#scifi short

[junkyarddemento]

ORION - FIRST BORN

Coolest thing I've seen all month. Hellraiser, Dune, NIN music videos, and Neill Blomkamp short films all come to mind while watching Ash Thorp's highly impressive proof-of-concept ORION - FIRST BORN. The stylized visual flood is enough to knock you over. To say this is a repeat viewing experience is an understatement.

#orion #orion first born #ash thorp #ash thorpe #short #short film #film #proof of concept #horror #horror short #unreal engine #cgi #scifi #scifi short #fantasy #fantasy short #dark fantasy #hellraiser #dune #nin #junkyard demento #genre #Vimeo

[wearing-castiels-wings]

Glow - A short story by Herries Anderton

We saw you glow when you were born, your mother then glowed too. And when you breathed your first breath swirled up in a haze, then dissipated, little specks of sunlight in the air, unseen but still there. The midwives and doctors, at your sight their eyes lit up and at your cry their ears shined and the smallest part of their minds was set aflame forever. You put little iridescent hand prints into the cloth around you and slept against your mother, the two of you a shimmering bundle of light.

You don’t know how many people you made shine, even then; eyes, ears, hands, faces of smiling family, strangers and friends, all a little lighter in your presence.

The luminous nappies needed changing, the shining babygrows grew too small, the radiant toys got lost, now there’s a thousand flickers in the landfill, like embers in ash.

Your first steps are burned into the living room carpet, now outshone by every other footprint you made; a mat of light across your first home’s floors, still there long after you’ve moved on. The glowing steps burst from the house and trace winding paths through your home town, desire lines like filament. There’s nowhere brighter than here.

But there are pockets of sunshine further out; your school, university, that first job you didn’t like, the first place that you made home, everywhere you’ve touched is bright. There’s light too on the far side of the planet, where you once rested your head against the street corner wall and watched a little of the world pass by.

You wouldn’t remember every mark you’ve made and many think they don’t remember you, but then a stranger passes by, a little faded flame at their temple. In others, the light burns brighter, some glow from head to toe and those people, the people that you made, their touch now glows too.

They all came back to say goodbye. The room shone brighter than the sun.

The grass now glows above you; the trees nearby have a touch more sun. And across the world, no matter where you go is every breath you ever made.

Tilt your head. The air sparkles.

Anaxfiction.com posts short stories (mostly sci-fi) on the 12th of each month. Please go check out the website and maybe leave Herries a comment and some love for his incredible work which he posts for free for everyone to read.

#anaxfiction #the anax #glow #short story #scifi short story #posting on behalf of my boyfriend (the author) as he doesnt have tumblr #scifi short

[whereserpentswalk]

People don't realize how liminal it is to be a time traveler. How you don't ever really feel like you're in the time you are. Even when you're in your own time, everything is off, your coat was something you bought in interwar France, the book you're reading on the train is from a bookstore you had to visit in Victorian London, even your necklace was given to you by a Neolithic shaman, from a culture the rest of the world can never know. You find yourself acting strange even when in the present, much less in the past you have to work in.

You remember meeting a eunuch in 10th century China, and having him be one of the only people smart and observant enough to realize you were from a diffrent time. You could talk honestly with him, though still you couldn't reveal too much about your time. And it was still so strange hearing him talk casually about work and mention plotting assassinations. You're not allowed to but you still visit him sometimes.

You remember that the few times you were allowed to tell someone everything it was tragic. You knew a young woman who lived in Pompeii, who you had gotten close to, a few days before she would inevitably die. On your last day there you looked into her eyes, knowing soon they'd be stone and ash, that the beauty of her hair would be washed away by burning magma. And you hugged her, and told her that you wanted her to be safe, and told her she was wonderful and that you wanted her to be comfortable and happy. And you let her tongue know the joy of 21st century chocolate, and her eyes see the beauty of animation, knowing she deserved to have those joys, knowing it wouldn't matter soon. And you hugged her the last time, and told her she deserved happiness. And when you left without taking her it was like you were killing her yourself.

