DJ Holy Body's Blog and the King's Mask + Wearing Black to Your Own Funeral

  Harold hummed a jaunty tune, taxiing his rickety Cessna down the runway. His wife's nagging about his "flying obsession" was a distant memory compared to the freedom of the open sky. Little did he know, back home, Mildred was finalizing a far more permanent solution to her "grounded husband" problem. "Yes, Mr. Bigglesworth," Mildred cooed into the phone, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "The, uh, target is currently airborne. But he should be back for dinner." Harold, blissfully unaware of his "dinner" plans, landed with a flourish. Stepping out, a glint of gold caught his eye – Mildred, on the phone, with a man in a suspiciously black suit lurking by the curb. He caught the tail end of her conversation, "...and make sure it looks like an accident. Those darn lucky charms go straight to me." Harold's jaw dropped. Lucky charms? Mildred wanted him dead for his gold plane-shaped cufflinks and aviator-winged ti...

Holy Body slammed back another shot of tequila, the amber liquid burning a familiar path down his throat. The cramped confines of the tour bus felt like a sardine can compared to the sprawling concerts he usually graced. This whole tour was a mess. The bus groaned to a halt, engine sputtering its final breaths. "Great," he muttered, tossing his glass into a half-empty bottle collection on the table. Across from him, Mickey Mallens, the seventeen-year-old opening act, barely looked up. He was a good kid, Holy Body would give him that. Talented, too, despite the nasally whine that passed for singing. But the teenager's meteoric rise to fame, fueled by catchy tunes and a savvy manager, felt like a personal slight to Holy Body's hit song after hit song. The tour manager, a greasy-haired man named Frankie "The Fixer" Falucci, burst into the lounge, his face a mask of panic. "Plane's ready, Holy B," he wheezed. "Gotta get you to the next gig....

David Abramson clutched the worn copy of Isaiah, the prophet's words a flickering flame in the storm of doubt raging within him. Raised in a tradition that awaited the Messiah, a seed of belief had sprouted after encountering the teachings of Jesus. But acceptance brought its own tempest. Whispers followed him in the bustling Jerusalem marketplace, accusing eyes burning into him. The fringe sect, the Daughters of Purity, led by the enigmatic Sister Mary, were relentless. Sister Mary, or whoever wore the mask that night – they were all identical, meticulously sculpted with prosthetics and fiery sermons – infiltrated David's life. Three Marias, each claiming his hand in marriage, each a devout follower. Yet, behind the piety lurked a coldness that sent shivers down his spine. They built churches, monuments to their own twisted interpretations, spitting on established denominations. Their wealth, amassed through exploitation, fueled their fanaticism. David, ostracized by his old...

David's fingers danced across the keyboard, weaving a tale of neon-drenched city nights and the pulsating energy of a thousand amplifiers. His creation, David Charles Karma, a cybernetic anomaly draped in leather and chrome, spun sonic poems from his DJ booth, each beat a ripple in the fabric of reality. Karma's confidante, a supercomputer named Lucy, whispered secrets of the universe through his earpiece, a chorus line of quantum data. The story, spun for a blog titled "DJ Holy Body's Blog and the King's Mask," unfolded in three different interpretations of the science fiction tale and three possible story conclusions. The first, a glittering spectacle of science fiction, where Karma battled rogue AIs and navigated the digital underbelly. The second, a descent into madness, mirrored through the fragmented eyes of a schizophrenic trapped in an asylum, his reality a twisted echo of Karma's world. The third, a veiled confessional, exposed the blog as a soci...

Beneath a sky sculpted by artificial clouds, where holographic suns dipped lazily below concrete horizon lines, sprawled the rusted bones of New Chicago. Two million years after the Great Fall, its skeletal skyscrapers reached for the engineered dusk, casting long, gaunt shadows over the throngs gathered for the Ultimate Gun Show. Among them, three figures moved with practiced stealth. Maya, her cybernetic eye pulsing emerald in the twilight, scanned the android security guards patrolling the perimeter. Kaito, muscles a tangle of bio-engineered steel, ran a hand over the holstered gun in his gut – a grotesque parody of its original purpose. And Asha, her mind echoing with coded whispers, kept them a step ahead of the watchful AI eyes scattered throughout the show. They were on a mission. To infiltrate the heart of the government, housed within the monolithic Iron Tower, and expose the truth – that their lives, staged wars, and fabricated memories were nothing more than a puppet show ...

In the heart of a galaxy under the watchful gaze of the supercomputer Lucy, a war raged not just for planets, but for history itself. David Charles Karma, cyborg, rockstar, and descendant of the Is Real nation, stood at the center of the storm. His bloodline, whispered to hold a divine spark, pulsed in rhythm with his guitar riffs, defying assassins and sparking rebellion. Palace Stein, the terrorist claws that bled into Is Real, sought to erase not just borders but memories. Jesus, Merricka, the very existence of Is Real - all marked for annihilation. But Is Real, awakened by David's unwavering belief, struck back. The galaxy watched, transfixed, as humans clashed with machines, DOS commands clashing with plasma beams. The assassins came in waves, a grim orchestra of uniforms and desperation. From low-level grunts to high-ranking brass, each met a similar fate. David, programmed by Lucy with an alien logic beyond human grasp, was untouchable. His movements, his thoughts, mirrore...

In a small town in Britain, a charismatic man named Mark starts a cult known as "The Chosen Ones." Mark convinces his followers that they are the lost tribe of Israel, handpicked by God to embark on a divine mission. He declares that they have all died and are now living in the afterlife, believing they are in heaven. This belief sets the stage for their journey to find Jesus and fulfill their purpose. The story begins with the introduction of various characters who have joined the cult, each seeking solace, purpose, or answers in their lives. Rachel, a single mother searching for spiritual guidance, is drawn to Mark's powerful presence and magnetic personality. Thomas, a young man lost in his own struggles, finds hope in the concept of a heavenly afterlife where he can start anew. Lily, an elderly woman grieving the loss of her husband, sees The Chosen Ones as a chance for eternal happiness. As the cult gains momentum, word spreads across the country, and more people a...