View Thread
 Ficlet Challenge: May 2022
|
|
| purplecleric |
Posted on 01-05-2022 13:44
|
 Delta Grade  Posts: 33 Joined: 17.01.22 |
Wow, what a response to the last prompts - and what great Fibbers you are! The prompt this month is ... RED HANDED For the second prompt: end your ficlet with someone saying 'What a day'. Poetry /further Fibbing on topic is welcome! |
|
|
|
| Lurena |
Posted on 03-05-2022 20:23
|
 Alpha Grade  Posts: 2456 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Poetry /further Fibbing on topic is welcome! Here goes: Oh What A Day It was when This series started It’s title was called Blakes Seven But What a day It was when A heartbreaking plot Violently marked Blake Seven’s end *No, I am not. I am not expendable, I'm not stupid, and I'm not going.*
|
|
|
|
| Lurena |
Posted on 03-05-2022 20:43
|
|
Alpha Grade Posts: 2456 Joined: 16.01.22 |
sure first suspect was Vila but red handed caught was Roj Blake while stealing Roj Bear *No, I am not. I am not expendable, I'm not stupid, and I'm not going.*
|
|
|
|
| Anniew |
Posted on 03-05-2022 21:46
|
|
Gamma Grade  Posts: 110 Joined: 16.01.22 |
My Gun Silences Their questions. Their blood besmirches My hands, defying all scrubbing. Play the hand fate deals you.
|
|
|
|
| Hugbot |
Posted on 06-05-2022 19:03
|
 Alpha Grade Posts: 3082 Joined: 16.01.22 |
The Loneliness of Leaders Avon had set a trap and it worked beautifully: he caught Blake red-handed. Their glorious leader had again dared to snatch Roj Bear! ‘What are you trying to prove by stealing my teddy bear every other day?’ Avon fumed. Blake looked down in embarrassment. ‘It’s not about proving anything’, he tried to explain. ‘You must know that the responsibility for the crew and for our campaign is a heavy burden on me.’ ‘And so you are venting your frustration by playing childish pranks on your crew mates?’ ‘No, it’s not that.’ Desperately Blake pressed Roj Bear to his chest. ‘But with all my doubts and fears, I find it hard to sleep.’ |
|
|
|
| Hugbot |
Posted on 08-05-2022 10:06
|
|
Alpha Grade Posts: 3082 Joined: 16.01.22 |
I have always wondered about the inhabitants of Epinal mentioned in Breakdown, and this month’s prompt gave me an excuse to explore them a little: Human Nature It was one of the rare days when Avon didn’t know whether to admire Blake for his success or to sneer at him because of his absurd plans. Roj had actually managed to contact the Epinalians, a species hostile to humans. So much for the admirable part. However, he also planned to forge an alliance with them to fight the Federation, which was an even more stupid idea than joining forces with the Terra Nostra. The Epinalians were of reptilian ancestry but there was not much to see of that. When their representative Äößü came aboard, he wore a cloak covering his body, and his face was hidden by a cowl. Only his hands were uncovered − red hands with scales and razor-sharp claws. These beings had evolved from predators who hunted in the red woods of Epinal where they were perfectly camouflaged. The talks went on for nearly an hour; if you could call them talks at all. It was more a monologue by Blake trying to convince Äößü to support the rebels despite their also being humans because the mighty Federation might one day covet Epinalian territory. Äößü didn’t say much. With reptilian cold-bloodedness, he listened and observed his hosts from under his cowl, his red hands neatly folded as if in prayer. In exasperation, Blake finally asked, ‘So, what do you think?’ Äößü placed his hands flat on the table. ‘Thank you for your explanations’, he said. ‘We will of course not support you. You have to know that I am a Seeker.’ Avon frowned. Was that a political or a religious title? The hooded cloak reminded him of a monk’s habit. ‘My duty is to seek knowledge to inform our policy’, Äößü continued. ‘There was already discussion among our people to re-evaluate our stance on humans when you invited us to talks, so we took the opportunity to gain information. However, your words only confirm our ideas of your species. ‘ ‘But we are not the Federation’, Blake exclaimed. ‘We are talking about your species as a whole irrespective of your political factions’, Äößü explained. ‘In fact, the very idea of having different factions fighting each other is a sign of your immaturity. Your people are irrational. You are killing each other. You are resolving your conflicts by violence. There is no way we could ever work together.’ He rose abruptly. ‘I will now go back to my people to share my knowledge.’ There was nothing more to say. Avon accompanied Äößü back to the teleport bay. When he sat down at the controls, he said, ‘You and I have much in common. I also loathe the irrationality of my people.’ A crocodile smile materialised in the shadows under the hood. ‘Do you really believe that − with your irrational lust for money and your irrational loyalty to your leader?’ When Äößü had vanished, Avon stared at the empty teleport bay in disbelief. Had an alien just declared him more human than he thought himself? |
|
|
|
| Anniew |
Posted on 08-05-2022 14:19
|
|
Gamma Grade Posts: 110 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Oh Huggy. What great contributions. And Lurena so much fascinating poetry! I particularly liked What a day it was… Play the hand fate deals you.
