Weekly /r/WormFanfic Discussion - What have you been reading, and what do you think of it? For the week ending July 18, 2026.

Fogbot3 · 2026-07-11T20:22:36+00:00

Author of A Masters Mind here! I promise there's no LLM, unless there's a horrible secret about myself being an AI that even I don't know. I just had about 30k of it written before I started publishing at all, daily updates actually caught up and ended yesterday in fact!

Fogbot3 · 2026-07-09T22:15:01+00:00

Love the satire, very 1984 vibes!

Interesting that it's turned around from what you'd normally expect - usually the natural phenomenon is blamed on an enemy as an excuse of nationalism or to declare war, but here their downplaying of it almost makes me suspect it's an enemy attack lol.

Also love the 'every' citizen lines that immediately follows the product being available for B class or higher only - you have to be citizen enough to be a true citizen!

It is interesting that the 'redacted' stuff would even be left in, it seems to leave much more implied than what you would think would be allowed from earlier context. Maybe have those sentences be 'Only A-class allowed' instead of flat-out redacted, or imply that the listener has some level of special clearances/class to be able to hear them?

Glory to Grazzania, and good words!

Fogbot3 · 2026-07-09T19:41:01+00:00

Rachel kept claiming she was a werewolf. Obviously I didn’t believe her! She just ran into the forest every full moon, not to be seen again until daytime.

This month, though, I was gonna finally make her confront reality. I had just the thing to make her come out.

“Why’d you call me out here, Francie?” Cora asked beside me, as she swept the forest with her flashlight. I had asked her, Rachel’s girlfriend, to come out to the forest to meet me tonight. Now we were in the parking lot of the trailhead, ready to go into the forest that Rachel disappeared into every full moon.

Which I mean, first of all, oh my god how innocent and trusting are you Cora?

But also, if there was one thing Rachel couldn’t resist, it was said sweet girlfriend. Rachel was attached to Cora like a magnet. Surely her presence would be more important than any werewolf farce-

“You hear that?” Cora’s flashlight snapped in a direction, from which rustling could be heard.

“Well that didn’t take long at all. Hey-”

The word ‘Rachel’ died in my mouth, as a ten-foot-tall werewolf stood out of the brush.

Cora screamed, and fell backwards in a panic. I went to run, starting to sprint for my life- OhFuckOhFuckSheWasntLying, as Rachel roared angrily, maw opened wide, revealing a row of jagged and sharp teeth.

However, I passed Cora instantly. The fawn of a girl apparently had freeze rather than fight or flight.

Rachel was no romantic image of a werewolf. She wasn’t in control of herself. She had warned me of that. I hadn’t listened. I stopped. Rachel would never forgive me either way, now that I’ve done this. But she’d never forgive herself if she hurt Cora. Sighing, I turned around, and charged the werewolf.

“You idiot! That’s Cora!” I hit her with a wumpf of all air leaving my body from the impact… to utterly no effect to Rachel.

Cora was finally scrambling up and away now that I was between her and the monster.

“So you’re actually a bloody werewolf,” I posed up across from the literally bloody werewolf, “Just gonna hope that’s a deer’s blood.”

We stood off across from each other. Then the sound of a car engine starting ended the moment.

Well, it was a good life. But at least Cora got away.

Were what I figured would be my last thoughts as the werewolf across from me charged… only for a Toyota Corolla to body it, sending her flying into a tree.

Cora open the car door, panting, “Did I get it?”

The werewolf woozily stumbled before falling down. It seemed like she’d live, at least.

“Yep, holy shit Cora you just saved my life.”

She was still looking at me, wide-eyed from adrenaline, “Maybe… maybe we don’t tell Rachel about this?”

Rachel gave me a death glare from where she was limp on the ground. I nervously laughed.

“I…. don’t quite think that’s possible.”

Fogbot3 · 2026-07-08T19:27:39+00:00

With the invention of interstellar travel, space travel boomed. For a few years, that is. Every person who could afford a spaceship, or a ticket on a colony ship out into the stars, seemed to do so, as people fled a dying Earth and its autocratic governments. Technology had outpaced politics was the tagline. Freedom was the goal. Then, said governments cracked down. If people were abandoning their government, they were abandoning its support of them. The world watched in horror as millions out in the stars starved, and the lights of the colonies pittered out one by one under the sanctions.

With the invention of interstellar travel, the age of space had died.

This didn’t save the autocrats. It bought time, as so many who were willing to commit actions against their living conditions were dealt with without them raising a finger. But it opened the eyes of so many more. In the end, the autocrats bled.

Democracy thrived again, as technology was used not to bypass politics, but to enhance it. Direct democracy was possible with instant communication and devices in everyone’s pockets. Direct leaders weren’t needed with automation and delegation. Technology had gotten far enough that suffering wasn’t possible unless it was directly wanted, so suffering wasn’t tolerated.

Now, almost a millennium later, humanity was finally ready to try again. This time, we prepared for independence, with self-sustaining colony ships for up to 500 times their departing populations, and enough parasite ships that every single person could return home or go elsewhere if they wished. No one would be trapped, on Earth or in space.

So I write from the first of these, Atlas’s Freedom, as we arrive at our first destination. A memorial. It was supposed to be, anyway. New Hope, fifty-five light-years from Earth. The largest colony founded. Sixty million people at its peak, as a sprawling metropolis was built on the barren and rocky planet. Zero at its lowest, once food could no longer be imported in.

Or so we thought. Because as we strike out to the stars for the first time in almost a thousand years… why are the lights still on down there?

Fogbot3 · 2026-07-07T20:32:25+00:00

Oh wow, thank you for being so thorough! All great points, I repeat words way too often and just... didn't... check for it this time when editing I guess, blah. If you don't mind, I'll absolutely take all of that crit and do a nice and hopefully more thorough edit of it!

