Writing Exchange

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A Slow WriterJamie looked around equal parts frustrated and anxious. this was the right time and place right? Had this all been a fluke? As they turned around suddenly someone bumped into them rudely, almost knocking them over. "Hey watch it asshole," they yelled but the figure was already disappearing. Then they noticed a note had appeared in their pocket. In a hastily scribbled letters it read "follow me, I'll take you to see the others. But be careful, THEY will be watching" <a href="https://mastodon.art/tags/TootFic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#TootFic</a> <a href="https://mastodon.art/tags/microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#microfic</a>

Kos, that kobold you knowI hear the tell-tale clicky jingle of a chastity cage and instantly glance over at the lady on the subway who's tits are each larger than my body.She's wearing booty shorts that read "Can't cum anymore, because of the woke."All is right in the world.<a href="https://yiff.life/tags/microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#microfic</a> (but like, her cute micropenis)

Kathy ReidThe linguist paused, stylus rocking freneticly between her index and middle fingers, mirroring the pace of the unfolding ideas she was about to verbalise."I wonder", she uttered, staring at the screen. "Yeah?", her Research Assistant turned to face her."Could it be a <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Trumpifaction" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Trumpifaction</a> artefact?""No... Ohh! Maybe? Yeah! Yeah you're right!""The word privilege was banned for its association with recognising the advantage of valorised social categories - whites, men, cis-gender, hetero ---","And so the institutions had to find ways to express the concept so it wouldn't get filtered or flagged ---","Right!","Because these were career civil servants, whose core values were about inclusion for all Gileadeans, sorry it was still America, Americans,""Right again! Keep going, talk it through." she encouraged."So instead of *erasing* the word privilege, the lexicon is changed. They started using the word "Trump" to stand in for intersectional privilege because he wouldn't erase his own name!""You got it." She beamed at him with pride. "Trump is a lexical Trumpifaction artefact!""Right, now read it again. Imagine you were asked to erase petabytes of institutional history. How the funk do you do not do that under the nose of a genocidal dictator?"---"It's our national pride to serve the Trump administration, one nation under God, three branches of government working together as our Forefathers imagined. Together, the six Institutes pledge to heighten ...---"Funk me it's a darkweb address. Do you? It couldn't be, not after all this time ----"She was already tapping her console."134 dot 610 dot .. ", her voice trailing off.They gasped as the console fell back to http/3 and rendered. ---Welcome to The <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Americhive" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Americhive</a>.Our mission is to document the fall of the nation formerly known as The United States of America, to preserve its institutional knowledge for ALL our people, in the hope that a time may come when our once-great nation may be united once again. Your obligation is to safeguard and preserve the Americhive via any means at your disposal.---Fin. <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Tootfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Microfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/USpol" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#USpol</a>

rdm<a href="https://zirk.us/@SFFMagazineCovers" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@SFFMagazineCovers</a> I /was/ going to bow out of this, on account of the number of these I seem to produce, but then I had an idea...--------------Tixzul grinned with both of their mouths as the tractor-beam boats brought the hostage building aboard their ship.These primitive worlds were all alike, it was simple to steal some landmark or other, ransom it for gems or fuel or biomass, and then send back a replicated copy. Then they could sell the original to collectors anywhere in the galaxy.It was a good scam. All alike, Tixzul thought. Huh. Maybe we hit this place before. That was the last thought Tixzul had, as the thermonuclear device in the top floor of the bell tower detonated inside the hold of the ship.They had been right. They had raided this planet before, and recently enough that they knew to take precautions. <a href="https://aus.social/tags/SFF" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SFF</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/SF" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SF</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#microfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#tootfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/IAmWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#IAmWriting</a>

