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A 4675-post collection

Challenge #00777 - B046: Hwell Barrow/Ax'and'l Incorporated

On an idea: Hahaha you can’t be serious oh god you’re serious.

“I told you, friend. Getting there faster gets us a bonus you wouldn’t believe.”

“That is an embargo net,” Ax’and’l gestured at the distant array of vessels. “It’s not only illegal to cross it, but it’s also lethal!”

“Naw these assholes aren’t sanctioned by anyone but themselves. It’s a mercy mission we’re on. Promise.”

Ax’and’l had checked the cargo and destination. He knew this human was on the up-and-up. “It’s still suicide…”

“Naw. I have a plan. Check me nav file for asteroid B-37K. We’re going to ride it right through the blockade.”

Ax’and’l checked. “Are you insane? Wait. I’m talking to a human. Of course you’re insane. That’s a gravel clump. The only thing holding it together is wishful thinking.”

“Right,” grinned Hwell. “Which is why landing on it is such a great idea!”
Ax’and’l stared at the grinning mammal. “And how do you suggest we land on it and live?”

“I know a trick from me mining days…”

The saurian Ax’and’l had yet to learn all the portents of imminent danger, and thus allowed the mad human to de-activate the Hungry Caterpillar, and use gravity alone to gently descend towards the dusty surface of a stellar rock that was beyond fragile.

He was still having conniptions as the embargo net moved vessels aside to allow the asteroid to pass. Ax’and’l decided, then and there, that he was going to spend a good portion of his bonus on a permanent therapists’ appointment.

He was going to need it.

[Muse food remaining: 16. Submit a prompt! Ask a question! Buy my stories!]

Challenge #00776 - B045: The What?

How do the penguins feel about the slaughter of their Northern cousins, the Auks? The human word “Penguin” means “Southern Auk”, as far as I am aware. But there are no longer any Auks for them to be compared to.

“I have done some research,” said T'reka.

“Good for you,” said the Matriarch. She was not exactly dismissive, but she was busy. Assigning troops to the surface for the human naturalists to observe and film.

“Your people

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Challenge #00775 - B044: Muffin

Turns out some incubi or succubi do just as well - if not better - on platonic love than sexual.
Cue making covert bargains with children - the ‘cubi take the form of a stuffed toy, often creeping into the toy pile before the child can even walk, and become a beloved item. In return they keep the child safe from any other creepy crawlies that might be lurking. Some take up residence in nurseries and schools, the softest, best calm-down toys

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Challenge #00774 - B043: The Careful Calculation

Person #1: Fear is easy. Fear is cheap. Instead of fear, we’re going to give the people hope.
Person #2: Fear vs. Hope. Hardly an even match.
Person #1: That’s because you think of hope as something light and fragile. My version of hope has calluses and dirt under the fingernails and isn’t past bringing brass knuckles to a fight.

The board meetings of Cinderella Dreams were interesting. Around the Boardroom walls, circling the ceiling, was the company motto:

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Challenge #00773 - B042: It's Physics!

I think the only apt description for particle physics these days is ‘punch it until its maths come out.’

[AN: I always thought particle physics was throwing tiny bits of the universe at each other to see what fell out of the crash…]

It looked like a cross between sanskrit, greek and cuneiform. Because of the lines and brackets, Kylie guessed it was intense math. She boggled in amazement at her roommate, Katie, as she worked on the complicated sigils before

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Challenge #00772 - B041: Veni Vidi Vetinari

A magic demonstration goes wrong, and Lord Vetinari finds himself in modern conservative backwoods Texas.

The smoke cleared and Lord Havelock Vetinari raised an eyebrow. He was now seated on the stump of a tree and facing a very surprised and sunburned family who were evidently cooking something on a portable grille.

They were a mixture of scrawny and over-fed. And the most overfed were the adult males. Their bellies lapped over their pants. The females were underfed. Or rather, the young

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Challenge #00771 - B040: Great for Business

I never just derail a train of thought. I make wrecks that catch the cars on fire.

