pgs @pgs@aus.social
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"So you just adopted them?" the princess said.
"When they failed to defeat me," the dragon said, "they all said they couldn't return home in shame."
"You can't hoard princes."
"I'm not trying to. But sometime must look after them. Anyway, do you see your brother?"
"That one!"
#MicroFiction #SmallStories #TootFic
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"It just looks dangerous," the ranger assured, "Yes it has the shape and markings of a dragon, but if you look at the scales on the chest you'll note they're unarmored. No fire or other projectiles. Just a harmless pseudo-drake."
The pupils looked unconvinced.
"Can't those swallow a person whole?"
"Only if you get too close to a nest."
"Aren't we standing on a nest?"
"Er... So today's lesson: What to do if swallowed by a psuedo-drake."
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"I heard there are swords so sharp they cut the soul out of a body," the student said.
The swordmaster pondered this.
"That's what most swords are made for."
"While leaving the body intact!"
"Ah. That's not the sword, but the wielder. Some have done that. But only to themselves."
#MicroFiction #SmallStories #TootFic
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The oracle - stony, pale, impassive - sat all alone except when addressing the selected few with vague answers to their worries.
I attended these drafty chambers, cleaning or bringing her daily meal.
I peppered her with small-talk or flirtations - a smile would flutter over her lips though it quickly melted away to a cool, placid mask.
"In the future, I will kiss you," she predicted one day, her cheeks rose tinted.
It was worth the wait.
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daily microfiction
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young dragon in possession of all her graces must be in want of a hoard.
Which of course is why the human - whose card introduces as Mr Bingley - calls on me and my sisters, this warm summer's afternoon at our father's estate. He comes seeking a consort, and if the rumours are true, his fortune is enough to make a dragon blush.
My siblings, perhaps, may be tempted, but I have grander ambitions!
(1/4)
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The princess looked at the small pile of paper scraps.
"Your hoard?"
"My treasure."
"This says 'Yes'. This, 'I want to-'" The princess blushed. "What?"
"Consent," the dragon said. "Freely given."
"I expected... more."
"Some were withdrawn."
"That's not- That's allowed?"
"Always."
#MicroFiction #SmallStories #TootFic
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daily microfiction
It's often considered an ungainly sight, to watch a dragon climb. But climb we did, through mountain pass and freezing winds.
My siblings clustered close in warmth and solidarity, while those of our extended circle soared in wild arcs above our heads. I'd sometimes wished I had their natural grace in the sky, but I'd spent my life on claw and haunch, and on this pilgrimage to the moon sanctum my talents were a match for theirs.
(1/4)
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daily microfiction
Amongst dragons, it is considered somewhat gauche to eat a friend of a friend. The chasm between having a friend for dinner and having a friend *for* dinner is vast and socially insurmountable.
Unfortunately, some bright spark let this slip to humans. And so as I rear to my full height, flame billowing from cocineal-red nostrils, ready to devour this hapless intruder to my domain, I am thoroughly unsurprised to hear a tiny, squeaking voice.
(1/4)
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Caves were no place for a cat, but the deeper I went, and the more I thought on it, it wasn't the worst home for one.
Still, it was cute and I wanted to take it home with me where it could be properly pampered.
Suddenly I found myself face to navel with a goblin, glaring fiercely up at me. At first I feared for the cat's safety, but it purred and rubbed against the goblin's knees.
"C-can I pet your cat, please?"
"Sure I guess?"
#TootFic #MicroFiction #Writing #TerylsTales #Caturday #Fantasy
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daily microfiction
I first spotted the draconic temple from the air, gliding in on slate-grey wings and the turbulence rolling off my furrowed brow.
I'd spent the best part of the past hundred years tracking down rumours of ancient ruins, religious sites and libraries, crumbling cities built to be accessed only from the sky. I'd traced the exodus of my people from the upthrust lands far to the west, documented in scraps of parchment and faded bas-relief.
(1/3)
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The tree took five days to walk around completely. Every night I stared up at the high, mysterious branches, disappearing into the clouds.
I looked at my sturdy axe, and considered the task I had been given by the Baron.
This tree ruined his view of the mountains beyond. I suspected she was older than those mountains.
"May I stay here with you," I finally asked, after a week of successful foraging.
A hidden door among her roots opened...
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"You have freed me," the genie said. "As a reward, I shall grant you an obligation."
"Thanks, that's- Don't you mean 'wish'?"
"Would you consider it as carefully, were I to call it a 'wish'?"
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories
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@Curator
#CuratorPrompts #CuratorPrompts88
#ShortStory #MicroFiction #SFFF
The young, meek witch made no move to stop me from entering her modest-looking shed by the sea.
Inside was a vast, well-lit room, filled with precious furniture and plants and magic, but my attention was caught by a plain jar.
"What's this wood chunk in the jar?"
"It is a forest that wrongly thought I was... young and meek," she replied. "Maybe one day I will set it free again."
I turned to the door. It was gone.
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"Wow. You have a lot of books. It's like a library!"
"You think so?"
"Yeah! So do you have a secret door hidden in the book cases?"
"Only books, I'm afraid."
"Oh."
"But some books are."
"Are what?"
"Secret doors, leading to awesome places."
"Cool! Can you show me?"
"I'd love to!"
#MicroFiction #TootFic #SmallStories
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“Christianity didn’t become a world religion because of the quality of its teachings, but by the quantity of its violence.”
😳🙏🏻
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My trash had been raided again, and the trash-collectors had given me another stern talking to about making their jobs harder, as well as passive-aggressively ignoring my recycling.
I laid down traps, having rejected poison, but it happened again.
Frustrated, I set up a camera to film whatever wild-life was doing this.
I did not expect to capture a young lady in a sparkly tiara and ragged gown with a small army of rats and raccoons.
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"A bit of egg-shell coming right up," the elf declared, cracking an egg into a bowl and then gently frying the shell for me.
She plopped it onto a hunk of bread and smiled brightly.
I looked at the bowl, managing to hide my salivation, "Err, may I add to this generous and delicious meal?"
"My kitchen is yours," she said hesitantly, her eyes widening as I scrambled the egg.
"Humans eat the insides of eggs? No wonder you're all so meaty!"
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Wow! The best pictures of #birds over the past year. Most of the pictures are larger than 1920x1080 resolution & really good quality (so they'll be great as desktop wallpapers). #photography #naturephotography #wildlife #wildlifephotography #animals
The 2022 Audubon Photography Awards: The Top 100 | Audubon https://www.audubon.org/news/the-2022-audubon-photography-awards-top-100
