Challenge #01651-D190: Ill-Met By Neon
The city sleeps, if the city is large enough to support night workers, cops, nurses, cleaning staff and cab drivers, somewhere there is a place open with hot coffee, hot food, a place to sit and grab a meal or snack before heading home to sleep. – @knitnan
Towns can sleep. Villages definitely slumber. Cities? Cities never close. There’s always somewhere going. Some light that is on and someone who is using that illumination for something. Not always something nice, because the have-nots figure out where the haves are and attempt a little manual redistribution.
But neither of those are here, in this tiny island of light in the darkened streets. It’s a spot where the permanent and the itinerant alike come for a moment. A moment of peace. A moment to think. A moment to have a coffee, or bitch about politics, or catch up on a news station that isn’t interrupted by static. The regulars sit with their laptops or their studies, and ask Joe about his corns or his lumbago. The people who aren’t regulars watch the shitty television in the corner and process their food and beverages.
This is a space for the Night People. The flotsam and jetsam who just don’t fit in the daylight. Those for whom the sun is their enemy. Those for whom normal is not obligatory, and unusual is acceptable. It is a realm of cheap but neat clothes and fading uniforms. And into this speck in the night-time galaxy of the city, there comes a complete stranger. Trouble about to happen.
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Challenge #01528-D067: World-threatening
What do they eat, anyway?
::snort:: **Anything**. They don’t care. They’re roaming, poisonous, armoured, Dark Magic-spawned garbage disposals. – @recklessprudence
“Dark Magic is extinct. It’s been extinct for thousands of years,” objected Thaldrik.
“And they’ve been around that long,” said Maester Kadfel. “Possibly longer. It was their creation that lead to the uprising against Dark Magic and its subsequent elimination.” She tapped the illustration. “For now, they seem content to remain in the calderas of Mount Seethe, and eat… whatever they find there. Alas, Dark Magic made them nigh indestructible. They’ve been living there and eating everything for some significant time.”
Thaldrik considered this. “Isn’t this a cautionary tale to make certain everyone stays clear of Mount Seethe? What proof is there that these…” he had another go at pronouncing the name, “Rav-in-ger-i… exist?”
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Challenge #01461-C366: Abominations Are Relative
[Conversation Participant #1]: [Name mankind was not meant to know]! Where did you come from!?
[Conversation Participant #2]: From the blighted womb of your worst nightmare, quivering on legs innumerable, soaked in the black ooze of your greatest fears. I rear back my heavy head, and howl: DETEEENTION …for AAAALLL three of you! I swear, I’m the only one around here that doesn’t find threats and violence to be charming. – @recklessprudence
“Aw come on Mx Elth… this is the AV club, it’s after school, and we are allowed to ask questions…”
[Name mankind was not meant to know] rattled hir chitinous scales and rumbled a low growl from somewhere beneath hir seventh stomach. “You were still violating the rules by threatening violence. And my name is not ‘Mx Elth’, it is [Name mankind was not meant to know].”
“…um… we were yelling at the tv, Mx [Name mankind was not meant to know],” murmured Dale, the smallest and most harmless alumni that the school had. “…um… it’s a form of critique? Andum. We know it’s not real threats.”
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Challenge #01225-C130: Monster in my Room
@callmegallifreya - Monsters guard your sleep.
Challenge #01161-C066: Unemployable
@recklessprudence - Don’t worry. Walter Robotics will hire anything. Er. ONE! AnyONE!
Challenge #01023-B291: No Such Thing as Normal
@recklessprudence: When you get rid of THEM, what is left of US?
Challenge #00586 - A211: Imaginary Union 1475
Monthly union meeting of trolls, ogres, and TUTBs (Things Under the Bed).
“All right, all right. Let’s keep this in order so we can all be back in our haunts before sunset.”
Grumble grumble mumble.
“If you don’t wanna be here, you can always skip on your fees,” threatened their president, Gruuh.
“Point of order,” said Oogle.
Sigh. “Yes?”
“Fees are hard to obtain. Kids are scared of less… traditional monsters. That newcomer Slendy is taking all the fear ichor.”
“We’re discussing the sliding scale at the AGM, Oogle. You still have the market cornered on the under fives.”
“What about trolls? Trolls are cute, now…”
“I’m well aware,” Gruuh rolled his eyes. “And Ogres are lovable. We only have the power humans give us. Perhaps the muses can help inspire something?”
“Are. You. Kidding. It’s all deconstruction. Making the heroes villains and vice versa. It’s mayhem out there. Mayhem!”
“I just want my fair share,” complained Oogle.
“Then maybe you can work on a solution for a change?”
[Muse food remaining: 49. Submit a prompt! Ask a question! Buy my stories!]