Not a dude. I hadn’t seen that in the rules, my bad. Though I wouldn’t say ‘encouraged’ just allowed.

Mwahaha~ your tears feed my need to tug at more heartstrings~!

Yeah it’s a really cool idea this one stuck out as one I like the most of this thread

I might, i might not, i might need a bit of a think on that~ but i'm glad you enjoyed it~

I'm pretty sure I've seen this one before, good prompt though.

Maybe it's a sign that you've been here for too long

That’s Orcish technology for you - works even when you’d swear it shouldn’t.

“Here you can see, Commander Smith, the photonics engines that the Syl’dior use to traverse their planetary systems. They can achieve near light speed velocity within a star system.”

Commander Smith looked at the obviously organic ship and pondered what humans could learn from it. He then followed the guide to the next terminal.

“Due to their home system containing a binary star cluster, the Cratequins developed advanced light sails. They discovered earlier on how an endless supply of solar radiation could be utilized for, well, almost everything. And being a photosynthetic life form was also a way for them to feed during space travel.”

The human admired the wide sails the were currently tucked around the huge, cylindrical ship on the screen. After noting a few technical aspects in his pad, the Commander then turned to the next display.

The guide continued its lesson on propulsion. “I don’t have an Earth translation for these next beings, as they communicate via pheromones. Their travel methods are also unique to other spacefarers in that they use a reactionary force propulsion system…”

The guide stopped after seeing the human’s expression change.

The Commander, in the silence, stated, “Thts how human ships function. We basically use the reactionary force of the ignition of combustibles to attain flight to leave our gravity well. We then ignite larger boosters to then attain near relativistic speeds.”

The guide stared in shock. “Um, Commander Smith, these species uses psychic energy stimulated by positive thoughts. The reactionary thoughts of the crew and passengers generates a psionic push. They then use arbitrary, negative thoughts to then slow their shops down.”

The Commander looked sheepish after hearing the explanation.

The guide continued to stare and then asked, “So those large containers on your ship are carrying a liquid fuel that you ignite? What happens if there’s a leak?”

The Commander shrugged. “If there’s a leak, then a ship would be stranded until a ship can refuel us with requisite materials.”

“And if you are in unexplored territory?” The guide asked.

“Um, well, then the ship is more than likely lost.”

The guide looked equal parts shaken, sickened, and angry. “You just leave your people to die?!”

The Commander looked slightly offended. “Not if we can help it. But it could cost an exorbitant amount of fuel to launch a rescue mission. Fuel is scarce in space.”

The guide waved one of its tentacles around. “There’s solar energy everywhere! Black holes can be scavenged for loose Meson particles to use in cyclical fusion impactors! You could scoop up asteroids for rare metals and gasses and transmute them using nanotechnology! We know you have telekinetic beings. Has your species not fully studied the nearly limitless energy from the slyphsink wells the power organic mental skills?!”

The Commander threw his arms up in the air. “We are looking into it! It was a lot for us to find out about when we got out of the Sol system. We would have to totally redo our rocket building infrastructure, retrain millions of workers. Do you know how much that would cost?”

The guide replied, “Well, the cost of personhours would be high, but won’t your planet eventually run out of the basic resources for the fuel?”

The human thought about how to respond. “Okay. That was a fear in the beginning. But then we found other planets and just started taking it from them. We can live off a planet for decades of Earthtime. But it’s not the labor that costs a lot. It’s the initial money investments. Who’s going to pay for that?”

The ensuing conversation with the guide concerning how humans still used currency, used planet based materials for fuel, and that humans basically ride in traveling bombs resulted in no human ships allowed to dock in any galactic outpost. And an intergalactic investigation into how not all humans are treated equally.

By the way, the “random letters” actually spell something. See if you can unscramble it!

I woke up, chained to my bed, a saw in the middle of cutting my stomach.

“Not again” I mutter, rolling my eyes.

I sit up, yanking the chains, breaking them off from my bed frame.

“I can’t just have one nice nap? You people are crazy.”

“We’re not crazy. We’re trying to get revenge.” A voice says from the corner of my room. The person is hiding comfortably in the shadows.

“Revenge for what? You and your lineage have been trying to kill me for thousands of years.”

“You’re still playing dumb?” The person becomes enraged, “Why can’t you take responsibility for your actions?” The person is yelling now, “I hate you!”

