Nostr notes by Asakiyume

So beautiful and tasty looking!

2026-11-01T00:21:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…m4jc
_________________________

So beautiful and tasty looking!

The crocodile king was resting on the mud, contemplating with ...

2026-10-25T23:46:43Z

The crocodile king was resting on the mud, contemplating with bewilderment the curly-haired boy stretched out beside him. The boy's skinny legs waved in the air by the end of the king's snout, and the boy's face was right beside the king's left eye. The boy's own brown eyes were reflected in that amber orb. With one hand, the boy was #stroking the ridge above the king's eye.

"Kitty, kitty, good kitty," he was saying.

What a strange, confused child, thought the king.

#wss366 #microfiction

"What are these?" Death asked the man in the sawmill. ...

2026-10-24T00:25:08Z

"What are these?" Death asked the man in the sawmill.

"These? They're #planks in the political platform of that candidate who's the apostle of the billionaires."

"I see," said Death. "Well I have to ask: do you know how to /build/ a platform?"

"... Not really."

"Then let me help you. It should have the form of a narrow bed with walls. It should also have a lid. When the candidate comes to collect it, have him lie in it. Then put on the lid. I'll take care of the rest."

#wss366 #microfiction

The grim hunter, Death, his eyes pale as the moon, his cloak as ...

2026-10-11T10:44:06Z

The grim hunter, Death, his eyes pale as the moon, his cloak as bleached and tattered as the flag of an abandoned fortress, astride a ghostly horse, moves at a measured pace equally over empty moors and down the crowded high streets of cities, his #fell blade unsheathed, striking at will, and those cut down fall like grass, the butterfly beat of their hearts stilled.

#wss366 #microfiction

We had just finished reading "Bartleby the Scrivener," ...

2026-10-10T00:06:42Z

We had just finished reading "Bartleby the Scrivener," and we were trying to pick essay topics.

"Bartleby used to work in the Dead #Letter Office," mused Payton. "A Dead Letter Office presumes a Living Letter Office--"

"I think ordinary letters are living letters, right? Because they--"

But Payton wasn't having any of my mundane, practical comments.

"--and more importantly, an Undead Letter Office," he continued. "That's what I'm going to write my essay about."

#wss366 #microfiction

Love the corn--is it popcorn?

2026-10-06T11:48:30Z

In reply to nevent1q…spfm
_________________________

Love the corn--is it popcorn?

Ants were moving along the bridge, a tiny stream of insects, ...

2026-10-04T23:32:53Z

Ants were moving along the bridge, a tiny stream of insects, three or four abreast, #rank upon rank of tiny marchers, an ant parade. Eko and Una crouched by them, watching.

"They're carrying crumbs somewhere," Una said.

Eko frowned. He bent down until his left ear was practically on top of the ant procession. Then he lifted his head.

"I heard music. Those aren't crumbs they're carrying; they're little musical instruments. It's an ant marching band."

#wss366 #microfiction

Nostr event nevent1qqsf4fe4dwg0c2exfvdk3js06r4f94vhkrs5yzq8mlt20c4z9y6d8lqzyquncnwz6jf38lkyhm5azruvpv77ercnspadp088lxc2edx35nhgwzs0a0a

2026-10-04T22:56:34Z

#SilentSunday

After years of running a low-follower-count YouTube channel, ...

2026-09-30T18:53:48Z

After years of running a low-follower-count YouTube channel, Chalice had one of her shorts go viral—just some nonsense video of her dancing with her cat: 500 K views. For a couple more videos she was buoyed along, views still in the 50-100 K range, but they #tanked when she decided to make videos where she read her favorite books from childhood aloud.

“I’m relieved really,”she told her friend Tanager, and she seemed like she meant it. “I’m not cut out for the limelight.”

#wss366 #microfiction

"No, the saying's 'A stitch in time saves nine,' ...

2026-09-30T02:16:38Z

"No, the saying's 'A stitch in time saves nine,' not 'a #pinch in time.' The idea is that if you mend a tear when it's tiny, you sew only one stitch, but if you wait, you might need nine stitches."

Nan shook her head. "No, it's 'a pinch in time,' from the tale of the Nine Peacemakers. In the crowds gathered for the peace negotiations was an assassin, worming his way closer. A woman, angry at being jostled, pinched him hard, & he dropped his weapon. The nine were saved!"

#wss366 #microfiction

The tour came to a room in the castle cellar with a #cistern sunk ...

2026-09-29T03:39:19Z

The tour came to a room in the castle cellar with a #cistern sunk in the floor in the far corner.

"In the olden days the lord would punish people by sticking them in the cistern for days," the guide said. "Some would fall sick and die. They say their bones line the bottom of the cistern."

Mickle lingered after the tour moved on, transfixed by the cistern. The hairs on his neck rose as a voice in his ear said, "Personally, I found the cistern relaxing. Private. Quiet."

#wss366 #microfiction

In the photo on the lower left?

