#flash-fiction
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Ask A Genius 690: Pornography and Predilections
[Recording Start]
Rick Rosner: We’ve previously touched on the topic of the internet’s role in the decline of the war against pornography. People younger than me might not fully grasp the evolution of what constituted pornography. Just like entertainment has diversified to include increasingly outrageous content, so has pornography. It’s evolved from the innocuous ‘cheesecake shots’ of the…
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#aliens#art#beauty#book-review#books#creative-writing#fantasy#featured#fiction#film#flash-fiction#food#hard-scifi#health#horror#inspiration#lifestyle#literature#makeup#movies#music#photography#poetry#reading#relationships#science#science fiction#short-story#travel#weekly-photo-challenge
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rest area
The sky is blue in that way that it shouldn’t be, where it’s too good for us. If it were black and gray all the time, it wouldn’t be news, but instead, it’s blue despite everything. Fuzzy clouds cross the canvas like painted sheep. A distant airplane draws a knife across the blue.
You’re mad at me in the normal way that I deserve, and I’m trying to enjoy the cigarette that a man is smoking…
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Rintik Hujan dan Kopi Senja
Rintik air hujan menenggelamkan suara pramusaji yang menaruh kopi hangat di mejaku. Laptop dan catatanku sama acuhnya denganku, pramusaji itu pun tidak begitu peduli, kopi ditaruhnya di meja dan ia berselancar kembali ke meja kasir. Hujan semakin rimbun dan aku semakin terbenam dalam pekerjaanku. Kepalaku terasa pusing tetapi kubiarkan lewat begitu saja.
Waktu tak terasa lama memang, dan aku sudah menyelesaikan pekerjaanku. Rupanya beberapa orang sudah minggat dan tinggal aku dan sekitar tiga orang lain yang masih tinggal di kafe. Hujan sudah reda dan gelasku kosong. Aku berdiri, membereskan barang-barangku dan bertolak ke pintu luar.
“Mas, gimana kopinya?” Ujar pria di balik meja kasir, di pin kartu namanya tertera “Andi”.
“Ah, enak mas, makasih ya,” balasku sekenanya.
“Oh, iya mas, nanti balik lagi ya kapan-kapan, saya sampaikan ke baristanya kalau mas suka,” sahut Andi.
Ketika aku membuka pintu kamar kos, kepalaku terasa berdenyut tidak keruan. Benakku, mungkin aku terlalu memforsir diri. Aku mencoba tidur setelah menenggak sekeping tablet Paracetamol.
Pagi datang dan kepalaku makin sakit. Aku mencoba meraih meja untuk mengambil obat namun seluruh tubuhku seakan menolak. Sadar bahwa HPku sejak tadi berdering, aku dengan susah payah mencoba mengangkat telepon.
“Dek, dek, kamu gak apa-apa?” Teriak suara yang terdengar seperti Kak Ahda di speaker.
“Kak Ahda… aku gak masuk kelas hari ini ya, bilangkan ke Bapak karena sakit,” jawabku lemah.
“Kelas apa dek, ini hari Minggu kan?”
“Bukannya ini hari Kamis kak?”
“Ngomong apa sih kamu? Bentar kakak ke tempatmu,”
Kepalaku berputar kencang. Aku baru saja bangun pagi tadi, kenapa Kak Ahda bilang kalau ini sudah hari Minggu?
Akhirnya Kak Ahda datang membawa makanan hangat. Aku sendiri baru selesai mengecek sekelilingku, benar saja kalender di ruang tengah yang selalu dilingkari oleh ibu kos menunjukkan ini hari Minggu. Begitu pula HP, laptop, dan semua barang elektronik yang mempunyai tanggalan. Aku bahkan meminjam HP tetanggaku, Andi, yang terheran-heran karena katanya ia melihatku pulang dan pergi kuliah seperti biasa.
Kak Ahda berkata bahwa kelas Bapak Dodi diliburkan hingga waktu tak tertentu karena musibah di keluarga Bapak. Meskipun demikian, Bapak Dodi masih mengawasi mahasiswanya dengan cara memaksa mereka melakukan swafoto dan menunggahnya di grup kelas. Kak Ahda menunjukkan fotoku yang diunggah dari akunnya.
“Kamu gak mau ambil foto sendiri, katamu kamu lupa sama password HPmu,” jelas Kak Ahda.
