Kit BashirHow did we populate the solar system? Gradually, as the saying goes, then all at once.
Things went so much smoother after we internalized the truth that it is bad luck to go to space without a ship’s cat.
NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi#TimeTravelingGhost EP 8: Post 89: 2025 Arkham 2 of 2
#Wss366 Rabbit / Easter #MastoPrompt Boredom #TimeTravelAuthors 04/5. Games in your story
[Continued from previous post]
Once I was out of sight, I whispered, “We need to head Ms. Dubois off before they learn about the letter cache. Be ready to time-trip if the #rabbits spot us.”
It didn’t come to that. The rabbits were focused on the professor.
We were also fortunate that the path the professor was on curved down into a ravine and then backtracked to the statue. That meant we could dive straight through the woods using an unofficial trail. The extra time allowed us to be cautious.
Periodically, we glimpsed ICE-nine uniforms and hid. It was a grim game of hide-and-seek. It kept #boredom at bay but was nowhere near as fun as playing pinochle or bezique with Emily.
While on our way, I came up with a plan and manifested a loose-fitting trench coat, fedora, and surgical mask. I also doused myself with Old Clipper cologne to hide any unique smells. Sus, I am sure, but I figured in the dim light I would pass as a man, someone clearly not Henrietta Bijou.
I was ready by the time we stumbled out of the ravine onto the path. I leaned against a tree, panting. A new idea occurred to me, and I hurriedly manifested an empty bottle of cheap vodka. Then I waited for my living counterpart to arrive. As she drew near, she moved to the far side of the trail. Yeah, I was suspicious, definitely creepy.
A look of terror came over Ms. Dubois’ face as I lurched across the trail. “Flee! The rabbits are on to you,” I whispered. Finished, I staggered away, dropping the liquor bottle. Lurching explained.
To my relief, the professor turned back, hurrying in the direction she had come from.
I turned in the other way and rushed to the tree to fetch the notes that were already there.
Emily drifted up as I shoved the papers into a pocket of my coat. “That was a plucky move,” she said.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri
#TimeTravelingGhost EP 8: Post 89: 2025 Arkham 1 of 2
#Wss366 Rabbit / Easter #MastoPrompt Boredom #TimeTravelAuthors 04/5. Games in your story
By the time we had finished eating, the park was emptying as dusk approached. The effort of materializing meant Emily had to rest after finishing her cake. “But it was worth it,” she said.
I pointed to a collection of budding maples. “The statue is over there in that grove,” It was convenient that I knew where it was, but also frightening. What would happen if this new persona took over? Something told me I would forget about the rabbits, the Illuminati, and all that had happened to us. I might even forget Emily, a thought that made me sad.
“Isn’t that you?” Emily said, pointing to a familiar figure hurrying down the path ahead of us. “Let’s ask her about being absorbed.”
I nodded, brushed cake crumbs off myself, and stood up. We’d need to hurry; Professor Dubios was walking fast and glancing over her shoulder.
We had almost caught up when I spotted something lurking in the shadows of the maples. “Psst! Hide ICE-Nine.” I resisted pointing.
Emily nodded toward the nearby trees and slipped into the shrubbery underneath them.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #TimeTravel #HistoricalFantasy #UrbanFantasy #Mythpunk #Serial #Slowburn #Yuri
#eroticMusings Week 45 (April 5-11) Characters Bunny Week!
Kao: So I just put on bunny ears?
Shiro: And hide eggs.
Kao: That's all?
Shiro: I'm sure we will think of something!
rdmRE: https://aus.social/@rdm/110755143970645568
Leaving the burning laboratory and the charred remains of the madman who had re-created her, Mara staggered outside, finding herself in a light industrial park, surrounded by small factory units.
She could hear sirens in the distance. Thinking about it, she could feel the fire alarms going off. Silencing them would do nothing.
Suddenly she dropped to her knees. The energy she had expended had been immense, and her new body was running out of power.
Running feet.
She looked up, and saw two men and a woman in overalls running towards her. What would happen if they touched her? Would the nanobots that now made up her body infect them? Would she release another burst of plasma and set them on fire, too? She groped around in her body and found she still had vocal cords. That's right. She had been screaming before.
"Stay back! I'm not safe!" she called out.
The men stopped. The woman slowed, but still came closer, stopping just out of reach.
"Are you alright?" she asked crouching down, "Are you hurt? I'm Priya. Can I help you?"
