I am in tears right now, hugging her so tightly. “You are so dramatic!” She laughs “Was it really that bad down there? Baldur….you ok?” She looks concerned. She lifts me up out of her lap and props me against her. With her hands she massages my shoulders and with one of wings she wipes tears off my cheeks. Wings. “Baldur…..” The name rings a bell. That’s a weird name. Is that my name? “Yes, Baldur! That’s you!” Anne’s eyes were lit up in amusement. “You, Baldur, me FREYA” she says in an obvious Tarzan spoof. I’m only confused at this point. I need to know more. I stand up and step to the balcony to gaze at the people surrounding me in a dome-like structure. The words “Ragnarok”. Were lit up in large fiery letters suspended above the pool of water. I look at the speck in the water. I’m staring at the island I died on. On it, my own corpse. Everyone here is a God. I am a God. And we’ve been playing this game for a while now. Only it’s a lot more fun when Loki doesn’t kill you near the end-game, condemning you to being one of the pieces on the board. Every time I’ve woken up after dying down there I’ve been the same emotional mess. And I lose my memory. Being a human is bad for the brain. I turn around and give Freya my best grin. She is literally a Goddess. “Thanks for keeping me company down there.” “No problem! You about ready?” I pick up my dice and cards from the bench I was lying on while I was “dead” and give Tyr, the game master, a nod. “The God of innocence is finally back! Very well played Baldur, it looks like you’ve won this round, the asteroid that Tyr had sent to finish the game wasn’t able to kill everyone you clever devil!” says Tyr. “Hang on, let me set the board back up” says Odin. “Hey no hard feelings right?” says Loki. Massive tiles began raining from the open roof of the dome-like structure, each with different masses of land on them, first creating a flat map of what almost looks like Earth, but with different continents. The game board levitates and morphs into a globe suspended for everyone to see. Little humanoid figures begin walking on the continents. “Wait, can I be the God of Mischief this time?” I say. Odin looks at Loki. Loki shrugs, “How bad could it be?”	"What?" I exclaimed with an ethereal sensation enveloping what must be my consciousness. &#x200B; "Come on Cockbag how'd you get away with being a serial killer?" An older male voice challenged me. &#x200B; "You killed me Cockbag." A distinctly child like voice said, I could see it was a boy no more than 12 in my minds eye. &#x200B; I try to turn around, but its blackness. More accusations greet me. &#x200B; "I trusted you, and let you out of jail when the others said you were guilty. How could I have been so wrong." A woman's voice lamented. &#x200B; "What's going on here?" I demanded, I could feel the icy tendrils of fear wrap around what I thought to be me, or was it my sins? &#x200B; "We are waiting for the next round to start. I vote we do away with him post haste." An older gentleman replied. &#x200B; "Do away with me! Who the hell do you think you are?" I exclaimed. &#x200B; "He was the mayor, and a damned good one. He drove out the organized crime, kept us calm during that arson spree. But then you killed him as he slept in his humble home Cockbag." The voice of my self proclaimed jailor said. &#x200B; "Ugh this is terrible I have no idea whats going on." I cried wanting to run but no sense of legs or gravity to help me flee. &#x200B; "He pee himself yet." A voice said softly from another world. &#x200B; "Pee myself?" &#x200B; "Hmm, oh you should start peeing yourself now Cockbag, payback is coming." Said the disembodied child. &#x200B; "No he hasn't, who the fuck says peed anyone more?" A hazy female voice giggled. &#x200B; "Who is that?" I demanded. &#x200B; "Its Fisher King." The boy replied. &#x200B; "You're not a woman Fisher." I said snarkily. &#x200B; "I didn't say anything." The jailor said. &#x200B; The cold has become a minor chill now. The sound of rushing water seems to fill the empty void. I hear the voices calling to me but can't make it out. Its like an ocean is drowning them out and then I feel it. Its like water rushing up my noise, I feel myself choke. This is it my punishment. &#x200B; "Oh fuck I think you drowned him." The hazy female voice shouted. &#x200B; "You said pouring water between glasses would definitely make him piss himself!" The soft voice said. &#x200B; Light pours into my eyes as I clear the water from my lungs, my face is wet. Rolling my head over I see my hand in a bowl of melted ice. I sigh as I come to realize I soaking wet head is now soaking my gaming laptop. I languidly roll my eyes around until my roommates come into focus and view. &#x200B; "Its warm water you fucking moron. Warm water is supposed to make you pee." I said leaning back into my chair. &#x200B; "Maybe, but he didn't do two tabs of acid before an all night gaming session." My female roomie retorted. &#x200B; "Ready up Cockbag420." Fisher King commanded through the speakers of my laptop. &#x200B; "Seriously who doesn't use headphones." My soft-voiced-doesn't-know-its-warm-water-to-pee roommate observed with disgust. &#x200B; I look back to my computer screen, the next round my role is Mayor. Half my face is now titled like a keyboard and its only 7am. I do the only thing that makes sense when its time to peace out. With a key stroke its all over. &#x200B; "Who the fuck reveals they are the Mayor in the first round, this game is fucking ruined." The jailor from the last rounded shouted. &#x200B; "Who the fuck plays the Town of Salem." My female roommate chuckles as she and her partner in crime help me up. &#x200B; My previously unfeeling legs begin to tingle and I can't even move. The sensations of nerve endings screaming to my brain take center stage of my consciousness. I let out a guttural low roar. &#x200B; "Oh shit he pissed himself I told you it would work!" Soft-voice-who-know-will-refuse-that-it-was-anything-but-my-hand-in-cold-water shouted in victory.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	“OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?” \~\~\~ Everything faded to black. \~\~\~ I opened my eyes to chaos. Total and utter chaos. I was standing in the middle of a street as people – scared and screaming – sprinted past me. The sky was red and smoke blanketed the neighborhood. “What the fuck?” I’ve feel like I've been here before…but when? My head was fuzzy and ached. “Dude come on! Don’t just stand there! We’ve got to get out of here!” I turned around. I recognized his face instantly. “Sammy? But....didn't you die? What’s going on?” Didn't he die? I feel like he did but I can't remember... “Lets go!” Sammy grabbed my arm and we started running like our life depended on it because apparently, it did. We weren’t running for long before we found shelter. There was a house a few blocks away that was conveniently empty. I’m not sure why we took shelter here, it was just like every other house on the street, but as soon as we entered Sammy sighed. “We’re safe. Come on, help me board up these windows. We don’t want any unwelcome guests breaking in.” “Dude? What the hell is going on? Unwelcome guests? Why are we safe here? What!?” He looked at me with an expression I couldn’t read. Then he started twitching, his body vibrating. It looked as if he was phasing in and out of reality and I stared in horror. Then it stopped. “We’re safe. Come on, help me board up these windows. We don’t want any unwelcome guests breaking in.” He walked over to a stack of wooden boards, picked up a hammer and began boarding up the entry ways. “You didn’t answer my question! What’s going on?” As soon as the words left my mouth, the TV turned on, it was almost like my words triggered it. It was a news channel, the headline flashed across the screen in bold red letters: ZOMBIE OUTBREAK. Downtown San Diego is in chaos right now, the latest city to have fallen victim to the Reanimatia Epidemic. The death toll is unknown and is rising rapidly. We urge all civilians to stay inside, block all doors and don’t let anyone in. The disease seems to be bloodborne – passed by blood or other bodily fluids. If bitten by the infected, seek medical attention immediately. Please stay tuned as – “as we continue to report further developments.” The TV shut off. I’ve heard this before. I glanced over to Sammy, he has already managed to board up all the windows and doors in the front. I didn’t know it was physically possible to do that so quickly. “Sammy? Something is wrong. I feel like I’ve been here before. I feel like I’ve done all of this before.” “Hey, why don’t you start boarding up the back door? I’ll head upstairs.” He gestured to another stack of boards in the hallway and they began to glow faintly. I began to walk towards the hallway, instinctively. It felt as if a wave crashed over me, I remembered everything. “Sammy! Wait don’t go upstairs! There’s a –“ But it was too late. His scream will haunt my dreams forever. They already have. And I knew I was next. The zombie came down the stairs with uncanny agility and stood before me. “Look. I don’t know what sick fucking game this is but I’m not playing it! I’m not doing this! Three years!! I spent three damn years surviving this shit and I won’t do it again!” My body began to twitch – no… it began to glitch. To my right was a crowbar, glowing slightly. But I wasn’t picking it up. Not this time. The zombie lunged. \~\~\~ “Dude why didn’t you fight it!? You just stood there! Now we lost!” “I don’t know, the game glitched or something! I tried to grab the crowbar, but my character wasn’t moving! This game is rigged. Screw this. Let’s play something else.” \~\~\~ Everything went black. &#x200B; \------- I haven't written anything in a long time so I'm a bit rusty. Hope you guys enjoy though!	I opened my eyes slowly, one hand sliding over my face. Something didn't feel....right? Didn't feel like...me? I pulled my hand away and look at it. That's not my hand! I'm controlling it, the fingers move when I will them to but they are too thin and those freshly manicured nails are all wrong. I install atmosphere initiators on Mars; I brought life to The Red Planet! My hands are gnarled and the nails broken from the labor, this isn't right! That's when I look down and see...breasts?? What the hell is going on here?! That's when I realize for the first time I'm sitting up. That's not right either. I WAS in bed. I remember it so clearly. Everyone had sworn Mars would be different, that we would be careful of our greed. But we hadn't had we? We had used Mars up just like Earth. Slowly we had started to to use up one another until we were all gone. Recycling ourselves for resources on death, then we didn't even wait for death, as soon as we had grown old or weak we were recycled. Everyone but me, I was the last, alone, in bed, slowly dying, rationing out my last rations. But I'd faced it like a man because....because I WAS a man! "Here we sit for the last two God damned hours while she lays around taking her time dying! " "You'd think she would have had the decency to remember the rest of us and jump off a damn cliff or something instead of leaving us waiting. I didn't save five paychecks to sit on my ass bored watching Mercy strapped to a rig talking to herself" Voices? But...everyone is dead! I blink in the light and see four others sitting around in strange exo-rigs. They look like the rigs we used to install the initiators, exo suits designed to enhance our strength to lift on the heavy components but these are different, sensory leads and cortex scanners, nutrient feeds and vital monitors. "Christ Mercy, next time something like that happens can you at least suicide out for the rest of us?" I turn my head and the owner of the rough voice is looking at me. I blink at the man and his shaved head and I know I look stupid because I can see it in his face. "Aww shit! Shit Mercy! Doc! Mercy's gone and Overlapped! No wonder she didn't suicide out, she think she's her character damn it! " Now here I am, staring at this little man in the sweater. He's been telling me for the last three years my name is Mercy Evans. I'm from New York. I've never been to Mars. I've got three children that I gave birth to. That I was in a state of the art simulation as a character called Jason Owens. My character installed atmosphere initiators on Mars. I don't believe him. I'll never believe him. Why would I chose hard labor and not a life of luxury or adventure in a simulation? I look out the window again as he rattles on, his voice lost as I gaze out at the people staring down at their phones, their eyes down as the moving sidewalks take their frail bodies along. The cars driven autonomously. The ai driven robots raising new buildings, repairing roadways, taking groceries to their destination. Why would I choose manual labor?
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	"OH MY GOD, FINALLY!!!!!" The yelling and sudden chorus of cheers made Adalyn's eyes snap open, only to be greeted with the brightest light possible, so she snapped them closed once more. "Can we start the next round now?" A more feminine voice asked, sounding further away this time. Voices began to murmur all around her, until she heard a soft, clear voice sound next to her. "Come on. You can open them properly now. It's time to celebrate after all." Was that voice talking to her? She cracked open her eyes slowly. The place was so bright and as her eyes focused, she realised she was looking at the brightest blue sky she had ever seen. She was resting against something, but leaning back against.... her hands smoothed over the surface underneath her..... bark? Was she leaning on a tree? When she finally looked away from the sky she saw them. Millions upon millions of people spread out around her, some chattering amongst themselves, some staring intently and.... happily, at her? What was this? "Adalyn?" A recognisable, little voice called quietly. She snapped her head to the right and immediately her eyes filled with tears. Her throat felt tight and she felt she couldn't breathe, let alone speak. Tears began to spill from the little girls eyes, her lip quivering so badly Adalyn felt her arms raise automatically, beckoning the girl from long ago. "Tillie?" The little girl ran forward and they embraced so strongly, it surely should have crushed the girl. She couldn't manage anymore words, just cried and cried. Her sister! Her little sister who had died from meningitis in 1978 was here? She had so many questions, but was sure her throat had closed as she finished calling out Tillie's name. "Adalyn." She heard this voice and opened her eyes to see her mother, looking as young as she remembered from her youth. But she'd died from cancer in 1995.... "Mu...." she couldn't finish the word mum. Couldn't get anything else out. Just held her arms open for her to join the embrace. As she stepped forward another face came into view. Jared. Of course. Her heart broke. He too looked as handsome as the day she met him, young, strong and incredibly dashing. His broad smile beamed at her and filled her with love. He stepped forward and embraced her fully as her mother and sister stepped back. She breathed him in. Still the same. After all these years? Like evergreen woods with a hint of mint and all man. She drank him in, with her senses and hands. She held his face, tears now flowing like a waterfall. Her mouth kept opening but nothing could come out. He just smiled a watery smile and nodded. He knew what she wanted to say. She spied movement behind him and finally looked around properly, soon realising that all those faces, all those closest to her, were everyone she had ever cared about or held dearly in her heart. Friends, and family alike. She was so filled with love, with happiness. "H-....How?" She croaked out. She looked to Jared for answers. "We've all been waiting. Waiting for you to finally join us all so we can start again." He was still holding her shoulders, rubbing down her arms, staring into her eyes. She couldn't understand what he meant. "But... but the virus?.... everyone was dying... everyone was hurting....." She shook her head, trying to remember the awful images that had plagued her as she desperately tried to survive. "Well-" "That, I can answer." A strong, female voice called out. She looked left, seeing a tall, beautiful and proud looking woman walking towards her, everyone parting to let her through. "I am Imeria, Goddess of reincarnation. Myself and my fellow gods and goddess' have been watching earth, helping you all for more years than your mind can comprehend. I am responsible for deciding which life you get to live next, whether it be full of pain or full of joy, depending on your previous life's choices and deeds. But we realised that human kind was becoming sick. You were destroying your world and each other far quicker than we had ever imagined. You were not learning from misdeeds and greed had become the main path for many of you. I grew tired. We all did. We gave so many chances, so many opportunities for all of you to choose the bright path, the path to help one and other. But your greed and hunger was too strong. So we decided that humankind had run it's course, for now. We made the virus. In fact we made all the diseases, first slow and manageable, ones to just thin your numbers, to humble you but you were all so clever, you beat them all, eventually. Until, finally, we created the virus. I have to admit, even that was slower than we had liked. Everyone around you, not just your loved ones, but everyone, has been waiting. Waiting for the last of you to perish. Waiting for you to finish your fight. To die. So that you all can blossom again." She knew she should feel furious. Outraged. How dare they play with everyone's life? With their souls? But she couldn't. She couldn't be angry. This goddess was right. They all were. Everywhere she looked, every person's face was peaceful. Accepting and understanding. Just like her, they all knew, knew that what they had done to the world, to each other, was beyond devastating. And it took this divine intervention to set them free. "So... what now?" She questioned. "Now, you bloom. The world is healing itself, and I will begin preparations for this new world. It will be a world without technology, without money, or greed. It will be life and survival. It will be the time of the fauna." She smiled softly and Adalyn felt grateful, happy and excited, but fearful. She squeezed Jareds hand. He kisses hers gently and she looked into his soft green eyes. Those eyes that reminded her of the crisp, fresh, summer grass, on the hills behind their home. She'd just got him back. Got them all back. She looked around at the faces once more and faced the goddess. "Together?" Her voice trembled at the end. The goddess smiled softly. She looked back at Jared. He touched his forehead to hers and closed his eyes. "Together." He whispered.	The next round? The next round of what? “Life.” What life? I am...or I was? The Last Man. “You held the door open for the rest of us.” I did? Alternate memories, a man surrounded by carcasses of the slain, slowly breathing his last. A father, slowly letting go in his bed. A painful vista encapsulated in four weeping eyes before darkness. A road. Cannibals. A daughter. Saying goodbye. I was. I am. No one else held the door? “No one else, you’re it.” Old drives course through me. Duty, loyalty, do the right thing. Where am I and how do I decide? One figure steps forward, more soul than anything else. I feel the words more than anything else. “Because I’m who you’ve been looking for and you needed to get here to find me.” A heart breaks. A soul merges. “I’ll be with you, but you’ve already exhausted all the other possibilities. There really is only one thing left to do.” A multidimensional tesseract, choice, agency. Floating through all the possibilities. I have my counterpart with me and I need to find the last bit of the keys. I sense rather than know amongst all the doors. I know which one to go through. I feel a deep sense of relief from the others. Finally, the right direction to be moving in. I choose the right door at the right time. And that time is now. I open the door and step through.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	Something about his voice made her want to tear out his vocal cords and rearrange them herself. His tone was especially annoying. “You spent 30 years! Ugh, I waited sooo long,” he whined petulantly. “I mean, every time you were driving I was rooting for some drunk teenager to smash into your seat. You were cute in the first decade, honey, but I swear on my Boss you totally flumped the rest.” He folded his feathered arms condescendingly. “I’ll have to thank Satan for inventing breast cancer, Gutierrez, because that whole...” he gestured to Gutierrez’s head and swept his hands down to her toes, “thing... was hard to watch. Bring on the next round of living. Or non-living.” He paused. “After-living?” Gutierrez more than disliked this guy (-shaped thing). “Well, I’m sorry I lived to irritate you, man,” she snapped. “You should be,” he said. “I’m in charge of directing you to your afterlife. You can choose it, and I’ll decide if you’re worthy. Honestly, dear, you’re probably not worthy of much.” “Heaven?” she asked. The guy laughed. “Pshh. No way, Rosa-Jose.” Gutierrez frowned. “Egyptian afterlife?” “Were you buried with a Book of the Dead and speak ancient Egyptian?” Gutierrez denied this, increasingly vexed. “If you weren’t an amazing person, forget about Elysium. You didn’t die honorably in battle, so Valhalla’s off the table. You could try for La Tierra de los Muertos, if you want. Everyone gets in there. It’s a nice-ish place, but you’ll disappear once you’re forgotten, sweet stuff.” “I mean, maybe.” Gutierrez considered this. “Any other afterlives?” “You could be reborn. Reincarnation on its own is a bit more of a general faith. Plus, you can choose what you want to be reincarnated as.” The man rocked back and forth on his feet. He seemed a little less annoying, now that he was focusing on strictly business. “Eh,” Gutierrez said. “I kinda just want to take a break. Can I fade to black?” The man raised his fluffy eyebrows. “Sure, Rosa. You wanna say goodbye to any dead family?” “Honestly, not really. Just tell the ones I liked that I didn’t live a terrible life.” “I’m obligated not to lie to the dead, but I’ll make an exception in your case,” he retorted. Looks like the snark was back. “Which ones did you like?” “You’re a magical being or spirit or whatever. You can figure it out.” “Angel,” the man opposite her said. “And I guess I’ll have to. Have fun with eternal nothingness!” White snapped over Rosa’s eyes, ears, and mind forever. ____ r/Bennywrites	The next round? The next round of what? “Life.” What life? I am...or I was? The Last Man. “You held the door open for the rest of us.” I did? Alternate memories, a man surrounded by carcasses of the slain, slowly breathing his last. A father, slowly letting go in his bed. A painful vista encapsulated in four weeping eyes before darkness. A road. Cannibals. A daughter. Saying goodbye. I was. I am. No one else held the door? “No one else, you’re it.” Old drives course through me. Duty, loyalty, do the right thing. Where am I and how do I decide? One figure steps forward, more soul than anything else. I feel the words more than anything else. “Because I’m who you’ve been looking for and you needed to get here to find me.” A heart breaks. A soul merges. “I’ll be with you, but you’ve already exhausted all the other possibilities. There really is only one thing left to do.” A multidimensional tesseract, choice, agency. Floating through all the possibilities. I have my counterpart with me and I need to find the last bit of the keys. I sense rather than know amongst all the doors. I know which one to go through. I feel a deep sense of relief from the others. Finally, the right direction to be moving in. I choose the right door at the right time. And that time is now. I open the door and step through.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	There was a time, not long ago, when I still had something worth clinging to, when the halls of my life had photos hung on them, of a beautiful wife and daughter, a brother and father. How long had it been since that hall was burned down, the photos cracked and smothered in ash? I could hardly remember their faces. I could hardly remember what my daughter's voice sounded like when she died. I'll never forget the words. We were playing a game of hide and seek in the forest, and she'd just found me-- this was before the others were lost to a cruel Earth, and we didn't know better. I closed my eyes, counting to thirty, but was knocked to the ground at just thirteen. There was shrapnel buried in the dirt everywhere, twisted bits of metal rain. It didn't take long for me to find her, cleaved nearly in half just below the waist, her head bloodied. Daisy only screamed one phrase before she died, a stuttered, hollow cry. "You didn't finish counting." It was the trauma, I know. But to have one final moment with your daughter be nothing but the raving madness of impending death... well, that didn't do wonders for my health. I've heard the words in my nightmares almost every night, yet somehow I don't remember what her voice sounds like. I only know the scream. Why had I let her run off? What kind of useless father leaves their daughter alone, even just for a moment, when the world is dying? Her smile laxed me. Our relative safety made me grow weak. I became comfortable, and because of it, my daughter died a horrible, brutal death. What would she say to me, if she ever saw me again? Somewhere amidst ash and rubble, I was huddled under a thermal blanket, scraping peaches out of a can. If you think canned peaches taste bad, try eating them every day for a year. They don't start tasting any better. The sky was dark, as it always was all year round, lightning crackling through plumes of a dying sky. Only at dawn, for about an hour, did the sun slip through at all. The last peach slipped down my throat, can clattering against broken rock; the food had been my only excuse to keep going. Well, that and thinking I really was the last man left on Earth. If I really had been, and I died, that would be the end of our species, the pen lifting off the paper of humanity's great history. But that final peach saved me. There was nothing left to fight for. I lumbered out into a dead forest, burnt and shattered by debris that had fallen from the sky. One tree was cleaved in half, and I stared at it a while, numb and thoughtless, before continuing on my trek to nowhere. There's no telling how long I matched through the ash and deadwood; a journey to nowhere takes forever and no time at all. Eventually, I collapsed. A final, heaving breath scattered ash from the ground, and a single yellow flower poked out from the new clearing. A daisy, parched, drinking the brief morning light while it got the chance. There were a few others, at the base of trees where ash was thinner, dotting the grey with yellow and white. I cleared the ash completely from the one nearest me with a limp hand, setting my palm behind it such that I sheltered it from the ash but let what little sunlight crept uphill at dawn to shine on it. Tears would've fallen if there had been any moisture in me to spare. It sounds ridiculous, but even getting to protect just a single daisy in the ground and keep it alive a little longer made me feel like my life had meant something. It was doomed to die, yes, but maybe it would live to see a few extra sunrises with my help-- more than I'd accomplished with anything else. The pitiful last act of humanity. The embrace of a much-needed rest comforted me into oblivion. Darkness faded into a blinding light. I was, yet I also was not; a weightless body that felt not the heavy tolls of a physical being. There was no smell or taste, no pain or sorrow buried deep inside me. "Finally, Daddy," a voice called-- a voice that was once the heart beating in my chest, and the air in my lungs, one that didn't require remembrance to know it. "Can we start the next round now? It's my turn to hide." She was whole again, smile brighter than the sun ever was, standing with the rest of my family. Their faces looked foreign to me, but they felt like home. I felt their love radiating, entangling with me, melting away the hate I'd built for myself over the years like snow under the sun of a new day. I was whole again, too. ----- /r/resonatingfury	The next round? The next round of what? “Life.” What life? I am...or I was? The Last Man. “You held the door open for the rest of us.” I did? Alternate memories, a man surrounded by carcasses of the slain, slowly breathing his last. A father, slowly letting go in his bed. A painful vista encapsulated in four weeping eyes before darkness. A road. Cannibals. A daughter. Saying goodbye. I was. I am. No one else held the door? “No one else, you’re it.” Old drives course through me. Duty, loyalty, do the right thing. Where am I and how do I decide? One figure steps forward, more soul than anything else. I feel the words more than anything else. “Because I’m who you’ve been looking for and you needed to get here to find me.” A heart breaks. A soul merges. “I’ll be with you, but you’ve already exhausted all the other possibilities. There really is only one thing left to do.” A multidimensional tesseract, choice, agency. Floating through all the possibilities. I have my counterpart with me and I need to find the last bit of the keys. I sense rather than know amongst all the doors. I know which one to go through. I feel a deep sense of relief from the others. Finally, the right direction to be moving in. I choose the right door at the right time. And that time is now. I open the door and step through.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	I wake up…nowhere. At first, I am alone, and every direction I look there is nothingness. Then, I look at the sky, and it’s there. Then I look down, and there’s grass under my feet. Figures start to appear. The noise gives it all away, and an outline appears before their body fully appears, but soon they are everywhere. In front of me, in the distance. So many that I can no longer see the horizon. Their faces are all the faces of strangers to me. I walk around desperately, in circles, looking for one I know. “Hello?” I ask one of them. “What’s going on?” Most of them ignore me. They shake their head, and continue on with their conversation. “Shame you were so close but so far,” one of them says. “What?” A hand on my shoulder. I turn around. “Mom?” She gives me a hug as my heart drops. “Mom, is this…the afterlife?” She grabs my shoulders, and smiles sadly. “In a way, it is.”“What’s going on?” “You did such a good job. We were all watching…I knew you would do great.” “What are you talking about?” “Your life. In the end, I know you came up short, but…you lived such a good life.” “My life?” All I can think about were those final days, alone in my bed, waiting for the end. What kind of life was that? “All I did was try and follow what you taught me. Love the people around me…never give up…don’t apologize for being me. Things didn’t even work out that well for me. You died, dad died, she left me...I was all alone in the end.” “But you stayed you. And that’s why I’m so proud.” She looks up at the sky, and I follow her line of sight. In the sky, the clouds have formed a number, and then another one…10, 9, 8… I look around. Slowly, the figures are reduced to outlines, and then they vanish. A loud cheer goes up all around me. “Mom? What’s going on?” She looks at me, and smiles. “We might not meet in this round, but I’m still rooting for you. You were the one good thing I did last time.” “What? What round?” “Other people will try and use you to up their score, but don’t let them.”“What? What score? I don’t know anything you’re talking about.” She smiles, almost heartbreakingly wide. “And that’s why you’ll do great again. You don't play the same way we do. And I hope you never do. Good luck, honey. I love you.” And with her last words, she vanishes. I am all alone again, on the grassy field. I feel a final moment of comfort, that things are going to be okay. And then everything goes white, and… \- [r/penguin347](https://reddit.com/r/penguin347)	The next round? The next round of what? “Life.” What life? I am...or I was? The Last Man. “You held the door open for the rest of us.” I did? Alternate memories, a man surrounded by carcasses of the slain, slowly breathing his last. A father, slowly letting go in his bed. A painful vista encapsulated in four weeping eyes before darkness. A road. Cannibals. A daughter. Saying goodbye. I was. I am. No one else held the door? “No one else, you’re it.” Old drives course through me. Duty, loyalty, do the right thing. Where am I and how do I decide? One figure steps forward, more soul than anything else. I feel the words more than anything else. “Because I’m who you’ve been looking for and you needed to get here to find me.” A heart breaks. A soul merges. “I’ll be with you, but you’ve already exhausted all the other possibilities. There really is only one thing left to do.” A multidimensional tesseract, choice, agency. Floating through all the possibilities. I have my counterpart with me and I need to find the last bit of the keys. I sense rather than know amongst all the doors. I know which one to go through. I feel a deep sense of relief from the others. Finally, the right direction to be moving in. I choose the right door at the right time. And that time is now. I open the door and step through.
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	There was a time, not long ago, when I still had something worth clinging to, when the halls of my life had photos hung on them, of a beautiful wife and daughter, a brother and father. How long had it been since that hall was burned down, the photos cracked and smothered in ash? I could hardly remember their faces. I could hardly remember what my daughter's voice sounded like when she died. I'll never forget the words. We were playing a game of hide and seek in the forest, and she'd just found me-- this was before the others were lost to a cruel Earth, and we didn't know better. I closed my eyes, counting to thirty, but was knocked to the ground at just thirteen. There was shrapnel buried in the dirt everywhere, twisted bits of metal rain. It didn't take long for me to find her, cleaved nearly in half just below the waist, her head bloodied. Daisy only screamed one phrase before she died, a stuttered, hollow cry. "You didn't finish counting." It was the trauma, I know. But to have one final moment with your daughter be nothing but the raving madness of impending death... well, that didn't do wonders for my health. I've heard the words in my nightmares almost every night, yet somehow I don't remember what her voice sounds like. I only know the scream. Why had I let her run off? What kind of useless father leaves their daughter alone, even just for a moment, when the world is dying? Her smile laxed me. Our relative safety made me grow weak. I became comfortable, and because of it, my daughter died a horrible, brutal death. What would she say to me, if she ever saw me again? Somewhere amidst ash and rubble, I was huddled under a thermal blanket, scraping peaches out of a can. If you think canned peaches taste bad, try eating them every day for a year. They don't start tasting any better. The sky was dark, as it always was all year round, lightning crackling through plumes of a dying sky. Only at dawn, for about an hour, did the sun slip through at all. The last peach slipped down my throat, can clattering against broken rock; the food had been my only excuse to keep going. Well, that and thinking I really was the last man left on Earth. If I really had been, and I died, that would be the end of our species, the pen lifting off the paper of humanity's great history. But that final peach saved me. There was nothing left to fight for. I lumbered out into a dead forest, burnt and shattered by debris that had fallen from the sky. One tree was cleaved in half, and I stared at it a while, numb and thoughtless, before continuing on my trek to nowhere. There's no telling how long I matched through the ash and deadwood; a journey to nowhere takes forever and no time at all. Eventually, I collapsed. A final, heaving breath scattered ash from the ground, and a single yellow flower poked out from the new clearing. A daisy, parched, drinking the brief morning light while it got the chance. There were a few others, at the base of trees where ash was thinner, dotting the grey with yellow and white. I cleared the ash completely from the one nearest me with a limp hand, setting my palm behind it such that I sheltered it from the ash but let what little sunlight crept uphill at dawn to shine on it. Tears would've fallen if there had been any moisture in me to spare. It sounds ridiculous, but even getting to protect just a single daisy in the ground and keep it alive a little longer made me feel like my life had meant something. It was doomed to die, yes, but maybe it would live to see a few extra sunrises with my help-- more than I'd accomplished with anything else. The pitiful last act of humanity. The embrace of a much-needed rest comforted me into oblivion. Darkness faded into a blinding light. I was, yet I also was not; a weightless body that felt not the heavy tolls of a physical being. There was no smell or taste, no pain or sorrow buried deep inside me. "Finally, Daddy," a voice called-- a voice that was once the heart beating in my chest, and the air in my lungs, one that didn't require remembrance to know it. "Can we start the next round now? It's my turn to hide." She was whole again, smile brighter than the sun ever was, standing with the rest of my family. Their faces looked foreign to me, but they felt like home. I felt their love radiating, entangling with me, melting away the hate I'd built for myself over the years like snow under the sun of a new day. I was whole again, too. ----- /r/resonatingfury	Something about his voice made her want to tear out his vocal cords and rearrange them herself. His tone was especially annoying. “You spent 30 years! Ugh, I waited sooo long,” he whined petulantly. “I mean, every time you were driving I was rooting for some drunk teenager to smash into your seat. You were cute in the first decade, honey, but I swear on my Boss you totally flumped the rest.” He folded his feathered arms condescendingly. “I’ll have to thank Satan for inventing breast cancer, Gutierrez, because that whole...” he gestured to Gutierrez’s head and swept his hands down to her toes, “thing... was hard to watch. Bring on the next round of living. Or non-living.” He paused. “After-living?” Gutierrez more than disliked this guy (-shaped thing). “Well, I’m sorry I lived to irritate you, man,” she snapped. “You should be,” he said. “I’m in charge of directing you to your afterlife. You can choose it, and I’ll decide if you’re worthy. Honestly, dear, you’re probably not worthy of much.” “Heaven?” she asked. The guy laughed. “Pshh. No way, Rosa-Jose.” Gutierrez frowned. “Egyptian afterlife?” “Were you buried with a Book of the Dead and speak ancient Egyptian?” Gutierrez denied this, increasingly vexed. “If you weren’t an amazing person, forget about Elysium. You didn’t die honorably in battle, so Valhalla’s off the table. You could try for La Tierra de los Muertos, if you want. Everyone gets in there. It’s a nice-ish place, but you’ll disappear once you’re forgotten, sweet stuff.” “I mean, maybe.” Gutierrez considered this. “Any other afterlives?” “You could be reborn. Reincarnation on its own is a bit more of a general faith. Plus, you can choose what you want to be reincarnated as.” The man rocked back and forth on his feet. He seemed a little less annoying, now that he was focusing on strictly business. “Eh,” Gutierrez said. “I kinda just want to take a break. Can I fade to black?” The man raised his fluffy eyebrows. “Sure, Rosa. You wanna say goodbye to any dead family?” “Honestly, not really. Just tell the ones I liked that I didn’t live a terrible life.” “I’m obligated not to lie to the dead, but I’ll make an exception in your case,” he retorted. Looks like the snark was back. “Which ones did you like?” “You’re a magical being or spirit or whatever. You can figure it out.” “Angel,” the man opposite her said. “And I guess I’ll have to. Have fun with eternal nothingness!” White snapped over Rosa’s eyes, ears, and mind forever. ____ r/Bennywrites
[WP] Humanity is dead. You were the last human alive until you eventually die. Expecting some sort of afterlife you’re surprised when the first thing you hear is, “OH MY GOD FINALLY! Can we start the next round now?”	I wake up…nowhere. At first, I am alone, and every direction I look there is nothingness. Then, I look at the sky, and it’s there. Then I look down, and there’s grass under my feet. Figures start to appear. The noise gives it all away, and an outline appears before their body fully appears, but soon they are everywhere. In front of me, in the distance. So many that I can no longer see the horizon. Their faces are all the faces of strangers to me. I walk around desperately, in circles, looking for one I know. “Hello?” I ask one of them. “What’s going on?” Most of them ignore me. They shake their head, and continue on with their conversation. “Shame you were so close but so far,” one of them says. “What?” A hand on my shoulder. I turn around. “Mom?” She gives me a hug as my heart drops. “Mom, is this…the afterlife?” She grabs my shoulders, and smiles sadly. “In a way, it is.”“What’s going on?” “You did such a good job. We were all watching…I knew you would do great.” “What are you talking about?” “Your life. In the end, I know you came up short, but…you lived such a good life.” “My life?” All I can think about were those final days, alone in my bed, waiting for the end. What kind of life was that? “All I did was try and follow what you taught me. Love the people around me…never give up…don’t apologize for being me. Things didn’t even work out that well for me. You died, dad died, she left me...I was all alone in the end.” “But you stayed you. And that’s why I’m so proud.” She looks up at the sky, and I follow her line of sight. In the sky, the clouds have formed a number, and then another one…10, 9, 8… I look around. Slowly, the figures are reduced to outlines, and then they vanish. A loud cheer goes up all around me. “Mom? What’s going on?” She looks at me, and smiles. “We might not meet in this round, but I’m still rooting for you. You were the one good thing I did last time.” “What? What round?” “Other people will try and use you to up their score, but don’t let them.”“What? What score? I don’t know anything you’re talking about.” She smiles, almost heartbreakingly wide. “And that’s why you’ll do great again. You don't play the same way we do. And I hope you never do. Good luck, honey. I love you.” And with her last words, she vanishes. I am all alone again, on the grassy field. I feel a final moment of comfort, that things are going to be okay. And then everything goes white, and… \- [r/penguin347](https://reddit.com/r/penguin347)	Something about his voice made her want to tear out his vocal cords and rearrange them herself. His tone was especially annoying. “You spent 30 years! Ugh, I waited sooo long,” he whined petulantly. “I mean, every time you were driving I was rooting for some drunk teenager to smash into your seat. You were cute in the first decade, honey, but I swear on my Boss you totally flumped the rest.” He folded his feathered arms condescendingly. “I’ll have to thank Satan for inventing breast cancer, Gutierrez, because that whole...” he gestured to Gutierrez’s head and swept his hands down to her toes, “thing... was hard to watch. Bring on the next round of living. Or non-living.” He paused. “After-living?” Gutierrez more than disliked this guy (-shaped thing). “Well, I’m sorry I lived to irritate you, man,” she snapped. “You should be,” he said. “I’m in charge of directing you to your afterlife. You can choose it, and I’ll decide if you’re worthy. Honestly, dear, you’re probably not worthy of much.” “Heaven?” she asked. The guy laughed. “Pshh. No way, Rosa-Jose.” Gutierrez frowned. “Egyptian afterlife?” “Were you buried with a Book of the Dead and speak ancient Egyptian?” Gutierrez denied this, increasingly vexed. “If you weren’t an amazing person, forget about Elysium. You didn’t die honorably in battle, so Valhalla’s off the table. You could try for La Tierra de los Muertos, if you want. Everyone gets in there. It’s a nice-ish place, but you’ll disappear once you’re forgotten, sweet stuff.” “I mean, maybe.” Gutierrez considered this. “Any other afterlives?” “You could be reborn. Reincarnation on its own is a bit more of a general faith. Plus, you can choose what you want to be reincarnated as.” The man rocked back and forth on his feet. He seemed a little less annoying, now that he was focusing on strictly business. “Eh,” Gutierrez said. “I kinda just want to take a break. Can I fade to black?” The man raised his fluffy eyebrows. “Sure, Rosa. You wanna say goodbye to any dead family?” “Honestly, not really. Just tell the ones I liked that I didn’t live a terrible life.” “I’m obligated not to lie to the dead, but I’ll make an exception in your case,” he retorted. Looks like the snark was back. “Which ones did you like?” “You’re a magical being or spirit or whatever. You can figure it out.” “Angel,” the man opposite her said. “And I guess I’ll have to. Have fun with eternal nothingness!” White snapped over Rosa’s eyes, ears, and mind forever. ____ r/Bennywrites
[WP] Everyone is attached to a red string that leads them to their soulmate. For your friends, it’s easy for them to follow their string. You try to follow yours only to realize it’s attached to something past the sky.	It was a Monday. It was a Monday when the world was attacked. It didn't happen like you'd expect, like in the movies. Humanity just surrendered. The aliens had a charismatic streak to them and easily convinced us to lay arms down. Across Earth, platoons of aliens lead by a single sergeant talked entire armies down from massacre. I saw her through the midst of it all. A tall, purple-skinned alien female. She was swooning troops in Washington D.C with a silver tongue. She looked no different from the rest of her race except for one crucial detail. The cloth string that ran out of my chest ran right up to hers. Our gazes met. I don't write often, I hope it's not too bad.	I stood, trembling in my bathroom, my body lit only by the purple-pink neon signage of the billboard directly opposite my house. I have been on this earth 24 years, and not once in my 8760 days have I met a single person who understood what I go through. Everyone’s string is so damn easy to follow. It just goes straight to the soulmate. Everyone’s except mine. Mine goes straight up. Further into the stratosphere than visible to the naked eye - further than visible from a telescope too. NOBODY understands how unfulfilling my existence is. How utterly maddening it is having your soulmate be eternally unreachable. I am driven insane, year by year, day by day, by my complete and utter desperation to feel the kind of undying love that a soulmate brings. But I’m not going to have to worry about that anymore. To find a live undying, I think I need to do a bit of dying first. I stand, trembling, in my bathroom, by body lit by a universe of manufactured nebulae. I hold the shiny object between my thumb and forefinger, and before I know it, the deed is done. My body drops, yet I do not. My god, it’s so beautiful. It’s like I’m pixelated, my soul splitting into crystalline fragments and then weaving back together again. I am no one, and I am no where. All around me is. Colour. But not one I’ve ever experienced before. I know that my eyes see it as black, but I know this cannot be black. It’s too.... perfect. It’s like a missing texture in a video game. I admire the not-colour for a few moments, trying to comprehend what I am experiencing. I look to my hand, and my string no longer goes straight up. My string now leads straight in front of me. Into the nothing. Into the black. This is my path. This is where I must go. I walk forward into the not-colour, and it is welcoming. It is warm, and it feels like h o m e
[WP] You hand your fake ID to the bouncer. He takes a serious look at it and you before talking into his earpiece. You think you’ve been made until he unlocks a hidden door behind him, kneels in before you, and gives you your ID. You inspect it. Apparently, you’re not only 19, you’re 1019 years old.	I will definitely write more on this, it's just way too interesting to pass up. Thanks for reading! \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ &#x200B; Alex, like any nineteen-year-old to sneak their way into a nightclub for the first time, was nervous. A bit of a wreck, really. His friends were supposed to have been here with him, laughing and joking in line by now. They had all planned to go to the annual Scare Rave together for Halloween, get incredibly drunk in their stupid costumes, and maybe bring home some ‘sexy nurse’ or’ police officer’ chicks. That was the plan, and they all had the money and the relentless teenage will for gaining access to alcohol to do it. However, only Alex had received his fake ID in time for the rave. So there he stood, dressed up in his ‘suave vampire’ get up, alone in line and only one person away from the bouncer. In normal circumstances, Alex probably wouldn’t have even been nervous. He had a knack for remaining cool in tense situations and going with the flow even if he didn’t understand it. His trademark winning smile helped, with very prominent canines endearing him to looking like a mischievous child. However, he didn’t think his winning smile was going to save him from this. His fake ID had a typo on it. Only a slight typo. Someone must’ve hit a one instead of a two when typing it up, which probably wouldn’t have been a big deal, except for the fact that it said he was born in the year 1000. There were no refunds. “Next,” grumbled the gruff man at the door. He was nearly twice Alex’s size with half of the hair. He gave Alex a strange look, noticing the fake vampire teeth that hung from his neck. They hung squarely in the middle of his bare chest, which was exposed from his only half-way buttoned-down button-down. “It was the only thing left at Walmart,” Alex mumbled, blushing slightly under the scrutiny of the huge man. He fumbled for his wallet in his pocket, before presenting his very new, and very, very fake, identity to the bouncer. He hoped he didn’t notice how thin and flimsy it was, and prayed to God, Jesus, and anyone who would listen than he didn’t look at it for very long. His prayers, like most, were not answered. The bouncer looked for a moment and cocked one eyebrow. He looked from Alex, to the card, back to Alex, and repeated this motion multiple times as Alex’s heart began to tumble in his chest. Holding it up to Alex’s face, he compared the two side-by-side. Alex forced a beaming smile, canines poking out and all, despite every instinct in his teenage mind screaming at him to just stutter an apology and run away. The bouncer let out a hearty laugh into the night, his huge puffs of breath visible in the cold air. “Okay buddy, you’re a funny one. Don’t know why you’d buy a fake just to get your real birthday on there, but welcome in. I’ll get the door.” In the span of that sentence, Alex probably felt more simultaneous panic, relief, and confusion jolt his brain than he will ever feel in his life. Dazed, he took the ID back from the bouncer and glanced at the birth date to see if it had somehow changed in a miracle of fate. It had not. “Right this way, sir,” the gruff man instructed, before producing a set of keys from his pocket walking into the building. Alex followed closely behind him, his stomach still doing somersaults. The music, which had already been thumping from outside the nightclub, was now blasting through the halls as they walked. There was a very visible set of double doors that were propped open and led to the dance floor, but the bouncer had disregarded those. Instead, he veered right and took Alex down another hallway. Alex swallowed hard. “Wasn’t that the club floor back there?” The bouncer laughed again. It was beginning to become a trademark sound in Alex’s mind. “That’s for people younger than a century. I’m taking you to VIP.” Alex did not question it. Too much excitement had mixed with the fear in his body, and now he was trapped in a limbo of just wanting to see what was next. In the confines of the tight corridors that coiled around the place, Alex felt as if he was being stalked. He couldn’t help but keeping checking over his shoulder in these neon-lit halls, even if it’s only denizens were the occasional couple making out. As they took another turn through the labyrinth, they came to a very long downward set of stairs, at least four stories, leading to a heavy metal door at the bottom. The bouncer led Alex down, before unlocking the door. A heavy metal shift resounded from the lock, before the bouncer twisted the handle and pulled it open. As the doorway widened, a sudden blast of music from inside the door escaped the now open pathway. It was even louder than the upstairs floor, and faster. Peering inside, Alex could see silhouettes moving at a frantic pace, grinding and spinning and dancing like cogs in some demonic machine. The lights were lower in here, and no color existed except flashes of neon that blended together in a psychedelic glow that made the room resemble the inside of a kaleidoscope. The room, a cathedral in scope, stretched back further than Alex’s eyes could see, and had balconies, mezzanines, and walkways that stretched high up to the also invisible ceiling. “Welcome to VIP.” The bouncer gestured for Alex to enter.	Did the bouncer just kneel? You're trying to wrap your head around the situation your in. The hallway you walk through is too lavish for the bar you were visiting. The walls are covered in red silk, embroidered with roses and thorns and paintings hang in golden frames. Is this some secret society? Did I accidentally stumble into a new world I never knew existed? At the end of the hall you see a door. But not just any door. This has to be the most extravagant door on the planet. The hinges are made of pure polished goal, the door knob is also made of gold, with an amethyst in its center. The door is covered in little renaissance sculptures, decorated with priceless gems and gold. And in its the center, a life-sized marble lionshead lay. It has a ruby in each eye, and its hair is laced with gold. A man stands by the door, dressed and mannered like a kings guard. As you approach, he carefully pulls the door open. You can not believe your eyes.