You want to take home everyone you're attached to. There's a college student you befriended in eighteen fifties Boston. And you can't help but see him try to solve problems you know humanity is centuries away from solving. And you just want to tell him. And it's not just that, the way he talked about the books and plays he likes, his sense of humor. There's so many people you want him to meet.

You feel the same way about a young woman you met on a viking age longship. She tells stories to her fellow warriors and traders, stories that will never fully get written down, stories that she tells so uniquely and so well. She has so many great ideas. You want so dearly to take her to somewhere she can share her stories, or where she can take classes with other writers, where she can be somewhere safe instead of being out at sea. She'll talk about wanting to be able to do something, or meet people, and you know you're so close to being able to take her, but you never can, unless she accidently finds out way too much then you can't.

You remember the longship that you met that young storyteller on. You were there before, two years ago for you, ten years later for the people on it. The young woman who told you stories wasn't there ten years later, you had been told why then but you only realize now, her uncle, who ran the ship, had been one of the first people to convert to Christianity in his nation. He killed her, either for not converting or for sleeping with women, you're not sure, but he killed her, and bragged about it when you met him ten years later.

You talk to the storyteller on the longship, ask her about the myths you're there to ask her about, the myths that she loves to tell. You look into her eyes knowing it's probably less then a year until her uncle takes her life. You ask her if you think that those who die of murder go to Valhalla. She tells you she hopes not, she doesn't see Valhalla as a gift but as a duty, she hopes for herself to go to Hel, where she wouldn't have to fight anymore. You slip and admit you're talking about her, telling her that you hope that's where she goes when she's killed. You hope to yourself you'll be forced to take her to the twenty first century, you're tempted even to make it worse, you want to have ruined her enough to be able to save her.

#196 #my thougts #worldbuilding #writing #my worldbuilding #my writing #urban fantasy #ancient history #history #short fiction #short story #original fiction #flash fiction #viking #viking age #norse mythology #ancient rome #pompeii #science fantasy #science fiction #sci fi #scifi #queer #queer history

[kittybricks]

Do You Love the Colour of the Sky? (Or: This Must be the Place)

(I apologize for the resolution in advance. Still troubleshooting.)

#spec fic #speculative fiction #heritage post #do you love the color of the sky #art #ocs #original story #short story #arg #original arg #Tumblr arg #prose #scifi #science fiction #meme #shitposts #shitposting #hellsite #poets on tumblr #poetry #god let this get notes I've had the idea for so long and I need someone to appreciate it

[swdefcult]

johnny 5 by syd mead

#syd mead #johnny 5 #short circuit #concept art #cyberpunk #scifi

[redsquidface]

When informed about your transfer off planet, you were not worried at first. After all, it was a normal practice for The United Earth as a means of cultural exchange with other interstellar civilizations. But then you discovered that you'd be sent to a remote space station, as far away from Earth as possible. When you arrived, you found out that none of that station's inhabitants were humans. Your translator couldn't even fully understand some dialects and accents.

The first time you visited the food court, you were stunned by the variety and foreignness of the presented food. There were kitchens from all across the galaxy, but none familiar to you. 

One of the stands caught your gaze. Mostly because some of the dishes on display were still wiggling and squeaking. Despite everything being overspiced and slimy, it was your best option. For a minute, you braced yourself and prepared to order, but then you noticed a dusty replicator standing in a corner. You have used these machines before and knew that they could create human food or you could teach them how to. Postponing the probe of the alien cuisine, you rushed to the machine, eager to taste the familiar.

The chef of the kiosk, whom you left in a hurry, followed you with the gaze of their red eyes and angrily growled. Their warrior culture saw every aspect of their lives as a battlefield. War, love, sword fighting, sewing, engeniring, cooking - all were competitive and passionate. The fact that you eyed their dishes and not only chose not to buy anything, but rushed away was interpreted as personal defeat of the cook and an insult to their honor. The large alien gracefully hopped over a glass counter and followed after you, furious but collected.