|
|
|
|
| Hugbot |
Posted on 15-05-2022 09:57
|
|
Alpha Grade Posts: 3082 Joined: 16.01.22 |
OK, I am showing my age with this nonsense... A Weekend with Suzi It was the day that Avon feared every year: his birthday. Thankfully, no-one aboard the Liberator knew the date, so at least he was spared the humiliation of pretending to be happy. When Blake sent him on a recon mission, Avon gladly obliged. The less he saw of his shipmates today, the better. Walking in the rain through an ugly concrete jungle with grumpy inhabitants, Avon could bask in feeling miserable. He really enjoyed his outing. But then he saw a small photograph in the window of an antiques shop. On any other day he wouldn’t have noticed it but today, he couldn’t help buying it. Reality hit home hard when he had a closer look at the hand-written inscription. He wasn’t the type who drowned his sorrows in alcohol and yet he ended up downing four pints in the nearest pub. Suddenly a stranger sat down at his table. Normally he would have shooed him away but he was too much absorbed in his sorrows to care. And what a strange guy it was: he seemed completely out of place, and his dress sense was worse than that of the people who had dreamed up the fancy costumes in the Liberator’s wardrobe. His absurdly long scarf took the biscuit. ‘You look sad’, he said. Under normal circumstances, Avon would have told him to mind his own business but the four pints had lowered his defences. So he just nodded. ‘Business or women?’ the stranger asked. Avon slid the photograph over the table. ‘Beautiful’, the stranger commented. ‘And very lively. Certainly no weak damsel in distress.’ He glanced at Avon’s attire and smiled. ‘And you also share a certain liking for black leather.’ ‘Look at the autograph’, Avon said. The stranger read it but didn’t seem to understand. ‘The date!’ Avon burst out. Still no reaction, just as if a date didn’t mean anything to the guy. ‘She’s dead’, Avon explained. ‘She’s been dead for about 500 years. I was born much too late to meet my perfect match.’ ‘Oh’, said the stranger. Suddenly, a smile appeared on his lips. ‘I think I can help you’, he said. Avon should have been more suspicious, but the four pints made him follow the stranger into the yard where a mysterious blue box was waiting.  When Avon returned to the ship, he was in a surprisingly good mood. He was humming a song, and Blake could even hear him singing a few words of the lyrics: ’...you may never find another girl like her ‘cause she’s in love with you...’ What had happened in the few hours since breakfast when Avon had still been his usual grumpy self? ‘Did you have a good time on your mission?’ Blake asked. ‘Oh yes’, answered Avon. ‘I spent a long weekend with a wonderful lady.’ Blake stared at him, completely puzzled. ‘But you were only away for half a day!’ ‘And what a day it was’, Avon exclaimed, smiling joyfully. |
|
|
|
| Brad |
Posted on 15-05-2022 21:00
|
 Moderator  Posts: 4037 Joined: 15.01.22 |
Commissioner Sleer, here is the report from Agent Arlen on Gauda Prime. Is this confirmed? Yes, Commissioner. Blake, dead? Yes, Commissioner. And Avon? Dead, Commissioner. Vila? Dead Commissioner. Not Tarrant? They are all dead, Commissioner. Commissioner, they are all dead. Soolin? Gordon Bennet. They are all dead, Commissioner. Commissioner, they are all dead. What, even Avon? They - are - all - dead, - Commissioner. Commissioner, - they - are - all - dead. Orac? Found in the back seat of a hovercar. What a day. Indeed, Commissioner. The others? Dead. Commissioner. So, you're telling me they're all dead. Yes, Commissioner. You may go, trooper. Um, for my report, your name? Lister, Ma'am. I thought it might be. Edited by Brad on 15-05-2022 21:14 . .  Cockatoo? What Cockatoo? I don't see a Cockatoo! |
|
|
|
| Anniew |
Posted on 16-05-2022 18:14
|
|
Gamma Grade Posts: 110 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Huggy. A story that made me very happy for Avon! Did he have a date with Susie Quattro? Brad - 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. Play the hand fate deals you.
