APRIL 2024 -- 75 WORD WRITING CHALLENGE -- VICTORY TO VICTORIA SILVERWOLF!

[Peter V]

Antisocial Media AKA In Your Face Book

Jay’s watch vibrated, prompting him to tap his temple. The larger than life, mocking face of Billy Bigham filled his vision.

“Thanks for unblocking me, idiot. Hiding in the library, eh?”

Jay tapped Billy away and made for the exit, knowing that by the time he got outside, his tormentor would be exiting the telebooth receiver.

Perfectly timed, Jay smacked Billy square on his nose with a hardback of War and Peace.

“Nope. Not hiding”

 

[mosaix]

Well, We Tried…

“… two identical discs, one for each craft. Each contains information on how to play the disc and a pulsar ‘map’ showing the location of the solar system.

Recorded on the reverse are over a hundred images, a variety of natural sounds, multiple spoken greetings and a selection of music from different cultures.

We hope advanced civilizations will encounter the crafts and play the discs.”

Forty thousand years later…

“Well?”

“Haven’t a clue. Completely meaningless.”

 

[DaCrazyKat29]

Picture not so perfect

I take a closer look at the social media post from this morning. Just another normal picture of another holiday. I zoom in on the flash of green in the singular cloud, enhancing the image as much as possible. It’s not just a green flash. Multiple tesserac cubes bloom around the light. I pick up the phone and dial The Boss

“Sir”

“Yes?”

“I think we may have a break in the 4th dimension”

 

[Paul J. Menzies]

So'rce Checked


Seated, BernAIs waved at the display. "They said mass enchantment was impossible. Look, people now love war, inflation, surveillance... It's the psychic control we've long dreamt about."

Medea could divine this future. "That's… breaking news. The halcyon days of pre-internet propaganda are unquestionably back then."

"Better. Maybe one in a million can resist Thrallweb."

She drove the stiletto into the divot where BernAis's nape met skull. "Which thankfully leaves 4000 of us free to."

 

[M. Robert Gibson]

Amazing Concept No. 1962: The Holodisc

Music lovers! Dump your LPs, CDs, and DVDs, the only musical medium you need is: HDs - Holodiscs!

Enjoy your favourite artistes playing in glorious surround sound* in your own home.

Simply insert the artistes' Holodisc** into the Holoplayer, decide where the artiste performs (on the table, in the shower), select a size (ants to giants), press play and there they are, playing just for you.

* Sound system must be bought separately.
** Artistes' Holodisc not included.

 

[nixie]

Fake new's or is it?


Breaking News.
Numerous unidentified objects have been spotted entering earth's atmosphere.

“Dad, have you seen this?”

“I’ve told you before, anything you read on the Internet is fake. Switch it off and go outside”

A few minutes later.

“Dad, you need to see this”

“This better be important, I'm trying to read. What the f......?”

 

[holland]

B(l)ackmail​

Unknown
This is Lacy.

Lacy
Who?​

Unknown
I found you.

Lacy
What do you want?
When are you writing from?​

Unknown
'28
I want half.
I'll cut off my hand and then you'll lose everything.
You know I'll do it.

Lacy
How do I know you will stop?​

Unknown
You can’t.
But find yourself and do what I did.
Sending you the details. xoxo

 

[Bren G]

Ghosts of a Digital Past

XE1 had combed Earth’s desolate landscape, finding only scattered hints of an intelligent civilization. No buildings, arts, or tomes to speak upon their works were ever found.

However, a computer storage device was recently discovered. Miraculously undamaged.

Deciphering its contents, the words, “The medium is the message…,” displayed onscreen before a thin wisp of smoke rose from the ancient, and now unusable, hard-drive.

That night, in profound despair, EX1 laser-chiseled his name deeply in granite.

 

[Phyrebrat]

The Oort Witch Project

In October of 2294, three students disappeared into the Trans-Neptunian Zone while shooting a documentary on the legend of the Oort Witch.

One year later, their footage was found.​

###

They were off-course — who knew where.

As Donahue left for the bridge, her XO called her attention to a cairn of stones outside her door.

‘What are they?’
‘Dunno…Meteorites?’

###

The stone-saw ate into the meteorite, throwing a rooster’s tail of dust.

Out fell a holotape.

 

[Elckerlyc]

What’s in a Life?

Of your early days nothing much lingered, mostly bright colours and tastes. But before long you could remember and recognise things, develop preferences. Lifelong your brain absorbed an unique variety of experiences; things that formed you. Books, music, plays. Life, even if life derailed. Or ends.
Immediately after death memories are scanned, captured, stored. Everyone’s.
A life, a file.

Now available! The experience of a lifetime, alternate lives. Full 4D immersion. Join Lives Extraordinaire.

 

[Parson]

Turning the Tables Is Sweet Indeed​

Jace smirked at Trump-News’ floating camera. Trump-News had been revenge-stalking Jace since his election. He’d won by revealing Trump-News’ lies in support of his opponent.

Nervously, Jace ducked under a canopy. His female stunt double walked out and turned into a women’s restroom. His actresses ran out screaming.

Trump-News flashed their shocking scoop of Jace’s “Repulsive Act” worldwide.

Jace later revealed his punk, ruining Trump-News.

In political media lying is acceptable, being stupid is not.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Presentation Is Everything


"Greetings, Earthling. Take this gift to your leaders. It's a message of peace from our Galactic Brotherhood."

"A VHS cassette?! You can't expect to be taken seriously with this outdated junk."

"But it contains the answers to life... the Universe... everything!"

"Can't we have it on Blu-ray instead?"

"Blu-ray?"

"High definition disc."

"Very well, Earthling. We shall return."



* * * * * Some years later * * * * *



"Greetings, Earthling. Take this gift to your leaders..."

"A LaserDisc!?"

"Not again!!"

 

[Ursa major]

​

The Messenger​

As her research craft reappeared above the Earth, Rugina allowed herself a smile.​

​

“I’m back, Houston,” she said on her private channel, while static played over the public one.​

​

“Back from where?”​

​

“Pluto.”​

​

“In ten hours?”​

​

“I cheated.”​

​

“How?”​

​

“I jumped up through a dozen interstellar media and there are still more above.”​

​

“You’re about to go public. Time to make history.”​

​

Rugina breathed deeply. “People of the world. The media are the message.”​

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[Ursa major]

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This Challenge is now closed.

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POLL -- April 2024 75-Word Challenge -- READ FIRST POST!​

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