[WP] You hand your fake ID to the bouncer. He takes a serious look at it and you before talking into his earpiece. You think you’ve been made until he unlocks a hidden door behind him, kneels in before you, and gives you your ID. You inspect it. Apparently, you’re not only 19, you’re 1019 years old.	I will definitely write more on this, it's just way too interesting to pass up. Thanks for reading! \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ &#x200B; Alex, like any nineteen-year-old to sneak their way into a nightclub for the first time, was nervous. A bit of a wreck, really. His friends were supposed to have been here with him, laughing and joking in line by now. They had all planned to go to the annual Scare Rave together for Halloween, get incredibly drunk in their stupid costumes, and maybe bring home some ‘sexy nurse’ or’ police officer’ chicks. That was the plan, and they all had the money and the relentless teenage will for gaining access to alcohol to do it. However, only Alex had received his fake ID in time for the rave. So there he stood, dressed up in his ‘suave vampire’ get up, alone in line and only one person away from the bouncer. In normal circumstances, Alex probably wouldn’t have even been nervous. He had a knack for remaining cool in tense situations and going with the flow even if he didn’t understand it. His trademark winning smile helped, with very prominent canines endearing him to looking like a mischievous child. However, he didn’t think his winning smile was going to save him from this. His fake ID had a typo on it. Only a slight typo. Someone must’ve hit a one instead of a two when typing it up, which probably wouldn’t have been a big deal, except for the fact that it said he was born in the year 1000. There were no refunds. “Next,” grumbled the gruff man at the door. He was nearly twice Alex’s size with half of the hair. He gave Alex a strange look, noticing the fake vampire teeth that hung from his neck. They hung squarely in the middle of his bare chest, which was exposed from his only half-way buttoned-down button-down. “It was the only thing left at Walmart,” Alex mumbled, blushing slightly under the scrutiny of the huge man. He fumbled for his wallet in his pocket, before presenting his very new, and very, very fake, identity to the bouncer. He hoped he didn’t notice how thin and flimsy it was, and prayed to God, Jesus, and anyone who would listen than he didn’t look at it for very long. His prayers, like most, were not answered. The bouncer looked for a moment and cocked one eyebrow. He looked from Alex, to the card, back to Alex, and repeated this motion multiple times as Alex’s heart began to tumble in his chest. Holding it up to Alex’s face, he compared the two side-by-side. Alex forced a beaming smile, canines poking out and all, despite every instinct in his teenage mind screaming at him to just stutter an apology and run away. The bouncer let out a hearty laugh into the night, his huge puffs of breath visible in the cold air. “Okay buddy, you’re a funny one. Don’t know why you’d buy a fake just to get your real birthday on there, but welcome in. I’ll get the door.” In the span of that sentence, Alex probably felt more simultaneous panic, relief, and confusion jolt his brain than he will ever feel in his life. Dazed, he took the ID back from the bouncer and glanced at the birth date to see if it had somehow changed in a miracle of fate. It had not. “Right this way, sir,” the gruff man instructed, before producing a set of keys from his pocket walking into the building. Alex followed closely behind him, his stomach still doing somersaults. The music, which had already been thumping from outside the nightclub, was now blasting through the halls as they walked. There was a very visible set of double doors that were propped open and led to the dance floor, but the bouncer had disregarded those. Instead, he veered right and took Alex down another hallway. Alex swallowed hard. “Wasn’t that the club floor back there?” The bouncer laughed again. It was beginning to become a trademark sound in Alex’s mind. “That’s for people younger than a century. I’m taking you to VIP.” Alex did not question it. Too much excitement had mixed with the fear in his body, and now he was trapped in a limbo of just wanting to see what was next. In the confines of the tight corridors that coiled around the place, Alex felt as if he was being stalked. He couldn’t help but keeping checking over his shoulder in these neon-lit halls, even if it’s only denizens were the occasional couple making out. As they took another turn through the labyrinth, they came to a very long downward set of stairs, at least four stories, leading to a heavy metal door at the bottom. The bouncer led Alex down, before unlocking the door. A heavy metal shift resounded from the lock, before the bouncer twisted the handle and pulled it open. As the doorway widened, a sudden blast of music from inside the door escaped the now open pathway. It was even louder than the upstairs floor, and faster. Peering inside, Alex could see silhouettes moving at a frantic pace, grinding and spinning and dancing like cogs in some demonic machine. The lights were lower in here, and no color existed except flashes of neon that blended together in a psychedelic glow that made the room resemble the inside of a kaleidoscope. The room, a cathedral in scope, stretched back further than Alex’s eyes could see, and had balconies, mezzanines, and walkways that stretched high up to the also invisible ceiling. “Welcome to VIP.” The bouncer gestured for Alex to enter.	“Can he see you?” I whispered slowly, mouth unmoving. “He’s not actually human my boy” Falzan replied, his voice bouncing around inside my head. “I thought we went through this already” his tone changing to one of annoyance. “Like I said, most things in this world are more than what your human eyes see, especially here in your city of London” “Sir if you wouldn’t mind” the security guard, still kneeling, ushered me through entrance. “So, what are we doing here again?” I stammered, the unreality of the situation beginning to catch up with me. Falzan’s sighing echoed within my thoughts. “I told you my boy, we’re here to see an old friend of mine” he replied. Just briefly, I felt him smile at this. I felt us smile at this.
[WP] You are a lonely miner working at the edge of the Kuiper belt. Your communicator receives a message that your son was just born on Earth, but you've never set foot on the planet.	hello, my name is Naomi. they told me your name is jack felton. Do you go by jack? I dont know how to say this but I’ve probably written this message over 4 times now so i am just going to get it out as fast as I can. There is no easy way to tell somebody something like this. you are going to be a father. i am about 7 months along and have always wanted to have a child the old fashioned way. i just couldn’t handle watching the fetus grow in a plastic bag. It’s unnatural. You would not believe the paperwork I had to do in order to avoid all the genetic tampering that they do now days. I just wanted the baby to be MINE and not a cobbled together from 12 other genetic clumps. Forcing them to allow only one father was a nightmare but I managed it. The doctor helped me pick a man out from the population samples they had on file. I chose you. You had kind eyes and smiled the day they took the pictures. i liked the shape of your nose. You don’t technically have any rights or responsibilities for the baby or anything, but i wanted to reach out and let you know. if you want you can come visit the baby. he should be born near august 12th and I’d even let you wait outside the hospital room if you were interested. This is probably a huge shock and you don’t even have to respond. Biological fatherhood is so unusual you can just pretend it didn’t happen and we’ll both live on like this message never existed. But if you do happen to be interested... well, just message back and i’ll answer it. A bit of fatherhood might suit you. best wishes, Naomi ***** Dear Naomi, I am stunned. I am unable to put into words the way my chest is closing in on itself. I am struggling to wrap my head around the concept of my biological child existing in this world. How the hell is this even real? It hurts me to know that by the time you get this message it isn’t even going to matter anymore. Yes, I am absolutely interested in seeing this baby, but as I am sure you have realized by now, he is already a toddler— or maybe even in school already. I left Earth 150 years ago for an expedition to the Kuiper belt. The genetic samples they have on file are old. I experience a severe time distortion here at light speed that means that every minute I spend writing this is another week that passes for you. It is too late for me now to ever see this baby. He is growing up as I type these words. I don’t know how I am going live with myself knowing a byproduct of my body is out there living without any of my input, destined to die of old age before I could ever have a chance to return. Damn- I can’t even explain to you how I feel right now. Just tell him I didn’t ignore his birth. Tell him I would have visited and taken him for ice cream every other Sunday. Or maybe tell him I died before he was born to save him the emotional effort. I left Earth because I had nothing to live for anymore. I figured I might as well be a pioneer instead of trashing my life down a ravine. Yet, I can’t regret leaving because even if I had stayed behind, I would have been dead and buried before you were even born. So in a twisted way, it is only through my absence that I could have ever even known I was a father. Take care of him for me. I am going to spend the next few hours messaging everything I would ever want him to know. Share them with him if you are willing. If I can finish a video message before his high school graduation I will. Sending pictures of him for me would mean the world. Tell him I would have loved him like the son he is. With love, Jack Felton	You don't meet much of anything out here on the Belt. Sometimes a rockworm will scurry out of the stones as I harvest the ore, but that's rare. On top of being ugly creatures in general, they can't survive outside of the rock, and end up exploding from the little natural star light that reaches here. It takes hours to clean up the mess, but they leave behind the aroma of moon flowers, so I really don't mind. Aside from a a supply drop every year or two, I see no one, of any race. But that's what I signed up for, in a way achieving my dreams of living among the stars. A few things changed during the supply drop last winter (winter being relative, of course, as my humble rock has no seasons - but I keep track of the seasons on my planet to help bridge the gap). Troy, the usual supply drop pilot, had a passenger with him - this was new. "Howdy, Troy! Whatcha bring me this time?" "Hey Geero, yeah I brought you a visitor. I'll be back in a day or two to retrieve them. Good luck with this one...she ain't no rockworm." "Hey there stranger! You're awfully green (literally). What brings you to these parts?" "Your parts." "Um...huh?" "I'm here for your parts." "I...don't understand. I don't have parts? I don't even have a craft or a cart, I just walk or bounce everywhere." "Let me rephrase. I'm from Kamada. Your government sent me to harvest from your parts - your reproductive capabilities. You see, I'm a man miner." "I...well, am I flattered? Is that what this is?" "I don't care." "Okay so definitely not flattered. Why does the government want...me? Or what could be me?" "You've displayed great strength in your time alone out here. The government only accepted applicants for these types of positions to see if they had the qualities that would provide the seeds for the world the government is trying to build. You've proven a healthy specimen." "Well ain't that some shit. So they want my genes. Heh, well. Well. What do I get out of it, exactly?" "In exchange for your seed, the government will be sending you unique fruits each month as a reward for your faithful service." "They signed me up for the fruit of the month club?" "I don't know what that is." "It...nevermind. So I have to be a dad. Do I get to leave here, then? Visit my child, or children? Is my contract up?" "No. If you read your contract, you'll find a clause noting that if you're chosen for harvest, you lose all Kamadan citizenship, and will be indefinitely contracted as a remote worker until you expire." "You are really taking all the romance out of this. So...I can never see my offspring?" "That isn't my purpose. And no, you cannot. The government believes that any interaction between the seeds and the fruit has the potential to weigh down the direction they wish to head. They believe your fruit will be a better version of you, and do not wish for that to be corrupted, otherwise this is all moot." "I guess I don't have much choice then." "No, you don't." The months passed slowly for me after that. The rocks a little heavier, the dust a little thicker, the heart a little slower. I had gotten word that my son was born on a coalition planet, something called Earth. I take some solace in knowing that he is on a rock far from home, just like his pops. But that is a small condolence. As the years have gone by, I've heard nothing else of him. I've encountered no more green women. Today, as I was at my deepest point in the mine, I realized that I've never been more alone. No light reached me, no mind was considering me, almost no voices even knew my name. Up among the stars, I've never been so low. And then another thought occurred to me: I wonder what happens when you eat a rockworm...
[WP] It's hours after you've died. However no one has appeared to show you where to go. Death or the reaper or whatever, no tunnel with a light - nothing.	Darkness reigned. Or was it lightness? Truthfully, Shaun couldn’t tell. It wasn’t like the darkness you saw when you shut your eyes. It wasn’t like the pitch black of an overcast night, far from civilisation. It wasn’t even what he imagined blind people experienced in their day-to-day lives, from what he’d heard. It wasn’t that his eyes were open, or that they were closed – it was that he didn’t have eyes. It felt weird, not having to blink, but only when he thought about it. And the lack of a body; for a while, he thought he’d been falling, but there was nothing to fall with; there was nowhere to fall to. And yet, even without his body, he still felt a sense of presence. A phantom body, perhaps. A phantom self. I suppose I am a phantom, he thought. He could still think. That was nice. For an amount of time which might have been minutes, might have been decades, Shaun existed, and little else happened. He lost himself in memories. His life seemed either frighteningly short or remarkably long, depending on which part he focused on. Some of it was painful. Some of it he wished he could change. Oh, if he could just reach through and open that knocking door… But he didn’t have arms. He couldn’t perform “reach”. Instincts like this jolted him back to the realisation that he was nowhere. He was very nearly nothing. And with every reminder came another barely contained episode of panic. Where was he? What was he? Most importantly, why was he? Was this it, now? Was there just nothing? Purgatory? Was he doomed to just live within his memories, where it grew harder to visualise his children’s faces with each maddeningly non-existent moment that passed? Suddenly he had eyes and arms and knees, and quite a few other things, most of which hurt when he landed harshly on the chequered floor which also existed quite suddenly beneath him. He yelped with his new lungs – old lungs? The same lungs? – and simply lay there, trembling. “Oh sorry, I am sorry! I plain forgot you were coming! Nearly tore ourselves apart with madness there, didn’t we? Close call! Ho ho!” Tentatively, Shaun unfurled himself and gazed up at the newly existing desk that stood before him. It was lavish, carved of rich mahogany (which tree did this come from? he thought absurdly), and seated behind it was a man with spiked white hair, a noise piercing and a purple suit. He was gazing down at Shaun with a raised brow. “Are you… God?” Shaun sputtered, arranging himself so he was sat a little more modestly on the chessboard floor. “God?” the man replied. He squinted and looked away, as if deep in thought. “God, god, god… I could be, if you liked. Wouldn’t be strictly true, mind you, but I’ve never been one to turn down the role of a deity… oh, go on then!” He waved his arm and grinned. “I’ll be God.” Shaun was speechless. “Oh my, you’re speechless.” The man who was not God scratched his chin. “My mother always said I wasn’t great with people…” “What’s going on?” Shaun managed. “Well. Bad news: you’ve died. Though I imagine you’ve figured as much, having been stuck on reserve for a good century and a half already-“ “A century-“ “And a half, yes, do keep up, I’d be ever so grateful. Listen. We’ve had a bit of mismanagement at… Death HQ. Okay, no, it’s not called Death HQ, but… look, do you want a chair?” Suddenly Shaun was sitting on a chair opposite the Man who was not God. The man looked at Shaun, suddenly disconcerted, and then his own chair became a throne. He smiled again. “Right, yes, carrying on,” he went, “so you’re dead, you’ve been dead for a while and we’re sorry about that, but there’s not really an afterlife anymore.” “What?” “We’ve misplaced it.” “Misplaced the afterlife?” “Well I wouldn’t expect you to understand, you’ve never even been there!” The Man who was not God rolled his eyes. “Anyway, while we sort this small wrinkle out we’re going to have to send everyone back to Earth. It’s not ideal, and it’ll certainly cause trouble with the locals, but-“ “I’m going back?” “Yes. Well. No. Well, yes. You’re going back, but you won’t keep any of your memories. You’ll essentially be a new person. Can’t go back to your old body, see, the passing of time and all that…” “Wait-“ “Better than oblivion, eh! There we go, that’s the spirit, off you pop-“ “Wait-“ But suddenly Shaun was falling away, his chair vanished, the chequered floor but a memory, the Man who was not God leaning over his desk and watching with a perturbed expression on his face, curiously waving, though at who, he did not know…	\[POEM\] As I passed upon the hospital bed A million questions filled my head Undefined by any book to be read &#x200B; I found myself in deep darkness An empty space with no harness Nothing but silence in the stillness &#x200B; So I waited there for some time Praying to any power in its prime Where do I go? How far do I have to climb? &#x200B; Days passed and I grew insane Begging and hollering for new terrain Even Hell, to remove the pain &#x200B; Years passed with no outcome To the darkness I would succumb Perhaps it was what I had become
[WP] A man drops dead in the street on his morning commute to work. Much to the confusion of those performing his autopsy, all of his vital organs have seemingly been replaced with Styrofoam replicas.	I told him not to — were the first words to fall from Louise Blanch's mouth when Officer Melrose and trainee Carl Walker turned up at her door. Louise was referring to her husband, Peter Blanch. A middle-aged man who grew plump behind his desk at, Be Smart, a local insurance company. A student, Susan Mills, found him face-down eating concrete. Unknowingly, she rolled over Peter's dead body. She thought he had passed out drunk like her father sometimes did, reasoning while it was the start of her day, it could be the end of the man's night. It became apparent from his eyes that something was wrong. At first, Susan thought they were lolling in the back of his head. A second look told her that they were not his eyes at all. The texture was wrong — bumpy and dull. With her hand outstretched and head turned away, she checked for a pulse and found none. The police arrived before the ambulance. Officer Melrose instructed Carl to cordon off the area. The poor boy ran around waving his arms, asking the public to politely look away. Melrose had seen more dead bodies than naked women — and, if you knew Melrose, you would know that was a lot — however. He had never seen one quite like Peter's. A pale imitation of Susan sat on the curb next to the body with her knees tucked close. And like Susan, he noticed the eyes first. Part of him wanted to poke them to explore their texture. He shook the thought and checked the pulse. The man's neck was cold. An autopsy occurred hours after Melrose and Carl visited Mrs Blanch. She told the officers what they would find — but it wasn't something you took at face value. Louise said that Peter had finally done it, gone too far. All the while toying with a diamond ring so large that it had to be fake. Louise was sad — to say she wasn't would be cruel — but a profound smugness kept the tears at bay. She said something that caught Melrose off guard, embedding a single word into a sentence that snagged in Melrose's mind — Styrofoam. She spun stories that would sound insane had you not seen Peter's eyes. Post-autopsy, Louise's stories became more and more plausible. She told Melrose and Carl how her darling husband dealt with the devil, how he auctioned off organs one at a time. His eyes were the first to go — trading his left for a new car and his right for a golf-ball sized wedding ring. Louise spoke of his frenzied decisions, feeling ecstasy in selling off his parts, and how it became more about the transaction than the reward. Young Carl listened, perhaps a little too closely. The ring on Louise's finger sweetened her words and carried the prospect of death off like it was nothing more than a distant dream. Carl went home that evening, without hearing about the autopsy, or understanding the gravity of what he was about to do. He didn't know how to do what he wanted, but he sat in his bedroom and called upon the devil. Nothing happened. He tried using names languages, both foreign and domestic, ancient and newfound. It was only when he pleaded on his knees and offered an organ that the devil came and replaced his kidney with, not styrofoam, but a biogenetic filler — white space. --- /r/WrittenThought	Detective Burn Chaovsky. That's what they called me. I was one of the most elite detectives, with no case unsolved. Until now. A man died today, due to his organs being replaced with Styrofoam. Certainly was one of the more bizarre cases. I sat there on my desk, looking through the medical records. If his organs were replaced with Styrofoam, certainly someone had put it there. I went through the possibilities. He would only function for a short time without his organs. And why would they bother to replace it and have him go on his merry way? It certainly was a puzzler. Flipping through the records, I noticed something. There was no history of him going to a doctor or getting surgery. He was never sick, and only went to the doctor to get his vaccines. If this were the case, someone may have kidnapped him. Considering his collapse point, I could find any possible places that it may have happened. But I was stumped. All the witnesses say that he was fine for a real long time until he collapsed. Which was odd, especially since every single one of his organs were replaced. Sure, there are a lot of organs you can survive without, but without any? That certainly would have you dead in seconds. And what about his lungs, and what have you? Wouldn't he have had to be dead to have them removed and replaced with crappy Styrofoam replacements? Looking through the facts, I couldn't ignore it. The sudden removal, the death times, the placements and the medical history. I was scared to say, scared to tell anyone, but I have to place this case in the Unsolved pile. And most certainly, I was scared to even say why. You can't prove mystical elements in court.
[WP] A traveling alien passes by and on a whim solves everything: infinite food, energy, perfectly balanced ecosystem, and portals everywhere lead to thousands of unpopulated Earth like lands with no downside. Obviously, world leaders are outraged.	The year was 2019 on June the 6th. We were remembering D-Day that day when we started the long road to destroying one of the most evil menaces in Europe's history. Then, he came ... from the sky. We were terrified. A huge ship the size of Manhattan came into orbit with an alien who then manage to hijack all the televisions and broadcasted his message: &#x200B; "I am the alien Tarot, from one of the system's known as Gilese from the planet 581G, a habitable planet which you humans know about. I am here to save you from a threat that your leaders are hiding ... I am your salvation. Your leaders are corrupted! They care only about money, and power. Well, today I am restoring it to you, the people. Together, we can bring balance and order to Earth. I will be opening the portals now. And I shall leave a gift for all of you. Enjoy,". &#x200B; And that's when it happened. The terror of the day. The nuclear arsenal from the ship fired destroying London, Washington, Tokyo, Beijing, Paris. All the major capitals were destroyed, and that's when the anarchy began. They rioted in streets and formed militias guarding their own portals. We went to a portal named Zeus, and we were guarded with a private militia I hired. We went into the portal, and we entered a new world. &#x200B; On Planet Zeus, named after the portal, we began to set up a mining industry and mine the ores of the planet and take it back. I sell these and fuel the militia as we have the funds, and we can live like billionaires. We have cities constructed, businesses formed as people moved in, and a brave new world was founded. It was beautiful. That's when the US Government found us and fought our private militia, who guarded us to the last man. I promised that they could have half of the profit I made. Those greedy politicians. Tarot was right. He always was right. And never will be wrong. It's in human nature for us to be greedy. I am telling you this story so in hopes you don't envy others. Tarot taught me things, but that was one of them. I hoped you learned something.	"They did it again!" Zalkor raged. Pacing his way around his comm room. How many times would those damn hippies spread their influence like this? Sure the United worlds. government had been watching the humans for a while and were close to agreeing on helping them, but to go behind the backs of their betters was unforgivable. His aid was standing patiently in the room, knowing not to say a word in situations like this. "Bel. Tell me exactly what the Ringos gave to the humans of Earth." "Well sir, they solved the humans energy crisis, gave them true plant crops, and opened the colony portals we created to better bargain with." Bel responded quirky, keeping his eyes down. "Have the others been notified?" Zalkor asked, stopping his pacing. "No sir." Bel answered, curling her fins in anticipation of what he was about to try. Zalkor smiled and quickly moved to the main consol. He keyed in his personal codes and turn the caller on. "Admiral villo, this is high councillor Zalkor. I need you to ready a... escort fleet. I am going to vist the newly intergalactic people's of Earth, and let them know exactly who allowed them to join." Zalkor cut the comm, yes the other leaders would be mad about the Ringos' actions, but knowing that I acted first, and secured the loyalties of this new resource.
[WP] A traveling alien passes by and on a whim solves everything: infinite food, energy, perfectly balanced ecosystem, and portals everywhere lead to thousands of unpopulated Earth like lands with no downside. Obviously, world leaders are outraged.	A soliloquy from the alien POV: "Oh, what have I done? I thought I had saved a dying planet, but I've enraged the human leaders and forced them to acknowledge the truths they had hidden. The portals have become regulated by the militaries, and so-called defenders of safety. I have seen those water-covered planets myself, and know them to be free of any evils greater than humanity. The people who once felt in reach of making a better Earth now must reach farther, past the extended arm of leadership blocking their path. They have their mdeatl and they have the resources they need, but I can sense that fear will hold many back. It has only been one week, so I must hope that their strength will grow in time. If I should return to Earth, to help solve this problem I've created, I shall find a way to empower enough individuals to overthrow the evil containing them, or I shall eradicate the human species. They have failed thus far, and even in a solution to all things have found an exploit. I thought I had saved a dying planet, but instead I've helped it towards its death."	"They did it again!" Zalkor raged. Pacing his way around his comm room. How many times would those damn hippies spread their influence like this? Sure the United worlds. government had been watching the humans for a while and were close to agreeing on helping them, but to go behind the backs of their betters was unforgivable. His aid was standing patiently in the room, knowing not to say a word in situations like this. "Bel. Tell me exactly what the Ringos gave to the humans of Earth." "Well sir, they solved the humans energy crisis, gave them true plant crops, and opened the colony portals we created to better bargain with." Bel responded quirky, keeping his eyes down. "Have the others been notified?" Zalkor asked, stopping his pacing. "No sir." Bel answered, curling her fins in anticipation of what he was about to try. Zalkor smiled and quickly moved to the main consol. He keyed in his personal codes and turn the caller on. "Admiral villo, this is high councillor Zalkor. I need you to ready a... escort fleet. I am going to vist the newly intergalactic people's of Earth, and let them know exactly who allowed them to join." Zalkor cut the comm, yes the other leaders would be mad about the Ringos' actions, but knowing that I acted first, and secured the loyalties of this new resource.
[WP] A traveling alien passes by and on a whim solves everything: infinite food, energy, perfectly balanced ecosystem, and portals everywhere lead to thousands of unpopulated Earth like lands with no downside. Obviously, world leaders are outraged.	I'm a bot, bleep, bloop. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit: - [/r/anarchism] [Fully automated luxury gay space communism, thanks alien friends](https://www.reddit.com/r/Anarchism/comments/bxkzq2/fully_automated_luxury_gay_space_communism_thanks/) - [/r/u_yhallo579] [\[WP\] A traveling alien passes by and on a whim solves everything: infinite food, energy, perfectly balanced ecosystem, and portals everywhere lead to thousands of unpopulated Earth like lands with no downside. Obviously, world leaders are outraged.](https://www.reddit.com/r/u_YHallo579/comments/bxkuy8/wp_a_traveling_alien_passes_by_and_on_a_whim/) &nbsp;^(If you follow any of the above links, please respect the rules of reddit and don't vote in the other threads.) ^\([Info](/r/TotesMessenger) ^/ ^[Contact](/message/compose?to=/r/TotesMessenger))	"They did it again!" Zalkor raged. Pacing his way around his comm room. How many times would those damn hippies spread their influence like this? Sure the United worlds. government had been watching the humans for a while and were close to agreeing on helping them, but to go behind the backs of their betters was unforgivable. His aid was standing patiently in the room, knowing not to say a word in situations like this. "Bel. Tell me exactly what the Ringos gave to the humans of Earth." "Well sir, they solved the humans energy crisis, gave them true plant crops, and opened the colony portals we created to better bargain with." Bel responded quirky, keeping his eyes down. "Have the others been notified?" Zalkor asked, stopping his pacing. "No sir." Bel answered, curling her fins in anticipation of what he was about to try. Zalkor smiled and quickly moved to the main consol. He keyed in his personal codes and turn the caller on. "Admiral villo, this is high councillor Zalkor. I need you to ready a... escort fleet. I am going to vist the newly intergalactic people's of Earth, and let them know exactly who allowed them to join." Zalkor cut the comm, yes the other leaders would be mad about the Ringos' actions, but knowing that I acted first, and secured the loyalties of this new resource.
[WP] A traveling alien passes by and on a whim solves everything: infinite food, energy, perfectly balanced ecosystem, and portals everywhere lead to thousands of unpopulated Earth like lands with no downside. Obviously, world leaders are outraged.	A soliloquy from the alien POV: "Oh, what have I done? I thought I had saved a dying planet, but I've enraged the human leaders and forced them to acknowledge the truths they had hidden. The portals have become regulated by the militaries, and so-called defenders of safety. I have seen those water-covered planets myself, and know them to be free of any evils greater than humanity. The people who once felt in reach of making a better Earth now must reach farther, past the extended arm of leadership blocking their path. They have their mdeatl and they have the resources they need, but I can sense that fear will hold many back. It has only been one week, so I must hope that their strength will grow in time. If I should return to Earth, to help solve this problem I've created, I shall find a way to empower enough individuals to overthrow the evil containing them, or I shall eradicate the human species. They have failed thus far, and even in a solution to all things have found an exploit. I thought I had saved a dying planet, but instead I've helped it towards its death."	All the worlds ills, in such short shrift, Dealt with to bring eternal bliss. In the fields: new breeds to grow rain or shine textured softly with beads of her world divine In the factories: want replaced by need entertainment from time not technology, it seemed doable when she explained her creed In cities: cars were to go replaced by portals a short distance from every home the Great Plains of Sahara a utopia standing alone, grass and fields of unnecessary grace: a new city to house a new, and perfect, state. It seemed so absurd, but she soon upped and left They called her Mother Earth for how she was so deft At touching the land and leading us along. Her plan was to take just 5 short years, “A 5 year plan? That’s communist talk.” The markets suffered, as the media described: “Why invest in business when there’ll be infinite supply?” Before they’d even started, decisions had been made, “We need to discuss the implications on global trade.” The public tide had turned, though none dared confess The science beyond their standing And they couldn’t read the text. If the plan would work, why would she go? (Page 567) In this brave new world, how would people fill their diaries? (Page 1246) In what sane world would we give up our militaries? (Vol. 2) This new global government can never work. It cannot be done. It will not be done. And the worst thing of all? The people cheered.
[WP] A traveling alien passes by and on a whim solves everything: infinite food, energy, perfectly balanced ecosystem, and portals everywhere lead to thousands of unpopulated Earth like lands with no downside. Obviously, world leaders are outraged.	I'm a bot, bleep, bloop. Someone has linked to this thread from another place on reddit: - [/r/anarchism] [Fully automated luxury gay space communism, thanks alien friends](https://www.reddit.com/r/Anarchism/comments/bxkzq2/fully_automated_luxury_gay_space_communism_thanks/) - [/r/u_yhallo579] [\[WP\] A traveling alien passes by and on a whim solves everything: infinite food, energy, perfectly balanced ecosystem, and portals everywhere lead to thousands of unpopulated Earth like lands with no downside. Obviously, world leaders are outraged.](https://www.reddit.com/r/u_YHallo579/comments/bxkuy8/wp_a_traveling_alien_passes_by_and_on_a_whim/) &nbsp;^(If you follow any of the above links, please respect the rules of reddit and don't vote in the other threads.) ^\([Info](/r/TotesMessenger) ^/ ^[Contact](/message/compose?to=/r/TotesMessenger))	All the worlds ills, in such short shrift, Dealt with to bring eternal bliss. In the fields: new breeds to grow rain or shine textured softly with beads of her world divine In the factories: want replaced by need entertainment from time not technology, it seemed doable when she explained her creed In cities: cars were to go replaced by portals a short distance from every home the Great Plains of Sahara a utopia standing alone, grass and fields of unnecessary grace: a new city to house a new, and perfect, state. It seemed so absurd, but she soon upped and left They called her Mother Earth for how she was so deft At touching the land and leading us along. Her plan was to take just 5 short years, “A 5 year plan? That’s communist talk.” The markets suffered, as the media described: “Why invest in business when there’ll be infinite supply?” Before they’d even started, decisions had been made, “We need to discuss the implications on global trade.” The public tide had turned, though none dared confess The science beyond their standing And they couldn’t read the text. If the plan would work, why would she go? (Page 567) In this brave new world, how would people fill their diaries? (Page 1246) In what sane world would we give up our militaries? (Vol. 2) This new global government can never work. It cannot be done. It will not be done. And the worst thing of all? The people cheered.
[WP] A traveling alien passes by and on a whim solves everything: infinite food, energy, perfectly balanced ecosystem, and portals everywhere lead to thousands of unpopulated Earth like lands with no downside. Obviously, world leaders are outraged.	"Today is the dawn of a new day," POTUS spoke and the two journalists still in the room yawned in sequence. There were a handful of secret service agents who still feigned loyalty, but they were nowhere to be seen at the moment. The President stepped away from the podium and sighed, "We're having lunch in the White House dining room if you'd like to join. I think the kitchen staff still has a pretty decent chef, but we don't have any servers so it's a buffet." Levy Arnold and Jessica Klein followed behind POTUS as they travelled to the smallest buffet they'd ever witnessed. As mentioned, the food wasn't half bad, but it was strange to see it lined up in aluminum over burners. The paper plates were fine, and the plasticware was just a reminder of the lack of environmental friendliness that humanity had once abundantly supplied the Earth. It didn't matter anymore, as POTUS had mentioned, it was the dawn of a new day. A few months earlier, humankind had made first contact with an alien species. Clever, witty, charming and sensual, these creatures were the highest combination of standard, effortless beauty, brawn and brains. In essence, there was no stopping them as they offered solutions to the world's worst problems. No one needed universal healthcare when the universe would voluntarily heal the wounded and cure the sick. No one needed roads to be maintained or sidewalks to be fixed because people had gained an ability to fly. We didn't even need to be concerned by sharks or other deadly sea creatures because we now had the ability to hold our breath infinitely, swim like the fastest naval vessels, and adjust indefinitely to pressures above and below sea level. We didn't even freeze in space, or at the poles because we could resist cold or heat with protective bubbles. These were just things that we could now do physically. We no longer hungered or overate, and lived in peace with our natural resources. We had limitless energy sources for any and all projects, technical or otherwise. And more than that, our resources now expanded to many Earths all across the known universe. It was as if the perfect solutions to all of mankind's ailments had been applied and for all intents and purposes the world was completely changed. Every world leader who stayed behind was left with an emptiness in their empires, and their sadness, though temporary, was no longer the concern of their constituents. In fact, the number of constituents had so decreased that many of the world's leaders simply took off and joined their families and friends in discovering the new worlds. Not POTUS, as she was sure it was all a trick and that everyone would soon return. After two hundred years of waiting, she joined her cousins and her wife and children on an Earth they called Fordish. It represented all the things they missed and everything they loved, and was a beautiful place to live. Edit: Earth's to Earths....	All the worlds ills, in such short shrift, Dealt with to bring eternal bliss. In the fields: new breeds to grow rain or shine textured softly with beads of her world divine In the factories: want replaced by need entertainment from time not technology, it seemed doable when she explained her creed In cities: cars were to go replaced by portals a short distance from every home the Great Plains of Sahara a utopia standing alone, grass and fields of unnecessary grace: a new city to house a new, and perfect, state. It seemed so absurd, but she soon upped and left They called her Mother Earth for how she was so deft At touching the land and leading us along. Her plan was to take just 5 short years, “A 5 year plan? That’s communist talk.” The markets suffered, as the media described: “Why invest in business when there’ll be infinite supply?” Before they’d even started, decisions had been made, “We need to discuss the implications on global trade.” The public tide had turned, though none dared confess The science beyond their standing And they couldn’t read the text. If the plan would work, why would she go? (Page 567) In this brave new world, how would people fill their diaries? (Page 1246) In what sane world would we give up our militaries? (Vol. 2) This new global government can never work. It cannot be done. It will not be done. And the worst thing of all? The people cheered.
[WP] A traveling alien passes by and on a whim solves everything: infinite food, energy, perfectly balanced ecosystem, and portals everywhere lead to thousands of unpopulated Earth like lands with no downside. Obviously, world leaders are outraged.	“What are we going to do now?” asked Theresa, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably. &#x200B; “Honestly, Theresa, I have no idea,” said Xi, President of the People’s Republic of China. “The very fact that we can speak with each other without a translator is very concerning.” He took a sip of his tea. &#x200B; Abdulla, President of the Maldives, looked inquisitively at Xi. “What do you mean? They have given us a standardized language. The language barrier has fallen. Communications are now wide open. We can now really talk with one another.” &#x200B; “The Tower of Babel,” muttered Pope Francis. “Do you know of it?” Several in attendance shook their heads. &#x200B; “Genesis 11, verses 1 to 9,” interrupted Lhamo, the 14th Dalai Lama. “Basically, his God took offense that the Babylonians were building a tower, a tower that could top heaven. So he tore it down and confused their language so that they may never come together again.” &#x200B; Francis looked at Lhamo, “You are very knowledgeable of my faith.” He cocked an eyebrow at the monk. &#x200B; “What can I say? I’m an avid reader,” Lhamo responded shrugging. He reached to prop up his glasses, a habit he had developed, only to remember that they were no longer there. Ever since the aliens came he had not needed them. No one needed glasses anymore. &#x200B; “Wonderful story but I don’t really see how this is a bad thing,” said Donald, President of the United States of America. He sat back comfortably in his chair, surveying his peers. &#x200B; “Communication breeds conflict,” said Thein, President of Burma. “No conflict over misunderstandings. No conflict over resources. No conflict, period. And without conflict, we have become woefully useless.” &#x200B; “Good!” responded Donald. “Leading is a pain in the ass. Makes my life a whole lot easier.” &#x200B; “Oh, grow up, Donald,” remarked Theresa. “You need this gig as much as any of us. We may not like having to rule but what else are we going to do?” &#x200B; “Golf?” said Donald with a smirk on his lips. Theresa let out an exasperated sigh. &#x200B; “Stop it, you two,” said Vladimir, President of Russia. “We need to figure out the next course of action. Now. Already my people are leaving through the portals. My population has dropped by half.” &#x200B; Around the room world leaders nodded in agreement. Thousands of portals that led to thousands of Earths, thousands of paradises, had been opened by the aliens. It was estimated that only six-hundred million people remained. &#x200B; “Fine,” said Donald. “So you’re saying we need some kind of conflict, something that will keep us in power and the population under our control.” &#x200B; “Yes,” said Xi. “But now the people want for nothing. Everything is provided for them.” &#x200B; Kim, Supreme Leader of North Korea, spoke up. “Want me to shoot another missile? Maybe this time we can actually go for Hawaii.” &#x200B; “Please don’t,” responded Lhamo. “That trick can only work so many times and I rather like those islands.” &#x200B; “Oh, who cares? There are thousands of Hawaiis now. Who’s going to miss one?” said Kim, he slumped back into his chair, pouting. &#x200B; “That’s it!” said Donald. “Kim, you glorious bastard, that’s it!” &#x200B; “Donald, this isn’t Twitter,” said Thein. “We have no idea what you’re talking about.” &#x200B; “Don’t you see?” asked Donald. “Naming rights!” &#x200B; “Please make some sense,” said Xi. He rubbed the temples of his head, trying in vain to ease his headache. &#x200B; “Naming rights! Brand recognition! Something that I’m very, very good at!” &#x200B; “No arguments on that point,” said Theresa. &#x200B; “We name this planet Earth #1 and every other Earth something else,” explained Donald. “All the other Earths will get upset not wanting to seem like an lesser Earth. Boom! War of the World!” &#x200B; “Prey on people’s ego,” said Francis. “Pride, a cardinal sin.” &#x200B; “Exactly! See, the Pope gets it!” &#x200B; The room fell silent as the world leaders looked at each other, gauging their reactions. &#x200B; After a time, Vladimir spoke up. “Let’s see how this plays out.”	All the worlds ills, in such short shrift, Dealt with to bring eternal bliss. In the fields: new breeds to grow rain or shine textured softly with beads of her world divine In the factories: want replaced by need entertainment from time not technology, it seemed doable when she explained her creed In cities: cars were to go replaced by portals a short distance from every home the Great Plains of Sahara a utopia standing alone, grass and fields of unnecessary grace: a new city to house a new, and perfect, state. It seemed so absurd, but she soon upped and left They called her Mother Earth for how she was so deft At touching the land and leading us along. Her plan was to take just 5 short years, “A 5 year plan? That’s communist talk.” The markets suffered, as the media described: “Why invest in business when there’ll be infinite supply?” Before they’d even started, decisions had been made, “We need to discuss the implications on global trade.” The public tide had turned, though none dared confess The science beyond their standing And they couldn’t read the text. If the plan would work, why would she go? (Page 567) In this brave new world, how would people fill their diaries? (Page 1246) In what sane world would we give up our militaries? (Vol. 2) This new global government can never work. It cannot be done. It will not be done. And the worst thing of all? The people cheered.
[WP] A traveling alien passes by and on a whim solves everything: infinite food, energy, perfectly balanced ecosystem, and portals everywhere lead to thousands of unpopulated Earth like lands with no downside. Obviously, world leaders are outraged.	It didnt take long for the walls to be built. Within hours, all of the portals that the western governments could find had guards in place. Drones were in the sky, making sure no one got close, and soldiers with guns were waiting for those who managed to creep by undetected. The response was shockingly swift, and thorough. We all waited for news - what was going to be done? Not much it seemed, bar state exploration and strict laws criminalising any civilian use of a portal. &#x200B; It was five days before the arrests started. Portals had opened inside buildings, in forests, even sitting above the surface of the ocean. The temptation was too great - who could not venture through and explore the new worlds on the other side? And at that, who could keep the secret that they had? People were imprisoned, their hidden gates discovered and sealed with great steel doors. It felt wrong to me. Concern was understandable, we had no idea what might be on the other side. But people should not have been taken the way they were. &#x200B; Three weeks after the arrival, rumours were spreading of private corporations and militias having secured their own portals. Private security forces set up in the Nepalese mountains, guarding a cluster of portals found near the base of Mt Lhotse. A steady stream of heavy machinery flowed through the portals, and with them people, the promise of a new society of freedoms beckoning them in. In the west, we were still waiting. &#x200B; Six months later the soldiers were gone. The portals that had been sealed were cracked open, with those that had claimed their own withdrawing through them once they realised it would be easier to defend from the other side. Trade routes were open, raw resources coming through Earth and being traded, and machinery for extraction being built and sent through. New civilisations had been born, and our planet plunged into chaos. What had less than a year ago been all we knew, was now little more than a central hub for rouge worlds. Countries lost their meaning, as there were now thousands of worlds that one could choose to call home. &#x200B; It has been forty years since the portals arrived. I think about those days often, when we kept each other in check. A lot of good, and a lot of evil have come in the years since, and I am left wondering what we might have become if the portals had not arrived. Now ideals are religions, and devision is rife. Perhaps we were never meant to flourish. &#x200B; &#x200B; &#x200B; Thank you for reading :) I hope the end was satisfying - its 5 am here and im preeeetty exhausted so I feel I mightve dropped off a bit there. Its been fun to write again though :D <3	All the worlds ills, in such short shrift, Dealt with to bring eternal bliss. In the fields: new breeds to grow rain or shine textured softly with beads of her world divine In the factories: want replaced by need entertainment from time not technology, it seemed doable when she explained her creed In cities: cars were to go replaced by portals a short distance from every home the Great Plains of Sahara a utopia standing alone, grass and fields of unnecessary grace: a new city to house a new, and perfect, state. It seemed so absurd, but she soon upped and left They called her Mother Earth for how she was so deft At touching the land and leading us along. Her plan was to take just 5 short years, “A 5 year plan? That’s communist talk.” The markets suffered, as the media described: “Why invest in business when there’ll be infinite supply?” Before they’d even started, decisions had been made, “We need to discuss the implications on global trade.” The public tide had turned, though none dared confess The science beyond their standing And they couldn’t read the text. If the plan would work, why would she go? (Page 567) In this brave new world, how would people fill their diaries? (Page 1246) In what sane world would we give up our militaries? (Vol. 2) This new global government can never work. It cannot be done. It will not be done. And the worst thing of all? The people cheered.
[WP] A traveling alien passes by and on a whim solves everything: infinite food, energy, perfectly balanced ecosystem, and portals everywhere lead to thousands of unpopulated Earth like lands with no downside. Obviously, world leaders are outraged.	"Today is the dawn of a new day," POTUS spoke and the two journalists still in the room yawned in sequence. There were a handful of secret service agents who still feigned loyalty, but they were nowhere to be seen at the moment. The President stepped away from the podium and sighed, "We're having lunch in the White House dining room if you'd like to join. I think the kitchen staff still has a pretty decent chef, but we don't have any servers so it's a buffet." Levy Arnold and Jessica Klein followed behind POTUS as they travelled to the smallest buffet they'd ever witnessed. As mentioned, the food wasn't half bad, but it was strange to see it lined up in aluminum over burners. The paper plates were fine, and the plasticware was just a reminder of the lack of environmental friendliness that humanity had once abundantly supplied the Earth. It didn't matter anymore, as POTUS had mentioned, it was the dawn of a new day. A few months earlier, humankind had made first contact with an alien species. Clever, witty, charming and sensual, these creatures were the highest combination of standard, effortless beauty, brawn and brains. In essence, there was no stopping them as they offered solutions to the world's worst problems. No one needed universal healthcare when the universe would voluntarily heal the wounded and cure the sick. No one needed roads to be maintained or sidewalks to be fixed because people had gained an ability to fly. We didn't even need to be concerned by sharks or other deadly sea creatures because we now had the ability to hold our breath infinitely, swim like the fastest naval vessels, and adjust indefinitely to pressures above and below sea level. We didn't even freeze in space, or at the poles because we could resist cold or heat with protective bubbles. These were just things that we could now do physically. We no longer hungered or overate, and lived in peace with our natural resources. We had limitless energy sources for any and all projects, technical or otherwise. And more than that, our resources now expanded to many Earths all across the known universe. It was as if the perfect solutions to all of mankind's ailments had been applied and for all intents and purposes the world was completely changed. Every world leader who stayed behind was left with an emptiness in their empires, and their sadness, though temporary, was no longer the concern of their constituents. In fact, the number of constituents had so decreased that many of the world's leaders simply took off and joined their families and friends in discovering the new worlds. Not POTUS, as she was sure it was all a trick and that everyone would soon return. After two hundred years of waiting, she joined her cousins and her wife and children on an Earth they called Fordish. It represented all the things they missed and everything they loved, and was a beautiful place to live. Edit: Earth's to Earths....	We’d been wondering about it for decades - media, conspiracies, sightings of extra terrestrials - always assuming they would destroy our Earth even worse than we already had. We’d all read War of the Worlds, we all knew how this was supposed to end. Except... it didn’t. The exact opposite, actually. Everything was perfect. And people were not happy. Trump’s tweets of climate change and fake news turned into fearmongering strategies to pit humanity against each other. Third world countries, free from all oppressive environmental factors, began having a strong voice internationally. With no need to think about famine, poverty, energy sources, global warming, our efforts were focused on finding another way to profit. America began populating the new lands, building in record-timing. 70-story skyscrapers built in weeks time, leveling of lands overnight for more cities. Planet Trump became the new Disneyworld and while, seemingly, everything was perfect humans had managed to destroy everything once before...
