InterNutter

Indie writer seeks audience with an audience. Paying customers welcome. [pronouns: ze/hir] Daily free stories happen because it is an excellent counter to Writers' Block.

Burpengary East http://www.cmweller.com 12539 posts

Challenge #02036-E212: One Question

A new revolution was in motion and it’s progress could not be stopped.

After all, nerds are nothing if not stubborn in their pursuit of knowledge.

They were going to enlighten (pun totally intended) this oppressed world, plant the ideas and curiosity that the new power tried so hard to exterminate. They were going to return to the world the gift Aelria gave to them when she told them “look up”.

After all, nerds never die out. They just go stealth. -- A-Literal-Fan

[AN: Callback to this story for those of you who don't want to go archive trawling]

It's easy to be angry at something that you don't understand. Many chose the easy path. Screaming, yelling, or firing weapons at the unfamiliar lights in the sky. Many were hit by falling projectiles. A few died. Some called it the Reckoning, and said it was an indicator of their God's wrath for sins real, imagined, or impossible.

Some stared, stunned, not knowing what it was they saw. And when the power went back on, and the night sky returned to its familiar black under the glare of the city lights, they went back indoors and swallowed what the media told them. Hook, line, and sinker.

But a few. A rare and precious few. Wondered. They wondered, What was that? and, How did it happen? and, Why did a power failure cause it? The news reports said it was a terrorist act, but never explained how it was done or what had been used or even what the message was besides, "A message of hate."

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The wait begins

I could not recover the email that my system ate. Woe. So I rewrote it. And sent it. And now I am merely attempting to not perish from the sheer anxiety of it.

8th House, the first publisher on the block, has stated nothing about simultaneous submissions nor a turn-around time. Darn. I feel like I should wait until September before trying another publisher, repeat in October, and then lurk off the radar until February. Thus avoiding the stench of NaNo.

Nothing

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Challenge #02035-E211: The Magic Grandma

[Title: Invisible actors] You never see them normally, they often look drab and ordinary - till they open their vocal cords. (She was a little old lady, well dressed, out of place at a science fiction convention. "Close your eyes!") -- Anon Guest

[AN: Does nobody read the pinned notifications on message boards any more? ::weeps:: ]

"I've been onstage for one minute, and I can already see a host of disappointed kiddies in the groundling zone," said the charming old lady. "You

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Time on My Hands

Good news bad news. Good news - I don't need to fret about posting my Blasts From the Past any more. And therefore have more time in my day.

Bad news - the draft I thought I had saved of a carefully-worded and exciting pitch to a publisher vanished without a fucking trace.

I can't even get rid of the window full of the empty document. It's just. There. Unkillable. Uneditable. Unbelievable.

So yeah.

Some of my morning will be absorbed by

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Challenge #02034-E210: Incident During the Building of Antagulus IV

[Words you learn to dread hearing. #3.] "It seemed like a good idea at the time." -- Knitnan

Something, somewhere, was on fire. Aarblax could see the smoke curling through the air. This was, thankfully, a facility with a generous amount of atmosphere to share, so it wasn't that worrying. Yet. The Public Address system was making bizarre, intermittent noises. This meant that someone had manually disabled the alerts and the system was attempting connections through the network. Which had also been

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An End, A Beginning, A New Way

Today's the day I reach the end of my Blasts From the Past. Which means I have to find three other things to write about to keep my scores up, OR... focus intently on the one Instant and just go from there.

If I choose the latter [because lazy] I will have more time for Other Projects, which will be something of a boon.

I could also post sample chapters of whatever whenever so I can maybe entice people over to help

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Challenge #02033-E209: So They Noticed

[Title: Words you learn to dread hearing. #2.]"So who's going to notice?" -- Knitnan

The little vessel was lost. Broken. Limping through a Sargasso of wrecked and abandoned vessels in the middle of nowhere. No radio. No comms. No chance of making it to civilisation as the occupants knew it. They were losing air and hope at the same rate.

"I found a vessel with compatible air," said one occupants. "With the 'locks together, we can minimise air loss for evac.

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Almost There!

Nod to the Disney song of the same title. I have almost caught up with everything. I have almost sent off a query and sample to a publisher, bu-u-ut...

My email server decided to up and DIE. For all of yesterday. And today isn't looking so swell either.

If y'all really need to contact me about something, then get to me via nutter (no spaces) buttler (at) gmail (dot) com. That's my alternate email and -so far- no spammers have found it.

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Challenge #02032-E208: Least Threatening Silhouette

[Title: Words you learn to dread hearing. #1.] "I was only..." -- Knitnan

[AN: Once again I have to remind my dear readers that I don't usually pay attention to the titles of your prompt posts. Doing this sort of thing throws off my rhythm and I've already had a crowded day today]

Humans. They do all kinds of hazardous things without thinking about it. Playing gravity games and forgetting that other beings find these unnerving. Singing songs about death and murder[

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Understandably Late Start

I got a parcel in the afternoon, when I was up to my eyeballs in a fictional international misunderstanding.

By the time I had my fecal matter gathered for the afternoon, I was too wasted to go anywhere or do anything because stress can fuck your life up in unexpected ways. Huzzah.

I initially had PLNs to go when Beloved came home, or get them to drive me, but those disintegrated because of a real misunderstanding involving steak, cooking times, and a

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Challenge #02031-E207: Needs of the Many Can Bite Me

“You’re risking the lives of millions - millions of lives! - for the sake of one.”

“Damn right I am! And besides, I promised I’d get you out of this mess alive, didn’t I?” -- Anon Guest

"But... the needs of the many," objected Koraz.

"Flakk the needs of the many, I made a promise." Human Kaf had his head down and his shoulders hunched. "I keep my word. Wanna fight me about that?"

"No," sighed Koraz with a

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Wednesday

It's going to be a Wordpress Wednesday and once again, I have NO CLUE what I'm going to blither about, so I might as well figure that out while I'm doing other things.

I'm good at getting distracting ideas while I should be doing other shit.

I'm also good at having a whack firkin energy schedule. Like. I can't not wake up at buttfuck o'clock in the morning any more. And then, long about 4PM, my body apparently can't let me enjoy

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Challenge #02030-E206: But Not My Friend

“I refuse to let you die”

-- A surprisingly common (and even more surprisingly functional) human phrase.

More lives than can be counted have been saved due to this statement. -- Anon Guest

Flaax had expected to die. That was what happened when the Vorax attacked. People died. Civilisations ended. If one was lucky, wreckage containing last messages to loved ones could be found after the fact.

And then the Humans became part of the Galactic landscape, so to speak. They hunted

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Tuesday

It's Patreon Day (tm) and I hope to get some different things up. For those of you following my fanfic shenanigans, I have two offerings and one may be full of squick. Approach with caution. I will add squick warnings for all things squickable.

Maybe even a squick tag. That can be a thing.

Now that I've said an invented term too many times, [urban dictionary is your friend] I can move on to other business.

The TAZ Fic Writer's Discord remains

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Challenge #02029-E205: Humans Are Breakable

How do aliens deal with humans on board missions/crews with serious mental illnesses? As even those who have “recovered” can relapse and have issues now and again, especially after certain triggers. I know this isn’t as interesting or fun as some of your other prompts but I’d really like to see what you would come up with. Thanks! -- Anon Guest

Human Polli was a Team Mom type Human and the gentlest soul anyone could care to meet. But

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