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Challenge #04575-L191: What Price a Wish?

All around the world have opened strange, white colonnaded buildings like banks or fancy law offices. Except these "Exchanges" are entirely empty save for shadows behind the frosted windows at the back who never speak. Here a lucky few can redeem gold lettered coupons for any wish the heart desires. Though the mouth had better word the request carefully, as those shadows listen carefully and there are no refunds... -- Anon Guest

They literally turned up overnight. On one day, it was a vacant lot. The next, it was a fancy building with a fluted colonnade and amazingly considerate disability access. On the lintel above the colonnade was a single word: Exchange.

People came with their phone cameras running, just to see what the hell was going on.

Inside the fancy exterior was... fancy liminality. It was built like a bank, true, but it was a bank from before any world wars changed things. Replete with the ancient light bulbs. There was red velvet rope on both sides of the oak-lined chamber, made into a maze dividing the customers in twain. On one side - Wishes. On the other - Wants.

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Challenge #04574-L190: Tools of the Trade

Barber/Doctor Tynmalin has handled plenty of sicknesses, carefully studying the humors of her patients and applying sharp things when needed. However this BD comes upon a delicate case of separating two conjoined twins which will test her finesse and medical/cutting prowess to the limit. -- Anon Guest

Some things are healed with a spell or a prayer. For the outliers in which power cannot help, there is surgery. A job for Barbers once upon an era past. Thus, the League

Challenge #04573-L189: Literate Legacy

Opening a box belonging to a great-great-grandparent, they smiled warmly. This was truly a treasure. An heirloom beyond any they could have desired as an inheritance. Their grandparent had always been an avid writer since they were young. And what was in the box? Diaries. From the time their grandparent had been a child, into adulthood, into old age, and even a few weeks before their serious decline made it impossible for them to do more than sleep, and write in their

Challenge #04572-L188: Heroism From Hubris

They were addicted to going into dungeons and trying their luck. The harder, the better. Their skills improved incredibly since they had been doing this since they were young. Of course, immortality didn't hurt either. So what happened to all the loot? There were several temples, hospitals, and care places that didn't have to worry about money thanks to their addiction. -- Anon Guest

Once upon a time, the story goes, there was a soldier who was unbeatable on the field of

Challenge #04571-L187: As You Sow...

A corporate lawyer has made his fortune fighting worker regulations in Boston, breaking up union strikes in Sri Lanka, and sending Pinkertons to crack tree hugger heads in the rain-forest.

One day though he steps through the wrong, ethereal door and finds himself in the body of one of those he had fought, facing down the corporate guns.

[Twilight Zone Music Plays] -- Anon Guest

Presented for your approval, James Worpyington-Smythe III, council for the corporate persons and their rights to pursue

Challenge #04570-L186: Felt Idols

A toy shop proprietor sells plushie Cthulhu toys and cartoonish picture books, spreading joy to the children of his fair city in mockery of a century dead antiquarian.

Only, the toys begin whispering in the night, the picture books reveal quite starkly arcane hidden messages under moonlight, and one mother complains of a plushie leaking blood, the proprietor realizing too late what he's really been spreading... -- Anon Guest

The toys looked pretty cute. One of the selling points on the packaging

Challenge #04569-L185: Unique Vision

They had a gift for seeing through disguises. The gentle dragon guised as a gnome traveling with that wizard. At night, they gently said. "I see you, and your soul is so beautiful." -- Anon Guest

[AN: Dragons shapeshift, but I'm going with a similar idea]

Technically speaking, Arwen was blind. Hir parents had been greatly upset by the lack and prayed to Lenus, the god of healing, for hir to have some vision given to hir. Gods grant prayers in peculiar

Challenge #04568-L184: Soft Justice

King Kormwind, tenth of that name, is invited to a quiet picnic by the local orphanage. True the food is meager, and the fare is plain, but the companionship is honest, the laughter is genuine, and the children are having fun in the beautiful, open, summer-warmed field. -- Anon Guest

