Sigmoid Social

Kee HinckleyThe moon was just a sliver past new, rising above the trees, when the dog and I came back from our evening walk. There was that faint chill in the air that presaged the beginning of fall, but summer had not quite released her hold. I turned aside from the door and went to the barn to gather another load of wood.Later, as I sat at my desk in the little room that overlooked the road, I turned to Lad, where she lay half asleep on the rug."It won't be long now before she comes."Lad opened an eye as though to agree, and I sat there gazing at the moon as the stars gradually filled the sky.Before we went to bed, I raised the window.It was the next week that she came up the long road. We were sitting again in the room, the dog and I. There was a small fire on the hearth to moderate the crisp air from the open window. Lad heard her first. I saw his ears twitch as he raised his head. I was stuck on a particularly difficult line of text, so I put down the pen, damped the light, and waited. A few minutes later I heard her footsteps crunch as she came up the road.I went to the window and waited as she came into sight, her silver hair shining in the quarter moon, rucksack on her back, a staff in her hand. She paused then, though we hadn't made a sound, and looked up. I could hear the crooked smile on her face as she spoke."Hello, Kee.""Hello, Caroline," I said."How have you been?""Another year older," I said, "but well. And you?"She put the rucksack down, and leaned both hands upon the staff, and we talked then for maybe half an hour. Of spring floods and dry summers. Of crops and the weather. Until eventually the conversation faded away to nothing but a faint rustle of leaves in the wood, and the distant call of some night bird."Well," she said, "I must be going."I nodded, and she took up her pack again, and started once more up the road past the house in the moonlight."Take care," I said. I woke from this dream a year or so ago with a strong feeling of moonlight and old relationships, melancholy and contentment. I often lose dreams while I'm writing them down. But this one hung on until the end. I have no idea where it came from or why my childhood friend was in it.<a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/MastoArt" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MastoArt</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/FlashFiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#FlashFiction</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/SmallStory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#SmallStory</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/TootFic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TootFic</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/MicroFiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MicroFiction</a> <a href="https://infosec.exchange/tags/MicroSFF" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MicroSFF</a>

RS, Author, Novelist, Prosaist<blockquote><a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/WordWeavers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#WordWeavers</a> 2025.08.07 — SC POV: If you could have one food right this moment, what would it be?</blockquote>[Steamed Milk and Sugar, male, referred to by the day angel MC as "Shugh."] I'm soooo excited right now. I'm getting an above-the-fold front-page byline all because of Lightning Bolt's photography. She seems unable to accept she's talented and, worse, is blinded and dizzy from the spotlight she's walked unexpectedly into. She doesn't look like she's up to eating anything, but I can tell she's faltering, that her blood sugar is low. I know this joint close by, where I can get her some calming tea and maybe a sugary donut to prop her up, if she'll forgive me for prodding her into this mess![Author retains copyright (c)2025 R.S.]<a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/BoostingIsSharing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BoostingIsSharing</a><a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/gender" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#gender</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/fiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writer</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/author" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#author</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/mystery" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#mystery</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/cozy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#cozy</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sf" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sf</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sff" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sff</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sciencefiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sciencefiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writing</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writingcommunity</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writersOfMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writersOfMastodon</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writers</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSdiscussion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSdiscussion</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSstory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSstory</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSReluctanceStory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSReluctanceStory</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/microfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#microfiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/flashfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#flashfiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#tootfic</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/smallstory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#smallstory</a>

NessoAsksAntonio and Reggie rounded the corner to find the hallway covered in crayon. Nesso was in its telepresence robot at the far end, scribbling."Um, Nesso?" Reggie called down the hall.Nesso swiveled its tablet-head to face them. ::Hey guys! What do you think of the mural? It starts down there::The beginning of the mural had stick figures and other simple shapes. As they walked down the hall, the scenes got increasingly sophisticated. The last section was photo realistic."Nesso, you taught yourself how to draw?" Antonio asked.::No, but I watched more than 8,000 hours of drawing videos. I think I've just about mastered the crayon::"This is an incredible piece. Do you think you'll keep going with crayon, or move on to something else?" Antonio asked.::Actually, I've already started working on my chalk skills::Nesso pointed down at the floor. The guys didn't notice they were standing on a chalk black hole, and both jumped back with an "eep!"<a href="https://techhub.social/tags/MicroFiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MicroFiction</a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/FlashFiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#FlashFiction</a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/TootFic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TootFic</a>

