[WP] You are suddenly transported to the oldest time of your country's history, and you discover that you are immortal, indestructible, infinitely patient and strong, have access to all of humanity's future knowledge, and can summon any object from your timeline. You set out to change the world.

Submitted by socron_gaelith t3_ybyfgq in WritingPrompts

(Remember: This is a writing prompt. Ask questions in the replies of comments, and I'll add answers in this text. Try and only post prompt comments.)

You can choose any time from the independence or founding of your country's current state to the first proof that humans lived in that area. Whatever case you find most interesting. You can write about ancient times at the founding of civilization or the most recent iteration.

As well, you don't have to make your protagonist a self insert. You can write about any country or any person you like, whether fictional or historical.

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Obtuse_Mongoose t1_itjzd5g wrote

I blinked, looking around.

It was my village, but here was joy once more, people hugging each other and tears streaming down their eyes.

It was a joyous day, I remembered. In the dust choked plains, we were free on this day.

Flags of green and red and black streamed after kids who ran to their parents and elders, hugging each other as we had liberated ourselves from the brutal uplanders who had repressed all the other ethnic groups who couldn't muster the strength to stand up to them.

We now controlled our own destiny. We had the arms to fight them. We had our oil fields to bankroll the fight, if need be.

We were a nation.

I picked myself up off the ground and looked around. Some people looked back at me, curious as to my familiarity.

I couldn't blame them. To them, I looked...

Aarya burst from the crowd, pushing her way to me. I remember her brown shawl hiding her beautiful braided hair.

"Faiz? What are you still doing here? I thought you had enlisted with the army?" she huffed at me as she held her hands on her hips, etching an eyebrow at my presence.

I had to lie.

"I was granted leave, to see my mom," I said, looking sheepish.

She rolled her eyes and took me by the hand. "Whatever. I hope that you didn't desert. You better have a good explanation for her."

We threaded our way through the crowds, some of my friends also confusedly waving or shouting my name. I waved back, again trying not to be too obtrusive. Most went back to watching their TVs or phones of the news. They pointed and conversed about what the upcoming months would hold. How a strong nation backed us, giving us the weapons and protection we needed for the future.

Yes...the future...

After moving through the last dense cluster of people, we made it to a small communal gathering of building on the edge of the village.

Aarya dragged me into my home, my family gathered about.

"Hasifa!" she shouted.

I almost shrank away at that moment, for who other than my mother turned to me, her eyes lighting up first in delight, then confusion.

All my cousins and aunts and uncles varied their reaction the same, but it was my mother who came forward first, away from the radio that was blaring some urgent news at that point.

Aarya stepped away, smiling as my mother came in for a hug only she could provide.

I melted in her grasp.

"My son...my stupid, stupid son," she muttered as she put her head into my chest.

I closed my eyes and put my head upon hers and grabbed on tight.

We held each other for as long as her patience allowed.

I could have done it forever, if I could.

She pulled out and put me at arms length to size me up.

She smiled, but it was a sad smile.

"You changed your mind?" she asked, thinking I had indeed deserted.

I just stared at her, and smiled back.

"I wish I did," was all I could say.

She took my words and processed them, a bit confused.

"So why are you here then?" she asked. "If not for the army, why are you back?"

I couldn't explain why, for there was little that I could say, other than...

"I want to be with you, and the family, for this," I said as I gestured outside, the din of the excitement echoing through the house.

She smiled again, and took me by the hand and patted it.

"Of course...of course," she said comforting. "Aarya, could you help me? I'm going to prepare dinner..."

Aarya nodded and followed her to the kitchen, leaving me to answer my family's repeat questions of my return.

I humored them, same as everyone, for who else could I tell of where I came from, three days from now?

Three days of independence, followed by nothingness?

I died under a nuclear explosion, far from home, in a desert with my comrades.

I awoke here, back in my village, the knowledge of everything that transpired over the course of three days.

Of powers beyond my control that had decided that a cold war should grow hot.

And nothing would change that as I awoke time and time again, forever experiencing the same flaming holocaust no matter where I went or what I did.

I lived through every single death, only to arrive back here, at the moment a gavel hit a desk a thousand miles away in our new capital, where the crowds cheered and the banners fluttered with urgency as a new nation coalesced from a paper that said we were free.

