Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Flash Feardelayed Again

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

My apologies for the lateness; I wrote up the post, but forgot to actually press Publish Post.

Edit: As the linking in the comments isn't working for me, here is the song that I recommend listening to while reading my Flash Fearsday: Link!

The Greenhouse: Garden of the Fallen

Passing through the tomb of the dryad Tolriani, you enter a domed chamber, filled with strange, ashen trees, with pale white leaves. In some of them, elaborately decorated obsidian jars can be seen, the trunks slowly growing around them.

Through the chamber walk black robed people, with mirrored silver skin, and softly glowing faceted eyes, in shades ranging from a dark, almost black, purple to a bright, shining green, collecting the fallen branches, and taking them to stone platforms in the center of the room, on some of which bodies are being burned.

The scent of funerary herbs, bitter and sweet, hangs thickly in the air, given off from the pyres, and small bowls of incense set on rocks, as well as amongst the roots of the trees.

Flash Fearsdelayed

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Also, my apologies forthe extreme lateness. Things ended up getting very busy for me rather suddenly.

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Flash Fearsday: Finally, It's On Time!

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Flash Fearsday: Getting Closer to Thursday Every Week

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

The Greenhouse: The Dryad's Tomb

This was originally for "How does your garden grow", over on Porky's Expanse, but I've decided that, as it was getting too long anyway, and I need something to do over here, I'm going to make an at least semi-regular series on here, detailing one place, or possibly more. So, without further ado, here's the first room in The Greenhouse to be written up:

In the antechamber before the garden, upon a stone platform directly in front of the doors, lies the body of a woman, once beautiful, but now scarred, as though horribly burned, and apparently undecaying. She wears a green dress, and is covered from the waist down by a crimson and gold shroud, which is folded back, and would cover her completely were it not.

The copper doors are twice the height of a tall man, and bear a bas-relief of a woman, who could be the one upon the platform, though as her form is unmarred in them, it is difficult to be certain.

Just beyond, in the garden itself, is an oak tree, once great, but now split and charred by fire. Though it is clearly dead, the leaves remain upon it, and nothing has claimed the spaces inside as would usually happen, nor is it rotting.

Flash Fearsdelayed Once More

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Apologies for the lateness. I'd thought that I already posted this, but, as it turns out, I hadn't.

Flash Fearsdelayed

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

The Eyes of the Dreamer

"Have you seen into the Dreamer's eyes? Walked your own past, or stepped into the future?

If you have, how do you know when you awoke? Or, indeed, if you have? How do you know that you aren't trapped inside his dreams, stuck in memories of the future, or reliving what you've done? Is there anything you can point to and say "Here. This is where."?

No. For even if you remember waking, you can never prove that you aren't still in that room, staring into his sleeping eyes, and watching what will come once you do.

Now you know why those who seek to know their future always end up insane. It's nothing to do with forbidden knowledge. It's the simple fact that they can't tell if they're still trapped inside their own skulls, or really walking about. Think about it."

New Spell: Illusionary Algorithm

Golim watched, as the spell begin to take hold.

A cat. Now it was hairless. A fanged, clawed rat. A bat. Now a flock of them. Back to the rats, but a river of them.

On and on, ever shifting. Until it finally resolved itself.

Illusionary Algorithm (Arcane)

Level 4

Duration: Permanent

This spell causes a series of shifting illusions, progressing toward the goal defined by the caster. When it is reached, it will finally cease to shift, and instead hold itself in that final form, until dispelled.

September of Short Adventures #1

Well, I'm very late. My apologies; I haven't had any good thoughts for adventures. This is partly because of the format I was trying to use. Therefore, I'm going to use a different one, of my own.

A scream, cut off midway. Then it gets quiet.

If I stay, I might learn more. Or be the next to break the silence.

I settle down by the grate, to listen.


(When passing a sewer grating in a mostly abandoned area, at least one party member hears a scream from it, cut off in the middle.)

How odd. It sounds like there's sand shifting down there.

(If they stay, there is a faint but noticeable sound, as of moving sand, or, if the characters would be unfamiliar with that, salt or sugar. After a few days, if they wait that long or return...)

Is that someone digging? And a crank?

(...they hear the above sounds.)

If I could just see in... There.

What are those things? And is that a body?

(If they look through the grate, they will see several Carcass Fiddlers removing a mummified body from a pit full of salt, while one turns a crank, returning a pendulum axe to its set position. Where it goes from there depends on the players.)

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Flash Fearsdelayed

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Once again, sorry about not getting it up yesterday; not only did I lose track of time working on other things and forget it was a Thursday, Firefox was messing up yesterday.

Notice

If you have posted a comment and I have not responded, please link to it here. Comments, especially on older posts, have been getting buried by others, especially on Flash Fearsdays, so I haven't been seeing them.

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

My apologies for getting it up a day late; I apparently hit "Save Now" instead of "Publish Post".

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. If you feel that is too limiting, you can try for 140 words. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Define - Risen Demon

Similar to the post on "Edict of The Overcoat", what is a risen demon? Specifically, what makes it different from others that aren't, or fallen angels, if anything?

The other thing you could do would be to detail a specific risen demon, and what makes it unique.

Flash Fearsday

It's time for Flash Fearsday again, keeping the slight change in rules: a horror story in 140 characters or less, so you can Tweet your work to all your friends (or, if it is particularly scary, to all your enemies!). If you want to do something a little longer, you can follow Jensen's example and use 140 words instead. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: This week, the rules have changed a little: write a horror story in 140 characters or less. Flash Fearsday was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

New spell: Firesight

Kiri walked slowly through the flames and smoke, her brother Golim beside her. As they walked, the people ran backwards through the streets, and the flames fled buildings. Further, and it was reduced to a single point: A roof, set ablaze by a Kadrin spy.

Firesight (Innate)

Level 1

Range: Self

Duration: Until dispelled.

This spell allows the caster(s) to see the full history of anywhere there has been a fire, though it grows hazy the further they are from the location is was at (a maximum of 5 feet from it). Thus, it is usually used in places that have burned down.

Note: This is not limited to the time from the fire's start to the fire's end; the restriction is locational only.

Also, you may recognize the name Golim from the sussuration spell. It is, in fact, the same person.

Method for Generating Names

Make a list of letters, then choose counterparts for them. Input a name, word, or mishmash. You now have names.

For example:

L-K
S-T
A-I
E-U
J-R
C-Y

Lisa-Kati
Laurence-Liejuncu
Jacob-Riyob
Kiera-Lauji

Or

Neural-Nuejik
Lixivium-Kaxavaem

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: Write a horror story in exactly 140 characters. It was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Vampires and Werewolves: How Much of the Weapon Needs to be Silver/Wood?

Basically what the title says. :)


Some examples:

Does the whole blade of a sword have to be silver/silvered, or just the edges/point?

What about an arrow? Does the whole thing have to be solid silver, just the head, or the shaft coated?

Speaking of arrows, do thy work as stakes? Does the whole the thing have to be wood? What if it's completely covered in metal, but a wooden core?