“Lupa gimana kak, sandi HP adek enak aja kok dihapal,”
“Gak cuman password HP dek, aku mau pinjem uang aja kamu gak mau, katamu lupa pin ATM,”
“Eh, pinjem berapa kak, bentar,”
“Wah gak usah dek, udah kok kemaren, ini aku dateng cuman mau liat kondisimu karena kamu aneh banget berapa hari ini,”
Ketika kuceritakan bahwa aku tertidur setelah pulang dari kafe, Kak Ahda tertegun. Kami berdua merasa bingung dan mencoba berpikir kembali. Tetapi semua teori kami berujung pada kafe yang kusambangi kemarin.
“Kamu ngapain ke situ?” Celetuk Kak Ahda.
“Hujan kak, gak ada tempat lain,” jawabku.
Lalu sebuah sekring seakan ditekan di kepalaku. Gelagat pramusaji, kasir, dan orang-orang di kafe itu tidak seperti biasanya. Karena hari hujan aku tidak mendengar apa yang dikatakan oleh si pramusaji. Tetapi sampai saat itu aku masih tidak sadar keanehan paling utama.
Kak Ahda datang ke kosku?
“Kamu siapa?” desisku.
“Hah, apa sih dek?” jawab sosok yang menyerupai Kak Ahda.
Orang di hadapanku memang benar-benar mirip dengan ketua kelas Kimia Tanah, Ahda Putri Natasha. Setelannya, nada bicaranya, sepaket memang. Namun Kak Ahda yang kukenal tidak akan pernah datang ke kos laki-laki sendirian.
“Jawab! Kamu siapa!” ujarku panik.
“Dek…��� suara sosok itu memelan.
Kepalaku pening tidak karuan, pandanganku gelap dan perutku mual. Aku muntah, cairan hitam beraroma manis mengalir ke lantai keramik. Tunggu, kosku kan lantainya semen.
Seketika aku kembali ke kamarku, di rumah yang terletak ribuan kilometer dari kosku. Di hadapanku sosok serupa Kak Ahda berdiri, dan ia berjalan keluar kamar. Aku mencoba naik ke atas kasur, pikiranku tak keruan. Satu-satunya yang ada di pikiranku adalah mengecek tanggal, karena aku tidak mungkin berada di rumah dalam sekian jam saja.
Telingaku berdesing, suatu suara yang familiar, rintik hujan. Dengan lemah aku berdiri dan mencoba untuk duduk di kasur, kepalaku terasa berat namun terus kupaksa untuk menghadap ke arah laptop. Rintik air hujan menenggelamkan suara pramusaji yang menaruh kopi hangat di mejaku.
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La salute innanzitutto
Torno sempre con piacere dalla mia oculista. É una donna che va per i 50, deliziosa. Ha capelli castani stretti in una coda, occhi vivi marroni incorniciati da un paio di occhiali tondi e larghi, il sorriso costantemente sulle labbra, la battuta pronta, uno spirito acuto e brillante, grande intelligenza e carattere. Ed è bella, magnifica. La sua voce argentina è musica per le mie orecchie, e il suo petto è generoso, da sprofondarci dentro. Niente da fare per i bottoni del camice. Si narra che, appena assunta, facesse girare la testa a tutto l'ospedale; ma per quanto mi riguarda l'età non ha intaccato il suo fascino. Si chiama Maria.
Il mio andrologo invece si chiama Mario. Un ometto simpatico, per carità, ma piuttosto grigio, sciatto e trasandato. Tutto il contrario, insomma.
Ogni tanto mi chiedo se fosse possibile scambiarli.
Come sarebbe allora la visita, con l'androloga dei miei sogni? Riuscirei ad evitare di avere un'erezione, sentendola tastarmi le palle e scappellarmelo? E dato che la risposta è no, lei come la prenderebbe? Forse smorzerebbe l'imbarazzo con una delle sue battute fulminanti. Magari la alletterebbe pure, l'idea di farsi un paziente toy-boy. E allora potrebbe approfittarsene, ispezionandomelo con cura (non come il dottor Mario, che si prende 120 euro per 2 minuti di visita), osservandolo intrigata mentre diventa grosso e gonfio sotto i suoi occhi, pulsante sotto i polpastrelli.
Non ho un gran rapporto coi medici, ma a lei mi affiderei completamente, mi lascerei fare qualsiasi cosa. Lo spermiogramma? Chissà se per prelevare il campione ritiene di spremermi la prostata. Un'ecografia? Prima me lo dovrebbe cospargere abbondantemente di gel, sì, così, tutto ben impiastricciato, ora può passare l'ecografo, su e giù, poi tutto questo gel in eccesso lo buttiamo via? Non so se ci ha mai pensato dottoressa, ma credo che sia anche un ottimo lubrificante, vogliamo provare?
