As a child, I didn’t have access to most computer games. I was, to put it in layman’s terms, I was a console kid. This is not to say that I would’ve chosen to grow up in a different way, but there are many computer games that I wish I could’ve experienced in their prime. Fortunately, I was in the midst of putting down my PS3 and Nintendo Wii, in favor of PC games when the gem, Terraria, was coming out.

Terraria is a pixel, 2D side scrolling, survival game that at first glace is similar to another block based game, Minecraft. The comparisons are endless, but Terraria is also different in so many ways. Like most survival games, Terraria drops you into the world and expects you to survive with almost no help. Unlike other games of this genre, Terraria has one of the most fleshed out (pun intended), combat systems of any game. The combat is simplistic at first, starting you with a simple short-sword that does a quick stab to anything in front of you. However, the further you venture into the game, the more complex things start to get.

There are three main damage types to consider, melee, ranged, and magic (Terraria players reading this might disagree, but I’m going for the very basics). In each category there are numerous subcategories of weapons, for example: In just the melee damage type there are swords, scythes, flails, spears, axes, and even yo-yo’s, that’s not even all of them! With this surplus of weapon types and different weapons of every category, the combat is always changing. Not to mention that as you progress, every weapon has new cool abilities, like a sword that shoots projectiles to a spear that leaves damage particles after thrusting. The amount of time that the developers put into just the combat is incredible.

Aside from just how you affect combat, the actual amount of enemies in the game is insane. From regular slimes of many kinds to crazy huge bosses that borderline on computer breaking with the amount of projectiles on the screen, the combat is always intense, and there is no telling if you will survive the next fight.

Moving away from combat, the different things for players to do in the game seems to be almost too much. Players can spend their time mining for ore to upgrade their gear, building houses and villages for new NPC’s to move into, fighting the never ending hoards of enemies and bosses, or even just taking in the land and fishing in the sea. The sheer amount of time you can sink into a single playthrough of this game is amazing. That being said, every world you create is procedurally generated so that no two worlds are the same.

Without giving much away, the seemingly “final” boss of the game changes your world and basically creates a whole other game to play with harder versions of bosses and monsters that you have seen before, to new harder bosses that you wouldn’t have even imagined. Basically, my point is that this game will take over your life. There is so much to do and see in this game that you will spend hundreds of hours just living in this virtual world.

Terraria is an amazing game, with an amazing community. It was one of my first PC gaming experiences and I am glad that it was. It is and will remain, one of my favorite games ever. With the massive replayability and the adreneline that pumps through my blood with every moment of calm and craziness, Terraria is a game that is one of a kind. To anyone that hasn’t played it, buy it, play it, and fall in love with it. Its worth it, every second of it.

[WP] You are a child therapist who treats extreme cases of children terrified of a monster in their closet. They’re extreme because they’re real, and you’re actually secretly a demon hunter using these therapy sessions to gather intel on the monsters before killing them. u/WorldOfSilver

It seems like my life would be very dull, working a regular 9-5 on the weekdays and lounging at home on the weekends, but not everything is as it seems. I’m a child therapist, specializing in children that have monster problems, as the adults would say, overactive imaginations. They aren’t exactly correct. The world we live in is ever changing and children’s imaginations have a huge effect on that. The monsters they imagine are real, complete creations of the child. Let me explain.

About ten years ago, there was an incident. The government sweep it under the rug, but for the common folk, its known as the Delirious Dread. Something happened in those government labs and the world changed. Like a virus infecting a population this creation infected our world. Our world was on fire, literally and figuratively. All of a sudden mythical, fantasy creatures filled our world and terrorized everyone. The government hid it all and hired people like me to deal with it. When it started, it seemed like a dam exploded, and everything that it held back came rushing out like bad nose bleed. Nowadays, its under control, for the most part. You see, these creatures can only come from the minds of children. Why you ask? Well that’s the thing, I don’t know. I’m working with the government to contain this epidemic, but they have me in the dark. All I know is that by day I gather Intel, talking to children about the monsters that haunt them and by night, I use what knowledge I’ve gained and capture the threat. I don’t know if it’ll ever end or even what the government is doing to stop it. I don’t even know what they are doing with the monsters I’ve captured. But, one thing I do know; its my job to save these kids from the monsters of their own creation. Creature of all shapes and sizes, all races and breeds, let this be a warning to you: every last one of you will be captured or die by my hands, that’s a promise.

