A Flip of the Coin - FFM 2023 4 by AveryHayes, literature
Literature
A Flip of the Coin - FFM 2023 4
“Oy, there et is.” Captain Waterblock’s quartermaster handed him the telescope. Just on the edge of their vision, the Shivering Oscar floated towards them. Right on time. Two weeks ago, the Shivering Oscar and Captain Waterblock’s Mighty Luis executed simultaneous plans to raid the Imperial Armory. The strange part was, neither were aware the other would be there. It was meant to be one of the biggest scores either ship had ever seen, not just enough to retire on but be armed enough to defend it. Each crewmember was given the chance to leave if they did not want to risk their lives. But of course, every soul stayed to gamble it all. They were pirates, after all. The captains had getaway teams at the ready, explosives squads for distraction, boats and horses ready for all kinds of extraction if anything went even slightly awry. And with everything in place, the most important rule was quiet. Do nothing and stay silent until the scouting party made it inside and opened those
The Road to the Afterlife - FFM 2023 3 by AveryHayes, literature
Literature
The Road to the Afterlife - FFM 2023 3
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Every sinner that burns eternal has once uttered some variation of, “But I didn’t MEAN to…” They’re sweet lies they tell themselves in order to feel justified in their sin. And while truly good intentions are admirable, hell is more interested in outcome than intention. Heaven is also paved with good intentions. Those who ascend are the purest souls who followed their heart and also did their research to ensure the journey and the destination were Good. Heaven is also empty, because nobody knows that you need twenty-six obsidian BrimCoins to enter heaven, which you only obtain by haunting Earth and guiding people to Heaven, which nobody even knows is possible because haunting is, of course, considered Evil. It is a known and unresolved bug in the system, and God and its Angels are quiet on the matter.
The Sweet and Shattered Sky - FFM 2023 2 by AveryHayes, literature
Literature
The Sweet and Shattered Sky - FFM 2023 2
Nothing struck the sky and shattered it. One day, however, shatter it did. At some point over Iceland, a seemingly random location, a fissure formed and in moments ripped around the entire latitude of the planet. Millions of people died from the massive impacts of continent-sized sheets of… Rock candy? Couldn’t be, no, and sheets of rock candy they were crushed by. There were no immediate humanitarian efforts sent outside of any country, as each fended for themselves and attempted to figure out what happened and set systems in place to heal and feed itself. Within a few days, however, humidity melted the rock candy into pools of liquid sugar. Just one of the biggest questions asked by humanity quickly became, “Why is the sky made of sweet treats?” Immediately followed by, “But where did space go?” To be clear, Earth was no longer covered in a layer of atmosphere insulating it from the void of space, nor could the void of space be detected at all. Instead, the skies and above
The Child of Darkness - FFM 2023 1 by AveryHayes, literature
Literature
The Child of Darkness - FFM 2023 1
The message had been posted during the two days Pearl had been gone collecting herbs and seeds for the baker and the alchemist. The paper was clean, untouched by rain and kept crisp by the dry summer air. It was written in foreign script she could recognize as Imperial, and just the sight of it made her angry. Pearl was too old to get afraid now. Too experienced with the reality of war to want to run. Confident she could keep her village safe from another attack, she ripped the paper off the board and walked to the alchemists’ house first. Dark, fragrant smoke plumed out of the alchemist’s chimney as it ever did. It only ceased if he was injured, and would have if he ever got sick… But what kind of alchemist would he be if he got sick? Since it was midday, Pearl simply opened his door and stepped in, announcing herself as she entered. “Harold? I have your seeds. And… We got another message.” Harold’s shop was obsessively organized in a fashion that made sense to him, but looked
My hut is quiet. Miles away from town, the hill I built it on was once naturally plateaued in sections but evened out by my hands over weeks. I built it simply out of wood and decorated it with furs and nets to keep the bugs outside. It is painted red with berry pulp, one that smells repulsive to most predators but also doesn’t attract the attention of the cows, chickens, and dogs that lived outside. Inside I had a bed, a table, and some storage.
For me, this life was enough.
I was sitting and eating when the tattoo flowed from the center of my chest and spread across my body. Strongly non-magical bands of thick black, they criss-cros
The city skyline melted away before Bailai's eyes and gave way to the vast ocean of the Sprawl. She saw the yellow-and-purple prefab building that contained her apartment and over a hundred others fly past on the horizon. It felt like such a final thing this time - not leaving for a visit or a trip somewhere else, but to leave for good? To leave so thoroughly that she had to make a new home for herself? These thoughts had once felt overwhelming, but then she ran into Patches.
Patches was a salesman adventurer, roaming far and wide (mostly outside of dangerous areas) in search of interesting and weird magical items to sell. The selling was re
"Hands in the air."
"What is this?"
"A robbery. Drop your valuables on the ground and keep walking."
"Lord knows how you vandals keep getting guns."
"Or how you rich idiots always think a gun is the only viable option. Come on, valuables."
"...Sorry, are you robbing me with a knife?"
"I - HEY! Get back here!"