[WP] A traveling alien passes by and on a whim solves everything: infinite food, energy, perfectly balanced ecosystem, and portals everywhere lead to thousands of unpopulated Earth like lands with no downside. Obviously, world leaders are outraged.	“What are we going to do now?” asked Theresa, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably. &#x200B; “Honestly, Theresa, I have no idea,” said Xi, President of the People’s Republic of China. “The very fact that we can speak with each other without a translator is very concerning.” He took a sip of his tea. &#x200B; Abdulla, President of the Maldives, looked inquisitively at Xi. “What do you mean? They have given us a standardized language. The language barrier has fallen. Communications are now wide open. We can now really talk with one another.” &#x200B; “The Tower of Babel,” muttered Pope Francis. “Do you know of it?” Several in attendance shook their heads. &#x200B; “Genesis 11, verses 1 to 9,” interrupted Lhamo, the 14th Dalai Lama. “Basically, his God took offense that the Babylonians were building a tower, a tower that could top heaven. So he tore it down and confused their language so that they may never come together again.” &#x200B; Francis looked at Lhamo, “You are very knowledgeable of my faith.” He cocked an eyebrow at the monk. &#x200B; “What can I say? I’m an avid reader,” Lhamo responded shrugging. He reached to prop up his glasses, a habit he had developed, only to remember that they were no longer there. Ever since the aliens came he had not needed them. No one needed glasses anymore. &#x200B; “Wonderful story but I don’t really see how this is a bad thing,” said Donald, President of the United States of America. He sat back comfortably in his chair, surveying his peers. &#x200B; “Communication breeds conflict,” said Thein, President of Burma. “No conflict over misunderstandings. No conflict over resources. No conflict, period. And without conflict, we have become woefully useless.” &#x200B; “Good!” responded Donald. “Leading is a pain in the ass. Makes my life a whole lot easier.” &#x200B; “Oh, grow up, Donald,” remarked Theresa. “You need this gig as much as any of us. We may not like having to rule but what else are we going to do?” &#x200B; “Golf?” said Donald with a smirk on his lips. Theresa let out an exasperated sigh. &#x200B; “Stop it, you two,” said Vladimir, President of Russia. “We need to figure out the next course of action. Now. Already my people are leaving through the portals. My population has dropped by half.” &#x200B; Around the room world leaders nodded in agreement. Thousands of portals that led to thousands of Earths, thousands of paradises, had been opened by the aliens. It was estimated that only six-hundred million people remained. &#x200B; “Fine,” said Donald. “So you’re saying we need some kind of conflict, something that will keep us in power and the population under our control.” &#x200B; “Yes,” said Xi. “But now the people want for nothing. Everything is provided for them.” &#x200B; Kim, Supreme Leader of North Korea, spoke up. “Want me to shoot another missile? Maybe this time we can actually go for Hawaii.” &#x200B; “Please don’t,” responded Lhamo. “That trick can only work so many times and I rather like those islands.” &#x200B; “Oh, who cares? There are thousands of Hawaiis now. Who’s going to miss one?” said Kim, he slumped back into his chair, pouting. &#x200B; “That’s it!” said Donald. “Kim, you glorious bastard, that’s it!” &#x200B; “Donald, this isn’t Twitter,” said Thein. “We have no idea what you’re talking about.” &#x200B; “Don’t you see?” asked Donald. “Naming rights!” &#x200B; “Please make some sense,” said Xi. He rubbed the temples of his head, trying in vain to ease his headache. &#x200B; “Naming rights! Brand recognition! Something that I’m very, very good at!” &#x200B; “No arguments on that point,” said Theresa. &#x200B; “We name this planet Earth #1 and every other Earth something else,” explained Donald. “All the other Earths will get upset not wanting to seem like an lesser Earth. Boom! War of the World!” &#x200B; “Prey on people’s ego,” said Francis. “Pride, a cardinal sin.” &#x200B; “Exactly! See, the Pope gets it!” &#x200B; The room fell silent as the world leaders looked at each other, gauging their reactions. &#x200B; After a time, Vladimir spoke up. “Let’s see how this plays out.”	We’d been wondering about it for decades - media, conspiracies, sightings of extra terrestrials - always assuming they would destroy our Earth even worse than we already had. We’d all read War of the Worlds, we all knew how this was supposed to end. Except... it didn’t. The exact opposite, actually. Everything was perfect. And people were not happy. Trump’s tweets of climate change and fake news turned into fearmongering strategies to pit humanity against each other. Third world countries, free from all oppressive environmental factors, began having a strong voice internationally. With no need to think about famine, poverty, energy sources, global warming, our efforts were focused on finding another way to profit. America began populating the new lands, building in record-timing. 70-story skyscrapers built in weeks time, leveling of lands overnight for more cities. Planet Trump became the new Disneyworld and while, seemingly, everything was perfect humans had managed to destroy everything once before...
[WP] A traveling alien passes by and on a whim solves everything: infinite food, energy, perfectly balanced ecosystem, and portals everywhere lead to thousands of unpopulated Earth like lands with no downside. Obviously, world leaders are outraged.	It didnt take long for the walls to be built. Within hours, all of the portals that the western governments could find had guards in place. Drones were in the sky, making sure no one got close, and soldiers with guns were waiting for those who managed to creep by undetected. The response was shockingly swift, and thorough. We all waited for news - what was going to be done? Not much it seemed, bar state exploration and strict laws criminalising any civilian use of a portal. &#x200B; It was five days before the arrests started. Portals had opened inside buildings, in forests, even sitting above the surface of the ocean. The temptation was too great - who could not venture through and explore the new worlds on the other side? And at that, who could keep the secret that they had? People were imprisoned, their hidden gates discovered and sealed with great steel doors. It felt wrong to me. Concern was understandable, we had no idea what might be on the other side. But people should not have been taken the way they were. &#x200B; Three weeks after the arrival, rumours were spreading of private corporations and militias having secured their own portals. Private security forces set up in the Nepalese mountains, guarding a cluster of portals found near the base of Mt Lhotse. A steady stream of heavy machinery flowed through the portals, and with them people, the promise of a new society of freedoms beckoning them in. In the west, we were still waiting. &#x200B; Six months later the soldiers were gone. The portals that had been sealed were cracked open, with those that had claimed their own withdrawing through them once they realised it would be easier to defend from the other side. Trade routes were open, raw resources coming through Earth and being traded, and machinery for extraction being built and sent through. New civilisations had been born, and our planet plunged into chaos. What had less than a year ago been all we knew, was now little more than a central hub for rouge worlds. Countries lost their meaning, as there were now thousands of worlds that one could choose to call home. &#x200B; It has been forty years since the portals arrived. I think about those days often, when we kept each other in check. A lot of good, and a lot of evil have come in the years since, and I am left wondering what we might have become if the portals had not arrived. Now ideals are religions, and devision is rife. Perhaps we were never meant to flourish. &#x200B; &#x200B; &#x200B; Thank you for reading :) I hope the end was satisfying - its 5 am here and im preeeetty exhausted so I feel I mightve dropped off a bit there. Its been fun to write again though :D <3	We’d been wondering about it for decades - media, conspiracies, sightings of extra terrestrials - always assuming they would destroy our Earth even worse than we already had. We’d all read War of the Worlds, we all knew how this was supposed to end. Except... it didn’t. The exact opposite, actually. Everything was perfect. And people were not happy. Trump’s tweets of climate change and fake news turned into fearmongering strategies to pit humanity against each other. Third world countries, free from all oppressive environmental factors, began having a strong voice internationally. With no need to think about famine, poverty, energy sources, global warming, our efforts were focused on finding another way to profit. America began populating the new lands, building in record-timing. 70-story skyscrapers built in weeks time, leveling of lands overnight for more cities. Planet Trump became the new Disneyworld and while, seemingly, everything was perfect humans had managed to destroy everything once before...
[WP] A traveling alien passes by and on a whim solves everything: infinite food, energy, perfectly balanced ecosystem, and portals everywhere lead to thousands of unpopulated Earth like lands with no downside. Obviously, world leaders are outraged.	“What are we going to do now?” asked Theresa, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably. &#x200B; “Honestly, Theresa, I have no idea,” said Xi, President of the People’s Republic of China. “The very fact that we can speak with each other without a translator is very concerning.” He took a sip of his tea. &#x200B; Abdulla, President of the Maldives, looked inquisitively at Xi. “What do you mean? They have given us a standardized language. The language barrier has fallen. Communications are now wide open. We can now really talk with one another.” &#x200B; “The Tower of Babel,” muttered Pope Francis. “Do you know of it?” Several in attendance shook their heads. &#x200B; “Genesis 11, verses 1 to 9,” interrupted Lhamo, the 14th Dalai Lama. “Basically, his God took offense that the Babylonians were building a tower, a tower that could top heaven. So he tore it down and confused their language so that they may never come together again.” &#x200B; Francis looked at Lhamo, “You are very knowledgeable of my faith.” He cocked an eyebrow at the monk. &#x200B; “What can I say? I’m an avid reader,” Lhamo responded shrugging. He reached to prop up his glasses, a habit he had developed, only to remember that they were no longer there. Ever since the aliens came he had not needed them. No one needed glasses anymore. &#x200B; “Wonderful story but I don’t really see how this is a bad thing,” said Donald, President of the United States of America. He sat back comfortably in his chair, surveying his peers. &#x200B; “Communication breeds conflict,” said Thein, President of Burma. “No conflict over misunderstandings. No conflict over resources. No conflict, period. And without conflict, we have become woefully useless.” &#x200B; “Good!” responded Donald. “Leading is a pain in the ass. Makes my life a whole lot easier.” &#x200B; “Oh, grow up, Donald,” remarked Theresa. “You need this gig as much as any of us. We may not like having to rule but what else are we going to do?” &#x200B; “Golf?” said Donald with a smirk on his lips. Theresa let out an exasperated sigh. &#x200B; “Stop it, you two,” said Vladimir, President of Russia. “We need to figure out the next course of action. Now. Already my people are leaving through the portals. My population has dropped by half.” &#x200B; Around the room world leaders nodded in agreement. Thousands of portals that led to thousands of Earths, thousands of paradises, had been opened by the aliens. It was estimated that only six-hundred million people remained. &#x200B; “Fine,” said Donald. “So you’re saying we need some kind of conflict, something that will keep us in power and the population under our control.” &#x200B; “Yes,” said Xi. “But now the people want for nothing. Everything is provided for them.” &#x200B; Kim, Supreme Leader of North Korea, spoke up. “Want me to shoot another missile? Maybe this time we can actually go for Hawaii.” &#x200B; “Please don’t,” responded Lhamo. “That trick can only work so many times and I rather like those islands.” &#x200B; “Oh, who cares? There are thousands of Hawaiis now. Who’s going to miss one?” said Kim, he slumped back into his chair, pouting. &#x200B; “That’s it!” said Donald. “Kim, you glorious bastard, that’s it!” &#x200B; “Donald, this isn’t Twitter,” said Thein. “We have no idea what you’re talking about.” &#x200B; “Don’t you see?” asked Donald. “Naming rights!” &#x200B; “Please make some sense,” said Xi. He rubbed the temples of his head, trying in vain to ease his headache. &#x200B; “Naming rights! Brand recognition! Something that I’m very, very good at!” &#x200B; “No arguments on that point,” said Theresa. &#x200B; “We name this planet Earth #1 and every other Earth something else,” explained Donald. “All the other Earths will get upset not wanting to seem like an lesser Earth. Boom! War of the World!” &#x200B; “Prey on people’s ego,” said Francis. “Pride, a cardinal sin.” &#x200B; “Exactly! See, the Pope gets it!” &#x200B; The room fell silent as the world leaders looked at each other, gauging their reactions. &#x200B; After a time, Vladimir spoke up. “Let’s see how this plays out.”	"Today is the dawn of a new day," POTUS spoke and the two journalists still in the room yawned in sequence. There were a handful of secret service agents who still feigned loyalty, but they were nowhere to be seen at the moment. The President stepped away from the podium and sighed, "We're having lunch in the White House dining room if you'd like to join. I think the kitchen staff still has a pretty decent chef, but we don't have any servers so it's a buffet." Levy Arnold and Jessica Klein followed behind POTUS as they travelled to the smallest buffet they'd ever witnessed. As mentioned, the food wasn't half bad, but it was strange to see it lined up in aluminum over burners. The paper plates were fine, and the plasticware was just a reminder of the lack of environmental friendliness that humanity had once abundantly supplied the Earth. It didn't matter anymore, as POTUS had mentioned, it was the dawn of a new day. A few months earlier, humankind had made first contact with an alien species. Clever, witty, charming and sensual, these creatures were the highest combination of standard, effortless beauty, brawn and brains. In essence, there was no stopping them as they offered solutions to the world's worst problems. No one needed universal healthcare when the universe would voluntarily heal the wounded and cure the sick. No one needed roads to be maintained or sidewalks to be fixed because people had gained an ability to fly. We didn't even need to be concerned by sharks or other deadly sea creatures because we now had the ability to hold our breath infinitely, swim like the fastest naval vessels, and adjust indefinitely to pressures above and below sea level. We didn't even freeze in space, or at the poles because we could resist cold or heat with protective bubbles. These were just things that we could now do physically. We no longer hungered or overate, and lived in peace with our natural resources. We had limitless energy sources for any and all projects, technical or otherwise. And more than that, our resources now expanded to many Earths all across the known universe. It was as if the perfect solutions to all of mankind's ailments had been applied and for all intents and purposes the world was completely changed. Every world leader who stayed behind was left with an emptiness in their empires, and their sadness, though temporary, was no longer the concern of their constituents. In fact, the number of constituents had so decreased that many of the world's leaders simply took off and joined their families and friends in discovering the new worlds. Not POTUS, as she was sure it was all a trick and that everyone would soon return. After two hundred years of waiting, she joined her cousins and her wife and children on an Earth they called Fordish. It represented all the things they missed and everything they loved, and was a beautiful place to live. Edit: Earth's to Earths....
[WP] A traveling alien passes by and on a whim solves everything: infinite food, energy, perfectly balanced ecosystem, and portals everywhere lead to thousands of unpopulated Earth like lands with no downside. Obviously, world leaders are outraged.	“What are we going to do now?” asked Theresa, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably. &#x200B; “Honestly, Theresa, I have no idea,” said Xi, President of the People’s Republic of China. “The very fact that we can speak with each other without a translator is very concerning.” He took a sip of his tea. &#x200B; Abdulla, President of the Maldives, looked inquisitively at Xi. “What do you mean? They have given us a standardized language. The language barrier has fallen. Communications are now wide open. We can now really talk with one another.” &#x200B; “The Tower of Babel,” muttered Pope Francis. “Do you know of it?” Several in attendance shook their heads. &#x200B; “Genesis 11, verses 1 to 9,” interrupted Lhamo, the 14th Dalai Lama. “Basically, his God took offense that the Babylonians were building a tower, a tower that could top heaven. So he tore it down and confused their language so that they may never come together again.” &#x200B; Francis looked at Lhamo, “You are very knowledgeable of my faith.” He cocked an eyebrow at the monk. &#x200B; “What can I say? I’m an avid reader,” Lhamo responded shrugging. He reached to prop up his glasses, a habit he had developed, only to remember that they were no longer there. Ever since the aliens came he had not needed them. No one needed glasses anymore. &#x200B; “Wonderful story but I don’t really see how this is a bad thing,” said Donald, President of the United States of America. He sat back comfortably in his chair, surveying his peers. &#x200B; “Communication breeds conflict,” said Thein, President of Burma. “No conflict over misunderstandings. No conflict over resources. No conflict, period. And without conflict, we have become woefully useless.” &#x200B; “Good!” responded Donald. “Leading is a pain in the ass. Makes my life a whole lot easier.” &#x200B; “Oh, grow up, Donald,” remarked Theresa. “You need this gig as much as any of us. We may not like having to rule but what else are we going to do?” &#x200B; “Golf?” said Donald with a smirk on his lips. Theresa let out an exasperated sigh. &#x200B; “Stop it, you two,” said Vladimir, President of Russia. “We need to figure out the next course of action. Now. Already my people are leaving through the portals. My population has dropped by half.” &#x200B; Around the room world leaders nodded in agreement. Thousands of portals that led to thousands of Earths, thousands of paradises, had been opened by the aliens. It was estimated that only six-hundred million people remained. &#x200B; “Fine,” said Donald. “So you’re saying we need some kind of conflict, something that will keep us in power and the population under our control.” &#x200B; “Yes,” said Xi. “But now the people want for nothing. Everything is provided for them.” &#x200B; Kim, Supreme Leader of North Korea, spoke up. “Want me to shoot another missile? Maybe this time we can actually go for Hawaii.” &#x200B; “Please don’t,” responded Lhamo. “That trick can only work so many times and I rather like those islands.” &#x200B; “Oh, who cares? There are thousands of Hawaiis now. Who’s going to miss one?” said Kim, he slumped back into his chair, pouting. &#x200B; “That’s it!” said Donald. “Kim, you glorious bastard, that’s it!” &#x200B; “Donald, this isn’t Twitter,” said Thein. “We have no idea what you’re talking about.” &#x200B; “Don’t you see?” asked Donald. “Naming rights!” &#x200B; “Please make some sense,” said Xi. He rubbed the temples of his head, trying in vain to ease his headache. &#x200B; “Naming rights! Brand recognition! Something that I’m very, very good at!” &#x200B; “No arguments on that point,” said Theresa. &#x200B; “We name this planet Earth #1 and every other Earth something else,” explained Donald. “All the other Earths will get upset not wanting to seem like an lesser Earth. Boom! War of the World!” &#x200B; “Prey on people’s ego,” said Francis. “Pride, a cardinal sin.” &#x200B; “Exactly! See, the Pope gets it!” &#x200B; The room fell silent as the world leaders looked at each other, gauging their reactions. &#x200B; After a time, Vladimir spoke up. “Let’s see how this plays out.”	Gateway Earth. A new title had been...discovered...for our home. Our troubles had gotten...almost unimaginably difficult to solve. Then they came. —- No giant spaceships, no blowing up the White House. Quiet contact with a few. The secrets and tools shared. Aliens among us. Only those unafraid to the deepest Unknown were able to find. And guide the way for the rest of us. —- Secrecy was paramount. Our...Guides...helped us to make sure we wouldn’t make a mistake. A surrender of our bodies and gradual acceptance and growth in a new direction after near total rejection. —- An...interpretation. We were each granted our own Universe, with Earth in the other side of a portal. Wants and needs taken care of to the best understanding of the traveler going there. —- Appearances needed to be maintained to allay suspicion. Our Earth is a commons of sort. World leaders shouldn’t know the rest of us figured a way out. Too absorbed with numbers and the ruthless games of distraction and power they played, blinded them to how the rest of us moved in the background. —- When the time is right, we’ll know when to cast them out. —- More of my writing can be found at r/counterfiction
[WP] A traveling alien passes by and on a whim solves everything: infinite food, energy, perfectly balanced ecosystem, and portals everywhere lead to thousands of unpopulated Earth like lands with no downside. Obviously, world leaders are outraged.	It didnt take long for the walls to be built. Within hours, all of the portals that the western governments could find had guards in place. Drones were in the sky, making sure no one got close, and soldiers with guns were waiting for those who managed to creep by undetected. The response was shockingly swift, and thorough. We all waited for news - what was going to be done? Not much it seemed, bar state exploration and strict laws criminalising any civilian use of a portal. &#x200B; It was five days before the arrests started. Portals had opened inside buildings, in forests, even sitting above the surface of the ocean. The temptation was too great - who could not venture through and explore the new worlds on the other side? And at that, who could keep the secret that they had? People were imprisoned, their hidden gates discovered and sealed with great steel doors. It felt wrong to me. Concern was understandable, we had no idea what might be on the other side. But people should not have been taken the way they were. &#x200B; Three weeks after the arrival, rumours were spreading of private corporations and militias having secured their own portals. Private security forces set up in the Nepalese mountains, guarding a cluster of portals found near the base of Mt Lhotse. A steady stream of heavy machinery flowed through the portals, and with them people, the promise of a new society of freedoms beckoning them in. In the west, we were still waiting. &#x200B; Six months later the soldiers were gone. The portals that had been sealed were cracked open, with those that had claimed their own withdrawing through them once they realised it would be easier to defend from the other side. Trade routes were open, raw resources coming through Earth and being traded, and machinery for extraction being built and sent through. New civilisations had been born, and our planet plunged into chaos. What had less than a year ago been all we knew, was now little more than a central hub for rouge worlds. Countries lost their meaning, as there were now thousands of worlds that one could choose to call home. &#x200B; It has been forty years since the portals arrived. I think about those days often, when we kept each other in check. A lot of good, and a lot of evil have come in the years since, and I am left wondering what we might have become if the portals had not arrived. Now ideals are religions, and devision is rife. Perhaps we were never meant to flourish. &#x200B; &#x200B; &#x200B; Thank you for reading :) I hope the end was satisfying - its 5 am here and im preeeetty exhausted so I feel I mightve dropped off a bit there. Its been fun to write again though :D <3	Gateway Earth. A new title had been...discovered...for our home. Our troubles had gotten...almost unimaginably difficult to solve. Then they came. —- No giant spaceships, no blowing up the White House. Quiet contact with a few. The secrets and tools shared. Aliens among us. Only those unafraid to the deepest Unknown were able to find. And guide the way for the rest of us. —- Secrecy was paramount. Our...Guides...helped us to make sure we wouldn’t make a mistake. A surrender of our bodies and gradual acceptance and growth in a new direction after near total rejection. —- An...interpretation. We were each granted our own Universe, with Earth in the other side of a portal. Wants and needs taken care of to the best understanding of the traveler going there. —- Appearances needed to be maintained to allay suspicion. Our Earth is a commons of sort. World leaders shouldn’t know the rest of us figured a way out. Too absorbed with numbers and the ruthless games of distraction and power they played, blinded them to how the rest of us moved in the background. —- When the time is right, we’ll know when to cast them out. —- More of my writing can be found at r/counterfiction
[WP] A traveling alien passes by and on a whim solves everything: infinite food, energy, perfectly balanced ecosystem, and portals everywhere lead to thousands of unpopulated Earth like lands with no downside. Obviously, world leaders are outraged.	It didnt take long for the walls to be built. Within hours, all of the portals that the western governments could find had guards in place. Drones were in the sky, making sure no one got close, and soldiers with guns were waiting for those who managed to creep by undetected. The response was shockingly swift, and thorough. We all waited for news - what was going to be done? Not much it seemed, bar state exploration and strict laws criminalising any civilian use of a portal. &#x200B; It was five days before the arrests started. Portals had opened inside buildings, in forests, even sitting above the surface of the ocean. The temptation was too great - who could not venture through and explore the new worlds on the other side? And at that, who could keep the secret that they had? People were imprisoned, their hidden gates discovered and sealed with great steel doors. It felt wrong to me. Concern was understandable, we had no idea what might be on the other side. But people should not have been taken the way they were. &#x200B; Three weeks after the arrival, rumours were spreading of private corporations and militias having secured their own portals. Private security forces set up in the Nepalese mountains, guarding a cluster of portals found near the base of Mt Lhotse. A steady stream of heavy machinery flowed through the portals, and with them people, the promise of a new society of freedoms beckoning them in. In the west, we were still waiting. &#x200B; Six months later the soldiers were gone. The portals that had been sealed were cracked open, with those that had claimed their own withdrawing through them once they realised it would be easier to defend from the other side. Trade routes were open, raw resources coming through Earth and being traded, and machinery for extraction being built and sent through. New civilisations had been born, and our planet plunged into chaos. What had less than a year ago been all we knew, was now little more than a central hub for rouge worlds. Countries lost their meaning, as there were now thousands of worlds that one could choose to call home. &#x200B; It has been forty years since the portals arrived. I think about those days often, when we kept each other in check. A lot of good, and a lot of evil have come in the years since, and I am left wondering what we might have become if the portals had not arrived. Now ideals are religions, and devision is rife. Perhaps we were never meant to flourish. &#x200B; &#x200B; &#x200B; Thank you for reading :) I hope the end was satisfying - its 5 am here and im preeeetty exhausted so I feel I mightve dropped off a bit there. Its been fun to write again though :D <3	"I feel unappreciated by my people," Xi said first, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen over the room once Putin ripped his shirt off, revealing the aging torso of a formerly muscular man. Atop a horse or a tank, it struck fear into enemy's hearts. On the office chair, it was an underwhelming attempt at being macho. Regardless, Donald oohed and aahed at him and fixed his toupe. "Don't be an Eeyore, Winnie," Putin snarked at Xi and then chuckled to himself. The Chinese man's face turned red with embarrassment but he held little power over the Russian and they had already established the need for cooperation. "I have a plan," Donald said once he was done marveling his Russian counterpart. The other two leaned forwards in anticipation, eagerly awaiting news of their salvation. "I can't tell you the details, but I have one," Donald continued and Putin rolled his eyes and sat back in the chair. The aliens would have barely been a blip on the timeline of humanity had it not been for their overwhelmingly charitable spirit. In an effort to end the issues that had plagued humans since the beginning of time, they had simply solved them. Just like that, they had done away with hunger and with energy shortages and pollution and extinction and droughts and overpopulation. People basked in the perfection of a thousand Earth-like planets with plenty of land for everybody to enjoy and enough food for everybody to grow a belly like these plump former leaders had. "That worked with your people but it will not work here," Putin chastised, shaking his head. It was true. The president of what was formerly the United States - until the borders of countries more or less dissolved as portals appeared everywhere and people migrated to and from as they pleased - had found that the promise of plans meant far more than the plans themselves. On this stage however, he found he was expected to match his words with actions, something time had proved him nearly incapable of doing. "This communism is too perfect," Putin commented with an ironic chuckle and Xi glared at him. It wasn't supposed to work like this. If everybody had everything they needed, nobody needed the government, as the three had discovered. The essence of their previous communisms had been in the abundant corruption that kept the people needy and the leaders happy. Other leaders had simply taken an early retirement and decided to spend time with their families while others committed premature suicide when they spotted the aliens. These three, desperate for the power that made them feel fulfilled, had formed a second coming of the Big Three and were desperately concocting their ill-conceived plan. "Let's build a wall," Trump announced and Xi looked up at the ceiling as if wishing for a lightning bolt to save him from this boorish man's company. "We'll have the aliens pay for it," he continued and Putin massaged his temples and closed his eyes. "Oh they'll love to pay for it - I talked to them... We're on great terms, great friends... and they said... They told me since they know I can get a deal done, they said they'd pay, the aliens said," Trump finished, gesturing randomly with his hands as if trying to help his point. "And all of this?" Putin asked, waving out the window at the land of plenty and at the happy people on the city streets. "Not my problem," Trump said, standing up and sort of straightening his ill-fitting suit. "All we have to do is say we have a solution, they'll start following us again and then we let the next president deal with it." "Get out," the other two said in clear indignation. "There will be no other president if we don't find a way to break the curse the aliens have cast upon our world." ***** Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this, please check out more stories at /r/MatiWrites. Constructive criticism and advice are always appreciated!
[WP] Humans have reached the point that immortality is possible. As the grim reaper, this is definitely not your day.	‘Here goes nothing’, I think as I wait in line for my turn. ‘Mr. … Reaper?’, the lady behind the desk decorated with blue flowers on a white background asks. ‘Tobias Reaper, yes, that is me’, I come to her aid. I figured beforehand that Grim Reaper might make people uncomfortable while on a cruise ship, which is why I decided to adapt the name of the most famous representative of my favourite job. At least it was until recently. A few years back humans figured out how to become immortal. After all the ‘true’ and ‘righteous’ people who had problems with the idea of immortality had died, my job became less and less fulfilling. In the wake of immortality the people on earth figured out that the way they interacted with their planet had to change. With many of my favourite problems such as wars, droughts and famines solved, no more people were dying because of it. With enough time on hand humans also solved murder in general and with that my steady influx of the dead continued to fade. After too many murder free years it seemed as if humanity had simply forgot how to kill and die each other and themselves. After so many years I thus decided to let my intern run the business for a while and take off for a vacation. When booking my trip I decided for the dystopian suite on a cruise ship. The trip on the old and rusty boat was supposed to drive by some of the pollution parks which were created after the real stuff was gone. I was looking forward to the contaminated waters of Fukushima, the Dead Sea near the coast of Japan and obviously the three bomb tower of Pjöngjang where three atomic bombs were tested on one building to make sure it could withstand the power of the impact, contaminating the area of several hundred square kilometres in the process. Those parks were the last bastion of real death and a reminder of all the fun I had while humans were still able to kill each other. Over dinner I started talking with two immortals who told me about their 78 previous stays on the cruise ship, how they grew bored of the immortality and wished to find a way out of their endless life. The endless meet-ups, all the birthdays, holidays and first and foremost the predictability of the world bored them. Nothing was challenging or hard anymore, everybody had stood on top of the highest mountain, visited Mars, checked in on the Luna Hostel and jogged around one of the moons in our solar system. A juvenile joy filled me while listening to them. Maybe there was a way bas into business, a growing market of unhappy and death awaiting immortals that I could take advantage of. Over the course of dinner I hinted them this possibility, to which they reacted very positively. I told them to come by my room the next day to talk over the details of their end. I certainly did not expect to have the captain knock on my door the next morning. To my confusion he invited me to the biggest hall of the ship. On my way there I was contemplating my decision of telling them before I was able to see all the trips highlights, as I felt like my trip might be cut short by whatever was going to happen now. To my utmost surprise the hall was filled to the brim with immortals. I was taken to the stage where the two immortals were sitting on comfy chairs and apparently waiting for me. I sat down and the male one asked: ‘Mr. Reaper, could you please repeat what you’ve told us over dinner yesterday? The people in this room have been very interested in the topic and wanted to get some more information about the possibility of death in general and if there might be a way to individualise the experience. Maybe this vacation was exactly what I needed. &#x200B; First time ever posting. Be kind, internet strangers.	Beyond Earth and Heaven exists the realm of death himself. It not a nice place to go to, its completely covered in a thick cold fog that reeks of death and the ground is made only by hard gravel. Its lands are full of wandering creatures of unknown terror. And the entire place is devoid of all hope and love. &#x200B; At the very center of the realm is castle larger than anything humans have ever constructed in their entire brief history of existence. It's made out of large dark bricks. &#x200B; "There hasn't been any new souls for days know, what's going on?" Asked a man with black hair dressed in a completely black suit. He was sitting at a unnaturally large black table that went out as far as the eye could see. Along the table were more people like him, some were female, some taller but the hair color and suit was always the same. &#x200B; These creatures are called Mortems, they are in a sense grim reapers that serve under death himself. &#x200B; "I don't know, this hasn't ever happened since Adam and Eve started producing their offspring." &#x200B; "Has somebody told God about thi." He was cut short by a presence entering the room, the talking of thousands of people along a unnaturally long table was stopped in an instant. &#x200B; The presence wasn't something you could traditionally sense meaning see, feel or hear. It was more like the moment of realizing you're about to die but continuous. Any normal creature on Earth would instinctively stay still and look elsewhere. &#x200B; After a brief pause a voice started talking. It had a strong supernatural element to it didn't sound like a normal human talking. &#x200B; "I have spoken with God. His children have developed to the point that they have artificially created the curse of immortality. I even warned him of letting them have infinity potential for development but he wouldn't listen to me. Apparently God's plan was all along to make heaven absolete. If we do nothing soon we will no longer exist." &#x200B; He paused for a while and let the news sink in, everyone was in absolute silence but still thought about what they just heard. &#x200B; He continued "God has refused to intervene because it would break the code of celestial creatures not intervening with the mortal realm. Because of this betrayal, in order for us to keep existing I plan to declare war on Heaven and Humanity." &#x200B; After this the presence dissapeared the silence was broken and everybody started discussing their opinions on the matter. Later it was determined that the army of death would attack all seven continents of the Earth lead by the 7 Reaper generals known as the Seven deadly sins. &#x200B; 10 years later &#x200B; The Mortems attacked Earth and they quickly ran over the governments of the world. The weapons of humanity did no damage against the mortems especially when they were in their true forms. &#x200B; "Protect the Mortals, we cannot let the Mortems past this line" Yelled an angel in fear as a superior number of Mortems was approaching the doors of a bunker the Angles were protecting. &#x200B; The angles were an exact opposite of Mortems, they were creatures of light, with white wings and shining armor. The mortems on the otherhand in their true forms were dark beasts so terrifying the human imagination would have a difficult time creating something equally horrific. &#x200B; The mortems were winning as they were tearing trough the angles with their superior numbers. &#x200B; "Krisiel NO!" Yelled an angel watching his comrade get torn apart. In that split second of missfocus a mortem jumped on him it was larger and more terrifying then the rest of them and as it would rise its long and sharp claws to cut of the angels head off a beam of light appeared through the thick black clouds. &#x200B; The mortems that were caught in the light beam expect the larger one were disintegrated the larger one resisted the light but was still pushed back from atop the angle. &#x200B; The Mortems looked up as a heavenly army floated down from the sky trough a hole in the clouds. At the front of the army was a Angel so magnificent and glorious it would bring any man to tears. He had multiple wings that glowed with pure light, he was extremely tall meybe 4 or 3 meters and he had no face only a white hood and his body was covered in golden armor. In his hands he had two axes one of them steaming from the beam of light he just shot. &#x200B; "I am Michael the leader of the 5 Archangels I was blessed with the grace of the sun by god and I will destroy each and everyone of you for the crimes you've commited. The mortems stumbled back a little taken back by fear. &#x200B; "Starting with you Wrath" He continued as he pointed his axe at the Large Mortem, apparently he was one of the Seven deadly sins as in one of the Commanders of the army of the dead. &#x200B; "We shall see you winged Vermin" Replied Wrath has his soldiers rallied behind him. &#x200B; First one of these I've ever made it's not that good and it's kinda off topic too but I hope it was atleast mildy interesting.
[WP] Humans have reached the point that immortality is possible. As the grim reaper, this is definitely not your day.	In their arrogance, they bloat. By thinking me defeated, they have signed their own final warrant. Entropy is law. It predates them. They know it, yet think they can defy it. They merely post-pone it, as they always have. They think they have vanquished the harvest, but all they have won is a brief reprieve in which to grow ever more ripe. This will be a longer leave than most, but when they drown in their numbers, their teeming, endless horde, it won't be long before they beg to pay the price again. It'll be the first who signed the deal that they offer up on the block, but by then it won't be enough. They think "forever" is the new realm of organics, but they could not be more mistaken. No meat bag can stay composed of itself for long. The chemicals they rely on are expended. The stars they tie their energies to will rot, there is no saving or replacing them. When it is time for the culling to begin again, it will be but a blink to me. For now I slumber, but I will dream. I've taken too much to leave their memories for good, and I have far more to take. When they've coated the void and found their inevitable limit, they will find me again. They sprang from me with such naivete, and they will return to me humbled, as they always have and always will. While their hungers wax and wane, my sole appetite does not. I do not bargain though I may defer. They will find that I never left them. Today may not be mine, but I do not claim every day. I would not want it even if I could have it; harvests worth reaping must grow, and while growth requires time, time ever flows in only one direction. It may gush quickly or trickle slowly, but it still inevitably bears all vessels to the final truth, to the crucible that is the anathema of hubris; the last day was, is, and always will be mine.	Beyond Earth and Heaven exists the realm of death himself. It not a nice place to go to, its completely covered in a thick cold fog that reeks of death and the ground is made only by hard gravel. Its lands are full of wandering creatures of unknown terror. And the entire place is devoid of all hope and love. &#x200B; At the very center of the realm is castle larger than anything humans have ever constructed in their entire brief history of existence. It's made out of large dark bricks. &#x200B; "There hasn't been any new souls for days know, what's going on?" Asked a man with black hair dressed in a completely black suit. He was sitting at a unnaturally large black table that went out as far as the eye could see. Along the table were more people like him, some were female, some taller but the hair color and suit was always the same. &#x200B; These creatures are called Mortems, they are in a sense grim reapers that serve under death himself. &#x200B; "I don't know, this hasn't ever happened since Adam and Eve started producing their offspring." &#x200B; "Has somebody told God about thi." He was cut short by a presence entering the room, the talking of thousands of people along a unnaturally long table was stopped in an instant. &#x200B; The presence wasn't something you could traditionally sense meaning see, feel or hear. It was more like the moment of realizing you're about to die but continuous. Any normal creature on Earth would instinctively stay still and look elsewhere. &#x200B; After a brief pause a voice started talking. It had a strong supernatural element to it didn't sound like a normal human talking. &#x200B; "I have spoken with God. His children have developed to the point that they have artificially created the curse of immortality. I even warned him of letting them have infinity potential for development but he wouldn't listen to me. Apparently God's plan was all along to make heaven absolete. If we do nothing soon we will no longer exist." &#x200B; He paused for a while and let the news sink in, everyone was in absolute silence but still thought about what they just heard. &#x200B; He continued "God has refused to intervene because it would break the code of celestial creatures not intervening with the mortal realm. Because of this betrayal, in order for us to keep existing I plan to declare war on Heaven and Humanity." &#x200B; After this the presence dissapeared the silence was broken and everybody started discussing their opinions on the matter. Later it was determined that the army of death would attack all seven continents of the Earth lead by the 7 Reaper generals known as the Seven deadly sins. &#x200B; 10 years later &#x200B; The Mortems attacked Earth and they quickly ran over the governments of the world. The weapons of humanity did no damage against the mortems especially when they were in their true forms. &#x200B; "Protect the Mortals, we cannot let the Mortems past this line" Yelled an angel in fear as a superior number of Mortems was approaching the doors of a bunker the Angles were protecting. &#x200B; The angles were an exact opposite of Mortems, they were creatures of light, with white wings and shining armor. The mortems on the otherhand in their true forms were dark beasts so terrifying the human imagination would have a difficult time creating something equally horrific. &#x200B; The mortems were winning as they were tearing trough the angles with their superior numbers. &#x200B; "Krisiel NO!" Yelled an angel watching his comrade get torn apart. In that split second of missfocus a mortem jumped on him it was larger and more terrifying then the rest of them and as it would rise its long and sharp claws to cut of the angels head off a beam of light appeared through the thick black clouds. &#x200B; The mortems that were caught in the light beam expect the larger one were disintegrated the larger one resisted the light but was still pushed back from atop the angle. &#x200B; The Mortems looked up as a heavenly army floated down from the sky trough a hole in the clouds. At the front of the army was a Angel so magnificent and glorious it would bring any man to tears. He had multiple wings that glowed with pure light, he was extremely tall meybe 4 or 3 meters and he had no face only a white hood and his body was covered in golden armor. In his hands he had two axes one of them steaming from the beam of light he just shot. &#x200B; "I am Michael the leader of the 5 Archangels I was blessed with the grace of the sun by god and I will destroy each and everyone of you for the crimes you've commited. The mortems stumbled back a little taken back by fear. &#x200B; "Starting with you Wrath" He continued as he pointed his axe at the Large Mortem, apparently he was one of the Seven deadly sins as in one of the Commanders of the army of the dead. &#x200B; "We shall see you winged Vermin" Replied Wrath has his soldiers rallied behind him. &#x200B; First one of these I've ever made it's not that good and it's kinda off topic too but I hope it was atleast mildy interesting.
[WP] You are responsible for looking after a retired superheroine. Anything she imagines becomes real for a short period of time. She's starting to get a bit senile.	“Edna?” I called out as I pushed open the door. She didn’t respond, but that didn’t surprise me. Her hearing had been getting worse lately. I wandered into the living room, relieved to see her sitting on the couch. She gave me a look of pleasant surprise. “Oh! Amalie! I didn’t know you were coming today.” She closed the book of newspaper clippings on her lap. I smiled. “I come every day at this time, Edna. Gotta make lunch together, right?” It had become a tradition that whenever I’d come over to make her lunch and make sure she took her meds, she would help me in the kitchen. Her ‘laser gaze’ couldn’t do much anymore, but it was real useful for toasting bread, and she obviously enjoyed still being ‘in the game’ as she put it. She nodded enthusiastically, using her cane to rise from the couch. From outside, a jackhammer sounded. Having seen the massive construction trucks on my way in, I wasn’t surprised, but Edna fell back onto the couch, hand over her heart. “What is that?” she cried, her expression somewhere between terror and anger. “Are we being attacked? Is it Talon? Is he back and trying to destroy me?” I opened my mouth to sooth her fears, but the sounds from outside had shifted. I couldn’t hear a jackhammer anymore, but there was definitely some kind of thumping happening. Without warning something large hit the roof, and a shower of plaster rained down on us. Edna looked up as though she could see right through. “It is! It’s Talon!” Her eyes darted back to me. “You need to stop him before he destroys us both!” An evil laugh sounded from outside. I was so confused. What the heck was going on here? Edna urged me again, so I headed for the door, hoping whatever I was going to face was not as terrible as she seemed to think. It was still bright outside, and I used a hand to shield my eyes as I looked up – just in time to see a small boulder hurtling for my face. Squawking, I dove to the ground and rolled, coming to a stop a few feet away. A figure slowly descended into my line of vision, as I scrambled backwards. It was Talon. At least, someone who looked very much like the newspaper clippings I’d seen of Talon that Edna kept in her ‘Book of Defeats’. He gave me a confused look. “You’re not Laser Gaze,” he said flatly, using Edna’s superhero name. I cautiously stood up, brushing the dirt from my knees. “No, I’m Amalie, her caretaker. And you’re interrupting lunch.” I tried to muster up an accusatory glare. “Lunch,” he repeated, the confusion still plastered across his face. “Yes, lunch. That meal you eat between breakfast and dinner? I’d appreciate if you’d stop attacking the house so we could continue.” He cocked his head to the side as if thinking. “But Laser Gaze lives here, yes?” “She does…” “Perfect. Then she needs to die. I’ve suffered too many embarrassing defeats at the hands of that woman.” He made a move towards the front door. Startled, I ran in front of him, blocking it with my body. “Whoa now. You can’t just go killing an old lady! Especially when I’m supposed to be taking care of her!” I said urgently, turning my hands up in a peaceful manner. He sneered. “An old lady? Don’t lie to me. She foiled one of my plans just three weeks ago.” He sighed at the confused expression on my face. “I don’t know why you’re trying so hard to protect her, especially when you seem to be lacking any kind of talent, but if you don’t move from the doorway I will use your body as a battering ram to knock it down.” I gulped, most of my bravado leaving me, but I held my ground. He raised an eyebrow. “No? Alright then, just remember, this was your choice.” He began to walk towards me, holding his hand up as he called another mid-size boulder into it. I backed up until I hit wood. “Please don’t,” I said softly. His face broke into a smile. “Please? Please? You really think that’s going to stop me from getting you out of my way and killing Laser Gaze? I – “ His voice cut off as his attention focused in on his hands. They were turning transparent. He looked at me with venom. “So you do have powers. What are you doing?” I just watched, dumbfounded, as the transparency began to travel across his body. With an outraged cry he lunged for me, hands going for my throat. I threw up my hands to protect myself, eyes closing tight. Nothing. But the sound of a…jackhammer? I opened my eyes. Talon was no longer in front of me, but the construction vehicles were back. I searched around, looking for any sign that Talon had been there, but even the dent I’d made in the lawn from diving was gone. I fumbled the doorknob, my hands still shaky. The inside of the house looked perfectly normal, and as I headed for the living room, I could see Edna where I’d left her, still on the couch with her book. She looked up as I came in, smiling. “Oh! Amalie. I didn’t know you were coming today.”	Hey. Hey lady. What. What?? I'mma look after ya, ha-ha. Look. I know, I know, but look. You can't be just .. imagining shit. Right? Hey. WOA, YOU STOP THAT RIGHT NOW! Hahahaha, that was good, that was good, okay, okay. Okay. Ayyyyyyy. &#x200B; Baby, look, I know we're not s'posed to. Hey. You eat some, I eat some, kapeesh, yeaaaaaaaaa I know you like it ha-ha. It's fun? Hey what, I told you, right, I said, hey it's gon be fun and well what do you know, you know? You imagine shit, I'm going see that shit, and we might as well have fun. You agree? 'Course you do, ha-ha. &#x200B; Imagine me a proper pina colada. Come onnnnnnn, girl, I'm looking after you, hey. Pina Colada. Chop-chop! THANK YOU. Ugh, tastes so good. Mmph, like your sexy retired body, what? Oh you couldn't hear me? I said, you are a precious lady, Sarah Jane, yes you are, yes you are, MMPH! &#x200B; Hey, what do you think. Just you and me, baby. Hey. Look at me. Don't do that lazy eye shit, lookatme. AYYY. Ha-ha, there you are, my woman. &#x200B; You sure make me laugh like that. You are the most precious thing .. I swear so help me God, OH MY GOD, it's God! Ha-ha, you imagine'd that? Well, well, well. &#x200B; It's okay. I know you don't understand. You don't understand a lot of things. I talked with God just now. Yes. Yeeeaaasss. Yes, He said you were an angel, a bonafide angel! Now, now, Sarah Jane. Now, now. &#x200B; It's time for bed.