There's nothing like the news of a royal visit to make the authorities do a lightning round of shaping things up. His Majesty, King Kormwind Arachis Felbourne Whitekeep, tenth of the name,

Challenge #04567-L183: The One Most in Need

They were in the temple of helping hands, having stayed up all night, yet again, cleaning, putting together the next day's bread, and other such chores. A kindly magic user used a very gentle spell to force them to go to sleep. Then, to protect their health, placed a geas upon them, so they did not work themselves into illness again. -- Anon Guest

Selflessness is a flaw, and few people see it as such. People who indulge in selflessness are seen

Challenge #04566-L182: Bonded Bargain

A student is close to flunking out of a magic school. Desperate, the student turns to the accursed woods where the fairies dwell, hoping to strike a bargain. It's said that there are consequences to dealing with fae magic, but, it can't be worse than flunking out, right? -- Anon Guest

Rin would never make it as a Wizard. Even if he went after forbidden tomes and allowed a powerful spell to reside in his head, he couldn't even be a Wizzard[

Challenge #04565-L181: Age Appropriate Knowledge Source

They are a writer, and they thought their talent would simply consign them to a few pages, writing the histories of others, while their own was eventually forgotten. Their talent, however, was more than noticed. After all their writings gave lessons, and those lessons were saving many lives. -- Anon Guest

History is a complicated beast. It's difficult to believe that the first wonders of the world were not only rising from the ground, but had been standing for centuries at the

Challenge #04564-L180: To Stop the Smouldering

They say he who works hard will be wealthy. In the Alliance, your effort is actually rewarded. You're a hard worker, you deserve this apartment, and all that you have. Please do not deny yourself simply because of what you were so cruelly told in your past. -- Anon Guest

Where I grew up, you had to earn air, and pay back the debt you accrued when you were too young to work. You had to earn enough air to sleep, the

Challenge #04563-L179: History Returns

Zack woke up to the sound of the fat Gulgarren Korg dragging in an unknown spacecraft. “Zack, my people found this ancient hunk of junk floating near the outer colonies. After our scientists spot some human symbols I thought I could bring it to you to identify it.” The dish was smashed by space debris and the body eroded by solar winds. Zack place a hand on the only thing relatively intact; a golden record. “Man, this thing was supposed to find

Challenge #04562-L178: Under the Thumb of Justice

After a lifetime of flaunting and breaking the law, this rapscallion has reached the end of the line. But that doesn't mean there won't be one last fight... -- Anon Guest

Law should not be allowed to lay traps, strictly in my own, not so humble opinion. Citizens are definitely allowed to protect their treasures with locks and wards, that's just respect. Those who can afford greater security gain greater attention. That much risk is easily associated with fantastically great rewards.

I

Challenge #04561-L177: The Ultimate Scam

Mr Bad Example lives a life of plunder and scams, impersonating people, ripping off his workers, and changing identities whenever the heat rises too much. -- Anon Guest

[AN: I've been informed that there's a song called Mr Bad Example by Warren Zevon, so I can't use exactly that name for this piece.]

Alan Nemor had a gift. Primarily, he had the gift of being nondescript, but with a lot of charisma. He could change his hat and his coat and become

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A 4486-post collection

Challenge #04575-L191: What Price a Wish?

Challenge #04574-L190: Tools of the Trade

Challenge #04573-L189: Literate Legacy

Challenge #04572-L188: Heroism From Hubris

Challenge #04571-L187: As You Sow...

Challenge #04570-L186: Felt Idols

Challenge #04569-L185: Unique Vision

Challenge #04568-L184: Soft Justice

Challenge #04567-L183: The One Most in Need

Challenge #04566-L182: Bonded Bargain

Challenge #04565-L181: Age Appropriate Knowledge Source

Challenge #04564-L180: To Stop the Smouldering

Challenge #04563-L179: History Returns

Challenge #04562-L178: Under the Thumb of Justice

Challenge #04561-L177: The Ultimate Scam