Menu

Subscribe

Just Add Prompt

A 4934-post collection

Challenge #01148-C051: Filling in Time

Channeling Bugs Bunny (maybe Shayde?): "I know this breaks the laws of physics, but you see I never studied law." -- RecklessPrudence

[AN: Yes, Shayde did study the laws of physics, but she also found some loopholes]

They were waiting for the dust to settle and Security had already confiscated Shayde's guitar. Possibly out of self-defence. Which meant a series of increasingly unlikely self-entertainments that she pulled out of her trans-dimensional 'pockets'.

One day, Rael supposed, they would learn that Shayde was pathologically incapable of sitting idle for any length of time and at least let her have a colouring book[1] or a cats' cradle.

But for now, she had ping-pong balls. She was juggling them with both hands, at least one knee, and, when she was being enthusiastic, her mouth.

Rael watched the multi-coloured balls zinging about in a plethora of arcs with half an interest. It wasn't as if there was much else to look at in Temporary Detainment. Besides the plaque on the wall that said, in GalStand, Please think about what you have done. With the subtitle for humans, You might not have thought before you did it.

And it was only because he wasn't focussed entirely on her show that he noticed... some of the balls were bouncing off of nothing at all.

Startled, Rael watched with more attention than he usually devoted to Shayde's idle shenanigans. Tracking one particular ping-pong ball on its eccentric series of arcs until...

It definitely bounced off of nothing at all...

Come to think of it, a lot of the balls never actually touched her hands, either.

"How...?" he said.

Shayde grinned. "I was always pants at jugglin'. Until I realised I could pop a wee confinement field up an' keep 'em goin' that way. You'd be surprised how few people notice."

"I think I might," he allowed.

[1] The appeal of colouring in things is practically universal and no longer contains age constraints.

(Muse food remaining: 31. Submit a Prompt! Ask a question! Buy my stories! Or comment below!)

Challenge #01147-C050: One for the Books

Admiral [Name] was arrested for extreme tactical and strategic stupidity.

(maybe something on one of Miles' reports? Either as an ImpSec agent to Simon, or as an Auditor to Gregor?) -- RecklessPrudence

[AN: Well it certainly wouldn't happen in my pet universe... the Peter Principle has been rendered null and void]

Ensign Swinton chafed under the command of Admiral Voreckles. He would not promote without combat experience and he refused to allow female officers and staff into combat at all. He assigned

Read more »

Challenge #01146-C049: Adventuring on Another Plane

:Text recieved on a phone:

hlep! i was trikc-or-treatign with my borther adn our douchebag cousni, adn they gave me smoe of thire haul, luahging abotu how they egged thsi wiccan ladeis houes aftre they got teh cnady, adn now i'm ni a fantays wrold as a griffin! youv'e got to fnid uot where she lievs, adn get hre to brnig me back! there's this ohter griffin taht's bene hagnign aruodn, i dno't know waht they watn!

:another text, some weeks later:

Read more »

Challenge #01144-C047: Oh, Francoeur...

Francoeur & company, 2 open ended prompts for double story day

  1. Blood

  2. Trombone -- Gallifreya

[AN: This puts the overlap down to 23.]

1.

Everyone knew that fleas drank blood. The ex-chief Maynott certainly screamed it so often and so loudly that he had been moved to a quiet asylum in the country, and wasn't allowed to go near sharp things any more.

The first time someone cut themselves in Franceour's presence, there was an unearthly hush throughout the room that spread

Read more »

Challenge #01143-C046: Can it, Carol!

"Hmph. I'll have you know, that whole thing is just a horrid example of misinformation."

"You're basically a two-meter-tall mantis from our perspective. Humans assuming you devoured your mate was kinda to be expected... namely since, uh, you did."

"Well, yes... but not before he was dead! We do have laws, you know. Such is our way for those who are gone. Your kind just throws them in a dirty hole to rot or burns them to ash. How wasteful." -- Gallifreya

Read more »

Challenge #01142-C045: Once Upon a Haunted Discotheque

Dang look at this animation

http://shadowlillium.tumblr.com/post/138421460475 -- Gallifreya

[AN: You should watch. It's pretty awesome]

The old dance hall had a juke box. A relic of an attempt to increase customers whilst reducing DJ costs. And since it was electronic, Lewis could activate it with his ghost powers.

"Hey check this out," he said, five seconds before he did so.