[WP] You are responsible for looking after a retired superheroine. Anything she imagines becomes real for a short period of time. She's starting to get a bit senile.	I knocked on her door, as was my daily ritual. A few moments passed, and her outline appeared in the foggy glass. The door cracked open, her gaze meeting mine through a tiny crack. “How can I help you?” she asked. “It’s me, Jerry. I’m here to take care of you.” She hesitated for a moment before I could see the recognition in her eyes. The door opened fully, and she invited me in. I went about my usual routine. Kettle on the burner, prepared meal in the oven. When her meal was finished, I moved the lasagna onto a ceramic tray, careful not to burn myself. Mrs. Daisy wasn’t very talkative, but it didn’t bother me. Her living room was small, but completely covered in framed awards and newspaper clippings. Against the rear wall was the couch Mrs. Daisy reclined on. I unfolded a small tray and slid it under her seat. I plopped next to her and turned on the TV on the opposite wall. “Lasagna again?” she asked, clearly disappointed. “Sorry, Mrs. Daisy, I can only give you approved meals.” I replied, smirking. Usually, she was fine just eating the lasagna. There were plenty of other meals I could have prepared; Lasagna was just the easiest. Of course, in the case that she didn’t want the lasagna, I didn’t have to worry much. “Oh well.” She said, rolling her eyes. She began to eat what was now a massive T-bone steak, garnished with mashed potatoes and plenty of green beans. “What happens to the lasagna when you do that?” I asked her, watching in awe as she scarfed down the steak as if she was eating competitively. She didn’t seem to notice my question, so I turned my attention back to the TV. See, what was interesting about Mrs. Daisy’s TV was that it showed whatever she wanted it to show. Or, at least, it showed what her mind wanted her to see. Most of what I watched was a first-person view of her heroic escapades from back in her prime. I watched a robber drop his gun to the floor after it turned into a garden snake. I watched as a fire in an apartment building went out as if a light switch was flipped. There were so many stories I got to see from her life, all through a television screen. I couldn’t tell if she was in control of the visions, or if this was her way of remembering, but she never would talk about it. In fact, she never really addressed her powers at all. If I ever asked her about it, she would just smile, or act as if she hadn’t heard me. As far as anyone could tell, she was no longer Madame Mind—just Mrs. Daisy. It didn’t bother me one bit. I loved watching her heroics, and there always was more to see every time I came to visit her. I’d watched her accomplish things that people would never dream of doing. I got an inside look at her life like no one else would ever get. The next day, I knocked on her door again. This time, it took longer than usual before I saw her in the doorway. The door opened, as usual, and I began my routine. I slid her dinner tray in front of her, but rather than acknowledging the food, she just stared blankly in the direction of the TV. I stood for a moment in silence, tapping my foot. She continued to stare. “Are you okay, Daisy?” I asked her, nudging her shoulder. No response. “Mrs. Daisy? Do I need to call Dr. Morrow?” No response. I slid the tray back out from under her and attempted to gauge her cognition. I whipped out my cell phone and started to move the flashlight in a circular pattern in front of her. Her eyes responded to the stimuli, but she seemed almost as though she was staring right through me. I began to pull up the contact information for her doctor, but before I could make the call, I suddenly began to hear sounds coming from the TV. I turned around to see the source, and I could immediately tell that it was more of her memories. This time was different, however. The scene wasn’t a burning building, a freefalling bus, or an active bank robbery. Instead, she was sitting at a table opposite a man I didn’t recognize. Another man approached their table and took their food order. Soon after, her hand intertwined with the man’s, and he smiled. This man must have been her husband. I knew she was widowed, but she never really spoke about much at all, so I had never had an opportunity to ask about him. The scene changed. She was now standing in front of him, some kind of filter over her face. Her husband lifted the filter before leaning in for a kiss. Her wedding? The scene changed again. She was sitting in a boat with him, holding a fishing rod. The scene changed again. She was laying in a bed next to him. The scene changed again. And again. It was changing faster and faster, and with every changing scene, her husband visibly aged. The scene changed a final time. She was staring at something. A wall, maybe? I couldn’t tell. She got a little closer and I could see it clearly. It was his gravestone. I looked back at Daisy for the first time since the television turned on. She was still staring straight ahead, but tears were rolling down her face. “Mrs. Daisy, are you okay?” Her eyes finally moved, her gaze moving straight down to the floor. “My husband was the only person on this green earth that I never changed anything for.” She said. This was the longest sentence I’d ever heard her utter. “Everything about James was perfect. Even when we fought, it was always perfect. I would never change a moment.” She looked back up at the TV and continued. The scene changed again. She was dancing with him in a dark room. “He left me alone in this world. I told him he could stay, that I could make him healthy again—that we could be young all over again.” She said, beginning to sob. The scene changed. She was standing over him, he was in a hospital bed. His eyes were sunken and he looked very frail. This must have been his final moments. “He told me he wanted it to be real, through the very last moment.” Her sobbing stopped suddenly. I turned back in her direction, her gaze meeting mine. “The lasagna was wonderful, thank you, I wasn’t sure what to say, so I just nodded. “But I think I’m going to have some of James’s famous pot pie tonight.” She said, smiling for the first time since I’d met her. Before I could parse what she meant by that statement, there was a flash of light. I found myself standing in an empty lot, where her house once stood. I’m not sure how, but I knew in that moment that Mrs. Daisy had left this world.	Hey. Hey lady. What. What?? I'mma look after ya, ha-ha. Look. I know, I know, but look. You can't be just .. imagining shit. Right? Hey. WOA, YOU STOP THAT RIGHT NOW! Hahahaha, that was good, that was good, okay, okay. Okay. Ayyyyyyy. &#x200B; Baby, look, I know we're not s'posed to. Hey. You eat some, I eat some, kapeesh, yeaaaaaaaaa I know you like it ha-ha. It's fun? Hey what, I told you, right, I said, hey it's gon be fun and well what do you know, you know? You imagine shit, I'm going see that shit, and we might as well have fun. You agree? 'Course you do, ha-ha. &#x200B; Imagine me a proper pina colada. Come onnnnnnn, girl, I'm looking after you, hey. Pina Colada. Chop-chop! THANK YOU. Ugh, tastes so good. Mmph, like your sexy retired body, what? Oh you couldn't hear me? I said, you are a precious lady, Sarah Jane, yes you are, yes you are, MMPH! &#x200B; Hey, what do you think. Just you and me, baby. Hey. Look at me. Don't do that lazy eye shit, lookatme. AYYY. Ha-ha, there you are, my woman. &#x200B; You sure make me laugh like that. You are the most precious thing .. I swear so help me God, OH MY GOD, it's God! Ha-ha, you imagine'd that? Well, well, well. &#x200B; It's okay. I know you don't understand. You don't understand a lot of things. I talked with God just now. Yes. Yeeeaaasss. Yes, He said you were an angel, a bonafide angel! Now, now, Sarah Jane. Now, now. &#x200B; It's time for bed.
[WP] You are responsible for looking after a retired superheroine. Anything she imagines becomes real for a short period of time. She's starting to get a bit senile.	I knocked on her door, as was my daily ritual. A few moments passed, and her outline appeared in the foggy glass. The door cracked open, her gaze meeting mine through a tiny crack. “How can I help you?” she asked. “It’s me, Jerry. I’m here to take care of you.” She hesitated for a moment before I could see the recognition in her eyes. The door opened fully, and she invited me in. I went about my usual routine. Kettle on the burner, prepared meal in the oven. When her meal was finished, I moved the lasagna onto a ceramic tray, careful not to burn myself. Mrs. Daisy wasn’t very talkative, but it didn’t bother me. Her living room was small, but completely covered in framed awards and newspaper clippings. Against the rear wall was the couch Mrs. Daisy reclined on. I unfolded a small tray and slid it under her seat. I plopped next to her and turned on the TV on the opposite wall. “Lasagna again?” she asked, clearly disappointed. “Sorry, Mrs. Daisy, I can only give you approved meals.” I replied, smirking. Usually, she was fine just eating the lasagna. There were plenty of other meals I could have prepared; Lasagna was just the easiest. Of course, in the case that she didn’t want the lasagna, I didn’t have to worry much. “Oh well.” She said, rolling her eyes. She began to eat what was now a massive T-bone steak, garnished with mashed potatoes and plenty of green beans. “What happens to the lasagna when you do that?” I asked her, watching in awe as she scarfed down the steak as if she was eating competitively. She didn’t seem to notice my question, so I turned my attention back to the TV. See, what was interesting about Mrs. Daisy’s TV was that it showed whatever she wanted it to show. Or, at least, it showed what her mind wanted her to see. Most of what I watched was a first-person view of her heroic escapades from back in her prime. I watched a robber drop his gun to the floor after it turned into a garden snake. I watched as a fire in an apartment building went out as if a light switch was flipped. There were so many stories I got to see from her life, all through a television screen. I couldn’t tell if she was in control of the visions, or if this was her way of remembering, but she never would talk about it. In fact, she never really addressed her powers at all. If I ever asked her about it, she would just smile, or act as if she hadn’t heard me. As far as anyone could tell, she was no longer Madame Mind—just Mrs. Daisy. It didn’t bother me one bit. I loved watching her heroics, and there always was more to see every time I came to visit her. I’d watched her accomplish things that people would never dream of doing. I got an inside look at her life like no one else would ever get. The next day, I knocked on her door again. This time, it took longer than usual before I saw her in the doorway. The door opened, as usual, and I began my routine. I slid her dinner tray in front of her, but rather than acknowledging the food, she just stared blankly in the direction of the TV. I stood for a moment in silence, tapping my foot. She continued to stare. “Are you okay, Daisy?” I asked her, nudging her shoulder. No response. “Mrs. Daisy? Do I need to call Dr. Morrow?” No response. I slid the tray back out from under her and attempted to gauge her cognition. I whipped out my cell phone and started to move the flashlight in a circular pattern in front of her. Her eyes responded to the stimuli, but she seemed almost as though she was staring right through me. I began to pull up the contact information for her doctor, but before I could make the call, I suddenly began to hear sounds coming from the TV. I turned around to see the source, and I could immediately tell that it was more of her memories. This time was different, however. The scene wasn’t a burning building, a freefalling bus, or an active bank robbery. Instead, she was sitting at a table opposite a man I didn’t recognize. Another man approached their table and took their food order. Soon after, her hand intertwined with the man’s, and he smiled. This man must have been her husband. I knew she was widowed, but she never really spoke about much at all, so I had never had an opportunity to ask about him. The scene changed. She was now standing in front of him, some kind of filter over her face. Her husband lifted the filter before leaning in for a kiss. Her wedding? The scene changed again. She was sitting in a boat with him, holding a fishing rod. The scene changed again. She was laying in a bed next to him. The scene changed again. And again. It was changing faster and faster, and with every changing scene, her husband visibly aged. The scene changed a final time. She was staring at something. A wall, maybe? I couldn’t tell. She got a little closer and I could see it clearly. It was his gravestone. I looked back at Daisy for the first time since the television turned on. She was still staring straight ahead, but tears were rolling down her face. “Mrs. Daisy, are you okay?” Her eyes finally moved, her gaze moving straight down to the floor. “My husband was the only person on this green earth that I never changed anything for.” She said. This was the longest sentence I’d ever heard her utter. “Everything about James was perfect. Even when we fought, it was always perfect. I would never change a moment.” She looked back up at the TV and continued. The scene changed again. She was dancing with him in a dark room. “He left me alone in this world. I told him he could stay, that I could make him healthy again—that we could be young all over again.” She said, beginning to sob. The scene changed. She was standing over him, he was in a hospital bed. His eyes were sunken and he looked very frail. This must have been his final moments. “He told me he wanted it to be real, through the very last moment.” Her sobbing stopped suddenly. I turned back in her direction, her gaze meeting mine. “The lasagna was wonderful, thank you, I wasn’t sure what to say, so I just nodded. “But I think I’m going to have some of James’s famous pot pie tonight.” She said, smiling for the first time since I’d met her. Before I could parse what she meant by that statement, there was a flash of light. I found myself standing in an empty lot, where her house once stood. I’m not sure how, but I knew in that moment that Mrs. Daisy had left this world.	Imademation, used to be a top tier super hero, but that has changed in recent years. I am her caretaker and her son. Now my mother has a fantastic super power, what ever she imagines is happening actually happens. She's a bit crazy now though and it isn't an easy life. It's hard being a women, and a toaster. That is story for another day. Recently she keeps imagining her past villain fights, which means I have to fight them. Now here's the weird thing about me, I have no super power, it skips a generation. Ever try to fight a man that can kill you by using fire shooting out of his hands with a frying pan? I swear my life is a comic book and I am just waiting for my final issue.
[WP] The doctor asks how you feel. "Well, doc, I'm hungry... thirsty... and I seem to be having trouble with my chest..." The doctor just nods solemnly, "That's called breathing. There's been an accident... I'm afraid that you're alive." And with that, the zombie shuffles out of the room...	“What’s left for me to do?” The utter terror of what if been told surged through me- both feeling overwhelming anxiety at absolutely nothing in my mind- as if my brain was built with a conduit that failed to connect. When he said those words to me, the doctor, I slowly became aware of the lead-like heaviness that formed from under my fingernails and up into my triceps. They were, in fact, dead limbs after all. Attached to a body that no longer belonged to me. I thought it was the flu, honest to God. My students were constantly running around with bugs of all kind: gastroenteritis, ringworm, you name it. But this wasn’t happening. A lucid dream. A work of fiction. It’s not possible, right? Where my heartbeat once throbbed impatiently in my chest stood a resounding silence. It was like I could feel my own organs droop and swell inside of me- like a piece of meat left out too long. I had thrust myself out of the private examination room with all the strength my corpse of a body could manage, yet I was already being pursued. White coats flew behind me, syringes full of clear fluid like their version of a sword- ready to jump into battle. God, I was so thirsty. I stumbled along as fast as I could, but my mind was decaying with every passing second, and my feet grew numb. Their frantic voices telling me to stop were nothing but white noise to me now. I was fading away. I thought it was the FUCKING flu. And I was so thirsty. I needed it. Now. The coats were right behind me now, flying like doves under fluorescent lights. I could still smell the familiar scent of hand sanitizer, and bleach. Would that truly be the last bit of sensory intake I got before my mind went? I was hungry. The white noise- static was behind me, and I turned to face the loss of everything. Reality, my consciousness, everything I thought I knew about the world. With that one turn of my head, having to flop it’s bulky weight over my shoulder as I rotated, I thought of my wife, my kids, my students, and how I wanted more than anything to tell them to move on. As they approached me, surgical masks covering their panicked faces, I felt my entire identity fall into third person. I slipped into the cold bed of death. Shots punctured my body like quills, and a noise came out of my mouth that I wasn’t aware I could make. Full of phlegm and animalistic defiance. The last thing I saw was my hand break through the chest of one of the four doctors, one that I’d smiled at previously as I passed through the hallway. But I wasn’t there anymore. I was somewhere else. Somehow, I felt nothing as I watched my raspberry-red hand untether the stringy bits of heart out from the inside of her rib cage, which was mangled and cracked like twigs. Horrid juice dripped down my sagging face as I took my first bite. That was enough to scare the others away. Patients had already run screaming by now, and whatever it was in the glass syringes seemed to have no noticeable effect. Even though my mind- my real, sane, human consciousness was so dissociated from my undead body, I could feel the satisfaction of swallowing mouthfuls of blood. The rich red coated my esophagus and my thirst was quenched. That’s all I remember, and then- nothing. I was surprised when I felt a stinging pain. Where was the pain coming from? Where is my body? What IS a body. Another sting came, and it reminded me of a bee sting I’d suffered when I was just a kid. My mind was so full of heavy clouds and despair, but the pain was the only thing I could remember. But that was nothing compared to what I felt next- the most agonizing, torturous feeling of thirst filling to the brim within me. Another sting, and then heat. My eyes, heavier than my zombie limbs, somehow opened. Heavens light shone upon me. I didn’t expect it to be so dry and hot up here, but I guess being dead now, I didn’t have any choice. “Dammit Jared, I thought you were gone.” Scrambling to sit up, I found myself back in my old body. I immediately was able to identify the pain as a hot burn against my face, I rubbed it with my fingers, which now felt surreal, and felt the heat glow off of my face the same way a blacktop feels on a summer afternoon. My eyes focused like the lens of a camera to see...a camera. Laying in a heap of sand. Not only that, but encrusted with sand- all the nooks and crannies of the plastic filled with tiny grains of yellow. “God damn, thank God for that. I didn’t want to die out here alone.” My head hurt. “What do you mean...?” I replied thoughtlessly, my sore neck twisting at the sound of the raspy voice. A scruffy man plopped down on the sand, and only then realized that I say in a small dip between two massive dunes. The sun reflected off the white and burned my hands that rested on the coarse powder, and placed them in my lap immediately. Studying the man more, he had a white moustache like a scrub brush, not groomed in the slightest. He wore a drabby Hawaiian shirt with hibiscus patterns, and it seemed he’d buttoned it down all of the way, revealing his chest which was splotched with liver spots. Fraying khakis barely fit around his waist, and crummy flip flops were affixed to his feet. I then remembered everything. The man reached in a canvas bag behind him and opened up a carton of cowboy killers. He shook his head. “Ah, geez. Only one more left. Ya want it?” He pointed the opening of the cartridge to me to reveal a single Marlboro cigarette, bent in the middle. I shook my head furiously, now trembling, knowing full well my it’d make my mouth even more dry than it was. “How long was I gone?” I muttered, my parched tongue making a sticky sound as I spoke. “Eh, about twenty minutes.” With his infamous steel lighter that he brought with him to Vietnam, he clicked the wheel, and used the palm of his hand to protect the small flame from the desert wind. “I can’t believe fuckin’ mirages are real, but here you were, mumbling about your wife and kids- convulsin’ in the sand like a epileptic or sumn’” I grabbed at my throat as he spoke, wishing to claw through my skin and relieve the awful sensation of thirst. In that moment I thought that nothing could be worse than this. The old man ashes his cigarette on the ground, a black pile contrasting against the color. I spoke next, my vocal chords cracking. “Well what did you expect? Our whole squadron got bombed to nothing- and now we’re out here in God-knows-where fuckin’ Saudi Arabian desert. We’re just-.” I groaned and laid back on the dry earth. “And that’s how the cookie crumbles...” The damn snarky old man chuckled. I couldn’t fathom how he could remain in good spirits despite our situation. I would rather have died with the rest of my company. Anything was better than this. I looked up at the foreign sky. That’s when I finally felt something in my hand. I slowly turned my head to my side with the little energy I had to see a book barely held in my grasp. My favorite book. “Day by Day Armageddon” The pages flickered beautifully in the wind as if the air wanted to read the story for itself. The old man took an audible drag through his teeth, with that same, slightly charming laugh. “You really wanna go out reading, boy?” I didn’t answer. I was too tired, too faded. “How should I go out?” I finally forced out I’m an empty voice. This was the end. Old man stood up and started pacing, sucking on the cigarette like there was no tomorrow. “Hell, with anger and hate! Those motherfuckers did that too us!” A sigh left my cracked lips. “No, I don’t wanna end up haunting this wasteland. There’s nothing for us here.” I felt myself slipping, slipping. I knew how this felt. My throat numbed and my fingertips felt heavy again. Somehow my eyes began to roll back. “Hey, DONT you dare do it. Ya hear me? They’re out looking for us!” A smile formed on my lips. I remembered for a moment reading to my son, to my class. The foolish love stories I successfully wooed my wife with. The hours in college I spent in the library reading in my free hours. If I was going to die here, I hoped it would at least be for someone to experience that small pleasure. Darkness ate me slowly, and I once again felt my body and my mind become separate entities. “If you make it out of here, read my kids all the books in the world, old man.” At least I felt all my muscles form a smirk as I left my body.	I felt my heart skip a beat as the door swung shut while the doctor left the room and I heard the moans of other patients. I almost called out again to the doctor to notify of this new development before remembering my zombnatomy classes. Right...humans hearts beat..pumping blood. Looking around the room I noticed the tell tale signs of a inner city ward for zombies with the usual signs of disrepair that are meant to make injured zombies feel more at home while zomdoctors mended them back up sewing back on torn limbs etc. I wasn't sure how I got here, but I did remember where I was before. I was shambling through a dark alley after what I'm sure was a half rotting raccoon. My stomach retched at the though of the spoiled carcass. I steadied myself regaining my composure and took another deep breath trying to get used to the sensation. I felt weak and fragile. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks, humans are meat. I needed to run....
[WP] Pokémon aren’t real. Everyone knows this. But you wake up one morning with a Poké Ball on your desk, marked with a note: “You’re the first one.” You’ve been entrusted with the world’s very first Pokémon.	“Alexa, shut up,” I yell for the second time before my electronic assistant finally ends its alarm. I bury my head a in pillow. It was a holiday, I had forgotten to turn off the usual alarm schedule. Great. My head still pressed into the pillow, I search around the nightstand for my glasses. Something falls to the floor and I jolt up in a heartbeat. Shit. I prefer my glasses without cracks. But everything that had been on the nightstand last night still was, including my precious eyewear. It takes a dive beneath the bed to find the fallen object, which looks remarkably familiar. I don't own any Pokeballs and neither does my dog. Who doesn't think this early morning spectacle is worth interrupting is sleep. I retrieve the ball and the note somehow still attached to it. You’ve been entrusted with the world’s very first Pokémon, it says. I scoff. Pokémon aren't real, no matter how hard Niantic works on making us believe the opposite. Maybe Harry will be interested in the toy once he’s hungry enough to actually wake up. Already on my way to the bathroom, I drop the ball into his bed. Halfway through the air, it splits, erupts into light and a red creature tumbles out of it. Charmander, my brain offers helpfully as its sole response to the baby dragon lying next to the confused dog, who gives me an accusing look at this early disturbance. “Charmander”, the dragon whines, sorting its feet in an attempt to stand up. “Breakfast is after the morning walk.” My answer comes automatically. Harry sniffs the Charmander’s faintly burning tail before I can stop him. When his nose doesn't melt off his face, I relax ever so slightly, the fire isn't hot. There's an actual Pokémon in my apartment, I realize, kneeling down to offer the little dragon my hand as a way of greeting. “But I guess I could make an exception of the breakfast rule for you,” I inform the Pokémon, picking him up. He does seem starved and I use the few steps to the kitchen to explain that Harry’s food is the only meat I have. At the sound of his bowl, my dog comes running. “I guess we have a new roommate,” I say as Charmander devours his breakfast, his little flame already burning brighter. I may have just met him, but there is no way in hell I will abandon this baby dragon. Looks like I will be following in Ash’s footsteps, hoping to become the world’s greatest Pokémon Trainer. Being the first, I'm certainly getting a head start.	I woke up, and an odd feeling made me immiediately look on my desk, on which oddly enagh there was a... Pokeball? "ok now is this some dumb joke?" Me, intrigued nonetheless by the ball, got up adn walked up to the desk. "You're the first one" Oh? So if this is not some joke I have the world's first Pokemon? "Well then" I said looking at the ball, that turned out to be an UltraBall... I grabbed it and pressed the button in the middle of it, the bright light emiting from it blinded me for a second and in front of me appeared... A Lycanroc and not just any Lycanroc, the Dusk from Lycanroc! "Ah yeah, I got a good boy" The Lycanroc looked at me "Woof!" I petted him and tought of the name I will give it "Hmm... How about... Uh... Peanut?" Peanut nodded in approval, and suddenly my room's door opened and mom was standing there "Hi honey, seems like you already saw your birthday present?" I stood there shocked "A present? But... How did you even get a Pokeball with a Pokemon inside?" I asked "Well you see, as you know dad recently came back from an archeologist expedition... And he found a Pokeball there, so kneoing that he will come back one day before your birthday... Brought it with himself" I looked at Peanut "Oh, I see" "Woof!" How can I not love Peanut? ********* Hey so uh This is my first storyFrom what the word counter says this story has... Over 200 words! Umm, hope you like it I would appreciate any constructive criticism. Bye Maybe see you next time UltraFire(Ice) - The Master of Boxes and Bagels
[WP] Pokémon aren’t real. Everyone knows this. But you wake up one morning with a Poké Ball on your desk, marked with a note: “You’re the first one.” You’ve been entrusted with the world’s very first Pokémon.	“You have got to be kidding me.” I stared at the giant hole on my ceiling, then down to the rubble in front of me, where an equally large dinosaur-rhino hybrid creature was staring back at me. You’re the first one, they said. It would be an adventure, they said. Granted, I didn’t take it seriously enough, but I thought that whoever made this was just another “normal” fan, the kind that only knew Pikachu and Charizard. But nope, the fucker actually did his research. Tired and angry, I said to myself: “God fucking damn it... what am I supposed to do with a Rhydon?” Looking at the creature, I was going to recall it back to its ball, but before I could, it wagged its tail, causing another round of breaking the walls, and stuck out its tongue like a regular dog. Intrigued by the activity, I sighed: “Well, I can’t get mad at you... Actually, let’s give you a name. I can’t do “you” forever, and who knows if there would be others out there in the future.” I took a good look at my new companion, and finally came to a conclusion: “Let’s see... you just wreck my house, like there was an earthquake or something, plus your horn looks kinda big, indicating a male, so... Richter. How does that sound?” He liked the name, as shown in his excessive wagging once again that destroyed the rest of my room. Having no other words to say, I called him back into his ball and sighed, taking another look at the utter mess that was once my place to sleep: “Alright, back, Richter. Now what am I going to do with this...” _____ Since he came with a ball, getting Richter out of the house was easy. The problem was how to train him without causing too much of a ruckus. Luckily there was a forest nearby, so I just took him there. As I arrived at my destination, I took out Richter’s ball. Excitement filled every fiber in my body, as I finally got to enjoy the sensation of being a full-fledged Pokemon Trainer. I threw out the ball and shouted loud: “Come, Richter!” As flash of light bursted into the air and out came my Rhydon, looking happy as ever. I looked at him with please and said: “Alright, boy. Time for training. Let’s see now... maybe something simple first. Rock Throw!” Contrary to my expectations, he stood there with his head tilted, visibly confused by my order. “So you don’t know Rock Throw...” I said to myself. “What moves does Rhydon get at this level anyway? Wait, I don’t know your level as well... Man, having a Pokedex sure would be helpful right now...” The rest of the day went by with Richter unable to perform most of my orders, from Rock Blast to Rock Polish, even some weird ones that I threw in just for the sake of it like Fire Punch. Out of ideas, I finally decided to play the last card: “Well, I didn’t want to do this... actually no, I don’t need to.” Suddenly realizing another chance, I ordered: “Richter, Tail Whip.” As expected, Richter wagged his tail in excitement again, thankfully not destroying anything apart from knocking down several trees this time. Pleased, but half worried with the result, I said: “Okay, so that’s one move down. But still, Tail Whip isn’t even a damaging move. Imagine what would happen if he knew Earthquake...” Richter, unfortunately, mistook that as an order and started to stomp the ground as hard as he could. The earth shattered into pieces, sending multiple shards as well as me flying away. Panicked, I quickly ordered: “Stop! Stop, Richter!” Thankfully he listened to my call in time and stopped his move, but not before letting me land on my butt a few dozen meters away from my original spot. Dusting off my clothes, I got up and complained: “You gotta learn how to listen to orders properly, Richter, or else things are not going to end up well...” I was frozen before I could finish my sentence. All of the act was caught by another boy strolling in the forest, looking straight at me. As I was struggling to explain the situation, the boy shouted in joy: “Oh my gosh, you’re another one! Come on, come on, let’s battle!” “First trainer my ass...” I mumbled, calling back Richter to get ready for my first step as a proper Trainer.	I woke up, and an odd feeling made me immiediately look on my desk, on which oddly enagh there was a... Pokeball? "ok now is this some dumb joke?" Me, intrigued nonetheless by the ball, got up adn walked up to the desk. "You're the first one" Oh? So if this is not some joke I have the world's first Pokemon? "Well then" I said looking at the ball, that turned out to be an UltraBall... I grabbed it and pressed the button in the middle of it, the bright light emiting from it blinded me for a second and in front of me appeared... A Lycanroc and not just any Lycanroc, the Dusk from Lycanroc! "Ah yeah, I got a good boy" The Lycanroc looked at me "Woof!" I petted him and tought of the name I will give it "Hmm... How about... Uh... Peanut?" Peanut nodded in approval, and suddenly my room's door opened and mom was standing there "Hi honey, seems like you already saw your birthday present?" I stood there shocked "A present? But... How did you even get a Pokeball with a Pokemon inside?" I asked "Well you see, as you know dad recently came back from an archeologist expedition... And he found a Pokeball there, so kneoing that he will come back one day before your birthday... Brought it with himself" I looked at Peanut "Oh, I see" "Woof!" How can I not love Peanut? ********* Hey so uh This is my first storyFrom what the word counter says this story has... Over 200 words! Umm, hope you like it I would appreciate any constructive criticism. Bye Maybe see you next time UltraFire(Ice) - The Master of Boxes and Bagels
[WP] You are a demon that escaped Hell and is living on Earth. You meet a person, and after a few conversations, you fall in love. However, the first time you and this person touch, you start to burn. That's when you realize, the person you want is someone you can't have. An angel.	What madnesses play amongst the thoughts of man. What angels and demons dance upon their shoulders. What thoughts delve deep into the hearts of all living on this Earth, small and delicate in the endless void of existence. Yet what joy can be found within the turmoil and chaos, among the order and banality. What joy indeed, and yet how fleeting, how ephemeral. How quickly despair settles in and haunts the soul. What God could be so capricious? The streets of London are awash with mankind, flooding through the concrete and steel monuments to their own audacity. Alone among them I sit on the stoop of an East end flat, and next to me is him. A fellow soul, on the long journey of immortality. The desire wells inside me to reach out, place a knowing hand upon his shoulders and assure him that things will be alright once through the night and into the new morning sun, but the chasmic void that settles between us dares not be breached with such a noble gesture; that nobility of love has been deemed forbidden, and as such to be punished with pain. From his depths rumbled a stilted laugh, "Its rather funny you know." his gaze pulled up from his own hand, seared, and turned to me, "I always begrudged humans a bit, always on about how life just isn't fair, as if that was it's purpose, to be fair." Returning to it, he flexed his fingers in towards his palm and ran his thumb across them, the flesh quick at work returning to its natural, pure state. "Yet here." he opened his renewed hand and examined it "and now." his eyes caught mine again, with sadness and strange mirth, "It's all I can think of to say. It's just not quite fair, you know." I nodded my assent, "No, not fair at all." With a careful move he laid down upon the stoop, arms outstretched, one landing behind me, and stared up at the light blue of the sky. No clouds had dared to infringe on this summer day. His brow furrowed and from his mind he spilled forth his thoughts, "Which is really quite a shame you know, I bet that we could learn much from each other. Brothers and daughters who have left the homes of their youth and journeyed long through other worlds, back now with stories and fables to tell, experiences to share, love to give. I turned at that word, afraid to show the sadness running out and down across my cheeks. "Would that it was so simple. Like it is for them." My sight roved among the humans dithering back and forth, oblivious to our moment. "Why did you leave?" His question floated for a moment through my mind. A sigh forced itself out, but the answer came all to easy, "You can only hold onto hate for so long. How many eras have passed by since the rebellion? How long can we continue to muster that hate?" and then my eyes pulled to his "Fair or not, what's done is done, you either dwell with that inside your soul, or you leave it behind and move on with the hope of something more. I chose to move on." A silence settled in over the bustle of men and women through their daily routines and for a time there was just the two of us, alone, together. "Are you going to ask me?" His voice wafted softly through the silence. I looked up to the cloudless sky, "No, I don't think I will." A chuckle crawled up through his chest and escaped into the world. "What a pair we would have made." "Yeah." I agreed, "would have made."	\[first time submitting to one of these lol please be gentle lol\]: I thought i escaped it. the fire, the hatred, the blood. the sweet satisfaction- wait, no...not any more. im not that thing up here.. not to these souls. To them I'm just another human...it was working for a time. I acquired a job that didn't make me want to go back to my ways...i still indulged in my vices when i couldn't take it anymore. and if i had to kill it was the guilty. Years went by without incident, no run ins with higher powers nothing to garner attention. until i met *her. We saw each other across a bar and she smiled at me, even moved her long raven-black hair behind her ear. i even got her a refill of her drink. we closed out the bar and before she left with her friends she gave me her name and number; Jules,* with intent to go out the next night. The next day before we went to the movies I picked her up, and she invited me in...not before we hugged and *Blazing, Searing, Pain* across my body. "W-wait....this cant-" Jules looked at me her usually jovial, calm, green ,eyes flashed brilliant gold and it was that instant i knew what happened...and what she was. she recoiled her hold on me, her hands glowing gold; mine smoldering with roiling black smoke. We looked to our hands and back at each other. I backed away holding the burning hand at the wrist. "Please...just let me-" I was making the move to turn around to run to my car when she gripped my shoulder and threw me inside her apartment, slamming the door. i was thrown to the ground when out of nowhere a divine weapon apparated in her grasp. It looked like a trident, but more ornate "I've been waiting for this day...for a disgusting creature like you to come along and try to kill me...i didn't think it would be like this though....cruel, deceitful, creatures that you are." my eyes must have shifted black on instinct and her face scrunched into a quizzical glare. " NO " it took all of me to fight back the darkness, the hatred and anger. "No...I'm not what you say...not anymore" i got back up slowly. I patted out the licking flames on me and they subsided. " I escaped Hell 3 years ago...i couldn't take it...i remembered who...what i used to be and i fought tooth and nail to flee...and i thought....i thought god finally saw my repentant ways... i only kill those who deserve it...the corrupt...the murderers....rapists...scum of this society...i thought my repentance had been served and my reward was to start again with-" It was quick really...the Trident i mean. i didn't realize just how fast it cut through the air and pinned me to the wall behind me by my spine. she walked up to me human visage gone now several feet taller than I. Roman esq centurion armor, flaming gold and eyes of jade ember. Her wings unfurled, black feathers with shocks of white at the tips. She put a hand on my shoulder, one on the hilt of the trident. The last thing i heard was the pure musical bliss of her voice denouncing me...and my life long effort. "tsk...you poor poor wretch...you thought god saw pity upon you...it is obvious he sent you to me as your final judge...and a pity that...you were my type" with a lightning flash she twisted the Trident followed by the sound of a lightning strike. My sorry existence ended in pain...but it was at the hands of a glorious creature...maybe this time i'll know rest.
[WP] Your parents, the most powerful superheroes in the world, were killed in a fight between them and their respective archenemeses. Now, it is up to you to take up the family mantle and avenge their deaths. However, you lack something they had: Mercy.	My adversary smirked as he slowly got up, blood cascading from his split lip. "You got some nerve. I'll give you that." Now fully erect he let out a dry laugh. "Coming in to MY lair. Thinking I won't do to you what I did to EVERY other caped imbecile who stood in my way!" He made a fist with one hand and purple energy radiated from his arm. "I don't know what your powers are...I'd guess enhanced speed and..."he took a moment to feel his bruised cheek, "slightly enhanced strength? But frankly I don't care." He quickly used his free hand to pull out a laser gun and fired a direct hit...or so he thought. In the split second between when he aimed and fired I stepped out of the killzone and threw a knife right at his trigger hand. Blood, a few fingers and his firearm fell to the ground. The Human Parasite screamed in horror. "But...how?!" He clenched his remaining fist even harder as the purple aura covered half his body this time. "You should be powerless!" He shrieks as he feebily tries to pick up his weapon. "Weak! Fear me and kneel before the Human-" I kicked him in the nuts and crushed his remaining hand with my boot. He let out another shriek that devolved to a wimper. "I'm going to let you in on a secret," I calmly explained while unsheathing another knife from my belt. "I have no powers. You can light that fist up all you want...ain't gonna be of much help." He began to incoherently plead with me. "Wanna know another secret? You didn't kill the last hero. What you did kill...was this county's conscience. A whole generation of vigilantes are rising up but we...don't play by the rules. The cliche 'no kill rule,' the cycle of imprisonment and 'rehabilitation' and more crime...it died with Madame Justice and Commander Liberty." His screams become more muffled after I ripped his tongue out. "I just thought you might want to know your legacy 'Human Parasite.'" I kneeled beside the whimpering bloody mess, took my knife and got to work.	"Ah, to think one day we would all be sitting here together like this," She stretched out one of her yet unbroken fingers and snapped it like a twig, forcing out another wail out of one of her two captives as his leg cracked in response. "If only dad could see us now," She added with a grin, "Enough, you have us beat," The other gentleman pleaded, his raven black hair slick with pain-induced sweat as he struggled and failed to move his arms, "If you wish us dead then so be it, but this torture is a waste of time." "You know what pretty boy? You're absolutely right, every second you, me and screech over there spend together is a total waste," She moved closer and with her free hand flicked her broken index finger which sent the other man into another wailing fit. "After all, you two were over here having an intimate little team-up, and here I come crashing the party on my very lonesome. Didn't even bring a partner and make it a double date. And besides..." She paused right in front of him and he eventually figured out that she wanted him to convey his name. "You know full well what my name is." he spat back, "Only the boring one," She countered, playfully poking his nose with her broken finger to the tone of another shriek, "But that's not a very intimate name, wouldn't you say?" "Caleb," He finally answered through gritted teeth after she made an uncomfortable fist and sent his arms into another fit of agony, "And besides, Caleb," She continued, savoring his name, "Just because the two of you went on this little date doesn't make you married. I mean, really, what do you care about this guy?" She said, laughing as she lightly kicked the broken mess of a man next to him, "He may as well be a stranger," "If you're saying what I think you're saying, Witch, then you're better off killing us now and saving yourself the trouble," The mauled man spat out through a shower of blood, "Come, brother, let us go out together like men," "Brother is a strong word," She said, tilting her head in a smile as she turned back to Caleb, "But then again I suppose I'm no longer the authority on family matters anymore." She slowly placed her thumb in the grip of his limp hand and closed the digits which sent another jolt of pain up his arm. "But what is forgiveness," She continued with a smile undeterred by the tears streaming down her face, "If not a second chance to do things right," The other man was screaming at this point, but out of desperation instead of pain, pleading with his partner to help him. "Don't listen to him," She said calmly as she closed her eyes and gently pushed her forehead against his, while her free hand comforted the grip he had around her other thumb. The screams never stopped. "Nothing is out of reach anymore, you have the world in your hands." Her breathing was slow and regular, and he felt himself match it with every breath. It sounded more like whimpering now "Caleb," She said with a smile as his tears welled down the sides of his face, "It's just you and me" His broken arm ached as he twisted as hard as he could. The silence was deafening after a full minute of uninterrupted pleading and whimpering. The man's neck had been twisted horribly out of place, his whole twisted visage mirrored in one hand of broken appendixes. Just as he felt himself about to be consumed with the guilt she saved him again, raising him up and offering both a shoulder and a hand. He owed her everything. A true hero is what she was, a paragon of justice that would never kill anyone no matter how heinous their deeds. But he would do that and more for her if that's what it took to repay his debt. Nothing was out of reach anymore. The world was in her hands.
[WP] You were drinking with friends one day when you decided to have some fun and got a restraining order on Death. The court played along and got you the restraining order. The next day, you survived an injury that should've killed you.	It started as a joke. The lawyer David contacted saw it as an interesting case that could be used for a university lecture if nothing else, so she played along. The judge presiding over it thought it was funny, so he played along and made it all technically legal. Truth be told, it only took David three days to go from a joking thought to a full, legal restraining order on Death. It wasn't anything overtly special, merely the basic "must stay at a distance of five hundred feet or more at all times" type, but it was the first precedent of legal action being taken against a concept, natural process, or mythological being. Walking out of the courthouse, he grinned and laughed at what he had just achieved. Then...nothing much. Until the next day. A mere eighteen hours after the order was made official, David was walking across the road when a car sped out of nowhere. Before he had time to jump out of the way, he was thrown several dozen meters and rolled to a sickening, crunching stop on the asphalt with, what felt like, several bones puncturing his lungs and heart. He felt the mortal coil unravel around him. His heart stopped. His agonizing breath halted. And then a moment later, his breathing was fine. He felt his heart beat normally. The pain was gone. He looked down at what should be his mangled, horrific injuries, but all he saw was smooth skin under blood stained cloth. Standing up, he looked around assuming he must be dead until people rushed over and started questioning him. "Are you alright?" "How...? You're not even scratched!" "That's a lot of blood... You should go to the hospital!" David pulled his collar out and looked down at his chest which was just as hairy and smooth as normal, if a little redder. "I'm...ok...?" Thinking on what had just occurred, he was dumbfounded. He had just survived a lethal accident. Then a light bulb went off in his head. His restraining order! What just happened was proof that it worked! A smile came to his lips that made the surrounding people step back. "Well this is going to be interesting..." Eight months later, he had experimented with his new state of being to the point of being exceedingly famous. Whenever ImmortalXxXDave posted a new video, it was always top of every trending list on twitter, youtube, facebook, instagram, everything. His youtube videos were continuously demonetized, but it didn't matter when Monster was a permanent sponsor. They came on only after he promised to put disclaimers and warnings all over his various media pointing out that he was biologically unique and literally the only one able to perform the stunts he did. One day he was approached by a Hollywood executive about being a stuntman on Fast and Furious fifteen. The negotiations were quick and before long, he was on a plane to Europe. A comfortable flight, the plane landed in eastern France away from the main terminal with several outgoing flights taking off overhead. He looked out the window at the busy European airport and smiled. He was already pretty famous, but this would skyrocket his career. With a grin plastered to his face, he exited the plane. As he descended the stairs, he could have sworn he heard a small metal clang from the engine of the private jet. Then, just as his foot touched the tarmac, the security guard in front of him spun around with glassy eyes and a vacant expression. "Foreign jurisdiction bitch..." The large man slurred. "Wha...?" Before David could react he heard an explosion from his left and turned his head just in time to see a blade from the jet's turbine flight towards his face.	"No! Please! Don't shoot! I'll give you my money, just leave me and my family be!" Me, my wife Claire, and my two kids, Gabby and Josh, sat in the corner of our living room, holding each other and cowering in fear. Josh, who was only 5 years old, was crying. Our assailant was an ugly, toothpick-shaped man who could've won the award for Sleazeball of the Year. His wife-beater, flannel, and cargo shorts were stained in a mysterious, orangish color that I'd have rather not have thought about, and his patchy beard and mustache complimented his thin, wicked grin. He smelled strongly of cigarettes and a bad time. A revolver was trained on our heads by the man. "Money? You think I'm here to steal from a plumber!?" The man then let out a laugh; or at least, I think it was a laugh. It sounded more like a wheeze, most likely because of smoking too much. "Hey, plumbers actually make quite a bit." I corrected him. "I make about as much as someone with 4 years of college wou-" "SHUT UP!" the man interrupted. "That's not the point. The real reason I'm here is..." He directed his drooping left eye to Claire. "...her." Claire audibly gasped and then gulped. So this is what I get for relaxing. I can't even go out to the bar without a lunatic trying to steal my wife. A well of anger began to build within me, and it was about to overflow. In a fit of rage, I jumped and reached for the fire poker by the fireplace. In hindsight, this was a dumb idea, and I really don't know why I did it. Obviously, Sleazeball was having none of that, so he opened fire on me. Six shots; four in the chest, one in the head, one in the arm. Claire let out a bloodcurdling screech from the corner. Now, both Gabby and Josh were crying. Just then, on the opposite side of the room, a black, 6-foot column of smoke materialized by the television. The smoke dissipated, revealing Death. Death was exactly the stereotype that I would have expected from him. He wore a long, black robe with a hood that covered his face, and he held an enormous scythe in his right hand. In his left, he clutched a scroll. Everyone in the room stared at him in bewilderment. Death unfurled the scroll, revealing a restraining order. It read the following: This restraining order hereby declares that the Plaintiff, Death, shall not come within 25 feet of the Defendant, Dexter Bowling until October 31, 2019. Refusal to adhere to this order will result in immediate consequence. At this moment, it came back to me. The events of last night were hazy, but I faintly remember creating a restraining order on Death while drinking with a few buddies. Did the judges actually go along with it? My memory was foggy, but I thought that they actually did. They most likely realized I was absolutely hammered and just made the restraining order for the hell of it. I got on my feet, fire poker in my hand. So that's what everybody was screaming and crying about. I got shot. Huh. I expected getting shot to be a lot more painful. Death looked at Toothpick-Man and pointed at the scroll with a long, skeletal finger. "Not today." he said. Death's voice was the only thing not stereotypical about him; it was matter-of-fact, almost cheery. He snapped and the column of smoke reappeared in front of him. Once it dissipated, Death was gone. Sleazeball looked at me with a look of pure terror and bewilderment. I gave him a half-smirk in return. He retreated, stumbling over a coffee table, fumbling when trying to reload his revolver one bullet at a time. What's he reloading his revolver for? He can't kill me. But then it came to me. He's not going to be aiming for me; he's gonna be aiming for my family. One bullet was all he needed to shatter me without actually killing me. After coming to this realization, I took the fire poker and struck him across the face with it before he had the chance to reload. He hit the carpet hard, unconscious; a gash had been made that stretched from his right eye to his left cheek. Maybe he was dead. I looked down at him and a huge grin spread across my face. This was going to be a fun 4 months. &#x200B; Hey guys! This is one of my first ever prompts! Any constructive criticism would be much appreciated! Thanks!