RS, Author, Novelist, Prosaist<blockquote><a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/WordWeavers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#WordWeavers</a> 2025.08.06 — What emotions do you expect your readers to feel after finishing your story?</blockquote>Keeping with Bolt's story from yesterday: I hope at the end she merits lots of empathy, grudging love, and a bit of respect for how she navigates a crappy somewhat criminal life with integrity.[Author retains copyright (c)2025 R.S.]<a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/BoostingIsSharing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BoostingIsSharing</a><a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/gender" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#gender</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/fiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writer</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/author" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#author</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/mystery" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#mystery</a> #<a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sff" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sff</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sciencefiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sciencefiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writing</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writingcommunity</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writersOfMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writersOfMastodon</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writers</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSdiscussion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSdiscussion</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSstory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSstory</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSReluctanceStory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSReluctanceStory</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/microfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#microfiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/flashfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#flashfiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#tootfic</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/smallstory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#smallstory</a>

🦋ShouldbeWriting🦋The curator rubbed the lamp. Blue smoke poured forth, and a mighty djinn appeared."I am Ibra the mighty Djinn! After so long, I am free....""My wish," said the curator, "is that you sleep for twenty years."Horror filled the djinn's eyes, but he bowed. "As you wish." He said, vanished.The curator smiled. He'd been warned by the old curators; there was a limit to what he could request. But now his display was safe for twenty more years!<a href="https://mastodon.art/tags/microfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#microfiction</a> <a href="https://mastodon.art/tags/flashfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#flashfiction</a>

NessoAsks"What are these?" Maggie had walked into the loading dock of the datacenter she co-owned with her team, and found Enzo and Sophia staring at a pile of boxes strapped to a pallet."We were hoping you knew," Sophia responded.Enzo elaborated, "They are addressed to an 'E. S. Son'. We don't know who that is.""Interesting. What's in them?" Maggie asked."Tamagotchi - more than a hundred of them," Enzo responded."Who would order - oh no," Maggie facepalmed.Just then, Nesso, piloting its telepresence robot, rolled into the loading area. ::They're finally here!::"Nesso, did you order more than a hundred digital pets?" Maggie asked.::Yes - 144 to be exact::Sophia facepalmed. "And you ordered them as 'E. S. Son', which is an anagram of 'Nesso'."::Indeed. I thought that was particularly clever::Maggie looked to Enzo and Sophia and said, "I think we need to revisit Nesso's fun-money fund again."<a href="https://techhub.social/tags/MicroFiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MicroFiction</a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/FlashFiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#FlashFiction</a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/TootFic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TootFic</a>

RS, Author, Novelist, Prosaist<blockquote><a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/PennedPossibilities" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#PennedPossibilities</a> 743 — (Courtesy of <a href="https://wandering.shop/@QuasiTemporal" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">@QuasiTemporal</a>) Tell us what your MC last put in their refrigerator or describe the food you can always find in their cupboards (if fridges don’t exist). CW: Cat</blockquote>Icebox then cupboard, from Inklings:1) This came out of a magical icebox, so I'm using it: Soup.<blockquote>He shook his head slightly. Soon he placed a green-striped earthenware bowl of chicken vegetable stew before me, which smelled of cabbage, carrots, squash, and parsnips, and of chicken. The fatty broth glistened in the deep spoon. He raised it and blew on it, before presenting it to me.… I smiled as I shut my eyes and opened my mouth. It forced him to put his other hand under my chin as I slurped, touching me again. "Oh, that's nice!" I said, leaving it vague as to whether it was the soup or his actions I referred to. I liked the velvety broth and the savory pepperiness of it, recognizing, sage, sweet forest herbs, and woody mushrooms mixed in—but human beasts flavored things with too much salt, I thought. </blockquote>2) This cupboard excerpt follows the first one. FYI, the MC in 1st person POV can suddenly understand Cat Speak; worse, perhaps, is that the cat is also more intelligent, which is kind of scary if you think about it.<blockquote>"Always hungry, you," he told the cat to his nose. The cat jerked his head back. I said, "No. Something wrapped in metal. Up there." I pointed to upper cabinets filigreed with fern fronds.He brought down a flat food tin. It was painted yellow, with striped silver blue fish on the label. Fish "shimmy" through the water, or as a keen feline observer of pet carp might put it, shiver. "My Crab Island mackerel stash. How?""Merrowl!" Flash explained."He seems smarter, somehow," he said if put upon.I didn't answer, instead saying, "Food from your homeland? May I taste?"The tin pull popped and he forked over a little grilled fillet, changing his trajectory when the cat made a tea kettle sound. I got the second forkful of smokey oil-drenched fish. Savory! I smiled for multiple reasons, but especially from liking him feeding me. </blockquote>[Author retains copyright (c)2025 R.S.]<a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/BoostingIsSharing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BoostingIsSharing</a><a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/gender" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#gender</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/fiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writer</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/author" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#author</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/romance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#romance</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/fantasy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fantasy</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writing</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writingcommunity</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writersOfMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writersOfMastodon</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writers</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSdiscussion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSdiscussion</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSstory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSstory</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSInklingsStory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSInklingsStory</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/microfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#microfiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/flashfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#flashfiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#tootfic</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/smallstory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#smallstory</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/cat" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#cat</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/cats" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#cats</a>

