Characters | Teen Ink

Characters

July 14, 2011
By CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." --Douglas Adams

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." --Marcus Aurelius


Have you ever wondered why your perfect plans are shattered? Why a seemingly perfect romance ended? Why good luck strikes at strange times? Why life seems like a bunch of meaningless chaos?

There is a very simple answer to all of these questions. We were created by an ancient race of aliens and are nothing but characters in their stories, created to alleviate their boredom.

As soon as they are old enough to write, they are given a computer software program and a manual with only the most basic rules of their writing universe. In order to create a new character, they must collaborate with other aliens to make sure two human parents give birth to a child. This child will be under their control from the moment it is born until the moment it dies.

You are always subject to the whims of your creator. Everything you say, everything you do is controlled by them. Usually, the aliens have jotted down things they want to happen during your lifetime. But some aliens detest this and make random decisions as to where your life will go. This is where chaos comes from.

Our planet is relatively new, but the aliens have become bored with it. The best writers among them have declared that the Earth is a cliché, boring universe. They have decided they want to write in a new, more exciting world, so they have taken a special vote. It was this vote that decided how our world will end.

“Why don’t we let a black hole swallow their planet?”

“Nah, we’ve done that already.”

“What if the Earth spontaneously combusts?”

“That’s way too cliché!”

“Okay, why don’t we knock their planet out of orbit and send it crashing into the sun?”


“That’s a stupid idea.”


“Fine. How about we give all their world leaders bad cases of paranoia and see what happens?”

“Sure. Why not?”

And so, our world will not end with a bang, but with slow decay. Our increasingly paranoid world leaders will declare war on each other and humanity will slowly die out. But, since the aliens lost all interest in us, we have gained something we never had before: free will. It is now up to us to decide our fates—and the fate of our planet.


The author's comments:
This was just a random idea that sprang into my head a few days ago. Feedback is greatly appreciated!

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This article has 330 comments.


on Jul. 20 2011 at 1:45 pm
Garnet77 PLATINUM, Sinagpore, Other
31 articles 6 photos 577 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Everything's a triangle." ~ My mother

"Write what you love, write what you care about, because sometimes, it's the easiest way to be heard."

Right, I read this in the forums! :) I really like this article; it's kind of funny to think of aliens doing this 'job'. Anyway, it's amazing :)

on Jul. 20 2011 at 1:16 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." --Douglas Adams

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." --Marcus Aurelius

Thank you!  I'm glad you like it. :)

on Jul. 20 2011 at 1:15 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." --Douglas Adams

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." --Marcus Aurelius

I meant the universe earth is in.  It's sort of a parallel universe to the aliens'.

Thanks for the feedback!


on Jul. 20 2011 at 12:30 pm
writeamongthestars BRONZE, Portland, Oregon
4 articles 0 photos 50 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Laughter is timeless. Imagination has no age. And dreams are forever." - Walt Disney Company

Nice! The second paragraph totally caught me off guard. Oh, and the voting part was great. The only thing is you called Earth a boring 'universe' and if that's what you meant to say I didn't quite get it. If that's not what you meant to say then you should probably fix that. Still, it's a great article. :)

on Jul. 20 2011 at 10:19 am
SweetPolarBearHugs PLATINUM, New York, New York
27 articles 0 photos 75 comments

Favorite Quote:
"All conflict in literature is, in its simplest form, a struggle between good and evil." - unknown author.
"All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream." - Edgar Allan Poe

Wow...that was so amazing! I really like this,great job:)

on Jul. 19 2011 at 7:49 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." --Douglas Adams

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." --Marcus Aurelius

Of course I'll give you some feedback.  Thanks for commenting!

on Jul. 19 2011 at 7:48 pm
Ha-5-rika SILVER, Visakapatnam, Other
9 articles 7 photos 62 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life is what your thoughts make it.
Happiness, success and the greatest of achievements are nothing if you don't have someone to share it with.
A life lived for others is a life worthwhile - Albert Einstein.

And it would be great if you give me some feedback on my first entry too. It is a chapter of a novel, The haunts of Love. I would really appreciate your help. Thank you in advance.

on Jul. 19 2011 at 7:47 pm
CarrieAnn13 GOLD, Goodsoil, Other
12 articles 10 photos 1646 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." --Douglas Adams

"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." --Marcus Aurelius

Thanks!  I really appreciate the feedback.  I'm glad you liked my story. :)

on Jul. 19 2011 at 7:46 pm
Ha-5-rika SILVER, Visakapatnam, Other
9 articles 7 photos 62 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life is what your thoughts make it.
Happiness, success and the greatest of achievements are nothing if you don't have someone to share it with.
A life lived for others is a life worthwhile - Albert Einstein.

Oh my God! Its an absolutely absurd but amazing idea. Its really cool. And the last line is amazing. The fate of our planet is our hands now. Amazingly done.