[WP] You were drinking with friends one day when you decided to have some fun and got a restraining order on Death. The court played along and got you the restraining order. The next day, you survived an injury that should've killed you.	I've memorized the textured ceiling. The imperfections where the ceiling and the walls meet, and the paint bled together. It's a horrid hospital green wall. I've spent a lot of time in this room. I've spent a lot of time thinking about my restraining order. I don't do much else. There are nurses and orderlies to bath and clean up after me, tubes to feed and hydrate my body. Nothing to do but think. And wish this wasn't a teaching hospital. "And this is Mr. Stottson. He was brought to us after suffering a severe stroke. You!" The doc is pointing to a nervous resident. "What is your diagnoses?" "He seems to be in a vegetative state, sir..." " Oh, nothing that mundane! This is a true miracle!" No, it's a curse. Another, less nervous ressie raises his hand. "Is it locked in syndrome?" "Oh, good guess. Looks like some of your fellow residents might be out of the loop, care to enlighten them?" "Uhmm ... uh ... the patient presents as uh ... paralyzed and non responsive, but is actually fully conscious. Usually there is no recovery. In very rare cases there can be extremely uh ... limited recovery. And in umm ... some cases they can learn to communicate through eye movements?" "Are you asking me or telling me? That was all correct, but it seems like you're looking for validation. You're going to need to learn to be more confident if you're going to make it as a doctor!! Anything else to add? Anyone?" A new voice, someone out of my peripheral vision. "Most locked in syndrome patients only last about a year." Some of the first residents that saw me are specialists now. No one can figure out how I'm still alive. I've tried to tell them. They think I've gone insane. They don't believe I understand how to communicate. Maybe I have gone mad. With all this time to think, I wish I could think of a way to get them to tear up the restraining order. Edit: formatting (on mobile) and typo's.	"No! Please! Don't shoot! I'll give you my money, just leave me and my family be!" Me, my wife Claire, and my two kids, Gabby and Josh, sat in the corner of our living room, holding each other and cowering in fear. Josh, who was only 5 years old, was crying. Our assailant was an ugly, toothpick-shaped man who could've won the award for Sleazeball of the Year. His wife-beater, flannel, and cargo shorts were stained in a mysterious, orangish color that I'd have rather not have thought about, and his patchy beard and mustache complimented his thin, wicked grin. He smelled strongly of cigarettes and a bad time. A revolver was trained on our heads by the man. "Money? You think I'm here to steal from a plumber!?" The man then let out a laugh; or at least, I think it was a laugh. It sounded more like a wheeze, most likely because of smoking too much. "Hey, plumbers actually make quite a bit." I corrected him. "I make about as much as someone with 4 years of college wou-" "SHUT UP!" the man interrupted. "That's not the point. The real reason I'm here is..." He directed his drooping left eye to Claire. "...her." Claire audibly gasped and then gulped. So this is what I get for relaxing. I can't even go out to the bar without a lunatic trying to steal my wife. A well of anger began to build within me, and it was about to overflow. In a fit of rage, I jumped and reached for the fire poker by the fireplace. In hindsight, this was a dumb idea, and I really don't know why I did it. Obviously, Sleazeball was having none of that, so he opened fire on me. Six shots; four in the chest, one in the head, one in the arm. Claire let out a bloodcurdling screech from the corner. Now, both Gabby and Josh were crying. Just then, on the opposite side of the room, a black, 6-foot column of smoke materialized by the television. The smoke dissipated, revealing Death. Death was exactly the stereotype that I would have expected from him. He wore a long, black robe with a hood that covered his face, and he held an enormous scythe in his right hand. In his left, he clutched a scroll. Everyone in the room stared at him in bewilderment. Death unfurled the scroll, revealing a restraining order. It read the following: This restraining order hereby declares that the Plaintiff, Death, shall not come within 25 feet of the Defendant, Dexter Bowling until October 31, 2019. Refusal to adhere to this order will result in immediate consequence. At this moment, it came back to me. The events of last night were hazy, but I faintly remember creating a restraining order on Death while drinking with a few buddies. Did the judges actually go along with it? My memory was foggy, but I thought that they actually did. They most likely realized I was absolutely hammered and just made the restraining order for the hell of it. I got on my feet, fire poker in my hand. So that's what everybody was screaming and crying about. I got shot. Huh. I expected getting shot to be a lot more painful. Death looked at Toothpick-Man and pointed at the scroll with a long, skeletal finger. "Not today." he said. Death's voice was the only thing not stereotypical about him; it was matter-of-fact, almost cheery. He snapped and the column of smoke reappeared in front of him. Once it dissipated, Death was gone. Sleazeball looked at me with a look of pure terror and bewilderment. I gave him a half-smirk in return. He retreated, stumbling over a coffee table, fumbling when trying to reload his revolver one bullet at a time. What's he reloading his revolver for? He can't kill me. But then it came to me. He's not going to be aiming for me; he's gonna be aiming for my family. One bullet was all he needed to shatter me without actually killing me. After coming to this realization, I took the fire poker and struck him across the face with it before he had the chance to reload. He hit the carpet hard, unconscious; a gash had been made that stretched from his right eye to his left cheek. Maybe he was dead. I looked down at him and a huge grin spread across my face. This was going to be a fun 4 months. &#x200B; Hey guys! This is one of my first ever prompts! Any constructive criticism would be much appreciated! Thanks!
[WP] You were drinking with friends one day when you decided to have some fun and got a restraining order on Death. The court played along and got you the restraining order. The next day, you survived an injury that should've killed you.	It started as a joke. The lawyer David contacted saw it as an interesting case that could be used for a university lecture if nothing else, so she played along. The judge presiding over it thought it was funny, so he played along and made it all technically legal. Truth be told, it only took David three days to go from a joking thought to a full, legal restraining order on Death. It wasn't anything overtly special, merely the basic "must stay at a distance of five hundred feet or more at all times" type, but it was the first precedent of legal action being taken against a concept, natural process, or mythological being. Walking out of the courthouse, he grinned and laughed at what he had just achieved. Then...nothing much. Until the next day. A mere eighteen hours after the order was made official, David was walking across the road when a car sped out of nowhere. Before he had time to jump out of the way, he was thrown several dozen meters and rolled to a sickening, crunching stop on the asphalt with, what felt like, several bones puncturing his lungs and heart. He felt the mortal coil unravel around him. His heart stopped. His agonizing breath halted. And then a moment later, his breathing was fine. He felt his heart beat normally. The pain was gone. He looked down at what should be his mangled, horrific injuries, but all he saw was smooth skin under blood stained cloth. Standing up, he looked around assuming he must be dead until people rushed over and started questioning him. "Are you alright?" "How...? You're not even scratched!" "That's a lot of blood... You should go to the hospital!" David pulled his collar out and looked down at his chest which was just as hairy and smooth as normal, if a little redder. "I'm...ok...?" Thinking on what had just occurred, he was dumbfounded. He had just survived a lethal accident. Then a light bulb went off in his head. His restraining order! What just happened was proof that it worked! A smile came to his lips that made the surrounding people step back. "Well this is going to be interesting..." Eight months later, he had experimented with his new state of being to the point of being exceedingly famous. Whenever ImmortalXxXDave posted a new video, it was always top of every trending list on twitter, youtube, facebook, instagram, everything. His youtube videos were continuously demonetized, but it didn't matter when Monster was a permanent sponsor. They came on only after he promised to put disclaimers and warnings all over his various media pointing out that he was biologically unique and literally the only one able to perform the stunts he did. One day he was approached by a Hollywood executive about being a stuntman on Fast and Furious fifteen. The negotiations were quick and before long, he was on a plane to Europe. A comfortable flight, the plane landed in eastern France away from the main terminal with several outgoing flights taking off overhead. He looked out the window at the busy European airport and smiled. He was already pretty famous, but this would skyrocket his career. With a grin plastered to his face, he exited the plane. As he descended the stairs, he could have sworn he heard a small metal clang from the engine of the private jet. Then, just as his foot touched the tarmac, the security guard in front of him spun around with glassy eyes and a vacant expression. "Foreign jurisdiction bitch..." The large man slurred. "Wha...?" Before David could react he heard an explosion from his left and turned his head just in time to see a blade from the jet's turbine flight towards his face.	Every once in a while a wise ass gets the idea that he can cheat me. So, every once in a while I decide to have some fun with it. At this point I've seen it all, Fountain of youth, countless so called "elixir of life" \cough\ snake oil! \cough\ and the classic Highlander BS. At least I'd thought I'd seen it all that is until some asshole took a restraining order out against me. Seriously dude?! You really thought a mortal law would work on a immortal entity like death? Looked like humanity was due for another lesson. Hey, look before you go giving me that dirty look just know this; I only teach lessons the first time! I don't keep shocking the rodent if it doesn't learn the lesson, that's just bad for business pal. So after the liquored up dope gets his restraining order approved and walks out of the court house and gets hit by a bus. Dumbass jaywalked in front of a courthouse, if I wasn't bored I'd do the world a favor. As it was you don't find opportunities like this often, so he lived. Shocked by this he started upping the ante. Started small with quick deaths, like guns, just high enough to kill you heights, that sorta thing. Moved on to bigger and bigger things until he came to the conclusion he was immortal. I honestly didn't know where this was going to go but turns out he was bullied as a kid. I guess it always bothered him that he never got to put the bully in his place. So he tracked the guy down who happens to be a 250 pound 6 foot too damn tall of muscle convicted felon for assault and suspected murder but never proven guilty. He rings the door bell, tells the guy "he's a shriveled pencil dick loser who couldn't find his testicles with some else's hands" and then spits a loogie in his bare eyeball. So fast guy didn't even close the damn lid. yes, I'm serious. I snapped my fingers, and the bully snapped the poor bastard's mortality. When I scythed I said "guess the system is broken huh?"
[WP] You were drinking with friends one day when you decided to have some fun and got a restraining order on Death. The court played along and got you the restraining order. The next day, you survived an injury that should've killed you.	"Lift your beers, my friends, lift them for my bro, the absolute madman who took a restraining order out on death, and then survived getting hit by a GODDAMN BUS. TO JEROME, THE IMMORTAL." &#x200B; "JEROME THE IMMORTAL, HOO-HAH!" &#x200B; "THE PRIDE OF ALPHA KAPPA, CHAPTER 47." &#x200B; "FOUR SEVEN!" &#x200B; "KEG STAND! KEG. STAND. KEG. STAND. KEG. STAND. KEG. STAND. CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG" &#x200B; "Yo Jerome better slow down..." &#x200B; "SEVEN SEVEN SEVEN SEVEN" &#x200B; "Nah bro it's chill, didn't you see him get up after the bus hit? I thought he was dead for sure." &#x200B; "He's choking on his beer." &#x200B; "OH SHIT JEROME NO" &#x200B; "YO WHO HERE KNOWS CPR? ANYONE?" &#x200B; "What the fuck bro that's hella gay." &#x200B; "JEROME, STAY WITH ME. I LOVE YOU MAN, DON'T - JEROME? JEROME NOOOO-" &#x200B; "Yo I thought he was immortal bro, what the fuck man." &#x200B; "Of course he wasn't, you idiot, he never was." &#x200B; "Wait, what?" &#x200B; "I mean, sure, he would've had a nice long life sexually mistreating interns on Wall Street. But then he got all cocky and shit." &#x200B; "But... but the bus. He survived." &#x200B; "Eh, I was busy." &#x200B; "Wait I've never seen you here before, who are you?" &#x200B; "Death. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go collect his soul... bro."	[poem] Out at five hundred feet: a gleam Off the scythe wielded by a dark dream Still he whispered, not yelled, "I'll see you in Hell, "Where I keep my best legal team.".
[WP] You were drinking with friends one day when you decided to have some fun and got a restraining order on Death. The court played along and got you the restraining order. The next day, you survived an injury that should've killed you.	It was only supposed to be a joke. I drank just a little too much and Marie, as a joke, said I should take it easy or I may get blood poisoning and "She didnt need me to get my head stuck up Death's ass." I told her fuck that. I'm unstoppable. Death wasn't going to stop me from having a good time, and I would make sure of that. We walked all the way to the courthouse, with Marie practically keeping me on my feet, and I got a restraining order as proof of my invincibility of Death. The next morning, hungover, drymouthed, and completely unaware of anything except the raging headache in my skull, I got hit by a car going sixty five miles-per-hour speeding straight by a stop sign. A hit-and-run, they told me. They found me dead at the scene. For about three minutes. They say I sat right up, gasping and practically screaming in pain, demanding to know what happened. My broken arm was setting itself, and the place where my head cracked open like a cantaloupe hitting concrete had stopped bleeding and looked smaller. The only thing I remember is that my organs felt all wrong in my torso, and I passed right back out. Waking up in the hospital was a trip. Marie was next to me, crying and terrified when I opened my eyes. I got out of bed, and felt absolutely fine besides being a little confused and shaken up. A miracle, they said. Some even claimed my survival was a gift from the big G. But I can't shake the feeling that somehow, Death follows more laws than people believe.	[poem] Out at five hundred feet: a gleam Off the scythe wielded by a dark dream Still he whispered, not yelled, "I'll see you in Hell, "Where I keep my best legal team.".
[WP] You were drinking with friends one day when you decided to have some fun and got a restraining order on Death. The court played along and got you the restraining order. The next day, you survived an injury that should've killed you.	The pain sparked up my leg and through the left side of my body—brilliant and hot. Around the edge of my vision, the world shifted in and out of focus. One moment, the alarms were distant and the light was soft and a soft warmth flooded my brain. The next, I was pulled back into the hospital room with blaring monitors and shouting doctors and fluorescent lights that tattooed my retinas. I clawed at the nearest medic—a young resident who hadn’t yet learned to school the terror in her eyes. “We’re working on it,” she said, her voice surprisingly steady. “Hang in there.” I tried to let go. I tried to slip into the haze, into the oblivion between warmth and consciousness. I took another breath instead. It was ragged and sharp and the pain flared again. I bit down on my lip—already split—and dug my teeth into the groove of skin until the metallic taste stung my mouth. Someone slipped a needle into my hand. “Relax,” someone said, “this will dull the pain.” The bright world of the hospital folded into darkness. I didn’t expect to wake back up. I didn’t know how long it had been. From the window in my room, I could see the tips of leaves on a tree. The last I remembered being outside, I stood with Mark and Casey in the glass bus shelter, laughing with drunk confidence, with my hands buried deep in the pockets of my jacket and the collar turned up against the sharp winter wind. “Mr. Roman?” The doctor, wearing a white coat and blank expression, studied me with her eyes. I nodded. Or, at least, I tried to nod. My muscles—stiff and sore—protested the movement. “There was an accident.” Again, I tried to nod. I remembered that much. I remembered, in fragments: the crunch of metal; the glass rain; the snap of my bones. “You’re lucky to be alive.” “Mmhm.” I blinked at the speckled tile of the dropped ceiling. My body was a maze of pain and atrophy. Luck, of course, had nothing to do with it. I had ( unintentionally) cursed myself. And I had a contract I needed to void. --- /r/liswrites	[poem] Out at five hundred feet: a gleam Off the scythe wielded by a dark dream Still he whispered, not yelled, "I'll see you in Hell, "Where I keep my best legal team.".
[WP] You were drinking with friends one day when you decided to have some fun and got a restraining order on Death. The court played along and got you the restraining order. The next day, you survived an injury that should've killed you.	My life was pain. A universe of pain. A multiverse of pain. All was pain. A thirty-story fall off a building onto concrete crushes things you didn't know were part of your body and brands them on your mind with fire. Before you die. But I did not die. I was being filled with drugs. Never enough drugs. I should have stopped breathing from the drugs. But I did not die. Forgotten by all save one, a napkin signed by a judge is pinned to an alley wall by a breeze. It enjoins one Death from approaching within 200 feet of me. A dot of blood from the judge at the end from when he tore a hangnail. It seals the decision. I no longer can scream, or breathe on my own. Or heal properly. I will survive. I pray to every sacred and profane thing in the blinks of sanity I have between the pain that Death breaks the law. I can feel it, close enough to sense but not so close as to touch, that blessed touch. They call the next twenty years a miracle, as my body fumbles like the broken thing it is. What can mend, does. It should not be enough. It is not enough. They believe that somehow, life support is keeping me in the land of the living. One of my family tries to end my pain and unplugs everything. An hour later, I am severely brain-damaged, even more broken, but I do not die. At least the pain can no longer be felt, as I have no mind capable of feeling it. But I am aware, and I live. The lack of stimulus, even pain, is too much. What sanity remained after the impact is no more. My mind, such as it is, feeds what little it has in colors, smells, phantasms, nightmares, always waking, always knowing "I live", but the world outside is lost to me. Time passes. I grow older. Ancient. I am a curiosity now, because still I persist in my shell. I do not know of time, because my mind has twisted itself into a self-consuming abomination. I am, in fact, the oldest living human on the earth, for some minute value of "living". A withered apple, half-mashed. I have no family left to pull the plug, and science has adopted me as their own, a study in life extension. If they only knew. Time passes timelessly, until finally, in a day I know not...Death comes for me and pulls my soul free of it's cage, scraps over bones. The world around me is ashes, bones, ruin. I look, as the soul is not chained by the flaws of the body- I am aware, sane, free again! "How?", I ask with a voice that has nothing to speak it. "The law of a nation that no longer exists, binds me not. You are the last." "The last?" "The last to die on this world. Ever." As I rise to whatever awaits the dead, I see the Earth stretch out below me. It is as broken, like I was broken. Now, we can both find peace.	[poem] Out at five hundred feet: a gleam Off the scythe wielded by a dark dream Still he whispered, not yelled, "I'll see you in Hell, "Where I keep my best legal team.".
[WP] You were drinking with friends one day when you decided to have some fun and got a restraining order on Death. The court played along and got you the restraining order. The next day, you survived an injury that should've killed you.	"So uh... We're really not sure how to tell you this, but... Well the rebar has penetrated your heart." The doctor said, placing my x ray on that x ray light box thing. It showed my skeleton, from the side, the rebar stuck straight through my chest, shown here by a stark white bar. "So we're really not sure how you're alive." I looked down at the injury. "That's OK doc, that's about what I figured." I tried to recline in the hospital bed, forgetting the six or so inches the metal stuck out my back. I kept forgetting it was there, and boy did it hurt every time somebody touched it. When I left it alone it was an easily ignored ache. The doctor nodded while examining my chart, I took this to be his default reassuring bedside manner. "We've contacted the surgeon but we can't convince him it's not a prank. Don't worry, though, we'll get you taken care of. Just sit tight." "Yeah, no problem." I said softly. The doctor departed, leaving the curtain open. The emergency room was slower than I had expected. I watched with disinterest as nurses scuttled about. A young boy was getting a shot, fussing. I waved at him. He looked back at me and stared openly, not reacting when the needle went in. My eye slipped past him and landed on a figure in a black robe holding a large scythe and reading from a sheaf of papers it held in a gloved hand. No one else seemed to notice. It lay the scythe against the nurse's station and from a place I didn't see pulled out something bright yellow. I realized it was a tape measure when it began snaking towards me. The tape couldn't support itself after a few feet and collapsed. Undeterred, the hooded man bent low and continued to feed the tape in my direction. I watched it until the tip vanished from my view under my hospital bed. The hooded figure shook its head and with a familiar whirr recalled the tape. It pulled out a phone and made a call. Without warning there was a great chorus of music that lasted for only an instant as an angel appeared from nowhere. His eyes and halo shone like the sun, and he wore robes of white and blue. He even had the cliche bird wings. "Glad you called, Azrael, it's good to see you, but I don't see what the problem is." The angel's voice was like a song, and the sound of crashing waves and the warmest wind, all at once. The hooded figure handed him the sheaf of papers, and the angel read quietly. "Oh. Oh yes, I see. Yeah, this is binding. No closer than 100 feet." The hooded figure said something. "Well here it says it's indefinite, but I'll talk to the boys in legal and see what they can do. Can I take this? Or is this your only copy?" The angel nodded in response to an unspoken reply and vanished with another chorus of voices. Death, for it could be no one else, sat down on the floor and stared at me. I couldn't see its face, but I could feel its gaze. It was without malice, but instead with considerable concern and confusion. I shrugged and tried to look apologetic. Death sat there for a time, and then stood and departed. I waited in the ER for a while. I know they treat the most severe cases first and evidently if I hadn't died yet I probably wasn't going to any time soon. A while later Death returned, a pile of lumber under one arm, a paper shopping bag with the Home Depot logo in the other. It sat down and from the bag took out a power drill, brand new, and plugged it in. It used the nurse's station as an improvised work bench, screwing 2x4s together, almost end to end. Finally it fixed the scythe onto the last board with plumber's tape and picked up the monstrosity. He fed the boards in my direction, the scythe getting closer and closer, until it was about 2o feet away and with the sound of splintering wood, the screws tore out of the boards and the thing fell apart. The doctor returned, followed by another man in scrubs. "Mister Stevens, this is Doctor Jones, our cardiac surgeon." Doctor Jones stared at me for a time, then looked back at my x-ray. Meanwhile Death had acquired some rope and was trying to lasso its scythe back to itself. Doctor Jones, still looking at my x-ray, said "I'll be damned." "Not likely." Death shouted at him from the nurse's station, having managed to loop his lasso around the scythe. "This is a real pain in the ass, Stevens. I hope you're happy."	[poem] Out at five hundred feet: a gleam Off the scythe wielded by a dark dream Still he whispered, not yelled, "I'll see you in Hell, "Where I keep my best legal team.".
[WP] You were drinking with friends one day when you decided to have some fun and got a restraining order on Death. The court played along and got you the restraining order. The next day, you survived an injury that should've killed you.	My life was pain. A universe of pain. A multiverse of pain. All was pain. A thirty-story fall off a building onto concrete crushes things you didn't know were part of your body and brands them on your mind with fire. Before you die. But I did not die. I was being filled with drugs. Never enough drugs. I should have stopped breathing from the drugs. But I did not die. Forgotten by all save one, a napkin signed by a judge is pinned to an alley wall by a breeze. It enjoins one Death from approaching within 200 feet of me. A dot of blood from the judge at the end from when he tore a hangnail. It seals the decision. I no longer can scream, or breathe on my own. Or heal properly. I will survive. I pray to every sacred and profane thing in the blinks of sanity I have between the pain that Death breaks the law. I can feel it, close enough to sense but not so close as to touch, that blessed touch. They call the next twenty years a miracle, as my body fumbles like the broken thing it is. What can mend, does. It should not be enough. It is not enough. They believe that somehow, life support is keeping me in the land of the living. One of my family tries to end my pain and unplugs everything. An hour later, I am severely brain-damaged, even more broken, but I do not die. At least the pain can no longer be felt, as I have no mind capable of feeling it. But I am aware, and I live. The lack of stimulus, even pain, is too much. What sanity remained after the impact is no more. My mind, such as it is, feeds what little it has in colors, smells, phantasms, nightmares, always waking, always knowing "I live", but the world outside is lost to me. Time passes. I grow older. Ancient. I am a curiosity now, because still I persist in my shell. I do not know of time, because my mind has twisted itself into a self-consuming abomination. I am, in fact, the oldest living human on the earth, for some minute value of "living". A withered apple, half-mashed. I have no family left to pull the plug, and science has adopted me as their own, a study in life extension. If they only knew. Time passes timelessly, until finally, in a day I know not...Death comes for me and pulls my soul free of it's cage, scraps over bones. The world around me is ashes, bones, ruin. I look, as the soul is not chained by the flaws of the body- I am aware, sane, free again! "How?", I ask with a voice that has nothing to speak it. "The law of a nation that no longer exists, binds me not. You are the last." "The last?" "The last to die on this world. Ever." As I rise to whatever awaits the dead, I see the Earth stretch out below me. It is as broken, like I was broken. Now, we can both find peace.	"Lift your beers, my friends, lift them for my bro, the absolute madman who took a restraining order out on death, and then survived getting hit by a GODDAMN BUS. TO JEROME, THE IMMORTAL." &#x200B; "JEROME THE IMMORTAL, HOO-HAH!" &#x200B; "THE PRIDE OF ALPHA KAPPA, CHAPTER 47." &#x200B; "FOUR SEVEN!" &#x200B; "KEG STAND! KEG. STAND. KEG. STAND. KEG. STAND. KEG. STAND. CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG CHUG" &#x200B; "Yo Jerome better slow down..." &#x200B; "SEVEN SEVEN SEVEN SEVEN" &#x200B; "Nah bro it's chill, didn't you see him get up after the bus hit? I thought he was dead for sure." &#x200B; "He's choking on his beer." &#x200B; "OH SHIT JEROME NO" &#x200B; "YO WHO HERE KNOWS CPR? ANYONE?" &#x200B; "What the fuck bro that's hella gay." &#x200B; "JEROME, STAY WITH ME. I LOVE YOU MAN, DON'T - JEROME? JEROME NOOOO-" &#x200B; "Yo I thought he was immortal bro, what the fuck man." &#x200B; "Of course he wasn't, you idiot, he never was." &#x200B; "Wait, what?" &#x200B; "I mean, sure, he would've had a nice long life sexually mistreating interns on Wall Street. But then he got all cocky and shit." &#x200B; "But... but the bus. He survived." &#x200B; "Eh, I was busy." &#x200B; "Wait I've never seen you here before, who are you?" &#x200B; "Death. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go collect his soul... bro."
[WP] You were drinking with friends one day when you decided to have some fun and got a restraining order on Death. The court played along and got you the restraining order. The next day, you survived an injury that should've killed you.	My life was pain. A universe of pain. A multiverse of pain. All was pain. A thirty-story fall off a building onto concrete crushes things you didn't know were part of your body and brands them on your mind with fire. Before you die. But I did not die. I was being filled with drugs. Never enough drugs. I should have stopped breathing from the drugs. But I did not die. Forgotten by all save one, a napkin signed by a judge is pinned to an alley wall by a breeze. It enjoins one Death from approaching within 200 feet of me. A dot of blood from the judge at the end from when he tore a hangnail. It seals the decision. I no longer can scream, or breathe on my own. Or heal properly. I will survive. I pray to every sacred and profane thing in the blinks of sanity I have between the pain that Death breaks the law. I can feel it, close enough to sense but not so close as to touch, that blessed touch. They call the next twenty years a miracle, as my body fumbles like the broken thing it is. What can mend, does. It should not be enough. It is not enough. They believe that somehow, life support is keeping me in the land of the living. One of my family tries to end my pain and unplugs everything. An hour later, I am severely brain-damaged, even more broken, but I do not die. At least the pain can no longer be felt, as I have no mind capable of feeling it. But I am aware, and I live. The lack of stimulus, even pain, is too much. What sanity remained after the impact is no more. My mind, such as it is, feeds what little it has in colors, smells, phantasms, nightmares, always waking, always knowing "I live", but the world outside is lost to me. Time passes. I grow older. Ancient. I am a curiosity now, because still I persist in my shell. I do not know of time, because my mind has twisted itself into a self-consuming abomination. I am, in fact, the oldest living human on the earth, for some minute value of "living". A withered apple, half-mashed. I have no family left to pull the plug, and science has adopted me as their own, a study in life extension. If they only knew. Time passes timelessly, until finally, in a day I know not...Death comes for me and pulls my soul free of it's cage, scraps over bones. The world around me is ashes, bones, ruin. I look, as the soul is not chained by the flaws of the body- I am aware, sane, free again! "How?", I ask with a voice that has nothing to speak it. "The law of a nation that no longer exists, binds me not. You are the last." "The last?" "The last to die on this world. Ever." As I rise to whatever awaits the dead, I see the Earth stretch out below me. It is as broken, like I was broken. Now, we can both find peace.	It was only supposed to be a joke. I drank just a little too much and Marie, as a joke, said I should take it easy or I may get blood poisoning and "She didnt need me to get my head stuck up Death's ass." I told her fuck that. I'm unstoppable. Death wasn't going to stop me from having a good time, and I would make sure of that. We walked all the way to the courthouse, with Marie practically keeping me on my feet, and I got a restraining order as proof of my invincibility of Death. The next morning, hungover, drymouthed, and completely unaware of anything except the raging headache in my skull, I got hit by a car going sixty five miles-per-hour speeding straight by a stop sign. A hit-and-run, they told me. They found me dead at the scene. For about three minutes. They say I sat right up, gasping and practically screaming in pain, demanding to know what happened. My broken arm was setting itself, and the place where my head cracked open like a cantaloupe hitting concrete had stopped bleeding and looked smaller. The only thing I remember is that my organs felt all wrong in my torso, and I passed right back out. Waking up in the hospital was a trip. Marie was next to me, crying and terrified when I opened my eyes. I got out of bed, and felt absolutely fine besides being a little confused and shaken up. A miracle, they said. Some even claimed my survival was a gift from the big G. But I can't shake the feeling that somehow, Death follows more laws than people believe.
[WP] You were drinking with friends one day when you decided to have some fun and got a restraining order on Death. The court played along and got you the restraining order. The next day, you survived an injury that should've killed you.	My life was pain. A universe of pain. A multiverse of pain. All was pain. A thirty-story fall off a building onto concrete crushes things you didn't know were part of your body and brands them on your mind with fire. Before you die. But I did not die. I was being filled with drugs. Never enough drugs. I should have stopped breathing from the drugs. But I did not die. Forgotten by all save one, a napkin signed by a judge is pinned to an alley wall by a breeze. It enjoins one Death from approaching within 200 feet of me. A dot of blood from the judge at the end from when he tore a hangnail. It seals the decision. I no longer can scream, or breathe on my own. Or heal properly. I will survive. I pray to every sacred and profane thing in the blinks of sanity I have between the pain that Death breaks the law. I can feel it, close enough to sense but not so close as to touch, that blessed touch. They call the next twenty years a miracle, as my body fumbles like the broken thing it is. What can mend, does. It should not be enough. It is not enough. They believe that somehow, life support is keeping me in the land of the living. One of my family tries to end my pain and unplugs everything. An hour later, I am severely brain-damaged, even more broken, but I do not die. At least the pain can no longer be felt, as I have no mind capable of feeling it. But I am aware, and I live. The lack of stimulus, even pain, is too much. What sanity remained after the impact is no more. My mind, such as it is, feeds what little it has in colors, smells, phantasms, nightmares, always waking, always knowing "I live", but the world outside is lost to me. Time passes. I grow older. Ancient. I am a curiosity now, because still I persist in my shell. I do not know of time, because my mind has twisted itself into a self-consuming abomination. I am, in fact, the oldest living human on the earth, for some minute value of "living". A withered apple, half-mashed. I have no family left to pull the plug, and science has adopted me as their own, a study in life extension. If they only knew. Time passes timelessly, until finally, in a day I know not...Death comes for me and pulls my soul free of it's cage, scraps over bones. The world around me is ashes, bones, ruin. I look, as the soul is not chained by the flaws of the body- I am aware, sane, free again! "How?", I ask with a voice that has nothing to speak it. "The law of a nation that no longer exists, binds me not. You are the last." "The last?" "The last to die on this world. Ever." As I rise to whatever awaits the dead, I see the Earth stretch out below me. It is as broken, like I was broken. Now, we can both find peace.	The pain sparked up my leg and through the left side of my body—brilliant and hot. Around the edge of my vision, the world shifted in and out of focus. One moment, the alarms were distant and the light was soft and a soft warmth flooded my brain. The next, I was pulled back into the hospital room with blaring monitors and shouting doctors and fluorescent lights that tattooed my retinas. I clawed at the nearest medic—a young resident who hadn’t yet learned to school the terror in her eyes. “We’re working on it,” she said, her voice surprisingly steady. “Hang in there.” I tried to let go. I tried to slip into the haze, into the oblivion between warmth and consciousness. I took another breath instead. It was ragged and sharp and the pain flared again. I bit down on my lip—already split—and dug my teeth into the groove of skin until the metallic taste stung my mouth. Someone slipped a needle into my hand. “Relax,” someone said, “this will dull the pain.” The bright world of the hospital folded into darkness. I didn’t expect to wake back up. I didn’t know how long it had been. From the window in my room, I could see the tips of leaves on a tree. The last I remembered being outside, I stood with Mark and Casey in the glass bus shelter, laughing with drunk confidence, with my hands buried deep in the pockets of my jacket and the collar turned up against the sharp winter wind. “Mr. Roman?” The doctor, wearing a white coat and blank expression, studied me with her eyes. I nodded. Or, at least, I tried to nod. My muscles—stiff and sore—protested the movement. “There was an accident.” Again, I tried to nod. I remembered that much. I remembered, in fragments: the crunch of metal; the glass rain; the snap of my bones. “You’re lucky to be alive.” “Mmhm.” I blinked at the speckled tile of the dropped ceiling. My body was a maze of pain and atrophy. Luck, of course, had nothing to do with it. I had ( unintentionally) cursed myself. And I had a contract I needed to void. --- /r/liswrites
[WP] You were drinking with friends one day when you decided to have some fun and got a restraining order on Death. The court played along and got you the restraining order. The next day, you survived an injury that should've killed you.	"So uh... We're really not sure how to tell you this, but... Well the rebar has penetrated your heart." The doctor said, placing my x ray on that x ray light box thing. It showed my skeleton, from the side, the rebar stuck straight through my chest, shown here by a stark white bar. "So we're really not sure how you're alive." I looked down at the injury. "That's OK doc, that's about what I figured." I tried to recline in the hospital bed, forgetting the six or so inches the metal stuck out my back. I kept forgetting it was there, and boy did it hurt every time somebody touched it. When I left it alone it was an easily ignored ache. The doctor nodded while examining my chart, I took this to be his default reassuring bedside manner. "We've contacted the surgeon but we can't convince him it's not a prank. Don't worry, though, we'll get you taken care of. Just sit tight." "Yeah, no problem." I said softly. The doctor departed, leaving the curtain open. The emergency room was slower than I had expected. I watched with disinterest as nurses scuttled about. A young boy was getting a shot, fussing. I waved at him. He looked back at me and stared openly, not reacting when the needle went in. My eye slipped past him and landed on a figure in a black robe holding a large scythe and reading from a sheaf of papers it held in a gloved hand. No one else seemed to notice. It lay the scythe against the nurse's station and from a place I didn't see pulled out something bright yellow. I realized it was a tape measure when it began snaking towards me. The tape couldn't support itself after a few feet and collapsed. Undeterred, the hooded man bent low and continued to feed the tape in my direction. I watched it until the tip vanished from my view under my hospital bed. The hooded figure shook its head and with a familiar whirr recalled the tape. It pulled out a phone and made a call. Without warning there was a great chorus of music that lasted for only an instant as an angel appeared from nowhere. His eyes and halo shone like the sun, and he wore robes of white and blue. He even had the cliche bird wings. "Glad you called, Azrael, it's good to see you, but I don't see what the problem is." The angel's voice was like a song, and the sound of crashing waves and the warmest wind, all at once. The hooded figure handed him the sheaf of papers, and the angel read quietly. "Oh. Oh yes, I see. Yeah, this is binding. No closer than 100 feet." The hooded figure said something. "Well here it says it's indefinite, but I'll talk to the boys in legal and see what they can do. Can I take this? Or is this your only copy?" The angel nodded in response to an unspoken reply and vanished with another chorus of voices. Death, for it could be no one else, sat down on the floor and stared at me. I couldn't see its face, but I could feel its gaze. It was without malice, but instead with considerable concern and confusion. I shrugged and tried to look apologetic. Death sat there for a time, and then stood and departed. I waited in the ER for a while. I know they treat the most severe cases first and evidently if I hadn't died yet I probably wasn't going to any time soon. A while later Death returned, a pile of lumber under one arm, a paper shopping bag with the Home Depot logo in the other. It sat down and from the bag took out a power drill, brand new, and plugged it in. It used the nurse's station as an improvised work bench, screwing 2x4s together, almost end to end. Finally it fixed the scythe onto the last board with plumber's tape and picked up the monstrosity. He fed the boards in my direction, the scythe getting closer and closer, until it was about 2o feet away and with the sound of splintering wood, the screws tore out of the boards and the thing fell apart. The doctor returned, followed by another man in scrubs. "Mister Stevens, this is Doctor Jones, our cardiac surgeon." Doctor Jones stared at me for a time, then looked back at my x-ray. Meanwhile Death had acquired some rope and was trying to lasso its scythe back to itself. Doctor Jones, still looking at my x-ray, said "I'll be damned." "Not likely." Death shouted at him from the nurse's station, having managed to loop his lasso around the scythe. "This is a real pain in the ass, Stevens. I hope you're happy."	The carnage was absolute. And yet there was no blood in the streets. A ten car pile up. I reached into my pocket and felt the folded paper. 500 feet, huh? Guess that includes everyone within that 500 feet. People were unfolding themselves from impossible contortions and peeling themselves from cars crumbled like balls of paper. Some started going insane. Makes sense. Only so many natural reactions to having survived a deadly crash unscathed. That's when it dawned on me. I'm a walking aura of eternal life. For the next year, at least. The first thing I did was make a note in my phone to renew the restraining order next August. The second thing I did was think up a superhero name. My weekend was about to get weird.
[WP] You're that guy that always "knows a guy." Literally. No matter what someone is asking for, you automatically know the person that can help them.	I sat in the darkly lit room alone. The only light in here was from a dim lamp and the little bit of light at the end of my cigarette. I shifted slightly, the cheap velvet couch I was sitting on was uncomfortable, probably because it's a near hundred years old at this point. But my buddy Damon is making me a new one, so there was no real need to complain about it. Thinking of Damon brought a slight smile to my face, he was a good friend and an even better furniture builder. He'd offer to build me the new couch when I pointed him towards my other buddy, Jamie the surf instructor. Damon’s wife always dreamed of being a surfer, but after getting in an accident back in ninety-three she wasn't able to walk much less surf. Luckily for them, Jamie specialized in teaching cripples surfing, he also owed me a favor for setting up that brain surgery for his son. I took a long drag of my cigarette, it really was lucky me and Dr. Breyers were college friends. It was even more lucky he owed me that favor still for setting him up with Sarah. Of course, their relationship wasn't entirely thanks to me, that honor went to Sam, the world’s second-best wingman. I met him during the world poker tournament when me and my friends, Rob and Garry both of whom studied astrophysics, were trying to give my cousin slim Jim, emotional support during his round. He did win but died shortly after of liver failure. Of course, after he died it turned out his organs were donated to the famous movie star, Cain winnings. Imagine my surprise when he showed up to my house one day and thanked me for what my cousin did for him, (I was his only living family member.) We quickly became friends and he soon introduced me to the CEO of Wacko entertainment, Kelly, who also became my friend. Not long after I met Kelly she had to go through a tough divorce, but she got through that ok with the lawyer I recommend to her. I was dragged out of my thoughts by a knock coming from the front door. I sighed before putting out my cigarette and leaving the back room. Awaiting at the glass door to the gas station was a nervous looking teen. I pointed at the closed sign but he shook his head and knocked again. I glared at him and opened the door, asking him what did want. He shuffled awkwardly before answering. “I was driving and my car broke down. Do you know of any mechanics that could help?” I told him no and slammed the door shut.	"Ey, Jenny, you got a sec?" I turn my head to meet her sight - memories wash back, both the good and bad. It's been too long. "Well I'll be damned, look who it is." I return with a smirk. "Its been what, 6 years?" "Five months" Beth laughs "It really feel that long to you?" "Being apart from you for even a second feels like I'm spending an eternity with the Drones, you know. Do I gotta quote you some sappy poem?" I smile at her. Shes just as beautiful as she was the day I met her. "Spare me, Jen. You wont get me back that way, you know." "Can't blame me for trying" I laugh "So I get the hunch you're not stopping by to have some nice small talk." "On the ball as always" Her smile fades "Just like I'm sure you're on the ball about what a going on out dare" She gestures outside the front door "This about how the State's setting up those detention camps? Sending its Drones after people?" She nods "Look, Beth, you know how I-" "Know what?" She snaps "How you sit back while your friends and family are captured, tortured, thrown aside for not fitting whatever bullshit model of a person they setup?" "I'm not trying to risk dying again! I've been out of the game too long, and I'd go in for what? A nonexistent chance of winning?" "Jen, we have a chance here. We actually have leverage" I raise an eyebrow "What kind?" "We kidnapped the Emperors daughter." I gasp a bit, taken aback "How the fuck did you manage that?!" "Remember Daniel? He actually came through." I laugh, feeling, for once, invigorated. "That son of a bitch actually did it..." "You can help us win this, Jen. You have the contacts - military, vagabond, hell even places to hide out. You know the people who can help us do it." "I..." I shake my head in utter disbelief "You're asking a lot of me here. I mean I have a few people who owe me one, sure, but this?" "This is something that can change the world. No more living in fear, hiding from fucking, flying blenders or whatever roaming the streets. We can actually just be free again. It'll all be over." I take a seat, cupping my face in my hands. I sigh. "Alright, just this one time I'm back in. But if this plan fails," I look back up at her grimly "I'm done. For good." "We're going to win this, Jen. All of us." She heads to the door, gesturing for me to follow. "Alright, let's go save the world" I say, giving a cocky smile Beth laughs. "You're such a fucking dork"
[WP] You're that guy that always "knows a guy." Literally. No matter what someone is asking for, you automatically know the person that can help them.	"Rebecca, do you know anyone that can get my house painted for cheap?" "Yeah, yeah, I'll get him in a little while. See you." I sighed as I hung up with Joe. This was a usual happening. Whenever someone needed somebody, I could get them. As a Summoner, I could find anyone for anything. This gift, mind you, was not of my own choice. Dad was a Summoner, Grandpa was a summoner, Even my Aunt Bernice was a Summoner. In the olden times, when magic was alive in the world, we could summon things from dragons to demon lords to demigods, and everything in between. Nowadays? Not quite so much, though calling a Kobold up was always fun. Walking to the edge of my bedroom, I picked a book up off the shelf. "Paint, paint, no, not grafitti... there." I spread my palm over the page. "Ko'l Andria, Master of Color, I beseech you to send thy servant. House Painter Karia." I read aloud in the Deep Language. "As thy requests, Little Caller." An ethereal voice whispered back. The floor smoked and sizzled in a pentagram. Rivulets of Color and Light danced upwards, slowly merging together. I yawned. This would take a while. Popcorn time. &#x200B; After about an hour, I heard somebody in my room. Setting the popcorn bowl down and pausing at the climax of the episode of The Office I was rewatching, I walked over. "Greetings, Summoner!" The newly summoned servant beamed. "How may I assist you in this time?" "My bud Joe needs his house painted. Charge him something low and reasonable, and please, do a good job of it. I'll introduce you to him in a little. In the meantime, I'm rewatching The Office. Join me?" I asked. "Yes, Please! I loved the Dinner Party episode." (I tried)	"Ey, Jenny, you got a sec?" I turn my head to meet her sight - memories wash back, both the good and bad. It's been too long. "Well I'll be damned, look who it is." I return with a smirk. "Its been what, 6 years?" "Five months" Beth laughs "It really feel that long to you?" "Being apart from you for even a second feels like I'm spending an eternity with the Drones, you know. Do I gotta quote you some sappy poem?" I smile at her. Shes just as beautiful as she was the day I met her. "Spare me, Jen. You wont get me back that way, you know." "Can't blame me for trying" I laugh "So I get the hunch you're not stopping by to have some nice small talk." "On the ball as always" Her smile fades "Just like I'm sure you're on the ball about what a going on out dare" She gestures outside the front door "This about how the State's setting up those detention camps? Sending its Drones after people?" She nods "Look, Beth, you know how I-" "Know what?" She snaps "How you sit back while your friends and family are captured, tortured, thrown aside for not fitting whatever bullshit model of a person they setup?" "I'm not trying to risk dying again! I've been out of the game too long, and I'd go in for what? A nonexistent chance of winning?" "Jen, we have a chance here. We actually have leverage" I raise an eyebrow "What kind?" "We kidnapped the Emperors daughter." I gasp a bit, taken aback "How the fuck did you manage that?!" "Remember Daniel? He actually came through." I laugh, feeling, for once, invigorated. "That son of a bitch actually did it..." "You can help us win this, Jen. You have the contacts - military, vagabond, hell even places to hide out. You know the people who can help us do it." "I..." I shake my head in utter disbelief "You're asking a lot of me here. I mean I have a few people who owe me one, sure, but this?" "This is something that can change the world. No more living in fear, hiding from fucking, flying blenders or whatever roaming the streets. We can actually just be free again. It'll all be over." I take a seat, cupping my face in my hands. I sigh. "Alright, just this one time I'm back in. But if this plan fails," I look back up at her grimly "I'm done. For good." "We're going to win this, Jen. All of us." She heads to the door, gesturing for me to follow. "Alright, let's go save the world" I say, giving a cocky smile Beth laughs. "You're such a fucking dork"
[WP] You're that guy that always "knows a guy." Literally. No matter what someone is asking for, you automatically know the person that can help them.	I sat in the darkly lit room alone. The only light in here was from a dim lamp and the little bit of light at the end of my cigarette. I shifted slightly, the cheap velvet couch I was sitting on was uncomfortable, probably because it's a near hundred years old at this point. But my buddy Damon is making me a new one, so there was no real need to complain about it. Thinking of Damon brought a slight smile to my face, he was a good friend and an even better furniture builder. He'd offer to build me the new couch when I pointed him towards my other buddy, Jamie the surf instructor. Damon’s wife always dreamed of being a surfer, but after getting in an accident back in ninety-three she wasn't able to walk much less surf. Luckily for them, Jamie specialized in teaching cripples surfing, he also owed me a favor for setting up that brain surgery for his son. I took a long drag of my cigarette, it really was lucky me and Dr. Breyers were college friends. It was even more lucky he owed me that favor still for setting him up with Sarah. Of course, their relationship wasn't entirely thanks to me, that honor went to Sam, the world’s second-best wingman. I met him during the world poker tournament when me and my friends, Rob and Garry both of whom studied astrophysics, were trying to give my cousin slim Jim, emotional support during his round. He did win but died shortly after of liver failure. Of course, after he died it turned out his organs were donated to the famous movie star, Cain winnings. Imagine my surprise when he showed up to my house one day and thanked me for what my cousin did for him, (I was his only living family member.) We quickly became friends and he soon introduced me to the CEO of Wacko entertainment, Kelly, who also became my friend. Not long after I met Kelly she had to go through a tough divorce, but she got through that ok with the lawyer I recommend to her. I was dragged out of my thoughts by a knock coming from the front door. I sighed before putting out my cigarette and leaving the back room. Awaiting at the glass door to the gas station was a nervous looking teen. I pointed at the closed sign but he shook his head and knocked again. I glared at him and opened the door, asking him what did want. He shuffled awkwardly before answering. “I was driving and my car broke down. Do you know of any mechanics that could help?” I told him no and slammed the door shut.	Most people thinks it’s a big deal that Jake knows everyone. It really wasn’t. He dealt with it everyday. “Does anyone know a painter?” Someone would ask “I know a guy.” Jake always sighed Everyone needed somebody to do something. Jake always knew a guy. No one questioned it. Everyone has friends, everyone knew at least someone. On this particular day though someone decided it was time to question why Jake knew so many people, honestly it’s just unnatural to have that many friends. “Jake!” Mike boomed “Yeah.” Jake sighed, he already knew exactly where this was going. “Why do you know so many people, you always have a guy?” Mike asked “My kids play a lot of sports.” Jake sighed “You meet a lot of parents we get each other work you know.” Jake finished Mike was taken back. He couldn’t possibly fathom how it could be so simple. He didn’t even know Jake had kids. “Wait you have kids?” Mike asked “Uh yeah, I mean there’s a family photo right there” Jake responded gesturing towards the picture on his desk. Mike glanced quickly at the photo. Jake has two sons and a daughter. They looked like your perfect American family. Even the golden retriever was in the photo. Mike knew something was off he just couldn’t quite put his finger on it. “Alright Jake. Thanks I guess.” Mike sighed exiting the room.