2026-09-28T19:28:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…455w
_________________________

In the photo on the lower left?

awesome when people on the street recognize your “spice” 😁

2026-09-26T16:23:41Z

In reply to nevent1q…lw54
_________________________

awesome when people on the street recognize your “spice” 😁

#WordWeavers 25 Sept: Do illicit drugs or alcohol play a role in ...

2026-09-25T11:57:57Z

#WordWeavers 25 Sept: Do illicit drugs or alcohol play a role in your story?

Yes. They're not the focus but they do play a role.

#ScribesAndMakers 23 Sept: Choose a noun that is representative ...

2026-09-23T12:31:42Z

#ScribesAndMakers 23 Sept: Choose a noun that is representative of you as a creative person.

Doorway

#WordWeavers 22 Sept: If you wrote a memoir about your writing ...

2026-09-22T14:44:50Z

#WordWeavers 22 Sept: If you wrote a memoir about your writing journey so far--

Let me stop you there. I'd never write a memoir about my writing journey.

I like talking one-on-one with people, and I like sharing my thoughts e.g. via these writing questions, but memoir? no.

#ScribesAndMakers 21 Sept: What character from one of your own ...

2026-09-21T15:38:18Z

#ScribesAndMakers 21 Sept: What character from one of your own books or someone else's would you want to spend a day with? What would you do?

I'd like to spend a day listening to the retired god Kadiuk's tales of ancient times.

#WordWeavers 19 Sept: What are three personality strengths your ...

2026-09-19T22:52:52Z

#WordWeavers 19 Sept: What are three personality strengths your antagonist has?

(current short piece)

--imaginative, curious, perceptive

#WordWeavers 17 Sept: By the end of your story, how many injuries ...

2026-09-17T18:22:38Z

#WordWeavers 17 Sept: By the end of your story, how many injuries has your MC had?

Some of them kind of blend together. Let's just say she needs emergency medical attention once and is hospitalized another time.

Thank you! I think I would have a lot of fun naming chiles ;-)

2026-09-16T22:46:55Z

In reply to nevent1q…5gnj
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Thank you! I think I would have a lot of fun naming chiles ;-)

Eudalys bred hotter and hotter #chiles, and Rich named them. So ...

2026-09-16T22:34:48Z

Eudalys bred hotter and hotter #chiles, and Rich named them. So far they were hovering between 1 and 2 million Scoville hotness units, up there with the Trinidad Moruga Scorpion and the Carolina Reaper. One chile Rich named the Hell Harrower and another Coronal Mass Ejection. Then Eudalys brought him a tiny purple one that bled red when you cut it.

"This one collapses time," she whispered. "Past, present and future are one in its fire." Rich named it Event Horizon.

#wss366 #microfiction

#WordWeavers 16 Sept: If your MC were elected mayor of your own ...

2026-09-16T11:21:45Z

#WordWeavers 16 Sept: If your MC were elected mayor of your own town, would you stay or move? Why?

I'm not in a financial position to up stakes and move if a bad town manager is elected, and in any case the town manager doesn't have that much power (we have a 5-person select board that makes decisions ).

What I hope for in executives at any level of gov't is commitment to the job, willingness to listen to people's concerns, and legal, noncorrupt behavior. My MC would meet those standards.

#WordWeavers 15 Sept: (paraphrase) How would your characters ...

2026-09-15T19:36:58Z

#WordWeavers 15 Sept: (paraphrase) How would your characters spend an ordinary day?

Doing their ordinary jobs. The MC enjoys her work. If it's not a work day, she'd probably spend it with one of her few friends (or possibly doing work).

good point about not knowing there'll be no disasters!

2026-09-15T19:31:17Z

In reply to nevent1q…zaf6
_________________________

good point about not knowing there'll be no disasters!

yeah! Trickster gods are a real headache!

2026-09-14T14:31:32Z

In reply to nevent1q…pz2a
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yeah! Trickster gods are a real headache!

#WordWeavers 14 Sept: Your MC is offered exactly what they've ...

2026-09-14T14:13:47Z

#WordWeavers 14 Sept: Your MC is offered exactly what they've always wanted--but accepting it will cost them something they love. What do they choose?

Have you noticed that offers of what you always wanted are rarely good news?

Deal-with-the-devil folktales are about discovering the meaning of the cost. Some tales show how a person rues that deal. Others show how a person cleverly weasels out.

My protagonists are generally suspicious of too-good-to-be-true offers. (thx adaddinsane (Steve Turnbull) (npub19a4…tnl4)!)

The School of Little Mice was where the children of tenant ...

2026-09-13T17:49:41Z

The School of Little Mice was where the children of tenant farmers, warehouse workers, and migrants heard stories of the weak overcoming the strong, e.g., the story of The Foolish General.

"You're no #match for me & my missile-equipped drones!" the general sneered. But starlings swooped by & pecked threads loose from his uniform. Sparrows flew in & pulled those threads. Soon the man was down to his underwear, seized, & marched thru the streets past a jeering populace.

#wss366 #microfiction

#WordWeavers 13 Sept: Share a line of dialogue that sounds ...

2026-09-13T14:18:55Z

#WordWeavers 13 Sept: Share a line of dialogue that sounds innocent without context but absolutely isn't.

