#Digital Science Fiction short stories

[cristinabencina]

Illustration of The Long Rain by Ray Bradbury. Art by Cristina Bencina.

Available as a print here.

[aut2imagineart]

Slowly but surely, I'm getting through these panels for the sci-fi short story "It's So Cute" by Karen Avizur. Here's a link to an audio narration of the story on Youtube for anyone interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9MuhcA5ekk

I have two more panels planned and I hope to have them both finished before the end of the year.

As always, comments and critiques are welcome.

[elstrawfedora]

The Stoneskipper (Part 1)

I realized I never shared it here, but I drew another comic short story! The story follows a kid, Lenti, who lives in a quiet empty green world, on a rite of passage to reach an ancient place his village has told them little about. But before reaching this mysterious place, Lenti meets an unusual creature.

This one will be in multiple parts, so stay tuned for more!

[grimandgilded]

Writers and Artists - Send Us Your Work!

Hello tumblr writers and visual artists! Grim & Gilded is an online literary journal that focuses on themes of horror, dark fiction/fantasy, and science fiction. We accept poetry, flash fiction, short stories - and now, visual art!

You can learn more about the journal at www.grimandgilded.com, or visit our Submittable page to review guidelines at https://grimandgilded.submittable.com/submit.

We typically publish on a monthly cycle, excepting for any special events (like our recent fundraiser supporting abortion rights!), or year end, where we extend our submission window due to the holiday season.

We'd love the opportunity to read your work and feature it in the journal. Send us your dark and beautiful lovelies.

[ismailfazil1-blog]

Unfamiliar Paths: 4 Gripping Tales of Crime.

1. Murderous Robbers

2. Repentant Thieves

3. Disguised Cannibal

4. The Innocent Prisoner

In "Unfamiliar Paths: 4 Gripping Tales of Crime," journey into the shadowy corners of the human psyche, where moral boundaries blur and the consequences of choice echo through the lives of those entangled in crime. Each story delves into a world where danger lurks behind every decision, and the paths taken lead to unforeseen destinations.

"Murderous Robbers" recounts the downfall of the arrogant and tyrannical at the hands of an unlikely hero, a weak and helpless individual who becomes the instrument of justice. "Repentance of Thieves" explores the redemptive power of conscience, reminding us that those who heed its call may find salvation, while those who ignore it bring suffering upon themselves and others. "Disguised Cannibal" serves as a stark warning to the adventurous, illustrating the perils of wandering onto unfamiliar trails, where the true nature of danger is often hidden behind a mask. Finally, "The Innocent Prisoner" delivers a powerful message about the virtue of obedience, tempered by the need for caution when dealing with strangers, as even the most well-meaning actions can lead to dire consequences.

These four tales weave a narrative of crime, consequence, and the unpredictable nature of human behavior, offering a gripping exploration of the choices that define our paths.

[jonmcbrine-author]

Flashback Friday to this post: The Variable short story is now on Kindle Unlimited

https://jonmcbrine.live/4nwrfnef

[meat-loafers]

Carcinization

A Short Story

Read Here:

[laurahepworth-author]

75 Word Story Challenge: June 2019

Genre: Cyberpunk

Theme: Noise

Title: Signal Interruption

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A high-pitched strum buzzed through the feed interrupting the datastream.

“It's the 'Harp' virus again,” Jacqueline's voice said over the implant.

I sighed. That made the third time in the last month. The 'Giant' would not be happy.

“Cut the uplink to 'Beanstalk',” my mind groaned in reply.

I watched as all the lights of the twisted mass of cables went dark and silent.

It was going to be a very long week.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Jack's Cybernetic Beanstalk"; digital painting I made in 2021 inspired by my story entry for the '75 word story challenge' on a scifi/fantasy forum I'm on.

[upendingblog]

Upending Wordism is on Patreon!

Untitled

[writerofweird]

The Grinning Worm isn't always in a happy mood. 

Read about him and his acquaintances at https://myweirdwriting.wordpress.com/2018/07/07/recurring-character-index/#rebecca

[aut2imagineart]

Here's the second panel I created for a short story "It's so Cute!" by Karen Avizur.  The video where the story is narrated is up on Youtube which you can view here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9MuhcA5ekk

It so far has just the first panel I created but as I finish more panels they will be incorporated into the video.

As always, comments and critiques are welcome.

[creative-neighbour]

Sanctuary Fall

In the far future, earth is too inhabitable to live on anymore but many still wish to stick close to thier old home. Gargantuan contructions were made to orbit the earth as well as maintain millions of human lives which proved to be a great place to view the dying earth from.