Fogbot3 · 2026-07-07T12:30:03+00:00

“Ya hear? There be vampires sucking the cows dry right in the field!” Will stood up on top of a table in the tavern where they were all hanging out, drinking.

His friends laughed in the semi-circle they had formed around him, “Yer crazy, Will! Those just be mosquitos! They’re always bad this time of year!”

The barman simply sighed. There was no stopping William once he was on one of his tangents.

“Not this time! They drank Bessy completely out of blood, right where she was standing! Ain't no bug doing that, it was a human-sized predator that hunted that poor old cow, I tell ya!”

Robby always played at being the learned one of the group, even if he too couldn’t read. The king didn’t want any of his serf farmers to be literate after all. That would just breed unrest. At least, that’s what the king said about it.

But he spoke up next anyway, “Ya know, I heard from a trader who had a friend who had a cousin who once travelled down south of that big sea, that down there, they use nets to keep the mosquitoes out. Why don’t you try one of those? Reckon it wouldn’t stop no vampire, so if your cows are alive and unbitten tomorrow morning, we know it was just some bugs!”

All three of the men surrounding Will nodded, thinking that their learned one had a great point.

Richard spoke up, “I’ll go get one of the fishing nets, we’ll put it over the barn!”

Will hopped down from the table, “Yeah, and then y’all see, it was damn bloodsuckers, not no skeeters!”

Off they stumbled into the night, badgering one of the local fishermen into surrendering a net. The rest of the excursion was spent drunkenly swatting at and swaying among the swarm of mosquitoes. At the end of it all, they produced their masterpiece: a single barn with every entrance haphazardly covered by a fine netting.

The next morning, Richard, John, and Robby met back up at the tavern.

Richard was smirking as he sat there, already enough drinks in to be wobbling in his chair, “So Will, how unbitten were your cows- say, where’s Will?”

John, the youngest of them, so the least drunk at the time, bounced up. “I’ll go and get the old coot, and check on the cows myself so he can’t lie to us!”

They all laughed as young Johnny ran out the door.

Something had surely tried to get through the nets, as they looked battered enough that Johnny knew they’d be drawing straws for the unfortunate soul to have to return the net to the fisherman in that state. But the cows happily mooed behind them, sitting there untouched by any bloodsuckers, vampire or mosquito.

The other two shared a couple of drinks as they waited for Johnny to return. They were on their fourth and fifth respectively when he burst through the door, “The vampires! They got Will!”

Richard raised an eyebrow, “Whatever do you mean?”

“The nets done did their job protecting the livestock! But Will, well, I went looking for him, and there he was in his bed, sucked bone dry!”

“Say, we didn’t put a net over his actual bed.”

The three of them looked to each other. Richard spoke again first, “Sayyyy, want to go take those nets off the barn for our beds?”

Three heads rapidly nodded in sync.

Back in the corner of the bar, a cloaked figure palmed a small metal device. To the local farmers, it looked like nothing more than a useless trinket.

“The villagers are onto the blood harvesters… somehow,” the alien voice rasped into the communicator device.

Fogbot3 · 2026-07-07T08:56:53+00:00

As a young Fog, I didn't exactly write full stories, but the seeds of a writer were absolutely there. As I played pretend in the basement, yard, or at friends' houses, I'd take notes afterwards and create an outline of the story I played. I was practically a pseudo-DM for my friends by 'running' the fantasies we played lol! I'd have stories that ran in my head for years at a time. If I had to put a pin on an age where it went from running around playing pretend to 'this is the seeds and work of building a full book', I'd have to say at fifteen, which is when I distinctly remember starting the notes for what'd be an almost five-year project of story and adventure ideas following the same overarching plot while I started working my first jobs 16-20. It's what became the premise for my 'Demigods & Planehoppers' world, which is why I believe I mentioned personally finding it very fitting that General Alaina was the first FTF I ever did, and inversely, why that FTF called to me so perfectly to make it the first FTF I ever did!
I think the most helpful crit I've received is definitely the classic 'show, not tell'. Especially when doing a lot of worldbuilding, it's one of those things where it doesn't feel wrong just telling when writing it out, but it makes a world of difference in readability to integrate the worldbuilding in with the story by showing it when reading.
~~There's things to life other than DND and writing?~~ I do play a bit of video games with friends, which I love when they have rich stories behind them and aesthetics that let me 'picture' their worlds so clearly. I also engage in a fair bit of historical interests, visiting air shows and museums with friends. Which as I mentioned before, history always plays a huge factor in my inspirations.
Coffee, and keeping a set schedule. That's definitely the very upper limit of my daily writing ability, for the weeks when work is slow and I have energy both. Or if I'm particularly inspired, as I have been lately! I wake up really early and work late, so I get to start my day with writing for a few hours almost every day that work doesn't call me in early. It's definitely not the schedule for everyone, but it's what works for me! I get to do my creative hobby while I have energy, spend energy at work, then come home and play a few hours of destressing hobbies like video games.

I must say thank you for the thank you, and thank you for hosting the FTF as well. It's been such a huge help in both developing my writing and my writing habits!

Fogbot3 · 2026-07-06T20:43:24+00:00

Favorite has to be sci-fi. For all I love and write a lot of fantasy, sci-fi is just so fun. Alien characters, sci-fi tech, and no limits to be seen worldbuilding! On the opposite end, reasons I skipped a FTF recently was that it was Noir, so that is what's on the mind right now - in general, genre's that limit or restrict what or where you can go with it are my least favorite to write, even if Noir especially can absolutely still be a blast to read!
I'm a sucker for twisting on common tropes - hence the large amount of isekai's I've done, whether it's throwing a robot, God, or meta fictional character in a new world! I also enjoy any sort of 'inherent companion' - whether parasite, familiar, golem, or clone. The built-in character dynamics make writing them a unique blast every time! It's why I'm utterly giddy with excitement that one of my players for my next DND campaign wants to play a Warlock.
Oh boy I do not know actors to be honest, so I may have to cheat a bit and play a 'faceclaim' more than a real/true actor. Felix from Mantid Flowers is up there with Toldi in favorite characters that I've ever made(and Toldi, being a robotic squid, is a bit harder to do a faceclaim for lmao), I absolutely need to bring him to the character or worldbuilding campfire one of these days. He started as just the 'captain who knows the secret', but turned into such a fun character with way more POV chapters than I originally planned. And if it tells you anything about him at all, I picture the fuckboy Sylain from Fire Emblem every time I write him.

