Kentaro Kobayashi was hit by a truck and killed. He found himself in a heavenly setting, standing before a beautiful woman.
"My name is Pai," the woman said. "I am an isekai goddess. This means you have been chosen for a new life in another world."
"Cool!" Kentaro exclaimed. "Then I'll be an isekai hero?"
The goddess frowned. "Hero? Who said anything about heroes? You're getting a second life, why can't you be happy with that?"
💾 School and essays have kept me so busy that I haven't submitted any fiction in way too long. So I made up for that with a couple pieces of #FlashFiction for my favourite magazines!
Keep your eyes peeled for May 😁
Challenge #04844-M095: All Welcome Inn
They opened an Inn with a restaurant less than a half-mile from the opening to tunnels that lead to underdark cities. The rules were simple. Don't be an arse, everyone was welcome, and if you were too poor to afford food and shelter, no problem, you'll still be fed. The staff consisted of both sunsiders and people from the underdark working together, with the shift changing as the sun set and rose so that the place was always open for those in need. -- Anon Guest[AN: It's 'Everdark', which is legally distinct from Underdark (a wholly owned subsidiary of WotC) ]Starboard
In space, just like at sea, port lights are red and starboard lights are green. But only in space, when you approach a ship that's red on the left, you must check whether it is facing away from you, or facing you but upside down.
#writever #MastoArt #FlashFiction #SmallStory #TootFic #MicroFiction
I'm currently writing my short story for the April 2026 Furious Fiction run by the Australian Writers' Centre. This is my seventh April story since my first Furious Fiction in April 2020. Last year's was the longlisted Bedtime Stories. 📖
Link to story on Tall And True: https://www.tallandtrue.com.au/fiction/short-stories/bedtime-stories
#PennedPossibilities 976 — What aspect of your SC’s personality are they most insecure about?
Blue recently became a praetorian guard†, something that in his society is rather rare because he is male. Best (or worse, because of his insecurities), his boss†† has decided he merits training for a leadership role, which is doubly special. The problem is, he never planned to find a dream job. The MC Bolt had been training him athletically for her own reasons (okay, sex), and he was approached by a recruiter in the gym. Bolt pushed him to try out, then trained him hard when he aced the initial interview. Of all the men in the story, Blue is the most invested in his gender role. Like most men he is strong and dependable, but atypically, at least in the eyes of what's typical to many women in his society, he's both a people person and intelligent. Perfect for his new job.
But, in their society, men raise their sister's children (which requires a big explanation, so just go with it). He knew this growing up, planned for it—really wants to raise any nieces or nephews his younger sister might have. He would never have thought of refusing…
But now. A praetorian? A rare job? Prestigious? And he loves it?
Frankly, his responsibilities to his family, the contradiction of his gender role, and his loyalty to a liege he would never have met personally††† are messing with his brain.
Yes, this is a turn about story plot roughly equivalent to a woman with a demanding CEO job faced with a pregnancy, and really wanting to raise that child. He is taking the situation absolutely as seriously.
RS writes gender fiction, naturally.
=-=-=-=-=-=
† Substituting that Blue is working for the absolute ruler of the world, Director Rainy Days, here's a definition, cribbed from Wikipedia:
[A] Praetorian Guard (Latin: cohortes praetoriae) was the imperial guard of the Imperial Roman army that served various roles for the Roman emperor including being a bodyguard unit, counterintelligence, crowd control and gathering military intelligence.
†† Director Rainy Days.
††† Director Rainy Days likes men. She made sure she met him. Personally. A male praetorian guard can serve additional purposes.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory
#microfiction #flashfiction #tootfic #smallstory
#PennedPossibilities 975 — SC POV: What did you get into trouble for the most when you were young?
[Here's me taking the sense of "trouble" differently than intended. Sorry! 😋The SC POV is male reporter friend of Bolt's that now uses the name Steamed Milk and Sugar. —RS]
I was always a good kid, in adult terms, growing up, but I did concern my parents that I might be taking a difficult path. I chose the name Peach Blossom Girl at the age of 8, to leave no doubt. I'd realized I was born with the wrong gender a couple years before and acting the tomboy was wearing thin; it wasn't the me inside. I wasn't rowdy, into improving my looks and performance, or wanting to play sports sports sports all the time like the boys. I got along better with the girls, but they were always suspicious of me.
I never hid my biological gender. As I grew into a teenager, many boys accepted me as a funny-looking "girl" they could practice being friendly around. Since I was interested in the wears and scholarly subjects girls were interested in, and never hid anything from any girl or dodged even the most personal questions—even admitting that though I thought of myself as a girl I still was attracted to girls—I got more than tolerated. I got girl friends! My friends enjoyed that with me around, they could get handsy with me and shoo away the more agro boys.
Of course, the nascent agros of both sexes didn't always get the message. Dense as lead, a few were. I think the vice-headmaster Waving Wheat Heads appreciated me identifying future criminals that she could re-educate, despite the bruises and once the broken nose I suffered from erstwhile peers trying to re-educate me.
That is what trouble I got into.
[Author retains copyright (c)2026 R.S.]
#gender #fiction #writer #author
#cozy #mystery #sf #sff #sciencefiction
#writing #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon #writers
#RSdiscussion
#RSstory #RSReluctanceStory
#microfiction #flashfiction #tootfic #smallstory
Challenge #04843-M094: Healer's Helper
Healing halls across the land hear of a miracle wine that allows healers to see broken bones and other internal injuries so they can treat them. While some lands, mainly those of greedy rulers who think such wonders should ONLY be for the nobility, forbid their healing halls to have it, most refuse such orders and beg Wraithvine to help them set up deliveries. This will greatly aid them in their work. Just like the invention of the vermin-repelling bands did.https://peakd.com/fiction/@internutter/challenge-04822-m073-a-glass-for-your-health (the wine)(Can't find the prompt, but Wraithvine helped an inventor test a special band that repelled all fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and all other vermin that plagues travelers, esp. near swamps.) -- Anon Guest[AN: I can't find it either, Nonny. I've tried three different ways for quite a bit of time. I leave it to those with better memories or more time on their hands]
🦋ShouldbeWriting🦋
Clockwork ☃️✒️
InterNutter 
Albert ARIBAUD ✎
Robert Fairhead
RS, Author, Novelist, Prosaist
Dark Holme Publishing
Writers Digest (unofficial)