|
|
|
|
| littlesue |
Posted on 17-05-2022 09:38
|
 Alpha Grade Posts: 3370 Joined: 17.01.22 |
Huggy. A story that made me very happy for Avon! Did he have a date with Susie Quattro? Brad - 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. I now have an image of the said Susie Q playing her guitar for all she is worth in that leather outfit of hers. What instrument would Avon have played? The spoons???? Bongo drums?? Cue Bonzo Dog Doodah band Intro and Outro..... 
Cold! You don't know the meaning of the word cold! Cold is when you have ice on the INSIDE of your window!! Sue's Book Shelf https://www.mediafire.com/folder/z1xg...Zine_Shelf Rebel Run Video https://youtu.be/8prqS-XZtLo |
|
|
|
| Anniew |
Posted on 17-05-2022 20:19
|
|
Gamma Grade Posts: 110 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Little Sue 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Play the hand fate deals you.
|
|
|
|
| Travisina |
Posted on 18-05-2022 19:24
|
 Admin  Posts: 941 Joined: 14.01.22 |
Caught Red- Handed, Pockets full of stolen jewells. And my brain won't stay adjusted. So Life Sentence: I'm exiled to Cygnus Alpha. At least I'm not sentenced to death. There is no point being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes
|
|
|
|
| Anniew |
Posted on 21-05-2022 08:39
|
|
Gamma Grade Posts: 110 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Travisina. I love these. Little snippets of B7 life. We should make books and get Hugbot and Lurena to illustrate them. First book. Brad’s limerick guide to B7. Second. The Fibber’s guide to the B7 universe. Play the hand fate deals you.
|
|
|
|
| Travisina |
Posted on 22-05-2022 06:47
|
|
Admin Posts: 941 Joined: 14.01.22 |
Travisina. I love these. Little snippets of B7 life. We should make books and get Hugbot and Lurena to illustrate them. First book. Brad’s limerick guide to B7. Second. The Fibber’s guide to the B7 universe. Fun idea, Annie - it's ages since we last did a book!
There is no point being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes
|
|
|
|
| littlesue |
Posted on 28-05-2022 18:01
|
|
Alpha Grade Posts: 3370 Joined: 17.01.22 |
Well here goes....poor Vila has a day he'll not forget in a hurry! And once again, Lurena has worked her magic! What a difference a day makes… The day had started quietly enough. A nice warm shower; a slow saunter to get breakfast and then an even slower saunter to get to the Flight Deck. For Vila, it was business as usual, waiting for the usual ‘discussion’ between Avon and Blake. But at least Cally was on his side. ‘Too much stress’, she had said, as she explained why everyone was feeling out of sorts. “We all need a rest.” Absolutely, Vila had thought, and he knew the exact place. The Lakeside of Gardinos. Yes, that would be perfect… Unfortunately, that particular destination was not on Blake’s preferred list of places to stay. Somehow, he had decided on the back of beyond planet of Horizon. Well the Federation supply ship was here. Why? Vila didn’t want to know, but the dream of the Lakeside of Gardinos quickly evaporated as Blake insisted on going down to Horizon to see what delights it held. Oh dear, thought Vila. And he was even more unhappy when Gan decided to go down and find out why Blake and Jenna had lost contact. And then Vila faced his worst nightmare. Working. Toiling away in a mine for some sort of mineral which Blake helpfully told him was radioactive. Could it get any worse? Thankfully, for all his bravado, Avon had come to the rescue. ‘I wonder why?’ thought Vila. He would have to ask the cold hearted computer expert exactly why he had changed his mind. But that could wait. Right now, he wanted to put the whole nightmare behind him. He sat up on his bunk, and closed his hands around the glass of Soma so thoughtfully provided by Cally. He’d actually asked her about Avon’s last minute heroics. She said it was best not to ask; maybe Avon would be forthcoming about it later. “Now rest,” she had said. He smiled to himself as the Soma began to take effect. Yes, what a day…what a day… 
Cold! You don't know the meaning of the word cold! Cold is when you have ice on the INSIDE of your window!! Sue's Book Shelf https://www.mediafire.com/folder/z1xg...Zine_Shelf Rebel Run Video https://youtu.be/8prqS-XZtLo |
|
|
|
| Lorna |
Posted on 28-05-2022 18:52
|
 Alpha Grade Posts: 2283 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Nice picture of Cally and interesting story.