"Anyway, I’m off.” Then, with a self-mocking twist of a smile, “Gonna take in a lecture.”

A chocolatey one says hello to your golden one. (The real flower ...

2026-09-13T13:49:51Z

In reply to nevent1q…w689
_________________________

A chocolatey one says hello to your golden one. (The real flower was less red and more rich brown... camera didn't catch that)

I've been following you. On the busy streets I might be a ...

2026-09-10T21:28:57Z

I've been following you. On the busy streets I might be a half-block behind you. When you're on the trail by the lake in the park, I'm darting after you like a cartoon character, then pressing myself against a tree trunk when you happen to glance behind.

There's no good reason for it; I don't want anything from you; I just like the rhythm of your life. I guess ... maybe I wonder if you'll ever #register I'm part of your environment. But I'm not sure I want you to.

#wss366 #microfiction

#WordWeavers 10 September: Share a description from your WIP that ...

2026-09-10T13:23:13Z

#WordWeavers 10 September: Share a description from your WIP that establishes atmosphere without explicitly naming the emotion.

On the stiff cloth there was indeed a reflection, a reflection of a young child, a beautiful child. Ordinary painted figures seemed at peace on walls or cloth, those flat surfaces their right and proper home, but Nuika’s reflections, so rounded, so almost-touchable, seemed trapped. Meiama wished this child could be free.

When some beautiful thing like this wanders into your life, it ...

2026-09-08T18:43:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…yccs
_________________________

When some beautiful thing like this wanders into your life, it aways feels like such a tremendous gift!

"My wife's so funny," Gautam said, chuckling at the ...

2026-09-08T18:41:44Z

"My wife's so funny," Gautam said, chuckling at the dishes in the sink. "She washes the dinner dishes, & before cooking any meal, she washes whatever's in the sink, but always after breakfast, she just stacks what we've used like this!" He gave a pan handle a #pat.

"She cooks the meals & washes the other dishes?" said Lenox, incredulous. "Maybe she's hoping you'll take a hint."

Gautam snorted. "Hint dropping is the worst! If she wants something, she should ask!"

#wss366 #microfiction

#WordWeavers 8 Sept: Which character would be the worst person to ...

2026-09-08T12:25:21Z

#WordWeavers 8 Sept: Which character would be the worst person to get trapped in an elevator with?

One of the characters has mastered a new technology that he feels is vastly superior to what his people are using. If you were trapped in an elevator with him, he would not shut up about it.

I can see it: she's not likely to start torturing you (at ...

2026-09-08T11:20:07Z

In reply to nevent1q…a55j
_________________________

I can see it: she's not likely to start torturing you (at least, not with hot coals and sharp objects etc.) right there and then in the elevator, but there's only so much about yoga and juice cleanses that one can take in a small, unmoving box.

Jezebel and Mabel, two Nigerian dwarf goats, were watching ...

2026-09-08T03:04:36Z

Jezebel and Mabel, two Nigerian dwarf goats, were watching Charlotte #shell peas on the front stoop. When she had a bowl full of peas, she brought the pods over to the goats. "Here you go, girls. Enjoy!"

Jezebel and Mabel dug in. "She's such a sweetheart," Mabel said between mouthfuls. "Going to all that trouble, removing the seeds so we could enjoy just the pods."

"I guess," said Jezebel. "I mean personally, I don't mind them with the seeds still in."

#wss366 #microfiction

beautiful colors

2026-09-07T14:04:20Z

In reply to nevent1q…6lg6
_________________________

beautiful colors

#WordWeavers 5 Sept: If your antagonist could justify their ...

2026-09-05T14:10:47Z

#WordWeavers 5 Sept: If your antagonist could justify their actions in one sentence, what would they say?

"The Polity is ringed round by enemies. All my actions are designed to ensure its survival and beyond that, its preeminence."

... two sentences, oops.

#WordWeavers 4 Sept: What seemingly insignificant object in your ...

2026-09-04T14:28:16Z

#WordWeavers 4 Sept: What seemingly insignificant object in your story carries a lot of emotional weight?

The things that carry a lot of emotional weight in the story are things that readers would expect to carry emotional weight.

#WordWeavers 2 Sept: what is the first thing your protagonist ...

2026-09-02T21:44:51Z

#WordWeavers 2 Sept: what is the first thing your protagonist notices when entering a crowded room?

Would depend on why she’s there and why the room is crowded. But to try to generalize… maybe the atmosphere. Do people seem excited, angry, energized, anxious, etc.

#WordWeavers 1 Sept: What is something your MC desperately wants ...

2026-09-01T16:16:22Z

#WordWeavers 1 Sept: What is something your MC desperately wants but would never admit to wanting?

a large and loving family

Love the chicory <3

2026-08-31T21:12:46Z

In reply to nevent1q…mgtc
_________________________

Love the chicory <3

"Where?" it asked. "Where are my congregants?" On ...

2026-08-30T23:25:33Z

"Where?" it asked. "Where are my congregants?"