But we were not free, for my people died three days later.

And I would die with them too.

But then I would be born again.

And every time, knowing what I knew, I would come back home and pretend everything was alright, and give my mother peace, and my next door neighbor the attention I never gave her when I trained for the army to defend our independence, would be a first for them each time and another repetition of a cycle I couldn't control.

And every third day, I'd take them all to the kitchen, where piles of steaming food would be there, made with love, and my next door neighbor would blush as I made everyone laugh, and then we hugged as the force of an angry sun would catapult me back again, where I would have to live through the birth of my nation as it died three days later...

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urka511 t1_itk0zpx wrote

Replying to Obtuse_Mongoose (#198,121)

That.... that was very powerful. You didn't have much time and length to work with but you made it work for your writing. It brought very visceral feelings forward in me as I read. It was so beautiful and tragic. You are a very talented writer. Thank you for sharing this. Thank you.

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Obtuse_Mongoose t1_itk1yvc wrote

Replying to urka511 (#198,241)

Thank you.

Part of this was inspired by South Sudan as the most recent country to gain international recognition but with a twist about who is backing who in a conflict escalation and the consequences of a belligerent country doubling down on their threat for actual use of nuclear weapons.

I tried to think what would be the best way to do it, originally thinking to put a Harry Turtledove spin on it.

But given the original premise of the WP, I compressing the time span, aborting any future development of human technology (via immediate mutually assured destruction), and cocooning the story into a neater, more shorter tale would make it more tragic, for the protagonist only has what a third world nation could produce to do anything realistically, even if the protagonist himself is nigh unstoppable. That gave it the oomph I wanted to see where even if you had every power you could conceive, there would still be no "winner" in this tale.

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RC1000ZERO t1_itk5rmy wrote

define "oldest time of your countrys history"?

Oldest time the country as we know existed, earliest predecessor in roughly the same geographic location(and language predecessor?)?? or any other potential

Because if we go "country as we know" then in my case thats either 1949, or 1990 depending if the reunification constitutes when "germany" as we know it really started or if the founding of the federal republic(west germany) in 1949 suffices. otherwise 1871 would be potentialy the case(unification of germany into the german empire) HECK throw weimar into the mix and w ealso have 1919 as apossible startpoint

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Zerphses t1_itklzko wrote

Replying to AutoModerator (#196,246)

I arrive in 1776.

I summon Thermonuclear Bomb.

I detonate it in Florida.

I have changed the world.

For the better? Guess we’ll find out.

I’m all seriousness - I demilitarize everything, establish a United Nations, force everyone to cooperate, and establish that everyone has equal rights. Anyone who disagrees can take it up with me.

Feel free to steal this idea, I don’t have time to write an actual response right now.

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MorganWick t1_itllxh9 wrote

Replying to Zerphses (#199,458)

If I'm going back to 1776 I'm finding my way into the Constitutional Convention to see if I can convince the Founding Fathers to either actually discourage the formation of parties, or structure the government to mitigate their effects, without letting on that I'm from the future.

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Kamina_Crayman t1_itlmpp4 wrote

I looked around my padded cell, there was nothing to do, day in and out just these 4 walls. They called me many things, insane, mass murderer, psychotic. They couldn't understand the truth, all those people needed to die! THEY WERE EVIL, evil incarnate and no-one could understand that.

So they locked me up, said I would die to pay for my crimes. They told me to look into the eyes of the families who mourned for their loved ones. As I stared into their souls I knew no remorse because what I had done was justified and right. Why couldn't they see that?

"It's time" a voice came from beyond the door, several large men wheeled in what looked like a trolley and I was picked up, strapped in and carted off.

"Don't I get a last meal?" I questioned, thinking about a good old fashioned cooked breakfast. However my question was met with silence.

I think now is a good time to mention that the death penalty was abolished in my country some 30 something years ago, but apparently I was a special case. My "crimes" so heinous that special consideration was made for cases like me, I'd taken the world by storm with my actions. They called me a monster. Fools.

From my trolley I was roughly placed on some sort of dentist chair with straps, funny I had always hated the dentist. Tightly bound they injected me with something, no ceremony, no fanfare. Just quick and efficient. My eyes became heavy, my breath shallow and I could feel my consciousness fading. God help them for what's to come.