[WP] You're that guy that always "knows a guy." Literally. No matter what someone is asking for, you automatically know the person that can help them.	"Rebecca, do you know anyone that can get my house painted for cheap?" "Yeah, yeah, I'll get him in a little while. See you." I sighed as I hung up with Joe. This was a usual happening. Whenever someone needed somebody, I could get them. As a Summoner, I could find anyone for anything. This gift, mind you, was not of my own choice. Dad was a Summoner, Grandpa was a summoner, Even my Aunt Bernice was a Summoner. In the olden times, when magic was alive in the world, we could summon things from dragons to demon lords to demigods, and everything in between. Nowadays? Not quite so much, though calling a Kobold up was always fun. Walking to the edge of my bedroom, I picked a book up off the shelf. "Paint, paint, no, not grafitti... there." I spread my palm over the page. "Ko'l Andria, Master of Color, I beseech you to send thy servant. House Painter Karia." I read aloud in the Deep Language. "As thy requests, Little Caller." An ethereal voice whispered back. The floor smoked and sizzled in a pentagram. Rivulets of Color and Light danced upwards, slowly merging together. I yawned. This would take a while. Popcorn time. &#x200B; After about an hour, I heard somebody in my room. Setting the popcorn bowl down and pausing at the climax of the episode of The Office I was rewatching, I walked over. "Greetings, Summoner!" The newly summoned servant beamed. "How may I assist you in this time?" "My bud Joe needs his house painted. Charge him something low and reasonable, and please, do a good job of it. I'll introduce you to him in a little. In the meantime, I'm rewatching The Office. Join me?" I asked. "Yes, Please! I loved the Dinner Party episode." (I tried)	Most people thinks it’s a big deal that Jake knows everyone. It really wasn’t. He dealt with it everyday. “Does anyone know a painter?” Someone would ask “I know a guy.” Jake always sighed Everyone needed somebody to do something. Jake always knew a guy. No one questioned it. Everyone has friends, everyone knew at least someone. On this particular day though someone decided it was time to question why Jake knew so many people, honestly it’s just unnatural to have that many friends. “Jake!” Mike boomed “Yeah.” Jake sighed, he already knew exactly where this was going. “Why do you know so many people, you always have a guy?” Mike asked “My kids play a lot of sports.” Jake sighed “You meet a lot of parents we get each other work you know.” Jake finished Mike was taken back. He couldn’t possibly fathom how it could be so simple. He didn’t even know Jake had kids. “Wait you have kids?” Mike asked “Uh yeah, I mean there’s a family photo right there” Jake responded gesturing towards the picture on his desk. Mike glanced quickly at the photo. Jake has two sons and a daughter. They looked like your perfect American family. Even the golden retriever was in the photo. Mike knew something was off he just couldn’t quite put his finger on it. “Alright Jake. Thanks I guess.” Mike sighed exiting the room.
[WP] You're that guy that always "knows a guy." Literally. No matter what someone is asking for, you automatically know the person that can help them.	"Rebecca, do you know anyone that can get my house painted for cheap?" "Yeah, yeah, I'll get him in a little while. See you." I sighed as I hung up with Joe. This was a usual happening. Whenever someone needed somebody, I could get them. As a Summoner, I could find anyone for anything. This gift, mind you, was not of my own choice. Dad was a Summoner, Grandpa was a summoner, Even my Aunt Bernice was a Summoner. In the olden times, when magic was alive in the world, we could summon things from dragons to demon lords to demigods, and everything in between. Nowadays? Not quite so much, though calling a Kobold up was always fun. Walking to the edge of my bedroom, I picked a book up off the shelf. "Paint, paint, no, not grafitti... there." I spread my palm over the page. "Ko'l Andria, Master of Color, I beseech you to send thy servant. House Painter Karia." I read aloud in the Deep Language. "As thy requests, Little Caller." An ethereal voice whispered back. The floor smoked and sizzled in a pentagram. Rivulets of Color and Light danced upwards, slowly merging together. I yawned. This would take a while. Popcorn time. &#x200B; After about an hour, I heard somebody in my room. Setting the popcorn bowl down and pausing at the climax of the episode of The Office I was rewatching, I walked over. "Greetings, Summoner!" The newly summoned servant beamed. "How may I assist you in this time?" "My bud Joe needs his house painted. Charge him something low and reasonable, and please, do a good job of it. I'll introduce you to him in a little. In the meantime, I'm rewatching The Office. Join me?" I asked. "Yes, Please! I loved the Dinner Party episode." (I tried)	I sat in the darkly lit room alone. The only light in here was from a dim lamp and the little bit of light at the end of my cigarette. I shifted slightly, the cheap velvet couch I was sitting on was uncomfortable, probably because it's a near hundred years old at this point. But my buddy Damon is making me a new one, so there was no real need to complain about it. Thinking of Damon brought a slight smile to my face, he was a good friend and an even better furniture builder. He'd offer to build me the new couch when I pointed him towards my other buddy, Jamie the surf instructor. Damon’s wife always dreamed of being a surfer, but after getting in an accident back in ninety-three she wasn't able to walk much less surf. Luckily for them, Jamie specialized in teaching cripples surfing, he also owed me a favor for setting up that brain surgery for his son. I took a long drag of my cigarette, it really was lucky me and Dr. Breyers were college friends. It was even more lucky he owed me that favor still for setting him up with Sarah. Of course, their relationship wasn't entirely thanks to me, that honor went to Sam, the world’s second-best wingman. I met him during the world poker tournament when me and my friends, Rob and Garry both of whom studied astrophysics, were trying to give my cousin slim Jim, emotional support during his round. He did win but died shortly after of liver failure. Of course, after he died it turned out his organs were donated to the famous movie star, Cain winnings. Imagine my surprise when he showed up to my house one day and thanked me for what my cousin did for him, (I was his only living family member.) We quickly became friends and he soon introduced me to the CEO of Wacko entertainment, Kelly, who also became my friend. Not long after I met Kelly she had to go through a tough divorce, but she got through that ok with the lawyer I recommend to her. I was dragged out of my thoughts by a knock coming from the front door. I sighed before putting out my cigarette and leaving the back room. Awaiting at the glass door to the gas station was a nervous looking teen. I pointed at the closed sign but he shook his head and knocked again. I glared at him and opened the door, asking him what did want. He shuffled awkwardly before answering. “I was driving and my car broke down. Do you know of any mechanics that could help?” I told him no and slammed the door shut.
[WP] You're renovating a 100yr old home when you find an ancient samurai sword beneath a dirt floor. It looks heavy, and you notice ancient markings along its hilt. When you finally wield it, the blade becomes alive with light and a magical force suddenly grips your body. You.. are.. invincible.	My god, this has to be the finest sword ever made. I mean, I've done my research, but this thing has to have a hundred times the cutting power of a standard European broadsword. The balance is perfect. I could swing this all day and feel more energetic than before. And the material! I could see the circular markings denoting absolute mastery at working with steel, folded a thousand times and a thousand more so that the Earth would shatter into pieces before the slightest notch would appear on the blade. I raised the sword, feeling unworthy to wield such a masterpiece, and gave it a swing, just to test it out. My God, I could cut a tank in half with this. I was unstoppable. Ignoring my tools, I set out into the street to begin my career as a modern Miyamoto Musashi. It was a calm avenue, but even so a few cars were nearby, people returning home from work. But still, what would be a more dramatic introduction than cutting through a moving car? I stood in the middle of the street, prepared to draw the blade and end the duel in a single strike. Seeing my challenge, the driver slammed the accelerator. I grinned. My adversary had no idea what he was dealing with. I stepped into the strike and cleaved horizontally-- CLANG The man must have reinforced his car with the same material. A sword that can cut through anything striking a shield that can't be cut... Who would have predicted the shield would win? I threw myself to the side, but it was too late - I awkwardly flipped over the hood, sending my beautiful sword flying and my shoulder slamming into the ground. I lay there, stunned, as the driver stepped out of the car. I couldn't see him - I was face down - but I couldn't let him take the Masamune. Determined, I rose to my feet and turned to face him, before I felt something sharp appear in my side. It was too small to be the sword, not painful enough to be a bullet, what could it be? The sudden surge of exhaustion gave me my answer: A tranquilizer dart. I lunged for the sword, desperately trying to reach it before the man did, but I couldn't seem to control my body. My eyelids became heavy, my whole body drooped towards the ground, and I heard the man say one sentence before I lost consciousness: "[SCP-572](http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-572) has been retrieved."	I flung the sword as far away as I could from me, panting. The sword clattered and struck the wall. No, I was dreaming. How the hell was I glowing? You only see that shit in movies... I slowly crawled towards the sword again, touching it. Again, the same aura around me, and a strange feeling of...utter strength. I gripped it again with my right hand and stood up...surprisingly fast. I waved it around, and the aura was still there. I ran around the field outside the house, and the aura was STILL there. Then, I decided to do something that sounded so stupid, but I thought, who the hell cares? I'm glowing like I turned Super Saiyan. Who knows what I can do? I ran into a tree as hard as I could. Not those thin, twiggy trees, but the thick, strong oak trees. And......nothing really happened to me... ...Except for the fact that I felled the tree like I was snapping a goddamn pencil. I laughed so hard tears began to well in my eyes. I was probably delusional at that point. Every time I stared at my golden aura around me, I cracked up again. When I stared at the stump of the tree, I laughed even harder. After a few minutes of me rolling around on the field crying from laughter, I finally came to my senses, picked up the sword, and put it in the back of my truck before heading home for the day. I needed someone to train me, so I could finally use this sword and do something with it. Scare bad guys, make a sick Halloween costume...the uses were endless. I had the biggest grin on my face as I turned onto the freeway. Finally, things were looking up.
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	“That oughta teach you some manners.” With a dramatic flutter of a gaudy black cape and a flick of a long red fingernail, that was it. I was "cursed". I could feel the magic setting in. It didn’t hurt as much as I would have thought a curse should hurt. If anything, it was just a pinch that faded quickly. “Uh… it’s a curse?” She scoffed and turned up her prominent nose. “What part of ‘curse’ don’t you understand? You think you can just do whatever you want if you wear a short enough skirt? Welcome to the real world, sweetie. Stay away from my man!" I glanced to the somewhat embarrassed-looking warlock behind her, trying his best not to make eye contact with me. It’s a big change from the bravado he had just a minute ago. “But he was the one—” She made a sharp gesture to cut off my objection. “Quiet! I hope you enjoy being repulsive to men for all eternity!” “But, I don’t even like—” She cackled and disappeared into a puff of smoke, the now completely deflated warlock disappearing after her in a distinctly underwhelming little poof. I looked around, but, of course, nobody else is here in the deserted smoking area behind the club. The black metal door to the club opened and a head of crew cut hair popped out. “Hey, there you are. I thought that guy figured out you didn’t actually go to the bathroom and cornered you or something. What’s wrong?” She noticed my baffled expression immediately, of course. “Uh… actually I think nothing…?” “Aw, are you sure? We can just go, if you want. I know you hate how guys are always bothering you and you don’t have to deal with it for my sake. Ugh, the perils of being a femme...” I thought about it for a long second and pulled the metal door open further to step back inside the club with her. “You know… I feel like things are going to start going a lot better.” She smiled. “Yeah, that’s the spirit! I knew things would work out. Did you see where that guy went? I should point him out to the bouncer.” “No, his girlfriend showed up and pitched a fit and dragged him off. I’m starting to think mages just don’t know what ‘lesbian’ means.” She laughed. “That would explain a lot. Come on, I’ll buy you a new drink.” I gave her a kiss and we went back inside to finally start enjoying our night. ... This was my first attempt at a prompt, so let me know how it was.	"I curse you to lose your manhood and become a woman!" I blinked. Blinked again. "So... the downside is...?" She smirked, as if she'd put me in checkmate. "You will never be a man again!" "...You do realize that this is 2019, right? People who think that being a woman is a punishment tend to get arrested for sexually harassing others." "But... you won't be... a man..." "Being a man was never important. Sure, periods will be annoying and pregnancies will be painful if I want kids, but my identity is based on me as a person, not what sort of flesh can I'm wearing." "But..." "Men who care about that sort of thing will be annoying. Especially those intending to commit crimes. But that's what concealed carry and martial arts are designed to overcome." "But..." "Really, the only things you've done is make me seem more innocent in the eyes of the law. Too many people have stereotypes about women that I can take advantage of. All I have to do is claim that I was sexually harassed and someone's life will be ruined." "That's not how-" "It's exactly how, with today's climate in this country. Proof is unneeded. Women stand up for each other even in the case of strangers. Really, the more I think of it, this is more a blessing than a curse." Enraged, the witch leaped at me and shook me by the shoulders. "I curse you to desire changing back into a man!" "Boy, have I got bad news for you about the existence of transsexuals..."
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	I took a deep breath, and started writing the text. Hey, wanted to say thanks for meeting me earlier for drinks. Truth is, I just didn't really feel any attraction though. I wish you all the best and hope you find what you're looking for. As I sent the text to the guy, I instantly regretted my wording. Maybe I should have put "chemistry" or something like that instead of attraction. Too late now though. I was sure he would take it well- he had been very nice after all. However, he was definitely a huge humblebrag, didn't let me get in two words all evening, and also got a little weird by constantly talking about his mom and how she came from a line of real sorceresses. OK, it was a LOT weird, and it was the kind of awful, uncomfortable date that made me consider to quit dating forever and accept the fact I would die alone surrounded by cats. DING Looked like he sent a message back already. You stupid ugly whore how dare you dump me why are all women so fucking shallow I'm the nicest fucking guy you'll ever meet you're not even that hot you're fat I'm telling my mom to put a cure on you bitch your going to regret this stupid whore I laughed. Nicest guy ever! Also, his mom was going to put a cure on me? I'm guessing he meant curse and that was either a typo or autocorrect. Didn't matter, the whole thing was beyond ridiculous. Oh well, dying alone surrounded by cats it is. I rolled my eyes thinking about how a grown man was running to tell on me to his mommy. Hopefully, she'd set him straight and tell him to grow the hell up. DING I sighed as I picked up my phone again. HOW DARE YOU REJECT MY BOY. YOU WILL SUFFER FOUR HURTING HIM. ATTRACTION IS ALL YOU WANT SO I CURSE YOU TO LIVING OUT THE REST OF YOUR LIFE WITH THE MOST ATTRACTIVE MAN YOU'VE EVER SEEN AND NOTHING CAN UNDO THIS CURSE. I blinked a few times and reread the message. I knew I should have just blocked both of them at this point, but I couldn't resist replying. I typed out: So...what's the downside again? Living out the rest of my life with the most attractive man I've ever seen sounds pretty great tbh Another DING rang out almost immediately. FUCK YOU FUCK THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO SAY UNATTRACTIVE FUCK WHY DID THAT CHANGE I HATE FUCKING TECHNOLOGY FUCK I CAN ONKY CURSE SOMETHING ONCE STUPID BITCH I HATE YOU FUCK After a good chuckle, I blocked them both. "What a bunch of nutcases," I thought to myself. Although, as far as curses go, I sure as hell wouldn't mind something like that happening to me. There was suddenly a knock on the door, and I jumped a mile in my seat. I cautiously went over to the door, and opened it the tiniest bit. Standing outside my apartment was the most gorgeous man I'd ever seen in my life. As I opened the door all the way he asked, "Uh, hey. Sorry to bother you. I just moved in earlier and uh, long story short would you have some double A batteries I could borrow? My TV remote is dead and I was really looking foward to browsing through Netflix for like twenty minutes before settling on rewatching The Office for the umpteenth time as I eat some luke warm Chinese delivery." Best. Curse. EVER.	"I curse you to lose your manhood and become a woman!" I blinked. Blinked again. "So... the downside is...?" She smirked, as if she'd put me in checkmate. "You will never be a man again!" "...You do realize that this is 2019, right? People who think that being a woman is a punishment tend to get arrested for sexually harassing others." "But... you won't be... a man..." "Being a man was never important. Sure, periods will be annoying and pregnancies will be painful if I want kids, but my identity is based on me as a person, not what sort of flesh can I'm wearing." "But..." "Men who care about that sort of thing will be annoying. Especially those intending to commit crimes. But that's what concealed carry and martial arts are designed to overcome." "But..." "Really, the only things you've done is make me seem more innocent in the eyes of the law. Too many people have stereotypes about women that I can take advantage of. All I have to do is claim that I was sexually harassed and someone's life will be ruined." "That's not how-" "It's exactly how, with today's climate in this country. Proof is unneeded. Women stand up for each other even in the case of strangers. Really, the more I think of it, this is more a blessing than a curse." Enraged, the witch leaped at me and shook me by the shoulders. "I curse you to desire changing back into a man!" "Boy, have I got bad news for you about the existence of transsexuals..."
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	I found myself on the floor, swimming in clothing several sizes too big for my new frame as the witch loomed over me. I could still hear the chanting ringing in my ears. “Yes... you turned out quite well. I see my curse was extremely effective,” she murmured delightedly. I brushed some newly grown hair out of my eyes and looked up at her with a growing smile I could only just contain. “What was that curse?” I asked as I looked over my new body with growing amusement. “It was one of my favorites, deary. Something that really used to make almost every knight and brave idiot that came to my door to slay me weep and moan.” “Almost everyone, huh?” I asked, suddenly amused by how she hadn’t yet grasped what was unfolding before her. “Yes, there were a few who seemed to quite enjoy the petite little bodies they suddenly found themselves in. They seemed very thankful for my ‘services’, and raced off into the unknown away from my dwelling.” I glanced up from my surprisingly lithe yet graceful looking body at her with a smile. “I think I’m in that second group.” She raised her eyebrow, but didn’t seem otherwise surprised. “Right, figured I could smell it on ya. I take it none of it sounds like a curse then, the de-aging, the new equipment down below, none of it? None of your friends and family will believe you’re you, you know.” I shook my head. “Oh, none of that sounds bad. I’ve wanted a body like his my entire life. And I’m not worried about friends or family. Don’t have any friends and my parents threw me out of the house when I came out.” A frown formed on her gently wrinkled, yet still quite beautiful face. “You’re still just a kid? I know times have changed, but kids usually stay with their parents past your age.” She sighed and sat down at a dark wooden table just inside her door after beckoning me inside her home. “And people call me evil. Bah.” I looked around at her home. Jars of many assortments were lined on the walls with fantastic looking contents while luminous lights above gently glowed in an assortment of colors. A broom was sweeping on its own next to her older looking stove, a cauldron attached on the top. Pictures lined her walls showing her next to other figures who I could only assume were other witches. I didn’t see any children in any of them. “Um, ma’am?” I said as I turned to her. “Yes, deary?” “It’s just that, well...” I trailed off. “Spit it out sweetie or I’ll get my truth telling serum,” she smiled softly. “I don’t know if you do this,” I began again more confidently this time, “but I would like to learn from you. I’d like to be a witch.” This seemed to catch her by surprise as her eyes widened and she blinked a few times. “The ways of Magick can only be taught by mother to daughter, you understand. Without such a connection, you would not be able to grasp any of it,” she said in a measured tone. I nodded, “I know, and I was wondering if, well...” she raised her eyebrow again and looked up at one of the jars on the wall. Sure enough, it was labeled “Truth Serum”. I forced myself to continue. “If that kind of relationship can be, well, a-adoptive?” I’d expected her to be speechless, or to react violently and throw me out. But I certainly did not expect to be engulfed in a tight, warm hug. “Yes, my child. That is definitely possible,” she sighed happily. I smiled. I was finally myself, and I’d found a new home. Sometimes it’s worth it to piss off a witch. ——————— Take this man, by nature and paternal son. Dig deep within and remove his sirable gun. If he lust after vengeance let him see. The reflection he now wears, a new face he be. Newly grown, long, luxurious hair. Frames around a face just as fair. May his body match and cause the other sex to wooden. Hear nature and myself call out lass, you are now woman.	"I curse you to lose your manhood and become a woman!" I blinked. Blinked again. "So... the downside is...?" She smirked, as if she'd put me in checkmate. "You will never be a man again!" "...You do realize that this is 2019, right? People who think that being a woman is a punishment tend to get arrested for sexually harassing others." "But... you won't be... a man..." "Being a man was never important. Sure, periods will be annoying and pregnancies will be painful if I want kids, but my identity is based on me as a person, not what sort of flesh can I'm wearing." "But..." "Men who care about that sort of thing will be annoying. Especially those intending to commit crimes. But that's what concealed carry and martial arts are designed to overcome." "But..." "Really, the only things you've done is make me seem more innocent in the eyes of the law. Too many people have stereotypes about women that I can take advantage of. All I have to do is claim that I was sexually harassed and someone's life will be ruined." "That's not how-" "It's exactly how, with today's climate in this country. Proof is unneeded. Women stand up for each other even in the case of strangers. Really, the more I think of it, this is more a blessing than a curse." Enraged, the witch leaped at me and shook me by the shoulders. "I curse you to desire changing back into a man!" "Boy, have I got bad news for you about the existence of transsexuals..."
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	Even the shriveled old witch was shocked at how quickly and all encompassing the spell had been on me. My brain was still there but the words I spoke and the motions I made were not triggered by that same mind. I got the sense by the look on her face that there was doubt already in her mind. Why, deep down, did I know what this curse was? She then confessed she had killed half of my family just moments before I arrived. I was too late, I knew she was telling the truth. I wanted to give up, never before had the urge to quit swelled so dramatically inside of me. Shockingly, my body burst into laughter as I skipped around the tower platform as if I was a child. The prisoners behind the purely evil entity in front of me took that as a sign they were all doomed. Her curse had been the end of hope. The wheels in my head were searching for answers. My memory only goes back to the moment after she spoke the name of the curse. “So far I’ve declared that I see only positives now that I a am victim to a curse that likely will end our civilization, I’ve laughed at the thought of my dead family members, and now as the grotesque creature in front of me disrobes, I find myself aroused physically, while mentally I am gagging.” I walk towards her as she draws me near, knowing my body can’t resist. It was right then, at that moment, when I realized what was happening. It was so obvious. She had cursed me with the “opposites attacked” curse the children used to joke about. It was a joke to the adults in the village, but its powers when used properly could take us down as I was quickly realizing. If I normally would have swelled with anger and avenged my family I laughed with a light hearted whistle playing through my lips, and then I felt it. The feeling I had controlled my entire life. Fear of failure. Failure was steps away...and I let it consume me this time. Completely. If I was wrong I just signed my own death warrant...handing this hideous creature the ability to mutilate the rest of my friends and family without a fight. I had never been more miserable, mentally sobbing and curled up in a fetal position having given up on everyone. So much so, that I almost didn’t notice my body flexing and crouching down into my most notorious attack position. The witch froze, exposed as much as she’d ever been due to her ego. A glimmer of hope entered my mind and the raged body I had built relaxed, so I immediately reminded myself of my family members I’d never see again. I may have truly given up at that moment because my body had never moved so confidently and quickly. With a singular motion I slid towards the witch, grabbed the sword I had conceded minutes before and slammed that beautiful weapon into her disgusting chest! That wasn’t enough for the body reversing every emotion I was feeling. “I will never kiss my wife again.” The sword pulled from her chest and swung around cutting through her thin neck with barely any resistance. What people saw was me energized, and alive. As the witch’s curse faded due to her demise, the survivors cheered until they noticed me crumbling physically. Lives had been saved. I’m sure I was happy about that somewhere inside. Unfortunately I had just given in to every negative feeling I had fought for my entire life. All energy I had ever put towards becoming a great Man, Father, Husband, Son, and Friend felt erased. Where do I go from here. The survivors needed strength and to be led away from even more danger in the coming days. Unfortunately I could no longer provide that to them. At that moment I stood up, walked over to the prisoners, freed them from their cages, and started walking back towards the area we now called home. Deep down I knew, at my age there was no coming back from what had just happened, and from the demons I had let take over my mind. There simply wasn’t enough time left in my life to make any real progress in repairing the wounds I allowed to rot in my mind. When the group and I arrived home I chose to act immediately. I had made up my mind. I entered the tent of one of the younger females I knew. She was quite beautiful and easy to recognize. She was the most promising young sorceress we had seen in years. The group watched me disappear into the tent. I spoke softly into her ear the words I knew I had to say. She screamed, demanding answers from me. When she looked into my eyes she knew it was real. As I walked out of the tent I gave a victory cheer with fists raised as high as they would go, all but a few villagers screamed in excitement. “We March North,” I declared. More cheers. Inside I missed my family. I didn’t care about anything the world had to offer. I had no desire to overcome whatever obstacles lied ahead. So I further accepted misery and grief, knowing that the pain from the loss of my family would likely allow this body of mine to lead my friends to bigger and better things. For now, and for the rest of my days, my only mission was to sink further and further into despair.	"I curse you to lose your manhood and become a woman!" I blinked. Blinked again. "So... the downside is...?" She smirked, as if she'd put me in checkmate. "You will never be a man again!" "...You do realize that this is 2019, right? People who think that being a woman is a punishment tend to get arrested for sexually harassing others." "But... you won't be... a man..." "Being a man was never important. Sure, periods will be annoying and pregnancies will be painful if I want kids, but my identity is based on me as a person, not what sort of flesh can I'm wearing." "But..." "Men who care about that sort of thing will be annoying. Especially those intending to commit crimes. But that's what concealed carry and martial arts are designed to overcome." "But..." "Really, the only things you've done is make me seem more innocent in the eyes of the law. Too many people have stereotypes about women that I can take advantage of. All I have to do is claim that I was sexually harassed and someone's life will be ruined." "That's not how-" "It's exactly how, with today's climate in this country. Proof is unneeded. Women stand up for each other even in the case of strangers. Really, the more I think of it, this is more a blessing than a curse." Enraged, the witch leaped at me and shook me by the shoulders. "I curse you to desire changing back into a man!" "Boy, have I got bad news for you about the existence of transsexuals..."
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	(Disclaimer: written at midnight) It’s a sort of unspoken rule of the neighborhood. Don’t bother the witch, and she’ll leave you alone. Nobody knows how long she’s been here. She was there when my parents first moved in, years before I was born. Ruth Johnson says the witch was there when she was a little girl, hasn’t aged a day, and nobody knew anything about her then, either. It’s easier to just ignore her. That way nobody gets cursed or dead from her, and everyone is happy. It’s my own stupidity that lands me in the situation I’m in one day near the end of the school year. In my defense, I did my last two final exams today. My brain is fried. I’m just listening to music on my phone as I walk home from the subway station, drinking a Snapple trying not to think. Is Mom home yet? I open up the “find friends” app, trying to track her location. Okay, she’s still at the airpo— As I return my phone to my pocket, my Snapple slips from my grasp. The bottle falls, the plastic not breaking, but the drink spills (dammit, I paid money for that) and it does so on the witch’s walkway. Shit. I’m frozen for a moment, staring at the spill in horror. That moment is all I get before I hear the door slam open. “Who has done this?” I haven’t heard the witch’s voice a lot, in the grand scheme of things, but I’m familiar enough with it that I can place it immediately. And right now, it’s full of wrath. “You!” She walks down the path, stopping in front of the offending spill. “You have desecrated my property!” It was just a Snapple, but you don’t say that to someone who looks ready to kill you. “You will pay for this!” I feel my shoulders tense as she begins to recite incantations in a language I don’t speak, but it’s probably Latin, because it’s always Latin. I think she’s cursing me. “With this curse,” yep, there it is, “no man shall ever love you.” Huh? “Uh,” I probably shouldn’t be questioning the curse an honest-to-God witch just placed on me, but what can I say, “we’re talking romantic love only, right?” The witch nods. “Correct. You may form friendships or familial relationships with men, but not one of them will ever see you as a desirable romantic partner.” I blink a few times. “So, um. What exactly is the downside here again?” She frowns. “Men will not fall in love with you.” “Yeah.” I nod. “And?” I should not be baiting her, but I lack common sense. “And…that is all. I am not disproportionately cruel.” “I’m completely chill with this,” I deadpan. “But…how? I have doomed you to live a loveless life! You are only a teenager; you will never find love!” “Ma’am, that’s cool and all, but you’ve actually done me a huge favor.” I begin to slowly walk away. “You see, I’m a fucking lesbian.” I speed up my walk then, but not before I hear a, “Damn it.” Well, I’m definitely telling my family about this tonight. I was planning to come out soon, anyway. Guess I’ll be killing two birds with one stone. But first, I need to go buy a new Snapple.	"I curse you to lose your manhood and become a woman!" I blinked. Blinked again. "So... the downside is...?" She smirked, as if she'd put me in checkmate. "You will never be a man again!" "...You do realize that this is 2019, right? People who think that being a woman is a punishment tend to get arrested for sexually harassing others." "But... you won't be... a man..." "Being a man was never important. Sure, periods will be annoying and pregnancies will be painful if I want kids, but my identity is based on me as a person, not what sort of flesh can I'm wearing." "But..." "Men who care about that sort of thing will be annoying. Especially those intending to commit crimes. But that's what concealed carry and martial arts are designed to overcome." "But..." "Really, the only things you've done is make me seem more innocent in the eyes of the law. Too many people have stereotypes about women that I can take advantage of. All I have to do is claim that I was sexually harassed and someone's life will be ruined." "That's not how-" "It's exactly how, with today's climate in this country. Proof is unneeded. Women stand up for each other even in the case of strangers. Really, the more I think of it, this is more a blessing than a curse." Enraged, the witch leaped at me and shook me by the shoulders. "I curse you to desire changing back into a man!" "Boy, have I got bad news for you about the existence of transsexuals..."
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	"I curse you! No longer will falsehoods or any form of unkindness, yours or otherwise, be able to exist around you!" The witch howled at me. I smiled lazily at her. "And?" I asked her. The girl was mildly bewildered. "And... And you will steal the burden of all who ask for help!" She pointed at me, her face triumphant. "So... what was the downside again?" I said as I sat down. The child was really bothered that I accidentally stepped on a black cats tail. I admit I did hurt it, but honestly a black cat when it's night out hiding in the bushes is a little difficult to spot. I already apologized but the girl ignored the apology to curse at me. I figured she was one of those kids who kept ignoring adults until they were satisfied, so I let her have her way. But honestly... she's just too cute! She's probably like 7 years old and dressed like a Halloween witch, and all her curses have been so harmless sounding. "Um... You move faster than everyone else. And I also curse you to be unbearably gentle! You aren't able to hurt anyone, even on accident, and all your punches will do is make people a tiny bit dizzy!" She spat out furiously. When she finished, she stuck her tongue out at me and disappeared with her black cat. I stood up, but when I tried to take a step, vines made of darkness grabbed my limbs and sunk into them. They turned into tattoos. I tried to brush them off in shock, but they were there to stay. Since I couldn't do anything about it, I just shrugged my shoulders, returned home, and went to bed. When I woke up the next morning, I realized I was running late to my part time job. I ran to the bathroom, got ready for the day and changed before glancing at the clock again. Only a minute had passed."That can't be right..." I muttered. I decided to leave for work anyways, since I was ready. I walked outside my apartment, and walked down the steps. Everything seemed to be normal. Later that day, a pile of work was thrust at me. "We have to get this in today or the end of year bonuses aren't happening!" My coworker told me in a panic as she handed me a thick stack that I could never finish at my normal pace, but maybe I could if I focused. So I rolled my shoulders and began to quickly look through the documents. I didn't feel particularly focused, so perhaps thats why I noticed my neighboring coworker was moving at a snails pace. I stopped what I was doing to stare, because it was odd to throw water at your face accidentally in slow motion. Once I stopped focusing, time quickly sped up and I watched her get dosed with water. "Ugh." She said. "Are you alright?" I asked her even though I was still somewhat baffled. "Yeah I'm fine, but think you could help me get a towel? I can't see." She said politely. Before I could agree, the water on her disappeared... and instead I was soaking wet. And blind. "..." She went silent with shock. "... Apparently I got cursed last night." I said simply. She laughed and brought me a towel. Once I could see her again, I saw her wonderful smile. "What kind of curse?" She said laughingly. I glanced at her name tag. Persephone. After I told her the whole story, she burst out laughing. "I guess being a superhero is a kind of curse." She managed to choke out between her bouts of infectious laughter. "We should get back to work." Persephone said after she calmed down. "You're right." So I focused and blitzed through the documents, but... all the errors my superior had mentioned were gone. "Thats strange..." Persephone muttered. "What is?" I asked. "This morning I went through and found the cents for much of my work was backwards. It always made the cents spent more on our spreadsheet then we actually spent. But... they're all fixed. Yet the total income minus expenses doesn't match what's in our account anymore..." Persephone stated a perplexing reality. After a moment, I thought I figured it out. "Did I mention apparently no falsehood can exist around me? Maybe this is what little miss witch meant." Persephone's eyes sparkled. "Meaning all inaccuracies get corrected in your presence?" "I suppose?" The rest of the day, Persephone waved her papers in my general direction before taking it away to verify the inaccuracies of others reports as compared to the one my new power corrected. She tracked down an embezzler we knew was hiding in our ranks but could never manage to identify. She was so capable, and I deeply admired her intelligence. One co worker commented on the fact we spent most of the day together and asked if I liked her or something. I was attempting to deny it out of embarrassment. "Yes. Very much so." Spilled form my lips instead of No, absolutely not. I tried to clarify I meant as a friend, although I did respect her. "As a romantic interest. However I respect her very much and I'd appreciate it if you didn't ask questions that might make her uncomfortable." I fluently said. I immediately face palmed. Our coworker whistled. "Bold move." Before walking away. "Good luck." He called over his shoulder. "I'm sorry." I said to her. "Don't be. I'm super happy you said that, actually." Persephone seemed startled by her own words. "Really? Why?" I asked her. "I've been crushing on you for three years. You were always very competent and reliable. When we got the chance to talk a few months ago because of your curse I was overjoyed." She clapped her hands over her mouth. I grinned sheepishly. "You would want to go on a date sometime, wouldn't you?" I asked her. "Yes..." Persephone smiled helplessly.	"I curse you to lose your manhood and become a woman!" I blinked. Blinked again. "So... the downside is...?" She smirked, as if she'd put me in checkmate. "You will never be a man again!" "...You do realize that this is 2019, right? People who think that being a woman is a punishment tend to get arrested for sexually harassing others." "But... you won't be... a man..." "Being a man was never important. Sure, periods will be annoying and pregnancies will be painful if I want kids, but my identity is based on me as a person, not what sort of flesh can I'm wearing." "But..." "Men who care about that sort of thing will be annoying. Especially those intending to commit crimes. But that's what concealed carry and martial arts are designed to overcome." "But..." "Really, the only things you've done is make me seem more innocent in the eyes of the law. Too many people have stereotypes about women that I can take advantage of. All I have to do is claim that I was sexually harassed and someone's life will be ruined." "That's not how-" "It's exactly how, with today's climate in this country. Proof is unneeded. Women stand up for each other even in the case of strangers. Really, the more I think of it, this is more a blessing than a curse." Enraged, the witch leaped at me and shook me by the shoulders. "I curse you to desire changing back into a man!" "Boy, have I got bad news for you about the existence of transsexuals..."
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	“That oughta teach you some manners.” With a dramatic flutter of a gaudy black cape and a flick of a long red fingernail, that was it. I was "cursed". I could feel the magic setting in. It didn’t hurt as much as I would have thought a curse should hurt. If anything, it was just a pinch that faded quickly. “Uh… it’s a curse?” She scoffed and turned up her prominent nose. “What part of ‘curse’ don’t you understand? You think you can just do whatever you want if you wear a short enough skirt? Welcome to the real world, sweetie. Stay away from my man!" I glanced to the somewhat embarrassed-looking warlock behind her, trying his best not to make eye contact with me. It’s a big change from the bravado he had just a minute ago. “But he was the one—” She made a sharp gesture to cut off my objection. “Quiet! I hope you enjoy being repulsive to men for all eternity!” “But, I don’t even like—” She cackled and disappeared into a puff of smoke, the now completely deflated warlock disappearing after her in a distinctly underwhelming little poof. I looked around, but, of course, nobody else is here in the deserted smoking area behind the club. The black metal door to the club opened and a head of crew cut hair popped out. “Hey, there you are. I thought that guy figured out you didn’t actually go to the bathroom and cornered you or something. What’s wrong?” She noticed my baffled expression immediately, of course. “Uh… actually I think nothing…?” “Aw, are you sure? We can just go, if you want. I know you hate how guys are always bothering you and you don’t have to deal with it for my sake. Ugh, the perils of being a femme...” I thought about it for a long second and pulled the metal door open further to step back inside the club with her. “You know… I feel like things are going to start going a lot better.” She smiled. “Yeah, that’s the spirit! I knew things would work out. Did you see where that guy went? I should point him out to the bouncer.” “No, his girlfriend showed up and pitched a fit and dragged him off. I’m starting to think mages just don’t know what ‘lesbian’ means.” She laughed. “That would explain a lot. Come on, I’ll buy you a new drink.” I gave her a kiss and we went back inside to finally start enjoying our night. ... This was my first attempt at a prompt, so let me know how it was.	"So... What's the downside again?" Timmy asked, admiring the little girl in front of him. That girl looked as if she was not older than twelve years old but she behaved as if she was in her late twenties, very elegant late twenties. The little girl calmly picked up her cup of tea and drank it as though she had all the time in the world. Well, she did live over eighty years already, so she had seen enough to know that she did had all the time she want as she enjoyed the smell of freshly baked bread filled the air. "All I have to do is feed those two puppies, take them to walk sometimes and drag them through an automated car wash if they ever need a shower. Are you sure that is a curse, little girl?" Timmy asked again impatiently. He may have admired the elegant young girl in front of her but he definitely do not think that the girl was old enough to know what she was talking about. "You will know, in time." The little girl looked at her cup as she gently placed it back on the saucer. Without saying anything else, she left the bakery. "Oh!" The little girl turned back suddenly to remind Timmy, "And if anything happens to them, it will happen to you too. But if something happens to you, nothing will happen to them." She smiled cheerfully after the message, and left for good this time round. "It's just two puppies. Yeah, sure, I did throw a few rocks at them, but that does not make them my responsibilities." Timmy said resentfully as he made funny faces at them shivering outside the bakery. "Time to go back to work. Mr Kane is not going to be happy if I did not sort out those files in time." Timmy said as he decided to give those puppies a kick one last time for the random trouble that they had caused him. "Oof!" Timmy fell onto the ground as something hit him really hard in the stomach. He turned around to look for the culprit but there was no one there, except those two puppies. He stared suspiciously at those shivering puppies. Slowly, Timmy stood up, holding the wall next to him as support. "Oof!" Timmy yelled again as he decided to kick the puppies again. "If anything happens to them, it will happen to you too." Timmy recalled what that little girl said. Now, whether he liked it or not, he will have to keep those puppies to keep himself from harm. \\\* "Hey, eat from the bowl! And you, stop playing with the water!" Timmy yelled as he watched the puppies eat. They kept making a mess of everything the minute their eyes were open. "Do not pull the blanket apart!" He yelled as one of the puppies tried to shred the blanket. He was too focused to realize that the other puppy was going to pee on it. "NOOOOO!" Timmy gave up, sitting on the floor next to the cage. He had a very stylish minimalist apartment, where most of his stuff were in black and white tone. Each surface shined as though it was cleaned every minute and unused items were all kept away in the cupboard. It was clean and simple, until this cage appeared. The cage was ugly, out of place, noisy and smelly. The puppies would not stop going to toilet at random places and Timmy had to keep cleaning it again and again. It drove him crazy. The internet said it would get better as they grow up. He hoped that is the case, for they were already driving him nuts. \\\* "Pebbles! Over here!" Timmy yelled at Pebbles as he ran too far away in the open park. "Come Pebbles, come!" From his left side, Rocky ran towards him as well. Both dogs jumped on him at the same time and knocked him over. Instead of losing his temper, he rolled over and rubbed their bellies. "Who's the good boy? Oh, who's the good boy?" He asked as he rubbed their bellies happily. The three of them ended up lying on the grass as Timmy looked up to the sky. He was so used to the dogs that he could not imagined a life without them. A year ago, he took care of the dogs because he had to, but now, he took care of the dogs because he wanted to, because he loved them and wanted them to be happy. The cage in the apartment had turned into a huge bed for the two of them, with their toys everywhere on the floor. He was not even angry when Rocky tried to mark his head a week ago while he was sleeping. "Come thingies. Time to go home." As he stood up, he felt his chest tightening and he could not breathe. Pebbles and Rocky thought he was trying to play with them, and were jumping around him. He tried to walk it off but the tightening intensified and he collapsed onto the grass. "Hi, remember me?" Timmy looked as a girl came from a distance. "I see you have made friends with those that you bullied a while ago." Cold sweat were dripping down his face, his lips turning white. "Oh no, you looked like something is wrong." The little girl from a year back squatted down to observe his face a little closer. "Can you imagine what will happen to your two puppies if something were to happened to you? Will they just think that you have abandoned them? Without you, they will not be able to go back to your apartment, they will have to roam the streets, rain and shine. I have read some stories where the owners had passed away but the dogs waited forever for an owner that will never come back. Do you think that will happen to you too?" The little girl said with an innocent voice. Timmy tried to focus on her but the pain was too overwhelming. He shut his eyes to get some rest. "I did not curse you to take care of these two, but to be bound by them even after death. That is your punishment for bullying them. The downside? You will not find peace even after death, once because you hate them but now bacause you love them."
