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Divisible (Ch. 5)
CHAPTER FIVE Disclaimer: The racial epithets and slurs used in this chapter are not intended to malign anyone, nor to reflect the attitudes of the author. Though some aspects of this work are inspired by real life events and people, this work is fictional and such words are only included as part of a narrative.
By CT Idlehouse7 years ago in Futurism
Alex The Inventor Bk.2 - Ch.11 (Pt.3)
Chapters 1 - 11 can be read at: Deep Sky Stories & IllustrationsNot very far away, Sergeant Jim Cash slowly drove his police cruiser down the quiet dusty country lanes. Good ol' sleepy Delta-Town was just fine with him. So calm...so predictable... so... (blip-blip).
By G.F. Brynn7 years ago in Futurism
Personal Responsibility
The air reeked of cigarettes and alcohol along with other substances of an illegal nature. The counters of the bar were filled with men and women from the worst of humanity, hunched over the stained marble, ordering drinks to fit in or to simply wash away their sorrows. Men in the darkened corners sat with guns tucked underneath their smart jackets. This was not the place for a type of man like John. Then again, nowhere was quite the place for him, imposing in height, strength, and cybernetics, he would always be deemed a threat, even In a bar like this filled with men whose defining characteristics were threatening. He walked through the metal door frame that was about one foot too small for him, forcing him to duck underneath it. Four men and one woman turned their attention to John for a slight moment but quickly broke eye contact and went back to their drinks. John made his way against the crowd that danced and moved in rhythmic patterns, blanketed in a blue hue that reminded him of the old days of LCD monitors, which were now extinct technologically. The days of monitors and user-interfaces were coming to an end, replaced by cybernetics, just as the days of written letters were ended by the invention the email and social networks. John knew this; he knew it, in the moment during his college years studying law enforcement and cyber security when he saw a video of man use the power of his mind to operate a motor of a mechanical arm. So when the first augments hit the market he made the smart decision to receive them in the aftermath of an accident which the insurance paid for in its entirety. The operation ended with the amputation of his arms and legs, replaced by more powerful than what he had before. He was the man of the modern age, capable of any great feat that previously only possible by gods and demigods of myth and lore in works of fiction.
By Valor Gosch7 years ago in Futurism
Svadhishthana (Ch. 7)
I open my eyes to a city whose grandeur perfectly reflects the mundanity of Angele Emerald. The tallest building is the water tower, which is buckling under its own age. "Where are we?" I notice I'm standing in Natarajasana. I straighten myself, dropping my shoulders.
By Dan-O Vizzini7 years ago in Futurism
Divisible (Ch. 4)
Catch up here: ONE, TWO, THREE FOUR I sank into the shallow, unfulfilling bath; once a luxury, now the bare minimum of hygiene. The water was tepid, warmed enough to not cause hypothermia. Shampoo wasn't even afforded for lesser status bathrooms. We had to use individually-packaged all-purpose soap bars that made the hair stiff and coarse upon drying. Back in the compound housing, we used to trade grown vegetables and herbs under the table for eggs and honey. We'd make what we called "the poor peasant's conditioner." I thought about how I would sneak eggs and honey away—maybe I wouldn't have to. I heard of Heads of House allowing for vanity items if you were sweet enough. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what that meant. Some kind of illicit sex act? Showing complete subservience for a whole month? The thought of doing that made my stomach gurgle like it wanted to expel last night's dinner.
By CT Idlehouse7 years ago in Futurism
Divisible (Ch. 3)
Catch up here: ONE and TWO THREE Morning dawned and I lie still thinking of my life from this point onward. Concubines had the same rights as average female citizens, the only difference is that we could vote in the Sovereign Assembly. Our votes only counted for half of a man's, but they stacked for how many concubines a Head of House had. For example, if the Head of House had 15 concubines, he'd be able to put forth 9.2 of votes adding the First Wife's 0.7 of a vote and his own point. The First Wife was originally only half a point like us, but they banded together and protested that they should be seen as equals to their husband. The Assembly compromised and decided that they would be given 0.7 of a vote.
By CT Idlehouse7 years ago in Futurism
Cli-Fi Meets Biopunk?
Author Paolo Bacigalupi’s debut novel, The Windup Girl [published in 2009 by Night Shades Books], celebrates its 10th anniversary this fall. Critically acclaimed, it was named one of the top 10 fiction books in 2009 by TIME Magazine and won the 2010 Nebula Award, the Campbell Memorial Award, and the 2010 Hugo Award in a tie with China Miéville’s The City & the City. The novel has become one of the defining works of biopunk, a sub-genre of science fiction which explores dystopic worlds of genetic manipulation by power brokers.
By K.E. Lanning7 years ago in Futurism