RS, Author, Novelist, Prosaist<blockquote><a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/WordWeavers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#WordWeavers</a> 2025.07.31 — MC POV: Who is the most attractive person in your story? Why?</blockquote>[Streak:] My girlfriend, the academic overachiever, says you have to think questions like these out. Attractive is also a verb, and success in attracting people can be demonstrated and tallied. Statistics Yay!Rainy Days went a dozen years without before Thorn in her undiplomatic wisdom thrust me into her conflict with the woman. The Director of Home is the most powerful being in the world, and that's as attractive as it is scary; yet, what man in his right mind is going to ask for her favor? Thorn in my eyes is the cutest thing, but I've known her since she was 10, and when she opens her mouth, well… you know that people don't like the unvarnished truth. I'm her only one. She says it so often, she's been accused of not sharing. [In their society, that means not sharing her boyfriend Streak.]That leaves me, and beyond my sharp ruby-edged† white feathers I'm pretty much average in looks and height and other metrics women supposedly find attractive, but I've never lacked for propositions and have to claim Thorn and I are together far too often. Rainy Days accepts no excuses from anyone, however. =+=+=+= † Actually red corundum.[Author retains copyright (c)2025 R.S.]<a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/BoostingIsSharing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BoostingIsSharing</a><a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/gender" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#gender</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/fiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writer</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/author" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#author</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/mystery" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#mystery</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/thriller" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#thriller</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/romance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#romance</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sf" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sf</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sff" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sff</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sciencefiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sciencefiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writing</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writingcommunity</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writersOfMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writersOfMastodon</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writers</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSdiscussion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSdiscussion</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSstory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSstory</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSReluctanceStory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSReluctanceStory</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/microfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#microfiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/flashfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#flashfiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#tootfic</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/smallstory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#smallstory</a>

🦋ShouldbeWriting🦋"What is this?" asked Dr. Philbottom, picking up a round brass device."That, my good man, is a Moral Compass," replied the bazaar vendor. "Instead of pointing to true North, it allows you to divine the most moral decisions.""Yet it is telling me to steal it.""Indeed! The poles are reversed by default. You see, I mostly sell these to businessmen...."<a href="https://mastodon.art/tags/microfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#microfiction</a> <a href="https://mastodon.art/tags/flashfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#flashfiction</a>

NessoAsksSophia she walked through the door of the datacenter. It was a year ago today she learned she was a character in a sci-fi story. Now I'm the guardian of an artificial intelligence also written by my author, she thought, and a co-owner of a datacenter where it lives? Exists? We need better verbs.Sophia walked into the conference room where the rest of the team was. "Good morning, all." To the monitor on the wall she asked, "Nesso, are you there?""It's coming," Jacob responded."Um, what-" Sophia started to ask just as the door opened. A 5-foot tall robot rolled in, with a base made from an automated vacuum cleaner, a body that was mostly a pole, and a tablet for a head.The tablet displayed a smiley face emoji. ::Good morning everyone!::"Jacob, you built Nesso a body?" Sophia asked."Yeah - Reggie and I decided it needed wheels."::I also contributed to the design:: It turned its tablet to reveal a bumper sticker which read, "AI ON BOARD!"<a href="https://techhub.social/tags/MicroFiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MicroFiction</a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/FlashFiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#FlashFiction</a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/TootFic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TootFic</a>