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	I took a deep breath, and started writing the text. Hey, wanted to say thanks for meeting me earlier for drinks. Truth is, I just didn't really feel any attraction though. I wish you all the best and hope you find what you're looking for. As I sent the text to the guy, I instantly regretted my wording. Maybe I should have put "chemistry" or something like that instead of attraction. Too late now though. I was sure he would take it well- he had been very nice after all. However, he was definitely a huge humblebrag, didn't let me get in two words all evening, and also got a little weird by constantly talking about his mom and how she came from a line of real sorceresses. OK, it was a LOT weird, and it was the kind of awful, uncomfortable date that made me consider to quit dating forever and accept the fact I would die alone surrounded by cats. DING Looked like he sent a message back already. You stupid ugly whore how dare you dump me why are all women so fucking shallow I'm the nicest fucking guy you'll ever meet you're not even that hot you're fat I'm telling my mom to put a cure on you bitch your going to regret this stupid whore I laughed. Nicest guy ever! Also, his mom was going to put a cure on me? I'm guessing he meant curse and that was either a typo or autocorrect. Didn't matter, the whole thing was beyond ridiculous. Oh well, dying alone surrounded by cats it is. I rolled my eyes thinking about how a grown man was running to tell on me to his mommy. Hopefully, she'd set him straight and tell him to grow the hell up. DING I sighed as I picked up my phone again. HOW DARE YOU REJECT MY BOY. YOU WILL SUFFER FOUR HURTING HIM. ATTRACTION IS ALL YOU WANT SO I CURSE YOU TO LIVING OUT THE REST OF YOUR LIFE WITH THE MOST ATTRACTIVE MAN YOU'VE EVER SEEN AND NOTHING CAN UNDO THIS CURSE. I blinked a few times and reread the message. I knew I should have just blocked both of them at this point, but I couldn't resist replying. I typed out: So...what's the downside again? Living out the rest of my life with the most attractive man I've ever seen sounds pretty great tbh Another DING rang out almost immediately. FUCK YOU FUCK THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO SAY UNATTRACTIVE FUCK WHY DID THAT CHANGE I HATE FUCKING TECHNOLOGY FUCK I CAN ONKY CURSE SOMETHING ONCE STUPID BITCH I HATE YOU FUCK After a good chuckle, I blocked them both. "What a bunch of nutcases," I thought to myself. Although, as far as curses go, I sure as hell wouldn't mind something like that happening to me. There was suddenly a knock on the door, and I jumped a mile in my seat. I cautiously went over to the door, and opened it the tiniest bit. Standing outside my apartment was the most gorgeous man I'd ever seen in my life. As I opened the door all the way he asked, "Uh, hey. Sorry to bother you. I just moved in earlier and uh, long story short would you have some double A batteries I could borrow? My TV remote is dead and I was really looking foward to browsing through Netflix for like twenty minutes before settling on rewatching The Office for the umpteenth time as I eat some luke warm Chinese delivery." Best. Curse. EVER.	"So... What's the downside again?" Timmy asked, admiring the little girl in front of him. That girl looked as if she was not older than twelve years old but she behaved as if she was in her late twenties, very elegant late twenties. The little girl calmly picked up her cup of tea and drank it as though she had all the time in the world. Well, she did live over eighty years already, so she had seen enough to know that she did had all the time she want as she enjoyed the smell of freshly baked bread filled the air. "All I have to do is feed those two puppies, take them to walk sometimes and drag them through an automated car wash if they ever need a shower. Are you sure that is a curse, little girl?" Timmy asked again impatiently. He may have admired the elegant young girl in front of her but he definitely do not think that the girl was old enough to know what she was talking about. "You will know, in time." The little girl looked at her cup as she gently placed it back on the saucer. Without saying anything else, she left the bakery. "Oh!" The little girl turned back suddenly to remind Timmy, "And if anything happens to them, it will happen to you too. But if something happens to you, nothing will happen to them." She smiled cheerfully after the message, and left for good this time round. "It's just two puppies. Yeah, sure, I did throw a few rocks at them, but that does not make them my responsibilities." Timmy said resentfully as he made funny faces at them shivering outside the bakery. "Time to go back to work. Mr Kane is not going to be happy if I did not sort out those files in time." Timmy said as he decided to give those puppies a kick one last time for the random trouble that they had caused him. "Oof!" Timmy fell onto the ground as something hit him really hard in the stomach. He turned around to look for the culprit but there was no one there, except those two puppies. He stared suspiciously at those shivering puppies. Slowly, Timmy stood up, holding the wall next to him as support. "Oof!" Timmy yelled again as he decided to kick the puppies again. "If anything happens to them, it will happen to you too." Timmy recalled what that little girl said. Now, whether he liked it or not, he will have to keep those puppies to keep himself from harm. \\\* "Hey, eat from the bowl! And you, stop playing with the water!" Timmy yelled as he watched the puppies eat. They kept making a mess of everything the minute their eyes were open. "Do not pull the blanket apart!" He yelled as one of the puppies tried to shred the blanket. He was too focused to realize that the other puppy was going to pee on it. "NOOOOO!" Timmy gave up, sitting on the floor next to the cage. He had a very stylish minimalist apartment, where most of his stuff were in black and white tone. Each surface shined as though it was cleaned every minute and unused items were all kept away in the cupboard. It was clean and simple, until this cage appeared. The cage was ugly, out of place, noisy and smelly. The puppies would not stop going to toilet at random places and Timmy had to keep cleaning it again and again. It drove him crazy. The internet said it would get better as they grow up. He hoped that is the case, for they were already driving him nuts. \\\* "Pebbles! Over here!" Timmy yelled at Pebbles as he ran too far away in the open park. "Come Pebbles, come!" From his left side, Rocky ran towards him as well. Both dogs jumped on him at the same time and knocked him over. Instead of losing his temper, he rolled over and rubbed their bellies. "Who's the good boy? Oh, who's the good boy?" He asked as he rubbed their bellies happily. The three of them ended up lying on the grass as Timmy looked up to the sky. He was so used to the dogs that he could not imagined a life without them. A year ago, he took care of the dogs because he had to, but now, he took care of the dogs because he wanted to, because he loved them and wanted them to be happy. The cage in the apartment had turned into a huge bed for the two of them, with their toys everywhere on the floor. He was not even angry when Rocky tried to mark his head a week ago while he was sleeping. "Come thingies. Time to go home." As he stood up, he felt his chest tightening and he could not breathe. Pebbles and Rocky thought he was trying to play with them, and were jumping around him. He tried to walk it off but the tightening intensified and he collapsed onto the grass. "Hi, remember me?" Timmy looked as a girl came from a distance. "I see you have made friends with those that you bullied a while ago." Cold sweat were dripping down his face, his lips turning white. "Oh no, you looked like something is wrong." The little girl from a year back squatted down to observe his face a little closer. "Can you imagine what will happen to your two puppies if something were to happened to you? Will they just think that you have abandoned them? Without you, they will not be able to go back to your apartment, they will have to roam the streets, rain and shine. I have read some stories where the owners had passed away but the dogs waited forever for an owner that will never come back. Do you think that will happen to you too?" The little girl said with an innocent voice. Timmy tried to focus on her but the pain was too overwhelming. He shut his eyes to get some rest. "I did not curse you to take care of these two, but to be bound by them even after death. That is your punishment for bullying them. The downside? You will not find peace even after death, once because you hate them but now bacause you love them."
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	I found myself on the floor, swimming in clothing several sizes too big for my new frame as the witch loomed over me. I could still hear the chanting ringing in my ears. “Yes... you turned out quite well. I see my curse was extremely effective,” she murmured delightedly. I brushed some newly grown hair out of my eyes and looked up at her with a growing smile I could only just contain. “What was that curse?” I asked as I looked over my new body with growing amusement. “It was one of my favorites, deary. Something that really used to make almost every knight and brave idiot that came to my door to slay me weep and moan.” “Almost everyone, huh?” I asked, suddenly amused by how she hadn’t yet grasped what was unfolding before her. “Yes, there were a few who seemed to quite enjoy the petite little bodies they suddenly found themselves in. They seemed very thankful for my ‘services’, and raced off into the unknown away from my dwelling.” I glanced up from my surprisingly lithe yet graceful looking body at her with a smile. “I think I’m in that second group.” She raised her eyebrow, but didn’t seem otherwise surprised. “Right, figured I could smell it on ya. I take it none of it sounds like a curse then, the de-aging, the new equipment down below, none of it? None of your friends and family will believe you’re you, you know.” I shook my head. “Oh, none of that sounds bad. I’ve wanted a body like his my entire life. And I’m not worried about friends or family. Don’t have any friends and my parents threw me out of the house when I came out.” A frown formed on her gently wrinkled, yet still quite beautiful face. “You’re still just a kid? I know times have changed, but kids usually stay with their parents past your age.” She sighed and sat down at a dark wooden table just inside her door after beckoning me inside her home. “And people call me evil. Bah.” I looked around at her home. Jars of many assortments were lined on the walls with fantastic looking contents while luminous lights above gently glowed in an assortment of colors. A broom was sweeping on its own next to her older looking stove, a cauldron attached on the top. Pictures lined her walls showing her next to other figures who I could only assume were other witches. I didn’t see any children in any of them. “Um, ma’am?” I said as I turned to her. “Yes, deary?” “It’s just that, well...” I trailed off. “Spit it out sweetie or I’ll get my truth telling serum,” she smiled softly. “I don’t know if you do this,” I began again more confidently this time, “but I would like to learn from you. I’d like to be a witch.” This seemed to catch her by surprise as her eyes widened and she blinked a few times. “The ways of Magick can only be taught by mother to daughter, you understand. Without such a connection, you would not be able to grasp any of it,” she said in a measured tone. I nodded, “I know, and I was wondering if, well...” she raised her eyebrow again and looked up at one of the jars on the wall. Sure enough, it was labeled “Truth Serum”. I forced myself to continue. “If that kind of relationship can be, well, a-adoptive?” I’d expected her to be speechless, or to react violently and throw me out. But I certainly did not expect to be engulfed in a tight, warm hug. “Yes, my child. That is definitely possible,” she sighed happily. I smiled. I was finally myself, and I’d found a new home. Sometimes it’s worth it to piss off a witch. ——————— Take this man, by nature and paternal son. Dig deep within and remove his sirable gun. If he lust after vengeance let him see. The reflection he now wears, a new face he be. Newly grown, long, luxurious hair. Frames around a face just as fair. May his body match and cause the other sex to wooden. Hear nature and myself call out lass, you are now woman.	"So... What's the downside again?" Timmy asked, admiring the little girl in front of him. That girl looked as if she was not older than twelve years old but she behaved as if she was in her late twenties, very elegant late twenties. The little girl calmly picked up her cup of tea and drank it as though she had all the time in the world. Well, she did live over eighty years already, so she had seen enough to know that she did had all the time she want as she enjoyed the smell of freshly baked bread filled the air. "All I have to do is feed those two puppies, take them to walk sometimes and drag them through an automated car wash if they ever need a shower. Are you sure that is a curse, little girl?" Timmy asked again impatiently. He may have admired the elegant young girl in front of her but he definitely do not think that the girl was old enough to know what she was talking about. "You will know, in time." The little girl looked at her cup as she gently placed it back on the saucer. Without saying anything else, she left the bakery. "Oh!" The little girl turned back suddenly to remind Timmy, "And if anything happens to them, it will happen to you too. But if something happens to you, nothing will happen to them." She smiled cheerfully after the message, and left for good this time round. "It's just two puppies. Yeah, sure, I did throw a few rocks at them, but that does not make them my responsibilities." Timmy said resentfully as he made funny faces at them shivering outside the bakery. "Time to go back to work. Mr Kane is not going to be happy if I did not sort out those files in time." Timmy said as he decided to give those puppies a kick one last time for the random trouble that they had caused him. "Oof!" Timmy fell onto the ground as something hit him really hard in the stomach. He turned around to look for the culprit but there was no one there, except those two puppies. He stared suspiciously at those shivering puppies. Slowly, Timmy stood up, holding the wall next to him as support. "Oof!" Timmy yelled again as he decided to kick the puppies again. "If anything happens to them, it will happen to you too." Timmy recalled what that little girl said. Now, whether he liked it or not, he will have to keep those puppies to keep himself from harm. \\\* "Hey, eat from the bowl! And you, stop playing with the water!" Timmy yelled as he watched the puppies eat. They kept making a mess of everything the minute their eyes were open. "Do not pull the blanket apart!" He yelled as one of the puppies tried to shred the blanket. He was too focused to realize that the other puppy was going to pee on it. "NOOOOO!" Timmy gave up, sitting on the floor next to the cage. He had a very stylish minimalist apartment, where most of his stuff were in black and white tone. Each surface shined as though it was cleaned every minute and unused items were all kept away in the cupboard. It was clean and simple, until this cage appeared. The cage was ugly, out of place, noisy and smelly. The puppies would not stop going to toilet at random places and Timmy had to keep cleaning it again and again. It drove him crazy. The internet said it would get better as they grow up. He hoped that is the case, for they were already driving him nuts. \\\* "Pebbles! Over here!" Timmy yelled at Pebbles as he ran too far away in the open park. "Come Pebbles, come!" From his left side, Rocky ran towards him as well. Both dogs jumped on him at the same time and knocked him over. Instead of losing his temper, he rolled over and rubbed their bellies. "Who's the good boy? Oh, who's the good boy?" He asked as he rubbed their bellies happily. The three of them ended up lying on the grass as Timmy looked up to the sky. He was so used to the dogs that he could not imagined a life without them. A year ago, he took care of the dogs because he had to, but now, he took care of the dogs because he wanted to, because he loved them and wanted them to be happy. The cage in the apartment had turned into a huge bed for the two of them, with their toys everywhere on the floor. He was not even angry when Rocky tried to mark his head a week ago while he was sleeping. "Come thingies. Time to go home." As he stood up, he felt his chest tightening and he could not breathe. Pebbles and Rocky thought he was trying to play with them, and were jumping around him. He tried to walk it off but the tightening intensified and he collapsed onto the grass. "Hi, remember me?" Timmy looked as a girl came from a distance. "I see you have made friends with those that you bullied a while ago." Cold sweat were dripping down his face, his lips turning white. "Oh no, you looked like something is wrong." The little girl from a year back squatted down to observe his face a little closer. "Can you imagine what will happen to your two puppies if something were to happened to you? Will they just think that you have abandoned them? Without you, they will not be able to go back to your apartment, they will have to roam the streets, rain and shine. I have read some stories where the owners had passed away but the dogs waited forever for an owner that will never come back. Do you think that will happen to you too?" The little girl said with an innocent voice. Timmy tried to focus on her but the pain was too overwhelming. He shut his eyes to get some rest. "I did not curse you to take care of these two, but to be bound by them even after death. That is your punishment for bullying them. The downside? You will not find peace even after death, once because you hate them but now bacause you love them."
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	(Disclaimer: written at midnight) It’s a sort of unspoken rule of the neighborhood. Don’t bother the witch, and she’ll leave you alone. Nobody knows how long she’s been here. She was there when my parents first moved in, years before I was born. Ruth Johnson says the witch was there when she was a little girl, hasn’t aged a day, and nobody knew anything about her then, either. It’s easier to just ignore her. That way nobody gets cursed or dead from her, and everyone is happy. It’s my own stupidity that lands me in the situation I’m in one day near the end of the school year. In my defense, I did my last two final exams today. My brain is fried. I’m just listening to music on my phone as I walk home from the subway station, drinking a Snapple trying not to think. Is Mom home yet? I open up the “find friends” app, trying to track her location. Okay, she’s still at the airpo— As I return my phone to my pocket, my Snapple slips from my grasp. The bottle falls, the plastic not breaking, but the drink spills (dammit, I paid money for that) and it does so on the witch’s walkway. Shit. I’m frozen for a moment, staring at the spill in horror. That moment is all I get before I hear the door slam open. “Who has done this?” I haven’t heard the witch’s voice a lot, in the grand scheme of things, but I’m familiar enough with it that I can place it immediately. And right now, it’s full of wrath. “You!” She walks down the path, stopping in front of the offending spill. “You have desecrated my property!” It was just a Snapple, but you don’t say that to someone who looks ready to kill you. “You will pay for this!” I feel my shoulders tense as she begins to recite incantations in a language I don’t speak, but it’s probably Latin, because it’s always Latin. I think she’s cursing me. “With this curse,” yep, there it is, “no man shall ever love you.” Huh? “Uh,” I probably shouldn’t be questioning the curse an honest-to-God witch just placed on me, but what can I say, “we’re talking romantic love only, right?” The witch nods. “Correct. You may form friendships or familial relationships with men, but not one of them will ever see you as a desirable romantic partner.” I blink a few times. “So, um. What exactly is the downside here again?” She frowns. “Men will not fall in love with you.” “Yeah.” I nod. “And?” I should not be baiting her, but I lack common sense. “And…that is all. I am not disproportionately cruel.” “I’m completely chill with this,” I deadpan. “But…how? I have doomed you to live a loveless life! You are only a teenager; you will never find love!” “Ma’am, that’s cool and all, but you’ve actually done me a huge favor.” I begin to slowly walk away. “You see, I’m a fucking lesbian.” I speed up my walk then, but not before I hear a, “Damn it.” Well, I’m definitely telling my family about this tonight. I was planning to come out soon, anyway. Guess I’ll be killing two birds with one stone. But first, I need to go buy a new Snapple.	"So... What's the downside again?" Timmy asked, admiring the little girl in front of him. That girl looked as if she was not older than twelve years old but she behaved as if she was in her late twenties, very elegant late twenties. The little girl calmly picked up her cup of tea and drank it as though she had all the time in the world. Well, she did live over eighty years already, so she had seen enough to know that she did had all the time she want as she enjoyed the smell of freshly baked bread filled the air. "All I have to do is feed those two puppies, take them to walk sometimes and drag them through an automated car wash if they ever need a shower. Are you sure that is a curse, little girl?" Timmy asked again impatiently. He may have admired the elegant young girl in front of her but he definitely do not think that the girl was old enough to know what she was talking about. "You will know, in time." The little girl looked at her cup as she gently placed it back on the saucer. Without saying anything else, she left the bakery. "Oh!" The little girl turned back suddenly to remind Timmy, "And if anything happens to them, it will happen to you too. But if something happens to you, nothing will happen to them." She smiled cheerfully after the message, and left for good this time round. "It's just two puppies. Yeah, sure, I did throw a few rocks at them, but that does not make them my responsibilities." Timmy said resentfully as he made funny faces at them shivering outside the bakery. "Time to go back to work. Mr Kane is not going to be happy if I did not sort out those files in time." Timmy said as he decided to give those puppies a kick one last time for the random trouble that they had caused him. "Oof!" Timmy fell onto the ground as something hit him really hard in the stomach. He turned around to look for the culprit but there was no one there, except those two puppies. He stared suspiciously at those shivering puppies. Slowly, Timmy stood up, holding the wall next to him as support. "Oof!" Timmy yelled again as he decided to kick the puppies again. "If anything happens to them, it will happen to you too." Timmy recalled what that little girl said. Now, whether he liked it or not, he will have to keep those puppies to keep himself from harm. \\\* "Hey, eat from the bowl! And you, stop playing with the water!" Timmy yelled as he watched the puppies eat. They kept making a mess of everything the minute their eyes were open. "Do not pull the blanket apart!" He yelled as one of the puppies tried to shred the blanket. He was too focused to realize that the other puppy was going to pee on it. "NOOOOO!" Timmy gave up, sitting on the floor next to the cage. He had a very stylish minimalist apartment, where most of his stuff were in black and white tone. Each surface shined as though it was cleaned every minute and unused items were all kept away in the cupboard. It was clean and simple, until this cage appeared. The cage was ugly, out of place, noisy and smelly. The puppies would not stop going to toilet at random places and Timmy had to keep cleaning it again and again. It drove him crazy. The internet said it would get better as they grow up. He hoped that is the case, for they were already driving him nuts. \\\* "Pebbles! Over here!" Timmy yelled at Pebbles as he ran too far away in the open park. "Come Pebbles, come!" From his left side, Rocky ran towards him as well. Both dogs jumped on him at the same time and knocked him over. Instead of losing his temper, he rolled over and rubbed their bellies. "Who's the good boy? Oh, who's the good boy?" He asked as he rubbed their bellies happily. The three of them ended up lying on the grass as Timmy looked up to the sky. He was so used to the dogs that he could not imagined a life without them. A year ago, he took care of the dogs because he had to, but now, he took care of the dogs because he wanted to, because he loved them and wanted them to be happy. The cage in the apartment had turned into a huge bed for the two of them, with their toys everywhere on the floor. He was not even angry when Rocky tried to mark his head a week ago while he was sleeping. "Come thingies. Time to go home." As he stood up, he felt his chest tightening and he could not breathe. Pebbles and Rocky thought he was trying to play with them, and were jumping around him. He tried to walk it off but the tightening intensified and he collapsed onto the grass. "Hi, remember me?" Timmy looked as a girl came from a distance. "I see you have made friends with those that you bullied a while ago." Cold sweat were dripping down his face, his lips turning white. "Oh no, you looked like something is wrong." The little girl from a year back squatted down to observe his face a little closer. "Can you imagine what will happen to your two puppies if something were to happened to you? Will they just think that you have abandoned them? Without you, they will not be able to go back to your apartment, they will have to roam the streets, rain and shine. I have read some stories where the owners had passed away but the dogs waited forever for an owner that will never come back. Do you think that will happen to you too?" The little girl said with an innocent voice. Timmy tried to focus on her but the pain was too overwhelming. He shut his eyes to get some rest. "I did not curse you to take care of these two, but to be bound by them even after death. That is your punishment for bullying them. The downside? You will not find peace even after death, once because you hate them but now bacause you love them."
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	(Disclaimer: written at midnight) It’s a sort of unspoken rule of the neighborhood. Don’t bother the witch, and she’ll leave you alone. Nobody knows how long she’s been here. She was there when my parents first moved in, years before I was born. Ruth Johnson says the witch was there when she was a little girl, hasn’t aged a day, and nobody knew anything about her then, either. It’s easier to just ignore her. That way nobody gets cursed or dead from her, and everyone is happy. It’s my own stupidity that lands me in the situation I’m in one day near the end of the school year. In my defense, I did my last two final exams today. My brain is fried. I’m just listening to music on my phone as I walk home from the subway station, drinking a Snapple trying not to think. Is Mom home yet? I open up the “find friends” app, trying to track her location. Okay, she’s still at the airpo— As I return my phone to my pocket, my Snapple slips from my grasp. The bottle falls, the plastic not breaking, but the drink spills (dammit, I paid money for that) and it does so on the witch’s walkway. Shit. I’m frozen for a moment, staring at the spill in horror. That moment is all I get before I hear the door slam open. “Who has done this?” I haven’t heard the witch’s voice a lot, in the grand scheme of things, but I’m familiar enough with it that I can place it immediately. And right now, it’s full of wrath. “You!” She walks down the path, stopping in front of the offending spill. “You have desecrated my property!” It was just a Snapple, but you don’t say that to someone who looks ready to kill you. “You will pay for this!” I feel my shoulders tense as she begins to recite incantations in a language I don’t speak, but it’s probably Latin, because it’s always Latin. I think she’s cursing me. “With this curse,” yep, there it is, “no man shall ever love you.” Huh? “Uh,” I probably shouldn’t be questioning the curse an honest-to-God witch just placed on me, but what can I say, “we’re talking romantic love only, right?” The witch nods. “Correct. You may form friendships or familial relationships with men, but not one of them will ever see you as a desirable romantic partner.” I blink a few times. “So, um. What exactly is the downside here again?” She frowns. “Men will not fall in love with you.” “Yeah.” I nod. “And?” I should not be baiting her, but I lack common sense. “And…that is all. I am not disproportionately cruel.” “I’m completely chill with this,” I deadpan. “But…how? I have doomed you to live a loveless life! You are only a teenager; you will never find love!” “Ma’am, that’s cool and all, but you’ve actually done me a huge favor.” I begin to slowly walk away. “You see, I’m a fucking lesbian.” I speed up my walk then, but not before I hear a, “Damn it.” Well, I’m definitely telling my family about this tonight. I was planning to come out soon, anyway. Guess I’ll be killing two birds with one stone. But first, I need to go buy a new Snapple.	Even the shriveled old witch was shocked at how quickly and all encompassing the spell had been on me. My brain was still there but the words I spoke and the motions I made were not triggered by that same mind. I got the sense by the look on her face that there was doubt already in her mind. Why, deep down, did I know what this curse was? She then confessed she had killed half of my family just moments before I arrived. I was too late, I knew she was telling the truth. I wanted to give up, never before had the urge to quit swelled so dramatically inside of me. Shockingly, my body burst into laughter as I skipped around the tower platform as if I was a child. The prisoners behind the purely evil entity in front of me took that as a sign they were all doomed. Her curse had been the end of hope. The wheels in my head were searching for answers. My memory only goes back to the moment after she spoke the name of the curse. “So far I’ve declared that I see only positives now that I a am victim to a curse that likely will end our civilization, I’ve laughed at the thought of my dead family members, and now as the grotesque creature in front of me disrobes, I find myself aroused physically, while mentally I am gagging.” I walk towards her as she draws me near, knowing my body can’t resist. It was right then, at that moment, when I realized what was happening. It was so obvious. She had cursed me with the “opposites attacked” curse the children used to joke about. It was a joke to the adults in the village, but its powers when used properly could take us down as I was quickly realizing. If I normally would have swelled with anger and avenged my family I laughed with a light hearted whistle playing through my lips, and then I felt it. The feeling I had controlled my entire life. Fear of failure. Failure was steps away...and I let it consume me this time. Completely. If I was wrong I just signed my own death warrant...handing this hideous creature the ability to mutilate the rest of my friends and family without a fight. I had never been more miserable, mentally sobbing and curled up in a fetal position having given up on everyone. So much so, that I almost didn’t notice my body flexing and crouching down into my most notorious attack position. The witch froze, exposed as much as she’d ever been due to her ego. A glimmer of hope entered my mind and the raged body I had built relaxed, so I immediately reminded myself of my family members I’d never see again. I may have truly given up at that moment because my body had never moved so confidently and quickly. With a singular motion I slid towards the witch, grabbed the sword I had conceded minutes before and slammed that beautiful weapon into her disgusting chest! That wasn’t enough for the body reversing every emotion I was feeling. “I will never kiss my wife again.” The sword pulled from her chest and swung around cutting through her thin neck with barely any resistance. What people saw was me energized, and alive. As the witch’s curse faded due to her demise, the survivors cheered until they noticed me crumbling physically. Lives had been saved. I’m sure I was happy about that somewhere inside. Unfortunately I had just given in to every negative feeling I had fought for my entire life. All energy I had ever put towards becoming a great Man, Father, Husband, Son, and Friend felt erased. Where do I go from here. The survivors needed strength and to be led away from even more danger in the coming days. Unfortunately I could no longer provide that to them. At that moment I stood up, walked over to the prisoners, freed them from their cages, and started walking back towards the area we now called home. Deep down I knew, at my age there was no coming back from what had just happened, and from the demons I had let take over my mind. There simply wasn’t enough time left in my life to make any real progress in repairing the wounds I allowed to rot in my mind. When the group and I arrived home I chose to act immediately. I had made up my mind. I entered the tent of one of the younger females I knew. She was quite beautiful and easy to recognize. She was the most promising young sorceress we had seen in years. The group watched me disappear into the tent. I spoke softly into her ear the words I knew I had to say. She screamed, demanding answers from me. When she looked into my eyes she knew it was real. As I walked out of the tent I gave a victory cheer with fists raised as high as they would go, all but a few villagers screamed in excitement. “We March North,” I declared. More cheers. Inside I missed my family. I didn’t care about anything the world had to offer. I had no desire to overcome whatever obstacles lied ahead. So I further accepted misery and grief, knowing that the pain from the loss of my family would likely allow this body of mine to lead my friends to bigger and better things. For now, and for the rest of my days, my only mission was to sink further and further into despair.
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	"I curse you! No longer will falsehoods or any form of unkindness, yours or otherwise, be able to exist around you!" The witch howled at me. I smiled lazily at her. "And?" I asked her. The girl was mildly bewildered. "And... And you will steal the burden of all who ask for help!" She pointed at me, her face triumphant. "So... what was the downside again?" I said as I sat down. The child was really bothered that I accidentally stepped on a black cats tail. I admit I did hurt it, but honestly a black cat when it's night out hiding in the bushes is a little difficult to spot. I already apologized but the girl ignored the apology to curse at me. I figured she was one of those kids who kept ignoring adults until they were satisfied, so I let her have her way. But honestly... she's just too cute! She's probably like 7 years old and dressed like a Halloween witch, and all her curses have been so harmless sounding. "Um... You move faster than everyone else. And I also curse you to be unbearably gentle! You aren't able to hurt anyone, even on accident, and all your punches will do is make people a tiny bit dizzy!" She spat out furiously. When she finished, she stuck her tongue out at me and disappeared with her black cat. I stood up, but when I tried to take a step, vines made of darkness grabbed my limbs and sunk into them. They turned into tattoos. I tried to brush them off in shock, but they were there to stay. Since I couldn't do anything about it, I just shrugged my shoulders, returned home, and went to bed. When I woke up the next morning, I realized I was running late to my part time job. I ran to the bathroom, got ready for the day and changed before glancing at the clock again. Only a minute had passed."That can't be right..." I muttered. I decided to leave for work anyways, since I was ready. I walked outside my apartment, and walked down the steps. Everything seemed to be normal. Later that day, a pile of work was thrust at me. "We have to get this in today or the end of year bonuses aren't happening!" My coworker told me in a panic as she handed me a thick stack that I could never finish at my normal pace, but maybe I could if I focused. So I rolled my shoulders and began to quickly look through the documents. I didn't feel particularly focused, so perhaps thats why I noticed my neighboring coworker was moving at a snails pace. I stopped what I was doing to stare, because it was odd to throw water at your face accidentally in slow motion. Once I stopped focusing, time quickly sped up and I watched her get dosed with water. "Ugh." She said. "Are you alright?" I asked her even though I was still somewhat baffled. "Yeah I'm fine, but think you could help me get a towel? I can't see." She said politely. Before I could agree, the water on her disappeared... and instead I was soaking wet. And blind. "..." She went silent with shock. "... Apparently I got cursed last night." I said simply. She laughed and brought me a towel. Once I could see her again, I saw her wonderful smile. "What kind of curse?" She said laughingly. I glanced at her name tag. Persephone. After I told her the whole story, she burst out laughing. "I guess being a superhero is a kind of curse." She managed to choke out between her bouts of infectious laughter. "We should get back to work." Persephone said after she calmed down. "You're right." So I focused and blitzed through the documents, but... all the errors my superior had mentioned were gone. "Thats strange..." Persephone muttered. "What is?" I asked. "This morning I went through and found the cents for much of my work was backwards. It always made the cents spent more on our spreadsheet then we actually spent. But... they're all fixed. Yet the total income minus expenses doesn't match what's in our account anymore..." Persephone stated a perplexing reality. After a moment, I thought I figured it out. "Did I mention apparently no falsehood can exist around me? Maybe this is what little miss witch meant." Persephone's eyes sparkled. "Meaning all inaccuracies get corrected in your presence?" "I suppose?" The rest of the day, Persephone waved her papers in my general direction before taking it away to verify the inaccuracies of others reports as compared to the one my new power corrected. She tracked down an embezzler we knew was hiding in our ranks but could never manage to identify. She was so capable, and I deeply admired her intelligence. One co worker commented on the fact we spent most of the day together and asked if I liked her or something. I was attempting to deny it out of embarrassment. "Yes. Very much so." Spilled form my lips instead of No, absolutely not. I tried to clarify I meant as a friend, although I did respect her. "As a romantic interest. However I respect her very much and I'd appreciate it if you didn't ask questions that might make her uncomfortable." I fluently said. I immediately face palmed. Our coworker whistled. "Bold move." Before walking away. "Good luck." He called over his shoulder. "I'm sorry." I said to her. "Don't be. I'm super happy you said that, actually." Persephone seemed startled by her own words. "Really? Why?" I asked her. "I've been crushing on you for three years. You were always very competent and reliable. When we got the chance to talk a few months ago because of your curse I was overjoyed." She clapped her hands over her mouth. I grinned sheepishly. "You would want to go on a date sometime, wouldn't you?" I asked her. "Yes..." Persephone smiled helplessly.	Even the shriveled old witch was shocked at how quickly and all encompassing the spell had been on me. My brain was still there but the words I spoke and the motions I made were not triggered by that same mind. I got the sense by the look on her face that there was doubt already in her mind. Why, deep down, did I know what this curse was? She then confessed she had killed half of my family just moments before I arrived. I was too late, I knew she was telling the truth. I wanted to give up, never before had the urge to quit swelled so dramatically inside of me. Shockingly, my body burst into laughter as I skipped around the tower platform as if I was a child. The prisoners behind the purely evil entity in front of me took that as a sign they were all doomed. Her curse had been the end of hope. The wheels in my head were searching for answers. My memory only goes back to the moment after she spoke the name of the curse. “So far I’ve declared that I see only positives now that I a am victim to a curse that likely will end our civilization, I’ve laughed at the thought of my dead family members, and now as the grotesque creature in front of me disrobes, I find myself aroused physically, while mentally I am gagging.” I walk towards her as she draws me near, knowing my body can’t resist. It was right then, at that moment, when I realized what was happening. It was so obvious. She had cursed me with the “opposites attacked” curse the children used to joke about. It was a joke to the adults in the village, but its powers when used properly could take us down as I was quickly realizing. If I normally would have swelled with anger and avenged my family I laughed with a light hearted whistle playing through my lips, and then I felt it. The feeling I had controlled my entire life. Fear of failure. Failure was steps away...and I let it consume me this time. Completely. If I was wrong I just signed my own death warrant...handing this hideous creature the ability to mutilate the rest of my friends and family without a fight. I had never been more miserable, mentally sobbing and curled up in a fetal position having given up on everyone. So much so, that I almost didn’t notice my body flexing and crouching down into my most notorious attack position. The witch froze, exposed as much as she’d ever been due to her ego. A glimmer of hope entered my mind and the raged body I had built relaxed, so I immediately reminded myself of my family members I’d never see again. I may have truly given up at that moment because my body had never moved so confidently and quickly. With a singular motion I slid towards the witch, grabbed the sword I had conceded minutes before and slammed that beautiful weapon into her disgusting chest! That wasn’t enough for the body reversing every emotion I was feeling. “I will never kiss my wife again.” The sword pulled from her chest and swung around cutting through her thin neck with barely any resistance. What people saw was me energized, and alive. As the witch’s curse faded due to her demise, the survivors cheered until they noticed me crumbling physically. Lives had been saved. I’m sure I was happy about that somewhere inside. Unfortunately I had just given in to every negative feeling I had fought for my entire life. All energy I had ever put towards becoming a great Man, Father, Husband, Son, and Friend felt erased. Where do I go from here. The survivors needed strength and to be led away from even more danger in the coming days. Unfortunately I could no longer provide that to them. At that moment I stood up, walked over to the prisoners, freed them from their cages, and started walking back towards the area we now called home. Deep down I knew, at my age there was no coming back from what had just happened, and from the demons I had let take over my mind. There simply wasn’t enough time left in my life to make any real progress in repairing the wounds I allowed to rot in my mind. When the group and I arrived home I chose to act immediately. I had made up my mind. I entered the tent of one of the younger females I knew. She was quite beautiful and easy to recognize. She was the most promising young sorceress we had seen in years. The group watched me disappear into the tent. I spoke softly into her ear the words I knew I had to say. She screamed, demanding answers from me. When she looked into my eyes she knew it was real. As I walked out of the tent I gave a victory cheer with fists raised as high as they would go, all but a few villagers screamed in excitement. “We March North,” I declared. More cheers. Inside I missed my family. I didn’t care about anything the world had to offer. I had no desire to overcome whatever obstacles lied ahead. So I further accepted misery and grief, knowing that the pain from the loss of my family would likely allow this body of mine to lead my friends to bigger and better things. For now, and for the rest of my days, my only mission was to sink further and further into despair.
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	While I never believed in magic, I was always a fan of stories and games that had it. My favorite was 3.5 Dungeons and Dragons. Not because its magic system was any more interesting or incredible, but because it was abusable. So long as you followed the rules as written, you could do anything. It was the wording of a spell that mattered, not what the spell creators had intended for the spell. So when a witch told me, "You will in three days' time become what you hate most," it was practically a challenge. I came by her home for two days, smiling and speaking as if she was an old friend. She was extremely smug, and willing to play along. But then the third day came, and she was extremely confused to see me show up again, with the same smile mixed with a trace of mockery. "How?" "Easy. Exactly five minutes before the curse would have activated, I thought about mages. Witches, wizards, whatever you wanna call them. Everything horrible they've done in the books I've read. Every consequence, every atrocity. I worked myself into a rage about those 'horrible magic-users.' Hate is an emotion, see, and anyone with self-control can make themselves feel anything they want. And so in the moment your curse took affect, a powerful wizard was what I hated most. Now allow me to return a curse. I hope you're half as creative as I am." That was three hundred years ago, and even now, every three days, we trade curses. Though really, we're friends. It's just an old inside joke, a way to keep ourselves amused in humanity's twilight.	People in today's day and age are much more clueless of the world around them than they think they are. To be honest, the newest generations - Millennial and Generation Z - are probably the most open to the underlying magic turmoil that fils the air. It is what leaves them tired, fatigued and absolutely defeated inside. I am neither of these generations, as I was born several hundred years ago during the insurgence of witchcraft in Europe. I was brought under the wing of my father, Lawrence Randall, when he realized that he would have no sons. I struggled for a decade and a half to prove my worth as a female witch hunter in the mid 1600s but eventually I received his blessing after I found him dying from a failed witch hunt. We always want to give our victims no time to prepare curses before we stake, burn or behead them. Curses aren't something that are just spoken in half-assed rhyme like most modern day witchcraft is portrayed. No, it takes a certain alignment of stars, planets, moons, even comets as well as ingredients, mastery and weather states to complete a true curse. When you add lineage long curses into the mix, the process becomes even more complicated with certain rocks, crystals, potions and ages old dirt. I had attempted to go after a similarly powerful clairvoyant witch in order to train to kill the one that ended my father's life shortly after only to be cursed with an eternity of nomadic necessity. The stake did end up piercing the deepest parts of her cold, black heart but to this day, four hundred years later I am still accursed with boils and sores if I stay in the same town lines for over three moon cycles in thirty three years. Basically the bitch had the hots for the number three. &#x200B; So I found myself staring at the signs of a very old and very powerful witchcraft practicer that decided to pop up near the edges of Chicago. I recognized the type of magic that this individual wielded almost immediately and knew that I had finally found her, Millicent. She had been able to keep off of my radar for nearly four centuries and it was time I put her head on a spike. I had nearly caught her there in that loud and annoyingly bright city scape but she had been quicker, older with her knowledge. She was willing to harm other innocents while I was not, leaving me only able to let her flee. Perhaps if the encounter happened when I was in my 50th or 100th year I would have killed her right then and there and allowed the lightning she brought to strike down anyone around us but age made me appropriately soft. &#x200B; Wisdom, when truly earned, brings soft curves to the hard edge of anger and passion as it is better to fight a battle with a sword and shield than your bare hands. She has had too long to prepare for me, six whole moon cycles until finally I have pinned her down in Wexford, right nearby where I am staying while I ready for battle. You see, witchcraft in itself is not my enemy but the ones that misuse it in order to harm others or unbalance the workings of life. The best way to protect myself, the best possible shield that I can have is witchcraft itself. So I boiled, ground, muttered incantations and charted my skies. I drew the marks all over my skin with herb and stone grinds filled oil until they burned tattoos into my Scandinavian skin. The swirls and patterns of long-dead languages etched into my skin in patterns bursting out from my seven chakras would ripple into appearance when around negative energies and when hit with curses. &#x200B; I drew her out of Wexford with the ebbing flow of my marks and was greeted on southern beaches by an etherial looking raven haired woman. To the untrained eye, she was a beautiful woman in her early thirties with the darkest hair and the lightest grey eyes, but too me she was a bag of long ago decomposed bones allowed to live through taking energy from others like a gluttonous spiritual zombie. In hand I had a long dagger, long ago forged in the metal from the ground she was born on as only could she be returned to the abyss with the ground that she first came to life on. She looked at it and me like toothpicks, like card castles in a thunderstorm and cackled as one does when they leap from the pan with no knowledge of the flames below. &#x200B; The first negative waves of magic that she threw at me were simple child's play - brought to life without vocalization as a show of her power. My Heart and Solar Plexus Chakras grew hot and then the markings glowed into behind from my chest and ribcage out over the rest of my body, up over my face and into my hair line down to the very soles of my feet. "Millicent! You insult me! Come now, stop playing with your food!" And that is when she drew her sword. I was annoyed with her old traditionalist view of battle but I came more than prepared, having my own long sword on my hip. &#x200B; The clashing of steel brought wondrous ringing in my ears as she started to curse me, chipping away at my shield while also sapping away at her own strength. When my sword cut through her pretty little neck, it simply rolled right back onto her shoulders but it gave me the time to grasp at the dagger, the sweat dripping into my eyes and the unsteady pounding of my immortal heart getting in my way. Couldn't I have been cursed to not have a beating heart as well? Nonetheless, a part of my deepest corners of my soul seemed to click in place when my dagger buried itself up under her ribs into the life giver of her evil filled corpse. &#x200B; That was not the only thing to happen, the moment I saw the light leave her eyes, a wave of destructive magic swept out from around her like I had popped the top of a high pressured toxin. In my own head I heard her slithering voice piercing into my psyche, breathing through any shield I could have gotten ready "\*Sybil Heksmordir, I curse thee. You shall live the rest of your immortality the way you lived your human life, never having a man to love you without dying in tragedy. Any and all male lovers shall perish from your affections of them and your body shall never bear the fruit of affections with a man." Curses like this, what one could call Dead Man Switches, curses set into place only to hit if the witch dies are impossible to protect against since they usually have centuries of building behind them. I didn't mind much though. As the light of the bonfire burned on the sand behind me as I walked away, appreciated the smell of burnt witch in the near morning, I smiled and wondered. Didn't she know that I am a raging immortal lesbian?
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	The witch Merid sighed in disbelief before condescendingly scorning me. &#x200B; "I can't believe how much of a contemptible fool you truly are. All that all of you baseborn oafs ever do is choose to live a fruitless life anyways, even when you have been blessed with the opportunities to do so much more. The world is so vast that it is statistically impossible for any one person to know it all, that there is mystery and wonder in everything around us, and yet you choose to do nothing but indulge yourself in video games, pornography, and alcoholic beverages. I find your primitive lifestyle in distaste; it is absolutely repulsive and is smeared in nothing but filth. It is of little matter now, however, for you who has wasted your gift of life, I shall now curse you with a life of meaning. You will still be able to lavish yourself in alcohol, but you shall never fall into drunken stupor. Pornography will no longer exist in the form you are very so familiar with and video games no longer exist. You will now spend the rest of your days contemplating who you were, how you ever came to be, and why you appeared when you did. Sleep now, my child, for you will one day be the instrument of my cleansing light and wipe clean the foul perversions of life." &#x200B; Before I knew it, my vision became shrouded in darkness. I felt a strange heat emanating from the ceiling, as if the light of the sun's rays had pierced through the roof. I heard sounds, horses? How did horses get inside the witch's house? They tapped against the ground as if they were stepping on stone and dirt. Was I outside? Where was I earlier? Who am I? I can't seem to remember or recall a memory. I opened my eyes and found myself in a wooden cart trotting down a mountainous path decorated in boulder and pine trees. There were three men who sat in the carriage with me, and to my discovery, all of our hands were bound. They all dressed strangely, and before I could ask the man to the right of me why he had some sort of cloth muzzle going on, I heard, &#x200B; "Hey, you. You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us and that thief over there."	People in today's day and age are much more clueless of the world around them than they think they are. To be honest, the newest generations - Millennial and Generation Z - are probably the most open to the underlying magic turmoil that fils the air. It is what leaves them tired, fatigued and absolutely defeated inside. I am neither of these generations, as I was born several hundred years ago during the insurgence of witchcraft in Europe. I was brought under the wing of my father, Lawrence Randall, when he realized that he would have no sons. I struggled for a decade and a half to prove my worth as a female witch hunter in the mid 1600s but eventually I received his blessing after I found him dying from a failed witch hunt. We always want to give our victims no time to prepare curses before we stake, burn or behead them. Curses aren't something that are just spoken in half-assed rhyme like most modern day witchcraft is portrayed. No, it takes a certain alignment of stars, planets, moons, even comets as well as ingredients, mastery and weather states to complete a true curse. When you add lineage long curses into the mix, the process becomes even more complicated with certain rocks, crystals, potions and ages old dirt. I had attempted to go after a similarly powerful clairvoyant witch in order to train to kill the one that ended my father's life shortly after only to be cursed with an eternity of nomadic necessity. The stake did end up piercing the deepest parts of her cold, black heart but to this day, four hundred years later I am still accursed with boils and sores if I stay in the same town lines for over three moon cycles in thirty three years. Basically the bitch had the hots for the number three. &#x200B; So I found myself staring at the signs of a very old and very powerful witchcraft practicer that decided to pop up near the edges of Chicago. I recognized the type of magic that this individual wielded almost immediately and knew that I had finally found her, Millicent. She had been able to keep off of my radar for nearly four centuries and it was time I put her head on a spike. I had nearly caught her there in that loud and annoyingly bright city scape but she had been quicker, older with her knowledge. She was willing to harm other innocents while I was not, leaving me only able to let her flee. Perhaps if the encounter happened when I was in my 50th or 100th year I would have killed her right then and there and allowed the lightning she brought to strike down anyone around us but age made me appropriately soft. &#x200B; Wisdom, when truly earned, brings soft curves to the hard edge of anger and passion as it is better to fight a battle with a sword and shield than your bare hands. She has had too long to prepare for me, six whole moon cycles until finally I have pinned her down in Wexford, right nearby where I am staying while I ready for battle. You see, witchcraft in itself is not my enemy but the ones that misuse it in order to harm others or unbalance the workings of life. The best way to protect myself, the best possible shield that I can have is witchcraft itself. So I boiled, ground, muttered incantations and charted my skies. I drew the marks all over my skin with herb and stone grinds filled oil until they burned tattoos into my Scandinavian skin. The swirls and patterns of long-dead languages etched into my skin in patterns bursting out from my seven chakras would ripple into appearance when around negative energies and when hit with curses. &#x200B; I drew her out of Wexford with the ebbing flow of my marks and was greeted on southern beaches by an etherial looking raven haired woman. To the untrained eye, she was a beautiful woman in her early thirties with the darkest hair and the lightest grey eyes, but too me she was a bag of long ago decomposed bones allowed to live through taking energy from others like a gluttonous spiritual zombie. In hand I had a long dagger, long ago forged in the metal from the ground she was born on as only could she be returned to the abyss with the ground that she first came to life on. She looked at it and me like toothpicks, like card castles in a thunderstorm and cackled as one does when they leap from the pan with no knowledge of the flames below. &#x200B; The first negative waves of magic that she threw at me were simple child's play - brought to life without vocalization as a show of her power. My Heart and Solar Plexus Chakras grew hot and then the markings glowed into behind from my chest and ribcage out over the rest of my body, up over my face and into my hair line down to the very soles of my feet. "Millicent! You insult me! Come now, stop playing with your food!" And that is when she drew her sword. I was annoyed with her old traditionalist view of battle but I came more than prepared, having my own long sword on my hip. &#x200B; The clashing of steel brought wondrous ringing in my ears as she started to curse me, chipping away at my shield while also sapping away at her own strength. When my sword cut through her pretty little neck, it simply rolled right back onto her shoulders but it gave me the time to grasp at the dagger, the sweat dripping into my eyes and the unsteady pounding of my immortal heart getting in my way. Couldn't I have been cursed to not have a beating heart as well? Nonetheless, a part of my deepest corners of my soul seemed to click in place when my dagger buried itself up under her ribs into the life giver of her evil filled corpse. &#x200B; That was not the only thing to happen, the moment I saw the light leave her eyes, a wave of destructive magic swept out from around her like I had popped the top of a high pressured toxin. In my own head I heard her slithering voice piercing into my psyche, breathing through any shield I could have gotten ready "\*Sybil Heksmordir, I curse thee. You shall live the rest of your immortality the way you lived your human life, never having a man to love you without dying in tragedy. Any and all male lovers shall perish from your affections of them and your body shall never bear the fruit of affections with a man." Curses like this, what one could call Dead Man Switches, curses set into place only to hit if the witch dies are impossible to protect against since they usually have centuries of building behind them. I didn't mind much though. As the light of the bonfire burned on the sand behind me as I walked away, appreciated the smell of burnt witch in the near morning, I smiled and wondered. Didn't she know that I am a raging immortal lesbian?
