Sunday, May 29, 2016

Writing Prompt: Better to rein in Hell than surf in Heaven

Link

You'd think that something so inefficient, infuriating, and unpleasant as office politics and middle management would be firmly in the wheelhouse of Down Below.

But no, after a few decades in Heaven you get pretty familiar with the complete and utter incapacity of angels to do anything creative.

They weren't given free will after all, they were just made to be obedient and full of praise. The ultimate yes-men, yes-women, and yes-faces-of-a-lion-eagle-bull-and-man-things.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Writing Prompt: The first boss of an RPG manages to accidentally kill the hero on their first try


Claudia had been having an exceedingly wonderful day, a high point in an otherwise unpleasant life.

She wasn't quite sure what she was, as a monster she'd hatched from an egg and thus had never known her parents. But she didn't fit in with the monster groups.

"Go away," said the dragons, "You walk on two legs and while you do have some scales, you don't have enough to count. Plus that whole being white as porcelain thing is kind of creepy."

"Go away," said the succubi, "Your boobs are way too small and your wings and tail are waaaaay too big. Plus that whole fanged skull over big red smile facial markings dealie you have going is totes hella creepy."

"Go away, honk honk," said the evil clowns' guild, "Wings and tails aren't funny, your deathly pallor and ominous facepaint aren't actually paint and pancake makeup, and you are showing far too much skin with your outfit. Cover up a bit and actually paint your face and maybe we'll see about taking you on as an apprentice clown."

Claudia had thoroughly humiliated the guildmaster by grabbing the bucket of whitewash from the top of the office door exit, dumping it down his over large pants, stealing the guildmaster's own mallet from hammerspace, walloping him with it, and then tying the fool up with his own string of endless handkerchiefs.

Sunday, May 22, 2016

UWA Outbreak #6, Kalinda RP 1/1: The Dark Lord of Denny's


You know what the worst part of my job is?

Well, aside from having to deal with egomaniacal shitweasels all day.

Let me try that again, d'ya know what the second worst part of my job is?

Besides all the politicking and institutional racism.

Dammit. Try that again from the top.

D'ya know what the third or fourth worst part of being a professional wrestler is?

Well, probably all the travel and being on the road 300 days a year and not being able to see your family unless you drag them along skipping merrily along the whole jet lagging way.

Okay now. Do you know what one of the worst parts of being an exquisite grapple-master is?

It's that a significant portion of people think you're a fucking idiot. Some are that way because they think there's a slider that has physical development on one side and mental development on the other, so if you're an athlete than you're also a barely functional, drooling moron who can't be trusted to put their singlet on with the correct side facing forward.

Sunday, May 8, 2016

UWA Outbreak #5, Kalinda RP 1/1: The Diet Mr. Pibb of Evil

I stared at my minion like she'd grown a second head, or had her skull spontaneously burst through her skin. Again.

I'd explained the basics of the system used to measure magical power, how much was contained in a typical human being, how many would be earned with a victorious title match with a prestigious wrestling title with a million people watching, and the massive amount of power it'd take to breach the barrier between realities and be able to safely deliver my big blue butt back to where it belong.

And of course the batshits insane clown dragon thing manages to make a logical point: if I'd started draining one relatively nasty demon a week, I'd have about enough magical oomph stored up to get myself home by now.

But that would be adventuring. I hate adventuring.