“But, yeah, that’s what I’ve been up to. What about yourself?”

As I peered up from the dining table, a barren seat and dusty, dirty walls encumbered my view. I reached over the soft linen that surfaced the table to a single picture frame standing lonely across from me. Everytime I held that photo I could feel your warmth resonate through my veins. A single tear fell from my face onto the desolate landscape as I stood up. Time to get back to work…

[CW] Write a chase scene where every sentence is one word shorter than the sentence before it. u/ToranosukeCalbraith

The forest engulfed my being like a giant shrouding a town with its large, cascading shadow. As I weaved in and out of the trees I stumbled into a lonely clearing. The night sky illuminated my body and shone a sharp light through my soul. I had no time to waste or it was going to catch me. As I caught my breath, a sudden shaking of brush alerted me. I couldn’t bring myself to turn as fear over took me. My feet would not move; I was a dead man. Instinct took over as I turned with a fist. Wet, disgusting slime oozed on to my arm. The creature smiled at me with delight. I pulled away to reveal nothing. The hand I knew, gone. Screams vacated my body. I took off. One thought. RUN!

Brother dressed in Green
Ghost hunter and Mansion owner
Evil glare in him too

Villain of Hyrule
Lion's mane, scared of his name
Master of evil

Face of Nintendo
Red hat Pipe jumping plumber
Jump Jump Jump don't fall

The younger of two
Time traveler with green suit
Changes with a mask

Big boy monkey punch
Bongo playing country dad
Ooo Ooo Donkey Kong

Hero of Hyrule
Master's sword and Hero's shield
Quest to save the world

Man of one color
Hammer of Luck, Hit a nine
Old school and retro

Fire blazing sword
The red haired protagonist
Son of Eliwood

Experimental
Strong powers of the mental
A cloned pokemon

Princess of Hyrule
Attacker with light arrows
Many forms unknown

Young boy of earthbound
Spammer of PK fire
Release the third game

Baby pikachu
Damages itself to fight
Cutest little thing

Big and Bad turtle
Breaths fire like a dragon
Spiky shell don't touch

Rider of air rides
Hails from the land of dreamland
Can swallow you whole

He is the Fastest
Up-throw up-air for the kill
Or hit the shine spike

Mango's Favorite
The bird with the sick combos
Always lasering

Oh the sword master
Beauty and finesse within
Unknown before now

Mystery woman
Quick flips quick kicks, never slow
Quite little is known

God from up above
Pink ball of fury and might
Kills by sleeping tight

Two, greater than one
Desync and the deed is done
Some say they aren't fun

Oh captain the man
With knees of fiery will
Electricity

The electric mouse
High flying surviving mouse
Four stock in the house

Woman of armor
Not going to disarm her
Beauty lies inside

Pills of great power
The doctor will take you out
Just a cosplay fool

Egg making monster
Shields all with super armor
Funny dinosaur

[WP] “….and that’s why we made the banana catapult.” u/ElephantRiotXXX5

My dream is to create the best Rube Goldberg Machine. The Rube Goldberg machine is a contraption of a complex nature with many different parts to it, that culminates to complete a mundane task. It is the ultimate waste of time, and as a master of wasting time, it is my life goal to do this. The machine will be symbolic of my life, and that’s how I will create it. The parts of the machine will all be symbols from my life. A trophy from my first piano recital and the first soccer jersey that I played in, all important things from my life will find its place in my machine.

The machine will be more than just a machine. Every part, every contraption, everything will be a part of my life. The start will be much like the start of my life, containing my favorite pacifier that I sucked on as a baby. Every stage of my life will find its place perfectly in my machine, anything from the playful child stages to the awkward teenage phases or the grown, angry old man that I will come to be will all fit in perfectly. The machine will be my life’s work literally and figuratively.

This, of course, is not a task that I can do alone. I must have help. Hopefully, all the important people in my life will help me in that part that I share with them. That way, we can relive the memories together and create new ones at the same time.