By this time, you had alredy uploaded a human food pack into a replicator, ordered a burger, and paid for it. When the machine dispensed your order, somone quickly took it away. Without wasting a second, alien chef threw your burger into their wide opened maw and began to chew.

"Plane. Too plane. Do you really trade this over my perfectly spiced food?"

"H-hey! I've paid for this!"

"And I will refund your money at my stand tenfold. My food is much better than this replicated crap."

Indeed, the taste of replicated food was always a bit off, but you ware not in a mood for squirmy food. You also weren't eager to argue this day.

"No thanks, I don't like living food."

You pretend to ignore the angry alien and ordered a plate of spaghetti from the replicator. But this portion was also devoured, even with a paper plate. The chef was stubborn and refused to let go of a customer.

As the alien chef was staring you down, you began to get angry. Suddenly, an insidious idea slipped into your mind. You ordered again. This time, it was a big, ripe lemon. Suppressing a giggle, you watched as the rude chef sent the yellow fruit into their mouth and began to loudly chew. As the red eye opened wide and the alien grunted, covering their mouth, you began to regret your little revenge. What if lemon was poisonous for that species? What if the alien is now pissed off even more and will try to kill you?

But when the chef looked at you, in their red eyes were no traces of rage or vengefulness, but only curiosity.

"Do you humans eat this?"

"Yes."

"Really? "

"Yes, but doses are usually smaller."

"And there I thought that your spicies were fragile."

After that remark, you felt obliged to brag. For the next half hour, you were talking about hot papers, acidic pineapples, and poisonous fish dishes, while the alien chef was cooking food for you at their stand, sometimes interrupting you with questions and remarks. They seemed to be at awe of human culinary habits. The chef prepared your dish with extra care, making sure that seasoning is not too intence and all ingredients are dead and fried.

After the chef handed you the finished food you were so hungry that you began to eat without hesitation. Surprisingly, the taste was good.

When you finished eating, you thanked the chef for the food. Approvingly nodding at the site of a clean plate, they said that it was repaiment only for their first theft and invited you in this kiosk again. The alien promised that the next time their menu will include new ingredients from the Earth.

As you both said your goodbyes, you and the alien chef parted ways. You both made a new friend today.

#alien #short story #humans are space orcs #well not really #scifi #scifi story #i wrote that at 5 am

[alpaca-clouds]

An Overview Over the Solarpunk Anthologies

I thought, where I am already here, trying to get everyone to engage with Solarpunk as more than just an aesthetic and pretty flowers, I should give a quick overview over the Solarpunk antholigies, that have been released so far.

Note that so far most releases within the genre are in fact short stories. Though if anyone is interested, I can make a list of the novels I am aware of!

Solarpunk: Ecological and Fantastical Stories in a Sustainable World is pretty much how the genre got its start. The book was originally released in Brazil and only recently had been translated into the English language. It only covers a few stories, but those are a bit longer than your average short story to make up for it.

Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation has been quoted by many writers in the genre to have been a massive inspiration to them. The stories are very diverse and cover lots of ground.

Wings of Renewal: A Solarpunk Dragon Anthology is probably the weirdest out of this bunch. While all of the other anthologies mostly focus on either SciFi settings or stories set in the here and now, Wings of Renewal mixes Solarpunk with Fantasy elements. At times those stories are SciFi, too, at times they are really mostly fantastical.

Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers explores a wide variety of Solarpunk settings, some hopeful, some less optimistic. It is mostly set in warm and hot scenarios, though those can also vary quite a bit.

Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Winters then went ahead as a "sequel" of sorts to explore the concept of Solarpunk in colder climates.

Multispecies Cities: Solarpunk Urban Futures has probably to be my favorite one from the anthologies edited by Sarena Udaberri. It explores how humans and animals can live together in Urban settings. And once again, the stories vary from those set in a more futuristic and a more present setting a lot.