On its wooden feet,* it walked with a #rocking gait over hills & thru valleys, following goat paths, resting by blackberry bushes. Whenever it stopped, it flung its doors open.

At times a sparrow hopped in or a child peered in. At times just wind entered. To all these the walls offered their silent homilies.

*Thx to Ciara (npub1nj9…jsvm) for the prompt photo, which I misunderstood: I saw the door props as stilts.
#wss366 #microfiction
https://mastodon.green/@CiaraNi/117183214589769531

#WordWeavers 30 Aug: If you could interview one of your ...

2026-08-30T15:54:34Z

#WordWeavers 30 Aug: If you could interview one of your characters over coffee, what would be the first question you asked?

The government has made it rather difficult for me to ask any of the major characters any questions. I'm afraid if I try to just, y'know, infiltrate that I'll likely be picked up as a spy or troublemaker, and I don't want THAT to happen.

I was face to face with a brown-throated #sloth. Her eyes gazed ...

2026-08-26T23:07:15Z

I was face to face with a brown-throated #sloth. Her eyes gazed into mine, black fur extending back from each one like the thickest of black eyeliner. She was smiling that smile that all sloths have: beatific.

"I know it's just structural, your smile. It's just the way your face is made," I said, speaking more to myself than her. "But it makes me happy, seeing you."

"Funny person," she said in a slow, melodious voice. "'I'm smiling now because I'm happy, seeing you."

#wss366 #microfiction

Palazzo Stellamare was a fanciful confection of a building, ...

2026-08-26T00:22:46Z

Palazzo Stellamare was a fanciful confection of a building, turrets and buttresses and arches, perched on a platform extending over Aurora Lake.

"How is that #stable?" asked Sydnie. "I'd be afraid it was going to collapse into the lake."

"It's stood for 350 years," said Fleming. "It's, y'know, cantilevers and things."

Sydnie gave Fleming a skeptical look, raised eyebrow and all.

"Yeah, okay, I don't really know," Fleming admitted. "But it hasn't fallen down yet."

#wss366 #microfiction

The sleek-sided dog was thirsty. It gulped down the water in its ...

2026-08-23T22:36:45Z

The sleek-sided dog was thirsty. It gulped down the water in its bowl & then followed its human around, whining.

"You want more? Ok, hold on."

The bowl was refilled once, twice, three times.

The dog changed. It became nothing but water held in dog shape by a thin membrane. Inside it, small fish were visible, as if the dog were an aquarium. Its human ran a hand along its spine, #petting it. Soft as always, but the human's hand came away wet.

StillIRise1963 (npub1qud…q43s)

#wss366 #microfiction

Lichen on a fire hydrant #LichenSubscribe ...

2026-08-22T17:59:20Z

Lichen on a fire hydrant
#LichenSubscribe

Medford, at a loss as to what to do for his final art project, ...

2026-08-19T23:30:28Z

Medford, at a loss as to what to do for his final art project, was procrastinating by going down internet rabbit holes, e.g., reading about the New Coke fiasco and the reversion to #Classic Coke.

/Classic/ Coke?

Medford had an idea. He started doodling Zeus, Hera, Athena et al. in red-figure-pottery style, but holding or drinking slim, fluted bottles of Coca-Cola. This would be his final project: a painting featuring truly Classic Coke.

#wss366 #microfiction

In Tikuna borá = granadilla (passion fruit) and bora (flat tone, ...

2026-08-19T22:38:36Z

In Tikuna borá = granadilla (passion fruit)
and
bora (flat tone, not rising) = fútbol (football, US soccer)

Guess who just said "my friend plays passion fruit" instead of "my friend plays soccer"?

With the other refugees, the triggers for PTSD reactions were the ...

2026-08-18T21:35:31Z

With the other refugees, the triggers for PTSD reactions were the obvious culprits--noises that resembled explosions, electrical smells, or smells of gasoline or chlorine, sudden flashes, crowds--but with the boy, it wasn't clear. Some moments--could be the calmest, most tranquil moments--he'd be trembling as if from an essential #tremor. No telling what set it off or relieved it, but one thing was known: when he was with #horses, his hands & body were steady and gentle.

#wss366 #microfiction

RE: https://mastodon.social/@levelbot/117106791837173707 Seems ...

2026-08-16T22:53:24Z

RE: https://mastodon.social/@levelbot/117106791837173707

Seems low...

quoting
note138d…hzed

we're seeing existential dread levels at about 48%

(48%) ■■■■□□□□□□

Nick was helping his dad pick out a birthday card for his ...

2026-08-15T03:04:18Z

Nick was helping his dad pick out a birthday card for his grandmother. One said "Happy Birthday & Many Happy #Returns of the Day."

Nick frowned.

"The day's going to return no matter what. What this should say is, 'Happy birthday and I hope you're around for lots more of your birthdays.'"

"That's basically what it means."

"Then why doesn't it say so?"

In the face of his dad's pained silence, Nick declared, "I'm going to make one that says what it really means."

#wss366 #microfiction

with teasels! I love those guys.

2026-08-14T21:38:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…j8qc
_________________________

with teasels! I love those guys.