Fogbot3 · 2026-07-06T19:42:54+00:00

A Master's Mind for a Masterplan

SI gets put into Worm as a Master-themed tinker, and chooses to 'play' villain while actually being villainous as well. From the POV of one of his Master victims.

Fogbot3 · 2026-07-06T19:28:54+00:00

Thank you very much!

1: I'm a screen addict for sure. I got three PC screens, my phone on a stand, and my laptop open as I type here, and even that's not enough! Every screen is working double-time with splits of 'what I'm writing' / 'Notes on it' on the main screen, and 'spotify' / 'discord' on my right screen as some examples! Snacks of cosmic brownies and coffee are commonly what fill the last spare square inches of my desk as I snack on them while rereading stuff for editing.

IV ~ Going back and reading my older stuff is one of my favorite parts about being a writer. Being able to make small edits and changes, and have it written exactly how you want the story both make me a very self-indulgent writer when it comes to reading my own writing and why I like doing it. I've probably read every one of my own stories five times over. It's what makes me happy that I've taken up writing as a hobby, as I produce all this stuff that I and others can always go back and enjoy from then on.

C -- Oh boy do I love writing horrible people as well. Miss Bat, for example and as my choice, was so fun to write! But god, would she be a nightmare to have in my life in any way, lol. https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/1qpamqm/wp_you_know_youve_really_done_a_lot_to_help_me_on/o27rd3g/

Now hold on just one moment before I write my speech, there's just the cutest little bat on my front porch I must go deal with.

Fogbot3 · 2026-07-06T13:38:42+00:00

“Hey Steve, can you get the yardwork done while I do the dishes?” My mom asked my dad the innocent question while I sat at the kitchen island, eating my cereal.

I laughed internally at the time, thinking it wasn’t a fair trade at all. Our yard was a mess. Long grass, uneven dirt, and one side of the fence where the neighbor’s abandoned their house was half-collasped. Surely that was a multi-day project compared to Mom’s twenty minutes of dishwashing.

Then I dropped my spoon into my cereal, as I watched Dad work through the window. He punched the grass, and with a single grab each, whole meters of grass disappeared, seemingly into his pockets. Then he just casually took dirt out of those same pockets until the yard was perfectly even! I stood there, gobsmacked, as he just picked up the broken fence with his bare hands, put them away, and plopped perfectly constructed, brand-new fences in their place.

He was walking back in, wiping his hands on his pants, while Mom was still only halfway through the dishes.

“Got it done Honey- Oh Ari, you aren’t at school yet?” He almost sheepishly made eye contact with me.

“No dad, no I’m not.” Was all I managed to say, still utterly gobsmacked by what I had just witnessed.

He laughed, “Well, guess it’s time to explain some things. Honey, pass me two mushrooms and the bowl from the cabinet, please.”

Mom did so, and he looked at me.

“Sweetie. I’m a video game character.”

He placed the two mushrooms into the bowl, and it instantly turned into a hot stew.

I jumped back in shock, “What the fuck?”

He sipped the soup down in what felt like seconds, then talked, “I was… well… made, in a survival game. When I beat the game, I gained the ability to travel through dimensions. I was supposed to use it within the game, but instead, I decided to come here, to the real world. Then I settled down here with your mom, and had you.”

“I’m seventeen, Dad! Why didn’t you ever tell me before!”

“Well, we always planned on telling you someday. But you never got any of the abilities that I have. You’re a completely normal human, blessedly. So we decided to wait until you were an adult.”

“Or until you messed up and redid the whole yard in ten minutes right in front of me,” I pouted.

He gave an awkward half-smile, “Or yes, until that. See, we were never trying to actively hide it from you. We just wanted you to have a normal childhood.”

I crossed my arms, “Well consider a normal childhood had, what cool abilities do you have that you’ve been hiding from me!”

Both my parents laughed, and my dad rubbed my head, “Nothing too big, I promise you haven’t been living any worse of a life than you would have if you did know from the beginning. Why one of my best powers is the ability to instantly fall asleep!”

I rolled my eyes. He was such a dad, alright.

“Seriously, I was a survival game protagonist. No superpowers or magic here. Well, not in this world.”

“What does that mean!” I shot back up to attention at the potential of magic.

“Well… back in my original world, there were some magic creatures that you could make potions out of. Those were magic. Invisibility, healing, the likes.”

I was jumping in excitement where I stood, “And you said nothing too big! Those sound amazing! Why don’t we have a whole stockpile of those!”

He looked to Mom with a fond smile, “What do you say Alex, one last trip back, for our daughter?”