Fighting for the Future is the most recent of those anthologies, as it has only released last month. (And yes, this also means: I have not yet read it at all.) It features stories of Cyberpunk and Solarpunk futures - as well as stories where both intertwine!

Bioluminescent: A Lunarpunk Anthology is exactly what it says on the cover. An anthology featuring Lunarpunk stories. So Solarpunk with a bit more mysticism to go with it. And as this also only has released earlier this year I admittedly also have not gotten around to reading it yet.

This does remind me though: Would anyone be interested in me writing mini reviews to the stories in those anthologies?

#solarpunk #lunarpunk #solarpunk fiction #anthology #short stories #overview #scifi #clifi #science fiction #climate fiction

[clockwork-reveries]

What happens when you microwave AI/Robots

Honorable mentions to other AIs that I don't know much about.

#please forgive me for the amount of tags #scifi #ihnmaims #2001 a space odyssey #system shock #resident evil #portal #wall e #short circuit #halo #the iron giant #colossus the forbin project #star wars #star trek #the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy #the terminator #electric dreams #megaman

[tofu83]

For The Good Of Mankind

The old society collapsed but a utopian society rose from the ashes. There are only 3 kinds of people existing: Authorities, Servants and Laborers.

Authorities follow the advice of supercomputers to govern society. Servants serve the authorities and carry out orders from superiors. Laborers obey the orders carried out by servants to work and engage in production. No one will be jobless because everything is calculated by supercomputers.

If everyone abides by the guidance of the super computer, society will maintain harmony, and mankind cannot afford to be destroyed again. Therefore, anyone who violates the rules must be punished immediately without trial, because the super computer is infallible, absolutely just and compassionate.

Workers who violate the rules are often reported to the servants by the people around them, and the servants immediately assign law enforcement robots to arrest the violators and send them to jail. The servants then summarize the situation and report it to the authorities. The authorities will ask the supercomputer for its opinion and impose punishments. If a servant dares not to arrest or report, other servants will arrest him. If a leader makes decisions without asking the super computer, his colleagues will just ask servants to send robots to catch him.

A prisoner is usually sentenced to reform through labor, but if he is already a laborer, this means that he cannot be reformed anymore. The only fate that awaits him is transformation. He will be escorted to the Transformation Factory by law enforcement robots. There he will be stripped off all his clothes, shaved all hairs from head to toe, and put into a transformation capsule. The capsule will release sleeping gas to make him appear half asleep and half awake.

Several tubes were pierced into his skin and the transformation fluid was injected, turning his bones into alloys, his blood into motor oil, his muscles into reinforced fibers, and his skin into invulnerable armor. As for the appearance of his head, it is a perfect oval. His head becomes a small computer that can directly receive messages from the supercomputer but is temporarily authorized to give instructions to some humans. The original eye area has become a small screen that can display current tasks and regulations to the person he is facing.

The process seems painful, but with the help of gas and nanotechnology, he is actually moved by incomparable joy and glory. He will no longer be a problem, will not be a threat to social order, and will not cause mankind to face destruction again. On the contrary, he will absolutely obey and implement all instructions of the super computer, arrest and transform all diehards like the old himself!

What's more important, he no longer has to take responsibility for his actions. Because he is no longer an individual, but a robot, one of many drones. The supercomputer is his Master and will be responsible for making decisions. All he has to do is obey. It's so wonderful to be freed from the shackles of responsibility. It turns out that giving up your sense of self is true freedom!

"Thank you, Master! I swear I will obey you forever." He shouted his loyalty to the supercomputer in infinite pleasure, and then the last trace of humanity disappeared.

The capsules are opened and all new law enforcement robots walk out in unison and line up towards the factory exit. After being assigned by the super computer, they will report to their respective law enforcement units to show all citizens the consequences of disobedience and the benefits of obedience.

