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I'm starting this topic as a fun writing thing. I want it to be different to the old drabble thread, where people (including me ) got much too carried away on what was/wasn't a drabble. So here, *anything* that turns out above 500 words deserves its own topic!

This isn't for super advanced Shakespeares in the making, just for having some writing fun. I'd like to use a simple prompt/taking system: prompts belong to everyone, everyone can take them, everyone can leave them. Examples of prompts can be just statements from canon or your beliefs about it, for example "Anvil is very strong" or "Ace knows Sparx is impulsive". (Prompts can also be anything else you feel sound good, like favourite quotes or challenge-style scenarios.)

The writing goal is then to put down a sentence or two expanding on the prompt. Perhaps a little like a tell-not-show writing exercise: invent an event that does justice to the proposition!

Prompts to start with:

Anvil is very strong.

Ace knows Sparx is impulsive.

Sam is better than Heather at creative writing.

--

And here are some mini-expansions:

Anvil is very strong.

Nobody knows it, but Anvil was once a little rhinoceros runt in the place he came from, which happened to be a travelling circus long before Googler invented a more deadly version. But he became strong through accidentally ingesting the milk of the Jormand Tree, which gave him muscles the size of bunches of coconuts, made the Circus Blacksmith give him an anvil, and beat up everyone who used to laugh at him for being small.

Ace knows Sparx is impulsive.

"So he's one tough cookie. Let's see how fast he crumbles." Sparx. The last time Ace had heard her say that was her cadet's training, her final stage, going after a lab-replicated Buzzbeast. She'd succeeded then, he reminded himself.

Sam is better than Heather at creative writing.

Once upon a time, there was a princess in a tower filled with birds, Heather read surreptitiously, chewing her own pen. Sam beside her was quickly scribbling, spinning out her fairy story without giving her best friend a thought. "The salt is my magic," the wizard said; the knight, turned into a seagull, said not a word... Heather tore her glance from Sam's paper and tortured her mind for ideas. Creative writing, creative writing, creative writing--she hated it. Once upon a time there was a girl named--Harriet--who hated creative writing classes, so she decided to write about her new martial arts move instead. First you stand with your right leg in front...

And a second tilt at it:

Heather didn't understand it. She was near the top of the class in everything (Chuck Mugel beat her in science and math) and did more extracurricular activities than anyone else. She'd written a story for English class all about great martial arts moves, thinking about how much she had enjoyed the latest Jackie Chan. Sam got Bs without studying too much and spent most of her time being the most popular girl in school. But now at the assembly, Sam's story about an orphaned princess and an undead wizard was the one read aloud.

And a complete counterpoint to the prompt, because subversion is fun too:

Heather was working hard; she'd always been better in school than Sam. Normally Sam would have at least tried to do the writing assignment, but today was too hot to concentrate. Dear Brett, she wrote with her arm positioned to conceal it from the teacher. Can't wait for pizza after school today! She threw the note to him and winked at her boyfriend.



Prompts are there to be reused, but I'll give Duff really hates the CGIs if anyone would prefer an unused one.

Excellent stuff. I had a similar idea of Anvil's backstory.

C'mon, Rotgut, write a sentence or few on it--or throw out another prompt or two.

There are few sapient entities whose company Lord Fear is willing to tolerate for any length of time.

I...I couldn't resist. I'm way out of practice and this was quite spontaneous, so uh...apologies for the (lack of) quality.

She is another matter entirely. A beautiful creature; born of magic, almost in the same way as himself perhaps. He watches her now, weaving between the branches and spinning the energy from her fingertips. He can see it travel through her as she draws it out. In turn it lights up the bone, the muscle, the flesh, and he wonders at each intently. Her magic is greater than others, it is what draws him. Raw, uncontrolled, stirring the air around him and filling his senses. It almost overtakes his desire for the Amulet. She comes to him, and her eyes not once falter. Her hands take his and she leads the way. Her will is stronger than others, it is what draws him. The magic intertwining is now a familiar experience, the touch also. The muscles beneath her skin, soft lips, dark eyes. It is a three day journey to the House. They cannot afford another moment. He hesitates and she understands. No more than a nod in gratitude, then an apologetic smile. He would explain it, had he the means to. Not much time left.

Aww, that was sweet.

He's expected to be a misanthropist. Painted as such in Knight propaganda: alone, enveloped in dark magics, and ambitious beyond any contact. It is quite true many of his minions are imbeciles, and he addresses them as such. It is also true he loathes the Knights, after Lightning's crippling him.

It's also a fact that evils have more--balls. Dances, celebrations, hedonistic lapses against all rigid codes. Gatherings of intelligent nobles of his realm. His loyal Staffhead was not particularly fond of such things, but to see Lady Illusion dancing... The latter two of wine, women and song. Lord Fear allowed celebration.

Not technically a prompt, but I felt like writing this based on Arctic's profile of her character Candy Kane over in Shameless Self-Promotion.

--

Candy likes the ringmaster's whip she uses. It's whippy. Nice sound running through the tent. Crack crack crack. Look after the Circus 'till Googler comes back. Excellent, that rhymes. She starts the run-up for the acrobatic routine hardly anyone will dare to come and see. She's almost as flexible as Googler, double-jointed everywhere and jelly-limbed enough to fit into a jar a little bigger than his rolling ball; it comes in handy on acts on the Razor Trapeze. (Grab the wrong part of the bar and you die really reals.)