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: Write a horror story in exactly 140 characters. It was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: Write a horror story in exactly 140 characters. It was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

HMS Lofwyr

Designation: HYB-3

Class: Orbital Fighter/Bomber

Type: Modified H Wing Series. (Please enter authorization code for more information)

Flight Envelope: Orbital/Interplanetary

Weapons: Classified. Please enter a personal (non-positional) House Ghalamander access code of at least rating 93K0-1291-LB63, otherwise known as Admiral.

Power Plant: 4x RollsRoyce EP-122 Ionized Plasma Stream Engines - with chemical afterburner capabilities.

Summary of Abilities: Classified. Please provide a Ghalamander authorization code at a Blue level or above.

HMS Lofwyr
D: 16
A: 8
T: 4
S; 3+
STR: N/A
G: 5
CC: N/A
M: 20'

Weapons:

40 MW Charged Plasma Array:
ATS: 6
R: 24'
W: 4
APR: 1/4 (1 every 4 rounds, starts ready to fire)

ASSM-98 "Slammer" Anti Ship Missiles (8):*
ATS: 4
R: 15'
W: 2
APR: 1
AOE: 5'

Ship-to-Ship Missile: Apply a -4 on to hit rolls against infantry or fighters.

*Mark 1 missile box for each one used.

AIM-23 "Sidewinder" Anti Air/Space Fighter Missiles (10):*
ATS: 2
R: 15'
W: 2
APR: 1
AOE: 3'

*Mark one missile box for each used.

Zidrii Plasma Cannon (Battleship):

ATS: 8
R: 24'
W: 5
APR: 1/4 (1 attack every 4 rounds)

Zidrii Plasma Cannon (Hunter-Killer):

ATS: 4
R: 24'
W: 3
APR: 1/2 (1 attack every 2 rounds)

ADMT Group Project:: Room 11

Well, it's been a while since I did one of these, so I'm going to try and get back to them.

Room 11:

This chamber is covered in glittering frost, and snow falls from the ceiling. The floor is slippery with ice (-1 to hit, damage, and any other applicable rolls), and concealed by the aforementioned snow. (50% chance of finding 10-20 GP worth of small coins, jewels, etc.). It was used by the elves to preserve meat, and is now being used by the Hob-bears to preserve elves.

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: Write a horror story in exactly 140 characters. It was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved here. What will you create for the challenge?

The Expanded Expansion!

Plug in. Check statuses.

"Find: Talsi Garroway"

"Name: Not found. Sex: Not found. Race: Not found. Age: Not found."

Missing? Or run off? Either way, she might need help. After all, you don't run from nothing...

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: Write a horror story in exactly 140 characters. It was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved to here. What will you create for the challenge?

Expansion 9: Missing

Plug in. Check statuses.

"There's Talsi."

"Entry: Name - Missing. Entry: Sex - Missing. Entry: Age - Missing."

---------------------------------------------------------------

Note: This will be written up in expanded (pun intended) form.

Fairy Dust Harvesting Part 1

You need a live (or dead, for some varieties, but those are rare), fairy.

Then, it depends on what type you want.

Standard Dust: This is just normal Fairy Dust. Find a fairy who's terrible at cleaning, then give them a house. You can use a variety of materials ranging from milk or eggnog to moonshine, depending on the type of Fairy, to get them out of the house. Then, you sweep/dust, etc.. Make sure enough time has gone by to get a good supply.

Necromantic Dust: Used for resurrecting things ranging from bodies to projects. You'll need a dead fairy, preferably dried. Then they should be reconstituted in Water of Life, and mummified in Natron that was harvested from a graveyard. The fairy is then ground whole.

Fell Dust: Used mostly for curses or summoning some of the nastier things out there. You'll want them to be awake*. Then, you remove their wings with a specially prepared knife (Use Alik, Niri and H'tar runes on the blade). Be sure to keep them in a binding circle, to prevent side-effects. Fairies are nasty when it comes to those. After that, you'll need to boil the wings in a Black Cauldron. After that, you'll need to dry them using stored sunlight in the dark of the moon. Then you can grind up the dried wings.

Note: It is suggested that you keep the fairy in a spherical dreamcatcher for your safety.

*Because the emotional residue is important for this one. You need the fairy dust to be infused with terror and pain for this type.

New Game: Progress Update

It's still going. I've added a skill system and worked quite a bit on magic. I have some problems with balance though, so it's going to take more work. And I still haven't gotten melee combat fixed... So, progress is somewhat slow. Probably not going to help that I have a play coming up, but that's life.

Also, go check out Wolves for the Wolf God. Not only is it a cool blog, the owner is doing a giveaway.

Flash Fearsday Back Again

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: Write a horror story in exactly 140 characters. It was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved to here. What will you create for the challenge?

Worldboating - The Wreck of the Samiar

A twisted ruin, charred and blasted metal, with broken bodies floating in the corridors. Spheres of blood, thin and white, float through the air. In those places where the skin of the ship - far more fragile in this universe, a result of the recompilation that was forced when it came here - has not been melted away, there are thousands of small holes, clearly formed by projectiles, not lasers or other advanced weaponry, as the metal is deformed inward. In these sections, the corpses are not recognizable as such, and it is only clear that there were people within them by the fine mist that fills the rooms and halls, a byproduct of the inhabitants being shredded like cheese, or, more accurately, an orange put through a blender.

The question remains - who, or what, did this? And, more importantly, are they still nearby?


Worldboating - The Wreck of the Samiar by Connor Hallowell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

40K: Vehicular Markings: Glyphs

These are some of the different markings I'm going to use to differentiate between transports, when I actually get around to starting an army.

1s are straight lines, 0s are dots. "."s are spacers, and "-"s are to separate symbols

1
1
1
1
1
1...1
1.......1
1..........1
0..................0
----------------
1.......1
1....1
1
0
1
1....1
1.......1
---------------
0....0....0
1....1....1
1...1...1
1..1..1
1.1.1
111
1
1
1
1
1
1.1.1
1..1..1
1...1...1
1....1....1
0....0....0
-------------------
1
0.1.0
1
0.1.0
1
----------------------
0...............0
1................1
1................1
1111...0...1111
1.................1
1.................1
0.................0

And it's back...