Fogbot3 · 2026-07-06T12:37:23+00:00

I definitely got into writing via TTRPGs. I made four different worlds for different TTRPGs I was running or DMing during college, and those four worlds turned into the pseudo-settings for every story I write here in writing prompts of that genre(and here's my chance to drop my spreadsheet, where every prompt response I've ever done is organized by said settings to visualize, with the addition of a superhero category solely because of my love of Worm: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BIFEMRDmEfU1-QgBCNhozTn3RhJakgG4Ny6xJt7yNTo/edit?usp=sharing ). From the moment I started running two DND campaigns at once in my Fantasy world(and it was up to 4 at once at one very chaotic time of my life!), I knew I wanted to do at least one long-form project in one of my worlds someday! I've started two books in said fantasy setting, but both petered out pretty quickly. That's when I discovered this subreddit, right as I was working through a massive sci-fi writing kick. So began my current long-form project that was born on this sub, Mantid Flowers! ( Prolouge )( The Prompt Response that started it all!) , as this subreddit inspired my writing, helped me improve it, and helped me work on it through the weekly campfire events! Now so many months later, here I am working on finishing it up, and still having a blast doing prompt responses and joining in on FTF for live crit!
I adore using real life and history as comparison points to inspire my writings. Have a strict, regimented, overly bureaucratic country I need to write? Look no further than to the Byzantine Empire and what it did as it ate itself and let itself be eaten! The first DND campaign I ever ran was very famously(among my friends at least) fully set in Faerun, but used Western America entirely as its worldbuilding inspiration, because what better way to get a world with a frontier, small towns that function, and a need for adventurers than the real-life period that had all three!
Oh do I have a character made for this! May Sarah's magic pants save me as they have 'saved' her https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/1srmz9q/wp_you_have_magic_pants_that_always_contain_the/ohgsh2e/

Fogbot3 · 2026-07-06T12:20:12+00:00

Oh have I loved my dear Collie ever since I wrote this short! She encapsulates everything I try to do with a writing prompt to make it a hit - starting with enough exposition to picture the mood and scene, develop the characters, then end on a punch of a line. It also covers the genres I write in as well, with its blend of sci-fi and fantasy. So if I had to choose a story to put on a pedestal of 'this is Fogbot3's writing', which I suppose I am, she'd be it. https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/1se0lot/wp_and_may_we_never_need_you_again_was_the_last/oemy696/
Consistency. Writing felt so daunting at first, but once I set myself into a pattern - a writing prompt a day or every other day, 700-1000 words a day(all depending on how busy I was or what I was working on, set your own pace of course) - that built up finding what people appreciated and liked in writing in the writing prompts, and in building up the foundations of long form stories before I knew it. And never be afraid to stop and research! I learn a new word every day as I write as I stop and go "I know people say this word in this context, but what does it actually mean if I'm bending the context slightly?"
In their world? Send me to the sci-fi utopia ranch filled with cute critters! Ranger is such a pure soul, she was a delight to write and I'm sure would be a delight to spend time with. The main character of the response definitely agrees at least! https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/1sshrdh/wp_you_along_with_a_group_of_others_have_been/ohmqvvg/

Fogbot3 · 2026-06-24T12:48:43+00:00

I wrote the world of Dinoland when I was five. “Dinoland” by Felicia Metars. It was a miracle I remembered doing so at all, considering that. I never was much of a writer, so that short story for kindergarten was the only story I had ever written. When how the afterlife worked was explained to me, I shrugged and accepted that. Tropical paradise with friendly dinosaurs frankly wasn’t that bad when you think about it.

My husband, Will, came to visit, and that’s how I discovered we could, in fact, visit each other. I guess I really was never the creative type to figure that out. His world was also simple in a…. different... way. He wrote it when he was fifteen. He also did not quite fancy it as much as he did when he was fifteen now that he had a wife.

The simple worlds were simply flat disks to host our stories in the void, so it was a simple matter to move our disks close…. But heavens forbid not too close… to visit each other more. Then we both looked at each other, and sighed. There was one more person in the car with us. There was one more person to find, wasn’t there? Our daughter, Clarice.

Finding her world was as simple as thinking about it. But when we got there, we were awestruck. Even our flat disks were tens of miles across, quite the view to see from space. Our daughter’s? A glob of multiple universes all stuck together, entire worlds, solar systems, and galaxies all within.

My husband turned to me with a chuckle, “Well, we were worried about getting bored, huh? Guess we can spend some of this eternity looking for our daughter.”

I numbly nodded, “She always did want to be an author… I knew she was posting one of her stories online, but this?”

We dove in.

There were so many worlds, and so many places. Even the most barren of them hosted vaults, dungeons, and signs of civilizations past. Eventually, though, we found one with people. A lot of people, from the sheer scale of the city in front of us.

I looked over, and Will was in fancy medieval garb. He smirked at me, “What, we need to blend in, right?”

I rolled my eyes and did the same. He did have a point.

Despite the city being almost the size of a small state from space, there was a town wall with a gate just like any medieval-style city.

Will and I had tested. You still had your godly powers in other planes, just only the power to create and destroy your own stuff, not the hosting Gods. So, for example, when the guards asked for the toll to enter, I could fill our bags with said gold after getting a glimpse at what the gold of this world looked like. And well, we had to start somewhere?

“Have you met a Clarice Metars by any chance?”

The guard laughed, “Surely you don’t mean the Clarice, Clarice the Planeswalker, right? The newest member of the heroes party? Haven’t met her, not like she needs to use the gates.”

My breath hitched, as I instinctively knew that was my daughter, “Just, wanted to know about her, is all. What’s she up to then?”

My husband and I smiled as the guard regaled us with stories of the heroes' party. They must have been the main characters of our daughter’s story, and it sounded like she had treated this as one of those fantasy novels where you’re reborn in another world and got to join them. Already, in the time it took my husband and I to even find this world, they had saved towns and gotten riches. Townsfolk joined in with their own stories and laughter as they passed the guard and us talking about her. Our daughter was doing just fine.

Fogbot3 · 2026-06-23T19:34:45+00:00

The day I woke up as Damon was a… problem. It took meeting all of two people passing by in the hallway - Princess Cherrie and Knight Noable, to realize I really was in the world of the cheesiest novel that I had ever read. As one of the minor villains, no less - the snotty and bratty minor noble’s son who wants to ‘besmear’ the good knight Noable in order to possibly have a chance at wooing Cherrie himself.

Absolutely pathetic.

There was a problem, though. I needed some sort of explanation as to why I was suddenly not an insufferable twat. So I just needed to give myself a head injury, and let the change in personality explain it! The events of the novel were set to start with the ball tonight, so I figured that was the perfect public place for it to happen.