FFM2015 - The Roach Motel Sniper by AveryHayes, literature
Literature
FFM2015 - The Roach Motel Sniper
Rain pelted the windows of my floating city apartment. Wipers worked endlessly to keep the sludge and acids from building up, keep my view of the parking garage clean. I glance at the clock, and close the blinds.
My pincers click on the barrel of my gun, pulling it from the bin of parts at my feet. Seconds later, my four arms carry a fully assembled Jirya-style rifle. Three barrels, all different lengths. Designed to impact the chitin shell of a fellow 'Roach at different times and crack it open. The bullets wouldn't kill - but the sudden exposure to a heavy acid rain storm would.
Heavy Acid Rain Storm. I thought. My employers would like th
FFM2015 15 - No, Fang You by AveryHayes, literature
Literature
FFM2015 15 - No, Fang You
“Lyle?”
“Mm?”
The Vampiric Depository burned brightly behind them.
“Are you mad?”
For once, the voodoo skull sounded apologetic.
“Yes.”
“For what it’s worth, I genuinely couldn’t detect they were there.”
Lyle tongued his now-pointed canines. They felt wrong in his mouth.
“What’s the going price for de-vamping these days?”
The voodoo skull quoted a number. Lyle winced.
“Then I guess I’m a bloodsucker for a while.” He shouldered the backpack full of O-negative, and started walking home.
FFM2015 14 - out-World Blues by AveryHayes, literature
Literature
FFM2015 14 - out-World Blues
I have been out of the World for eight years. I showed high in-World aptitude for coding ‘theoretical simulations’ - virtual reality. Imagine my surprise when I woke up and found out my theories have been true for a while.
At first I simply worked, did as I was told. I cut the superfluous code from the human experience - pain, sadness, war. I made the World as beautiful as possible. I gave it peace.
The man I replaced had only gone into the World for a break. To experience the fruits of his labor, and grade me on mine.
But technology is not infallible. After these eight years, the neuro-injector in my brain broke and the drugs
A Flip of the Coin - FFM 2023 4 by AveryHayes, literature
Literature
A Flip of the Coin - FFM 2023 4
“Oy, there et is.” Captain Waterblock’s quartermaster handed him the telescope. Just on the edge of their vision, the Shivering Oscar floated towards them. Right on time. Two weeks ago, the Shivering Oscar and Captain Waterblock’s Mighty Luis executed simultaneous plans to raid the Imperial Armory. The strange part was, neither were aware the other would be there. It was meant to be one of the biggest scores either ship had ever seen, not just enough to retire on but be armed enough to defend it. Each crewmember was given the chance to leave if they did not want to risk their lives. But of course, every soul stayed to gamble it all. They were pirates, after all. The captains had getaway teams at the ready, explosives squads for distraction, boats and horses ready for all kinds of extraction if anything went even slightly awry. And with everything in place, the most important rule was quiet. Do nothing and stay silent until the scouting party made it inside and opened those
The Road to the Afterlife - FFM 2023 3 by AveryHayes, literature
Literature
The Road to the Afterlife - FFM 2023 3
The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Every sinner that burns eternal has once uttered some variation of, “But I didn’t MEAN to…” They’re sweet lies they tell themselves in order to feel justified in their sin. And while truly good intentions are admirable, hell is more interested in outcome than intention. Heaven is also paved with good intentions. Those who ascend are the purest souls who followed their heart and also did their research to ensure the journey and the destination were Good. Heaven is also empty, because nobody knows that you need twenty-six obsidian BrimCoins to enter heaven, which you only obtain by haunting Earth and guiding people to Heaven, which nobody even knows is possible because haunting is, of course, considered Evil. It is a known and unresolved bug in the system, and God and its Angels are quiet on the matter.
The Sweet and Shattered Sky - FFM 2023 2 by AveryHayes, literature
Literature
The Sweet and Shattered Sky - FFM 2023 2
Nothing struck the sky and shattered it. One day, however, shatter it did. At some point over Iceland, a seemingly random location, a fissure formed and in moments ripped around the entire latitude of the planet. Millions of people died from the massive impacts of continent-sized sheets of… Rock candy? Couldn’t be, no, and sheets of rock candy they were crushed by. There were no immediate humanitarian efforts sent outside of any country, as each fended for themselves and attempted to figure out what happened and set systems in place to heal and feed itself. Within a few days, however, humidity melted the rock candy into pools of liquid sugar. Just one of the biggest questions asked by humanity quickly became, “Why is the sky made of sweet treats?” Immediately followed by, “But where did space go?” To be clear, Earth was no longer covered in a layer of atmosphere insulating it from the void of space, nor could the void of space be detected at all. Instead, the skies and above
The Child of Darkness - FFM 2023 1 by AveryHayes, literature
Literature
The Child of Darkness - FFM 2023 1
The message had been posted during the two days Pearl had been gone collecting herbs and seeds for the baker and the alchemist. The paper was clean, untouched by rain and kept crisp by the dry summer air. It was written in foreign script she could recognize as Imperial, and just the sight of it made her angry. Pearl was too old to get afraid now. Too experienced with the reality of war to want to run. Confident she could keep her village safe from another attack, she ripped the paper off the board and walked to the alchemists’ house first. Dark, fragrant smoke plumed out of the alchemist’s chimney as it ever did. It only ceased if he was injured, and would have if he ever got sick… But what kind of alchemist would he be if he got sick? Since it was midday, Pearl simply opened his door and stepped in, announcing herself as she entered. “Harold? I have your seeds. And… We got another message.” Harold’s shop was obsessively organized in a fashion that made sense to him, but looked
My hut is quiet. Miles away from town, the hill I built it on was once naturally plateaued in sections but evened out by my hands over weeks. I built it simply out of wood and decorated it with furs and nets to keep the bugs outside. It is painted red with berry pulp, one that smells repulsive to most predators but also doesn’t attract the attention of the cows, chickens, and dogs that lived outside. Inside I had a bed, a table, and some storage.