http://buzz.blogger.com/2011/05/blogger-is-back.html

Community Table: D? Random Spaceport People

1. A Junior Collections Officer of the E-Commerce Internet Implementation and Troubleshooting Branch of the (Insert company or government here)'s Bureau of Software Troubleshooting and Acquisition.
2. Senior Field Programmer for Telecommunications Code Acquisition and Installation Division of the Web-based Software Administration Division, which is a sub-section of the Agency of Telecommunications Intranet Programming.
3. Security personnel for the Bureau of Database Backup and Mainframe Development.
4. Crew of the Pachyderm class fighter Tarrasque.
5. A roguish tramp-freighter captain and his brawny alien co-pilot [Trey]
6. Youth from a peaceful world trying to hire fighters to help defend his home against an invading alien force [Trey]
7. A pacifist monk in saffron garb handing out pamphlets and trying to convince people to give up their life of lust, greed and violence to become "one with the Great Uba". [The Acrobatic Flea]
8. Gang of rowdy grav-ball fans celebrating their team's victory as noisily and boisterously as possible. [The Acrobatic Flea]
9. Gang of rowdy grav-ball fans angrily venting their annoyance at their team's defeat as loudly and violently as possible. [The Acrobatic Flea]
10. An anthropomorphic vending machine. [Porky]
11. A temporal anomaly running out of time. [Porky]
12. A team of escaped cargo hunters, either a) cargo hunters absent without leave or b) hunters of sentient cargo. [Porky]
13. A hard-light hologram with a memory glitch, believing he/she is still soft light. [Porky]
14. A group of avatars for spaceport people designers separated by vast distances. [Porky]
15. A smug Gler. [Porky]
16. Echoes of past lives triggered by the previous year's timebomb. [Porky]
17. A nano-cloud disguised as a bucket seat. [Porky]
18. An invisible nothingness. [Porky]
19. A protocol android training the waste receptacles. [Porky]
20. A silicon chip fat vat driver delivering top-ups to the automated food concessions. [Porky]
21. A tall, strangely dressed man stepping out of a tall blue box with the word "Police" written on it. He is followed by an attractive red-haired human female and both are looking around quizzically. [The Acrobatic Flea]
22. A oneupman looking for his ship. [Porky]
23. A cyborg stalker. [Porky]
24. An uplifted Old Earth species: 1) pig; 2) flea; 3) 3. monkey; 4. rabbit; 5. wombat; 6. gnu; 7. ostrich; 8. emu; 9. dolphin; 10. parrot}} [The Acrobatic Flea] [Porky]
25. A mojo on its way back. [Porky]
26. A glitterball starmap technician. [Porky]
27. A worldboat janitorial robot (http://lunchingonlamias.blogspot.com/2011/04/worldboats-and-poetry-potluck-and-j-is.html). [Porky]
28. A jack-of-all-traders with merchandise. [Porky]
29. A castaway from a highly advanced civilisation, marooned. [Porky]
30. A travelator companiomatic. [Porky]
31. A short, strangely dressed man stepping out of a tall blue box with the word "Police" written on it. He is followed by an attractive dark-haired human female and both are looking around quizzically. [Porky]
32. A pair of metal-heads stumbling out of a telephone box saying strange things like: "Whoa! Party on, dude! Wyld Stallyns! 69, dude!", and making odd gestures. [The Acrobatic Flea]
33. God - on a tea break. [The Acrobatic Flea]
34. A troupe of mime artists. [The Acrobatic Flea]
35. A shifty old man in a brown hooded robe, trying not to be seen. [The Acrobatic Flea]
36. A stream of scantily clad women being chased by a short, bald man in a string vest and an out-of-breath milkman, wearing round spectacles. [The Acrobatic Flea]
37. A trans-dimensional procession of the damned (http://netherwerks.blogspot.com/2011/05/spell-processions-of-damned.html). [Porky]
38. A hovercab driver with a telepathic placard. [Porky]
39. A sharply-dressed catman carrying 1D8 trays of fish. [Porky]
40. A Connecticut Yankee. [Porky]
41. The Rolling Stones on a comeback tour. [Porky]
42. Life, the universe and everything; roll again unless five minutes or fewer till session end. [Porky]
43. A major satis faction, with a 50% chance of a rival faction in pursuit. [Porky]
44. A long distance runner approaching the halfway mark. [Porky]
45. A noospheric news anchor. [Porky]
46. A rather scruffy looking human - they still exist? - smelling faintly of vindaloo. [Porky]
47. A man looking rather like the pilot in 5, but narrating himself. [Porky]
48. Ziggy: 1) the supercomputer; 2) Stardust; 3) Grover. [Porky]
49. An underage streetwalker who has run away from her abusive pimp called 'Sport'. [The Acrobatic Flea]
50. A space-taxi driver hawking for business. [The Acrobatic Flea]
51. Tourists who would like you to take their photograph. [The Acrobatic Flea]
52. Tourists who would like to take your photograph. [The Acrobatic Flea]
53. Tourists who would like to ask you for directions. [The Acrobatic Flea]
54. Monkeys (because everything's better with monkeys). [The Acrobatic Flea]
55. The Great Uba. [The Acrobatic Flea]
56. . Young blonde girl in a blue dress asking if you've seen the "white rabbit". [The Acrobatic Flea]
57. Large-eared, big-nosed, brown-skinned aliens with pointed teeth and slightly squeaky voices trying to make a deal - offering strips of latinum. [The Acrobatic Flea]
58. A Transportation Security Administration heavy demanding to give you a full cavity search. [The Acrobatic Flea]
59. A space hopper. [Porky]
60. A grey-bearded, hopeless romantic slumped beneath the atomic clock, extinct space flora in hand. [Porky]
61. The wives and girlfriends of the aliens in 59. [Porky]
62. The Moon Free Decency Inspectorate drawn by word of the wives and girlfriends in 64.
63. Wally. [Porky]
64. A beast, with two packs. [Porky]
65. A litter disintegrator. [Porky]
66. A piece of long-discarded chewing gum now grown sentient and proclaiming the independence of its armrest. [Porky]
67. Summerov. [Porky]
68. A small bird-like creature only stopping at exits. [Porky]
69. The Last: 1) Starfighter; 2) Action Hero; 3) Boys (of Neverland, 1D6, with a 50% chance of the immortal ringleader and small winged familiar); 4) Boys (of Santa Carla, 1D8, as vampire); World (2D10 large reptiles of various species); 5) of the Mohicans; 6) and the Damned (use counts as); 7) ... [Porky]
70. An express elevator to hell attendant. [Porky]
71. A loud and determined toaster. [Porky]
72. A minor deity launching miniature thunderbolts from the roof truss. [Porky]
73. The white rabbit. [Porky]
74. Your Momma [The Acrobatic Flea]
75. A random character from one of your other campaigns. [The Acrobatic Flea]
76. A vid crew making a Tri-D documentary about people who visit space ports. [The Acrobatic Flea]
77. Superman (or, at least, someone dressed like him). [The Acrobatic Flea]
78. A drug dealer pedaling "deathsticks". [The Acrobatic Flea]
79. A small child crying because (1-4) he (4-8) she (9-10) it cannot find its mother. [The Acrobatic Flea]
80. A depressed, paranoid android with a brain the size of a planet and a pain in all the diodes down its left side. [The Acrobatic Flea]
81. A crying mother looking for her lost child. [The Acrobatic Flea]
82. A gathering of quite aggressive panhandlers who REALLY want your small change. [The Acrobatic Flea]
83. A large gathering of boisterous and flirtatious female aliens, dressed in outrageous fancy dress, on a "hen weekend". [The Acrobatic Flea]
    