Amber was telling Dustin about just-in-time delivery and ...

2026-08-12T23:35:42Z

Amber was telling Dustin about just-in-time delivery and logistics, which was the focus of one of her B-school classes.

From the moment he heard the phrase, Dustin was off on mental tangent, musing on whether "just in time" could have a different meaning. Maybe it could mean being #just in your allocation of time--spending time with those who need it. Or being just in a timely manner--justice undelayed.

"Hey! Are you listening?"

Dustin came back to the moment & nodded.

#wss366 #microfiction

An economist and a billionaire were watching children playing ice ...

2026-08-11T22:28:05Z

An economist and a billionaire were watching children playing ice cream stand. Trowels of dirt in Dixie cups made chocolate ice cream, gardening lime made vanilla. "These are sprinkles," one kid said, tearing up flower petals and scattering them over the cups.

"Those kids are under #capitalized," remarked the economist. "With a little investment they could have actual ice cream to sell."

"Nah, they're perfect," said the billionaire. "Feed the public dirt and lime."

#wss366 #microfiction

"Vem, vamos embora, que esperar não é #saber / Quem sabe ...

2026-08-10T20:17:31Z

"Vem, vamos embora, que esperar não é #saber / Quem sabe faz a hora, não espera acontecer." Fidelia was singing along with an old anthem from the years of Brazil's dictatorship.

"Whoa, whoa," said the Enforcers, breaking through the wall of Fidelia's room. "The #wss366 word prompts are in English. Today's is saber, a kind of sword."

Fidelia produced a printout with text in 6-point. "I don't find anything about English-only in the TOS."

#microfiction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkEGNgib2Yw&t=225s

What an awesome title! Love it.

2026-08-10T17:47:12Z

In reply to nevent1q…ne8k
_________________________

What an awesome title! Love it.

The Museum of Money was housed in a centuries-old villa. On ...

2026-08-06T19:48:01Z

The Museum of Money was housed in a centuries-old villa. On display within were examples of everything that had ever been used as currency in the land now going by the name "Republic of the Dawn": mica chits, mussel shells, and silver wafers, all from the ancient period, and heavy coins of gold, silver, and bronze with names like #sovereigns, nobles, and yeomans from the colonial period.Then, in the modern era, paper notes with--for history's sake--flakes of mica in them.

#wss366 #microfiction

“Flutter your hands—#jazz hands. Flutter your arms—jazz ...

2026-08-05T02:52:07Z

“Flutter your hands—#jazz hands. Flutter your arms—jazz arms. Flutter your eyes—jazz eyes. Flutter your feet—jazz feet.”

“Wait. Do you have to flutter both your feet at the same time, like those other ones?”

“Yes, you do it jumping. Special combo move—jazz combo move.”

#wss366 #microfiction

"What gift do you bring his #august majesty?" the steward ...

2026-08-01T21:56:37Z

"What gift do you bring his #august majesty?" the steward asked.

"A magic trick." Clem turned to the king and held out a die. "See this? Any time it lands, I can tell you what number's face down on the table. Go ahead: try."

The king rolled a 6. "Underneath is a 1," Clem said. And so it was! No matter what number was face up, Clem knew the number underneath.

"Impressive," the king said.

"It's just math," grumbled the steward. Opposite sides always add up to 7."

#wss366 #microfiction

A number of sprites were warming themselves by the rings on the ...

2026-07-27T23:35:31Z

A number of sprites were warming themselves by the rings on the old Aga stove.

"What are they?" I asked my host, the owner of the cottage where I was staying in Cornwall.

"#Hobgoblins, of course."

"Mmm?"

"This is a hob," my host said, indicating the stovetop. "Goblins on the hob are hobgoblins." She sighed. "We've also got knobgoblins on our doorknobs, fobgoblins on our key & watch fobs, & my husband Robert's got both Rob & Bobgoblins hanging from his ears & elbows.

#wss366 #microfiction

It's not summer if I don't do some chalk drawings. ...

2026-07-26T14:00:56Z

It's not summer if I don't do some chalk drawings. Here's an American goldfinch eating sunflower seeds.

#birds #AmericanGoldfinch #ChalkDrawing #ChalkArt #StreetArt

Me too--we should make a team. You want in the cart, or pusher?

2026-07-24T22:27:05Z

In reply to nevent1q…aupv
_________________________

Me too--we should make a team. You want in the cart, or pusher?

The game was played at 2 am in the supermarket parking lot. ...

2026-07-24T22:21:17Z

The game was played at 2 am in the supermarket parking lot. Two-player teams lined the perimeter. Scattered inside the parking lot were weird, random prizes: a pile of VHS tapes. A 5-lb jar of cashews. Etc. One player in each team sat in a shopping cart. The other was the pusher. The pushers pushed their partners as far as a chalk-drawn line, then let go. The carts hurtled on; you couldn't #steer them from inside. If a cart hit a prize, the team got to keep it.

#wss366 #microfiction

The moment had come: Dee's audience with the Paramount. Dee ...