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The Whispering Shadows of Valhalla: Reverberations of Past Loves and Loyalty
Robertus smashes into Kata, she looks up at her brows angled. “You dare to step on my toes!?” She shoves him back into the throne room, Romulus is laughing at the sight. Claudius quickly grabs him to his annoyance and they leave quietly, passing through Aaron who is standing in the middle of the threshold.
“Well to be honest I didn’t really consider your thoughts.” Robertus a small cocky smirk…
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#creativity#flash-fiction#Future Worlds#inspiration#nature#Political Drama#sci fi#scifi#short-story#writing
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Dreamland Adventures (Short Story)
Gray’s Adventure
Gray leaves in the campfire in disbelief. “The Guardian Triangle my ass…” Gray muffles under breath, but loud enough for those near to hear. Gold, Silver, and White sat all in agreement that the betterment for everyone should rely on their three final approval and agreeability. The other eight sat around watching as Gray parted from the fire and into the darkness.
Brown and…
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After the occupation, the princess was confined to the palace.
Once a month she'd be taken on a walk around the city, heavily guarded of course, to show the people that she still lived. It also served, of course, as a reminder of what they stood to lose if they made trouble. The princess did her best go wave and smile and give the people what encouragement she could.
The rest of the time, her life was spent in musty rooms and dusty towers. She filled most of her time scouring the castle for materials which she would sew into more and more elaborate outfits, which she would show off on the days when she was allowed outside.
Indeed, the public loved their princess and her dresses so much they'd often sketch or paint them along the route and pass the images on so that all could see the princess at least was well.
This pleased the occupiers for two reasons. First: it kept the princess out of trouble. Second: it gave them a reason to sneer and they did love a good sneer.
"What a vain creature she is!" They would remark.
"Doesn't even care we murdered her brothers so long as she gets enough satin to make her little dresses!" They squawked.
This was unfair, of course, for to call her creations "little dresses" was to call Queen Murderfun the Needlessly Genocidal "a tad piquey". Her dresses were gravity-defying wonders lace and pearl. They were thunderstorms captured in velvet and waterfalls summoned in silk. She was a wizard with silk.
Still, she bore their mockery with a tight smile and careful deference.
"Please, good sirs, my home, my people and my city now belong to you. Let me keep, at least, this one last joy."
And they sneered and they crowed most unpleasantly, but they let her keep her sewing room.
Of course, they would have known their mockery to be doubly unfair had they realised the true purpose of the princess's elaborate designs. For hidden in the intricate embroiderings across her gowns, jackets and fans, the princess had encoded secret (and very detailed) messages. When she would go on her monthly walk, the city's loyalists would line the route, sketching down the patterns to decode later.
Thus did the princess transmit all the occupiers' secrets (unearthed while supposedly 'searching the castle for old fabrics') to the city and thus did she build her resistance.
On the day the revolution finally came, she girded herself in armour of thick spider silk and whale bone. She cut a fine figure with a lacy handkerchief in her top pocket and a razor sharp knitting needle keeping her hair up.
As she waltzed through the castle to open the door for her army, the Usurper King tried to stop her and she simply unfolded her handkerchief and showed it to him.
Upon seeing the impossible arcane pattern emblazoned across it, he fell to the floor with blood streaming from his eyes.
She always had been a wizard with silk.
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Thank you for reading. If you'd like to support my writing, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/strangelittlestories
#writing#microfiction#short story#flash fiction#wrote this a few years back and finally got round to posting here
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Flash fiction, I guess?
Upon a satin pillow, she rests her head, dreaming of her love. He has gone away to find his fortune, hoping to win her father’s approval. He plans to marry her one day, but can not provide for her as her father demands.There is a farmstead down the road that they could call home, but the cost is high so he must go and find work away from her. He found work with the railway, pounding nails and…
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The Refugees, #5 ‘Discordant’ (Campfire Stories Volume 2 Issue 5)
The roommates prepare to leave, revealing to Taro that he's alone in a crowded room.