84. A sporcery guild salesman (http://swordsandstitchery.blogspot.com/2011/04/sporcery-guilds-fungus-to-stars.html). [Porky]
85. A brain in a jar. [Porky]
86. A rather distressed-looking young human and his wide-eyed, white-haired older companion, the latter invoking a deity named 'Great Scott'. [Porky]
87. A lifejimbutnotasweknowit. [Porky]
88. A cyclepath (a very low-level telepath). [Porky]
    
89. A scruffy looking human slave being pushed about by a gang of gorillas wearing leather armour. Eventually the human will snap and cry out: "Take your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty apes!" At which point anything could happen... [The Acrobatic Flea]
90. The Lizard King [The Acrobatic Flea]
91. Hunter S Thompson - just as the drugs kick in (80% chance he is armed) [The Acrobatic Flea]
92. A musical troupe performing "easy listening" muzak on a variety of native instruments. [The Acrobatic Flea]
93. A clone of your most famous ancestor - who he is none too happy with the mess you've made of your life. [The Acrobatic Flea]
94. Cthulhu. [The Acrobatic Flea]
95. A dashing omni-sexual rogue, airforce pilot and renegade Time Agent who offers to whisk you away for great adventures and some 'no-strings-attached' naughtiness. [The Acrobatic Flea]
96. You meet yourself going in the opposite direction and both agree that this whole idea was a bad one. [The Acrobatic Flea]
97. A small, green-skinned, alien wise man with large ears and an inability to speak in grammatically correct sentences who warns you that "fear leads to hate and hate leads to the dark side", adding "do or do not, there is no try" and other sage advice. [The Acrobatic Flea]
98. Roll twice and combine results. [The Acrobatic Flea]
    
99. Nothing, just: 1) swamp gas; 2) a weather balloon; 3) [Porky] 3)a plastic bag caught on a breeze; 4) tumbleweed; 5) a bell tolling in the distance; 6) crickets chirping}} [The Acrobatic Flea]
100. An unrelenting humanoid robot. [Porky]
101. A man holding up a placard, with a large arrow and ancient runes on that read: 1) Golf Sale; 2) Apartments For Rent; 3)Free Puppies; 4) Car Valeting Service; 5) [The Acrobatic Flea] 6) Hello Direct Female Progenitor; 7) Hello Feline; 8) Make Star Loves not Wars; 9) Just Respond Verbally in the Negative; 10) Resistance Is Futile; 11) I Want To Believe; 12)
102. A rather eager woman in a wedding dress trying to catch the eye of any man who has just arrived. [The Acrobatic Flea]
103. A waste receptacle manoeuvring for the space flora bouquet in 104.
104. An invisible id. [Porky]
105. A vermicious knid. [Porky]
106. A Nigerian prince who really has $8,000,000,000 locked away in a vault and just needs your bank details to free the money up (you'll get 10%, of course!) [The Acrobatic Flea]
107. The two-headed, three-armed President Of The Galaxy - who doesn't mind sharing a Pan-Galactic Gargle Blaster with you if you'll listen to him talk about himself for several hours. [The Acrobatic Flea]
108. A talent scout. [The Acrobatic Flea]
109. A scout walker. [Porky]
110. A small furry creature hunting the scout walker in 111. [Porky]
111. A poor use of CGI. [Porky]
112. A raygun caddy. [Porky]
113. A thing. [Porky]
     