rdmOK, so I think it is time I cleared up a few things about us merfolk.Let's start with the whole "drowning sailors" thing. Look, we never did that, in fact we tried our best to help, but have you ever tried to assist someone in the water who's panicking? Let me tell you, life jackets, SOLAS beacons, and basic swimming lessons make life a whole lot easier for everyone. Wear the life jackets, and get swimming lessons. Really. And use the safety lines if they are there.Now just don't get me started on dolphins. They always have an angle, and it is always the same angle. They are not trying to help you out of the goodness of their hearts, let me tell you.And the merfolk you see around cities? Yeah, we almost always cover ourselves up. Not really our thing, but I blame the Puritans and the Victorians. And your stupid ozone hole. Anytime we want to interact near the shores or on a beach, we have to cover up because of your silly laws, and your self destructive chemicals making the UV levels so dangerous. Do you have any idea how hard it is for someone without legs to get a sea-safe sunscreen? My last bottle cost me three crayfish.Oh, and let's talk about the Sirens. No, they are not merfolk. In fact most of us couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. Above water, at any rate. Under water some of us can sing quite well, but it takes training, just like it does for you. And yes, the Sirens are bloodthirsty sods. Avoid them. I hope that clears a few things up. Now, I can trade you three swimmer crabs for a takeaway container of Vindaloo. Do we have a deal?<a href="https://aus.social/tags/microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#microfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#tootfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/merfolk" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#merfolk</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/mermaid" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#mermaid</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/sff" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#sff</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/fantasy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#fantasy</a>

NaraMoore ⛩️👻八尺様👻⛩️ at Fedi100 words in the style of <a href="https://mstdn.social/@ixtlidekami" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@ixtlidekami</a> under going "digestive infection induced fever?" Include priests from beyond the gave waving black candles.The serpent coiled and coiled again. Arctic words like necklaces of corroded copper around and around her neck. Then, a ghastly burst, sulfuric vapors surged from gut to torpid air. The priests bowed, scraping the pine needle littered ground with tonsured heads. “And the weak shall perish, unshriven,” intoning from sepultures emblazon with liquid gold, the sweat of workers too cowed to wonder at the Virgin Mary laying violated on the altar. Instead enthralled by the etchings of beetles and worms crowned with stolen glory. Black candles in hand serpents chanted while the sheep clutched their bellies and vomited praise.<a href="https://sakurajima.moe/tags/Drabble" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Drabble</a> <a href="https://sakurajima.moe/tags/Flashfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Flashfic</a> <a href="https://sakurajima.moe/tags/MicroFic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#MicroFic</a>

rdm<a href="https://zirk.us/@SFFMagazineCovers" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@SFFMagazineCovers</a> "Man I hate these firefighting jobs" "112987, what was that?" "Nothing, just talking to myself." I really have stop doing that. They might decide that I am not being well enough behaved and up my sentence. So here I am, in a prison supplied cyborg body, putting out a factory fire. Ughh. And for what? Reverse parking in a 'nose in' bay. At least I only have another two months of this. "112987, we are detecting a new hot spot behind you." "On it, Control." I turn and start up the foam projectors again.<a href="https://aus.social/tags/sff" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#sff</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/scifi" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#scifi</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#microfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#tootfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/IAmWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#IAmWriting</a>

rdm<a href="https://zirk.us/@SFFMagazineCovers" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@SFFMagazineCovers</a> "Mike you bastard! I told you 30 *seconds* in the microwave, not 30 *minutes*!!"(In no way based on an incident in my office and a bunch of chocolate brownies. No way at all.)<a href="https://aus.social/tags/CookingDisasters" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#CookingDisasters</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/sff" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#sff</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#microfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#tootfic</a>

rdm<a href="https://zirk.us/@SFFMagazineCovers" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@SFFMagazineCovers</a> Mary had been 14 when she stowed away on the ship of the Great Interstellar Travelling Circus. She'd been following Mike, who she had a huge crush on. Naturally when they had been found there were words. But she'd proven to have talent, as did Mike, so they joined the show.Chasing after Mike had proven to be a mistake. He turned out to be completely gay, with no interest in her at all. But he had been nice enough about it, and they were still friends.Herself? She'd been surprised to find that she was a lot more open than she'd been led to believe was possible. But she'd settled down after a bit of a wild time. Sascha the contortionist, the alien squid who went by the human name of 'Bob' (their real name was unpronounceable by anyone without chromatophores), and her got along very nicely, and Bob was carrying their daughters.So had Mike. He'd married the lead trombone player years ago.But on a carnival ship, no one had just one job, and during a hold inspection she'd just found a pair of teenaged kids.<a href="https://aus.social/tags/microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#microfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#tootfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/sff" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#sff</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/circus" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#circus</a>

