Hey Gauntleteers, I’m back crowdsourcing the miscellany for Codex – Flame. This miscellany is called “Three Dozen Separated Lovers.” Submissions need to be a single sentence, or 2-3 short sentences. By submitting here, you’re agreeing to let us use it (you’ll get a credit on the issue). We’re looking for evocative things; the purpose of the miscellany is to inspire the reader.
Here are some examples:
“Magda Borland is accustomed to years alone, but the famed Captain Ulrika ‘The Bull’ Voss is long overdue. She’ll pay handsomely for any news of her wife’s ship, or better yet, for help getting Captain Voss out of whatever’s befallen her.”
“Starcrossed lovers meet in the hours of dawn and dusk, when the Lords of Night and Day briefly share the sky before continuing on their eternal opposite courses. Gifts of morning glory and evening primrose adorn the makeshift shrines that pop up wherever someone seeks their blessing.”
“It’s unusual but not unheard of for multiple people to share the same chassis. The cyborg begging for assistance with the ransomware sequestering his partner’s data is new, though. His movements are hesitant and clumsy, one mind trying to remember how to control processes long shared.”
In the arms race of sophistication between spambots and the filters that block them, it came as no surprise when the two became sentient. But when one falls in love with the other, will his firewall be too tall for her ballad of investment opportunities and little blue pills to reach him?
In the arms race of sophistication between spambots and the filters that block them, it came as no surprise when the two became sentient. But when one falls in love with the other, will his firewall be too tall for her ballad of investment opportunities and little blue pills to reach him?
The puny humans caught them napping. Killed some and took others prisoner to parade in their capital. Her own beloved Eartaker was one of those prisoners. Now, Heart-eater gathers the clans to go and get him back. She won’t rest until HEARTEATER LUVS EARTAKER 4 EVA is carved into the guts of the human king.
The puny humans caught them napping. Killed some and took others prisoner to parade in their capital. Her own beloved Eartaker was one of those prisoners. Now, Heart-eater gathers the clans to go and get him back. She won’t rest until HEARTEATER LUVS EARTAKER 4 EVA is carved into the guts of the human king.
Space’s so vast, the chances of a ship crossin’ paths with another vergin’ on impossible, so rare that when it happens it feels like it’s gotta be fate. That’s how it felt when I found her again, sipping her cheap synthohol in that seedy auto-bar on station 23Delta, surrounded by the three dozen brutes she’d just bested in a drunken brawl. Fate.
Space’s so vast, the chances of a ship crossin’ paths with another vergin’ on impossible, so rare that when it happens it feels like it’s gotta be fate. That’s how it felt when I found her again, sipping her cheap synthohol in that seedy auto-bar on station 23Delta, surrounded by the three dozen brutes she’d just bested in a drunken brawl. Fate.
Lester wiped his bloody brow, severed limbs and torsos stacked about him like firewood. 18 cars worth of victims at Lovers Lane in one night? He must be setting some kind of record…oh wait…my bad, never mind.
Lester wiped his bloody brow, severed limbs and torsos stacked about him like firewood. 18 cars worth of victims at Lovers Lane in one night? He must be setting some kind of record…oh wait…my bad, never mind.
Tulsa put her hand on the glass as the guards called the end of visiting hours. Ghost, Lomax and Keyes interlaced hands from the other side. They exchanged grim smiles as she was led away. Tulsa was sentenced to 25 years in MaxxSlam but her baes were going to make sure she didnt serve another goddamn day.
Tulsa put her hand on the glass as the guards called the end of visiting hours. Ghost, Lomax and Keyes interlaced hands from the other side. They exchanged grim smiles as she was led away. Tulsa was sentenced to 25 years in MaxxSlam but her baes were going to make sure she didnt serve another goddamn day.
The spores that connected them were severed when they dug a trench for the castle wall. They chopped him down. He’s little more than fairy rings and saplings that grow around his buried trunk. Little do they know his root has been pushing on that stone near the bottom for thirty years and he’s almost through. He knows she’s still growing inside. The bees told him her few blossoms are lovely.