114. A large Nordic hammer that no-one can move. [The Acrobatic Flea]
115. The Twitter Fail Whale [The Acrobatic Flea]
116. A Pushmi-Pullyu [The Acrobatic Flea]
117. A man talking to a gathering of 3d6 local animals. [The Acrobatic Flea]
118. A drunk businessman having a conversation with an invisible rabbit. [The Acrobatic Flea]
119. A depressed banker having a conversation with an invisible angel. [The Acrobatic Flea]
120. Buddy Holly. [The Acrobatic Flea]
121. A glitch in reality. [Porky]
122. A space cowboy, returning. [Porky]
123. A fantastic mystery star fox. [Porky]
124. A space pest exterminator, either a) an exterminator of space pests or b) a space pest who exterminates. [Porky]
125. A firehider ant, employed to prevent the prehistoric creatures living in the service tunnels progressing beyond the stone age. [Porky]
126. A gas giant, stooping to avoid the ceiling extractor fans. [Porky]
127. A gaseous anomaly, surrounded by an additional 1D6 spaceport people, all red-faced. [Porky]
128. A dog star carrying a copy of The Daily Telepath. [Porky]
129. A traveling salesman from the Sirius Cybernetics Corporation with a briefcase bulging full of "Why So Sirius?" promotional brochures. [The Acrobatic Flea]
130. A juggler [The Acrobatic Flea]
131. Someone you were trying to avoid. [The Acrobatic Flea]
132. Someone you were looking for. [The Acrobatic Flea]
133. A one-legged, salty sea dog with a treasure map. [The Acrobatic Flea]
134. A blind beggar who threatens you with "the black spot" if you hassle him. [The Acrobatic Flea]
135. Why, if it isn't Uncle 1)Ben; 2)Owen; 3) Man From... [The Acrobatic Flea]
136. A talking horse [The Acrobatic Flea]
137. A horse of a different colour [The Acrobatic Flea]
138. An intelligent kangeroo that tells you "Timmy is trapped down the well". [The Acrobatic Flea]
139. Mr Rogers (he was in the neighbourhood) [The Acrobatic Flea]
140. A strange man, human in appearance. He is riding a horse, and will listen intently to anyone. When they have finished their story he will say, in a very rare tone that implies (well, more states with great vigor) he actually does, "I believe you". He is most likely not well versed in the idiom of the area, so it is extremely unwise to tell him to "Go jump off a cliff" or similar phrases.
141. A big angry strawberry blonde irishman lurking with a facial disfiguration and a grudge. [The Angry Lurker]
142. A living table, upsetting beverages every time it has to move its legs in. [Porky]
143. A chair man, irate at the bad manners - and personal hygiene - of the other travellers. [Porky]
144. An upset beverage: 1) lost; 2) luggage lost; 3) delayed; 4) ... [Porky]
145. A bad manner. [Porky]
146. A B.I.D (Book Implantation Device). It allows you to enter any book, and bring people out with you if you wish. Often used for "What if" situations in history classes.
147. A casual table (smoking a cigarette and not really bothered by anything) [The Acrobatic Flea]
148. An easy chair (giving you a wink) [The Acrobatic Flea]
149. 157. A rocking chair, at least until the band in 41 and singer in 122 catch their connection.[Porky]
150. 158. A dining table; if beside the chair in 156, laid and set. [Porky]
151. 159. A bar stool, also surrounded by an additional 1D6 spaceport people, all red-faced. [Porky]
152. 160. A kitchen counter, busy because it's a heck of a big spaceport. [Porky]
153. A distinguished looking elderly man with pointed ears who will announce (1-3) "I am Spock" or (4-6) "I am not Spock", give a Vulcan salute and hopes you "live long and prosper" before moving on. [The Acrobatic Flea]
154. A recursive meme [The Acrobatic Flea]
155. A small child who has run away from home and wants to see "the stars" with "real adventurers". [The Acrobatic Flea]
156. A fast-food vendor [The Acrobatic Flea]
157. Some fast food running away from its vendor. [The Acrobatic Flea]
158. A lizard, making the man in 161 nervous. [Porky]
159. A tired trope. [Porky]
160. An unreal adventurer. [Porky]
161. A fast-food buyer, with an eye on the snoozing travellers. [Porky]
162. Slow food, caught. [Porky]
163. A kid in a hoodie sticking up fly posters for his band's gig. [The Acrobatic Flea]
164. A graffiti artist in mid-spray [The Acrobatic Flea]
165. A red-haired supermodel who announces: "face it, tiger... you just hit the jackpot!" [The Acrobatic Flea]
166. A gang of cats with opposable thumbs, looking quite menacing. [The Acrobatic Flea]
167. Father Christmas... on holiday. [The Acrobatic Flea]
168. Parallel universe versions of your entire party. Or are you the parallel universe versions of them? [The Acrobatic Flea]
169. Clumsy tech on a ladder fumbles his variable laser... [JDJarvis]
170. Two people in mismatched clothes, hiring bodyguards. There will be 2d20 of them, and most will have a Gift (Psychic abilities, ranging from telekinesis, to the ability to wound without touching, heightened speed or short range teleportation).
171. A rocket-propelled darts player, either a) a player of rocket-propelled darts or b) a darts player with a powerful form of personal locomotion; possibly linked with 136. Porky
172. A cult leader, either a) a leader of a cult or b) a leader enjoying a non-mainstream popularity; accompanied by 2D4 cultists / fans as appropriate. Porky
173. An astronought (an entity with no presence in space). Porky
174. An astronor (an entity with no presence in time or space). Porky
175. An Astrognaw (a spacefaring rodent). Porky
176. An ashtray physicist, studying the butts in the smoking area. Porky
177. A spacecraft spotter. Porky
178. A space porter. Porky
179. A port spacer (a spaceperson who sits on the left). Porky
180. A starboard spacer (a spaceperson who sits on the right). Porky
181. A space centre (a spaceperson who sits in the middle). Porky
182. A star boarder (a bold - and rather singed - space pirate). Porky
183. A bored starer, daydreaming while waiting for a flight. Porky
184. A short, bald, gnomish man with a big nose and ears reading a furniture magazine about tables. Captain Kellen
185. A transplanted 21st Century retired soldier waiting for the next time ship to take him home. Captain Kellen
186. Brittany Spears singing 'Oops I did it again' in the lounge even though she is 167 years old. Captain Kellen
187. A small boy named Thomas Kellen. Captain Kellen
188. The Silver Surfer The Acrobatic Flea
189. A stray mongrel dog with a space helmet on. She speaks with a Russian accent. The Acrobatic Flea
190. A giant walking tree - capable of only saying: "I am Groot" in different intonations - and a laser pistol-packing raccoon in a retro space suit. The Acrobatic Flea
191. A giant walking tree saying to passers-by: "There, there, don't be so hasty, little hobbits." The Acrobatic Flea
192. Oberon King of the fairies. Captain Kellen
193. Patrick Cooley complaining of the lack of sand in distant lands. Captain Kellen
194. A chef dressed in red named David Mitchie eating vanilla custard and something... red. Captain Kellen
195. A clone of Madonna is singing 'Material Girl' in a corner for pocket credits. Captain Kellen
196. A blue gelatin blob named 'Bob' is trying to 'pick-up' a bowl of jello with fruit in it. Captain Kellen
197. A doppler-ganger (a variable intensity mafioso). Porky
198. Serpentine lifeforms hoping to make it onto a spaceplane. Porky
199. A one-man banned, being evicted again. Porky
200. A one-amoeba banned, being evicted again and again. Porky
201. A sentient gear wheel off to start a new life, no longer a cog in the machine. Porky
202. An interstellar conga line. Porky
203. An interstellar conger eel. Porky
204. Colonel Saunders eating hamburger. Captain Kellen
205. A golden dragon. Captain Kellen
206. A cyborg with his voice box stuck on the phrase 'I'll be back.' Captain Kellen
207. A clone of Charlie Sheen handing out 'pamphlets'. Captain Kellen
208. An amphibious bottle nosed creature named 'Flipper' is looking for the pool. Captain Kellen
209. A rodent named Ralph is looking for a motorcycle and a helmet. Captain Kellen
210. An insurance salesman. Captain Kellen
211. An overweight human dressed in leather and frills is singing 'I ain't nothin but a hound dog' on his way to a slot machine. Captain Kellen
212. A figure trying (unsuccessfully) to hide in the shadows. The Acrobatic Flea
213. A line of ducks. The Acrobatic Flea
214. A trio of men (one grey-haired, smoking a cigar; one blonde and smiling; one wearing a leather jacket, baseball cap and manic glint in his eye) are arguing with their muscular black friend, who is sporting a Mohican and lots of gold jewellery and shouting: "I ain't gettin' on no spaceship!" The Acrobatic Flea
215. A chorus of Sirius Cybernetics androids singing their company song - "Share & Enjoy" - slightly out of key. The Acrobatic Flea
216. A clone ranger - rounding up all the errant clones that have been spotted in the spaceport. The Acrobatic Flea
217. Yar, King of Gate 4, and the ships Security Officer who is very much more handsome and intelligent than his arch-nemesis No150 The Angry Lurker. Ray Rousell
218. The Ships entertainment - Buddy Cochran, a robot who sings 50's Rock'n'Roll tunes by Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran. Ray RousellThree space vixens in gaudy, skin tight costumes with headaches - just returning from vacation, lost everything. Matt
219. A Liloc demon. He came up on the elevator.
220. A ghost in a machine. Porky
221. A mechanical ghost crab. Porky
222. A cray-fish. Porky
223. A galaxy-class starfish. Porky
224. A noctopus, responsible for the inky blackness of space. Porky
225. A space cucumber. Porky
226. A faster-than-light driver. Porky
227. An impulse engineer. Porky
228. A phaser banker. Porky
229. Chuck Norris The Acrobatic Flea
230. Some bicycle thieves The Acrobatic Flea
231. Some reservoir dogs The Acrobatic Flea
232. A dirty dozen The Acrobatic Flea
233. Some wild geese The Acrobatic Flea
234. 1d6 borg looking to assimilate you The Acrobatic Flea
235. 1d6 cybermen looking to upgrade you The Acrobatic Flea
236. 1d6 cylons looking to kill you The Acrobatic Flea
237. The Galactic Pope in his Galactic Pope-mobile The Acrobatic Flea
238. The pope smoking dope The Acrobatic Flea
239. The pope on a rope The Acrobatic Flea
240. A tin tinnabulation. Porky
241. A specialist in robo-tics. Porky