Kalle had ‘disruptive influence’ on her permanent record. She had no idea what to expect when Central Administration sent her to a training camp. Her vague concepts were nothing like the experience before her.

“You are a disrupter,” said the uniformed Administrator Plexx on the stage. “You can use this to the advantage of many. Corporations around the globe will

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Challenge #00770 - B039: Ancient Writings

Bring it the fuck on = Eam non valent, in (Eng->Lat)

[AN: My google translate disagrees and provides “adducet eam ad irrumabo” I trust any latin nerds in my audience will settle the debate]

Of all the things that could have possibly sated Shayde’s wanderlust, exploring he less popular areas of the station seemed the safest and least bother. What Rael hadn’t known at the time was Shayde’s capacity for finding adventures.

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Challenge #00769 - B038: Ballistic Rock

“We will, we will, Rock you!” As sung by the United Trebouchet Operators Choir. You figure out the circumstance. Have fun.

The trebuchets, massive siege weapons of wood and rope, fired silently. It was their payloads, landing against the stunt castle walls, that were part of the performance.

Two solid rocks, and a missile made of gravel and dried clay. They landed with a WHUMP-WHUMP, TSSSSHH. A relentless beat that required the scurrying co-ordination of hundreds.

“Buddy you’

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Challenge #00768 - B037: Pure Badness

You venerate purity for its own sake, a most pointless exercise. Pure Iron is brittle, corrodes and shatters easily. Pure copper or tin do not have the strength of bronze. Alloys are Stronger

There was a civilisation on Tsarkis. If one could call it that. In the Galactic Alliance’s opinion, it barely passed the bar.

For a start, there was a very rigid caste system. Enforced by the military caste and massive walls that divided district from district. Few, if

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The Coming Devestation

The last time the Great Wyrm attacked, the Kingdom of Nalun’g was rent asunder. Now, after almost a century of repair and reconstruction, the land sickens, holy symbols warp and tarnish, and the young and artists are plagued be nightmares that, horribly enough, may be prophecies.
The signs are there. The Beast is Coming…

(#00767 - B036)

Of course Nalun'g searched for a hero. Knights, barbarians, thieves and assassins all tried their hands at eliminating the Wyrm.

They were never seen

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The Travelogue Continues

After leaving Francoeur behind, Kurt and Todd find themselves in South Park, bizarre animation and all. How will they cope with being the 184th strangest thing to happen to the town?.

(#00766 - B035)

It had been another typical morning at the bus stop. The usual debate had come around to the subject of mothers.

“Mmf F mmmf mf Mmmmmmm'f mmf mf f mmmmf,” said Kenny.

“You take that back, you sonofabitch,” Cartman challenged.

“Get over it,

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Challenge #00765 - B034:

A human opens a Beauty Salon for Reptilian Customers, it occurs to me that its Male reptiles who often try to attract mates.

[AN: Thanks to Tumblr’s habit of dropping links when I copy/paste, I have a new “streamlined” and “easier” procedure in which I have the HTML of my tagline info in a separate file and, after I’m done doing the story, I swap to HTML and copy/paste that sucker in.

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Challenge #00764 - B033: Emergency Procedures

“When in trouble, when in doubt. Run in circles, scream and shout!” Have fun with this!

These were the most bizarre aliens she had ever seen. Their emergency klaxon was a twinkly little tune suitable for Play School or Sesame Street[1] replete with singing. The jolly lady’s voice instructed the entire crew on how to panic in the same tone of friendly warning that other PSA’s would tell children where and how to cross the

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Return to the Greater Dereg That Got It Right

Exactly what it says on the tin.

(#00763 - B032)

[AN: This would be directly related to Challenge #323 in One Leap Year of Instants, available for whatever you want at Smashwords]

How to run a world without taxes, Kell wrote. First: Eliminate the government. Elected officials only care for their results in the next election, leading to years of nothing done, followed by flurries of activity nearing the election season.

Public services are therefore run by non-profit organisations with client care

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