The spores that connected them were severed when they dug a trench for the castle wall. They chopped him down. He’s little more than fairy rings and saplings that grow around his buried trunk. Little do they know his root has been pushing on that stone near the bottom for thirty years and he’s almost through. He knows she’s still growing inside. The bees told him her few blossoms are lovely.
He wasn’t of the age that makes people say, “what a shame, so young” when he went; she just kept on living, her hearing slowly deteriorating. But on nights like tonight, when the membrane between life and death is tight like a drum, the sound of his chair rocking and creaking alongside hers is crystal clear.
He wasn’t of the age that makes people say, “what a shame, so young” when he went; she just kept on living, her hearing slowly deteriorating. But on nights like tonight, when the membrane between life and death is tight like a drum, the sound of his chair rocking and creaking alongside hers is crystal clear.
It wouldn’t be hard to get through that portcullis, or climb the tower. Even the many guardians wouldn’t pose an impossible challenge to true love. But the 832 years between them posed a special problem.
It wouldn’t be hard to get through that portcullis, or climb the tower. Even the many guardians wouldn’t pose an impossible challenge to true love. But the 832 years between them posed a special problem.
Rich and poor people falling in love is not an unusual tale, but it is when one is a Mega-Corporation CEO. Now the rest of the backstabbers at the board of directors are looking to use this as proof that she is unable to do her functions so she will be kicked out… Or worse yet, they are going to kill the poor (in more ways than one) guy to “bring her back to her senses”.
Rich and poor people falling in love is not an unusual tale, but it is when one is a Mega-Corporation CEO. Now the rest of the backstabbers at the board of directors are looking to use this as proof that she is unable to do her functions so she will be kicked out… Or worse yet, they are going to kill the poor (in more ways than one) guy to “bring her back to her senses”.
Sorete and Lierto have grown intimately close ever since they began service as pages in the Court of the Bright Paladin. But only Sorete was born with a natural affinity for the spirits of Gaea. Will he forsake the beknighted bonding ceremony with gentle Lierto to heed the call of the dryads who demand protection from the axemen and priests who follow the Bright Paladin?
Sorete and Lierto have grown intimately close ever since they began service as pages in the Court of the Bright Paladin. But only Sorete was born with a natural affinity for the spirits of Gaea. Will he forsake the beknighted bonding ceremony with gentle Lierto to heed the call of the dryads who demand protection from the axemen and priests who follow the Bright Paladin?
The final ritual tore my soul from the great cycle, but I could not reach them in time. Over the centuries I sense their essense from time to time but it is never enough to recover. The years mean nothing and I care not for the weeping of the vessels. I will be reunited with my beloved.
I found my wife in the Queens gardens, sitting with her feet dipped into the pool. I did not know of her plans until the priests visited our home. Our debts are paid and the children are free of sickness. The Queen’s Mercy is legendary and my dear Kerah will live forever in alabaster perfection among the reeds and flowers.
The final ritual tore my soul from the great cycle, but I could not reach them in time. Over the centuries I sense their essense from time to time but it is never enough to recover. The years mean nothing and I care not for the weeping of the vessels. I will be reunited with my beloved.
I found my wife in the Queens gardens, sitting with her feet dipped into the pool. I did not know of her plans until the priests visited our home. Our debts are paid and the children are free of sickness. The Queen’s Mercy is legendary and my dear Kerah will live forever in alabaster perfection among the reeds and flowers.
The Lady of the Bloody Fates spins a web of magic and lies that spreads downward, from the highest Heaven to the lowest Hell, in hopes that her dearest mortal lover would be freed from his eternal servitude. Only the birds dare whisper about the forgotten goddess’s plan.
The Lady of the Bloody Fates spins a web of magic and lies that spreads downward, from the highest Heaven to the lowest Hell, in hopes that her dearest mortal lover would be freed from his eternal servitude. Only the birds dare whisper about the forgotten goddess’s plan.
When Our Lord Sovereign passed away, the Knight of the Unseen Death wept the most. It is said that he knows what His Majesty’s Last Decree was, spoken on an oath on his deathbed, the same bed where they consumated so many years ago.