242. A light sabre-toothed tiger, either a) a sabre-toothed tiger formed of light, whether i) soft light, ii) hard light, or iii) slow light, or 2) a tiger with light sabres in place of teeth. Porky
243. A sun dog, with a 20% chance of 1D20 lightning bugs, each followed after 1D10 seconds by a thunder cat. Porky
244. A saucerer (a UFO-piloting magician). Porky
245. A saucerheiress (next in line for a UFO-manufacturing fortune). Porky
246. A sunbather (not easy when the water evaporates long before arrival). Porky
247. A pair of sweet-smelling and sticky honeymooners. PorkyThe cow that jumped over the moon, heading back. Porky
248. The dish and the spoon, running away. Porky
249. The kitchen sink. Porky
250. 1D6 of living quarters, arguing over whether they should spend their vacation and themselves in the arcade, the vending machines (# 10 looks on with interest), or the laundry. Jennie
251. A broom-handled mouser, sweeping the room for mice, and purring intermittently. Jennie
252. A crowd, gathered around a charred and melted ship on display at the Martian embassy. The name, partly obscured but still readable, is Thunderchild.
253. A Mobius stripper, muttering something to herself about one-sided relationships. Jennie A representative of a non-Euclidean species. Porky
254. A family of breeder reactors. Porky
255. A chained reactionary. Porky
256. An equal and opposite reactionary. Porky
257. An unchained (mind-)meldee. Porky

Wait-y Things (Porky's Blogwalk - Dissonance 3)

The beast's fur ripples, as its bones lengthen, and muscles grow. After several pops, a click or two, and a very odd grinding noise, the rabbit - now standing hip-high, with long, curved, teeth and claws, as well as quills and a much longer tail - falls to the ground.*

You stand still, shocked, waiting for the end. Strangely, however, all you feel is a rubbing on your legs. In your mind you hear, "Well, are you just going to stand there, or shall we move on?".

Attempt to "speak" with it.

Run!

Kill it! (or try, anyway)

Continue on your way, with or without it.

*Feel free to put this at the top of your continuation of the previous post - or not, whichever!

"Nasty Sharp Teeth!" (Porky's Blogwalk - Dissonance 2)

You leap back from the frozen animal, with a word in a disused tongue on your lips. It was taught to you by your uncle, now dead... Though he hasn't said anything about things growing, as that strange rabbit in front of you is! Or gaining claws and fangs...

Flee!

Attack

Try more words, quick!

Wait blog one blog two

V is for Villainous Schemes

By which I mean what my mage, Kasiv, is going to be getting up to, if possible. Dorian, another mage, has Sleep. Kasiv needs money. Skalfier has no banks.

Not seeing the connection? We have an arrangement that he'll Sleep any goblins, Kobolds, etc. the he runs across and leave them alive. Skalfier not having banks means that there's no real source of loans. I'd say three or four goblins will be a match for zero-level commoners, wouldn't you?

Yep. Kasiv is planning on going into business as a loanshark, and using groups of low-level monsters to make sure that everyone pays him back.

U is for Using the Ships

This post on Telecanter's made me think about using some things I made a while ago for wargaming.

So, here they are.

If you decide to use them, please let me know!

Flash Fearsday's Here Again

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: Write a horror story in exactly 140 characters. It was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved to here. What will you create for the challenge?

S is for Saturday Centus

"...Although a traditional first anniversary gift is paper corpses*, slaves are also acceptable, as are weapons.

*Intense pheromone production during the first mating cycles renders giving real ones unwise, though they are often gifted during later ones."

See also: Nhoh, The Worldboats.


S is for Saturday Centus by Connor Hallowell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

R is for Rakasha

So, I've been watching a bunch of old shows on Netflix recently, and there was an episode about something with a very similar name - The Rakshasa. I think they were probably the same thing, especially since it's been a while since I read my Monster Manual, and might be misremembering the spelling (Something there's even more evidence for, since a commenter used "Rakshasas" elsewhere)

Why wasn't it the creature in the Monster Manual? Now, I know I just said that they're the same thing. But really, they aren't. You see, the Rakshasa reads your mind to see who you trust, turns into them, and then, if you don't kill it, tears you apart. Instead we have a humanoid tiger that can use magic. Why not just use the mythical creature when it's so much cooler?

Flash Fearsday: Q is for Quill-beast

Why stay, quietly waiting?

There is no food here - but the people of the camp, they have so much of it.

And if not...

Then they remain.

Flash Fearsday - Barely

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: Write a horror story in exactly 140 characters. It was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved to here. What will you create for the challenge?

P is for Places

More attempts at making random stuff sensible...

The Collective of Provinces is part of the Representative Republic of Territories, which, in turn, is a member of the Electorate of Provinces, a member group of the Collective of Fiefs.

The aforementioned Collective of Fiefs is a segment of the Democratic Coalition of Fiefs, which belongs to the Economic Coalition, all of which are part of the Indivisible Imperium, a small area in the Commonwealth of Territories, which is ruled over by a Benevolent and Sovereign Theocracy.

They are opposed to the Union of States, as it split from the Honorable Empire of Provinces ten years ago, and boasts having taken with it such groups as the Heavenly and Absolute Principality of Prefectures, and the Peaceful Syndicracy Electorate. It is controlled by a Technocratic Government.

Both of them currently pursecute the Gothic Nymph*, as she stole their supplies of Anapoxag (small, rectangular, red pills.). She is being controlled by the Ghostly Beings Of The Slashing Divinity, a prominent member of the Laeris death cults.

*This arrogant female dragonling has narrow eyes the color of alabaster. Her thick, curly, violet hair is worn in a style that reminds you of an elaborate sculpture. She is short and has a voluptuous build. Her skin is white, with sand-colored scales covering her neither regions. Her tongue is forked. She has feet that are more like claws than anythng else. She has concealable wings and a prominent tail. Her wardrobe is plain, with a completely blue and red color scheme. [I have no clue why she's called the Gothic Nymph, except that is sounded more like a name than a currency.]

Expansion 8:

"Be careful. It's easy to lose your temper when talking to Fae, or a Kiidini."

Crown and Shield (Fiction)

This was a collaboration between myself (outermost_toe), will_dearborn, YellowRanger, spookymoon, ersatzy, Indeedlyish, and CallItArtAnyway on reddit, specifically /r/roundrobin.

----------------

"OW!" she yelled, after stubbing her toe on the antique grandfather clock. The clock chimed midnight, muffling the onslaught of curses. Grissom was no doubt waiting at the dock by now. She would have to make haste to meet him, but the emblem had to be retrieved from the underground chambers first. Mira slipped past the guard in the front entrance and quickly made her way down to the chambers underneath the great hall. Mira encountered Yon, the disfigured curator of the treasures of the Chambers. He shuddered as the light flooded his otherwise dark chamber. 'M-Mira, w-what do you n-need?' "I need a car," She shouted, "I should have been at the dock hours ago!" Yon shuddered again, realizing that there was nothing he could do. "And Yon - bring up that replica of the family shield." She allowed a touch of the chill nature that had let her to rise so far as an assassin creep into her voice. "Don't tell anyone. No matter how horrible you are now it can always be worse." She cast her eyes around the darkened Chambers, then back to Old Yon. "Please hurry," she added sweetly.

