fantasy

Celebrating the fantastical. Let your imagination run wild.

Death before life
I know when you’re going to die. Unless you’ve lost both your arms in a shark attack or just for funsies, it's right there written on your wrist for me. When you live in a city that never sleeps you are going to see about hundreds of wrists DAILY. And I dread it.
By Mary Lovestein5 years ago in Futurism
The Mermaids Journal
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.” – Joseph Campbell The Denmark Strait Cataract The Denmark Strait cataract is an undersea waterfall found on the western side of the Denmark Strait. It resides on the Atlantic Ocean (on the Arctic Circle) between Iceland and Greenland. It is the world's highest underwater waterfall that hosts water cascading 3,505 meters (11,500 feet) downwards. This is possible by the density difference of the water masses on either side of the Denmark Strait. The eastern side is colder than the western side. Due to this difference, when the two masses meet along the top ridge of the strait, the colder, denser water flows downwards and underneath the warmer, less dense water. For reference of how massive this underwater waterfall is, here’s some comparison. It is thought that the Denmark Strait cataract has a flow rate exceeding 175 million cubic feet (5.0 million cubic meters) per second which would make it 350 times as voluminous as the extinct Guairá Falls on the border of Brazil and Paraguay (which ‘itself’ was once thought to be the most voluminous waterfall on Earth—being 12 times more voluminous than Victoria Falls). So we see that the Denmark Strait is unimaginably enormous. Due to the underwater proximity and size of this waterfall, explores have only begun to record the multitude of caves and cavernous regions of this magical place. In 2019, several deep-divers made entrance into a previously unexplored dry bed behind the falls. This is the story of what they found inside.
By R. L. LASTER5 years ago in Futurism
Prince in the Amber Bottle
Underwater Kingdom of Atlantis Atlantis was a mid-Atlantic continent that suddenly sunk into the ocean. The idea that Atlantis was an actual historical place (and not just a legend invented by Plato) didn’t surface until the late 19th century.
By R. L. LASTER5 years ago in Futurism
The Devil's Diary
My story begins just like any other, on the first page of a book. Life right after high school can be a difficult pill to swallow. It's the first time in one's experience when they're stepping out into the real world, depending on their upbringing. As you can predict, these are the exact circumstances of my existence. My name is Marcus Read, eighteen years old, and my adulthood is off to a rough start.
By James Silas5 years ago in Futurism
Potential
Everyone in Crystal City understood the importance of Potential. Set during a person’s fabrication, Potential determined who he would become. The city used it to assign individual role and function. Potential made it possible to preserve civility, regularity, productivity, and security. Yes, everyone in Crystal City understood the importance, the value, of Potential.
By Dan Garro5 years ago in Futurism
The Choice
Giorgio Romero, commonly known as Georgie, lifted the cushions from the floral pattern sofa which had recently been donated to the thrift store at which he worked. He proceeded to insert his gloved hand deep inside the space between the seat and back of the sofa. Usually, he found little more than old food crumbs, some loose change, an occasional remote control, and miscellaneous dirty garments in donated furniture. Sometimes they were fairly clean other times pretty disgusting, but Georgie was used to just about anything he came across. This particular sofa wasn’t much different he did find a few coins worth about seventy-eight cents, a dollar bill, and a small black book which people kept addresses and phone numbers. Georgie quickly flipped through the pages to find the pages seemed to be blank as if the book was new and suddenly lost to the owner before it could be used. He slipped the book into his back pocket and pocketed the money into his front pocket, perks of the job! He finished cleaning the sofa using a vacuum to suck the remainder of the dirt and crumbs into the canister and replaced the cushions back onto the seat. Once finished Georgie headed to the supervisor’s office and peeked his head through the door, “Just wanted to let you know I finished up cleaning that sofa in the back. I’m going to clock out and take off Bob if that’s alright?” Bob looked up from his computer screen towards Georgie and said “That’s fine buddy, it’s your Friday I hope you have a nice weekend. Thanks for your hard work as always.” Georgie half saluted with his forefinger and middle fingers and headed out of the building.