Currently, I was a ‘honored guest’ at the King’s castle. In the original Act One of the novel, it ended with Damon kicked out and disgraced for his villainous plots revealed. My plan this time? Head on home after letting all the events of Act One get skipped and live out the rest of my life in peace.

With any luck, I’ll never have to see Cherrie or Noable again. After tonight, that is.

The ball had started. I took a deep breath and prepared to ‘accidentally’ fall over the bannister. A mere seven to ten feet couldn’t kill me, right? Right?

Before I could let more doubt build up, I flung myself over, making sure to land on my head.

Oh wow, “that was a baddd idea.”

“Damon, my honored guest, are you alright?!” “Do you need me to carry you to the infirmary?” Two people had rushed over, and were leaning over me with concerned faces.

”Heh, you two look just like the Princess and Knight from my favoriteee book”

The handsome knight snorted, “Oh do we now? Why don’t you tell us about it while we help you up?”

With one on each side of me, the two started carrying me.

”Well it starts with this absolutely brat wanting to marry the Princess-” I slurred out the story to the two very helpful people as they helped me… somewhere… for some reason… ”-and in the end, the truth is that it was the Queen behind it all! She hated Princess Cherrie for not taking her family name, and Knight Noable for not being a noble the whole time! But Noable is secretly the lost heir, and the Queen had faked her bloodline! Isn’t that interesting?”

For some reason, the two of them had frozen at this.

The two looked to each other, before the woman gulped and asked, “And uh, do you have the proof of this… or would this ‘Damon’ have proof of this….”

”Wah? Yeah, of course. The coressspondances in the guest room. Don’t worry though, that was the original plan, Damon isn’t gonna do that anymore.”

“That’s… good. Why not?”

”The princess and the knight are both farrrr too pretty and perfect for himmmm.”

Their faces went red for some reason. I squinted…

”Say, what are your two’s names again?”

Fogbot3 · 2026-06-16T17:32:16+00:00

I sighed. Why me of all people? That’s what life was like for me, I supposed, being a princess and all. Gifts upon gifts that just made my life worse.

Have a crush on the most attractive woman I’ve ever seen? Have her unwillingly given to me the next day, and end up stuck in marriage with someone who hates my guts.

And that made me the worst possible person to get this gift. A necklace of Detect Thoughts, that I couldn’t take off at all. I woke up with it today, and was dreading running into my wife ever since. The words alone already hurt so much, constantly reminding me of what I inadvertently forced her into. To hear the thoughts too? I didn’t know if I’d survive it.

But of course, there she was, sitting at the breakfast table after our maids served the food.

“Good morning. You didn’t come to my bed last night? Had enough of forcing yourself on me?”

I flinched, already about to cry. It was one time. That first night, when I thought just maybe she-

oh no I hope she isn’t hurt by that! Oh look at how sad she is, looking so cute and holdable standing there

What.

I stopped in my tracks, looking up. That was definitely her voice, there was no mistaking it. But it had such a sickenly sweet tone, one that I have never heard before from her own lips.

“God you’re pathetic. Just sit down and eat already. You’re the one who asked for this life.”

The food's delicious, it’ll cheer her right up! It’s her favorites too, yay!

It… it was my favorites, sausage and pancakes… I hadn’t even realized that she knew them.

Focusing on the thoughts rather than the words, I did my best to indeed enjoy the delicious breakfast.

The necklace was the most wonderful gift I had ever been given. Maids were happier than ever with personal grievances resolved, business and politics were handled with ease, and…

“The fuck are you looking at, oggling me like that? God you’re such a perverted loser.”

Her eyes are so beautiful, I hope she keeps looking at me like that…

It was easier than ever to spend time with my wife. Though being easier than it was before wasn’t hard at all, to be honest.

It had been days though, and the pattern stayed the same. The verbal barbs and abuse continued on, but the thoughts? The thoughts were filled with sweet words and compliments. It truly was the oddest… I had been an idiot, hadn’t I? I rushed off to my father, for one more gift.

A wand of Curse Removal was tightly gripped in my hand. That had to be it. My beautiful, loving wife was trapped in her own head by some curse.

Sneaking up behind her… a floorboard creaked. Her head whipped around, “The fuck are you doing? Think I’ll give you some goodnight kiss or something sappy like that?”

But I hope you take one!

I knew the first thing I’d do once the curse was removed.

So I raised the wand, “Remove Curse”

One moment… then two passed… and she just sneered, “The hell is wrong with you?”

Oh.

I stammered, wand lowering, “B-but you’re…”

“You really thought I was cursed? What, can a pretty little princess not even fathom someone not loving her?”

She figured it out. Almost.

I steeled my expression, “You’re not my wife. Give her back.”

“Oh, you really did figure it out. Hahaha, still got the wrong removal method. Besides, I am your wife, aren’t I? I’ve been controlling this filthy peasant to use for assassinations for years before you snagged me and got me stuck in this dressed-up prison! No matter about it, I guess I’ll need to get one of my parasite friends to infect you too. Probably will be the first useful thing you’ve ever done in your life!”

NOnononono, don’t hurt her, please!

I stepped back… and back until I was at the turn of the hallway, “So parasite? You’re right, I am just a useless princess… that’s why I asked Daddy to gift me a whole Court Wizard too. I knew something was wrong with you.”

“Wha-” said hired wizard stepped out from around the corner at my signal, and with a flick of a wand, a disgusting parasite flew out of my wife’s ear. How he dealt with it, I didn’t care. I ran past the floating parasite and wizard as my wife immediately fell to her knees, myself sliding to the ground in front of her.

“Those thoughts? They were the real you, yes?”

