《Heartmonger》An Infomercial to Die For
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Viktor opened his eyes and found himself in a large room with floor-to-ceiling windows and contemporary leather furniture. He looked down at his seat and saw it was a white leather couch. The whole room looked like a car dealership's sales lobby. He squinted, and other people almost seemed to flicker in and out of view on the other pieces of furniture. Suddenly, a young woman with pretty features walked over. She wore a short white dress with a gold necklace of a cross.
"Wonderful, you're awake! Welcome! My name is Jophelia, great to meet you!" She spoke, every word injected with bubbly kindness. Viktor stared at her, unblinking.
"Where am I?" He asked.
"Oh..." She trailed off, looking a little uncertain. She tapped him on the temple with a manicured nail and suddenly, his memories came rushing back: breakfast, the car crash, and gunshots. Viktor slumped and his head fell into his hands.
"I-I don't get it. Is this the hospital?" He said, his brain refusing to comprehend the truth. "Is Claire alright?"
The woman smiled at him sympathetically.
"You'll see Claire soon enough. See, you're actually both dead. You find yourself here at the magnificent waiting room of Judgement!" She said, making little jazz hands following her introduction of the room. Viktor sat there, mind reeling.
"You said I'll see Claire? Where is she?"
Claire appeared next to Viktor, and she looked over to him with a smile. Viktor tried to give her a hug, to tell her he was sorry, to say anything, but he couldn't. The angel cleared her throat to ensure both of their attention.
"Unfortunately, you guys can't talk yet. I've got a little bit of a presentation to go through before you guys can discuss and move forward!" She smiled kindly as a television appeared on the table and began to play a video.
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The scene opened with a green hill and a nuclear family on a picnic. The narrator spoke in a cheerful voice:
"So, you've died! That's a bummer, but the good news is that this isn't the end for you! If you're seeing this video, it means that you weren't marked for a fast-pass to the land down under. That's Hell, with a capital H, if you didn't get it. But anyways, from here you've got two options. See, if you're watching this video it means neither of you were marked for a past-pass to Heaven either, which lands us in a bit of a predicament.
The screen showed two images: golden gates on a bank of clouds and a set of wrought-iron gates wreathed in flames.
Option one is that you decide to go in for judgement regardless. Another angel will review your case and decide whether you're going to Heaven or Hell. The bar to go to Heaven lowers a bit, so if you're confident that you were a great person in your first life, this is a fine option. Disclaimer though, it's still pretty tricky to get into Heaven. The safer option is option two, which I'll explain now.
The scene shifted to show a 3d rendering of Earth rotating before flashing through a series of images depicting happy humans.
Your first life was cushy despite the ending. There were no real threats to humanity on planet Earth, and the only wars were caused by humans against other humans, with the exception of that weird thing with the Australians and the emus, but whatever. The point is, this life didn't challenge humans, despite what some of you believed. Option two is entering into Purgatory, which is probably not what you expect.
Suddenly, the scene melted away to showcase a never ending series of images and short videos: monsters, wizards, knights, space cowboys, kings, queens, and countless other depictions flashing on the television as the narrator spoke.
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Purgatory is a new Universe for humans from every world in your first Universe to challenge themselves and be challenged. Purgatory is a realm of infinite opportunities to distinguish yourself and earn a second judgement. Interestingly, it's a world filled with every kind of magic and technology you could possibly imagine, so you have as many tests and challenges to overcome as possible. Even some of the other 'gods' have amassed enough power in Purgatory to sort-of influence the first Universe and start up whole religions! If you live a virtuous life in Purgatory and perform deeds that get the attention of one of the many watching angels, there's a chance you can go to Heaven when you die there! So, what's your choice?" The television powered down.
Claire and Viktor looked at each other nervously. Claire spoke first.
"What do you mean that the bar is... lower to get into heaven?" She asked. The angel hesitated before rattling off a clearly practiced response.
"Due to the unchallenging nature of the First Universe, judgements on getting into Heaven are much stricter, as it's less impressive to be a fairly good person when there are few temptations for you to do truly bad. We implemented the Purgatory system so that fewer individuals who weren't truly bad would go to Hell unfairly. That being said, the essence of creation is Free Will. So if you believe you led a righteous life, we allow you the chance to get into Heaven and face Judgement as normal. If you choose this courageous option, the bar for getting in is lower!" Jophelia explained. "Now I'll leave you two to discuss. That's normally not allowed, but you've been given the 'family' designation since you were so close and died in close proximity to each other."
Viktor looked at Claire as the information sank in. Despite the jaw-dropping information, neither seemed panicked or particularly shocked. We probably couldn't be surprised if we wanted to...Viktor thought.
Claire bit her lip nervously. "Vik, what do you think? We've been good people, haven't we?"
"Of course, Claire. I can't think of anyone else on Earth closer to an angel than you," Viktor smiled. Inwardly, he considered the risks. There was no way a good person like Claire could be judged for Hell, right? But he couldn't shake a nagging feeling that there were uncontrolled variables at play. What if something went wrong? But he didn't voice his concerns.
Without further debate, Claire turned to the angel.
"I'll face Judgement."