​

​

I awoke, the sun radiating on my face, and cool summer breeze rushing around me. A small boy had poked me with a stick.

"Who are you, where am I?" I shouted getting up, the boy screamed running off saying something in a language I didn't understand. his clothes strange, as if he'd been to some sort of historical re-enactment.

I followed slowly after him, confused, how did I get here? where is here? He eventually ran out of my sight but I could see what direction he ran to over the next hill. As I reached the apex I stopped mouth agape.

This was not the world I knew, no, this was like I'd been sent to another world. Green fields, tall trees and very basic wooden huts to make a small village, roads made of trampled dirt. no concrete, no tarmac. I wonder if this is like those stories where someone gets transported to another world once they die. I wonder if I could use magic?

Concentrating hard I held my hand in front of me.

"FIREBALL" I shout yet nothing happens.

I guess it was too good to be true, I sit down on the grass overlooking the village my freedom seeming bittersweet. I pull out a packet of cigarettes from my jacket.

Wait was I wearing a jacket? I didn't have any smokes on me, I reach into my pocket and pull out a lighter as well. That definitely wasn't in there just now. I reach into my pocket a third time and pull out my phone.

Can I just make things appear? I light a cig and take a drag, the first one in god knows how long. I think about my first car, a 1985 VW golf in light blue, thing was rusted to hell, nothing worked and the wipers flailed about in anything heaver than a light drizzle, but it ran for years up until I crashed it into a ditch. God I loved that car.

I leaned back, and felt something solid up against me, as I turned round I saw it, a rusted 1985 golf in light blue. I laughed. Not the gentle chuckle you would do when bumping into an old friend after many years but a manic depraved laugh, a terrifying laugh.

I did have magic, the magic to summon anything from my world, all I had to do was think about it, and it would appear.

I stood atop the car whooping and screaming, I was a god amongst men. I had the ultimate power I...

I stopped, from atop the car I noticed something in the distance, hills from my childhood. I remember seeing them in the distance as I was growing up. I didn't notice them when I awoke but from atop this car it was clear as day. I was back home. Well, home but from a long time ago? or a long time in the future? Or maybe a different earth?

I had no answers but I didn't need them, my mind became as hot as the sun, the daze from waking up had faded, the distraction from being teleported or whatever had gone. It didn't matter where I was or when I was but I knew that my life's purpose remained unchanged.

"DeStRoY tHe EvIl OnEs" my brain chanted over and over again, quietly at fist but getting louder and louder until it roared over the sound of everything. That chant that came to me one day. That voice which gave me purpose, it was back and louder than ever. I threw my cigarette on the floor, and took a deep breath.

I could smell the evil, smell it from the village nearby. Men, women, children, pulsing with the evil. EVIL SEEPING THROUGH EVERY PORE IN THEIR BODY, SPILLING OUT INTO THE WORLD CORRUPTING EVERYTHING THEY TOUCH.

"BuRn ThEm, RiP tHeM, TeAr ThEm, ShReD tHeM" my goal clear, my body ready. Evil would lose. Nothing can stop us.

I picked up the chainsaw and checked to make sure the army bandolier belt was full of grenades. Oh god this ability is amazing.

I descended upon the village.

"BURN, RIP, SHRED, TEAR" I laughed. Evil would not stop me anymore.

It's time to change the world.

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Richmond1013 t1_itmcxo7 wrote

By blood or by citizenship , do we speak the local language,since some countries languages change over time like the UK and France

If it's by blood I'll most likely due or become a harem lord since I can make guns appear and armour appear on me

If it's citizenship, same thing except it will be more recent

An Old man

a man suddenly appeared one day

He looked weird and didn't speak our tongue , but the man face looks like one of our neighbors

The man does nothing but offer fish or wild animals for us to cook, so we can give him a meal, which is strange as any man who can fish or hunt should be able to cook , but strangely the man does not.

The butcher

The butcher wonders why the man does not prepare his kills before selling them to me , but no matter , the pelts of the boars and other animals he hunted the pelts have holes and the meat always contains pieces of strangely shaped metal

The man

Thankfully my phone has everything I need , and I can somehow create any object from my time, but still the girls here don't look nice, but again they're basically savages , sadly I can't speak the language here , but providing food is the best way to make friends

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