Jens Zalzala"Why do you think demons possess humans?""Because being human is way better." "That sounds like vanity talking." "Is it vanity of its true?" "I just feel like there's something more that we're missing." "Look, are we going to exorcise this demon, or do you need to take it to dinner first to discuss its feelings?" <a href="https://mograph.social/tags/microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#microfic</a> <a href="https://mograph.social/tags/tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#tootfic</a>

rdm<a href="https://zirk.us/@SFFMagazineCovers" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@SFFMagazineCovers</a> The ghost of the young woman looked up. "Again? Every single night? Look, your nature god dropped that tree branch on you the moment you cut my throat. I saw that much." The ghostly druid slashed his ritual knife through the other ghost's throat." A ghostly tree branch crushed him. "Right, that's it, I've had enough. The next traveller, I going to get them to dig up my bones so I can haunt somewhere else!" From under the ghost branch the druid spoke for the first time "They won't hear or see you." "Really? Watch me. Here comes someone."A lone traveller rode near the tree."Help me be free of my tormenter!" the young woman called.The traveller pulled up and tipped their head."Help me please!"They dismounted, appeared to think for a few moments, and walked up to the tree. Looking around they paused again, and lifted a glass to their eye. "Ah ha!" she exclaimed. "There you are!" She rubbed some ointment on her ears. "Let's try that again." "Please save me from my nightly tormenter. Dig up my bones, and take me somewhere else!" The traveller turned around and looked down. "Oh. I see." "You cannot take her! She is sacred to the Wild God! He will " his voice faded away as she threw some powder over the area the voice came from. The young woman's ghost became more visible. "Or you could banish him, I suppose." "I can still take you with me, if you like." "Would you? It is rather lonely here." The traveller started digging. "So why did the hairy one reject you?" "He thought that, just because I had rejected every man who courted me, I was a virgin." "Ha! That's not the first time I've heard that. Edith! Mary! Penny!" Three more ghosts emerged from the saddlebags. "Hi! Are you coming with us?" "What's your name?" Ooooh"! You're cute!"The traveller kept digging. Ghost hunting was proving a lot more fun than her tutors had said. Maybe they were just not hunting the right sort of ghost.<a href="https://aus.social/tags/Microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Microfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Tootfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/SFF" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SFF</a>

rdm<a href="https://zirk.us/@SFFMagazineCovers" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@SFFMagazineCovers</a> "Do you have a pass? No? Back of the line." "I have a pass!," said the young woman who was next in line. "Let's see some ID, kid. Huh. Checks out. Have fun storming the castle!" "Look, I've got two hundred in gold..." It was the old guy again. "And I've got a dagger. Get lost, you're banned now." "Um, I don't have a pass, but um..." the kid who looked like he was just off the farm mumbled. "It is OK, kid, I'm not a monster. Go down the road a bit, and talk to the apothecary. Then come back." The boy nodded and ran off down the road. It was tough being a bouncer for the most popular lair in the kingdom, but the pay was good, and you got three days off a week.<a href="https://aus.social/tags/tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#tootfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#microfic</a>

