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Challenge #01505-D044: Convoluted Revenge

“Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die. ” - Carrie Fisher -- RecklessPrudence

There had never been a more elaborate plot to advance a child in the history of anywhere. It was so elaborate that it didn't come to light until years after the fact, when they found Chatelaine Fairweather's diary.

It began, as most things do, with a snub. Chatelaine Fairweather's daughter was passed over for advancement to the Lady's Maid, or even one of them, in favour of a cousin with all the brains of a mayfly. And the worldly experience of one, too. But since the Lady's Maid was also the feast's cup-bearer for the Lady and her staff, the Chatelaine came up with a plan.

First, she gained a favourite cup, and instructed the witless Lady's Maid to always bring her drinks in that cup. But she made certain that nobody else heard the instruction. It was a cheap thing of gilded bronze and glittering glass, appropriate for the Chatelaine's station.

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Challenge #01504-D043: Puzzling Piece

“And when you’re young you want to fit in. Hell, I still want to fit in with certain [sophonts], but as you get older you get a little more discriminating.” - Carrie Fisher -- RecklessPrudence

Even when he didn't have the words for it, Rael knew that he was different from his creche sibs. They were able to do more, work more efficiently. They didn't need as much of the hosts of chemicals they regularly added to Rael's mostly-liquid body. They

Challenge #01504-D043: Self-lost Man

“I don’t feel very much like Pooh today,“ said Pooh.

“There there,” said Piglet. “I’ll bring you tea and honey until you do.” -- Anon Guest

Ax'and'l found his human business partner in an odd position in the hallway. His legs were up the wall, and the rest of his body was sprawled across the floor. "You are not due for Silly Season, yet. Are you unwell?"

"I'm not sure. I'm not feelin' myself."

"In a public area? I should

Challenge #01503-D042: One Dull Afternoon in an Ambassadorial Office

“I feel I’m very sane about how crazy I am.” - Carrie Fisher -- RecklessPrudence

Rael slowly turned to glare at Ambassador Shayde. She had said this out of the blue, apropos of nothing, and continued browsing on her personal screens as if nothing had ever happened. He took an educated guess, "Quote of the day?"

"Twitter feed," said Shayde. "That's definitely sommat I missed out on. One hundred and forty letters tae say somethin' cool. Brevity bein' th' soul o'

Challenge #01502-D041: Inconvenienced

“In my opinion, a problem derails your life and an inconvenience is not being able to get a nice seat on the un-derailed train.” - Carrie Fisher -- RecklessPrudence

"This is an enormous problem," opined the Ambassador for Greater Deregulation (Second West). "ANd if we have a problem, then you're going to have a problem."

This sounded like a threat... but the logic behind it escaped Drixal. "I beg your pardon," she said. "I was under the impression that you needed vital

Challenge #01501-D040: Dis-possessed

"There is no room for demons, when you're already self-possessed" - Carrie Fisher -- RecklessPrudence

The demon Az'bar'bijol, once summoned, launched itself at the luckless human who was foolish enough to read its incantation out loud. And almost got the spiritual equivalent of a concussion when it was repelled by a possessing force already in residence, so to speak.

"Nice try," said the human. "But you can't do that with me. And... soon as I whip up a binding spell, you won't

Challenge #01500-D039: Guarded Mundanity

“There is no point at which you can say, ‘Well, I’m successful now. I might as well take a nap'.” - Carrie Fisher -- RecklessPrudence

Success is the closest thing there is to perpetual motion. One begins by striving for it. Once it is obtained once, the struggle becomes to maintain it. After that, success becomes a higher rung. Higher and higher. Almost impossible to attain. With more people admiring and watching, there are higher standards from everyone.

Only those who

Challenge #01499-D038: World-Changing Invention

Imagine the real results of Star Trek's Transporter technology. -- Anon Guest

It was for cargo, initially. And of course there were a subset of the populace who preferred things transported the old-fashioned way. Some who claimed to taste the difference. But by and large, many people didn't care. You could beam produce straight from the farm to the store, with very little in the way of processing in-between.

