Instant Story

Challenge #01525-D064: A Powerful Talisman

Call it what you will, Linus, Blankie, Comfort Rug. A square or rectangle of worked fibre, knitted, crocheted out of bits of yarn something soft and warm to hang on to in times of stress. -- Knitnan

"Honestly, Farraq, this is the slowest evacuation in the known universe."

"Sorry, boss," the human had something colourful bundled under one arm. "Can't leave anywhere without my Snoog."

P'treth boggled at the human merc as they writhed their way through an airlock made for a smaller people than a fully-armoured human. "Snoog," he repeated. "Is this a human thing, a cultural thing, or a Farraq thing?"

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Challenge #01524-D063: Invisible Rebellion

They are the people who keep Organisations going, they step in, step up, or just help out how they can. A vast Army of ordinary people, old, young, able bodied or doing what they can when they can. If they are lucky, they get 'petrol money'. -- Knitnan

It was a nondescript interrogation room, but something about it told Lorraine that this particular interview room was underground. The taste of the air. The way the air conditioning sounded. The way the room

Challenge #01523-D062: A Grievous Mistake

Matters have left "pear-shaped" and have escalated to the eldritch topographies of a taco warped through a tesseract. -- RecklessPrudence

"I regret to inform Her Majestrix that matters have gone... er... pear-shaped."

The seneschal glared down hir nose at Brekkis. " Adjudant Brekkis... Matters have left "pear-shaped" and have escalated to the eldritch topographies of a taco warped through a tesseract. Matters are so beyond "pear-shaped" that we've had to hire human mercenaries, Brekkis. And further... the human mercenaries have captured some of

Challenge #01522-D061: With a Knack for Mimicry

http://marlynnofmany.tumblr.com/post/156605690661

Aliens that do not understand how well humans can mimic some noises. -- Gallifreya

When headed into uncharted, or barely charted territory, when facing danger, it is best to have at least one human aboard your ship. Yes, they are frightening deathworlders, but they also understand this and endeavour to be less frightening so they can pack-bond with you. They are also, and the K'veth are discovering, prone to annoying pranks.

Bob could impersonate any noise

Challenge #01521-D060: Perspective Post Peril

(Couldn't make this entirely gender-neutral. I suspect the terms do not exist in English. Although I know half a dozen ways to say one of them in various fictional universes, one of them might be the correct English form of address. As for a gender-neutral term for the person in charge of a Duchy (apart from the major-domo or seneschal or whatever who's actually running it all... idk)

[Person #1]: (VERY full of themselves, has been nothing but irritating, has no training,

Challenge #01520-D059: Lost and Found

[Person #1]: Spectro-analysis of the ship dates it as having been in orbit here for slightly more than three hundred million years.

[Person #2]: They built shit to last back in the Paleozoic, huh?

(your choice on whether Person #1's results bear any resemblance to reality) -- RecklessPrudence

Tel swore under her breath and worked her fastest to get that comment out of the feed to the rest of the Galactic Alliance. One cut, and Ambassador Shayde's glib and unnecessary remark was

Challenge #01519-D058: Watch What You Say

[Person #1]: (after describing the expedition) Won't be any fighting or danger, just research

[Person #2]: (who's seen this shit before) Yes, it will be totally safe. Nothing can go wrong. At least it won't be raining.

[Person #2]: You could just as well held up a sign that says "Fuck Murphy" on it, and expect less trouble. -- RecklessPrudence

"It's an exploratory mission into uninhabited territory. The entire system is incapable of hosting life. What could go wrong?"

"O Powers... you

Challenge #01518-D057: Hazards of Companionship

...well... thank you... I was suffering from a shortage of waking up screaming, this should help for the next month. -- RecklessPrudence

Humans are the most advantageous crewmembers to have. Especially in what they insist on calling 'crunch time'. They will walk, or run, into danger and saunter back out again with barely a scratch. They are fiercely protective of any being they view as part of their pack, insanely profitable to have in a ship's crew, and invariably adaptable.