I look behind me, what do I see? A pair of golden wings seem to be attached to me.
|
|
|
|
| littlesue |
Posted on 30-05-2022 08:51
|
|
Alpha Grade Posts: 3370 Joined: 17.01.22 |
Now for the second prompt...and Lurena's managed it again!!! Caught in the Act It had been an easy enough thing to do’ Just a matter of slightly altering the Liberator’s food programme to deliver that delicious dessert he had experienced on Freedom City. Now it would just require some tweaks to the programme and he would have ice cream on demand. Any flavour. Any amount. What better way to celebrate Blake’s eventual defeat of the Federation. Blake could have Earth and he, Avon, could have the Liberator and all the ice cream. And only he knew about it. Or at least that was what Avon thought. It had started a few days later and now Avon was sure of it. Someone had broken his security code and that someone was helping themselves to his ice cream. But how to catch the culprit? “Are you sure he doesn’t suspect?” Vila gave Blake a bored look. “Not unless he’s checking all the ingredients levels…” Blake sighed, “That’s the thing he would do.” “Look, to put your mind at ease, Orac is, shall we say, fiddling the figures.” “He’ll know,” Cally warned. “Only is somebody tells him. Besides, you’ve had a few bowlfuls.” Cally blushed. She had indeed enjoyed a rather delicious Eton Mess…whatever Eton was. “You know,” Jenna began, “Once he finds out that you…we... have been sampling his new creation, he won’t be happy.” “I’m still puzzled as to how he came up with this idea of ice cream,” Blake pondered. “Really?” Vila asked innocently. “Maybe Freedom City has something to do with it?” Cally said. “Freedom City?” Vila smiled. Blake studied Vila, “Yes, it does seem strange that since we went there, Avon has been preoccupied with this ice cream dessert and its numerous flavours.” “Coincidence, pure coincidence,” Vila blustered, “Shall we go and find out what he’s come up with now?” “Are you sure he’s not around?” whispered Vila. “According to Zen, he’s in one of the forward control rooms,” Blake replied... Vila was examining the food dispenser. “Hm…I think he’s been adding a few extras.” “Any idea what flavour it is this time?” Vila studied the screen, “Vanilla.” “Vanilla? What flavour is that?” “We’ll soon find out.” Two stainless steel bowls dropped down, each filled with a creamy white mixture, but the clear glass door didn’t open. Perplexed, Vila studied the screen again. “It says, ‘Do you want any extras?’” “Sounds good to me.” Vila pressed the button to confirm his answer and the door suddenly opened and as both Blake and Vila reached for the bowls, Raspberry sauce cascaded down all over their hands. “What the? Stop it Vila, it’s going everywhere!!” “I’m trying; I’m trying!!” A hand reached over and depressed one of the buttons. It was Avon. “Well now, what do we have here? Why, its two thieves and I’ve caught you red handed…literally.” “That’s not funny, Avon.” Blake said... ”You were supposed to be in the one of the forward control rooms,” Vila pointed out, his hands covered, like Blake’s, with sticky red sauce. “I know. Even Zen can oblige with some misinformation.” “Look, we just wanted to know what you had been doing with the Food dispenser.” Blake explained. “And also, what this new dessert of yours was like.” Vila added. Avon smiled. “All you had to do was ask.” 
Cold! You don't know the meaning of the word cold! Cold is when you have ice on the INSIDE of your window!! Sue's Book Shelf https://www.mediafire.com/folder/z1xg...Zine_Shelf Rebel Run Video https://youtu.be/8prqS-XZtLo |
|
|
|
| Anniew |
Posted on 31-05-2022 21:11
|
|
Gamma Grade Posts: 110 Joined: 16.01.22 |
Sue . Lol. Lol. Lol. Really convincing art works Lurena.Loved them. Play the hand fate deals you.
|
|
|
|
| Jump to Forum |