Monsters

A 14-post collection

Challenge #03187-H278: The Real Monsters

They looked like monsters, but when children, any children, were being mistreated? The ones that mistreated the children learned what real monsters really looked like. -- Anon Guest

The wrought-iron gate declared it to be the Everkind Sanctuary for Unwanted Children, and one running waif had incidentally sent Wraithvine their way. The child that the Elven Wizard had found went away with basic survival tools and a pouch full of New Start Money[1]. Now the alleged sanctuary was going to get what it deserved.

It's amazing what can be uncovered with a Disguise spell and a voice of authority. In this case: abundant peculation, extreme neglect, malnutrition and a lot of non-human intelligent creatures languishing in their own filth.

Bugbears and Kobolds and Gnolls, oh my. Little baby Under-Elves traversing the bald playground with rags over their sensitive eyes. Little Tieflings with only mud and stains in lieu of clothing. Bugbears sharing their raw catches with any other creature who could eat it... and those catches were the large insects and vermin that abounded in the food stores.

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Challenge #02890-G333: With Double-edged Blade

People call them the Judge. There are other nicknames for this being, of course. Justice. Equalizer. Balance. Redemption. All of these and more their names are through all eternity. A being who watches the world feeling no pain nor pleasure at what is seen. A being who feels no love, nor do they feel hate. They can feel respect, and honor. Kindness and compassion. But also can they feel disappointment and anger. Their job, from the time of their creation, was to

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Challenge #02722-G165: A Rough Gem

Me playing support: get the f back here so I can heal you!

Some dumbbutt: but dps go bam... -- Anon Guest

"WHY, in the name of the Living Light, do you keep forgetting that you're squishy?"

"I'm used to being strong. I'm used to fighting the world. On the plus side, I have a pretty good grasp of tactics, so I'm not squishy for long..."

Gaarsh snorted an aborted growl. Being a Cleric of the Light wasn't always easy, but being

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Challenge #02521-F331: Fear Us

Gone are the days of monsters holding a village in fear, secure in their lairs, the biggest worry the occasional angry peasant mob rising up to pester them with torches and cries of being "abominations to God's creation".

The industrial revolution and electricity made humans far more dangerous and less fearful than they'd ever been. Inept mobs were replaced with trained police. Investigating detectives passed knowledge of weaknesses on to new generations of monster hunters...

There are not many monsters left in

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Challenge #02349-F159: Encounter After Bedtime

So, what would you do if there WAS a monster under your bed? -- Anon Guest

From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties, and things that go bump in the night... Saen took a deep breath. Dark plus imagination lead to some degree of fear, and tonight's degree was too harsh to handle. Crying about monsters under the bed was too childish, now. She was six. She could read and dress herself and pronounce funny dinosaur names and being scared of monsters

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Challenge #01868-E044: The Stepford House

As early 20th century houses go, it was fine. Neat, tidy, clean, owners polite to their black maid and cleaner and paid them well, children loved by their parents, and parents whom loved their children.

So WHY did it reek like a stinking dungeon in a necromancers castle? The Doctor lasted 10 seconds before leaping in with both boots. -- Anon Guest

It was almost a cliché, really. Lost traveller, wicked storm. Can't stay out in this mess. Would it be too

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Challenge #01723-D262: Family is...?

I did not give that spider superhuman intelligence -- RecklessPrudence

Klaus looked at the spider. She was wearing a crinoline made out of her own silk. He turned back to Lord Falderil. "Really?"

"Absolutely not," insisted Lord Falderil. His lab had every known piece of intelligence-augmenting equipment known to Spark-kind and a few more that he had evidently made himself. "She was already intelligent. I've been augmenting myself so that I can keep up."

The giant spider, named Spinnerette, delicately put down

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Challenge #01651-D190: Ill-Met By Neon

The city sleeps, if the city is large enough to support night workers, cops, nurses, cleaning staff and cab drivers, somewhere there is a place open with hot coffee, hot food, a place to sit and grab a meal or snack before heading home to sleep. -- Knitnan

Towns can sleep. Villages definitely slumber. Cities? Cities never close. There's always somewhere going. Some light that is on and someone who is using that illumination for something. Not always something nice, because the

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Challenge #01528-D067: World-threatening

What do they eat, anyway?

::snort:: Anything. They don't care. They're roaming, poisonous, armoured, Dark Magic-spawned garbage disposals. -- RecklessPrudence

"Dark Magic is extinct. It's been extinct for thousands of years," objected Thaldrik.

"And they've been around that long," said Maester Kadfel. "Possibly longer. It was their creation that lead to the uprising against Dark Magic and its subsequent elimination." She tapped the illustration. "For now, they seem content to remain in the calderas of Mount Seethe, and eat... whatever they find

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Challenge #01461-C366: Abominations Are Relative

[Conversation Participant #1]: [Name mankind was not meant to know]! Where did you come from!? [Conversation Participant #2]: From the blighted womb of your worst nightmare, quivering on legs innumerable, soaked in the black ooze of your greatest fears. I rear back my heavy head, and howl: DETEEENTION ...for AAAALLL three of you! I swear, I'm the only one around here that doesn't find threats and violence to be charming. -- RecklessPrudence

"Aw come on Mx Elth... this is the AV club,

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Challenge #01225-C130: Monster in my Room

1) http://haberdashing.tumblr.com/post/142984148989/hot-bunns-3-am-thoughts

2) Branching off the above prompt - Pick a fandom and set one character as the monster under the bed/in the wardrobe --Gallifreya

1)

Every child gets a monster. An ancient contract, written in blood. Paid in teeth. They stay until the child is strong enough to care for themselves.

Some... never leave.

They are the monsters for the people who are particularly vulnerable. The people with one foot each in two

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Challenge #01161-C066: Unemployable

:Interview transcript segment:

Interviewee: Why am I the right fit for this job? Well, I'm not sure I'm the right fit for ANY job. I was at a cheap store, and there was this cheesy 'magic wand' lying there. It was out of its wrapper, and I was feeling silly, so I picked it up and said some nonsense. NOW look at me!

:Interviewee appears to be no longer human. Has antennae, three large multifaceted eyes spread equidistant around their head, a

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Challenge #01023-B291: No Such Thing as Normal

This poem: http://bonehandledknife.tumblr.com/post/130524095600/if-you-are-a-monster-stand-up-if-you-are-a -- RecklessPrudence

They called it the DevilPurge, and they came for all the creatures of the night. They came politely, with notarised invitations and assortments of red tape.

They helped the vampires move out. They assisted the werewolves. They kindly and gently moved the mausoleums of the undead. They bussed the witches, wizards and warlocks into a faraway place on the very borders of the kingdom.

To make things better, they said. To

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Challenge #00586 - A211: Imaginary Union 1475

Monthly union meeting of trolls, ogres, and TUTBs (Things Under the Bed).

“All right, all right. Let’s keep this in order so we can all be back in our haunts before sunset.”

Grumble grumble mumble.

“If you don’t wanna be here, you can always skip on your fees,” threatened their president, Gruuh.

“Point of order,” said Oogle.

Sigh. “Yes?”

“Fees are hard to obtain. Kids are scared of less&

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