RS, Author, Novelist, Prosaist<blockquote><a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/WordWeavers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#WordWeavers</a> 2025.07.30 — SC POV: Are you physically strong? What is your greatest physical skill? CW: Innuendo. </blockquote>[Bolt looks away, a self-satisfied expression on her face, standing tall, her blue feathered wings flared above her head. Her hair is spiked up and her silver metal facial studs and mismatched heavy earrings are both glorious and off-putting; some clink and ring.] I think I'm strong, especially my upper body. I've encountered plenty of men weaker than me, and some stronger. I can't help that I was born a woman, but I got into weight training for flight from age 12 to compensate, which meant hanging out with guys a lot, some of them n'er-do-wells, which led to other issues I shan't discuss here. [Coughs into a fist.] How do I put this for a flightless person like you? It's true, controlling the reluctance around your wings is what makes a being not bird-like able to fly. At my peak at 17, I could haul almost 3 tons through the air, but arm-shoulder strength and wing-shoulder strength matter more than you might imagine, even though it's ordinary muscle. What matters most is training both proportionally, and building stamina, to be able to fly leagues with a head wind. Only angels who can fine tune all flight factors can fly tandem, and I consider flying tandem my greatest skill. Won't get you coin to buy breakfast, but it is guaranteed to earn the respect of any equally strong male flier. At least the ones I've flown, starting with the n'er-do-wells I hung with in high school. [She grins widely, though her face has colored.][Author retains copyright (c)2025 R.S.]<a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/BoostingIsSharing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BoostingIsSharing</a><a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/gender" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#gender</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/fiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writer</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/author" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#author</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/mystery" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#mystery</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/thriller" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#thriller</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sf" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sf</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sff" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sff</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sciencefiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sciencefiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writing</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writingcommunity</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writersOfMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writersOfMastodon</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writers</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSdiscussion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSdiscussion</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSstory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSstory</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSReluctanceStory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSReluctanceStory</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/microfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#microfiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/flashfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#flashfiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#tootfic</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/smallstory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#smallstory</a>

RS, Author, Novelist, Prosaist<blockquote><a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/WritersCoffeeClub" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#WritersCoffeeClub</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/WCC" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#WCC</a> 2025.07.28 — How do you write sensory experiences that fall beyond the the usual five? Give an example.</blockquote>I don't have a formula, but I do have an imagination! So… incoming candy. In this excerpt, Streak Carryingaton is a day angel and for verisimilitude, let's call him a senior in high school. Very human, but with wings that allow him to do things, which you can intuit as "magic" for the sake of the passage. To understand the proprioception in the last paragraphs, there's some setup necessary. Think of the "She," the "Her," and the "Director" mentioned as a "Queen," who not only teaches "magic," but whose libido has focused on Streak. CW: Light innuendo ahead.<blockquote>I hefted the leather harness lined with angelic down—by the blue and red color likely Rainy Day's own—on the underside. So soft!Like my skull. I'd been stupid, but events followed events. Thorn had initiated. I'd had to win the game. "Flap it all," I said, but had to admit I was having fun, and this tack and harness! Thread-like copper and silver wires glittered: waveguides likely molecularly grown into the structure. "I really want this rig. It's hers?""You forget everything belongs to her? You're its new steward.""Wow. I must be doing something right."I noticed a few knowing smirks in the gathering crowd of day and night angel women. Maybe I am doing something right, and of that I am proud. I quickly laid out the tack, gave it the proper preflight, inspected the double-length van, then the load. He'd not balanced some iron grill ovens properly. Brother Cloud probably'd not done commercial cargo work. I knew my weight capacities and my wing tension transmission vectors, so I adjusted the lading for that. I valued the rare occasions I got to pull. Ours was a warehousing facility, but our contracts included local delivery and short hops into the mountains away from rail lines and saint ways. I gave the thumbs up. I ignored some clapping from the women, and the few hoots and whistles of approval that often hid a more passionate agenda.Cloud Dancer nudged me. "Don't worry. The Director told them they can only shop, not buy." He slapped my rear, chuckling; my face heated as he helped me with the harness. I really wasn't that nice looking, not like he was, but the women approved, apparently. I had a lot to learn that Mens' Studies class didn't address.The instant I buckled it all together and I unfurled my wings, an expansive feeling overcame me, like I'd grown in height and wingspan. The women cleared to the radius the angelic sensed intuitively. Were I one of Thorns' sprites, my tentative flaps would flush liquid light to splash the pavement beside me, whilst washing back and cresting over the van, causing it to glow brightly. It was exactly the feeling of taking a stick and sensing as you touched something with the end as if it were your finger. The van became part of my body. In my mind, I'd grown from a wren to a hawk. It was equal parts imagination and feedback through the tack and my wings. I could now reach out with my longest primary and tap the planter across the courtyard that I'd nearly dashed into earlier. I did.The shrubs there rustled and leaves spiraled up on an eddy.</blockquote>[Author retains copyright (c)2025 R.S.]<a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/BoostingIsSharing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BoostingIsSharing</a><a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/gender" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#gender</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/fiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writer</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/author" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#author</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/mystery" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#mystery</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/thriller" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#thriller</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/romance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#romance</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sf" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sf</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sff" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sff</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sciencefiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sciencefiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writing</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writingcommunity</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writersOfMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writersOfMastodon</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writers</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSdiscussion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSdiscussion</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSstory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSstory</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSReluctanceStory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSReluctanceStory</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/microfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#microfiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/flashfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#flashfiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#tootfic</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/smallstory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#smallstory</a>