And before I realized what’s happening, the person is running at me with a knife, and for a brief second I catch a glance of their face. There’s tears streaming down their face. I felt sorry for them. That was until I felt the knife plunging into my heart.

The person stabs me over and over, yelling things I can’t understand. She’s crying. Suddenly I feel this odd sensation coming over me. The girl starts floating, chanting something from a language I thought dispersed a long time ago.

“Ied. Ied ouy upidts ons fo æ thcib. Ouy suredc em nda ym milyaf ot æ imetifle fo reffungi, dna ety, ouy trelend ouy on’td memrerbe. I pohe ouy ffersu orf lal fo itynrete.“

She explodes in the air, her ashes falling all over me.

Then I remember. This is the Jaïfē family. They descended from the Heavens. I look down, noticing my bleeding heart for the first time. I get up to look in the mirror and I see the horns on my head, the fire emitting off my body. I remember who I am.

I am Shirafę. The devil banished from the Heavens. It was me who led to the downfall of the Jaïfē family. I brought them down with me.

I decided to fall asleep, hoping to forget about this once more. I actually liked the chase, but they didn’t need to know that.

I crawl into bed, still bleeding.

Hopefully, I wake up to the same cycle.

As the vignette which had long clouded my periphery closed in, I sensed my time was up. I let my eyes drift across the hospital room, determined to choose which image would be my last, and settled on the soft toy my daughter had left yesterday to keep me company. I watched the first beams of dawn dance softly across the lilac fur of the bunny rabbit, and felt a quiet contentment despite the now-steady tone of the heart monitor.

The noise of the hospital faded away, and my vision faded completely - first to black, then to grey, then to the soft shade of purple from the bunny. I wanted to smile at the observation, amazed at what the human brain could conjure in its last moments, but I found I no longer felt a mouth to smile with. Nor did I feel any sense of limbs, or any corporeal form at all. While I should have found that disconcerting, instead it seemed comforting. Why would I have a form to traverse a plain which did not need traversing?

All that existed was the purple, and myself perceiving it. The colour pulsed in a range of tones - soft, lavender swirls churning through the endless purple sky. As the waves of colour pulsed, so too did my perception, my consciousness now seemingly anchored to purple expanse. I could no longer recall why there was purple, and felt a sudden wave of concern. That had been important. The swirls of the colour became angular as I grew concerned, but quickly smoothed out around me.

As the sharp edges disappeared, so did my worry. Nothing existed but the purple, so why would my feeling diverge from the calming flow around me? That thought itself quickly felt irrelevant. If there was nothing but colour, why think at all? My consciousness melded into the cosmic purple field, now one with its mysterious tides as time rolled on.

Are you going to write more I love this idea

“I’m telling you, boys, that chick is absolutely off her rocker,” says Sir Chad the Man.

“Oh, come off it, Chad,” says Sir Charlie of the Wing, “you’re just upset you couldn’t slay that dragon.”

Sir Chad slams his pint glass down and points at Sir Charlie. “I could have slayed that damn dragon and you know it. The princess just got in the way and wouldn’t let me!”

“What do you mean, Chad?” Says Sir Kyle of the Wall.

“I mean that princess is coo coo for coco puffs is what I mean!” Chad says shaking his head. “I had the dragon dead to rights. Just as I was about to bring my sword down upon its neck, she ran into the room screaming bloody murder. She started shooting arrows at me and even threw an exploding pot,” he says as he lifts his shirt to show a wound on his abdomen, “bitch got me good. Said I wasn’t welcome at her castle and to get the fuck out.”

“Some thanks for trying to save her,” says Sir Kyle. “I swear, these princesses these days are ungrateful.”

“Right?” says Chad. “Like, damn lady, I was just trying to help you out.”

“Well, just to play devil’s advocate here,” says Sir Charlie, “did she ever ask for your help?”

Chad stares at Charlie with a puzzled, blinking expression, as if his brain were trying to send a distress signal via Morse code. “Why would she need to ask, Charlie? She’s a Princess. In a castle. Guarded by a dragon. I’m a Knight. What more do I need to know?”

“Well, quite a lot actually,” says Charlie. “Did you ever stop to consider that maybe she’s happy in the castle? Or even better, that the dragon is her pet?”

“Her pet?” Says Sir Kyle of the Wall. “Who keeps a dragon as a pet?”

“Well, a rich and powerful princess for one,” says Charlie.

“Oh fuck off Charlie,” says Chad, “she doesn’t keep the dragon as a pet. You know what I think? I think she’s got that Stockholm syndrome. You know, the one where the hostage falls in love with their captor. It only makes sense.”