The Refugees
Campfire Stories: Volume 2, Issue 5
Chosen prompt: ‘Discordant’ from the English language dictionary screensaver
After spending the better part of the morning nervously trying to decide what supplies to pack for moving out of their safehouse prematurely, the group heard a convoy of tracked armored personnel carriers rumbling up the street. A column of pure black vehicles. Not…
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#Daily Prompts#dailyprompt#fiction#flash-fiction#post-apocalyptic#science-fiction#serial-fiction#slipstream-fiction#writing
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Written by J. S. Wong
#writing#writing-tips#fiction-writing#short-fiction#flash-fiction#The Writing Cooperative#Medium#Link
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Someone asked for more Donna recently… it’s not much, but it’s a start :D
#fan art#art#dc#dc comics#fan fiction#fan comic#robin#dick grayson#Richard grayson#wonder girl#Donna Troy#kid flash#wally west#teen titans
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Ask A Genius 673: Concepts of Personal Well-Being
[Recording Start]
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What were the concepts of personal well-being before 1980, and how have they evolved up to now, or what might personal notions of well-being look like today?
Rick Rosner: Alright, throughout human history, a key aspect of well-being has been our ability to overlook the inevitability of aging and death. This was even more crucial before the 20th century,…
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#aliens#art#beauty#book-review#books#creative-writing#fantasy#featured#fiction#film#flash-fiction#food#hard-scifi#health#horror#inspiration#lifestyle#literature#makeup#movies#music#photography#poetry#reading#relationships#science#science fiction#short-story#travel#weekly-photo-challenge
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the ghost between the stars
It is the thirty-third time that my ship, the Hypnos, has woken me from cryosleep, and the sensation is like fire in my veins. I open my eyes to the domed canopy of my cockpit, face to face with an endless expanse of stars. Adrenaline and a cocktail of other chemicals burn through me, but I can’t even control my atrophied mouth enough to scream. Updates on my location and messages from Earth…
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“Dragon, I am not sure that I am a prince.”
“Of course not, you are my beloved pet.”
“No, I mean… gender-wise.”
“Oh. Are you a princess?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Alright, dear. Then, what are you?”
“I think- well I’m not sure I am allowed.”
“You can be anything you want to be, my darling.”
“Well- and please don’t laugh- I think I’d like to be a dragon. … Like you.”
The dragon purred and wrapped its long neck around the smaller being and nuzzled its nose on their head. “Then a dragon you are, my love.”
“But I’m worried I’m not qualified to be a dragon. I don’t have scales or wings.”
“Dragons come in all sorts of kinds. Many are scaleless or wingless.”
“And I’m rather small and weak for a dragon…” They sighed. “I mean, I am already fairly small and weak for a human.”
The dragon studied the being who was now a smaller dragon for a long time before speaking rather gently. “I am rather small and weak for a dragon too you know… It is something I never told you, and you couldn’t know because you have none other to compare me to.”
“What? But you’re so big and strong! You fly ten miles a day to hunt for us and you defend me from nosey knights who try to ‘rescue’ me!”
The dragon nodded. “Yes, but other dragons can fly for a thousand miles a day and hunt for an army, and they could fight off an army too. After fighting a single knight I become quite tired… This is why I live alone in this cave, away from other dragons. They harass me for my weakness, and try to push me to do more… they say what I am is not enough.” With this, the dragon lowered it’s head, seeming to feel ashamed.
The smaller, human shaped dragon kissed the larger one on the snout. “Well, you are certainly enough for me. You might not be able to fight or feed an army, but your hunts keep us both full and your claws keep us both safe. And I always look forward to curling up under your wings at the end of the day. You don’t have to be alone anymore.” They frowned, their brow furrowing. “It makes me angry how you were treated.”
“It makes me angry how you were treated! That is what drew me to rescue you. I could see your society was treating you the same as mine was… Pushing you to do too much when you were tired, not appreciating you for who you are… but I appreciate you. You always know how to make me laugh, and all your little faces are so cute. I always look forward to feeling you press against my sides at the end of the day.” It nuzzled them. “You are dragon enough for me, better than any other dragon I have met. You are enough.”
The smaller dragon nodded. “We are our own sort of dragons. And that is enough.”
#otherkin#trans#disability#chronic fatigue#flash fiction#dragonkin#fantasy#my art#my writing#xenogender
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The Whispering Shadows of Valhalla: The Unexpected Invitation
Aaron is already waiting for them in the hallway, he and the other Imperial guards are kitted in their lighter casual armor. Aaron a few others don’t have their helmets on opting for only their body protection. They kneel at the sight of the Caesar.
“My Caesar, I had been wishing to talk to you,” Aaron speaks up as he rises back to his feet.
Robertus is taken aback by this, Aaron doesn’t…
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#creativity#flash-fiction#Future Worlds#inspiration#nature#Political Drama#sci fi#scifi#short-story#writing
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