[ WP ] You become a mod for your favourite subreddit . You soon realise it 's much more then looking at comments and banning spammers . Much much more .

I could n't tell if the room was just dark, or if I was still blindfolded. I tried to blink, but the swollen tissue around my eyes made it difficult. Resigning myself to another three hours of pain and mystery, I slouched in the chair as best I could when tied up. Eventually, I heard footsteps at the door, followed by the sound of a key click and rusty hinges. 
 
 `` Hello? I know that you've been beating me for hours, and I respect that, but I really have to pee.'' 
 
 I must have looked very stupid, what with being blindfolded ( I could make out a soft glow through the cloth ), tied up, and asking for a bathroom break. Instead of granting my request, my blindfold was ripped off. The harsh light from the single bulb in the center of the ceiling was like staring into the sun. I did my best to shut my eyes until they adjusted to the change in light. When I did finally look around, I saw a man and two women standing in front of me. One of the women, who looked very imposing, had clearly been the source of the bruises on my face. Though her hands had been washed, my blood was still on her shirt. 
 
 `` So, about that bathroom br-'' 
 
 I was rudely interrupted by another blow to my right cheek. Clearly, I was not going to be doing any talking right now, so I resolutely shut the hell up and waited. Thankfully, I did n't have to wait long. 
 
 `` Hello, Blees. It's nice to meet you.'' She paused, the blood still dripping from her knuckles, as if waiting for a reply. But before I could muster the courage to speak, she continued: `` Yesterday, you joined our hallowed ranks, and for that, you are to be congratulated. However, ours is not just a group of admins. No, we have a duty to perform, a solemn duty, and it is not for the faint of heart. You have to be able to undergo torture, both physically and mentally, without breaking. You have to be willing to cling to an ideal so strongly that no one can shake your foundation. And you have to be a terrible writer.'' 
 
 I was following her rousing speech fairly well, until the end. `` Pardon?'' 
 
 My interruption was mercifully not greeted with an assault this time. The man answered my interjection. `` As moderators for /r/WritingPrompts, it is our duty to make sure that all the subscribers feel like they can accomplish what other writers can not. That's why we all have to accept the difficult job of writing horrible, awful stories, so other writers can read them and resolve themselves to be better writers.'' 
 
 `` But I've seen all the mods write. You all are excellent writers.'' 
 
 `` We know,'' replied the other woman, `` but that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about actual, published books, about produced movies, about songs and poems and anything mainstream that gets written. We never link our real names and our screennames, so on Reddit, we can be helpful and write what we really want, but in the real world, terrible writing is our cross to bear.'' 
 
 `` I... I do n't understand.'' 
 
 The woman who had been punching me stepped behind my chair and began to untie the constricting ropes. `` Let me give you an example. You know me as Lexi, but my most popular work is n't The Librarian's Code. It's Fifty Shades of Grey.'' 
 
 `` Holy shit!'' I gasped. `` You're E.L. James?'' 
 
 `` That's right,'' she sighed, tossing a portion of the rope aside. `` I've made a lot of money from that piece of drivel, but it was excruciating to write.'' 
 
 I turned back to the other two admins. `` And you two?'' 
 
 `` I'm Keon,'' said the man, `` also known as Uwe Boll.'' 
 
 `` KangaRou. I'm Helen Arthur.'' Seeing my confused look, she clarified: `` I write Donald Trump's speeches.'' 
 
 `` So now that I'm a mod, I have to be a terrible writer?'' 
 
 `` Exactly. Here's your first assignment: YA romance novel about a zombie that loves a gay vampire that's secretly a werewolf in love with a female version of himself. You'll love it.''
