Flash Fiction Friday 2-3-12: "Crystalline Dream"

(Image stolen from Lexi some time ago; title unknown, artist probably Adam Spizak)

She looked, curiously, at the pill in her palm. This was going to take her to places undreamed?

Almost without thinking, she put it to her mouth, swallowed.

************************************************

Waves of liquid light, sweeping, rising. Crystalline fire spiraling along her nerves, setting them aflame. Skin singing with sensation. A great gulf, filling with burning ice.

Scattered notes dancing in the swirling wind. Mighty gears turning, meshing, driving her higher. Globes of ecstasy, bubbling up and through her. Building and foaming, gyring and twisting, lithe and effortless. Floodflames as she neared the tautened edge, then crossed it in screams of wonder and joy.

(Click for details on FFF!)

Your challenge for today was to use the picture above and write a flash fiction of 85-105 words. Additionally, I provided a key phrase I wanted to see used somewhere in the submission:

"...crystalline..."

Nobody's checking word counts, or for the key phrase, but you're only cheating yourself if you break the rules. Unless you're doing it to earn a spanking (in which case, see me after class).

Special Bonus Director's Commentary Track:

This artwork fascinated me. Even though I've never done any hallucinogenics, it seemed to be a pretty good representation of how one might seem. I crossed that with my hazy ideas of what I think the female orgasm might feel like, and then stirred briskly with lyrical and poetic writing. The result, I think, speaks for itself. I hope you enjoyed it.

Understand that I don't advocate recreational drug use -- it seems to me to be an easy way to get lost in an "outside" world, while losing touch with the real world and, incidentally, blowing lots of money -- but I can't help but wonder what an acid trip, or a mescaline trip, might do for someone who was already sensually-minded.

The title comes from the song of the same name by Shadow Gallery. Prog-rock is very good at describing dream worlds, so it makes a good soundtrack.


If you are playing along this week, please leave your link below using the widget. It will appear in the text of the post itself, not in the comments, so everyone that's playing will be listed here. This frees me from having to chase people down to find out if they're playing or update the Friday post several times for late entries. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Apologies for the late entry -- this did not auto-post at midnight for some reason. I've added three of the participants that I've seen so far since they couldn't add theirs without this being here!

In any case, the participants list is below. Go check them out, and thanks to all who played along.



Check back here on Monday for the next challenge! And if you have any photos or artwork you'd like to see in a future challenge, please send them my way. Thanks to Lexi for providing this week's art.

-- PB

Flash Fiction Friday 10-21-11: "Aural Sex"

(Source image: unknown title by Beau Monde; website link broken)

“Just listen,” he said. “I think it's the best I've done yet.”

She put the headphones on, and...

...was lost, utterly, swept away and undone. Bass throbbed in her bones. Panoramic strings of notes curled around, holding her close. Point-counterpoint bore her along, synth waves buoying her up, steadying. Images flared in her brain, slow-sweet moans, lisping sounds of bodies locked together, slippery with sweat, fumbling towards ecstasy, cramped with desire, rigid in pained delight.

“Well?” he asked.

She couldn't speak. She just nodded.

(Click for details on FFF!)

Your challenge for today was to use the picture above and write a flash fiction of 38-98 words. Additionally, I provided a key phrase I wanted to see used somewhere in the submission:

"...pained delight..."

Nobody's checking word counts, or for the key phrase, but you're only cheating yourself if you break the rules. Unless you're doing it to earn a spanking (in which case, see me after class).

Special Bonus Director's Commentary Track:

No, I don't have any idea where the key words for this week's challenge came from. They just jumped into my head unbidden and refused to leave till I put them down as part of the challenge. I hope they weren't too much of a burden for the rest of you.

I've been musing over the idea of music as a sexual experience. There have been times when the song I was listening to was so transcendent, the notes so just right, the environment so enveloping, the power and wonder of it all so extreme that it was almost a religious thing. Quite a trick, for an atheist. And it occurred to me that with very little alteration, what is religion to some could be sexual for others. Music gets a lot of people horny, but what would music sound like if it was the very representation of the sexual experience? I tried to capture some of that in this very short piece, and think I succeeded. Opinions may differ.

If you are playing along this week, please leave your link below using the widget. It will appear in the text of the post itself, not in the comments, so everyone that's playing will be listed here. This frees me from having to chase people down to find out if they're playing or update the Friday post several times for late entries. Your cooperation is appreciated.

In any case, the participants list is below. Go check them out, and thanks to all who played along.



Check back here on Monday for the next challenge! And if you have any photos or artwork you'd like to see in a future challenge, please send them my way. 

-- PB

Flash Fiction Friday 5-27-11: "Eye of the Beholder"

(Source image: "Body Painting" by Saturno Butto)

Elizabeth looked at me calmly, expression unreadable. Victoria continued with her work. Sarah sent me a glance full of mute appeal, helpless naked emotion in her eyes. She was being held down firmly by Victoria, who was swirling intricate designs into her back.

“A very pretty tableau,” I said. I reached between Sarah's legs and my hand came away wet. “We've selected a good one here.”

Sarah closed her eyes and bowed her head, surrendering at last.

(Click for details on FFF!)

Your challenge for today was to use the picture above and write a flash fiction of 60-80 words. Additionally, I provided a key phrase I wanted to see used somewhere in the submission:

"...[[noun]] in her eyes..."

Nobody's checking word counts, or for the key phrase, but you're only cheating yourself if you break the rules. Unless you're doing it to earn a spanking (in which case, see me after class).

Special Bonus Director's Commentary Track:

I was nearly undone by this one. When I first selected it it positively sang to me but when it came time to write I was blocked in virtually every direction I tried. Finally, in desperation, I resorted to the same "betrayed by her body" theme I've used in many previous tales; that worked well enough for me to construct a believable scene, but it feels like recycling to me. I'm not very happy with this one, I'm afraid.

Please note that I am no longer collecting the participants list. If you are playing along this week, please leave your link below using the widget. It will appear in the text of the post itself, not in the comments, so everyone that's playing will be listed here. This frees me from having to chase people down to find out if they're playing or update the Friday post several times for late entries. Your cooperation is appreciated.

In any case, the participants list is below. Go check them out, and thanks to all who played along.



Check back here on Monday for the next challenge! And if you have any photos or artwork you'd like to see in a future challenge, please send them my way. 

-- PB

Flash Fiction Friday 12-3-10: "Summer Song"

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Flash Fiction Friday 9-3-10: "The Flame Within"

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