"Grissom surely wonders after me now, and it wouldn't do to keep him waiting." Casting a coy smile at the hunched figure, she added "It could always be better, too."

                          ***

When she arrived at the docks, she saw nothing. Switching her eye augs to thermal, and extending her senses around her, she quickly scanned the area again, but still found nothing. She was turning to go, when she felt something she hadn't noticed before. Looking up, she saw Grissom, obviously struggling against the ropes. "I knew you'd get yourself into trouble if I wasn't on time," she admonished. Extending her subdermal flexblade, she cut him loose. He feel to the ground heavily, but practically bounced to his feet, as his kind were wont to do.

"Well," she asked, "what happened?"

He held up one of his green-gray hands. When the nanites had done their work he replied: "I'm not entirely sure. Someone attacked me, obviously, but I didn't see who it was. I told them what I was here for. I had hoped they were just a local gang, and dropping your name would help, but it just seemed to make them angry. They didn't want me talking to anyone else, either. Do you know how much it hurts to have your tongue cut down the middle?"

She grimaced at him. "You mentioned me? Now I'll have to keep an eye out all the time..." She looked him up and down. Despite the normal maroon flush returning to his skin, his tongue was still knitting at the end. He spoke awkwardly, and with pauses to spit out blood. It looked like it had hurt like a cast-iron bitch. She took a measure of pity on him and grinned.

"Not like I don't anyway. Did they take your wallet?"

"Sort of. Checked for an ident stick then dumped everything in the harbor. You have the seal?" He frowned. "By the way, you have anything in your place someone might want? Maybe they knew you were coming and were after it." She activated it by way of demonstration. The twisted pattern crawled over itself in the foggy dockside night, a faintly luminescent print in the air before her. She snapped it back off.

"You shouldn't have had an ident stick anyway, and any cash-chits are your own loss. Ready to go?"

"Sure. You got a phone? I need to let Shuffler know that we've got it." He flicked a small switch on his belt to start the stim tank, and continued. "I'm not an idiot Mira. I said they checked for an ident stick, not that they found one."

"Not yet. Lets get out on the boat first, then come back in once we confirm. Got the keys?"

"My half of it. You did remember to bring yours?"

"Don't be an ass," she growled.

"Of course I have my half. I meant the boat keys." Mira gestured towards the dark water. "Y'know, the boat?"

At the look on his face, she growled again, lower this time, and wordless.

"Sorry. When you can breathe underwater you tend to forget about things like boats." Mira's growl became a groan. "Did you swim here, Grissom?" She turned towards the choppy water, scanning the darkness for anything to tell her that the lanky, scaled, and utterly unreadable humanoid was joking. She didn't see a boat. She didn't even see anywhere obvious enough to hide a boat.

"You do understand that I'm not going swimming tonight, especially not," she waved her hand across her body, indicating the layers of delicate tech she wore, "in all this. And this has to be done tonight! We really shouldn't make long-range contact inside the Territories themselves, but this has to be done tonight, and..." An element of worry began to creep into her voice.

"Yep. I swam. There is a boat though. Sunk. And dismantled. And buried. But a boat. In any case Vori came here an hour ago to pick me up, but I 'wasn't here', as you saw. She probably assumed I'd already met up with you and went back to your house to study the seal."

"Shit. Vori's already gone? No matter, we can deal with her when it comes to that." Now the worry was more than creeping. "...About this boat. How 'dismantled and buried' is it? Any chance you can get it on top of the water in a hurry?"

"Maybe. You got some little key-thread that lets you start it? 'Cause it's a trinket-heist other wise."

She looked relieved, then switched to mock hurt. "Leave home without my keys? Who do you think I am?"

Dipping into a pocket, she extracted a set of spools, and offered them to Grissom. He selected one, and she vanished the others again. Getting down to business, he turned and dove into the black water without a splash. She moved a few steps off into a deeper shade, and waited. He soon surfaced with a small boat. He hopped up onto it and inserted one end of the thread. The craft roared to life making both of them wince. He called out to Mira over the noise of the engine "Ready to go? Sorry it's not exactly a stealth skimmer but you said you wanted a boat. 'Sides, it's faster than I am, so it's probably better for this anyway."

-----------

It's still open to contributions, either at the reddit thread or in the comments here.

Farwatcher, Part 1

Thanks to Jensan, of the blog Rustfoot. The character I'm writing about is his, though she is only mentioned in passing.

Such things I've seen. Of course, I don't actually remember any of them. So, perhaps it would be better to say "things I may have seen, but don't know if I have or not". It sounds better the other way. I, it seems, am a Farwatcher, though perhaps not a very good one. After all, I only see things, when someone first speaks to me, but it seems to have nothing to do with them, by all accounts! Still, it tends to be disquieting to most (I remember a sailor, with pale hair and grey eyes, on the Acorn Afloat. He fled, and was far quieter. It was a shame. I liked him...), though not without reason. According to those that will speak to me afterwards, my head twitches, my voice changes, and I talk about things that are strange and unrelated, after which I talk to them normally. I suppose that's why I'm writing this in a journal, not telling my story to someone.

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: Write a horror story in exactly 140 characters. It was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved to here. What will you create for the challenge?

Flash Fearsday: Overseer

Cherry stepped forward, and said "So. You're back. I wasn't expecting to see you here, Liliana. What happened? You fail out?"

"Huh? I ran!"


Edit: For those of you who saw this when I first posted it, or are linking to it and wondering why the heck the URL says "Intangible", I had originally intended for something different to happen, but this got moved forward a post or two.

Expansion 7: Note the Wall

"What stuff? You're in a snowstorm wearing nothing but a credstick."

Talsi blinked. "I am?"

--------

"Look elf, you're coming along," the Lonestar replied.

"Clothes?"

"When we get there, deck-head*."

Deck-head:

Decker; also, someone who spends large amounts of time on the Grid.

--------

"Hey. Wake up!" said the cop, shaking the elf awake.

"What is it?"

"We're here"

---------

Talsi blinked. She did so twice, in fact. Was this really what they called food here? (Note: I used the example word of "food" which isn't technically an expansion word)

---------

"I see no reason to believe that she is rogue. At worst, she was falstimmed*

*Falstimmed: Given false sensory stimulations, especially without consent and/or knowledge.

---------

"See, Talsi? Fire-cubed. Tendrils go through your ears. Head explodes. Might want to take note."

Procedural Lockpicking Table 1.1

Material:

1. Brass
2. Copper
3. Gold
4. Silver
5. Steel
   
6. Wood (Carved)
   
7. Wood (Druid created)
   
8. Stone
   

If Trapped

1. Needle trap
   
2. Needle trap (poisoned)
   
3. Gas trap (see subtable)
   
4. Plate trap
   

Subtable 1: Gas type

1. Sleeping gas; save vs. Sleep as if cast by a 15th level Mage
   
2. Save vs. poison at -3. If failed there will be no immediate effect, but they, and all members of the party that come within 100' of them, will begin to hallucinate
   
3. Flammable. If there is air in the room and an open flame is present, or there are sparks created, this gas will explode as a Fireball.
   