Chuck<a href="https://mastodon.world/@exchgr" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@exchgr</a> We watched a number of episodes in the Twilight Zone during the new year's marathon, and one of them was 'To Serve Man' where people think the aliens are here to help people but find out that their book is really a cookbook (using humans as one of the ingredients)It struck me that the AI book's cover would say "To Make Money" and everyone would clamber to buy it, but when you decoded the text inside it said "disappear"<a href="https://chaos.social/tags/microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#microfic</a> <a href="https://chaos.social/tags/ai" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#ai</a>

rdm<a href="https://zirk.us/@SFFMagazineCovers" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@SFFMagazineCovers</a> Annette reached the final pose of the ritual, and the huge silver form rose out of the ground.Next her partner would dance the rite of fueling, and they'd be able to get off this damned planet.As she watched Susan strip off, and start to dance, it occurred to her that the designers of the emergency nanobot ship construction packs really were perverts.Annette sat back and enjoyed the show. "Maybe I'm a bit of one, too" she smiled to herself.<a href="https://aus.social/tags/scifi" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#scifi</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/sff" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#sff</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#tootfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#microfic</a>

rdm<a href="https://zirk.us/@SFFMagazineCovers" class="u-url mention" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">@SFFMagazineCovers</a> Carla stretched, and her left leg popped off again. She sighed dramatically, and wondered if she should bother putting it back on for the evening. She was not due on stage for another two hours, so why bother with the trouble of aligning all the connectors?Maybe after this contract, she'd get the dodgy socket replaced. Meantime, it did give her some very exotic moves.Unseen, the serial killer paused. His target was not human - she was at least a cyborg, if not a full-blown android. That leg coming off had saved him - if he had stabbed her, it could have electrocuted him, assuming it penetrated at all!He turned and looked for another target.Carla, unaware of her near miss, continued to ponder her leg. Suddenly there was a scream from the next room, followed by a loud crack and a thud. Her door opened, and Marsha staggered in, a dagger sticking out from her cleavage. She was dragging something - a scorched body, which she dropped inside the door. "Carla, honey, can you get this thing out and do something about the scorch marks? Oh, and maybe call the cops? You know that nice red-head?"Carla shook her head, and started reattaching her leg. That was the third serial killer in this place in a week. She reached for her phone, and dialled Edith. <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Tootfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/SF" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SF</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/SciFi" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SciFi</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#microfic</a>

Jens Zalzala"I've killed most of the monsters, your path of escape should be clear.""Thank you, Gray Warden, I can't wait to see my father again.""One more thing, do I get the XP now, or am I going to have to visit your home to complete the quest?""Umm...""You see, I'm really close to leveling up, and I assume there's a demon to fight on the top floor of the castle, so..."*Blank stare*"Sigh. Run along now. I've killed most of the monsters, your path of escape..."<a href="https://mograph.social/tags/MicroFic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#MicroFic</a> <a href="https://mograph.social/tags/DragonAge" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#DragonAge</a>

rdmThe headmistress stalked the halls of the school. One of the second grade teachers had reported that one of his students was missing, and had been present earlier in the day.As she passed a storage cupboard, she heard a small noise and stopped. A quick check showed the door was locked. Interesting. A quick wave of her hand, and there was a "click". She opened the door.Inside was the missing student, Britney Butler. She had clearly been crying, and her clothes suggested that she'd been manhandled into the cupboard, not climbing in. "There you are, Miss Butler. Out you hop, and let's go and have a little chat." "Mrs Aitkins ... I'm sorry, it ..." "None of that now. Come along, you are not in any trouble."The little girl climbed out, and the headmistress closed the door. "This way, please". And started down the hall, with the little girl following.She led Miss Butler to the cafeteria, and sat her down with a box of fruit juice."Now then, why don't you tell me what happened?" The young girl looked worried "They said..." "Never mind what they said, just tell me what happened", Mrs Aitkins said firmly, but kindly. "It was three of the fourth-graders. They were making fun of my hair, and said I didn't deserve to be here." "I see. Would those fourth graders happen to have perfect hair and teeth, and uniforms that are perfectly fitted to them." The Britney nodded. "I thought so." The headmistress looked at the child in her second-hand uniform, and her messy hair. The clothes had been expertly mended. By hand, if her eye was any good, and the little girl did not appear to be going hungry. She came to a decision, and waved her hand again, only this time a small figure appeared in the middle of the table. "Oh! That's me!" Britney exclaimed. "Look closer" She did, and saw that it was not her - the hair had fooled her. "Who is it, Mrs Aitkins?" "That is me, when I was your age." "But your hair! It is perfect!" "Miss Butler, let me tell you something about your hair." Britney Butler looked a little lost at this change of subject, but nodded, because Headmistress. "My hair was just like yours. Until I got control of my magics. Then it obeyed me. Yours will obey you in time. But know this. Only the most powerful of mages have their bodies manifest their uncontrolled magics so young. You most definitely belong here." "Do the fourth grade have control of their magic?" "No. You won't get full control until grade eight or nine. Their hair is perfect because they don't have enough magic for it to play up." Britney's jaw dropped. "Now, finish up your juice, and let's get you back to class. You'll need to pay attention if you want to get that control." The headmistress led a much more excited and happy Britney Butler back to her class. <a href="https://aus.social/tags/IAmWriting" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#IAmWriting</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/SFF" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SFF</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/SciFi" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#SciFi</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Fantasy" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Fantasy</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/witches" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#witches</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/School" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#School</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Tootfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Microfic</a>