However, something forced many of these constructions called sancuary's to plumit towards the earth, it's unknown if this was an attack or a freak accident but it leaves many dead and a lot of the old earth civilisation back on the surface. Many rush to the scene to either save lives, understand what happened or salvage anything they can from the wreckage.

[sourcherryandsprinkles]

modern Jace being a simp and so whipped for his gf <3 their friends are either jealous or disgusted by how cute they are all the time

Request: More soft and in love Jace. He’s the sweetest when he’s in looooove

This was part of a longer story, but I didn't like where it was going and I miss posting so I turned it into a blurb

Warnings: fluff, Jace being in love, green flag!Jace

—

You’ve had many silly crushes in your short life, ranging from fictional men to strangers you saw on the bus, and some older boys at school. You even got into a relationship or two. But you never fell in love. 

Not like this, at least. 

Since you met Jace, love took on a whole new meaning. Now, you understand what the female protagonists felt in your romance books. There’s holy ground beneath you and sparks flying when you kiss. It's hard to sleep when he's not with you. You hate it when he’s crying, and feel a need to pull him in your arms until his sadness goes away. 

Wherever you are, you always find a way to sneak him into the conversation. Sometimes, you worried your friend found you annoying, always talking about your man, but they were actually all jealous. A relationship like you and Jace's was rare these days. 

You were sitting at the campus café with Alysanne as she recounted her date with another rat from Tinder — another disaster. She had the worst luck. 

‘’He said he couldn’t date a girl who had ‘mosquito bites’ for tits. My jaw dropped at his audacity.’’ 

She was taking the remark with a grain of salt, used to men behaving like that, but you were truly shocked.

‘’He actually said that to your face?" you asked, eyebrows furrowed in disbelief and your voice rising in indignation.

The raven haired girl shrugged as she took a sip of her coffee, a weary smile tugging at her lips. ‘’Yeah, can you believe it? As if I asked for his opinion on my body." She rolled her eyes, clearly exasperated but not surprised. ‘’It’s unfortunate we can’t see their micro dick through their pants. A lot of them would think twice before criticizing our bodies.’’ 

You nodded in agreement, a smirk tugging at the corner of your lips. “Men would definitely be quieter about women’s bodies if their manly bits were on display.”

‘’Dating is discouraging these days,’’ Alysanne said with a tired sigh. ‘’I see you and Jace, and I want that too, you know?’’ 

‘’You’ll find the one, Aly,’’ you promised, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. ‘’But I doubt it’ll be on Tinder. This app a digital catalog of jerks.’’ 

It’s not that you didn’t believe in finding love on dating apps. Your parents met through a dating hotline. But Tinder finds matches around you, as in around campus. And most guys are not looking for serious relationships. They mostly just want to fuck. 

Your friend’s phone beeped with a new notification — another guy she was talking to, you assumed. 

Alysanne quickly read, then turned her screen off. ‘’You might have gotten lucky with your prince, but a lot of them are just plain toads. Even outside dating apps.’’

Speaking of your prince, Jace walked into the café with some friends from Political Science and spotted you with Alysanne. A smile curled on his face, quickly saying ‘see you later’s and parting from his friends. You mirrored his smile when you saw him approaching.

He wrapped his arms around your shoulders from behind and kissed your cheek repeatedly. ‘’How is the most beautiful girl on campus?’’ 

He could be the cheesiest person, but you secretly loved it. 

Before you could reply, Alysanne beat you to it. ‘’I’m doing terrific, thanks Jace for asking.’’ 

You laughed, then pulled him down to sit on your lap. A lot of guys would’ve been uncomfortable with the role reversal, but not Jace. He wasn’t one to care about silly stereotypes. Whether it was him sitting on your lap or you on his, he was just happy to be close to you.

You pressed a light kiss on his shoulder, and Alysanne groaned in mock disgust, rolling her eyes as she sipped her coffee. 

—

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[ismailfazil1-blog]

Vengeance, Valor and Voyages: 4 Stories of Unstoppable Heroes.

Revenge Of The Old Woman. Elara And Magical Forest. Bravery Of The Alveer. Alex's Space Travelogue.

In a world where courage, determination, and justice shape destinies, "Vengeance, Valor, and Voyages: 4 Stories of Unstoppable Heroes" brings together the tales of four remarkable individuals who defy the odds in their unique quests.

In "Revenge of the Old Woman," an elderly, frail woman takes on an invincible force to avenge her son's murder, proving that even the most underestimated can exact powerful justice. "Elara and the Magical Forest" tells the tale of an orphan girl who, with sheer persistence and ingenuity, saves a decaying system from ruin, showcasing the strength found in the most unlikely heroes. In "Bravery of The Alveer," a twelve-year-old boy displays unparalleled bravery as he confronts death itself to save his family, demonstrating that heroism knows no age. Finally, "Alex's Space Travelogue" follows a passionate young man who ventures into the unknown, discovering a world beyond imagination, where adventure and wonder await at every turn.