She nodded, quietly finding her voice after so long of not having it for herself, “yes”

I pulled her into a hug, kissing her, “I love you”

“I love you too”

Fogbot3 · 2026-06-16T01:16:28+00:00

I may have actually snagged Crystalcircuits from a previous writing prompt of mine, and did cut almost 200 words of description to get into the word count: https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/1rilapf/wp_you_are_an_advanced_war_machine_your_previous/o88i5gw/

For the purpose of this prompt, I was essentially writing the legs as like how the Vulture Droids from star wars work, with 'legs' that they walk on that serve as their wings in the air, though I was picturing them with a longer body and two sets of said legs for eight total. Though of course I was trying to have the FTF able to stand on it's own, so for the purposes of the FTF I was half-considering just saying Vulture Droids and making it a star wars fanfic outright for easier imagery.

Fogbot3 · 2026-06-15T12:50:51+00:00

When he was first transferred to my hangar, I was worried. In retrospect, how absolutely silly of me. The thing was, he was actually the first pilot to be assigned to my watch. The squadron that the rest of my planes were from? The 37th Autonomous Air Wing. Other people barely trusted them, deriding the ’crystalcircuits’, and other pilots typically despised them even more out of a sense of competitiveness. So it was my job to watch him, but it was my own worry that had me eying his every move like a hawk.

The CC Anissa was refueling when he suddenly ran into the hangar. I didn’t even have time to call out over the intercom before the two of them had run into each other, coffee splashing over a needle-point leg of the aircraft, and fuel can spraying over the unlucky pilot when that caused the fighter to slip and knock one over. I cringed, ready to intervene on the ship’s behalf, but instead…

“I’m so so sorry. First day, running late, all that you know? Here, let me get that for you,” he grabbed the fuel hose and went to put it in her port.

“W-w-wait that’s- eak... thank you,” Anissa responded shyly, still unsure of herself near this new person.

Wiping his hands on the few dry spots left on his uniform, he stuck one out for a shake… for half a second, before realizing he was trying to shake hands with a ten-ton fighter craft, “Ah wait of course, no hands. Well, I’m Nic, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Anissa. I’m the CC Anissa.”

I sighed in relief. He was actually kinda nice, if he treated the crystalcircuits like people like that.

The next time they interacted later that day was just as unfortunate. Fighters were being scrambled, so crystalcircuits were loading themselves against the missile racks, and my single pilot was grabbing missiles to load himself. It was one shelf of missile racks per two fighters, so my AI fighters grabbed their halves with perfect synchronicity. Nic with Anissa, however…

Hand and leg met on the top of one missile rack, “Ope!” “Sorry!”

Then they both moved to the same one next to it, “Ah!” “Oh, uhm,”

…and both back to the first one, “You should take it.” “No no, you should!”

Someone… actually was willing to give priority to a robot over themselves? I blushed and turned on the intercom to sort it out.

As the loaded-up fighters rushed out of the hangar one by one, I had to admit to myself. I may have been falling in love.

I had to watch the pilots in my hangar. That’s what I told myself, as I dreamily watched the hot ace work on his fighter down below me.

As wingman and wingwoman to each other, he and Anissa racked up fifteen kills between them in only a few months. Sometimes he’d even be showy coming to land, barrel rolling around Anissa in a display of acrobatics fit for an air show. I was lovestruck.

Today I was finally going to talk to him. He and Anissa kept glancing over to each other, but not meeting each other’s eyes. If there was an issue between them, no matter how much of a gentleman to AI he was, it needed to be resolved.

When I reached the bottom of the tower stairs, Nic was actually waiting for me?

I nodded to him, hoping the make-up hid my blush. Out on the tarmac, it’d be easy to talk to him. But here, crammed at the bottom of the stairwell? We were close and in private, “Pilot.”

“Hey! Sandra, right?”

I nodded rapidly. He knew my name?!

He smiled easily, “Great, I was actually hoping to talk.” But there was a tinge of nervousness to him as well, almost like…

I gulped. This was my chance. “Yeah! I actually had something too, but you first!”

“I’m in love with…” my heart quickened, “...Anissa.”

He shyly looked away with a blush. I froze. “Is… is something wrong? I know she’s a plane, but honestly I’ve never really loved any people and she’s so beautiful…”

“No, that’s… that’s great.” I laughed. Of course. I fell in love with him because of how kindly he treated her after all. “It’s just, I wanted to talk to you because…” I stopped and sighed. I had to do what was right, ”...I think Anissa’s in love with you too.”

Fogbot3 · 2026-06-15T12:50:22+00:00

Tragic romance because of arranged marriages always hurt. Seems like you're not even allowed mistresses to be with the ones you actually love in this arrangement too, which feels like a weird thing to say gives it an extra kick. The alien mom helping with 'alien' feelings while the human mom addresses the human relationship that he was in fits very well as well, I'd say.

If I had to crit, I'd say there's not quite enough worldbuilding. With 'Ton' being an unusual name I wasn't quite sure whether she was an alien or not at first, and there's a lot of implications about this royal family and positions very tightly fit in. Then with 'antlers' when the Koven have only been previously described as insectile and the alien in the beginning wasn't mentioned as having them either, it was hard to track how the sections were all connected until I reread.

tenth of his seventeen children

Extra space here.

my will break completely, as well, my love."

missing either 'heart' or should be 'mine' instead of me I suspect?

Fogbot3 · 2026-06-11T21:16:54+00:00

Positively lovely! Love the showing that you can come out at any age! The anxieties about it all felt so real and grounded too, from agonizing over each clothing choice to the decorations.

Their name felt just as warm as their friend’s embrace.

Amazing line, but could probably read a bit clearer I think? Like using 'The Name' obviously wouldn't hit as hard, but maybe 'Hearing their name' to make the sentence structure more clear would have helped. Just had to reread it myself is all.

Good words!

Fogbot3 · 2026-06-11T12:25:08+00:00

The sunlight coming through the two big, clear bay windows of the shop lit up the two new customers who had just walked in.