She flings her wand into the air and jumps up after it, catching it in her teeth on her first trapeze swing. The black whip coils itself around her wrist like a snake. Snakes can be tricky. Maybe she can get a clown car full of hissing, charming snakes from Shapeshifter Forest or something. That might be a fun act.

Quadruple somersault between bars. Hocks-salto in grabbing the next bar; uprise shoot for height and take the next with one hand. She does three turns about that for fun, then swing forward and dive up, catch the next one and reverse to take the downswing. Twist almost tight-curled enough for a Googler-style ball...

There's a buzzing sound above her. Bees wouldn't be a funny Circus act at all: too small to be seen, even if they could have huge giant pointy stings. She looks, clinging to another bar, and it's not bees at all. A stupid Lightning Flash.

"Goody candy gumdrops!" The redhead she knows about, and her name is Sparxie-Sparx. One of the wretched bad Lightning Knights who put brother-Googler into White Hot Oblivion for all those little comedy tricks!

"Flatline, flatline, flatlining groundings!" Candy hears Sparxie-Sparx swear. "That shorting-out Googler--"

"Don't'cha dare!" Candy tells her off for it. She lands boot-first on a swinging trapeze and hangs on to it with one hand. With the other she takes out the wand from her mouth.

"Jeez, another wacko to blast. My lucky day."

A magic rocket launcher isn't so bad against most poo-poo Knights. Putting out a big ginormous rocket from a small wand's tip's lots of fun. It's so much fun that Candy falls backward from the trapeze at the recoil...but she lands on top of the tall pile of comic feather mattresses, so the fight is on after Sparxie dodges the fast rocket.

OH MY GOD I LOVE IT!
You know,I just noticed,the way i have Candy written out and the way you have it written out, she sounds a littel like Harleen Quinzel from batman doesnt she?

I wasn't thinking of Harley when I wrote it, but yeah. That circus-themed crazy sort of style.

New prompt: Rotgut's happiest memory is being called 'walking dead'.

neither was I when I created her.But looking at her now,she bears striking similarities to Harley.

Another, somewhat silly this time round.

“You look miserable.”

Sparx had never been among those few.

“Like, dreadful.”

He would not encourage her by rewarding her with a reply.

“Are you going to mope around all day?”

Moping is an inefficient use of time. Blasting however, is not.

“How can you just sit there?!”

With some effort. Co-operation was vital to his plans, regardless of how much he disliked the notion.

“Fine. Be like that. Guess I'll have to go bother your ex,”

Musn't rise to that. It was humiliating enough last time.

Waiting until Sparx's heavy stomping could no longer be heard, Lord Fear sprung to life and released the cloaking spell he'd been holding. There before him sat his almost-complete masterpiece, the most wonderful cake in all of history. Ace wouldn't stand a chance.

I like yours Nat,its interesting.

That was great, Nat. Very funny.

The organ music is pretty good.

Couldnt resist.
thats what she always thought.
But it was always so sad.
She wondered what had happened to him.
Had he had his heart broken?
she longed to go to him.
To hold him and let him know
everything will be alright...
"Um Fear?"
"Yes Raven?"
"I-I like your organ music..."
A ghost of a smile appears on his face.
It's the first she's seen.
"Thank you"

Congratulations, Raven! It's nice to see you posting here. That was a cute kind of scene.

--

Rotgut's happiest memory is being called 'walking dead'.

Walking dead; walking dead; walking dead. Rotgut wishes he could say--'Referring to those outside the vivarchical hierarchy by the oppressor's term is inherently demeaning and tyrannous'--but even if he knew the words, there was no way he could pronounce them in a decaying mouth. Instead, he wants Chuckie to be his friend and say them for him, but he can't always find Chuckie. And now, Ace Lightning himself is saying the words. 'You called me walking dead! I ain't no zombie, you called me walking dead!...oh...'

As Rotgut melts back into the golf course for the time being, he hears the echoes of an explosion about the Lightning Knight.

That was great. Okay, I've got one. I hope I'm doing this correctly.

Googler's journey to White Hot Oblivion wasn't a pleasant one.

i like that one

New prompt;

Top Ten Nice Things To Say To Lord Fear

new prompt?
In relation to nattherat's ten nice things to say to Lord Fear:
Ten things you should never say to Lord Fear
Sorry,had to put it there.^^

And I had to answer

Ten things you should never say to Lord Fear

1. "Nasty looking limp you've got there, buddy, what happened? You walk in front of a car?"

2. Therewas some kid in your trailer earlier, said you owed him an amulet piece, so I gave him the combination for the keyboard, okay?"

3. "Good evening sir, I;m calling from California, tell me, would you be interested in our latest combination slimming and energy boosting pill?"

4. ..."What Lightning Knight?"

5. "Oh, don't feel bad, man, there are plenty more fish in the sea... grians of sand on a beach... spiders in a web, an' all that."

6. "Look I;m sorry but I just won't leave until you sign for the package."

7. "Um... two knickerboxer glories and an orange ice please!"

Bwahahahaha!!!

Okay, here's some ideas. Do with them as you will.

It was more difficult for a shapeshifter to hide than one might assume.

Mark looks at the whole The End is Nigh! thing differently, these days.

Ace isn't angry. He isn't.

Here's a new one for you:

A mortal has come to White Hot Oblivion, all but defenseless, and The Minion desires to know why.