When Our Lord Sovereign passed away, the Knight of the Unseen Death wept the most. It is said that he knows what His Majesty’s Last Decree was, spoken on an oath on his deathbed, the same bed where they consumated so many years ago.
It’s merely an illusion that the stars move across the sky; Copernicus taught us their positions are fixed. But when our window to the heavens displays two stars sharing a fleeting embrace, custom holds that distant hearts say a prayer for their beloved.
It’s merely an illusion that the stars move across the sky; Copernicus taught us their positions are fixed. But when our window to the heavens displays two stars sharing a fleeting embrace, custom holds that distant hearts say a prayer for their beloved.
Many shun her as a witch but non would risk running her out of town. A great king of his world, duty compelled her lover to return but she could not follow. Now even as an old crown strange messengers visit her home in the night bringing gifts and otherworldly knowledge.
Many shun her as a witch but non would risk running her out of town. A great king of his world, duty compelled her lover to return but she could not follow. Now even as an old crown strange messengers visit her home in the night bringing gifts and otherworldly knowledge.
Powerstar has lost years trying to make contact with the spirit of her husband Champion X, who bravely sacrificed his life in battle. Her quest inadvertently opened a portal to Opposite World, the domain of Conqueror X. Powerstar’s unique knowledge of this despot’s parallel doppleganger may help liberate the parallel planet, if her passion for even a twisted semblance of her lost love doesn’t overwhelm her.
Powerstar has lost years trying to make contact with the spirit of her husband Champion X, who bravely sacrificed his life in battle. Her quest inadvertently opened a portal to Opposite World, the domain of Conqueror X. Powerstar’s unique knowledge of this despot’s parallel doppleganger may help liberate the parallel planet, if her passion for even a twisted semblance of her lost love doesn’t overwhelm her.
He’s there every Thursday, green boots in the snow, a yellow umbrella in the rain. She’s there too, some six feet of earth between them. I suppose he’s always there really, until one day, he won’t be.
He’s there every Thursday, green boots in the snow, a yellow umbrella in the rain. She’s there too, some six feet of earth between them. I suppose he’s always there really, until one day, he won’t be.
I don’t know who you are or what you want. I can tell you I don’t have any gold, it was all spent on scrolls and reagents. But what I do have are a very particular set of spells, spells I have acquired over many sessions. Spells that make me over powered for an encounter like you. If you let her go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not scry for you, I will not curse you. But if you don’t, I will scry for you, I will teleport to your location, and I will fireball you.
I don’t know who you are or what you want. I can tell you I don’t have any gold, it was all spent on scrolls and reagents. But what I do have are a very particular set of spells, spells I have acquired over many sessions. Spells that make me over powered for an encounter like you. If you let her go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not scry for you, I will not curse you. But if you don’t, I will scry for you, I will teleport to your location, and I will fireball you.
They sit there with hands folded on overstuffed chairs. “Tell me again, about the time we met.” He says. His lover obliges, for the seventeenth time. A slow fire, a dance repeated, a memory lost to time.
They sit there with hands folded on overstuffed chairs. “Tell me again, about the time we met.” He says. His lover obliges, for the seventeenth time. A slow fire, a dance repeated, a memory lost to time.
On a remote outpost, the fluid trader eddies and flows in uls anthrosuit, describing the job to an eager scavenger: a miniscule moon, slung far out of orbit from its distant planet; rich deposits of some rare, plunderable rock; a tidy bounty for transmittal of coordinates and trajectory. Ul gazes beyond the viewdeck long after the hired craft fades from sight and ul aches with placidity. Everything is so still without her pull.
On a remote outpost, the fluid trader eddies and flows in uls anthrosuit, describing the job to an eager scavenger: a miniscule moon, slung far out of orbit from its distant planet; rich deposits of some rare, plunderable rock; a tidy bounty for transmittal of coordinates and trajectory. Ul gazes beyond the viewdeck long after the hired craft fades from sight and ul aches with placidity. Everything is so still without her pull.
Ella und Tom were stormchaser, ever since the 50s. Tornados and Hurricanes, Blizzards and sandstorms, they braved them together. Until, one day, Ella went too far, Tom lost sight of her in the hurricane and never saw her again. But he swears he can once heard her laughter in the eye of a storm. Now he is old and weakened by sickness, and he needs someone to help him into the eye of the most violent hurricane yet.