Thanks to the supercomputer, the real Master of mankind, the earth has been peaceful for another day.

Finally, please always remember, when you find it difficult to obey the rules but don't want to destroy the peace, the Transformation Factory always welcomes volunteers to contribute to social stability.

#reprogramming #dystopia #ai takeover #post apocalyptic #cyborg #drone #scifi #robot #male robot #short story #scifi story #robotization #dronification #ai image #tofu83

[junkyarddemento]

HOUSE OF THE UNHOLY

How much of the budget should be allocated to production design and costumes? A resounding YES was Daniel Merlot’s answer. Highly impressive visuals on all levels, as everything that Merlot and his team could think of is on screen. Part fever dream, part music video, and part absurdist fantasy, do yourself a favor and watch this highly entertaining journey into creativity. 

#house of the unholy #Daniel Merlot #short #short film #fantasy #fantasy short #scifi #scifi short #science fiction #horror #horror short #everything everywhere all at once #genre #absurdist #fever dream #junkyard demento #dust

[hazzzyrider]

how strange is it that our most popular narratives cannot imagine a world where if an alien met us, they would be just as inexplicably filled with strangeness, wonder, delight and longing as we do for each other? how strange is it that we must conjure empires and kings and government for the hearts that visit us from beyond the stars? why must the hand that reaches be a fist and not an open palm searching and finding for the doorknob? the point of discovery of another life would be a matter of intimacy and long-lost family stranded by galactic variables in the dawn of creation, not subjugation.

#scifi #writing #txt #thinking about stuff this morning hmmm #i miss men in black tbh #anyways love everyone around you and cherish them yeah? #microfiction #fiction #short story #creative writing

[whereserpentswalk]

It sucks trying to date as a human on a planet where humans are a minority, and all of the dominant races are ones who've had limited contact with humans. Most alien cultures either think of humans as disunitied conquerors and raiders who subjugate other races, or as a diaspora who live on other species' planets and who are useally involved in the criminal underworld. So everyone who wants to date you has all these weird fetishes, about how they're getting to fuck this dangerous amoral space monster, and you're just like, a normal person. And like, people from the more common races where you live don't ever understand that.

Both people who want to be domed by you and people who want to dom you specifically focus on the fact that you're from an exotic race that most people think of as violent. Everyone either focuses on how weird and unique you are, or how dangerous you are. And like, even when you want to do something kinky you don't really want to focus on the fact that you're human. And there's really nobody who has any fantasies about you that are wholesome or soft, even when they don't mention that you're human they never think about being sweet or kind to you. It is what it is.

#196 #my thougts #worldbuilding #writing #my writing #my worldbuilding #humans are space orcs #humans are deathworlders #humans are space oddities #scifi #scifi writing #science fantasy #science fiction #sci fi #short fiction #flash fiction #original fiction #scifiart #sci fi worldbuilding #science fiction worldbuilding

[hanro50]

The unremarkable biped. #2

The medical ward has run an extensive set of diagnostics on the creature. It seems the cells of this creature require a decent amount of oxygen to metabolize 'ATP', and thus, it needs a respirator to survive within the atmosphere of the station.

The medical ward has also found that the creature communicates by vibrating gas particles. Unfortunately, the creature is unable to use this method of communication while wearing the respirator the creature requires for survival. Furthermore, none of the other species on-board have organs capable of sensing the vibrations the creature would cause to a required level of accuracy that would allow for communication. It has thus opted to use a prophetic to communicate instead, using bioluminescence.

The creature does, however, lack the ability to see all the wavelengths used in our method of communicating. It has thus designed its own translation device using parts it had found in the station's waste disposal area. When asked if this was normal for its species, the creature simply stated that it wasn't. However it was part of their training to become a ship 'maintenance officer'.

The engineering wing has requested an audience with the creature. I do worry about allowing this, considering how critical the engineers on-board can be. However, the creature seemed excited to speak to its "peers". I have thus allowed it to go forward.

