just-another-scribe

[just-another-scribe]

“Why are you giving my newborn baby a dagger?!” “Well they’re a choosen one, which means that I’m destined to be killed by them; but honestly I’ve been waiting centuries for them to be born and I just want to get it over with.”

[just-another-scribe]

what about a double plot twist: in actuality, your partner is no shapeshifter- they're just a normal person who decided to mess with you after they told you that they were a shapeshifter on your first date and you believed them.

Your friends are convinced that you have a new date every single day with all of the guys/girls you bring home. In reality, your partner is a shapeshifter and the two of you have been pulling a prank on your friends for years.

[just-another-scribe]

You are deep in thought. Even at the bright young age of 10, you are controlled by the power of greed. You are wondering how to maximize the abilities you can gain.

Suddenly, it comes to you.

You choose a religious movie on god.

A divinely mischievous grin graces your face.

Now, you not only have the abilities to create a universe, but you also have factions of religious individuals who are willing to defend your actions.

You crack your knuckles and smile. It's time to get the party started.

everyone at the age of 10 gets to pick a movie. Whatever movie you pick you gain powers based on it. People usually pick iron man or super man or even Pokémon to get there powers. Everyone is panicking because you pick the most a movie that no one knows the outcome of…

[just-another-scribe]

I wake up in the morning at precisely 7 am. Bright light shines through my window bathing everything in a cheery glow.

Deciding that trying to sleep a bit more on a today as wonderful as this would be pointless, I climb out of my blanket and proceed to get ready.

I make sure everything is ready in my backpack for another great today at the education facility. I put on my uniform and make sure that my tie is straight before setting off.

I arrive in the building with no complications and place my belongings at my chair before popping in to meet with my classmates.

Everyone is smiling and laughing.

Today was just like every other today.

After a today filled with learning my favorite facts, I prepare to go home while humming a cheerful melody.

I smile, tighten my grip on my backpacks straps, and throw myself Infront of a painfully familiar yellow school bus, ready to restart the time loop and relive this amazing day, again.

Unfortunately for me, today was the last looping.

Write a happy story without conflict. Then with the last sentence, turn it into a horror story.

[just-another-scribe]

[just-another-scribe]

The scribe stared at the scribbler and tilted its head. It had never before expected to hear these words- especially not from a seasoned writer and blogger that the scribe earnestly followed.

A safe space, huh?

Leaning back, the scribe stretched and looked at the ceiling.

"So I can be as shitty as I want... and I can get away with it...?"

In all honesty, the scribe was quite fearful of how its writing would be perceived. It was surrounded by writers who were better then it and was wholly intimidated. It enjoyed writing with a passion, however it had always felt as though it wasn't good enough to truly write or be proud of its writing.

Looking once again at the scribblers post, the scribe realized that perhaps it was okay for it to continue posting. Perhaps it was alright if it continued learning. After all, it couldn't expect to grow without doing so.

The scribe relaxed. It hadn't realized how much it needed to hear that...