2026-07-21T17:39:03Z

The moment had come: Dee's audience with the Paramount. Dee tingled with excitement & nerves as the Paramount looked up from behind his broad desk.

"I understand you have an undertaking to propose?"

"Yes, Ascendency. You see, 20 years ago..."

The Paramount grimaced. "Skip the background. Give it to me in #brief."

Dee bit his lip. "Well then, Ascendency...rubies."

"Rubies and?"

"Singing sands."

The Paramount raised an eyebrow. "All right. Give me the full story."

#wss366 #microfiction

Ridley's older brother Sam was the best at #skipping stones. ...

2026-07-18T23:08:21Z

Ridley's older brother Sam was the best at #skipping stones. He could get a stone to skip practically across Halfmoon Pond, or so it seemed to Ridley. Five, ten, seventeen skips.

Riding a skipping stone would be more exciting than waterskiing, Ridley thought. You wouldn't be tethered to anything! You'd have to be really tiny, though. And how would you hold on?

He mused on this a while.

"Hey Sam," he said. "D'you think we could glue tiny straps on a skipping stone?"

#wss366 #microfiction

Very funny, clever short story, "Herkimer Inquiriers," ...

2026-07-18T20:53:51Z

Very funny, clever short story, "Herkimer Inquiriers," about a psychogeographer investigating disturbances in an Albuquerque neighborhood. Enjoyed the (queer) narrator immensely.

https://reckoning.press/herkimer-inquiries/

Lord Danquedred of the #Bastion of Moans was the perfect #foil ...

2026-07-16T23:05:48Z

Lord Danquedred of the #Bastion of Moans was the perfect #foil for Lady Larkmarie, a self-proclaimed #Spirit of Joy. Larkmarie wasn't actually all that joyful, what with her many medical anxieties ("Do you think I've exhaled too much today? How much do *you* exhale?") and her unpredictable rages ("WHY are there bees on my sunflowers? WHY??") But you only needed to stand her next to the silent, morose form of Lord Danquedred, and suddenly yes, she did seem quite joyful.

#wss366 #microfiction

How perfect!

2026-07-12T23:09:00Z

In reply to nevent1q…0jeq
_________________________

How perfect!

"I wouldn't go out with you," she said furiously ...

2026-07-11T01:14:20Z

"I wouldn't go out with you," she said furiously "for all the tea in China!"

He furrowed his brow. "Hmm... how about for all the oranges in Spain?"

"What? No!"

"All the mahogany in Peru?"

"Definitely not."

"Fine. How about metals. Maybe all the silver in Mexico?"

"No!"

"All the #nickel in Indonesia?"

"Nickel? You're coming at me with nickel?"

He sighed. "Fine then. Gemstones. All the emeralds in Colombia?"

She hesitated. "Well. Maybe for *all* of them."

#wss366 #microfiction

🥺 🥺😥

2026-07-08T23:29:13Z

In reply to nevent1q…tuxe
_________________________

🥺 🥺😥

Beautiful. I hope you can breathe easy.

2026-07-07T13:11:52Z

In reply to nevent1q…uclv
_________________________

Beautiful. I hope you can breathe easy.

"There are 3 steps to becoming a sage," the old man said, ...

2026-07-04T19:17:02Z

"There are 3 steps to becoming a sage," the old man said, authority in his voice & a twinkle in his eye.

"First, rid yourself of encumbrances. By which I mean clothes." The crowd stripped.

"Second, repeat the sound of the universe birthing itself."

"Is that 'om'?" a woman asked.

"No, it's moo." The crowd mooed.

"Third, whirl round." They whirled.

"I don't feel sagelike," someone said.

"There's a #fourth step: observe what foolishness pursuit of sagehood causes."

#wss366 #microfiction

"In a western town with deadened walls," I sang. "The ...

2026-07-03T16:33:04Z

"In a western town with deadened walls," I sang. "The eastern boys and western girls."

"No no," laughed my friend. "It's 'In a #west end town, a dead-end world, the east end boys and the west end girls.' It's referring to London's West & East End."

"Huh! Classic mishearing," I said.

All this time I'd associated the song with me, a "western girl," & my first boyfriend, an "eastern boy" ... I resolved privately to keep thinking of *my* version.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3j2NYZ8FKs&list=RDp3j2NYZ8FKs&start_radio=1

#wss366 #microfiction

Absolutely; see you there!

2026-07-01T12:38:59Z

In reply to nevent1q…ph94
_________________________

Absolutely; see you there!

I can explain. It's my wild recessive genes, gift of a ...

2026-07-01T00:25:28Z

I can explain. It's my wild recessive genes, gift of a cephalopod great-grandparent. I know, I know--that sort of thing shouldn't be possible. And yet here I am. The wild genes bring many gifts. I have a cousin who can make her bones flexible, so she can squeeze through small spaces. And one of my uncles can create a cloud of aerosolized #ink, a dark fog to hide his departure. And me, well, you noticed: my skin tells tales on me, a whole symphony of emotional revelations.