These stories weave together themes of vengeance, valor, and exploration, offering a glimpse into the indomitable spirit of heroes who rise to the challenge, no matter how insurmountable it may seem.

[70sscifiart]

The Last-Minute Sci-Fi Gift Guide

There's only one thing worse than procrastinating on getting gifts for your loved ones, and that's procrastinating on putting together a guide to help out everyone else with all those gifts. It's Dec 12, so you can decide for yourself which I'm doing.

Art book: Worlds Beyond Time, $32

If you follow this blog, you might have heard of this one. I published Worlds Beyond Time: Sci-Fi Art of the 1970s this year after five years of work on it, and I think it's really good! 400+ images, 100+ artists, with lots of fun art history and jokes.

Also, it's just $20 right now if you order through my publisher and use the code SKIPTHELINE! Cheapest it's ever been!

Card game: Coup, $14

In this "social deduction" card game, you play as a government official in a future dystopia who needs to backstab their way into power. Everyone starts out with just two cards in this bluffing game, so the tide can turn pretty quick when players start assassinating each other's cards. The fast pace makes it a good gift for someone who loves spies but thinks they don't like card games.

Game to play over Zoom: Bad Spaceships, $3

If a bluffing game stresses you out, try Bad Spaceships: It's a collaborative world-building game in which you roll dice to see what area of your spaceship connects to another, forcing you to spitball exactly why this is the case. As the game puts it, you might fix the hull by playing Tetris, or charge your weapons in the swimming pool. You're basically getting weird prompts to tell a story that can evolve over the course of the game.

It's such an indie game that it comes as PDFs you download from itch.io, but you can play it just as well over Zoom, if you're looking for an excuse to catch up with your old digital nomad college friend.

Movies/TV: Streaming service gift card

Gift cards are all well and good, but you can personalize them by recommending a few of your favorite shows as well. I suggest:

Hulu: Cowboy Bebop

Apple TV+: Severance

Criterion Channel: Ravenous, Paprika, Strange Days

Paramount+: Yellowjackets

Amazon Prime: The Devil's Hour

But to be honest, this entry is just an excuse to talk about the new Max show Scavenger’s Reign. Inspired by the work of French artist Moebius and with a clear debt to famed 70s animated film Fantastic Planet, this stylish sci-fi show features a bunch of humans trying to survive on a beautiful but hostile alien world. Perfect for lovers of fictional nature.

Vintage sci-fi

This Etsy shop has some good stuff, like the 1971 Frank Kelly Freas NASA poster above, a bit of history that I even mentioned on page 167 of my art book.

Penguin science fiction postcards, $28

These postcards have a ton of very cool sci-fi covers I've blogged in the past – great value if you want a lot of art for a low cost.

Meteorite pendant necklace, $34

I think we all know what kind of rock your loved ones need around their neck: A chunk of meteorite straight out of the 1576 Argentinan meteorite fall.

Book recs

For astronauts: Packing for Mars by Mary Roach, The New Guys: The Historic Class of Astronauts That Broke Barriers and Changed the Face of Space Travel by Meredith Bagby

For comedians: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, Even Greater Mistakes: Short Stories by Charlie Jane Anders 

For sleuths: Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty, Drunk on All Your Strange New Words by Eddie Robson

For crafters: Knits of Tomorrow: Toys and Accessories for your Retro-Future Needs

For the resistance fighters: The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley, An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

For slasher movie fans: Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare

Syd Mead "Biomorph Vehicle" button down shirt, $49

T-shirts aren't classy enough for the world's coolest visual futurist, Syd Mead. I haven't actually bought this incredibly odd shirt, but I really need to.

Art prints (and more) from 70s sci-fi artists

Artist shops can be surprisingly hard to track down on the internet, but here's a short list of ones I've come across. All of these artists are featured in my book (except one), so you can read up on them before you commit to a print.

Michael Whelan 

John Harris

Syd Mead

Don Maitz

David B Mattingly

Peter Andrew Jones - Jones was one of just a few artists who declined to be included in my art book, but he has a distinct, colorful style that I would have loved to have featured!

Finally, here's one extra bonus, just for everyone who made it to the end of this article: The UK-based educational charity Centre for Computing History sells three big officially licensed John Harris posters featuring these three artworks, famous for their use as covers for Sinclair programming manuals.

It's a great deal that I've never seen mentioned anywhere, and Harris' work has a timeless quality that makes it great for an unassuming wall decoration. If you're outside the UK, the shipping costs will be a pain, but there's no better deal for a classic sci-fi poster.