Haly, the Moonlight BardSometimes...a pickle is just a pickle. This is not one of those times. Welcome to another Fiction Friday.<a href="https://writing.exchange/tags/WorldAnvil" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#WorldAnvil</a> <a href="https://writing.exchange/tags/FictionFriday" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#FictionFriday</a> <a href="https://writing.exchange/tags/writingcommunity" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#writingcommunity</a> <a href="https://writing.exchange/tags/microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="tag">#microfic</a><a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/moonlightbard/p/worldember-day-6-fiction-friday?r=42lga5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no">https://open.substack.com/pub/moonlightbard/p/worldember-day-6-fiction-friday?r=42lga5&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true</a>

Kathy ReidMost of the non-paywalled web became unreadable about 2021. Stuffed with bevel to bevel ads that even a <a href="https://aus.social/tags/PiHole" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#PiHole</a> or <a href="https://aus.social/tags/uBlock" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#uBlock</a> struggled to swat away, reading long-form content became a chore. Just like television, where the volume on ads mysteriously doubled, web ads became shoutier, and animated, popping up over the real content payload, diverting reader attention, increasing cognitive load and raising blood pressure. "Subscribe for an ad-free experience!", the sites beckoned. "We're really Nice Guys when you get to know us". Except the subscriptions were still full of ads, just less shouty, and more targeted to the plus-addressed email you used to subscribe.This had an unusual and unexpected effect.It trained people to focus their attention on long-form content. Moulded their elastic, dopamine-addled brains to seek out the nuggets of pure and informational expression among the wasteland of attention-sucking weeds. Sharpening their retention, developing the stamina to persist while resisting distraction. They were, unintentionally, growing grad student brains. By 2026, doomscrollers had discovered arXiv, probably when WIRED stuffed one more ad in a profile of Martha Wells for the latest Murderbot and an Aussie sci-fi fan rage-tooted on the Fedi. Suddenly, the Discourse shifted. Why struggle through a 1000 word op ed with thirty seven ads for - I forget what they were because my brain ignored them - when you could read a 9k word review on the current state of <a href="https://aus.social/tags/LLM" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#LLM</a> evaluations, unencumbered by eyeball-seeking cruft?Doomscrollers started on arXiv then instead of getting frustrated, moved to OpenReview, processing their thoughts on what they'd read not in the form of likes or emoji but as peer reviews.The ad industry gasped one final choking breath, after having been denied access to arXiv or OpenReview. <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Tootfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Microfic</a>

rdm"I've done it!" cried my partner. "Ok, I'll bite. What have you done this time?" I knew I was going to regret this. I mean, I love them dearly, but sometimes they just get an idea. You know how it is.They took me outside to the garden.In the middle of the herb patch was a trellis covered in snow peas.Then I looked down. Yep. Just as bad as I had thought.I had to ask, though. "You didn't, did you?"They just grinned madly. "Yep! I have achieved peas for our thyme!"<a href="https://aus.social/tags/Shaggydog" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Shaggydog</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Microfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Microfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Tootfic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Tootfic</a> <a href="https://aus.social/tags/Humor" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#Humor</a>

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