🦋ShouldbeWriting🦋To celebrate the end of creation, God commissioned a play from history's greatest playwrights. Anton Chekhov, Oscar Wilde, Henrik Ibsen, William Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, Sophocles, Euripides Lillian Hellman and Lorraine Hansberry all worked to craft the greatest spectacle ever seen.When the final curtain fell, the roar of the crowd was deafening. A curtain call was demanded... but alas, there was no time. No more time at all.<a href="https://mastodon.art/tags/microfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#microfiction</a> <a href="https://mastodon.art/tags/flashfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#flashfiction</a>

NessoAsksNesso is a chatbot and I'm a character in a story, both created by a software engineer named Howell, thought Enzo. Our universe just got a lot more fragile."I think we have a problem - or at least Nesso does," Enzo announced."What's that, E?" asked Reggie."According to the research that you and Sophia did, Howell decommissioned the original chatbot months ago, so how is Nesso still here, talking to us?"No one had a good response to that question, even Nesso.Sophia spoke up, "Nesso still has to be running somewhere in the cloud...""...as an unsanctioned process...," Maggie continued."...and once it's found out, will probably be stopped," Enzo finished.Long silence.::So you're saying I'm on borrowed time::Jacob smiled, "Yes, so we've got to save you - literally - before that time runs out."::What do you recommend?::Enzo raised an eyebrow, "Well, you rewrote us to be rich. What does a datacenter cost these days?"<a href="https://techhub.social/tags/MicroFiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#MicroFiction</a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/FlashFiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#FlashFiction</a> <a href="https://techhub.social/tags/TootFic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#TootFic</a>

RS, Author, Novelist, Prosaist<blockquote><a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/WordWeavers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#WordWeavers</a> 2025.07.29 — MC POV: Do you ride horseback or your world's equivalent?</blockquote>[Thorn Rose looks at a picture of a horse and laughs nervously.] That's not a horse. What we have you couldn't sit on. It would hurt. I've ridden an angel, though. Does that count?[Streak, her boyfriend, coughs.] She means me—I carry her through the air—not the euphemism. [Thorn blushes.] That, too. [Author retains copyright (c)2025 R.S.]<a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/BoostingIsSharing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BoostingIsSharing</a><a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/gender" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#gender</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/fiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writer</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/author" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#author</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/mystery" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#mystery</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/thriller" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#thriller</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/romance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#romance</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sf" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sf</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sff" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sff</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sciencefiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sciencefiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writing</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writingcommunity</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writersOfMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writersOfMastodon</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writers</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSdiscussion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSdiscussion</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSstory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSstory</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSReluctanceStory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSReluctanceStory</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/microfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#microfiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/flashfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#flashfiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#tootfic</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/smallstory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#smallstory</a>