Now, it decided to be more confident when turning random posts into writing prompts.

~~~

this is a safe space for people who think they’re “bad” writers btw you’re not a bad writer, you’re learning and i love you

[just-another-scribe]

"That's because I'm.."

POV: You said that to Rick Astley

“You’re the only person who hasn’t given up on me.”

[just-another-scribe]

That threw me off guard.

Only person, huh?

I quite liked the sound of that.

I relaxed my facial muscles and deliberately moved the corners of my mouth upwards while narrowing my eyes slightly. I turned my lower lip inwards a tad bit to make the smile seem more sympathetic.

I reached out and placed a hand on their bruised cheek.

"I'll always be here for you."

~~

15 years later:

~~

"Hello, handsome."

##note i consider the word handsome to be gender neutral

I greeted my partner at 6:30 AM sharp flashing the picture-perfect smile of a doting suburban American wife in the mid 1950s.

My partner, the owner of a multi-million dollar highly successful corporation.

My partner, for whom I used to be everything.

My partner, who I had never give up on.

I prepared breakfast for them, as a good partner should, and chatted with them aimlessly as they ate it.

Everyday was the same.

Soon, they set off for work.

I, too, realized that I should be going.

Before leaving, I checked the calendar.

It was the 15 year anniversary of my partners last suicide attempt. It was also the 15 year anniversary of the biggest promise of my life.

Recently I had begun to doubt the significance of this promise.

Recent, well... I'd been feeling this way for the past few years.

My promise... it had changed my life to center only one individual. Because I though that individual was centered on me, and that they only had me. But I was wrong. Within a decade, they had a whole network of people to rely on. They were bustling. They were healthy. They were... loved.

Something I could never do, no matter how much I tried or lied.

I sighed. I'd hoped by centering on one person, I could one day love them as much as others around me seemed to love people.

Yet it didn't work. The words that they had said to me that day, I took them in a way they weren't meant to be taken. I'd looked at the exclusivity I'd gained as something analogous to love.

But it wasn't. I did what I was supposed to do, I read the guidelines on how to be a good partner, Hell, I got a psychology degree in order to help them more. Romantically, I asked them about their ideal type and their ideal partner, and became that person. I was perfect in every aspect.

And it worked, to some extent. They loved me. The problem, however, was that I still didn't love them. Even after devoting 15 years to them and gaining their absolute adoration, I didn't love them.

In every other aspect, our relationship was perfect.

I sighed. This wouldn't do. There was no hope for me here anymore. 15 years wasted, just like that. Oh well. New beginnings were supposed to be exciting. I wondered if I could experience that emotion.

That day, I didn't go home from work. Instead, I changed all my accounts passwords and caught a train to New York City.

I had lied. I wouldn't always be there for them. How very in character for me.

TO BE CONTINUED

“You’re the only person who hasn’t given up on me.”

[just-another-scribe]

[the year is 2016 (so before deepfake)]

I stare at the projected screen in court with bewildered amusement. I have no idea what I just saw but no way in hell am I going to complain.

My lawyer glances at me from his seat and gives a small wink.

I raise my eyebrows slightly.

I paid half a million dollars on the dark web for this guy, and it seems it was worth it. However, he definitely has a cocky streak.

The rest of my trial proceeds flawlessly, with the defense being unable to combat my lawyers trump card.

While waiting for the trial to finish and my ass to slowly go numb from the hard wooden bench of the counsel table, I speculated how the lawyer might've pulled it off… the video, I mean. Do I have a doppelganger I'm unaware of? Was I one of those twins separated at birth for a psychological study?

Regardless, the thing that blows my mind the most is that the cricket match which "I" supposedly attended featured my two favorite teams playing against each other. Actually, the job had run overtime. I was planning on attending the match afterwards.

I was startled back to reality by my lawyer grabbing my shoulder. A brush of air passed me and sent a shiver down my spine as he bent down and whispered, "it's over, let’s go."

I inserted my hands into my pockets and followed my lawyer out of the courtroom distractedly. Regardless of how distracted I was, I managed to break the haze for a second and smirk at the prosecutors- huh, I guess I also have a cocky side.

I took a deep breath in. I really didn't think that I'd be walking free tonight.

My lawyer and I spoke at the same time.

He grinned, "well that was-"

"So how did you-" I began.

We looked at each other.

Simultaneously, we told each other, “You first."

He laughed. "As I was saying, that was the easiest case I've ever worked with! And one of the most profitable! I'm curious though- why did you spend so much if you didn't actually commit the crime? You had me thinking you were a killer, my friend!"