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Crimson Astral Cascade
Summary: A vampire-astronaut from a futuristic super-reality, is reborn into a post-apocalyptic fantasy world, and now must make a living for himself and his family as a summonable spirit of the void. The ‘chosen’ son of a vast, multiversal, empire is exiled for the sake of political expediency. Honestly, they might have been trying to execute him, rather than just sending him away, but as it turned out, he survived. He fell into the grand nebula, the sewage line, and the plumbing system for the cosmos. Then he was within the base layer of the collective of mostly-destroyed universes known as the core worlds of Tesson. Now for the sake of his new family and new life, he will have to do his best as a “heroic” Astral, traveling between the myriad fractal-worlds of Tesson that still reside outside of the nebula as means of making a living. TLDR: Who hasn’t played a gacha game by now. But have you ever wondered about what kind of life those characters you’re trying to win have lived and are living? Posted only Scribblehub and Royal Road Confirmation Sequence: 2, 4, 16, 32, 64, 128…Tasty Cool.
8 211The London Phantom: A Superhero Webnovel
London is an old city. It has survived floods, fires, plagues and the man-made smog of industry. It has stood firm against the armies of Vikings, Saxons, Normans and the aerial might of the Luftwaffe. It has borne witness to dynsatic feuds, civil wars, military occupation and the sin of regicide. Through all these disasters the city has survived not through force of arms, though its walls were once the envy of the world, but through adapting to the times. Enemies become dependant on the city, and the wealth of the world that flows through it, and so become new allies. If the rulers change, then the city welcomes them with open arms, and open lines of credit. In this way the city seeks to preserve its ancient rights and position of power. Superheroes are a new phenomenon. The first superpowered man walked out of the Nevada desert in 1950, and the world was forever changed. Across the planet, men and women with exceptional abilities made themselves known. At first, they were little more than another source of fear in the era of Mutually Assured Destruction, but over time attitudes changed and the concept of the Superhero was created in the city of Los Angeles. From there the phenomenon spread across the globe; superheroes went from being feared arms of the state to a symbol of hope in these maddening times. Times have changed. Sixty years from the emergence of the first superhero, the City of London stands on a precipice. Two years have passed since the madman Fawkes nearly brought down the United Kingdom and the remnants of the Bow Street Runners, London's premier superhero team, are struggling to keep order in a city that seems on the brink of collapse. London stands on a knife's edge, with criminal organisations that once stuck to the shadows becoming more bold, and ancient powers from myth and legend making themselves known. Alexander Laszewski has recently 'awakened' and has become entirely unremakable, effectively making himself invisible to the world. He must use his newfound power to navigate a city on the edge of collapse. If only he could figure out how to turn it off.
8 60When Life Stands Still (bxb)
[participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] The world came to an end very unexpectedly. A scientific invention gone wrong. The virus spread through a being that was being modified and experimented on. Within two month the human population on the earth reduced to a mere 35%. The rest?? Cold, Unfeeling, emotionless, and dead walking corpses. This is the beginning of hell on earth. Ash Kage (20):Has a very guarded personality. He doesn't easily let others too close to his heart. Doesn't know how to really hide his expressions. Has a very valued unique ability that everyone seeks during the apocalypse. He made one mistake which turned his entire life into a living nightmare - he pushed Rhys Grant. After one life of torture he is reborn but the moment he is reborn is still after he made the mistake.Is he fated to go through the same hellish life again? Rhys Grant (23):Was part of a gang so has lots of fighting experience. Becomes one of the major figures of the northern base. The kind of person who hates you until death if you cross him but loves you to heaven and back if you are dear to him. Stubborn as a bull doesn't listen to anyone once he makes up his mind.Hates Ash Kage. Remembers his past life and still hates Ash. This story is also published on Wattpad. Disclaimer: this is a BL story that means both the main characters are boys. Its also tagged as 18+ so be warned. This might not just include sex but also violence, gore, abuse and rape because that's how a real apocalypse is. If you are uncomfortable with that I advice you not to read. And finally, I haven't decided if the ending is a happy one or not so don't expect me to change the plot just because you want a happy ending.
8 75Something Smells Flowery
Co-owners and co-developers of the virtual game world, Darkentide, Justine and Alfie are on the verge of introducing new shadow monsters to challenge their few dozen dedicated players. Justine's part is to program a solar eclipse in Darkentide. Alfie's part is to design and release the shadow monsters during the eclipse. Justine succeeds with her programming, and then the sun goes out in Darkentide. But when Alfie enters the shadow monster difficulty level with an extra zero at the end, he unleashes an evil greater than even he could imagine. A hooded figure appears in their office, turning Alfie to ash where he sits. The stranger spares Justine, but imprisons her inside the Darkentide game, to prevent her from interfering with his plans to destroy the real world. He also sends Greta, a dancing nurse he summoned and has high hopes for, to watch over Justine and make doubly sure the female developer won't do something stupid. Can Justine figure out a way to escape back to the real world and put a stop to the hooded man's evil schemes? Can Greta be the female Pinocchio her summoner wants, and become a real girl? And what about poor Alfie? Can he ever amount to anything more than a pile of ashes? And where is that flowery smell coming from?
8 66Killing Me Softly With His Song
read and enjoy 🖤
8 102communication - ryujin & chaeryeong ✓
ryujin and chaeryeong's thoughts after their breakup. STARTED: 190330FINISHED: 190414this my first story i wrote when i was "younger" (three years ago) so it's kinda cringy... read at your own risk©️ old @-baeirene- /// new @zielgi
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