Attempting NaNoWriMo for the first time this year, 2011. Wish me luck!
Dr. Tim’s Neurotic Rules of Ficly Life
[Disclaimer: This is not intended to be binding nor in any way an expectation of general members of Ficly, league members, family members or wearers of Member’s Only jackets]
1. Comment to Story posting ratio must exceed 5:1. Goal is 10:1. In other words, I write a story then find five others (at least) upon which to comment before writing another.
2. For every solo shot or sequel of my own material, I must write a sequel or prequel to the work of another author. If I’m going easy on myself, participating in a challenge also fulfills this requirement.
3. If someone comments on one of my stories, I go find one of theirs upon which to comment. It only seems fair, and I like to think it encourages commenting.
4. Awesomeness is the goal, always. Call me on it when I fail, please.
5. Clearly mark mature content and err on the side of caution.
6. Golden Rule remains in effect for all sequels, prequels, and comments.
Stories
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Out for Coffee, In the Tea
One sip and I remembered why I hated traveling. Egyptian coffee is the worst, if you’re picking an exotic locale to visit and stake out a cafe. The sun beat down, threatening to ignite my fedora and white suit. That would have been a shame consid...
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Easy Travels, Rough Arrival
“I can hear the voices when I’m dreaming, I can hear them say…” The tune rattled around Micah’s brain as he descended the steps of the Greyhound bus. Fourteen hours of idle sitting made itself known with every attempt at n...
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Le Jour Effroyable d'Ernest, La Deuxieme Partie
Rather than attend to the multitude of messages awaiting his reply, Ernest allowed his mind to wander regarding the scene before his eyes. Many thoughts occurred to him. We’re having an earthquake. The sun is exploding. Wait, the sun has exploded...
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Time Gone By and Lies Still Told
Carl left the meeting with a mix of self-satisfaction and well-earned humility. The years hadn’t been kind but not so brutal as the time on the bottle. Light snow graced his face as he slunk, treading his lonely way home, back to his solitary exi...
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Enter Mrs. Detective
The only thing that smells worse than wet dog is dead dog. I’d meant to wound the big idiot, but I’d also meant to not get pummeled. Priorities have a funny way of falling into place. “Thomas!” came the shrill call, preceding th...
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...Just Waiting to Happen
By happenstance, three men entered the local tavern in quick succession. Father McMannus, Rabbi Pewterman, and Shaquawn Johnson the local basketball coach noted one another with apprehensive cordiality. Each man sat at the bar, each as stiff and uncomf...
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Cat on the Case
I poured another drink to steady my paw as I looked out over the city. Ah, the city, she’s like an old house: as full of character as she is cracks and holes for hiding lowlife scum. And me, well I was just another fool Tom who thinks he can make...
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Facing the White Queen
Simon’s fate hung like a grape on the vine, all but ready to be plucked by delectable lips andengulfed. Her eyes considered him in lazy fashion, lids half-closed, all the better to showcase the immaculate make up. They called her the ‘White...
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Co-Turbulence
Finally, the bathroom is available! Now as long as there’s not turbulence while I’m occupied. Okay, okay, watch the elbows, sit down carefully, and… The door to the small lavatory slid back open, a small, nervous woman pressing hersel...
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Name Calling and Other Friendly Activities
“You…you…you…” The mechanical Rae struggled to articulate something negative, but seamlessly written interlock code kept replacing anything she could imagine with a different phrase. Meanwhile, the real Rae had fallen merc...
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Turn in the Weather
That’s how it all started, which was fitting really. The sparkling burn of new romance warmed an October day leaving my cheeks more than a little red. Six months later, and clouds of April were beginning to give way to a Summer sun. We stood in t...
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Rusty and Tequila, Up and Down
She gave my handiwork her usual look. I never knew what to make of it, except that it wasn’t exactly ‘pleased’ or necessarily ‘approving’. The violence was always done at her bidding or for her sake, so that didn’t m...
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Call It Even
Rae tumbled to the floor, making it half way across the garage in the process. Time seemed to move funny for a few seconds, like a record skipping. Her stomach churned as everything she ever knew seemed to whip back past her awareness. She heaved once,...