Sir Kyle nods in affirmation. “Yeah, yeah, that does make sense, Chad. You gotta go back there and try again tomorrow, she definitely needs your help—now more than ever.”

“You’re right!” says Chad. “I need to go back there and this time succeed in slaying that beast and taking her hand in—“

“I really wouldn’t do that, Chad,” says Charlie. “It sounds to me like she doesn’t want to be bothered. I’d just honor her wishes and stay away if I were you.”

“And that is why you are forever of the Wing, Sir Charlie! You never show enough gumption. Always take no for an answer. Not I! Not Sir Chad. I will find a way to make her love me or I will make one!”

“That’s the spirit!” says Sir Kyle.

“I just—can I just say one more thing and I’ll drop it?” says Sir Charlie.

“Say your piece,” says Chad.

“I just think that, we Knights need to do a better job of listening to princesses when they tell us what they want, and respecting that. I mean, this gal was pretty direct with you—hell, she maimed you with an exploding pot. I think that we need to learn to leave well enough alone; she’s more than capable of protecting herself and choosing how she’d like to live. I really think you should reconsider.”

Chad and Kyle share a look and then burst into laughter together, slamming their hands on the table in good cheer.

“Oh, you bastard!” says Chad laughing, “you really had me going! A woman capable of protecting herself! Incredible.”

“You’re too much, Charlie!” says Kyle. “Listening to princesses? That’ll be the day.”

Charlie finishes his beer and shakes his head and exits the bar.

Sir Charlie returns to the bar the next evening. He spots Sirs Chad and Kyle sitting at their usual table. Sir Chad’s head is bandaged, Sir Kyle’s hand in a cast.

“What happened to you two?” says Sir Charlie. “You look like hell.”

“That crazy ass Princess hit me over the head with a frying pan,” says Chad. “Turns out she maybe can defend herself. Still though, she’s fuckin’ nuts.”

“And you?” asks Charlie with a nod to Kyle. “Oh, I heard the news and got so mad I punched a wall,” says Kyle sheepishly.

“Well, I’m just glad you both learned your lesson,” says Charlie. “The next round is on me.”

“Lesson?” says Sir Chad. “I’m going back there tomorrow. This time with a helmet on.

“I’ll save her if it’s the last thing I do!”

r/InMyLife42Archive

Isn't it called an "Id10t" error?

This is really good, are you going to write more?

[removed]

Lucifer has to talk with the other pantheons’ gods of the underworld about how to best organize hell

Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.

Reminders:

>* No AI-generated reponses 🤖 >* Stories 100 words+. Poems 30+ but include "[Poem]" >* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail >* [RF] and [SP] for stricter titles >* Be civil in any feedback and follow the rules

🆕 New Here? ✏ Writing Help? 📢 News 💬 Discord

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

Dude reposts are encouraged after 2 weeks

"Out! NOW!"

The knight before me reached out his hand, ignoring what I had just said to him as he replied, "Princess Andrea, you need not be afraid! I can get us out of the castle before the dragon wakes--"

I slapped the knight with the back of my hand and yelled, "Shut up and listen to me, you damned moron! I don't need to be saved, the dragon is mine, and the only feeling I have right now is an unstoppable tide of fury for your lead-poisoned idiocy!"

"W--What? Oh Gods, the dragon has ensnared your mind!"

I slapped the knight again and stomped over to my bed as I yelled, "Thomas, please get rid of him!"

Thomas poked his head through the door and grabbed the knight by the chainmail. Thomas then carried him over to the window and dropped him outside as I practiced my deep breathing. I started counting backwards from thirty as Thomas got on the bed and nuzzled his head into my lap. Thomas built up a bit of flame in the back of his throat to warm me up, putting an end to my rage. I let out a long sigh and gently scratched behind Thomas's horns as I said, "Thanks boy."

Thomas blew out a little ring of smoke before idly licking my hand. The soreness from the slap I delivered began to fade as I snuggled up with Thomas and quietly said, "Why can't they leave me alone?"

Thomas let out a little whine in sympathy. Suddenly, I heard footsteps approaching the door to my room. I groaned weakly and pulled the curtain on my bed in the hopes I could convince the latest knight to leave. But when the door opened up, I heard... nothing.