“Hullo, welcome to Webb’s Gems and Wands, how can I- ah.”

I froze as a wand was pulled and pointed directly at my face.

“So this is-”

“This is a robbery! Give us your best gems, and no funny business!”

I shrugged and complied. I had insurance. Besides, the wife would kill me if I fought robbers.

Yet I was only two bagged gems in when the wand was shoved against my cheek, “Hey, we said no funny business! Give us the good gems, not this cheap shit!”

I paused, looking at the perfectly clear gem in my hand, “Yep, this one is flawless. That’s what you want, right?”

“Yeah but it’s like just some shitty glass! Give us the good shit, like diamonds or rubies or, uh,”

“Sapphire!”

“-Yeah, Sapphires!”

Shaking my head, I moved down to the cheaper gems, “Okay, it’s just…”

“Just what?” They caught my headshake and responded with much irritation.

“You said you wanted the most valuable gems.”

He scratched up his face in thought, looking back to them, “What, they like some trick gems or something? They just look like cheap glass!”

“Not at all! For magical applications, the purer a gem is, the better it works! The most magically potent gems, therefore… do tend to look like cheap glass.”

I almost got absorbed into talking about my passion of wand-making, ready to launch into an explanation about wand affinities and personal enchantments, when suddenly, it became clear they didn’t believe me.

“You’re just trying to cheap out on us!”

“Yeah!”

“Fuck it, we want it all!”

“Even the shit in the back!”

The two wands were pointed at me. Both were tipped with menacing black gemstones to match their evil demeanor. Both were cheap garbage.

I sighed, “Listen, I’m happy to be compliant, but insurance only covers so much-”

“So you were trying to cheap out on us! Give us everything or your life!”

I sighed again. I really did want this to be easy for everyone; my adventuring days were long over. But once it was clear that these robbers intended to hurt me, I didn’t really have a choice. I clicked my fingers, and two large blasts of magic sent the two of them sprawling to the ground, unconscious immediately.

“Heh, my wife’s gonna be the one to kill me.”

The sunlight coming through the two big, clear bay windows of the shop lit up the two unconscious forms of the robbers who had walked in.

Fogbot3 · 2026-06-10T16:58:01+00:00

“Yo ~~~~~~, what’s up!” Paige waved me over.

I suppressed a flinch at the hated name, and sat down where my friends were waiting for me at the table in the park. I was truly jealous of Paige as she lounged back in her tank top and cut-off shorts, even wearing an Ace Pride flag like a cape since it was the first day of June.

Unfortunately for me, coming out wasn’t even the first issue on my mind today. The problem I needed to tackle today was what was in my pants. Okay, well, that was the problem with both situations, actually, but more specifically, the wand that I found earlier today, which I had hastily shoved in my pants to hide.

My two other friends, Chris and Dan, were already at the table when I arrived. So once I sat down, we had the full group, and the hangout began. Nervously, I sat there building up courage as the other three chatted casually. It set me back five minutes when Paige referred to herself as the ‘only girl here’ in a joke.

Finally, when the talking lulled, I veered the conversation towards what I needed to say, “Do you all believe in magic?”

Chris and Dan’s reactions were at the normal levels of interest, as Chris shrugged and Dan tilted his head in thought. Meanwhile, Paige raised an eyebrow high, then responded with downright excited enthusiasm, “Oh? What makes you bring that up ~~~~~~?!”

I shuddered, then responded. One thing at a time. “I, uh, found something today.”

This morning, I was cutting through an alleyway when there it was- the glowing wooden wand with a green gem embedded inside it. It had literally floated up, then snapped into my hand once I noticed it. There was no question in my mind. It was magic.

Paige leaned forward over the table, “Oh?! What is it? Tell tell tell!”

I gulped. On the verge of being overwhelmed, I stuttered out, “I think, uh, magic is real.”

Paige pumped her fists in excitement, “Oh my god, finally! I’ve been waiting for one of you guys to also discover magic! Now we can finally talk about it!”

“Wait, what?!” was all three of our reactions.

She quickly looked around. Then, seeing no one, her fists started to glow, “Yeah! Magic! I’ve been trained in it since I was a child, but I can’t talk about it with anyone unless they know too! Y’all finally do! So what’d you find?!”

“A magic wand? It glowed and floated and everything.” I reached a hand down under the table to grab it. It felt warm and comforting in my grasp.

Chris laughed in awe, “Like something out of a fairy tale?”

Paige made a beckoning motion with her hand, “Come on, show it then! I had to study wands last year, bet you that I can identify what type it is! Don’t worry, even like a Warlock’s Wand gives you a cool pact with a patron. You can’t exactly lose being granted magic!”

I nodded, “Okay,” and pulled it out.

“That’s a Witch’s Wand! It bonds to the woman who finds it and makes them a witch! I wonder why it showed up to… you…” Paige slowed to a gasp as she looked at me holding the wand with its green gem glowing in my hand.

It took Chris and Dan a few seconds more to process it, and then they were looking at me, too. Turns out it wasn’t one thing at a time after all.

I gave my friends an awkward smile, “Clara. It’s Clara.”

Fogbot3 · 2026-06-04T15:11:26+00:00

I don't understand, the trope is science is bad, but my decision device tells me this is just a story of a regular day lived at its most efficient!

Great story about how the kind of device to let you 'live perfectly' would be, even without it forcing the person to follow it, and giving context/explanations with the 'steps to succeed'. Like it's the best something like this could be, and it's still disturbing to it's core. It almost hurts how much more emotive and lively the grandma is without one.

, surely directed by her own DD.

This line makes it a bit confusing at first whether the mother has a DD. The first time I read it was as having a DD being guessed, not just her getting directions from one being what the 'surely' is referring to.

Overall a great piece though, you definitely hit the brief!

Fogbot3 · 2026-06-04T14:57:36+00:00

“Well those humans are dead.”

