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Posts Tagged ‘drabble-adjacent’

Yes/No?

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , on April 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Today, I wrote a 200-word story (a double drabble?) inspired by modern politics, and those who are willing to sacrifice everything for power.

The muted roar of the crowd echoed through the green room. He gave himself a final check in the mirror and checked for consensus updates. 

:: Tie too tight, one response said. 

He loosened the half Windsor.

:: Hair too perfect, another said.

A quick head toss fixed that.

:: Walk more like a gorilla.

What the hell was he supposed to do with that kind of feedback? He expanded his stance, arms bent at the elbow, and strutted side to side.

His reflection sighed. 

:: Accept all changes?

The button flashed green on his behavioral adjustment interface.

He stared at the screen. He used to enjoy this job. Before they promised him power. All he had to do was agree to a chip in his head and external control of his every move.

Was it worth it?

The crowd cheered his campaign’s warmup act. What a difference from the old days, when sincerely held speeches were met with yawns. Now all he had to do was read three-word slogans from the crowd-sourced teleprompter.

His wife said she didn’t even know him anymore. 

Was it worth it?

He stared at the screen. 

:: Accept all changes?

:: Yes / No?

— J.R. (Never Going Into Politics) Johnson

* * *

ai generated image using the following prompts and a lot of rushed followup work: > please generate an image: the setting is a green room backstage. a white male politician in a dark blue suit and blue tie with a half-Windsor knot stands in front of a mirror. his dark brown hair is just a little messy. he looks tired. to his left, you see a floating screen of code that ends with ":: Accept all changes?" and a "Yes/No?" button at the bottom flashing green > please make him look less tired and less messy, and have him looking into the mirror, so we see his reflection in the mirror > please have him not smiling, and have him facing the mirror so we see his back and then face in the reflection
Image by ai, mostly

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Meteor Descending

Posted in Writing, tagged , , , , , , , , , on October 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »

Author notes: Let me say up front that there are a lot of things wrong with this story, technically speaking:

  • First, it was supposed to be a drabble, and at just under 200 words that clearly has not happened.
  • Second, even the North Atlantic Octopus doesn’t go as deep as the Titanic, which sits at 12,600 feet below.
  • Third, the octopus is a relatively solitary creature and would probably skip the classroom for more of an independent study sort of situation.
  • And finally, the idea that an octopus would care about the fate of salmon is, of course, patently ridiculous.

* * *

Meteor Descending

Ironically, the first human words Ololilon puzzled out were from a menu. He’d come across the wreck while riding the current.

Metal loomed from the dark, a gaping hole in its side. Oli swam past a deck chair and through a gap in the torn metal, pushing deep into the remnant.

Few would have been able to decipher the fading text. Even in the Cold Deep time has meaning. And this fallen star had been resting on the ocean floor for lifetimes. 

But Oli’s eyes were adapted to the dark. Each shimmering wavelength told a tale, and this story was one of horror.

Chicken, peas and rice meant nothing to him, but oysters and salmon? Cousins and neighbors. Consumed.

But while this message was one of horror, it also bore hope.

* * *

“Teacher, my podmate says aliens aren’t even real.” 

Ololilon’s classroom was full. Spawning season had ended and it was a perfect time to teach the juveniles English. They would need it.

“Their meteors are real enough. And if we can learn how to speak with them,“ Oli said, tentacles swaying with emotion, “perhaps we can keep them from killing us all.”

* * *

Photo by NOAA on Unsplash

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