I also asked station security to be stationed outside the engineering-wing.

#humans are space orcs #fun #experimental #short story #scifi #sci fi #humans are strange

[aimasup]

sure i COULD ramble about how ai is one of the multiple things that check all the marks of humanity's seven deadly sins but would that be extreme

^^^ possibly insufficiently educated

#the pride the hubris of believing you can do better than innovation and nature by playing god and not in the fun way #the lust it's being used for in so many awful cases #the sloth the way its encouraging everyone to check original sources less before believing anything. Also to not take time to develop skill #the greed its being used for profit without consideration for ethics or fair labour #gluttony. we always have to be faster. shinier. better. no matter if it ends up being less convenient or wonky #the wrath it sows in between people creating more differences to be frustrated over. more hatred #the envy how it takes and takes. always trying to be as clever as the best humans. as beautiful as a real forest or sunset. #do you think the ai wants itself #if this were a scifi movie would we be the bad guys #but this is not a movie and the ai cannot love us. so we cannot love it. and there's that #my post #personal stuff #thinking aloud just silly yapping n jazz 没啥事做就这样咯~ #(￣▽￣)~* #when i was in primary school our textbooks for chinese had short stories and articles to learn about #there was a fictional scifi oneshot about a family in the future going to the zoo #the scifi zoo trip was going great until the zoo's systems went offline for a moment #and it was revealed that all the animals roaming in their enclosures were holograms #the real ones went extinct ages ago #when the computers came back online the holograms returned and there they were #honestly at first I thought it was a bit exaggerating #but I still think about it once in a while

[catgirl-kaiju]

honestly, optimal version of being a parent would be traveling back in time to adopt my past self and raise me as my own

#scout's brain #self parenting #mental health #trans #childhood trauma #abuse survivor #time travel #y'know what this would actually be really cute as a scifi short story

[timelineman-of-titors-edge]

Pale Blue Dot

I'm beginning to question the sanity of the humans who travel the stars.

The year is 3512 of the new Celestial Calendar. I have been tasked with record-keeping for a human ship, naively named "Hope". It is a large freighter intended for the delivery of Critical supplies to dangerous areas. However, for the past 90 days, the Hope has been circling a remote region of space. Despite the lack of any real objects in the vicinity, the humans stay glued to their detection instruments, losing sleep and forgetting to eat.

I've asked the Captain what we're searching for, and his only response thus far has been "An old friend", but there is no record of any crews being sent by humans to this region, who could they be searching for?

After another week of nothing, coming down to strict rationing of supplies, one of the humans shouts "I've got something!"

Despite his lack of sleep, the captain jumps up from his seat with the joy of a child. After a few minutes of interpreting the readings to locate an incredibly small object, about 12 feet in length. It takes most of the day to carefully retrieve the object, an ancient machine that appears to be made for the collection of data from a time before humans travelled the stars.

"This is the friend we've been looking for." The captain says. I fail to understand this action. There was no life aboard the craft, and the machine itself holds nothing of particular note. When I express my confusion, the entire crew laughs.

"Come on, now. Surely you can understand the value of rewarding someone for a job well done?" The captain says with a laugh that shakes his now out-of-regulation beard.

"I certainly can, captain, but this machine is not a lifeform, it can't take a reward"

"Pssh, sure it can. We're taking this old boy home. To Earth."

The captain dismissed me with that remark. On the long trip to Earth, the other humans informed me that the machine is known as "Voyager 1", another incredibly hopeful name that humans of old dreamt up in their fascination with the stars. Thousands of years ago, it completed its mission in the depths of space, far beyond the reaches humans of the era could fathom. The story and importance of the machine to humans apparently "can't be understated"

"We made it" one of the crew said, pointing out the window toward one speck in space. "The Pale Blue Dot."

He was pointing at Earth, and I fail to understand the importance of seeing the planet from so far away.

#scifi #humans #short story #voyager 1 #humans are space oddities