By Blake Nelson5 years ago in Futurism
One Wizard, One Wand
In a time long ago, Oswald O’Conner, wizard of the Lightbringers, a secretive intellectual cult that studied the magic of the ancient world, arrived home. He was a rugged-looking middle aged man, wearing a crimson grin and a sharp nose. His cozy domain was Farnfoss, a sunny city on a lake, containing five roads which crossed in its center point. Oswald was a lone lion who stumbled upon the magic spells of antiquity of the earth by sheer devotion. His collection of accumulated spells were only known to one elite group of druids out of antiquity. A time before history remembers. Oswald dedicated himself to practicing magic of antiquity and alchemy in his early years. When word reached the highest ranks of the counsel of light that Oswald had mastered the magic of invincibility, thought to be unknowable to man, Oswald was awarded new secrets. Early on, Oswald spent a lifetime studying the history of the magic known to man; he also learned the darker secrets. He obtained of the great pinnacles of wisdom leading one into the greater understanding of the universe. In this life, Oswald was destined to gain a spectacular achievement. His level of understanding of the greater forces, potentially good or evil, had increased tenfold. In this quest for unending wisdom, Oswald realized that his magical powers had peaked and as he progressed these pillars of power, sheer confidence was displayed. He risked ridicule and punishments unknown, in obtaining this brand-new fruit. All for the sake of the advancement of the Lightbringer’s power, and a grant of the spell, master of destiny. In this time and age, the master of destiny spell was regarded as highly as the exalted philosopher’s stone.
By Tim Nagel5 years ago in Futurism
The Blood Oath
The last box crashed to the floor with a hard clank, making me wince at the possibility of having just broken something important. I sighed, too tired to open the box and survey any damage and just left it. The sun had long since set, and even with every light on in the house, this place was alien and creepy. My uncle had been a weird sort. He collected odds and ends, books of different folklore, bottles of unidentifiable body parts big and small, and just about anything else you could imagine. To say he was quite obsessed with what he generally referred to as “the Fae” was an understatement. His house reflected that obsession with wall-to-wall hand-drawn diagrams, notes, books, bugs, and of course an array of dirty dishes left sporadically where he had placed them. We had not been particularly close but I did spend three summers with him a long time ago. Back then, his work had fascinated me, though to be fair what child wouldn’t have been fascinated by the idea that the Fae exist? After that third summer my parents never allowed me to go back, said they didn’t want my uncle filling my head with nonsensical ideas of fairies. This led to me attending more science camps that I could shake a stick at, heavily influencing my decision to attend med school for general practice.
By Barakah Smith5 years ago in Futurism
Of Selkies and White Lawn Nighties
The storm broke as I climbed the stairs; I thought “Hallelew! this humidity will be done and I can sleep tonight.” I watched as the lightening crackled across the bay, finding home in the shore, the lights flickered once, then - POP we lost power. I LOVE a good storm I crawled into my pulling up the quilt and I settled in to enjoy the crackle and POW of the Thunder-Gods rolling their bowling balls across the sky. I fell asleep sometime after midnight. The storm front moving past and a gentle rain coming down. Combining with the soft rhythmic swhsish of the waves across the sand and the shore the breeze; the night captured my consciousness and we dived into sleep.
By Sharalynne Middleton5 years ago in Futurism
The Perpetuating Notebook
William gently laid the nib of his quill in the top, left-hand corner of the blank, virgin page. He closed his eyes, and began writing.
By Christopher Donovan5 years ago in Futurism
The Start To All Of My Problems
“So you’re saying, I can create as much money as I want with this?” Arnold says to James while slumping down into the wooden chair in the corner of their high-end luxurious condominium. James opens the sliding door to their balcony for the warm breeze of the summer air to travel through the humid Miami condo. “Essentially, yeah. Happy birthday, Arnold. There’s not many rules applied to the book that I know of. All of the pages from the book that I used to buy this place and pay off my student loans I ripped out afterwards. The one downside about this book that I’ve noticed is that you feel an immense guilt for however long the pages that you’ve written something down on stay in that book.”
By Quaddyy5 years ago in Futurism
The Fate of Man
“What the hell!!” Robert shrieked as the alarm on the machine next to him started blaring. “Dude, look at this! Holy shit man!” Collins screeched, flushed with excitement.
By Alicia Sorensen5 years ago in Futurism