For me, this life was enough.
I was sitting and eating when the tattoo flowed from the center of my chest and spread across my body. Strongly non-magical bands of thick black, they criss-cros
The city skyline melted away before Bailai's eyes and gave way to the vast ocean of the Sprawl. She saw the yellow-and-purple prefab building that contained her apartment and over a hundred others fly past on the horizon. It felt like such a final thing this time - not leaving for a visit or a trip somewhere else, but to leave for good? To leave so thoroughly that she had to make a new home for herself? These thoughts had once felt overwhelming, but then she ran into Patches.
Patches was a salesman adventurer, roaming far and wide (mostly outside of dangerous areas) in search of interesting and weird magical items to sell. The selling was re
"Hands in the air."
"What is this?"
"A robbery. Drop your valuables on the ground and keep walking."
"Lord knows how you vandals keep getting guns."
"Or how you rich idiots always think a gun is the only viable option. Come on, valuables."
"...Sorry, are you robbing me with a knife?"
"I - HEY! Get back here!"
FFM2015 - The Roach Motel Sniper by AveryHayes, literature
Literature
FFM2015 - The Roach Motel Sniper
Rain pelted the windows of my floating city apartment. Wipers worked endlessly to keep the sludge and acids from building up, keep my view of the parking garage clean. I glance at the clock, and close the blinds.
My pincers click on the barrel of my gun, pulling it from the bin of parts at my feet. Seconds later, my four arms carry a fully assembled Jirya-style rifle. Three barrels, all different lengths. Designed to impact the chitin shell of a fellow 'Roach at different times and crack it open. The bullets wouldn't kill - but the sudden exposure to a heavy acid rain storm would.
Heavy Acid Rain Storm. I thought. My employers would like th
FFM2015 15 - No, Fang You by AveryHayes, literature
Literature
FFM2015 15 - No, Fang You
“Lyle?”
“Mm?”
The Vampiric Depository burned brightly behind them.
“Are you mad?”
For once, the voodoo skull sounded apologetic.
“Yes.”
“For what it’s worth, I genuinely couldn’t detect they were there.”
Lyle tongued his now-pointed canines. They felt wrong in his mouth.
“What’s the going price for de-vamping these days?”
The voodoo skull quoted a number. Lyle winced.
“Then I guess I’m a bloodsucker for a while.” He shouldered the backpack full of O-negative, and started walking home.
FFM2015 14 - out-World Blues by AveryHayes, literature
Literature
FFM2015 14 - out-World Blues
I have been out of the World for eight years. I showed high in-World aptitude for coding ‘theoretical simulations’ - virtual reality. Imagine my surprise when I woke up and found out my theories have been true for a while.
At first I simply worked, did as I was told. I cut the superfluous code from the human experience - pain, sadness, war. I made the World as beautiful as possible. I gave it peace.
The man I replaced had only gone into the World for a break. To experience the fruits of his labor, and grade me on mine.
But technology is not infallible. After these eight years, the neuro-injector in my brain broke and the drugs
or a journal at all
RULES:
1) You MUST post the rules.
2) Each person MUST post 5 things about themselves in their journal.
3) Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
4) You have to choose 11 people to tag and post their icons on your journal.
5) Go to their page and tell them you have tagged them.
6) NO TAG BACKS!
7) (No stuff in the tagging section about "You're Tagged If You're Reading This" You legitimately have to tag 11 people)
5 Things About Me:
1. My two middle toes next to my left big toe are webbed halfway up.
2. Although I have been inactive
ohgodwhydidistopbackingupregularlywhatwasithinkingohgoditsgone
The hard drive has failed. I was three, three and a half pages in to my first original science fiction story since years ago and now... Well, the hard drive failed. Sdfas.
Long story short, I'm going to write it again (I had it backed up to a point, thank Google for Google Docs) and I need to get my computer fixed so I can stop using this eleven year old hunkojunk.
I have deteriorated into making noises suggesting my discomfort. Hm. Hgraaag. MAAAAHAGAGNA.
Side note, have any of you seen A Serious Man? Is good movie. You should watch.