They're also

Challenge #01517-D056: A Strange Land

The past is another country. -- Knitnan

Pam walked around the corner into another world. At least, that was what she thought to begin with. The very air smelled different. Disgusting, in its own way. None of the buildings were familiar. And everyone was dressed really weird. And everyone was staring at her. Pam clung to her purse and tried to be discreet in digging out her self-defense stuff. It had, of course, settled to the very bottom of her bag.

She

Challenge #01516-D055: Me and a Shadow

http://toxixpumpkin.tumblr.com/post/100767877989

And a third -- Gallifreya

It was literally the brightest outfit that Janice had ever seen. Lights and all. It included vibrant colours in the spaces between the tiny, laundry-proof LED's. There was even an alice band with lights in it.

"Mabel..." said Janice. "What the heck?"

"Oh, there's a shadow-girl in the neighbourhood. I'm helping her out today."

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Challenge #01515-D054: A Good Host's Reward

Pick a second! -- Gallifreya

There's one advantage to being an early riser. Usually, it's watching some kick-ass dawns as they happen. Today, it was meeting Brutus. He's what most people call a gargoyle. I'd go into the difference between the real gargoyles, which are decorative stone waterspouts, and what people call 'gargoyles' but are actually called grotesques. Those are decorative stone building features with no inherent function.

But I wouldn't call Brutus 'grotesque'. He's kind'a pretty. Even with his stone skin

Challenge #01514-D053: One Miserable Evening in a Dragon's Lair

http://toxixpumpkin.tumblr.com/post/100767877989

Pick one! -- Gallifreya

Of all the experiences in the multiverse, there's nothing like sprawling across the head of a friendly dragon. Alas, since this dragon was fighting a bout of the 'flu, it meant that Sam was doing the sprawling in a budgie-smuggler, and kept one hand on the fire extinguisher.

Dragons sneeze fire. And even though Bloodflight was comfy in his cave, there was still the risk of setting a few things on fire.

Challenge #01513-D052: A Lucky Escape From Grebnak 5

"Is that going to blow up?"

"Well, I mean, only if i mess up, " -- OohLookShiny

"Hwell," sighed Ax'and'l, "put the concoction down."

"Relax, I know what I'm doing."

"I will not relax, I have fifteen near-death encounters as evidence in my favour." Ax'and'l considered those past incidents, "Including seven where you said you knew what you were doing."

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Challenge #01512-D051: Fascinating...

For the "Humans are space orcs": Aliens can only focus on one thing at a time. They're far more efficient because they hyperfocus and complete any task in a far shorter amount of time. So humans penchant of talking/humming/listening to music while working is both distracting and baffling. -- Anon Guest

Half the crew were watching the ship's human in their segregated kitchen. Terran music blared at maximum allowed volume, and the human sang slightly louder. Inside the quarantine zone,

Challenge #01511-D050: This House is Not Haunted

http://goddammitstacey.tumblr.com/post/155552788003 "I just turned to my housemate and said, “y’know, we’d never know if we were haunted” because we have four cats between us, so every clunk, bump, and crash gets entirely ignored and now I want a movie about a ghost becoming increasingly desperate to haunt a family but they have cats and so the poor dear goes completely ignored" -- Gallifreya

I was, once.

Nothing more than that. Simply that I was, once.

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Flash fiction fresh from my fingers to your mind!

Challenge #01525-D064: A Powerful Talisman

Challenge #01524-D063: Invisible Rebellion

Challenge #01523-D062: A Grievous Mistake

Challenge #01522-D061: With a Knack for Mimicry

Challenge #01521-D060: Perspective Post Peril

Challenge #01520-D059: Lost and Found

Challenge #01519-D058: Watch What You Say

Challenge #01518-D057: Hazards of Companionship

Challenge #01517-D056: A Strange Land

Challenge #01516-D055: Me and a Shadow

Challenge #01515-D054: A Good Host's Reward

Challenge #01514-D053: One Miserable Evening in a Dragon's Lair

Challenge #01513-D052: A Lucky Escape From Grebnak 5

Challenge #01512-D051: Fascinating...

Challenge #01511-D050: This House is Not Haunted