Archives

All the Worthy People

Jul17

From writing prompt found here.  Um, warning, discusses the violent end of the world. 

🚀

“You don’t understand!  I’m just an orderly.  There are plenty of doctors, plenty of scientists, plenty of people who can do a lot of good-”

They didn’t sedate me.  I didn’t argue with the point at the time, because if I was only restrained, maybe I could get out somehow, but they had gotten me trussed up really good and they were dragging me onto the ship.

All around me – separated by a very tall fence of chain-link and razor wire – people were shouting that they’d take my place.  I kept adding to their shouts.   Let them go instead of me

They were in a hurry; I understood that.  They were working against a literal doomsday clock; in less than 2 hours, the world was going to end. Continue reading →

Hair-Ball Season

Jul13

This one is all Cynth’s Fault. 😀 😀

“Are you sure it’s supposed to be a game?”

Theo was always the most uncertain of the three of them, or, if not uncertain, then sort of filled with a generalized nervousness.

Merit rolled her eyes.  “Base-ball.  Foot-ball.  Hair-ball.  Now, you two have a natural advantage, so hold still.”

Normally, it was Oli who was trying to climb on top of Merit.  Today, Merit reversed the roles, climbing up onto the long-furred grey-and-white cat and beginning to groom him aggressively.

As was normally his wont with Theo, Oli, after a moment of enjoying the feeling of someone getting the spots he couldn’t, twisted his head so he could groom Merit in return.

Being the unfriendly thing that she was, she growled at him immediately. Continue reading →

The Greater Gatsby

Jul12

Content warning on this one: It made me cry a couple times. Kitties, real kitties who lived with us once upon a time. 

This is sort of in a way after Cats Have Nine Lives.

 

His name had been The Grey Gatsby when he was a kitten, and he had held it with the sort of dignity that all cats posses (although he was fairly certain that he possessed it in greater measure than most cats.  Most cats were relatively silly when they thought nobody was looking.  He, of course, was never silly. He had taken on many other names throughout the years, in the way that people and other animals tended to gift them – Gatters, Gatamon (he liked that one), The Terrifying One (from the co-pets, or at least the creatures he was told were also pets, although he thought they looked far too much like food), the Bigger Cat (from the cat he grudgingly allowed to be his clowder, a name that pleased him also as much as The Terrifying One, as that cat – Drake – became rather larger than him but never stopped thinking of him as The Bigger Cat).  Sweetie might’ve been his favorite, although he would never admit it. Continue reading →

150

Jul11

Prompt from here: https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/hopquy/wp_a_recent_scientific_breakthrough_has_led_to/

Content warning: Um.  vague philosophical horror, also discussion of end of life.

~*~

The Arenoraan Treatment was supposed to be the best new thing in the world, or rather, it had been  supposed to be the best new thing ten years ago .  Ten years before that, ten years before that – scientists had been inching the lifespan longer a little at a time.

The Arenoraan Treatment, it was supposed to be the best; it was supposed to let people live happily at least to their two-century mark, if not long beyond.  The assumption was, of course, that while people who were now around 135, 140 were enjoying their extended lives, scientists would have time to figure out the next step in immortality.

I was only 90 at the time, but I was looking forward to it.  Only ninety still sounded amazing to me, because at fifty-five, I’d been starting to fall apart.  Now here I was, ninety, and nothing ached and nothing creaked and I was down to one pill a day, and that was a multivitamin supplement. Continue reading →

Again

Jul11

Content warning: the below includes casual discussion of past murder, suicide, murder-suicide, mass murder, and child abuse.

For all that, it’s a relatively light-hearted piece. 

~*~

“What the hell?”

First the woman had kidnapped him – he sort of remembered “does this smell like chloroform to you?” and then he was here, tied up in a very quaint kitchen.  Then she’d poured something down his throat, something that smelled awful and tasted worse, and held his nose and pressed his lips closed until he swallowed the shit.

The worst of it was, he didn’t recognize her at all, and yet she seemed maddeningly familiar. “Have you been stalking me?” That might explain it, if he’d seen her here and there. “And if so, why? It’s not like my family has money for ransom.  It’s not like I-”

The memories started to hit.  He swallowed twice, blinked, and realized why the kitchen seemed so familiar.  They’d raised their first child here – what?

“What?” Continue reading →

Breaking Character

Jul10

“Wait… wait.  This wasn’t in the plan.”

He had not broken character through the whole ceremony.  Through the reception, the cake, the photos.  Through the limo ride.  Through the helicopter ride that followed that.  Through embarking onto the little yacht.  Through getting into international waters.

In short, until there was absolutely no chance that anybody was going to catch them, he had stayed 100% in character.

Magdalina had to admit she was impressed.  When Shadi had suggested him for the role, she’d been…  well, doubtful was a good word for it.  Dubious.  Uncertain.  The man was barely out of college, barely shaving, barely at all familiar with the criminal underbelly.  How was he going to pull off a lynch-pin role in a complicated, three-stage heist? Continue reading →

Seventy And Seven

Jul10

The Man was sulking.

Romana did not find it all that attractive

He was attractive, physically.  He was tall and lean and muscular, with a very firm chin unlike anything elven.  He had very nice skin and lips that looked like they would be very nice smiling and he had beautiful hair that was nearly as long as Romana’s, which was saying something. Continue reading →

Lexiconal

Jul10

They had to do something to pass the time.

They were snowed in – not just snowed in, but stuck, without a single plane, train, or automobile leaving the city for the foreseeable future.

The news reports were calling it the storm of the century, or they had before the power got a little too spotty to spend any on tv and the wifi got so miserable nobody could get a signal except when they sat in one specific spot in the middle of the dorms.

They’d started with board games.

That, of course, had led to arguing about board games.

That had almost led to a fist fight, but Maddy had gotten in the middle and handed Jody her glove. Continue reading →

Popcorn and … Chill?

Jun11

Once again I asked for prompts on the FediVerse; this one is from @Teryl_Pacieco@mastodon.social

Content warning: intoxication.

*~*

“I’m just saying, I’m just saying.  I’m just saying.”

Effie stared at her hand for a moment before aiming an accusatory glance at Will.  “What – what did you put in my drink?”

Will put up both hands.  “I swear, I swear, it was just what you asked for.  It’s a jack and coke with a big twist of cherry syrup, that’s it.  Same thing I made for you three weeks ago.”

On the other couch, Selene and Drick were giggling, not a look that was all that good on Drick.  “It’s not the drink.  It’s not, because I’m drinking straight tonic from the bottle.” Selene held up her bottle. “And it’s thus not Will.” Continue reading →

The Bellamy, Chapter 17

Jun8

📚

Veronika considered being offended, or, at least, she thought about considering it, but there was something about the way Amanana laughed that said she meant no harm. 

“Oh, oh, that is delightful,” she said, just when, despite her feelings, Veronika was about to actually consider getting offended.  “That is such a beautiful way to put it.  I believe I am going to write that down, if you don’t mind?  If you ‘re okay with being quoted as saying that?”

The residual irritation faded.  “I’m glad you liked it.” Veronika was smiling again.  “Go ahead and quote me, if you’d like.  I imagine I can’t be the only one to feel that way.”

“Well.” Amanana’s expression went to something slightly more serious. “Well, it’s been a while since I’ve spoken to someone new.  I mean, ues, on occasion, there are new people still.  But most of them don’t make it all that far anymore.  You know, I’ve heard some of them don’t even make it past the front desk training?” Continue reading →