4. Amnesiant. Save vs. poison or lose your memory of the past d6 days.
   

If a lock is Brass, it is never started with a Bump. If traps require one, use a rake or probe, instead.
If a lock is Copper, it is is started with a Twist. A Thwack will, however, open it 50% of the time, but the lock will jam if this fails. If traps require that a Twist be avoided, use a probe.
Gold locks are started with an Undulate or a Probe (50% chance of either). As they are soft, and prone to warp, there is a 25% chance (modified as appropriate) that the lock will feel stiff whether or not the action taken is correct.
Silver locks are generally magical in nature (75% chance). If so, come up with strange conditions for it, or roll on Table B. Otherwise, they are always started with a probe.
Steel locks are sensitive, and are never Bumped or Thwacked. They start with a Rake, or a Twist (50% chance of either).
Carved wooden locks are never started with a twist.
Wooden locks made by a druid are always magical. See above.
Locks made out of stone are never started with an Undulate. Regardless of whether or not the action taken is correct, Stone locks are always stiff. However, as they are hardy, there is only a 50% chance (per jam) that they will jam if incorrect actions are taken.

Needle traps do 1d6 damage, have a 35% chance of partially blinding the thief, and a 50% chance of carrying a disease. These must be started with a Twist.
Poisoned needle traps are as above, but have only a 25% chance of carrying a disease, and will, 1d12 turns after striking, (unless a save vs. poison/CON save/Fort. Save is made) do 2d20 damage each turn for 1d4 turns. Unless, of course, you want to use a different poison. This is just quick generation methods. An Undulate is usually required to start, though a Twist has a 50% chance to disarm one.
A gas trap has effects as determined above. These traps require a Probe.
A plate trap is a springloaded steel plate set inside the lock, which will jam it if set off. These require that the lock be started with a Rake. There is a 25% chance that the jam will be permanent. Otherwise, the trap will reset in 1d20d20 days.

Table B:

1. Lock can only be opened by a small blond child holding a rat, on a Tuesday, in the rain.
   
2. Lock must be exposed to jarred moonlight.
   
3. The blood of three people (One of each alignment axis) must be placed into the keyhole.
   
4. There is a face on the lock, which will ask about some odd detail of the culture of the original creators. A correct answer is required.
   
5. Lock will only open if a key is made from the frozen, distilled brain juices of an Ithilid.
   
6. Lock requires that a plant be allowed to grow into it.
   

M is for Maratu

Family: Kaedok

Branch: Inisti

Latin name: Diabolus palus


Status: Endangered (Est. pop. 150 total, 50% M/F distribution)

As a Kaedok, this demon is able to control stagnant water or brackish water; if mixed with other types it has far less control over those. It is healed by drinking or bathing in such water. Since it is of the Inisti branch, it is harmed by sunlight. Like all Kaedok, it can breathe underwater.

Maratu demons are small for Kaedok, averaging 4'-5' in height. They are covered in thick, green-grey scales, and have webbing on their hands and feet. They have a row of back curving spines down their arms, as well as claws and fangs. Their eyes are large, and have nictating membranes. Their mouths are elongated, and their head are set low, with almost no neck, but they are otherwise human. They fight with their claws and teeth, or spears and tridents. If using a trident they will most likely also have a net, and they show a marked preference for javelins in such cases. However, if using another type of spear, it will almost always be a large, thrusting weapon.

A Maratu can only be killed by exposure to sunlight. However, it will take 2 weeks (1 day if immersed in brackish or stagnant water) to regenerate if it is "killed" by any other means.

Flash Fearsday: Ghosts out of Space

As she turned into the park, she saw... Cherry Walker? What? Cherry had left for the Belt 10 years ago, with no plans to return. How had...?

K is for Karyat

Family: Laernu

Branch: Sarnith

Latin name: Bos diabolus

Status: Endangered (Est. pop. 150 total, 50% M/F distribution)

As a Laernu, this demon is able to control UV radiation; if mixed with other wavelengths, it has limited control over those, as well. It is also burned by seawater. Since it is of the Sarnith branch, it has vulnerabilities to fire.

Karyat demons are mid-size for Laernu, averaging 7'5". They are covered in thick, red-to-black fur, and have hooves. They also have a double row of spikes down their backs, but are otherwise human. They fight with fists or a large axe.

A Karyat can only be killed complete immersion in sea-water, or burning. However, it will take d4-1 weeks to regenerate if it is "killed" by any other means, during which it is vulnerable.

L is for Libs, Mad, Rumor

A group of rumor mad libs for you all to fill in, as inspired by Telecanter's post of the same name.

To start:

[Phrase] is similar to the [Creature language] for [Deadly insult]

The [Verb] of [Noun] has [Detail]*

[Species] does [Bizzare thing] instead of [Common activity]

Feel free to post your own suggestions for more!

*I.E, Carvings, etc.

Flash Fearsday

Flash Fearsday is a microfiction challenge: Write a horror story in exactly 140 characters. It was started at Porky's Expanse!; however, Porky was unable to continue hosting it, at which point it moved to here. What will you create for the challenge?.

I is for Internals

Internals are organically grown nanobots, found on some Worldboats. Why they are limited to certain ones is unknown, though it is believed that it was a result of the strange effects that arise when making the transfer from one universe to another. They eat the solid wastes of most passengers (logged and unlogged, though that of certain exotic species may prove unpalatable), and repair the ship. There is a small chance that they will enter and repair armor, weapons, etc. (20%, or 50% if wearing armor produced and/or worn by the original builders (though (former?) inter-faction politics could cause this chance to lower if the wrong type is worn)).


I is for Internals by Connor Hallowell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Worldboats and a Poetry Potluck and J is for Journey... As well as Janitorial Robots

A partially cleaned scrap of graffiti on a Worldboat, translated:

Drea'luktu, savorniu, utaln kaday savru.

We sent them out, beyond our worlds.

Tulrin dukquun, eksardiun.

Far past the lightless suns.

Elmnii emsar neie-evor.

A dying universe we fled.

Janitorial Robot:

These small, floating, pyramidal robots are normally non-threatening, but if they, the Worldboat, a logged passenger, or one of the species which originally built the Worldboat is threatened, they will attack by either spraying harmful chemicals (normally used for cleaning) from one of their points (2d6 damage in a 20' cone), or pouring the same from all points (2d12 damage in a 10' cloud, centered on themselves). They, the ship, and the builders are immune to these chemicals. If the proper apparatus is found, 2d4 specific Janitorial Robots can be controlled telepathically.


Worldboats and a Poetry Potluck and J is for Journey... As well as Janitorial Robots by Connor Hallowell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.