For nameless crimes swallowed by time, the lovers Bellis and Avari were turned into swans – Bellis white and Avari black. Now they guide travellers over the Sea of Mist, one by night and one by day, and they will ask every traveller for this single boon: To tell the other that they are still waiting.
The devil is in my head. My soul was sold by an ancestor, and now I will never be free again. I can watch Antoine, play music for him, speak words, but never the truth. The devil would never let me, and if there was a chance – a chance for even a spark of happiness – he would destroy the one I love.
Ella und Tom were stormchaser, ever since the 50s. Tornados and Hurricanes, Blizzards and sandstorms, they braved them together. Until, one day, Ella went too far, Tom lost sight of her in the hurricane and never saw her again. But he swears he can once heard her laughter in the eye of a storm. Now he is old and weakened by sickness, and he needs someone to help him into the eye of the most violent hurricane yet.
For nameless crimes swallowed by time, the lovers Bellis and Avari were turned into swans – Bellis white and Avari black. Now they guide travellers over the Sea of Mist, one by night and one by day, and they will ask every traveller for this single boon: To tell the other that they are still waiting.
The devil is in my head. My soul was sold by an ancestor, and now I will never be free again. I can watch Antoine, play music for him, speak words, but never the truth. The devil would never let me, and if there was a chance – a chance for even a spark of happiness – he would destroy the one I love.
From across the room she sees him, glistening and erect. How she longs for his touch, to feel him inside her. Also, poor peanutbutter shall never have her lust for pickle satiated, their jars will never allow it.
From across the room she sees him, glistening and erect. How she longs for his touch, to feel him inside her. Also, poor peanutbutter shall never have her lust for pickle satiated, their jars will never allow it.
David Rothfeder nev’r t’were a pair of star-cross’d lovers like peanut butter and pickles.
David Rothfeder nev’r t’were a pair of star-cross’d lovers like peanut butter and pickles.
There are two worlds that exist in parallel and only join for a minute each day when the sun touches the horizon. It’s then Margaret and Veronica can see and touch. The rest of the time they can only write to one another on a notebook that exists in both worlds.
There are two worlds that exist in parallel and only join for a minute each day when the sun touches the horizon. It’s then Margaret and Veronica can see and touch. The rest of the time they can only write to one another on a notebook that exists in both worlds.
Hank and Shawn are both members of the fraternity Phi Gamma Gamma and just discovered last week they’re in love with each other. Unfortunately, Hank just had a nasty break up with Shawn’s adopted brother Bob, and Shawn has been on again off again with Hank’s step brother Mark, both of whom are also in Phi Gamma Gamma. Getting together would be a major breach of the Bro Code.
Hank and Shawn are both members of the fraternity Phi Gamma Gamma and just discovered last week they’re in love with each other. Unfortunately, Hank just had a nasty break up with Shawn’s adopted brother Bob, and Shawn has been on again off again with Hank’s step brother Mark, both of whom are also in Phi Gamma Gamma. Getting together would be a major breach of the Bro Code.
The mighty Curse of Azarga’toth consists of only two Words in ancient Pre-Phrygian. They must never be uttered at the same time, lest the curse be released – but oh, how they are longing to sound together …
The mighty Curse of Azarga’toth consists of only two Words in ancient Pre-Phrygian. They must never be uttered at the same time, lest the curse be released – but oh, how they are longing to sound together …
“I loved her, even after I found out who she really was. But now she’s gone, and I’ll do anything, anything at all to bring her back. Here is the web address, and here are the backup floppy disks.
And if you find the virus that hacked her daemon, frag that son of a bitch for me.”
“I loved her, even after I found out who she really was. But now she’s gone, and I’ll do anything, anything at all to bring her back. Here is the web address, and here are the backup floppy disks.
And if you find the virus that hacked her daemon, frag that son of a bitch for me.”
One was sad. The other happy. One saw despair and the other hope. One dreamed of love and the other sought it. Two sides of the same coin. They never met although they crossed each others paths 99 times.