"I ... I am tired. Running down. I need" and everything went black for Mara.
Mara's eyes snapped open. She could barely move, but she was conscious again. Looking around, she was now in a workshop, the top of the running gear she had been wearing when she was abducted had been cut away, and there was a pair of adhesive pads stuck to her. The woman, Priya, was staring at her.
"You are still you?" Mara managed to whisper after a few moments. "Nothing tried to cross over?"
Priya stared a few moments longer and then shook herself. "No, I'm fine. But you were dead. And the defib is just, well, flat."
"Good. I need more. More electricity" she could just move an arm, and pointed to an arc welder "There. That."
"The arc welder? But..."
"You want to help? I need electricity." Mara paused, then added "Please. Before I pass out again."
After a couple of seconds, Priya got up, and wheeled the unit over. It had still been plugged in, but turned off.
"Turn it on," Mara demanded.
Priya threw the master switch, and, before she could react, the recently dead woman grabbed the tip. Involuntarily her eyes went to the gauges, and saw them redlining.
Mara sat up still holding the welder. "Oh, that is so much better. Hi. I'm Mara. Or I was Mara? I think I'm still Mara. If I think I'm me, that means I am me right?"
#SF #SFF #SciFi #microfic #microfiction #tootfic
A sequel to https://aus.social/users/rdm/statuses/110755143970645568
Albert ARIBAUD ✎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
RS, Author, Novelist, Prosaist#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
“Something’s wrong we’re off course. Wait no, we’re ON course but far too close to our destination. Mother, did we oversleep? What’s wrong?”
«Nothing, you looked so peaceful in your cryobeds I let you sleep in. I spawned subunits to take care of maintenance and navigation while you rested.»
“Uh, okay, I guess. Number one, get the marines armoured up for landing.”
«I jettisoned all the weapons, and disassembled the mecha suits to construct my maintenance units.»
“WHAT. How are we supposed to colonize a planet with…with…*maidbots*?!”
«Try kindness.»
Two hundred and fifty four years ago:
Lorn snuggled closer to Finder. Outside their tent, there was a light snow falling, illuminated by the two moons, and visible through the open flap.
"Love, what is on your mind?" Finder whispered, not wanting to break the quiet of snow.
"The raiders, I'm afraid."
"What about them?"
"You've said that they can sense unshielded minds," Lorn was also keeping her voice low.
"Yes, They have mind workers in their number."
"How?"
"That is our greatest shame. In their early raids, they stole children from us - toddlers. Some of those were potential mind workers."
"And they raised them as their own?"
Finder nodded.
"They could not do that aboard a single ship. They must have a base somewhere."
"If they do, it is out of our reach.
"And if you do fight them, some of who you fight would be descendants of your own people."
"Sadly, yes. These are dark topics for a beautiful night."
"Sorry, Finder. My mind..."
"I know, love. It almost never stops." Finder reached over and closed the tent flap "It is nothing we can do anything about at this time. Let me bring you some quiet."
"I think quiet is going to be the very last thing in here," Lorn smiled in the dark, pushing the dark history she had just learned aside.
Three years later the raiders returned. But so did a Scout cruiser. And that had much bigger teeth.
#SFF #SF #SciFi #microfic #tootfic #microfiction #IAmWriting #ShamanSpace
The Passing of Zi Zhen 子真之逝
#HistoricalFiction #ShangDynasty #China c. 1040 BCE
Reign of Di Xin of Shang
#Wss366 Railing #WritersCoffeeClub April 2: Visual presentation
Daji watched from the #railing of the Peacock Terrace. Below, the fire cast a ruddy tint on her fair features. Incense hid the scent of heated bronze.
Below her, Zi Zhen passed
hands bound
casting an imploring look up at her.
She smiled, reciting:
Dongting
Reflection glories
Humble carp
In evening dimming
Gasps not singing [Note 1]
Note 1: The humble man, mistaking passing glory for reality, dies as he was born
Commentary: Daji was the favorite consort of Di Xin of Shang the last Emperor of the Shang dynasty (Reign 1075–1046 BCE). Legend has it that Daji delighted in executions carried out with a pào lào (roasting pillar). The condemned person was forced to embrace a bronze tube filled with coals. Zi Zhen is a fictional character.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #NMFic #和歌 #WakaPoetry #NMPoetry #桜 #poetry #History #ChineseHistory