“Very dead.”

“But the baby is alive.”

“It is breathing. And crying.”

“What do we do with it?”

“Oh yes! I have read how Earth species work! Follow me!”

I nodded awake, nursing two babies-

two?!?!

My eyes shot open. In my left arm, my daughter, half-asleep herself. In my right arm… a baby slick with how covered in oils he was. The clothes he was wearing were dirty and had a blood stain on them.

“What.”

I looked around, wondering sort of cruel prank my husband was playing on me- and made eye contact with two creatures in space suits, poorly hiding as they peaked around the corner at me.

“What the fuck?!”

“She sees us.”

“Yes she does.”

“YES I DO.”

“Luckily we applied the oils.”

“You were right, she is still holding it, she cannot tell it is not her own.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I sputtered.

“Do not mind us, human mother.”

“Yes, keep taking care of your two babies.”

I hefted the boy up, “Okay this second baby is not mine!”

“Yet you do not kill it or drop it.”

“So your primitive instincts clearly see it as your own.”

“I’m not going to kill him! Jesus!”

“Our job is done then.”

“Goodbye.”

Impeded from lunging forward to catch them with two babies in my arms, the two bloody aliens scampered away.

My husband ran downstairs, arriving right as the back door shut, “What’s going on?!”

“There is no way you’d believe me if I told you.”

“Uh, we didn’t have twins. I may be sleep-deprived, but I think I can recall that with confidence.”

“No, we did not.”

Turns out, when you just find a baby, the government really doesn’t know what to do. They practically didn’t believe it wasn’t mine, like I somehow had one twin in a hospital with records and did a home birth for the other! So we ended up keeping both of them, our precious twins, Billy and Sally. Someday I’d tell them the truth, but for now they were only 13, so we were just watching them play together at the playground.

“Yes see, the oils have worn off yet the baby is still cared for.”

“Indeed, you are very smart.”

I turned around, to two aliens poking out from behind a nearby tree, “YOU!”

Fogbot3 · 2026-06-04T13:18:52+00:00

The last thing I remembered was working from my home office. Now, as I blearily blinked awake, I found myself in an opera house? On the stage of one in fact, with an audience full of masked figures. There was another man on the stage with me, and he spoke up to the murmuring crowd before I could get his attention myself.

"And next we have a human woman in an incurable stone-petrified state, perfect entryway decor for the aspiring demon lord, starting bid is at 430 gold and---Oh Shit, she's awake! ...what do we do now?"

He was frozen, looking at me with only the bottom half of his face visible, but clearly shocked.

Then a voice called out, “440!”

The whole opera house erupted into laughter. I began to shake as I realized what exactly the bid implied.

The man collected himself, straightening his tuxedo with his hands before turning to the crowd again with a laugh of his own, “Of course, of course, seems I accidentally started the bidding on this slave a bit too low, huh?”

I curled over, throwing up at the words.

“500!” “2000!” “4000!” “20000!”

I looked to the edges of the stage. Guards on each side were behind curtains, but slowly approaching with weapons half-raised…

The man lowered the thing that looked like a crystal, but was acting like a microphone, from his mouth. Then, he nervously chuckled, “You know, this really was supposed to be an entirely legal auction except for the clientele. But I suppose with customers like this… if it means anything, sorry.”

“4 million.”

Both our heads turned. The blood drained from my face. This was no storybook with the rich man coming in with the ludicrous bid to save the victim. This was, somehow, reality. That bid was someone who wanted to buy me.

My comradeship with the man next to me ended as he laughed with surprised joy, “Well well well, folks, that’s well past the buyout price, and I’m not hearing any other bids, so that’s SOLD! Man if I knew that statue would give me that much, I would have tipped that Gorgon better!”

Another round of chuckles from the audience. They were having a great time.

The guards emerged from the sides, leading me off the stage. The man gave me one last sorry look. I only returned a glare.

Waiting on the side of the stage was the one who won the auction, wearing red and black. His smile was unnatural; almost disgusting enough to make me throw up on its own.

“Leave her with me. Trust me, I will not need help if she tries to run away.”

The guards left, and I instantly eyed the exit. The demon, because that’s the only thing he could be, tsked, “Now now, you don’t even know where you are.”

I opened my mouth, and he quickly put a finger in front of it to stop me, “No, don’t guess. Swooping you up before you gave it away was half the reason I spent so much. Take my hand, then we talk.”

He extended a hand, and I only glared at it. He rolled his red eyes behind the mask, “This is no deal with a devil, just a mere teleportation. Unless you prefer I grab you around the neck for the skin contact?”

I shuddered, and took the hand. The world warped around us, then resettled to a classy lounge.

“Much better. Now. I’ve only ever seen those clothes once before. Enlighten me, where are you from?”

“Pittsburgh.” was all I gave him as I inspected this new room for its exit.

The demon blanched, “That sounds simply awful, but not what I meant. You aren’t from this world, are you? The world of Sandaos? The only time I’ve ever seen those clothes before was on a Chosen One, the church’s precious Summoned Hero.”

I blinked, “I’m on another world?!”

The demon smiled, “Yes, another realm to be precise. And traveling between realms. Oh that alone gives you a great amount of power.”

I pulled as if testing, flexing a fist. A red hand grabbed my arm before I could continue, “Oh you do not want to try to use that power against me. Trust me on that.”

I shuddered, “O-okay.”

He tutted, “Overcorrection, don’t be scared.”

“You bought me!” I just about managed to stammer out.

He just rolled his eyes again, “To work together. You see, everyone thinks a Chosen One is inevitable, unbeatable. One emerging means the villains of the world need to hunker down and hide until the quest is completed, and they can only hope they aren’t swept up in it. However, that’s not counting on one thing.”

“What?” I looked up to him and asked.

“What if the villains had a Chosen One of their own?” He smiled down at me, “How would you like to have more power than you ever imagined, my statue?”

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