There was no dramatic yell of my name, no demand that Thomas prepare for death, no telltale clanking of armor or swords. Hell, even the door opening was abnormal--the fools who kept trying to "save" me usually just kicked it down. I peeked through the curtain to get a better look at who this mystery person was.

Leaning against the wall with a book in hand was a woman dressed in the uniform of a squire. I pulled back the curtain slightly, prompting the woman to look over at me and wave. "Hello. Lovely castle you have here."

"Uhh...who are you?"

The woman chuckled and set down her book as she replied, "Depends on who you ask and where you do the asking. To the knight you just unceremoniously threw out like a baby bird from the nest, my name was Gertrude, squire-in-training. But you can call me Christine."

I pulled the curtain back all the way. "So you're a criminal."

"Oh, unrepentantly so. But don't worry, I'm not here to steal anything. I just figured the castle of a noted agoraphobe would be a good place to hide out when the lynch mobs congregate. Of course, I'd be more than willing to offer compensation in any form you'd like."

"So if I were to ask for, say, assistance in keeping knights out of my home..."

Christine opened up her jacket and showed off the tools on the inside. "I'd ask if you prefer pit traps or snares."

I smiled. "Okay, now what if I were to ask for someone to keep me and Thomas company?"

Christine strolled over to the bed, sat down next to me, and joined in on giving Thomas scritches. "I'd say yes please."

I blushed. "Okay then. I guess we have a deal."

Thanks :)

I feel her gaze upon me as she scans the crowd, searching, no, hunting for me. My nose itches. Damn. Another sneeze is coming. Out of the corner of my eye I as time resumes and the stabbed man falls to the ground. Screams and voices of alarm rise up as they try to do something for the poor man. I sneeze and everything goes silent. In the split second my eyes shut for the sneeze time had stopped again. I open them, only to see twin flame of pure red ire burning into me, searing through me, burrowing into my soul. Is this what dying feels like.

Her words were ice cold and full of venom. "How did you see me?"

I can't breathe. "I, um, can't everyone see you?" I manage to gasp out. My throat is very dry all of a sudden.

"Only if I want them to. Unless..." Her face went from a look of pure rage to something more curious. "Are you a god?"

Remembering some sage advice from a movie, I stammer, "Y-yes."

Her eyes spear into me again, narrowing. "Who?"

My chest is tight and my blood runs cold. "Um, I, um, I'm Brian, the god of unwitting stupidity."

She rubs at her chin, looking up and thinking. "Brian," she mutters, "Brian. Nope, I haven't heard of you. You must be a lesser god, Brian." Her eyes narrow again. "You better watch yourself, Brian. And stay out of my way."

"O-okay," I stammer again.

And with that the commotion around the two unwitting men resumed. Wait. Had I unintentionally been right?

good

"Boru!" Princess Beatrice yelled from her tower, as her draconic companion was slashed once again by the knight's blade. The champion didn't seem to understand that she cried out in defense of the dragon, shouting in response: "Don't worry Princess! I'll slay this nasty beast for you!" "Stop you idiot, I don't want that!" He hesitated, and Boru flew from the ground, curling himself around the tower. "I'm sorry, what?", said the Knight. "Isn't this monster keeping you prisoner?" She didn't answer, realizing that was the longest conversation she had since her parent's death, months ago. She remembered the day after that vividly, when Boru first came. Contrary to popular belief, he was more of a gentle giant than a town destroying titan, and just wanted somewhere big enough to sleep. It didn't take long for the two of them to form a bond. "Hello? Are you alright?" Said the knight, interrupting her thoughts. "I am, sorry for not responding. This dragon isn't my capturer, he's my friend, and I would very much like for you and your armored friends to stop hurting him." "Oh. Then why don't you go out of the castle?" She sighed, because she didn't have an answer. Beatrice couldn't understand what caused her fear of the outside world, but she also had no reason to come out, since she had everything she could want in that castle. Servants would prepare meals for her and wouldn't ask many questions, the Royal Library was extensive and, since she wasn't old enough to rule, others were doing it for her. "Why would I?", she finally answered. "Well, I don't know, aren't you old enough to marry?", said the knight, in a flirtatious way. Hearing that, the gigantic dragon got furious. That man was too old for his friend, thought the beast, before burning the man alive. "Good boy.", said the princess, before happily going back to bed.

Interesting take. Two flavors of corrupt cop in the same story.

I am absolutely loving the angry bully-with-a-badge assuming the other one to be a useless oaf.

In the end, though his conclusion was only partially correct, it was still correct.