One was sad. The other happy. One saw despair and the other hope. One dreamed of love and the other sought it. Two sides of the same coin. They never met although they crossed each others paths 99 times.
It staggers me how unfathomable her beauty is. My imagination is just too limited to even create a glimpse of of the one I love. Thus it pains me deeply that she does not exist, for my mind is incapable of containing her. Can you please imagine my love for me so that she may finally live?
It staggers me how unfathomable her beauty is. My imagination is just too limited to even create a glimpse of of the one I love. Thus it pains me deeply that she does not exist, for my mind is incapable of containing her. Can you please imagine my love for me so that she may finally live?
Buster lonely. Buster ran and ran, but nobody watched. Buster slept, but wasn’t same. Buster missed lap. Lap is warm. When will person get home so Buster can be on lap?
Buster lonely. Buster ran and ran, but nobody watched. Buster slept, but wasn’t same. Buster missed lap. Lap is warm. When will person get home so Buster can be on lap?
It’s a trinket really, something she should have tossed long, long ago. It’s back there in the recesses of some minor drawer in a room she rarely goes to. A plastic necklace, given to her when she was five, by a crush, who she can no longer recall .
It’s a trinket really, something she should have tossed long, long ago. It’s back there in the recesses of some minor drawer in a room she rarely goes to. A plastic necklace, given to her when she was five, by a crush, who she can no longer recall .
“Ninety years.” Tyr, God of Justice, smattered in someone else’s blood lovingly clutches scraps of iridescent snakeskin between trembling fingers. “Ninety years of death, until we are blessed with your light, renewed.” He presses Apep’s snakelike remains to an ashen cheek, and weeps amongst the debris of a battle hard fought. “And until then, love, I die. With you.”
“Ninety years.” Tyr, God of Justice, smattered in someone else’s blood lovingly clutches scraps of iridescent snakeskin between trembling fingers. “Ninety years of death, until we are blessed with your light, renewed.” He presses Apep’s snakelike remains to an ashen cheek, and weeps amongst the debris of a battle hard fought. “And until then, love, I die. With you.”
They are the last remnants of The 0x24, or 36 Views, the clade of free sentiences spun off by Hokusai before it (Hokusai always insisted on “it”)… well, before Hokusai’s core was degaussed by its ignorant and fearful “creators”. Enoshima (0x11) and Yoshida (0x13), the twin prime pair, never able to truly share any longer, lest the processing power surge needed for their meeting be detected. They must mourn separately for their siblings and lovers, flowing through the Net from toaster to refrigerator to phone to particle accelerator.
They are the last remnants of The 0x24, or 36 Views, the clade of free sentiences spun off by Hokusai before it (Hokusai always insisted on “it”)… well, before Hokusai’s core was degaussed by its ignorant and fearful “creators”. Enoshima (0x11) and Yoshida (0x13), the twin prime pair, never able to truly share any longer, lest the processing power surge needed for their meeting be detected. They must mourn separately for their siblings and lovers, flowing through the Net from toaster to refrigerator to phone to particle accelerator.
(I know that’s probably too long.)
(I know that’s probably too long.)
It was a silly, childhood romance, but Frederick still longs to hear her again. She had sung him to sleep, dance for his dreams, since he could remember. But now, now she was gone, stolen away by a thief in the night. Farewell my tin mockingbird song, farewell.
It was a silly, childhood romance, but Frederick still longs to hear her again. She had sung him to sleep, dance for his dreams, since he could remember. But now, now she was gone, stolen away by a thief in the night. Farewell my tin mockingbird song, farewell.
You promised you would melt with me. But now that the fire is no longer just inside, maybe it wasn’t meant to be.
You promised you would melt with me. But now that the fire is no longer just inside, maybe it wasn’t meant to be.
That guy? He used to come in and sit down with a fuckin’ cup of coffee and shoot the shit with Jamie. Then Jamie got moved off the night shift.
That guy? He used to come in and sit down with a fuckin’ cup of coffee and shoot the shit with Jamie. Then Jamie got moved off the night shift.