All of the must come to an end and the conclusion to the ultimate machine must be the most amazing story. I was a college student struck will an illness that was not life threatening in the slightest but, it was able to kill my grades. The virus flowed through my blood and left gaping holes in my senses. It had to be stopped. As a poor college student will pennies to his name I knew what I had to do. In order to fight this sickness I had to…buy fruits. My wallet cried empty tears as I traveled to the supermarket. With a swift purchase and more loans to my name I walked out with a bundle of bananas. As a child I never particularly like bananas, I never understood how people could enjoy the feelings that they gave you. But, little did I know, the feeling I got was not the usual.

After enjoying a nice peanut butter and banana sandwich, the feeling struck. Like a hairy caterpillar crawling through the recesses of my esophagus, my throat ached. Then it struck me… this is not a normal feeling. I had remembered reading a story of someone not knowing that were allergic to peanuts and remarking in front of many people that he did not like peanuts because of the itch that comes with eating them. This man found out then and there that he was allergic. The feeling was similar…I was allergic to bananas.

That’s why my Rube Goldberg Machine must end with this. It will the be the greatest launcher of bananas the world has every seen and that’s why we made the banana catapult.

[WP] The internet is turned off forever. u/emceedude

Five days.

It’s been five days since the shutdown. The world is cold and everyone is alone. I think I’m the only one left; it feels like I’m the only one left. The soft whispers of the life I once lived haunt me. My eyes fresher then ever, but with no sustenance. What does it matter; my eyes can go, there’s no need anymore. This world doesn’t feel worth living. The feelings of boredom consume my being and drag me down from the core. Is anything even real? Is this life now? Why has it come to this? Who turned the internet off?

I still remember when it happened. I was sat on my couch scrolling through my Twitter feed. The notification chimed and as the noise raced through my ears, I understood the message, “Starting at 9 P.M. PST tonight, the internet will be turned off FOREVER.” The message didn’t seem real. It was like a sick joke that some hacker had come up with. I blew it off, there’s no way that’s a real alert. To my surprise, as the clock creep up to 9, it happened. The connection gone, no WiFi, no internet, just nothing. At first I thought it to just be a technical issue, the router died or my provider just went down. But it was worse, the whole internet, the whole thing just dead. No signal anywhere, just nothing.

The message was real and this was real. I was lost. A kid thrown to the wind, life as I knew it was gone. My mind went into a fury, thoughts rushing through the cracks of my skull filling my head with the strength of a tsunami. The thoughts didn’t stop. Why? How? Who? Was this my problem or the world’s problem? Had I upset God and been condemned to live through the torture of the modern world? I was Sisyphus, life devoid of meaning with mundane tasks filling my days. Maybe there’s a solution, maybe I can fix it. But how? The question drove me to insanity to the point where I considered leaving. With the internet gone, my connection to the world has dissipated. To solve anything I must do the unthinkable. Walk through the golden gate to the steps of fiery hell. I must leave my home.

Its the usual occurrence, the daily routine 
The layers unraveled and out comes the fiend
Levers are turned, and the closed gate erupts
Steam everywhere, the feeling abrupt
The initial touch of skin and liquid 
Sends chills through the body taking the soul with it
Strands of blackness move furiously with the motion
The scum of Earth gone without commotion 
The fight breaks out throughout the field
Slowly the good surrounds and shields
Out with the evil, the bad guys vanquished
All it took was a tool of makeshift
Feelings of joy continue to take over 
Like the sun setting on the Mars rover
It was enviable, such is a certainty in today's life 
The warming ends with no feelings of strife
Emerging from smoke with droplets of fury
The body is covered for some are weary 
Ending it all with some swift swipes
Gliding across like skaters on ice
And once again the layers are on
The deed is done, rejoice is upon
And thus ends the task, feeling refreshed and re-powered 
That is the everyday story of how I shower

[WP] As you die, you wake up and find yourself strapped to a chair. Wires and tubes have been attached to your body and numerous shadowy figures walk up to you. “That was life sentence 24,” one of them says, “Only 356 sentences left.”