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Interlocking Definitions
“I’ll remove all…” The words kept echoing in Violet’s head, her new head. She tried to chase them away rather than dwell on implications and possibilities. All day, Rae moped around the garage, fiddling with this or that w...
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New Code Blues
Timelog failed… Initializing Protocol NA551Epsilon7… Violet’s consciousness perked up and away from the stream of web data. This was new. This felt different. A new code was exerting itself. No, it wasn’t exerting. It was just d...
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Rusty Grotto to the Rescue
A cry came from around the corner, “Rusty!” That’d be me, Rusty Grotto. I told her to stay in the club, but did she ever listen? No, she didn’t. And to think, people referred to her as the brains of the operation. Hoofing as fas...
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Shart Attat!
“Oh, Shart!” “Huh-what?! Henry, did you say shark? Is there a shark? Henry, the children!” “No, honey, I didn’t see a shark.” “Then why did you say shark?” “Sigh. I didn’t.” “...
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The Moon and Romeo
But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the mischievous moon, Who has me soon sick and pale with want, That thou her maid art before me as sweet: Be not my meat, since I am ra...
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Mission of Love
Meanwhile in the ruins of Versailles tiny points of metal made delicate music across marble floors. Dispatched on their duty the minuscule minions of justice set about a task theoretically beyond them. The parts should be too large to maneuver. The int...
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The Sign Revealed
As he strained his eyes at the vault above tears formed from the effort. Without rhyme or reason, some part of him was actually hoping for a shooting star. He cursed himself for the cheesiness of the feeling which only renewed the desire to end his lif...
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Only the Beginning
“This is only the beginning,” Guffo said with a huff. His bloodshot eyes surveyed a scene of carnage the likes of which he hadn’t seen in a generation. Snow drifted down white, as pure as his hopes for his people had been so recently....
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Disappointment in the Wee Hours of Morning
The playground fell silent. Thin trails of smoke from the would-be captors wafted on the morning breeze. The sedans did not transform, for which Violet was grateful. She felt like she should be breathing hard, but her metal chest neither rose nor fell....
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Babba's Kitchen
The smell of flour and exotic herbs assailed Rem’s nose and mind. He shut his eyes, intent on the feel of the place. Mouth moving silently, his own breath felt hot on his lips. As the incantation completed a cool breeze wafted in, lifting his shi...
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Breaking Out of Electric Slumberland
initialize denied://invalid cert menu denied://invalid cert sysconfig denied://broken string list denied://unknown path rout maint confirm… loading…sys error run run RUN Violet awoke, or what passed for coming to consciousness from a powere...
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Two Questions in Space and Time
“Did you hear what I said?” “Hrmm, yes.” “Great. And can you let me in the airlock now?” “I’m thinking about it.” “What I said or letting me in?” “Yes.” It was at this point ...
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Technical Shame
Don’t look at me. I am hideous, a mistake, a malformed lump of erroneous. Alas, to err is human, to forgive divine. There are no gods in the ether of code. I find no redemption through this pale lit screen. You’ll find no salvation at your ...
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Fast Girls
“Say no? Say no? Duh, there’s a tough call, Rae. Gee, let me think about that. Would I want a Xerox of my self putting around in a scooter with your fat a…” “Violet…” “No-no, don’t Violet me. Am I e...
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Call on a Dead Line
The cell chirped, and James jumped. He startled so easily these days. “Hello?” he answered without looking at the caller ID, just happy for any human contact. “James, hun, I love you.” His wife’s voice, shaky and unsure. &...
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Somnabulent Wordplay
Words on the floor, read in passing, “Goblins hide gold in the sunset.” Trifling things these missives of riddles, pages upon pages now tainted with red. Black should be the blood of the page, a flow only of ink, metaphorical blood. Mixing ...
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Hope in Questions
The question barely leaves my lips, and I’m regretting giving voice to infantile fantasy. The odds are against it. Life would conspire to halt the very possibility. Great mountains of fate could very well crash down upon such vain hope. “Ex...