Semi-public service announcement and jellyfish.

[hirez]

Once again, submissions for Viable Paradise are open. You can follow the link as well as I can, but it's a week long SF/F writing workshop and an absolutely marvellous time from start to finish. It'll change your life if you let it.





The last time I'd been on a nature walk like this, they were about to put men on the moon. As we straggled out alongside the beach road, I thought that it might have helped to throw a loop of red fabric tape around this group, too.

They were going to see the jellyfish. I was trying to work out where in the group I fitted; up front with the keen types, or lurking at the back with the hard kids passing the bottle to and fro. I looked at where my feet were going and tried not to be surprised by the cars on the wrong side of the road.

The wooden bridge had been replaced by something grown from diamond. We didn't have stuff like that yet, and the strangeness of the thing gave me a bad case of The Fear. I fumbled an anti-memetic from my jacket and managed to drop it in the water. I pulled out my phone, inspected the crumpled foil in the light of the display, then swore quietly. I'd have to manage the next hour or so under my own steam.

"Hey, look!" A voice from the other side of the bridge. "I can see the jellyfish!"

I leaned out over the textured railing, unsure as to what dim glow I was expected to remark upon.

KNOBJOCKEY scrolled sideways under the bridge in glowing jellyfish-sized pixels.

BOLLOCKS was closely followed by TWATMONKEY, ARSENAL and a strobing TACK>>HEAD.

"John?"

oh god.

"What did you do?"

I am regularly accused of being weakly godlike. It's something to do with the amazing power of coincidence.

"Nothi... Oh. Shit."

Someone leaned on the railing beside me. I could see random jellyfish pixels reflected in their glasses.

"I think I dropped an anti-memetic in the water," I said.

My companion squeezed my arm.

"You want to throw those things away. Subcultural isolation is the last thing you need here."

Comments

[mac-stone.livejournal.com]

Heh. Damn skippy.

Mind virus as cure for subcultural isolation...but then, I'm one of the hard kids passing the bottle, so what do I know.

[bmlg.livejournal.com]

Weakly godlike is the best kind of godlike.

[jarkman.livejournal.com]

I am especially fond of "We didn't have stuff like that yet".

Is it a thing, or a part of a thing ?

[hirez.livejournal.com]

It's a thing boshed out in tribute to Jellyfishcon. Or rather, it started as something and wandered off the point as soon as I started writing, as is the way of these things. It contains things that might (have) happen(ed) and more of the inside of my head than I expected.

[easterbunny.livejournal.com]

Subcultural isolation is the last thing you need here.

Oh, I like this.