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	While I never believed in magic, I was always a fan of stories and games that had it. My favorite was 3.5 Dungeons and Dragons. Not because its magic system was any more interesting or incredible, but because it was abusable. So long as you followed the rules as written, you could do anything. It was the wording of a spell that mattered, not what the spell creators had intended for the spell. So when a witch told me, "You will in three days' time become what you hate most," it was practically a challenge. I came by her home for two days, smiling and speaking as if she was an old friend. She was extremely smug, and willing to play along. But then the third day came, and she was extremely confused to see me show up again, with the same smile mixed with a trace of mockery. "How?" "Easy. Exactly five minutes before the curse would have activated, I thought about mages. Witches, wizards, whatever you wanna call them. Everything horrible they've done in the books I've read. Every consequence, every atrocity. I worked myself into a rage about those 'horrible magic-users.' Hate is an emotion, see, and anyone with self-control can make themselves feel anything they want. And so in the moment your curse took affect, a powerful wizard was what I hated most. Now allow me to return a curse. I hope you're half as creative as I am." That was three hundred years ago, and even now, every three days, we trade curses. Though really, we're friends. It's just an old inside joke, a way to keep ourselves amused in humanity's twilight.	"Oh, sweetheart," the witch cooed. "Downside? You thought there would be a downside?" She gave me an eerily sweet smile, which I wasn't sure to trust. "Uh, yeah? It's a curse, right?" At this point, I was extremely confused. The witch even appearing was enough for one day, but the curse, and this? I needed a nap for sure. She shook her head at me, chuckling a bit. "Sweetheart, no. That wasn't a curse! It was just an enchantment, to change your course in life. You've been so depressed lately, and you've been bringing down your loved ones with you. Now you don't have to live that way." I blinked. "So, the no hunger won't make me starve to death? The endless love won't lead me into hurtful situations?" She laughed, as sweet as honey. "No, no! You never have to eat again, and you'll never stop loving yourself and others. You don't have to worry about not being able to fall asleep because you'll never need sleep again. The only thing left for you to work on is the hard part." Something was reassuring and nearly motivating about the way she said it. Everything seemed so much easier. "I- well... Thank you," I said to her. "But why? Why me, and why did you want to do this?" "Honestly, sweetheart, I couldn't tell you. Something compelled me. Some force drew me to you, and I felt like I needed to do this for you. I hope you'll appreciate it throughout your life, and share the wisdom that will come with it. Goodbye, and good luck!" She called out the last sentence while walking towards the horizon, fading from this reality as she did.
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	The witch Merid sighed in disbelief before condescendingly scorning me. &#x200B; "I can't believe how much of a contemptible fool you truly are. All that all of you baseborn oafs ever do is choose to live a fruitless life anyways, even when you have been blessed with the opportunities to do so much more. The world is so vast that it is statistically impossible for any one person to know it all, that there is mystery and wonder in everything around us, and yet you choose to do nothing but indulge yourself in video games, pornography, and alcoholic beverages. I find your primitive lifestyle in distaste; it is absolutely repulsive and is smeared in nothing but filth. It is of little matter now, however, for you who has wasted your gift of life, I shall now curse you with a life of meaning. You will still be able to lavish yourself in alcohol, but you shall never fall into drunken stupor. Pornography will no longer exist in the form you are very so familiar with and video games no longer exist. You will now spend the rest of your days contemplating who you were, how you ever came to be, and why you appeared when you did. Sleep now, my child, for you will one day be the instrument of my cleansing light and wipe clean the foul perversions of life." &#x200B; Before I knew it, my vision became shrouded in darkness. I felt a strange heat emanating from the ceiling, as if the light of the sun's rays had pierced through the roof. I heard sounds, horses? How did horses get inside the witch's house? They tapped against the ground as if they were stepping on stone and dirt. Was I outside? Where was I earlier? Who am I? I can't seem to remember or recall a memory. I opened my eyes and found myself in a wooden cart trotting down a mountainous path decorated in boulder and pine trees. There were three men who sat in the carriage with me, and to my discovery, all of our hands were bound. They all dressed strangely, and before I could ask the man to the right of me why he had some sort of cloth muzzle going on, I heard, &#x200B; "Hey, you. You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us and that thief over there."	"Oh, sweetheart," the witch cooed. "Downside? You thought there would be a downside?" She gave me an eerily sweet smile, which I wasn't sure to trust. "Uh, yeah? It's a curse, right?" At this point, I was extremely confused. The witch even appearing was enough for one day, but the curse, and this? I needed a nap for sure. She shook her head at me, chuckling a bit. "Sweetheart, no. That wasn't a curse! It was just an enchantment, to change your course in life. You've been so depressed lately, and you've been bringing down your loved ones with you. Now you don't have to live that way." I blinked. "So, the no hunger won't make me starve to death? The endless love won't lead me into hurtful situations?" She laughed, as sweet as honey. "No, no! You never have to eat again, and you'll never stop loving yourself and others. You don't have to worry about not being able to fall asleep because you'll never need sleep again. The only thing left for you to work on is the hard part." Something was reassuring and nearly motivating about the way she said it. Everything seemed so much easier. "I- well... Thank you," I said to her. "But why? Why me, and why did you want to do this?" "Honestly, sweetheart, I couldn't tell you. Something compelled me. Some force drew me to you, and I felt like I needed to do this for you. I hope you'll appreciate it throughout your life, and share the wisdom that will come with it. Goodbye, and good luck!" She called out the last sentence while walking towards the horizon, fading from this reality as she did.
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	“Wait. That’s the curse?” “Yes. I understand you want this gone as quickly as possible. I am so sorry this happened. I’m going to need-“ “I- can you please repeat what exactly this does? I think I’m hearing this wrong.” The witch before blinked in surprise at my response and cough and quickly averted her eyes. After a few awkward seconds she picks up a rather large, leather book. She carefully flips the old, delicate pages with great care until she stopped at a picture of an adventurer armed with a broad sword and a cheeky smile. I always loved reading stories, especially fantasy. It was a whole new world for me, I felt ever sorrows and laughs the characters felt. It was as if I was actually there. And I guess I am today. He looked so... alive. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes wide and such passion within them! He must have been very happy. The witch handed me this large story book of sorts and went to the cabinet, searching through vials of all sorts of unknown substances. Most looks like some herbs I had never seen but I noticed ones that contained purple hair, blood, dirt, moss, water, feathers, pebbles and some liquid that gave off a green glow in the cabinet’s darkness. I really did travel to a new world, didn’t I? “I am so sorry but you are trapped here until we can reverse this curse. You can no longer go back to your old world. I know this may be tough but I will make sure to get you back to your family! This book entails another human, who just like you became trapped.” I looked away and said nothing as my throat felt as though it was shut closed. Something clicked in the back of my throat as my eyes began to swell with tears. I didn’t bother looking up. “Oh, dear. It’s okay! As long as you have that necklace you have hope to go back to your home. I promise you-“ I stopped listening all together at that point. A dark feeling that slowly took over my whole body and suddenly I snapped. I jerked my head up and tore off the cheap, plastic necklace from my neck. I didn’t care that it was ruined. Actually, I decided I did. I stood up and tossed the necklace into the fire pit, watching the plastic fairy melt slowly into a puddle. I didn’t look at the witch but I could feel her eyes bore into me. I sat down in the floor and watched the flames for what seemed like hours until all that was left were a few burning embers. How do I explain to her I had no home to go to? That the people who should love and protect me, never did. I have never felt safe in a home until I came into this world. I remembered the many faces I came to see in my time here and how kind and thoughtful they were. People gave me shelter, wisdom, new foods and so many wild adventures from just a few days. I actually felt happy. I had FRIENDS and I felt like I finally had a place I belonged. Nobody hit me. Nobody called me names or pulled my hair. The witch never said a thing to me that entire ordeal but finally spoke in a much softer tone than before. “I am never going back. Never.”, I said firmly. I finally looked up to see the witch’s wide eyes looking back at me. She gave me a sad smile and sat down next to me. She looked back into the once roaring fire pit and slowly nodded. “Okay. No going back.” After a short pause she took out a pair of silver keys with a decorative rose engraved on them. She clasped her hand over mine and gave me a sympathetic look. She gave a half hearted smile then looked back up at me. “You’re welcome to stay in my home as long as you need. I was wondering if you wanted to help me run the shop, I can even teach you how to make any potion you want. Who knows? Maybe you can be an amazing witch one day.” I grinned ear from ear and chuckled. She smiled back and leaned in. “What do you say?” “I’d like to. I’d love that a lot actually.”	"Oh, sweetheart," the witch cooed. "Downside? You thought there would be a downside?" She gave me an eerily sweet smile, which I wasn't sure to trust. "Uh, yeah? It's a curse, right?" At this point, I was extremely confused. The witch even appearing was enough for one day, but the curse, and this? I needed a nap for sure. She shook her head at me, chuckling a bit. "Sweetheart, no. That wasn't a curse! It was just an enchantment, to change your course in life. You've been so depressed lately, and you've been bringing down your loved ones with you. Now you don't have to live that way." I blinked. "So, the no hunger won't make me starve to death? The endless love won't lead me into hurtful situations?" She laughed, as sweet as honey. "No, no! You never have to eat again, and you'll never stop loving yourself and others. You don't have to worry about not being able to fall asleep because you'll never need sleep again. The only thing left for you to work on is the hard part." Something was reassuring and nearly motivating about the way she said it. Everything seemed so much easier. "I- well... Thank you," I said to her. "But why? Why me, and why did you want to do this?" "Honestly, sweetheart, I couldn't tell you. Something compelled me. Some force drew me to you, and I felt like I needed to do this for you. I hope you'll appreciate it throughout your life, and share the wisdom that will come with it. Goodbye, and good luck!" She called out the last sentence while walking towards the horizon, fading from this reality as she did.
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	The witch buried her face in her hands and sighed, "AGAIN, it's the Curse of Optimism. You will never be able to understand the potential negative consequences of any decision you make." "That doesn't sound like much of a curse", I replied. "You will be the eternal optimist", she explained. "You will only see the upside, never the downside." "That doesn't sound so..." "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND," she interrupted, exasperated. "You will bet on every loser, because you're positive it's their time to win. You will fall victim to get-rich-quick scheme after get-rich-quick scheme, because you know there is no way you'll lose money. You will want to get back together with every abusive ex, no matter how many times they've cheated. Timeshares will sound like a great idea." As she finished, I blinked. "So...what's the downside again?"	"Oh, sweetheart," the witch cooed. "Downside? You thought there would be a downside?" She gave me an eerily sweet smile, which I wasn't sure to trust. "Uh, yeah? It's a curse, right?" At this point, I was extremely confused. The witch even appearing was enough for one day, but the curse, and this? I needed a nap for sure. She shook her head at me, chuckling a bit. "Sweetheart, no. That wasn't a curse! It was just an enchantment, to change your course in life. You've been so depressed lately, and you've been bringing down your loved ones with you. Now you don't have to live that way." I blinked. "So, the no hunger won't make me starve to death? The endless love won't lead me into hurtful situations?" She laughed, as sweet as honey. "No, no! You never have to eat again, and you'll never stop loving yourself and others. You don't have to worry about not being able to fall asleep because you'll never need sleep again. The only thing left for you to work on is the hard part." Something was reassuring and nearly motivating about the way she said it. Everything seemed so much easier. "I- well... Thank you," I said to her. "But why? Why me, and why did you want to do this?" "Honestly, sweetheart, I couldn't tell you. Something compelled me. Some force drew me to you, and I felt like I needed to do this for you. I hope you'll appreciate it throughout your life, and share the wisdom that will come with it. Goodbye, and good luck!" She called out the last sentence while walking towards the horizon, fading from this reality as she did.
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	So... What's the downside again? That's all I could think, I may not have been in the best mental state right then, but really, how was this a bad thing?! Three hours earlier... A brand new bike, shiny and blue with not a mark on it. I hadn't owned a bike, since I was a child and I hadn't rode one in almost as long. This was going to be fun. Approaching my mid thirties I had grown a little thick around the middle and recovering from an ankle injury I needed a way of exercising that was low impact. My physiotherapist recommended getting a bike and so here we are. It was nothing special but boy was I excited to get on the road; and so I did. I strapped my helmet on and set off into the country. I'm lucky that I live close to the countryside and as I began to pedal down roads I hadn't been down since I was a child memories came flooding back. Carefree summer days, a backpack full of sweets and a bottle of fizzy pop to gorge on when we stopped. I thought about my friends from way back when. Rob had moved away, I think he was an architect in the city now. Andy owned a car dealership on the outskirts of town, but we didn't really see each other anymore. Steven died. That was a shock to us all, drugs can take ahold of anyone I suppose given the right circumstances. As bittersweet as some of those memories were I was having a good time, up the hills I struggled, only to fly down the other side. I didn't see another soul for about an hour when I had to swerve to avoid a car. Those narrow country lanes aren't much wider than a modern car and I was lucky not to end up in the ditch at one side or the hedge at the other, or God forbid on through the cars windscreen. I took it a little easier after that, I didn't remember my arse ever hurting this much from the seat when I was a kid. Just over an hour in the saddle and I felt like I'd been kicked up the arse a thousand times. I pulled over near a stream I remembered as a child. The place we used to eat our sweets and paddle in the shallow water. The trees were so much bigger now and the stream was all but dried up. Some things do change with time but I thought this little spot would forever remain like the picture in my mind. It was peaceful though, just off the road but no cars passing, the gentle trickling sound of the water and the tweeting of unseen birds somewhere around in the trees. I couldn't relax though. I had a sip of water from my water bottle and prepared to get back on the bike. The trees which surrounded the clearing near the stream were so much taller and had so many more leaves that the whole area was in shadow. I wanted the sun on my back again. So off I went. I didn't plan on going too much further, it was my first time on a bike in over 20 years and I didn't want to over do it so I thought I'd go a few more miles to the crossroads and turn back. If my backside was hurting now who knows how bad it would be when I got home. I was approaching the cross roads when I noticed a little track I didn't remember from when I was a kid. It looked like it used to be a farm track but hadn't been maintained for years. Tall grass grew on both sides of the dirt path with potholes the size of dustbin lids and pieces of the dry stone wall fallen and not replaced. After twenty metres or so the track sloped down and it looked like it went down into the woods. I wasn't going to go down it, I didn't know where it would lead but I fancied going off road. The man in the shop had explained that the bike was a hybrid, great for on the roads and also hitting the trails. All I had to do was turn a small lever on the front suspension and I was good to go. I hadn't tested it out yet so I thought why not. I headed onto the track and hit the gradual slope, it was great fun dodging the potholes and avoiding the fallen dry stone walls. I was picking up speed and gaining in confidence when a black shadow shot across the track, straight into my front wheel. It knocked me off balance and I toppled off to the side, skidding as I went down I knocked my head on the ground. The helmet probably saved my life. When I came too, it seemed like only seconds later, or maybe minutes. I couldn't be sure but I had the foggy head I'd had once before after a car accident. I don't think I was hurt any more than a few scrapes all down my right side. I bent my leg and pushed myself away from the bike ready to try and stand up. That's when I saw her. Picture the witch from any children's fairy tale. Take away the pointy hat and replace it with some messy gray hair. That's pretty much what I saw. She did not look happy. She was dressed in a black dress or a skirt with a black jacket over the top then skinny hairless legs, short white socks and black shoes with buckles on them. She had a very wrinkled face a pointy nose with a wart on it. My first thought after noticing her was that she was a witch. All rhyme and reason went out the window. This old woman was a witch, I just knew it. I noticed then as I stood she was holding something. A black cat nestled in her arms like a baby. She saw me look at the cat and looked down at it, then back at me. Any normal person would have asked if I was ok by now but she hadn't said a word. As I brushed myself down and started to notice the pain down my sides where I had scratches and no doubt bruises already forming I asked, "What happened, did you see?" "You hurt my child" she said in a voice that didn't fit her appearance. I honestly expected a cackle and a high pitched voice that matched the characters from the fairy tales. She sounded like my grandma. Calm and measured but with the hint of authority that meant you were in trouble. "I'm sorry, I hurt who?" I said looking around whilst taking off my helmet. "My child" she said looking down at the cat, that's when I remembered the shadow which had knocked me off my bike, it must have been the cat. "I'm sorry, is it ok? It came out of nowhere, I didn't have time to stop, I didn't see it" I said. "She. Not it. You hurt her. You should have looked where you were going and this is a private road, you shouldn't even be here." She said with increased authority. I felt a dread coming over me, I could see now that the cat was breathing so it must still be alive. "I'm sorry" I said again, "I didn't know, there was no sign to say I couldn't come down here and your cat, I didn't mean to hit it, I mean her, I just didn't see her." "You may not have intended what you have done, but you did it all the same and now my child is hurt" I found it creepy now that she referred to the cat as her child, it didn't really strike me before. "I'll take you to the vet, I'll come back in my car and we can go into town to the vets, they can fix her up." I said hopefully with guilt starting to spread through me. "A vet cannot fix this, only I can fix this and I will fix you too." she said without a trace of venom in her but with absolute clarity what she meant. I knew she didn't mean she would clean my wounds and give me an ice pack for my head. She wanted to hurt me. "What are you going to do?" I asked. "I curse you. I place a hex upon you. You did not see what was going to happen. You can not see what you have done. You do not see how this will affect you. But you will. I curse you to see everything." I was speechless. This old woman who I knew without a doubt through some sixth sense was a witch had just cursed me. Not one part of me thought she was crazy. I knew I was cursed. She was waiting. Waiting for me to say something. "I'm sorry." I said again, almost pleading with her with those two words. "You'll see." she said stroking the cat then she closed her eyes and moved her head up as though looking towards the sky. I looked up too but didn't see anything. When I brought my head down she was looking at me, she put the cat down and it ran off. I was thankful it seemed ok. "From now on you will see everything, nothing will creep up on you, the shadows cannot conceal anything from your eyes. "The intent of others will become apparent to you before they know it themselves. Never again will you repeat what you have done here today, for you will see what is about to happen before it does." "What?" I said dumbfounded. "I can see the future?" "In a sense. I curse you with the sight. You will see what you did not before. You will see what will come to be. And if you can, you can change it." I knew what she said was true. I could see it. In my mind's eye I could see that this was no lie. "So what's the downside?" I asked. "You may not like what you see" she said. I dodged my head to the right and a bird flew past where my head had been. It didn't make sense but I saw it happen before it happened and I was able to move my head to avoid getting hit. The bird circled around and landed on the witch's shoulder. "Thank you my child for that demonstration." It was starting to become clear. It was all unraveling in my head so fast. I knew what was happening. It didn't feel like a curse. I knew I could use this. "You've cursed me, with a gift. I'm a cop and this, this sight you've given me. I can help people with it. "So... What's the downside again?" I asked. The old lady smiled, as she did so, she looked less like a witch and more like a regular old lady. "Not all curses are bad, but you may not like all you see" and at that she turned to walk away. "This is a private road, please turn back." She said as she walked away.	"I curse you and your entire bloodline!" Lycania shouted. Her vine covered shack now a ball of raging flames. It served as a window to her own fury building. They have finally cornered the ancient witch and her last moments alive would be spent scorning the man who made it possible. Ulfur froze, knowing how devasting a witch's curse can be, he wanted to know the details before killing her. Although she was surrounded by the royal army, Lycania's silver eyes saw only Ulfur, the mage killer. He stood out well from the rest, his body fully covered in silver plated armor. At his sides a crystal blade as tall as a man and a crystal shield to match; Witchbane and Arcane Scorge, weapons crafted with the sole purpose of killing magic casters. Lycania pointed her crooked finger at Ulfur, snarling like a mad beast. "You will turn into an unstoppable monster, full of power and rage. Your life will linger, eternally tormented, and at each full moon, the curse will grow its strongest. No man will match your strength. No horse will match your speed. No animal shall be more savage. People will cower and speak your name in fear." Lycania cocked her head sideways and glared at the rest of the men, finally acknowledging their presence. She let out an ominous laugh. "You can kill me here, you fools. And when I die you will unleash the wrath of an unstoppable demon. No blade will kill him. No bow will pierce his skin. The only thing you fools will be able to do is submit and beg for mercy as your entire bloodlines are infected with his...with mine." Lycania erupted in laughter again and suddenly motioned the fire from her burning shack into a ball. She flicked her wrist sending the fireball towards Ulfur who had already closed the distance. Arcane Scorge absorbed the magic attack and Witchbane was raised, ready to claim Lycania's head. However, before he killed his last mark, Ulfur had one last thing to tell her. He kept his voice low so no one else could hear. "Your curse is more than I could ever hope for. Thank you, Lycania...and goodbye." Witchbane cleaved through, slicing the witch's head and body in one motion. Ulfur's emotionless, yellow eyes stared into Lycania's and her body fell into two pieces.
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	The witch Merid sighed in disbelief before condescendingly scorning me. &#x200B; "I can't believe how much of a contemptible fool you truly are. All that all of you baseborn oafs ever do is choose to live a fruitless life anyways, even when you have been blessed with the opportunities to do so much more. The world is so vast that it is statistically impossible for any one person to know it all, that there is mystery and wonder in everything around us, and yet you choose to do nothing but indulge yourself in video games, pornography, and alcoholic beverages. I find your primitive lifestyle in distaste; it is absolutely repulsive and is smeared in nothing but filth. It is of little matter now, however, for you who has wasted your gift of life, I shall now curse you with a life of meaning. You will still be able to lavish yourself in alcohol, but you shall never fall into drunken stupor. Pornography will no longer exist in the form you are very so familiar with and video games no longer exist. You will now spend the rest of your days contemplating who you were, how you ever came to be, and why you appeared when you did. Sleep now, my child, for you will one day be the instrument of my cleansing light and wipe clean the foul perversions of life." &#x200B; Before I knew it, my vision became shrouded in darkness. I felt a strange heat emanating from the ceiling, as if the light of the sun's rays had pierced through the roof. I heard sounds, horses? How did horses get inside the witch's house? They tapped against the ground as if they were stepping on stone and dirt. Was I outside? Where was I earlier? Who am I? I can't seem to remember or recall a memory. I opened my eyes and found myself in a wooden cart trotting down a mountainous path decorated in boulder and pine trees. There were three men who sat in the carriage with me, and to my discovery, all of our hands were bound. They all dressed strangely, and before I could ask the man to the right of me why he had some sort of cloth muzzle going on, I heard, &#x200B; "Hey, you. You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us and that thief over there."	"I curse you and your entire bloodline!" Lycania shouted. Her vine covered shack now a ball of raging flames. It served as a window to her own fury building. They have finally cornered the ancient witch and her last moments alive would be spent scorning the man who made it possible. Ulfur froze, knowing how devasting a witch's curse can be, he wanted to know the details before killing her. Although she was surrounded by the royal army, Lycania's silver eyes saw only Ulfur, the mage killer. He stood out well from the rest, his body fully covered in silver plated armor. At his sides a crystal blade as tall as a man and a crystal shield to match; Witchbane and Arcane Scorge, weapons crafted with the sole purpose of killing magic casters. Lycania pointed her crooked finger at Ulfur, snarling like a mad beast. "You will turn into an unstoppable monster, full of power and rage. Your life will linger, eternally tormented, and at each full moon, the curse will grow its strongest. No man will match your strength. No horse will match your speed. No animal shall be more savage. People will cower and speak your name in fear." Lycania cocked her head sideways and glared at the rest of the men, finally acknowledging their presence. She let out an ominous laugh. "You can kill me here, you fools. And when I die you will unleash the wrath of an unstoppable demon. No blade will kill him. No bow will pierce his skin. The only thing you fools will be able to do is submit and beg for mercy as your entire bloodlines are infected with his...with mine." Lycania erupted in laughter again and suddenly motioned the fire from her burning shack into a ball. She flicked her wrist sending the fireball towards Ulfur who had already closed the distance. Arcane Scorge absorbed the magic attack and Witchbane was raised, ready to claim Lycania's head. However, before he killed his last mark, Ulfur had one last thing to tell her. He kept his voice low so no one else could hear. "Your curse is more than I could ever hope for. Thank you, Lycania...and goodbye." Witchbane cleaved through, slicing the witch's head and body in one motion. Ulfur's emotionless, yellow eyes stared into Lycania's and her body fell into two pieces.
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	“Wait. That’s the curse?” “Yes. I understand you want this gone as quickly as possible. I am so sorry this happened. I’m going to need-“ “I- can you please repeat what exactly this does? I think I’m hearing this wrong.” The witch before blinked in surprise at my response and cough and quickly averted her eyes. After a few awkward seconds she picks up a rather large, leather book. She carefully flips the old, delicate pages with great care until she stopped at a picture of an adventurer armed with a broad sword and a cheeky smile. I always loved reading stories, especially fantasy. It was a whole new world for me, I felt ever sorrows and laughs the characters felt. It was as if I was actually there. And I guess I am today. He looked so... alive. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes wide and such passion within them! He must have been very happy. The witch handed me this large story book of sorts and went to the cabinet, searching through vials of all sorts of unknown substances. Most looks like some herbs I had never seen but I noticed ones that contained purple hair, blood, dirt, moss, water, feathers, pebbles and some liquid that gave off a green glow in the cabinet’s darkness. I really did travel to a new world, didn’t I? “I am so sorry but you are trapped here until we can reverse this curse. You can no longer go back to your old world. I know this may be tough but I will make sure to get you back to your family! This book entails another human, who just like you became trapped.” I looked away and said nothing as my throat felt as though it was shut closed. Something clicked in the back of my throat as my eyes began to swell with tears. I didn’t bother looking up. “Oh, dear. It’s okay! As long as you have that necklace you have hope to go back to your home. I promise you-“ I stopped listening all together at that point. A dark feeling that slowly took over my whole body and suddenly I snapped. I jerked my head up and tore off the cheap, plastic necklace from my neck. I didn’t care that it was ruined. Actually, I decided I did. I stood up and tossed the necklace into the fire pit, watching the plastic fairy melt slowly into a puddle. I didn’t look at the witch but I could feel her eyes bore into me. I sat down in the floor and watched the flames for what seemed like hours until all that was left were a few burning embers. How do I explain to her I had no home to go to? That the people who should love and protect me, never did. I have never felt safe in a home until I came into this world. I remembered the many faces I came to see in my time here and how kind and thoughtful they were. People gave me shelter, wisdom, new foods and so many wild adventures from just a few days. I actually felt happy. I had FRIENDS and I felt like I finally had a place I belonged. Nobody hit me. Nobody called me names or pulled my hair. The witch never said a thing to me that entire ordeal but finally spoke in a much softer tone than before. “I am never going back. Never.”, I said firmly. I finally looked up to see the witch’s wide eyes looking back at me. She gave me a sad smile and sat down next to me. She looked back into the once roaring fire pit and slowly nodded. “Okay. No going back.” After a short pause she took out a pair of silver keys with a decorative rose engraved on them. She clasped her hand over mine and gave me a sympathetic look. She gave a half hearted smile then looked back up at me. “You’re welcome to stay in my home as long as you need. I was wondering if you wanted to help me run the shop, I can even teach you how to make any potion you want. Who knows? Maybe you can be an amazing witch one day.” I grinned ear from ear and chuckled. She smiled back and leaned in. “What do you say?” “I’d like to. I’d love that a lot actually.”	"I curse you and your entire bloodline!" Lycania shouted. Her vine covered shack now a ball of raging flames. It served as a window to her own fury building. They have finally cornered the ancient witch and her last moments alive would be spent scorning the man who made it possible. Ulfur froze, knowing how devasting a witch's curse can be, he wanted to know the details before killing her. Although she was surrounded by the royal army, Lycania's silver eyes saw only Ulfur, the mage killer. He stood out well from the rest, his body fully covered in silver plated armor. At his sides a crystal blade as tall as a man and a crystal shield to match; Witchbane and Arcane Scorge, weapons crafted with the sole purpose of killing magic casters. Lycania pointed her crooked finger at Ulfur, snarling like a mad beast. "You will turn into an unstoppable monster, full of power and rage. Your life will linger, eternally tormented, and at each full moon, the curse will grow its strongest. No man will match your strength. No horse will match your speed. No animal shall be more savage. People will cower and speak your name in fear." Lycania cocked her head sideways and glared at the rest of the men, finally acknowledging their presence. She let out an ominous laugh. "You can kill me here, you fools. And when I die you will unleash the wrath of an unstoppable demon. No blade will kill him. No bow will pierce his skin. The only thing you fools will be able to do is submit and beg for mercy as your entire bloodlines are infected with his...with mine." Lycania erupted in laughter again and suddenly motioned the fire from her burning shack into a ball. She flicked her wrist sending the fireball towards Ulfur who had already closed the distance. Arcane Scorge absorbed the magic attack and Witchbane was raised, ready to claim Lycania's head. However, before he killed his last mark, Ulfur had one last thing to tell her. He kept his voice low so no one else could hear. "Your curse is more than I could ever hope for. Thank you, Lycania...and goodbye." Witchbane cleaved through, slicing the witch's head and body in one motion. Ulfur's emotionless, yellow eyes stared into Lycania's and her body fell into two pieces.
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	The witch buried her face in her hands and sighed, "AGAIN, it's the Curse of Optimism. You will never be able to understand the potential negative consequences of any decision you make." "That doesn't sound like much of a curse", I replied. "You will be the eternal optimist", she explained. "You will only see the upside, never the downside." "That doesn't sound so..." "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND," she interrupted, exasperated. "You will bet on every loser, because you're positive it's their time to win. You will fall victim to get-rich-quick scheme after get-rich-quick scheme, because you know there is no way you'll lose money. You will want to get back together with every abusive ex, no matter how many times they've cheated. Timeshares will sound like a great idea." As she finished, I blinked. "So...what's the downside again?"	"I curse you and your entire bloodline!" Lycania shouted. Her vine covered shack now a ball of raging flames. It served as a window to her own fury building. They have finally cornered the ancient witch and her last moments alive would be spent scorning the man who made it possible. Ulfur froze, knowing how devasting a witch's curse can be, he wanted to know the details before killing her. Although she was surrounded by the royal army, Lycania's silver eyes saw only Ulfur, the mage killer. He stood out well from the rest, his body fully covered in silver plated armor. At his sides a crystal blade as tall as a man and a crystal shield to match; Witchbane and Arcane Scorge, weapons crafted with the sole purpose of killing magic casters. Lycania pointed her crooked finger at Ulfur, snarling like a mad beast. "You will turn into an unstoppable monster, full of power and rage. Your life will linger, eternally tormented, and at each full moon, the curse will grow its strongest. No man will match your strength. No horse will match your speed. No animal shall be more savage. People will cower and speak your name in fear." Lycania cocked her head sideways and glared at the rest of the men, finally acknowledging their presence. She let out an ominous laugh. "You can kill me here, you fools. And when I die you will unleash the wrath of an unstoppable demon. No blade will kill him. No bow will pierce his skin. The only thing you fools will be able to do is submit and beg for mercy as your entire bloodlines are infected with his...with mine." Lycania erupted in laughter again and suddenly motioned the fire from her burning shack into a ball. She flicked her wrist sending the fireball towards Ulfur who had already closed the distance. Arcane Scorge absorbed the magic attack and Witchbane was raised, ready to claim Lycania's head. However, before he killed his last mark, Ulfur had one last thing to tell her. He kept his voice low so no one else could hear. "Your curse is more than I could ever hope for. Thank you, Lycania...and goodbye." Witchbane cleaved through, slicing the witch's head and body in one motion. Ulfur's emotionless, yellow eyes stared into Lycania's and her body fell into two pieces.
[WP] You brace yourself for the worst as the witch tells you the effects of the curse she just placed on you. As she finishes, you blink. "So...what's the downside again?"	So... What's the downside again? That's all I could think, I may not have been in the best mental state right then, but really, how was this a bad thing?! Three hours earlier... A brand new bike, shiny and blue with not a mark on it. I hadn't owned a bike, since I was a child and I hadn't rode one in almost as long. This was going to be fun. Approaching my mid thirties I had grown a little thick around the middle and recovering from an ankle injury I needed a way of exercising that was low impact. My physiotherapist recommended getting a bike and so here we are. It was nothing special but boy was I excited to get on the road; and so I did. I strapped my helmet on and set off into the country. I'm lucky that I live close to the countryside and as I began to pedal down roads I hadn't been down since I was a child memories came flooding back. Carefree summer days, a backpack full of sweets and a bottle of fizzy pop to gorge on when we stopped. I thought about my friends from way back when. Rob had moved away, I think he was an architect in the city now. Andy owned a car dealership on the outskirts of town, but we didn't really see each other anymore. Steven died. That was a shock to us all, drugs can take ahold of anyone I suppose given the right circumstances. As bittersweet as some of those memories were I was having a good time, up the hills I struggled, only to fly down the other side. I didn't see another soul for about an hour when I had to swerve to avoid a car. Those narrow country lanes aren't much wider than a modern car and I was lucky not to end up in the ditch at one side or the hedge at the other, or God forbid on through the cars windscreen. I took it a little easier after that, I didn't remember my arse ever hurting this much from the seat when I was a kid. Just over an hour in the saddle and I felt like I'd been kicked up the arse a thousand times. I pulled over near a stream I remembered as a child. The place we used to eat our sweets and paddle in the shallow water. The trees were so much bigger now and the stream was all but dried up. Some things do change with time but I thought this little spot would forever remain like the picture in my mind. It was peaceful though, just off the road but no cars passing, the gentle trickling sound of the water and the tweeting of unseen birds somewhere around in the trees. I couldn't relax though. I had a sip of water from my water bottle and prepared to get back on the bike. The trees which surrounded the clearing near the stream were so much taller and had so many more leaves that the whole area was in shadow. I wanted the sun on my back again. So off I went. I didn't plan on going too much further, it was my first time on a bike in over 20 years and I didn't want to over do it so I thought I'd go a few more miles to the crossroads and turn back. If my backside was hurting now who knows how bad it would be when I got home. I was approaching the cross roads when I noticed a little track I didn't remember from when I was a kid. It looked like it used to be a farm track but hadn't been maintained for years. Tall grass grew on both sides of the dirt path with potholes the size of dustbin lids and pieces of the dry stone wall fallen and not replaced. After twenty metres or so the track sloped down and it looked like it went down into the woods. I wasn't going to go down it, I didn't know where it would lead but I fancied going off road. The man in the shop had explained that the bike was a hybrid, great for on the roads and also hitting the trails. All I had to do was turn a small lever on the front suspension and I was good to go. I hadn't tested it out yet so I thought why not. I headed onto the track and hit the gradual slope, it was great fun dodging the potholes and avoiding the fallen dry stone walls. I was picking up speed and gaining in confidence when a black shadow shot across the track, straight into my front wheel. It knocked me off balance and I toppled off to the side, skidding as I went down I knocked my head on the ground. The helmet probably saved my life. When I came too, it seemed like only seconds later, or maybe minutes. I couldn't be sure but I had the foggy head I'd had once before after a car accident. I don't think I was hurt any more than a few scrapes all down my right side. I bent my leg and pushed myself away from the bike ready to try and stand up. That's when I saw her. Picture the witch from any children's fairy tale. Take away the pointy hat and replace it with some messy gray hair. That's pretty much what I saw. She did not look happy. She was dressed in a black dress or a skirt with a black jacket over the top then skinny hairless legs, short white socks and black shoes with buckles on them. She had a very wrinkled face a pointy nose with a wart on it. My first thought after noticing her was that she was a witch. All rhyme and reason went out the window. This old woman was a witch, I just knew it. I noticed then as I stood she was holding something. A black cat nestled in her arms like a baby. She saw me look at the cat and looked down at it, then back at me. Any normal person would have asked if I was ok by now but she hadn't said a word. As I brushed myself down and started to notice the pain down my sides where I had scratches and no doubt bruises already forming I asked, "What happened, did you see?" "You hurt my child" she said in a voice that didn't fit her appearance. I honestly expected a cackle and a high pitched voice that matched the characters from the fairy tales. She sounded like my grandma. Calm and measured but with the hint of authority that meant you were in trouble. "I'm sorry, I hurt who?" I said looking around whilst taking off my helmet. "My child" she said looking down at the cat, that's when I remembered the shadow which had knocked me off my bike, it must have been the cat. "I'm sorry, is it ok? It came out of nowhere, I didn't have time to stop, I didn't see it" I said. "She. Not it. You hurt her. You should have looked where you were going and this is a private road, you shouldn't even be here." She said with increased authority. I felt a dread coming over me, I could see now that the cat was breathing so it must still be alive. "I'm sorry" I said again, "I didn't know, there was no sign to say I couldn't come down here and your cat, I didn't mean to hit it, I mean her, I just didn't see her." "You may not have intended what you have done, but you did it all the same and now my child is hurt" I found it creepy now that she referred to the cat as her child, it didn't really strike me before. "I'll take you to the vet, I'll come back in my car and we can go into town to the vets, they can fix her up." I said hopefully with guilt starting to spread through me. "A vet cannot fix this, only I can fix this and I will fix you too." she said without a trace of venom in her but with absolute clarity what she meant. I knew she didn't mean she would clean my wounds and give me an ice pack for my head. She wanted to hurt me. "What are you going to do?" I asked. "I curse you. I place a hex upon you. You did not see what was going to happen. You can not see what you have done. You do not see how this will affect you. But you will. I curse you to see everything." I was speechless. This old woman who I knew without a doubt through some sixth sense was a witch had just cursed me. Not one part of me thought she was crazy. I knew I was cursed. She was waiting. Waiting for me to say something. "I'm sorry." I said again, almost pleading with her with those two words. "You'll see." she said stroking the cat then she closed her eyes and moved her head up as though looking towards the sky. I looked up too but didn't see anything. When I brought my head down she was looking at me, she put the cat down and it ran off. I was thankful it seemed ok. "From now on you will see everything, nothing will creep up on you, the shadows cannot conceal anything from your eyes. "The intent of others will become apparent to you before they know it themselves. Never again will you repeat what you have done here today, for you will see what is about to happen before it does." "What?" I said dumbfounded. "I can see the future?" "In a sense. I curse you with the sight. You will see what you did not before. You will see what will come to be. And if you can, you can change it." I knew what she said was true. I could see it. In my mind's eye I could see that this was no lie. "So what's the downside?" I asked. "You may not like what you see" she said. I dodged my head to the right and a bird flew past where my head had been. It didn't make sense but I saw it happen before it happened and I was able to move my head to avoid getting hit. The bird circled around and landed on the witch's shoulder. "Thank you my child for that demonstration." It was starting to become clear. It was all unraveling in my head so fast. I knew what was happening. It didn't feel like a curse. I knew I could use this. "You've cursed me, with a gift. I'm a cop and this, this sight you've given me. I can help people with it. "So... What's the downside again?" I asked. The old lady smiled, as she did so, she looked less like a witch and more like a regular old lady. "Not all curses are bad, but you may not like all you see" and at that she turned to walk away. "This is a private road, please turn back." She said as she walked away.	Of course, it was not very pleasant. I just failed my payment. But then, it was not easy with the king getting his taxes, with my wife and children needing food. Yes, we had money, usually. Not that winter. Who could have thought that it is war again? Who could have thought that we had to flee? We returned a few months later, but by then I was months overdue. I made that pun. Whenever I was asked what the secret of my youth was, I answered with "Mary". They understood "Marry!", and I never elaborated further than saying that a good woman can give you a long life. I wish I knew how right I was. The spring of 1620 was financially fine but not plentiful. But eventually I had to go to her. I brought the money. She was okay with it. But she had to curse me. It was a contractual agreement, but in an exchange for some payment she also would give me the means to break that curse whenever I wanted. I had asked for youth, for a long life. She gave it to me. "So. There is a curse. What is it? So... what's the downside again?" I nervously blinked. I don't do that anymore, but at that time I did. Her curse was that I would live so long that I would have to see everyone I loved die. Only then could I break that curse and die myself. Furthermore I would be the last of my bloodline. My children would not have children, my wife would not have any more children. The war went on. It went on until 1648. We lost much, our house was destroyed twice. My eldest son fell in a battle, my youngest fell ill and passed away. My daughter, the only child left, eventually married but remained childless. Our marriage, in its beautiful times, ended with more pregnancies, but the children died at birth. The doctors were unable to explain it. When rumors came up in 1632, we had to leave the city. We moved away to a place where nobody knew us. Of course, I was cursed. But they thought we killed the children. They thought we were punished by God. The hardest day in my life was when a child of my wife did not die at birth. It was then that I knew that she was no longer loyal to me. I pretended to go for work, but I drowned myself. I jumped into a river, I bonked my head, I slept for many hours. Or as I learnt later, I was unsoncsious. We did not have that word. But I woke up. I coughed out all the water in my lungs. My cold skin turned warmer as my heart beat again. This was the extent of the curse. I would not die. I would keep my youth. I cried. At that day I cried more than ever before. And then I laid there for days. The hunger was overwhelming, but I could not really move. I ate grass, I drank the morning dew from it. But my legs, after having slept for hours after falling into the river, my arms even, only slowly regained their power. Eventually I stood up. I returned to my wife. The townsguard was shocked to see me. I don't know why. I still don't know why. They said it was my face. But I looked into a mirror later, days later, and there was nothing. They also confirmed that it was gone. They refused to talk about it. We reconciled, we lost, as I said earlier, once more everything. Near the end of the war soldiers fell into our town. I had to watch as... I'm sorry, I can't talk about it. I lost my wife that day, but after seeing what happened to her for hours, I felt it was for the better. Nevertheless I cried. I cried again. I cried for hours, if not days. I don't really remember much of what happened afterwards. I opened a shop somewhere again. I was respected quickly again. But one day I disappeared. People thought I had died. But I ran away. I was still young. I was still beautiful. I moved every few years, so people would not suspect anything. For quite some years I was in France. I named myself after my wife Germaine, taking the name of Comte de St. Germain. But I disappeared eventually. They never saw me eating anything, as I said I need special food. But in reality I had given up eating entirely. I remained young. I remained beautiful. Please forgive me that I can not elaborate further at the moment. I would surely love to tell you what happened later. But as you see me writing here, you can be sure to receive the rest of my story. I have decided to break the curse at its 400th anniversary. I have seen empires rise and fall, I have seen my share of cruelty. But now, with the internet, with seeing the real horrors that humanity influcted, I believe I have seen enough. If I could go back in time, I would carry out all the failed attempts to change history. But I can't. I can only break this curse. Having lost everything once has made me someone looking for the ultimate truths. Have I found them? Recently I stumbled upon what I had written many years ago. Maybe if all knowledge of the world was available, I would know it all. I did not find the truth. I believe there is only one way to find it. Next year, at the 400th anniversary of the curse, I will know. I hope it, at least. I really hope.

Subsets and Splits

No community queries yet

The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.