"Huh." I stared at him. "I am. I killed that man. What I'm wondering is how you managed to get that video…"

My lawyer stopped in his tracks.

"But… there were witnesses who all said they saw you in the stadium at the time of the crime. Do you have an identical twin or something?" He shook it off. "There's no way. The receipt and all the identification from the ticket kiosk checks out to you.

"I don't have a twin, at least I don't think. And I remember killing him. I can tell you in detail what transpired that night. I have no idea why the information tracks back to me. I wasn't there."

At this point, both of us were standing face to face on the sidewalk, and people were beginning to stare.

The gears of my mind factory had begun churning.

Unfortunately, it seemed like my brain cells had unionized and refused to work.

I made an executive decision on behalf of them.

"I'll pay you another half a million if you figure out how "I" was at the stadium."

The lawyer looked at me like he was a spoiled child who had just been told that this year, there were two Christmas's.

"Done deal good sir!"

"However," I added, "you only get paid after you 'close the case'."

"My beloved employer, I guarantee you I will find the man at TWICE the speed detective Conan would, for that sort of money- Er, I mean, for the well-being of such a wonderous gentleman such as yourself!"

I rolled my eyes. He was almost drooling.

I'd inherited a large sum of money from an unknown relative (I know, just like the stories), so money was never a problem for me.

Thankfully, neither was patience, and now, all I had to do was wait.

~~

The lawyer wanted to bang his head on the wall.

It had been three months and he was still wrapped up in this hellish case.

Literally ALL the evidence he'd uncovered, even the pieces he got from stalking the CCTVs, seemed to yell that his client was not the killer, and just another cricket fan.

Yet the man claimed he had committed the crime.

This was by far the oddest situation he had been in.

Furthermore, it seems that he'd found another man who seemed to be the actual killer. And that guy was decidedly not his employer.

He flung himself onto his couch dramatically and reconsidered his life so far.

Perhaps he shouldn't have gone to law school. Scratch that, perhaps he shouldn't be a money hungry capitalistic mongoose.

He sighed. Oh well. He didn't choose his personality. According to an online test he was an ENFP, so his dramatic mood swings were fully justified.

He turned around mirthlessly. Something caught his attention.

His floor was a collage of documents and amongst them peeked out his client’s medical history.

He had accessed this illegally out of curiosity a month ago but had lost it before examining it.

He twitched and sat up abruptly.

He didn't have his glasses on, so he pulled the document close to his face. His eyes grew wide. He laughed aloud and ran a hand through his hair.

He spoke to himself even though he knew no one was listening.

"All the pieces finally fit, and what a twisted picture this puzzle has revealed."

~~

I am sitting on a bench near a bridge at a busy park waiting for my lawyer. That man is always late.

He says that he is bringing my doppelganger, though, so I suppose this time it is permissible.

~

He has appeared but he is empty handed. I am disappointed but I decide to hear him out.

~

He isn't empty handed; he's holding a picture. I ask him to show it to me.

~

It's an ugly mirror selfie I took two weeks ago. What? How the hell did he even get that?

~

He says he is going to explain everything. About time.

~~

The lawyer cracked his knuckles. It wasn't particularly hot outside, but he could feel himself beginning to perspire.

He cleared his throat and began.

"My dear client, I agree with you, you are a killer, but not the killer you think you are."

His dear client stared at him.

"Were you ever going to tell me about your past? Well, I suppose you couldn't, because according to the doctors, you don't remember."

He was rambling.

"Around thirty years ago, you killed [name]. Your father, to be precise."

His client twitched. Oh no. He continued regardless.

"You killed him at [same address as the murder protag was accused for]. This was your old house…. your father, well, he was abusing you. Severely."

"I am told that you were on the verge of dying yourself when you stabbed your father with a kitchen knife and hit a vital artery. After this, you fell into complete shock and forgot the whole event, even your whole childhood with your father."

He stared at the sky.

"On [the day of the murder he was on trial for], you were indeed on your way to a cricket match. But you got lost on the way there and for some reason ended up at your place of residence."

"Your muscle memory took over. Your father had trained you to come home directly after school and prepare tea for him in the kitchen. You found the hidden key under the doormat and went inside to the kitchen."

"Incidentally, the kitchen was the site of the murder. You apparently witnessed the crime take place and the houses' present owner get stabbed in a freak coincidence. Upon seeing the scene, instead of being horrified, you broke into babbles and started mumbling about how you had killed someone and would surely go to hell."