People noticed when their food was fresher and lasted longer. People also noticed

Challenge #01498-D037: Pay Dirt

There's money in Muck. Points for referencing Harry King, he of the Golden River. -- Anon Guest

Recycling is de rigeur in space. Throwing something out into the void means having less of the thing that made it up in the first place. There's many a spacer who, setting foot on a planet for the first time, is astonished by rain, and water running down the gutters. Or, in the case of Earth, the trash mountains of the United States.

Spacers often

Challenge #01497-D036: Incautious Wishing

They go about their daily lives, unnoticed, but without them, things would soon fall apart. -- Anon Guest

He'd got his wish. Those Types were gone from his country. They may even be gone from the world, but he didn't really care about anything beyond the borders that didn't make him money. This encapsulated quite an amount of uncaring for the world, had he cared about that, either.

He had exactly forty-eight hours to enjoy his newly-made paradise. No man remaining in

Challenge #01496-D035: Signal of Doom

http://writing-prompt-s.tumblr.com/post/156012408168/you-live-in-a-world-of-superheroes-and "You live in a world of superheroes and supervillains. Each person gets three marks, one on their right hand to indicate their future arch nemesis, one on their left hand to indicate their side kick/partner, and one on their chest to indicate their powers and insignia. Today your marks show up and they’re… Shocking, to say the least." (same prompt but this time, all the symbols are identical. If you did that the

Challenge #01495-D034: Super Signals

http://writing-prompt-s.tumblr.com/post/156012408168/you-live-in-a-world-of-superheroes-and "You live in a world of superheroes and supervillains. Each person gets three marks, one on their right hand to indicate their future arch nemesis, one on their left hand to indicate their side kick/partner, and one on their chest to indicate their powers and insignia. Today your marks show up and they’re… Shocking, to say the least." -- Gallifreya

Everyone gets their Wakening at a different time. The symbol on the chest

Challenge #01494-D033: Intervention!

http://writing-prompt-s.tumblr.com/post/156115644693/a-superhero-chases-a-villain-into-a-dark

"A superhero chases a villain into a dark warehouse, only to have the doors close behind them. When the lights come on, the hero is surrounded by the full rogues gallery of supervillains. But this isn’t an ambush… It’s an intervention."

(ever see megamind?) -- Gallifreya

The lights came on, and Mighty Man expected a gigantic, hero-defeating trap to be revealed. No such thing. There were comfy chairs. And a throw rug. And

Challenge #01493-D032: The Universal Coin

“Be kind. Don’t hurt other people. It’s all the sort of Christian ethics stuff I thought was bullshit when I was a kid. No, it turns out it’s not bullshit. Tell the truth, be kind, all that corny stuff." - Carrie Fisher -- RecklessPrudence

Above all else, do no harm. That had to be a law for landing in strange places and in weird circumstances. Of course... the landing couldn't be helped. Something there was that didn't like her

Challenge #01492-D031: Here There Be Dragon

http://writing-prompt-s.tumblr.com/post/156113062734

"The dragon was hoarding sheet music, and doing its darn best to play the comically undersized instruments it’d stolen to go along with them." -- Gallifreya

Sir Greenbaum edged into the dragon's cavern. Dragons were always tricky business. A kingdom with one in its realm proceeded with caution. Those who sent a Princess had to be certain of both the princess and the dragon. And as for this realm... well... their Princess still needed a

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Flash fiction fresh from my fingers to your mind!

Challenge #01505-D044: Convoluted Revenge

Challenge #01504-D043: Puzzling Piece

Challenge #01504-D043: Self-lost Man

Challenge #01503-D042: One Dull Afternoon in an Ambassadorial Office

Challenge #01502-D041: Inconvenienced

Challenge #01501-D040: Dis-possessed

Challenge #01500-D039: Guarded Mundanity

Challenge #01499-D038: World-Changing Invention

Challenge #01498-D037: Pay Dirt

Challenge #01497-D036: Incautious Wishing

Challenge #01496-D035: Signal of Doom

Challenge #01495-D034: Super Signals

Challenge #01494-D033: Intervention!

Challenge #01493-D032: The Universal Coin

Challenge #01492-D031: Here There Be Dragon