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Power

A 16-post collection

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 declared that each one contained a small pebble plucked from the undersea region of R'lyeh. It could have all been horseshit. Most of the customers certainly believed it was.

After all, R'lyeh was a made up place. Wasn't it?

Fans bought them. Goths bought them. Nerds bought them. People who liked plush sea creatures bought them. Weird little kids insisted on getting them. In brief, they sold like hot cakes. The toy and curios store selling them did wonderful business.

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Challenge #04216-K198: To Solve the Problem

A person who ran a massive Inn asked Wraithvine, Gikka, and the small dragon hiding in the guise of a brownie to please bless the Inn with protections. The Innkeeper never charged the poor for food and shelter, but did their best to help, but the local rich lord was getting VERY angry about this. -- The New Guy

[AN: Bibrid disguised himself as a Gnome]

"I could deal with the lord permanently," offered Gikka. She made a gesture close to her

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Tuesday, Patreon and Power Problems

Yesterday contained at least three blackouts and a LOT of internet losses.

There's more rain this morning so I am more than a little on edge about loss of anything I'm working on without notice.

I also need to go shopping for Sammich Fillins, so that's added to my daily quest list.

At least I have functioning coffee now. Huzzah.

The new pay schedule is set, though there remains some minor jiggery-pokery regarding a few things here and there. We'll get all

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Challenge #04075-K057: Heavy the Heart...

The young, inexperienced, king made some serious mistakes and now his lands are in chaos. He begs for his people to send for Wraithvine and friends, so he can get advice on fixing the mess. His worst problems? He's young, inexperienced, and his advisors are not exactly always honest with him. -- Anon Guest

A child king is loved by his advisors. Mostly because those advisors can shape him, direct him, and coddle him from the truth. You almost never find a

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Challenge #03983-J331: Snow Falls Fast on the Crown That Cares

"Those who actively seek power, seek a throne, will end up having neither, nor do they oft deserve them. Those who have such thrust upon them unwilling, and then seek to use them for the sake of others, realize the true weight, and are needed there." -- Anon Guest

Briar very rarely used her full name. It took up too much time and the people of U'ah had a long tradition of an 'urgency' eke name. "Baroness Henriette Bri'arillain Kalamitee U'ah, get

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Challenge #03574-I285: A Time of Great Need

"I don't want the throne, I don't want that kind of power."

"I'm sorry, but it's your duty."

"But I'm scared, please don't make me do this?"

"If we find good, honorable, people to help you, will you, then, accept what you must do?"

"You promise they will be honorable, so I don't do something really bad by mistake?"

"I promise." -- The New Guy

The Reign of the Blood Throne was not what one might expect by the name. For a

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Challenge #03489-I201: Keeping the Balance

A person, a historian who wrote the chronicles of the world once asked, what happened to all the kingdoms, empires, and other lands where the corrupt leaders were felled by Wraithvine the Eternal, and there ended up power vacuums? Did he leave the lands in such a state, to go to war with itself as new powers tried to claim the thrones? Or did he find a way to rule them, until ones could be found that were worthy of such seats

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Challenge #03386-I098: Force Ma-jeure

"""So we just march in to the Undermountain and demand that the Lich King of Ages surrender?" / "Well, nobody's tried that before...""" It's one hell of a fight, no pun intended, and the King's forces learn, do NOT threaten youngsters, or adults for that matter, in front of the person's family, especially in front of the mother. There's a reason the nickname for such is "Mama Bear".

https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-03336-i048-youve-been-mothered -- Anon Guest

These people, Abundance decided, did not

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Challenge #03382-I094: Divine... Wrong?

What makes a ruler? Is it their crown? Their bloodline? Their birthright? Is it their strength, their power, their magic? Is it all of the above? None of the above? These things go through a young prince's mind, as they are told their older sibling has stepped down as heir, and they must take their sibling's place. -- Anon Guest

Centuries ago, a warlord had made a throne, and put a circlet of gold on his head. He made his friends into

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Challenge #02998-H075: With Great Power...

Power is power; it is pure, cannot be corrupted, intentions can. It is up to the individual whenever or not they use their power to ascend to divinity or fall to hell -- Anon Guest

They say, Power corrupts. They say, Absolute power corrupts absolutely. What they fail to recognise is that those who grasp for power are already corrupt. There is a true difference, indeed, between those who grasp for power and those who have to accept it. It begins with

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Challenge #02944-H021: Maintain the Flow

Power doesn’t measure a man, nor doesn’t corrupt a man, power reveals. When someone achieved the power they’ve always wanted their true intentions are always revealed. -- Anon Guest

"Hold as much water as you can," instructed Da. "You can try to hold it tightly, but the more muscle you use to hang onto it, the less you have. As time goes by, it will drip away no matter what you do. So too is the power of a

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Challenge #02380-F190: Tasty Trade

Alien witnesses true fear in the eyes of a band of country roughneck mercs in the form of a single raised eyebrow of the group's diminutive elderly "grandmother" figure. Grown warriors, men and women, who have charged into the maw of insanity cowed by a 98lbs octogenarian.

Pretty pretty please. -- Yup

In all the known universe, there is little that is as unlikely to be terrifying as the words, "What the diddly gosh-darn heck're you kids got goin' on in here?

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Challenge #02161-E332: Playing Power

“Commander, I always used to consider that you had a definite anti-authoritarian streak in you.”

“Sir?”

“It seems that you have managed to retain this even though you are authority.”

“Sir?”

“That’s practically zen.”

― Terry Pratchett, Feet of Clay -- c/- Anon Guest

Power corrupts, they say. Absolute power, they add, corrupts absolutely. They say this a lot, especially when protesting against those who have the power. Systems with a huge and unbreachable gulf between the Haves and the Have

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Challenge #01479-D018: To Meet Like Minds

“Movies were meant to stay on the screen, flat and large and colorful, gathering you up into their sweep of story, carrying you rollicking along to the end, then releasing you back into your unchanged life. But this movie misbehaved. It leaked out of the theater, poured off the screen, affected a lot of people so deeply that they required endless talismans and artifacts to stay connected to it.” – Carrie Fisher, The Princess Diarist -- RecklessPrudence

Some stories, they say, are timeless.

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Challenge #01439-C344: I Said No

A scientist when captured by the bad guys instead of working for them and having their work used for evil, refuses to work for them. They won't be the cause of innumerable deaths even if it means they suffer. SeaDragon1012

Dr Sally Hopkins woke in comfort, which was a big difference from attempting to fight off three attackers in the rain. She kept her eyes closed and her breathing even. Taking stock.

Good news - they had her in comfort. If they

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