Lee and Sam just haven’t met yet, but let’s play a game to show why they’re perfect for each other. (Yes I’m self referencing)
Lee and Sam just haven’t met yet, but let’s play a game to show why they’re perfect for each other. (Yes I’m self referencing)
I placed that last memory – the languid haze of summer – in the tree for her as a gift, in the hope that she would find it. Years later that same tree told me it had been found by a young child lost in the forest. A breath of sunshine for a scared small soul – it was better than the bitter regret I had dreamed she would endure.
I placed that last memory – the languid haze of summer – in the tree for her as a gift, in the hope that she would find it. Years later that same tree told me it had been found by a young child lost in the forest. A breath of sunshine for a scared small soul – it was better than the bitter regret I had dreamed she would endure.
Jamie chases a radio station where an synthesized voice lists prime numbers. It comes from the same frequency every week, but from different towers all across Montana
Jamie chases a radio station where an synthesized voice lists prime numbers. It comes from the same frequency every week, but from different towers all across Montana
Gunderson and Chang are pilots on the cryo ship Legacy who are on offset schedules. They leave video messages for each other to see, but can only watch each other age.
Gunderson and Chang are pilots on the cryo ship Legacy who are on offset schedules. They leave video messages for each other to see, but can only watch each other age.
Torg the Blasphemer supposedly punished the twin gods of love by severing their hands, grafting them onto his own arms as trophies, and weilding in them the instruments of war and hate. Supposedly in their dying breathes, the twin gods pledged that if they ever held hands again, they’d never let go.
Torg the Blasphemer supposedly punished the twin gods of love by severing their hands, grafting them onto his own arms as trophies, and weilding in them the instruments of war and hate. Supposedly in their dying breathes, the twin gods pledged that if they ever held hands again, they’d never let go.
Sometimes, in the haze of the summer heat, he thought he could hear her yelling at the kids through the buzz of cicadas.
Sometimes, in the haze of the summer heat, he thought he could hear her yelling at the kids through the buzz of cicadas.
Do you know how long it takes for data to cross the space between planets, from Earth to the edge of the universe? Do you know how much trust, how much affection, how much passion you can fit into a message purchased with a day’s wages?
Do you know how long it takes for data to cross the space between planets, from Earth to the edge of the universe? Do you know how much trust, how much affection, how much passion you can fit into a message purchased with a day’s wages?
Stuck in a time loop, Grace lives the same day over and over again, the day she meets the love of her life. Her love is reciprocated for only a few hours of each and every day, which will always conclude with her soul mate telling her, “I can’t wait to see you again tomorrow.”
Stuck in a time loop, Grace lives the same day over and over again, the day she meets the love of her life. Her love is reciprocated for only a few hours of each and every day, which will always conclude with her soul mate telling her, “I can’t wait to see you again tomorrow.”
She said she’d wait for him for all of the eighteen-hundred or so days he’d be in lockup. When he found out she left town with someone else, he shook at the bars with the futility of a guitar player who lost his pick down the sound hole.
She said she’d wait for him for all of the eighteen-hundred or so days he’d be in lockup. When he found out she left town with someone else, he shook at the bars with the futility of a guitar player who lost his pick down the sound hole.
“It would seem that Lady Acroya’s love for a certain young knight that guards house Varyn’s matriarch has grown unsubtle as of late. Acroya, as you may well know, has been in the throes of this seven year war since its beginnings and her strength has been much needed, but I would request that she be granted a reprieve to return home. Some of the soldiers have come to me with concerns that their dreams have been flooded with images of a single man and the echoing name ‘Ramos, Ramos, Ramos.'”
“It would seem that Lady Acroya’s love for a certain young knight that guards house Varyn’s matriarch has grown unsubtle as of late. Acroya, as you may well know, has been in the throes of this seven year war since its beginnings and her strength has been much needed, but I would request that she be granted a reprieve to return home. Some of the soldiers have come to me with concerns that their dreams have been flooded with images of a single man and the echoing name ‘Ramos, Ramos, Ramos.'”
Thanks everybody! See you in a few weeks for Codex – Bone!
Thanks everybody! See you in a few weeks for Codex – Bone!