Mundane Matters

Challenge #04646-L262: Hubris in the Temple of Art

A playwright and troop director has crafted his greatest play. Only hitch is he has scorned warnings of restless spirits in the theater. Now ghosts are causing havoc while opening night is almost here. -- Deathshead419

Actors are a superstitious and cowardly lot. In a high-pressure environment where their means of continuing life and relative comfort depends entirely on a combination of extreme good fortunes, superstition is a natural reaction. Their practiced skills could fall victim to any little thing. A random atom of dust could destroy their voice in the middle of a performance and ruin the production.

Theatres gather these superstitions, becoming temples to the beliefs of those who keep it running. Thus... they generate what the performers call 'ghosts'.

Sometimes, they're real ghosts. Performers or stagehands who had unfinished business just keep hanging around. From needing to sing their swansong to missing their final paycheque, they just stay. Making demands, the lights flicker, strange noises in weird corners, and various small mishaps where they catch the blame. And through blame, power.

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Challenge #04637-L253: Do NOT Create the Torment Nexus

“At last, I’ve created the Torment Nexus,” said the Protagonist of the classic story you’re about to read, right now. -- Deathshead419

[AN: Thanks a fuckbunch (/sarcam) ]

Neuroscience had made amazing leaps forward. They not only mapped the human cerebrum, but were controlling it to a certain extent. Laws, of course, insisted that such methods could only be used for therapeutic purposes. Which was fine and good. Advances were made against depression and psychosis. They even found a remedy for

Challenge #04631-L247: The Wolf You Don't See

Comrade Dvochev has been a ruthless enforcer of the revolution. Royals and their dogs, Bourgeoisie and their mercenaries, Traitors to the cause and their foolish hangers on, even Old Friends and their families.

But now the boss’s eye is falling on Dvochev himself. Might be time to take a long vacation overseas and get lost while doing so, as retirement packages for those in his position are usually measured in caliber… -- Deathshead419

The mistake that all revolutionary idealists make, the

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 #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 #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 #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

Challenge #04539-L155: Something-something Power, Something-something...?

'You may find after a time that the having is not so pleasing as the wanting. It is not Logical but I have found it to be so.' More or less a 'Spock' quote . Have fun. -- She Who Knits

[AN: Unfun Fact - My mother rubbed my aspiration failures into my face with this quote at every opportunity. I am desperately trying to not let that flavour this story. Wish me luck]

Hail to the Chief Executive Officer, they who

Challenge #04538-L154: Singer For Supper

You need or want something non standard or they do not sell what you want in the usual retailers. Bespoke, Made to Measure, Made for you to use. Or for you to gift to someone. -- She Who Knits

Automation is great for standard things. Everyone agrees with that simple fact. You can replace broken things with a near-identical copy, at a relatively cheap price. This applies very well to things, especially things of common use.

Furniture, vehicles, housing... even shaped foodstuffs,

Challenge #04478-L094: Respected Goals

They went to the gym and many there mocked them for appearing so weak. Then they showed what they were capable of. -- Anon Guest

They came to work out. To get big. To get cut. To be intimidating so that nobody messed with them. To get all the girls and impress other boys. So when one entered with a frame like a toast rack on stilts, there was some low laughter amongst the workout machines. Guy like that wouldn't last two

Challenge #04468-L084: Everyone's Related

What happens when you invite everyone who are a part of your family through marriage and birth, invites everyone from THEIR families, for those individuals are your family as well, from marriage and birth, and THOSE individuals invite everyone from THEIR families through marriage and birth, and so forth?

You get everyone in the entire world going to one giant family reunion. Though figuring out all the branches of this family tree can be quite interesting. -- Anon Guest

"Did you know?

Challenge #04456-L072: Arms Race

They played with toy drones, buzzing them through the air. But beware kids with little RC toys, and you're trying to be intimidating. -- Anon Guest

Fun for the whole family! Cosmetic shells sold separately, battery packs and chargers not included. The drones were cheap, easy to use, and could carry weights up to five kilograms as long as they were also aerodynamic. For yet another separate purchase, one could acquire a cargo pod that attached to your unit.

The reason why

Challenge #04450-L066: Enrichment Activities

The goods in your favourite Big Store get fewer and fewer, so those vital but rarely brought items disappear. -- She Who Knits

If variety was the spice of life, the local branch of MegaGloboCorpoMart was slowly turning into gruel. The variety of options and products, that which drew them all in, was getting spare.

It had taken Jaime months to notice, but after that, the limits were growing clear.

More complaints about clothing not available in someone's size. Counting the thousand

Challenge #04431-L047: Fifty Ways to Go No Contact

Vernita Nemec: Private Places (0:37)

An excerpt from an installation for The Second Coming, a show by Carnival Knowledge at Franklin Furnace.

Listen to track 3:

(https://www.ubu.com/sound/tellus_2.html) -- Hudson

[AN: Transcript for the hard of hearing - a soft woman's voice says "I wanna talk to you about something. (pause) I found something in your drawer, and I'm very upset by it. (pause) I don't know quite what to think. (pause) But... um... I

Challenge #04399-L015: Rainbow Matchmaking Conundrum

A: hey, quick question Mina is Bisexual right?

B: she is, but her type is straight women and gay men.

A: does that mean she’s destined to be all Bi herself?! -- Anon Guest

[AN: This prompt was trimmed for brevity]

"Hahahahaha," Libbie deadpanned. "So hilarious. Listen. Nobody deserves to be alone, okay? We're not Mina's type, and we love her, so maybe focus on helping her out instead of being mean?"

"I didn't think I was being that mean," grumbled

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A 43-post collection

Challenge #04646-L262: Hubris in the Temple of Art

Challenge #04637-L253: Do NOT Create the Torment Nexus

Challenge #04631-L247: The Wolf You Don't See

Challenge #04573-L189: Literate Legacy

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

Challenge #04565-L181: Age Appropriate Knowledge Source

Challenge #04561-L177: The Ultimate Scam

Challenge #04539-L155: Something-something Power, Something-something...?

Challenge #04538-L154: Singer For Supper

Challenge #04478-L094: Respected Goals

Challenge #04468-L084: Everyone's Related

Challenge #04456-L072: Arms Race

Challenge #04450-L066: Enrichment Activities

Challenge #04431-L047: Fifty Ways to Go No Contact

Challenge #04399-L015: Rainbow Matchmaking Conundrum