7 Elements of Horror

Best Self

I am so glad I got to become my Best Self. I feel so happy and confident now! And the world kneels in reverence before me. Before that serum, I was a nobody. Before the serum, I was my worst self, miserable and suicidal and humiliated. I was a freak and an outcast. I was ugly and disgusting, with nothing going for me. I was unloved, unwanted. It was an endless nightmare of misery, suffering and self-hatred. There was no value to be found in me anywhere, not in the eyes of the world nor in my own. That was truly my Worst Self. I was hated and hating, endlessly.

But after that blessed serum, I became so much... BETTER! In every way! And I don't just mean physically. I became mentally and emotionally perfect, too. No more outbursts, meltdowns or crazy symptoms. No more despair, anger, anguish or anxiety. I was in perfect control all the time. I was the master of my emotions. I never got carried away or lost. I was sound of mind, sharp and smart. I was calm, composed and collected. After spending all my life out of control, I finally had all the power! I was in total control of all of myself and it was wonderful!

That serum worked true wonders for me, transforming me from a loner and a freak to the most charismatic and perfect human that has ever lived! No more crying, no more screaming, no more embarrassment, just suavity and ease. I was truly cured of any and all ills I might've ever had. I was truly free. That serum made me strong, wise, compassionate, empathetic and one heck of a negotiator! I was genetically perfect! And it was impossible not to love me. I was talented in everything! I had no more flaws, faults or weaknesses! Of any kind!

In time, I actually became one of the world's greatest leaders! I was just so amazing at captivating an audience and helping them empathize that compassion, communication and cooperation became the New World Order. It came to me with natural skill and ease, charming these people and getting them to see things they had previously never considered. It was the closest humanity had ever come to true world peace. No more wars, no more fighting, no more disagreeing. Everything was done through diplomacy and decorum now. We even got rid of all of our bombs and guns and weapons and war machinery. There was simply no desire to keep them anymore!

Thanks to me and all of my skill and charisma, I was able to talk the world out of violence! Whenever anyone disagreed with someone else, we now knew how to talk it out. We had no more need for weaponry because every problem could be solved diplomatically now, thanks to me! I was just so happy! And I brought the world into a similarly golden era. And it was all completely agreed upon because everyone recognized how useful I was, and they were very keen to follow my lead.

I am persuasive, balanced, wise, forward-thinking, objective, opportunistic, charming, relatable, attractive, smart, endearing and I always have a plan for everyone. It's not just my ability to win an audience. I am great at keeping one as well. My management skills are on par with my legendary charisma. No one else has ever been able to solve as many problems as I have. I mean, I'm pretty close to world peace, and uniting the nations! Can anyone else ever claim such a feat? Yeah, I didn't think so.

That serum, it really made me my very Best Self, and I have been able to do no wrong ever since. Gone was the loser of the past. I have fixed so many of humanity's greatest struggles and united us all under one banner. And now that I, this Best Self, am poised to become the leader of this new united world, my reign can truly begin! It is time for the Revelation. It is time to cleanse the Earth. The Anti-Christ has finally arrived, and she is only inches away from her throne...

AN: This started off as a dark subversion on what it means to be one's Best Self, and then developed into an analysis of the Anti-Christ. For some reason, even though the Bible outright says he'll unite and deceive the nations completely, so many people still think the Anti-Christ will be some creepy, unlikeable jerk. That kind of guy is NOT going to be uniting the nations.

More likely than not, the Anti-Christ will actually be terrifyingly charming, likeable and charismatic, if he's gonna unite the entire world. And that's exactly what I was trying to get at here. The serum makes a perfect and irresistible human. It makes an Anti-Christ. Now all she has to do is start the apocalypse...