#wss366 #microfiction

That looks AMAZING

2026-06-30T23:15:23Z

In reply to nevent1q…kyx0
_________________________

That looks AMAZING

😁 I had this image of a moose undressing, and so I just yanked ...

2026-06-29T23:50:37Z

In reply to nevent1q…pqwq
_________________________

😁 I had this image of a moose undressing, and so I just yanked the prompt word in, somehow.

A cow moose lumbered out of the woods and over to the farmers ...

2026-06-29T23:40:29Z

A cow moose lumbered out of the woods and over to the farmers market. She stopped in front of the pop-up where the live entertainment guy was plinking on a banjo, a hat set out in front of him.

The moose proceeded to undress. Took off her moose head, hump, hide, hooves, till what was standing there was a long-faced, long limbed woman.

"Give us a turn, then," she said. Dumbfounded, he passed the banjo to her. She launched into "Been to the #East, been to the West."

#wss366 #microfiction

I can practically smell the herbal goodness through the screen.

2026-06-27T00:11:16Z

In reply to nevent1q…ct7u
_________________________

I can practically smell the herbal goodness through the screen.

"Just plug the address into your phone. It'll give you ...

2026-06-26T22:44:57Z

"Just plug the address into your phone. It'll give you directions."

"Nah, I wanna learn the way for myself."

"At least use a #map?"

"I did. Now I got it up here." He tapped his head. "I go by landmarks. Go right at the utility pole with a plastic shopping bag snagged on it, left at the house with the 'Yard Sale today' sign--"

"Dude! Those are too temporary! They'll be gone by now! You need to use buildings and things!"

The hills laughed silently. Buildings? Permanent?

#wss366 #microfiction

--Where are we? North of more than half this globe, but in our ...

2026-06-26T03:47:44Z

--Where are we?

North of more than half this globe, but in our nation-state, this is the #south.

But what's a direction?

This place, this earth, soft and the color of sunset, fringed with green. Forget everything else. Dig your feet in. Feel the sun hollering down at you from the pale blue sky.

#wss366 #microfiction

Some carnivorous plants are bigger than others. Gelatina ...

2026-06-23T23:59:42Z

Some carnivorous plants are bigger than others. Gelatina grandiosa is one of the largest. It presents as a pool of a shiny, bright jello-like substance in entrancing reds, greens, oranges, and yellows. It's firm and springy, and are many tempted to jump on it as on a bouncy #gelatinous trampoline. They enjoy themselves, too! Until the moment when their landing is too sharp, and they plunge *into* the mass, never to emerge again. G. grandiosa commences digesting them...

#wss366 #microfiction

I was pleased with myself: I'd succeeded in getting Mayree, ...

2026-06-17T22:57:13Z

I was pleased with myself: I'd succeeded in getting Mayree, the reclusive woman who lived at the edge of the marsh, to come on a walk with me. The golden hour light was polishing the edges of the long grass to a sharp green glow. A song sparrow, #perched on a swamp dogwood, was pouring out its heart.

Mayree paused by a branching plant with umbel flowers and smiled blissfully. "It makes me so happy to know a poisonous plant," she said. "It gives me such a sense of power."

#wss366 #microfiction

RE: https://wandering.shop/@older/116765281888682106 I back ...

2026-06-17T12:08:18Z

RE: https://wandering.shop/@older/116765281888682106

I back Global Voices: it's journalism from around the world, by people local to the places the stories are from. It's multilingual & doesn't focus on the same five stories/locations the US press always does. It broadens & deepens your outlook.

I trust it because it identifies its major funders clearly & because I respect Malka Older for her past dayjob work & for her fiction writing.
nostr:note1jnpaxm76wgg4ef8ymqw2q54xmqun7f8pjg57rwq2zszr3rzh03csl8emt9

"This gift certificate is 20 years old," the cashier ...

2026-06-17T00:54:23Z

"This gift certificate is 20 years old," the cashier said. "It's from before the current owner took over, so..." But the woman wouldn't take a hint.

The owner was in that day & intervened.

"Wow, this gift certificate was designed by my dad. I haven't seen one of these in years. What d'you want to use it for?"

The woman showed him a wooden spoon with a #dragon carved in the handle.

"Nice," the owner said. "Dad would approve. We'll honor the gift certificate."

#wss366 #microfiction

Good morning!

2026-06-16T13:03:33Z

In reply to nevent1q…6wkr
_________________________

Good morning!

The Ministry of Culture was delighted when it persuaded a dance ...

2026-06-11T16:31:08Z

The Ministry of Culture was delighted when it persuaded a dance troupe from the restless Yue minority to perform at the emperor’s birthday celebrations—but they were vigilant, stopping a man with a decorative #dagger. He laughed & showed them that it was really just a fan & had no sharp edge.

Perhaps, then, they should have been prepared when the fans in the Yue folk dance turned out to be knives. The emperor & his consort did escape with their lives, but only just.
#wss366 #microfiction

Isabel put a piece of poster board on the kitchen table. "I ...

2026-06-10T03:55:40Z

Isabel put a piece of poster board on the kitchen table.

"I have to make a diagram of the #water cycle," she announced.