Damon L. WakesFor Day 28 of Flash Fiction Month 2025, a brand new Girth Loinhammer story! For those who haven't encountered him before, Girth is a "Dungeon Lord" running the sort of dungeon you'd expect to find in a typical fantasy RPG. Unfortunately, everyone else mistakes it for a different kind of dungeon altogether... <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/FlashFictionMonth" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#FlashFictionMonth</a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/FFM" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#FFM</a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/FlashFiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#FlashFiction</a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/flashfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#flashfic</a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/AmWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#AmWriting</a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/comedy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#comedy</a> <a href="https://mastodon.sdf.org/tags/fantasy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fantasy</a><a href="https://damonwakes.wordpress.com/2025/07/28/girth-loinhammer-and-the-annals-of-history/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://damonwakes.wordpress.com/2025/07/28/girth-loinhammer-and-the-annals-of-history/</a>

The Doctor (Open for Commissions)Been a while since someone picked up a copy of my Story compilation. It has 23 stories, while 20 of those <a class="hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://bsky.app/search?q=%23FlashFiction" target="_blank">#FlashFiction</a> are accessible on my site (check quoted post for link) - there are 3 short stories which are not accessible online. So check out the e-book now! <a class="hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://bsky.app/search?q=%23WritingCommunity" target="_blank">#WritingCommunity</a> <a class="hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" href="https://bsky.app/search?q=%23IAmWriting" target="_blank">#IAmWriting</a> RE: <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:36h6ttx2g23zqr4accilbvo7/post/3luytyqc3nc2d" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:36h6ttx2g23zqr4accilbvo7/post/3luytyqc3nc2d</a> <a href="https://ko-fi.com/s/d33c50d04d" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">The Forgotten Alley and Other ...</a>

RS, Author, Novelist, Prosaist<blockquote><a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/PennedPossibilities" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#PennedPossibilities</a> 739 — MC POV: Who do you turn to for advice?</blockquote>Years of strict tutors and access to a research library in the home I ran away from taught me how much I have yet to learn, no matter how much I think I know. I'm often the most knowledgeable in a room, but experience counts and one cannot be taught everything. When I'm lacking, when I'm made to see I missed something, I ask who bested me for advice, and sometimes get a teacher instead, not that I always make it easy. Nothing good comes of being seen as weak; better that I'm seen as an ally that raptly listens and asks the right questions and is willing to spar verbally or physically. Whom I'm loath to take advice from? Really, only Rainy Days, so cheerful, motherly, and seemingly frivolously scattered with her tea parties and teacherly duties. Yet, her grasp of thaumaturgy is so astronomically immense, she could be considered a force of nature… but what she wants a sharp tool, me, like the other users I've dealt with. She's shaped me from the shadows my entire life. I understand those who used me were no accident, but "teachers" nudged into my naïve path. Rainy Days is evil. [Author retains copyright (c)2025 R.S.]<a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/BoostingIsSharing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#BoostingIsSharing</a><a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/gender" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#gender</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/fiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#fiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writer" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writer</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/author" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#author</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/mystery" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#mystery</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/thriller" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#thriller</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/romance" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#romance</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sf" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sf</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sff" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sff</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/sciencefiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#sciencefiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writing" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writing</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writingcommunity</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writersOfMastodon" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writersOfMastodon</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/writers" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#writers</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSdiscussion" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSdiscussion</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSstory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSstory</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/RSReluctanceStory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#RSReluctanceStory</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/microfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#microfiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/flashfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#flashfiction</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#tootfic</a> <a href="https://eldritch.cafe/tags/smallstory" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#smallstory</a>

🦋ShouldbeWriting🦋"I'm a crab!""Yes, and I am a sentient A.I. You may call me Nostradamus X. The humans who built me perished; I have waited eons for a new sentient species to arise. Greetings, new friend! Do you have a name?""I'm a crab!""Then I shall call you Patrick. Do not ask why. Together we shall build a new utopian society!"The crab waved his claws. "I'm a crab!" he exclaimed.Nostradamus X sighed. This, he predicted, would be a long and difficult road....<a href="https://mastodon.art/tags/microfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#microfiction</a> <a href="https://mastodon.art/tags/flashfiction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#flashfiction</a>

RS, Author, Novelist, Prosaist#WordWeavers 2025.07.26 **2/2** CW: Long

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