Tom Jones' Sex Bomb began to play, and Lewis began to move. He altered his typical suit

Read more »

Challenge #01141-C044: L'amour Fanatique

Maestro Francoeur discovers the downside of his cabaret success - fans. -- Gallifreya

In a little cabaret
on the hills of Montmartre,
in the city of Paris by the Sienne...
You will find a singing flea
of a massive 7'3"
and you'll find he never has so much to say...

Francoeur hadn't noticed the people. He was more interested in writing his next song. But when he came up for air, there was applause.

From a group of about five young ladies

Read more »

Challenge #01139-C042: One Fine Re-union in a Theatre

Phantom of the Opera parody, starring the flaming purple skeleghost -- Gallifreya

[AN: Skipping the double prompt because (a) foreign lands and far away from the overlap score (b) my time is limited]

"According to Google, this place isn't even here," said Arthur. "This might be a level O manifestation[1]."

Vivi seemed almost possessed. "I've been here before. I can feel it..."

"Yeah, a brand-new century-old abandoned theatre? I don't think so. Let's g-get out of here, Vivi."

"...vivi...?" whispered another

Read more »

Challenge #01138-C041: All Things Spadge

Some of the nicknames make sense - their name sounds a little like that word and a slip of the tongue gives them a moniker for life.

But how the heck did nicknames like (RL example) Spadge happen? --Gallifreya

[AN: Dunno how it happened to your friend, but...]

The new crewmember had a special word. A word for all things. A word that could mean all things. And after a week of hearing things like:

"This is complete Spadge."

"I love

Read more »

Challenge #01137-C040: Special Education

The routine butchering of names by various species that have trouble with minor inflections in other languages which inevitably results in silly nicknames - T'reka > Trekker, for instance, or to borrow from another author, Usze > Uzi and N'tho > Nitro -- Gallifreya

Names are important. Across the Gallactic Alliance, all cogniscent beings had a string of sounds or signals that meant 'this is me'. And some... could get quite picky about it.

"Ra-el," said Rael.

"Rail," said the human.

"Ra-el," said Rael.

"Ray

Read more »

I am now in foreign climes

I've unpacked, organised, WASHED... that last one was super important. 13+ hours in flight, plus a minimum of four spent in hurry-up-and-wait... I was wringing with perspiration.

I feel much better for a wash and a change of clothing.

And air conditioning. Blessed, cool air conditioning.

Ah how I missed it.

Of course, from the morrow onwards, I will be waking up super-early to get my blog and story done so that the missing count isn't all that huge.

Stand by. Story

Read more »

Challenge #01136-C039: Skinny Said He'd be There

"There's something fishy about all this..."

"Oh that's just Undyne!" -- Gallifreya

[AN: I think MobTale fits this prompt the best]

"He said he'd be here," said Papyrus.

"Your pal says lots of things," rumbled Sans. "You sure he's on the up and up?"

Papyrus smiled. "Of course he is. He's responsible for the training that got Undyne to notice me. I trust him with my life."

"Do you trust him with the kid's life?" said Undyne. She was wearing her battle

Read more »

Challenge #01135-C038: One Stressful Evening at a Comicon

And some people have non-standard "Heart's Desire". -- Knitnan

The suspect was identified as "One of them weirdo robot people" so Officer Decker had gone for the simple expedient of rounding up anyone who even looked like they could be a robot... and then asking the witness to pick them out.

So far, Chloe had eliminated all of the Homestuck trolls because the witness said, "Nope, none of 'em had horns."

Smart money was on the very twitchy one in the red

Read more »

Challenge #01134-C037: A Slip of the Pun

http://haberdashing.tumblr.com/post/138651636069/fenrir-kin-meowjorie-my-christmas-gift-to -- Gallifreya

[AN: Eeeeeeuuuuuwwwww...]

"I told you, I can only work with the spirits of departed people. Animal ghosts don't understand speech."

"Well something has to be done. I'm tired of getting woken up at dawn by all the honking!"

"I'm very sorry. All I can do for ghost geese is make them think it's winter so that they migrate. And that will exacerbate your vulnerability to head colds."

"Geese. Ghost fucking geese. How the

Read more »

Challenge #01133-C036: In the Wee Small Hours...

Sans and the Gaster Blasters -- Gallifreya

Sans barely stopped his Gaster Blasters from incinerating his baby brother. "Geez, bro, don't scare me like that..."

"Puppy," cooed Papyrus, age four. "Is this why you said I couldn't have a dog?"

"Uh..." said Sans. "More like... the dogs have their own homes to go to."

"Can I pet 'em?"

"Look. Kid. It really takes an effort to..." he trailed off, looking into those pleading, puppy-dog eyesockets. Sans surrendered to his marshmallow soul. "Sure.

Read more »