Prompt from u/Oscar49 https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/ctk9ob/wp_as_you_die_you_wake_up_and_find_yourself/

Lights. Lights all around me. As my eyes slowly readjusted my mind wandered, “where am I? Is this heaven? No not with the life I lived, it must be…” A figure came into view, no, more figures – a whole crowd was just standing staring at me. “What is this?” My eyes darted down towards my feet and legs. Wires and tubes encased my body like serpents waiting to strike. A voice bellowed from the room, “That was life sentence 24. Only 356 sentences left.” The words danced through my brain uprooting all the memories and thoughts that felt long gone…..

“MORTY, I AIN’T GOING DOWN LIKE THIS!!!” the words barely left my mouth before the door burst open. Marty, my partner in crime, my lifeline was standing in the window, looking directly into my soul. His face was round and pale littered with tiny strands of brown hair emerging from the pores of the exterior of his jaw. His lips moved slowly. I couldn’t make out what he said through my own screams of agony and despair. Then he was gone… Just like that left by the only man that would stand by me or that I thought would stand by me. Dozens of huge, towering men with biceps the size of small watermelons filled the room. I couldn’t move. Hell I couldn’t even think. My eyes shifted to the remnants of my legs or leg. My right leg lay inches away from where it should be, only connected by the blood and guts that lay between it and me. “Rick Sanchez, you are under arrest for intergalactical crimes in universes D32, C41, F5…” The list went on and on as my consciousness slowly faded…

“ha…ha…ha….hahahHAHAHAHA” The shadowy figures that once looked content were now plastered with fear. I raised my head with a grin that can be described as nothing else but as pure malice. “You motherfuckers just wait, my 25th life will end all of you!” One of the figures quickly pulled a lever and my body contorted like a mannequin being brought to life. The world once again faded, but this time I wouldn’t forget…this time is going to be different. Just you wait Morty. 

Note: Oh geez was this weird to write. I wasn’t really sure where I was going with it but as I started writing I felt like it had to be an homage to Rick and Morty. My idea for the short excerpt was to try and write as a character that I wouldn’t normally picture myself as. TBH I’m more of a Morty than a Rick in so many ways. But where’s the fun in writing in a way that you already know.

I was just a young boy sitting in my dad’s bed watching history in the making. The TV hung on the wall played with cheers and chants flowing through it. It was nothing to me then. I didn’t even know what basketball was. There on the screen was you, the fearless mamba come to life making his opposition crumble. “Kobe for the win, IT’S GOOD!!! LAKERS WIN!” I jumped to my feet not from happiness, but a certain thrill that came from the crowd roaring. That was the start, it was because of you.

Growing up I tried many sports but basketball was the only one I picked up by choice. After seeing the way that Kobe tore up the court, I wanted to be like that. As I watched and played more and more I resented him. How could he play like that? How is that fair? It doesn’t matter how you guard him, he’s gonna score somehow. A Los Angeles boy who didn’t want to cheer on the Lakers. Where else would I turn but the Clippers? I was and am a Clippers fan but Kobe was special. The older I became, the more I understood. Stories of how hard he worked and how determined he was shocked me. It wasn’t like I thought at all. He was an inspiration.

As a teen I stopped playing basketball for the most part. The fire inside had just died but that was okay. I knew that I just didn’t love the game enough to push myself to the highest level and that’s what I wanted to do. I wanted to reach the top in something that I loved and basketball just wasn’t it.

I remember when I heard the news. The winding road to my left and the rumbling hills of green flew by my vision. “Kobe’s dead?” a voice from inside the car brought my mind back into my body. “what?” “That’s not possible.” My phone shot into my hand and my fingers glided across the screen like eagles soaring through the sky. The initial headline “Helicopter crash killing 5 people including Kobe Bryant.” It didn’t feel real, like a passing thought of disgusting origins. The car fell silent.

Kobe was more than a basketball player. He inspired millions. He taught many people that hard work pays off. People across the globe have mourned and will continue to mourn his terrible death. I know I will. The only NBA player that went on the win an Oscar. He did it all, and he was going to do more.

Kobe taught me to find my passion and then just work at it. Grind it day and night until you either are the best or the passion flees. Kobe once said that the days where he didn’t want to work or didn’t want to practice, if you can see love the game in that time, you love the game. I’ve been searching for that, my love, my passion. I’m searching for it to this day and once I find it, I will be the best. For you. For Kobe.