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A 4673-post collection

Challenge #01158-C063: Saint Kurt of the Mutants

One Kurt Wagner, he of the lifelong fear of growing horns, eventually notices the gradually brightening heavenly glow around his head -- Gallifreya

He was half-asleep when the realisation came. Stumbling about in the pre-dawn gloom and not in a state of mind to question anything, Kurt took his shower and was brushing his teeth when he idly wondered what was wrong with the lights.

And then he realised that he hadn't turned them on.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror. Foam at his mouth, post-shower scruff, toothbrush still embedded between his pointy teeth. And a subtle glow surrounding his hair. Just enough to give shape to the darkness.

"Vas?" he croaked.

The lights flared on, making him curse. And eliminating all trace of the glow. Logan entered and growled, "Geez, Elf. Learn to turn lights on f'r the rest of us."

During the following weeks, Kurt was moderately certain he was hallucinating. Every time it was dark, he saw a light coming from his head. In two weeks, it was a solid disk. Well. Seemingly solid. He could put his fingers right through it if he tried to touch it.

Then came the bombing of the Mutant Orphanage. Since the Safe Haven laws, those born with visible mutations were most often left on various doorsteps or, in more than a few headline cases, by their dumpsters. The survivors wound up in places like this. Underfunded, overcrowded, abandoned and unloved.

The X-Men all took the time to visit. Show the kids that there was hope.

And now they all came at once. To extinguish the fires. To rescue those who were trapped. To comfort those who wept. To heal those who were injured. And, if it came to that, mourn the dead.

There should have been dead.

The bomb went off practically right next to Kurt, who teleported out of the Home with a small cluster of the kids he'd been reading to. He spent the next twenty minutes with prayers spilling from his mouth. Teleporting in and out, grabbing kids and getting them out of the fires.

The injuries were small. The only person gravely hurt was the main housekeeper, who was well-known to hate her job. And her charges. Whenever she was on duty, the one television was constantly tuned to an anti-mutant broadcast.

Later investigation would reveal that she was the bomber.

But the important part was that everyone who was there... saw it. The one mutant who should have been exhausted by his efforts. Who should have flagged and failed inside the first few minutes, continually working to help and rescue everyone inside the burning building. And they also saw, when the fires went out and the flame retardants shorted out the block... that the most demonic of all mutants had a definite halo.

Shining with light enough to continue illuminating the scene.

And some swore they saw more than one angel helping out the EMT's. The shaky phonecam footage seemed to back them up, too.

Many pointed to the hand of God. And those who pointed at the hand of the devil did so with very shaky fingers.

The Catholic Church was very careful about what they said in regards to a mutant saint. But then, they always had problems with saints when they were still alive.

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Challenge #01157-C062: Saint Rillfin the Silver-scale

Ignoring all that lore about the rings of horn etc.

Imagine a sparkling, pristine halo perched gently above a pair of horns, and the owner's reaction to this new development. -- Gallifreya

[AN: I'm not certain about that lore, I guess I'll learn later]

Everyone knows about evil dragons. They eat maidens and spread blight, hoard treasure and are otherwise the bad apple that spoils the entire barrel. Most regular dragons try to eliminate them before the knight errant is required.

That

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Challenge #01156-C061: Eternal Knight

I like the idea of an undead paladin. They didn't rise because of some dark god or ritual or necromantic power but by four little words. I. Am. Not. Done. -- RecklessPrudence

The Serf-Page called Scun had watched the Mighty Torpen die. Nobody could possibly survive that many arrows and spears. And yet, Scun watched him fight on. The battle raged on and on as Orc after Orc fell to his blade. Long past the time that Torpen should have collapsed from

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Challenge #01155-C060: One Tiny Flaw

http://this-book-has-been-loved.tumblr.com/post/139007622507/things-ive-actually-heard-college-students-say

And another one -- Gallifreya

"Look," said the proud architect. "It's the perfect sealed environment. Everything anyone could need, including weather systems to strengthen the trees[1]. I thought of everything. Water purification and recycling, food manufacture. I even created a system that eliminates pathogens in the waste recycling system and removes all risks of infections. There's more than adequate space for everyone, lounges and personal space, shared space. Look. There's even a cinema!"

Director

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Challenge #01154-C057: One Ambitious Training Session on Amalgam Station

http://this-book-has-been-loved.tumblr.com/post/139007622507/things-ive-actually-heard-college-students-say

pick one -- Gallifreya

[AN: Only one? They're all gold!]

It was a minor Ambassadorial meet and greet session, allegedly concerning negotiations to stop the Greater Deregulations from being such massive collections of feces towards their fellow human being.

Not acting like massive collections of feces towards non-human cogniscents was going to take significantly more time and effort.

Laws and regulations were not really working. The most the Deregulations would do was show lip service

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Challenge #01152-C055: Different Hats

1) http://scienceisadesiretoknow.tumblr.com/post/139009801040/swingsetindecember-where-a-grad-student-becomes

Grad student is a villain for extra credit and/or money

2) Wander over Yonder - adventures of The Hat when Wander first gets it

(haven't seen it? episodes The Hat and Bad Hatter are the relevant ones, or do a story about Sans and a little orange cat) -- Anon Guest

[AN: Ya know, I could do three... my workload has eased up just recently. But not today, I think. BTW, the overlap

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Challenge #01151-C054: One Blizzard-riddled Afternoon in the Antarctic Circle

Have you seen 'The Thing'? The 1982 one, based on 'Who Goes There?', not the 2011 prequel. Well...

Prometheus: I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time, I'd rather not spend the rest of eternity TIED TO THIS FUCKING ROCK! -- RecklessPrudence

[AN: I've seen the 1950's version of The Thing (aka: The Secret Origin of the Flaming Carrot) and I have to wonder about scientist's need to give random shit from space some

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Challenge #01150-C053: Always Question

In a fantasy universe, what about an Agnostic Cleric? Doesn't really believe in any deity, just posts "help wanted" notices on the divine noticeboard. On the upside, has access to all the spell domains. On the downside, you'd be amazed on just what can count as "healing". -- RecklessPrudence

The Rogue watched the Cleric set up for the night. Usually, there was some kind of impromptu altar or extended prayer session, but this Cleric lit a candle and appeared to meditate for

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Challenge #01149-C052: Gods on Their Side

"HOW IS SUMMONING THE GOD-BIRD Of LIGHTNING STEALTHY!?" -- RecklessPrudence

The Cleric stopped in mid-chant. "Excuse you, but The Mighty Thunderbird is a master or mistress of the sneak attack. They glide silently, like a cloud, until they strike."

"But--"

"Their attacks are swift and, by the time the enemy looks, they are no longer there. Trust me. If you want an army annihilated, the all-powerful and Mighty Thunderbird is going to smite them thoroughly. All Glory."

There was a stunned silence

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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

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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

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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:

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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

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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

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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

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