"This thoroughly confused the real killer, who would've otherwise killed you, but instead, I suppose he got a bit scared himself and escorted you, a sobbing middle-aged man shouting that he was a killer, outside."

"I think he was afraid you'd blow his cover. Anyway, he saw the ticket receipt for the cricket match on your phone and called you an uber to get there… he stole your car and drove away."

"In the duration of the cricket match, it appears that you were completely zoned out and talking to yourself. I talked to your old psychiatrist and apparently, you'd done this before. You have a very active imagination. Your brain had seen the scene you had just witnessed before, and this time, at 38, you were able to accept that you were a killer, and for some reason your mind convinced yourself you were a mafia boss."

"According to your search history, the night before, you'd watched 'The Godfather', so that might explain that. Anyway… in conclusion… you have no doppelganger, and you are a killer, but not in the way you'd think… you're completely clean on the legal front… do you have any questions?"

"Oh and, I've anonymously reported the evidence of the real killer, so that case should be wrapping up soon."

He finished his soliloquy and looked at his client.

"Oh shit…"

~~

I woke up next to a very familiar old man.

I squinted. "Father…?"

He laughed, "don't you remember, it's 'Doctor Father' to you."

Something clicked. Before I could process it, my lawyer burst inside.

"THANK GOD HE WOKE UP I THOUGHT I KILLED HIM. You're lucky I had this guy on speed dial y'know." My lawyer waggled his finger Doctor Father. "Not gonna lie, this was by far the most interesting case I've ever worked on."

My lawyer hesitated…

"Are you okay though? I know that was a lot to take in."

I stared at him.

Honestly, it was a lot to take in, but it all made sense. My life after I'd thought I'd killed someone… it was defiantly weird. At points my entire personality shifted and at other times everything was fragmented. Looking back, it certainly wasn't normal. Or at least, it wasn't me.

But who even was I?

I think I was visibly distressed. Doctor Father placed a hand on my shoulder and looked at my lawyer.

"You've done enough, my dear, I'll take it from here. I'll take care of your fees as well. You are dismissed."

"Um, ok." My lawyer seemed a bit startled. He looked like he was about to speak but he shook his head, half-smiled at me, and left.

Doctor Father gave kindred smile. It felt like the warm hug I never knew I'd needed.

I relaxed. I was no longer bewildered or amused. I was at peace. I was safe. I was… innocent...

You are in court for murder, when your lawyer shows a video of a sports game with you in the audience and proves that you are innocent. However despite having the ticket and the claims of having gone to the game, you actually did commit the crime and have no idea what you just saw on the video.

[just-another-scribe]

I laughed at the bickering entities before me. I hadn't planned for this to happen, yet it did, much to my amusement.

I should've known that something like this would've happened. For a mortal so highly invested in supernatural affairs, the amount of promises I'd made without thinking and curses I'd garnered carelessly over the years were bound to overlap eventually.

Other mortals in my situation would likely be bewildered at this dramatic turn of events.

However, I am not like other mortals.

I cracked my knuckles and coughed in order to gain the immortals' attentions.

"Ahem. Excuse me. Hi, yes, its me, the being who you're arguing over."

The otherworldly creatures looked at me with such disdain that I almost stopped speaking, yet I swallowed my fear and continued.

"I have a solution for you."

The Fey raised their right eyebrow and the demon raised their left.

"How about... now hear me out... the Fey, (who I believe is just looking for a firstborn, not specifically mine) gets cursed with infertility and is gifted the demons firstborn!"

The demon and the Fey looked at me and then each other before breaking out into laughter stronger then thunder.

"No No, listen, this makes sense." I continued hastily. "Fey, you just want to raise children, and aren't you asexual? An infertility curse means nothing to you, and it would give Demon an easy target for his preloaded spell. And Demon, aren't you kind of a succubus? I'm sure raising children is difficult with your job description, and pregnancies probably occur without warning. Directing your beef with me towards each other would be great both of your asses."

I smiled awkwardly. I had delivered my soliloquy, now, it was up to the more powerful beings to decide my fate.

"He's... not exactly wrong, is he." The Fey said, after a pause.

The demon bit its lip. "I suppose so. But I still have issues with him, how am I to exact my revenge?"

"Well," the Fey began, "we could just kill him."

"HUH." I couldn't help but blurt. This was not part of the plan.

~~the demon and fey kill our protagonist, and eventually, after getting to know each other, they become partners.~~

the demon that cursed you with infertility and the fey that you promised your firstborn are having a legal battle.

[just-another-scribe]

me: i promise to work only on my main story and finish a significant portion of it!

my unrelated WIP's and short story collection: *mysteriously gets larger*