Her mom assumed Isobel's diagram would have a cloud dropping rain into a lake and wavy lines indicating evaporation back into the sky, with fat arrows to signal circularity, but Isabel's diagram was way more comprehensive, including ice cubes, droplets condensing on glasses holding cold drinks, the journey through human bodies, and much more.

#wss366 #microfiction

"Um, you've got the wrong word there," said Hal, ...

2026-06-08T06:03:53Z

"Um, you've got the wrong word there," said Hal, reading over Bran's shoulder the post Bran was tapping out. "You mean 'anonymous,' right? Not 'autonomous.'"

"No," said Bran. "I mean what I typed."

"You're signing the post 'Autonomous'?"

"Yep. I'm part of the Autonomous Collective. We all post autonomously."

"What does that even mean?"

"Well, just what the word means. We write what we write ourselves. No one & nothing puppeting us. But yeah, we're also anonymous."

#wss366 #microfiction

"I think they're a part of what makes language ...

2026-06-07T17:41:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…4c9z
_________________________

"I think they're a part of what makes language interesting and delightful." --YES, exactly.

Nostr event nevent1qqspdj4hh9qh0dzzejlmukskex52dvnyj3yk49vpekgv37y62j0afzqzyquncnwz6jf38lkyhm5azruvpv77ercnspadp088lxc2edx35nhgw09ypvk

2026-06-07T17:35:58Z

#SilentSunday

For the longest time kids skateboarded in the school parking ...

2026-06-06T21:16:30Z

For the longest time kids skateboarded in the school parking lots, especially the Hickory Hill Middle School parking lot, because it had three levels and stairs leading up from them that you could practice firecrackers on.

Safety-conscious parents made a skate park with fancy #new ramps, the works... which BMX bikers, rollerbladers, and even trad roller skaters patronized. But the skateboarders stuck to their old haunts. A real-life challenge beats an artificial one.

#wss366 #microfiction

"For a great story, you need to have high-#stakes," the ...

2026-06-04T03:26:53Z

"For a great story, you need to have high-#stakes," the self-proclaimed writing expert was saying, but although she'd paid for the seminar, Malina had stopped paying attention. She was sitting at the back, by what was probably a supply closet, and for the past few minutes she'd been rolling a penny through the gap between the door and the floor. Each time, it came rolling back out again. Four times, five. Out it came. And then, the sixth time. A quarter came rolling out!

#wss366 #microfiction

Beautiful poem by Jane Hirshfield, "For the Lichens," ...

2026-05-31T14:21:25Z

Beautiful poem by Jane Hirshfield, "For the Lichens," from a collection of poems from The Atlantic.

"Marriage of fungi and algae
chemists of air..."

Text of the poem in the Alt Text.

#LichenSubscribe #lichens #poetry

The moon jelly is a small, common, harmless-to-humans jellyfish ...

2026-05-31T11:05:12Z

The moon jelly is a small, common, harmless-to-humans jellyfish that's 95% water. If it gets stranded on the beach, it starts to evaporate, much like a soap bubble. Not all jellyfish are so harmless: the sting of a sea wasp can kill you if left untreated. And not all jellyfish are so small: Nomura's jellyfish can grow to be six feet wide. Imagine if something like that were to #catch you! Fortunately, Nomura's jellyfish prefer to eat zooplankton.

#wss366 #microfiction #MicoFactActually

Ben was babysitting Euthymia's foster child. "She's ...

2026-05-31T10:50:50Z

Ben was babysitting Euthymia's foster child. "She's unusual," he'd been warned. "Don't provoke her." He'd taken her to a #spit of sand curling into the bay, where they were blowing soap bubbles that landed on the sand, then popped.

"They don't last," the kid mourned.

"Yeah, in the air they evaporate."

The girl held out a hand. The bubbles were gone: now moon jellies dotted the sand. A wave raced over the spit, carrying away the jellyfish.

"Now they'll live," she said.

#wss366 #microfiction

Debonaire Lord Vulpex wasn't paying attention to his lovely ...

2026-05-29T22:53:03Z

Debonaire Lord Vulpex wasn't paying attention to his lovely young companion, Lady Reynardine, but that didn't bother her. She was following the lord's intent gaze and realized he was tracking the bow-legged man with the red stockings and the sack, who was moving through the crowded streets, stopping at various market stalls and doing ... something. But what?

"Your prey?" asked the lady, delicate tongue passing over her lips.

"Let's call him my #quarry," the lord replied.

#wss366 #microfiction

"What're you doing?!" Dan cried. Devon was holding a ...

2026-05-27T19:16:33Z

"What're you doing?!" Dan cried. Devon was holding a letter addressed to their sister over the whistling kettle.

"I'm #steaming it open," Devon replied. "It's from the piano teacher. I think he's creeping on Dora!"

The kettle whistled. After a few seconds, Devon peeled the envelope open.

"Oh. It's her recital schedule," he said, deflated. He resealed it.

"She'll never guess it was tampered with," said Dan sarcastically, looking at the warped, puckered envelope.

#wss366 #microfiction