Tag: #ThursThreads

Week 623 of #ThursThreads was a success, and y’all never disappoint. Thank you to everyone who writes each week. You are why we’re still doing this. AND NEXT WEEK IS OUR 12TH ANNIVERSARY!! WOOHOO! If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Thia Mackin for judging this week. Follow Siobhan Muir on Bluesky or check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc. Entries: Bill Engleson  Nellie Batz  Silver James Kelly Heinen David A. Ludwig  Mark Ethridge  Eric Martell Louisa Bacio  Siobhan Muir  Honorable Mentions Silver James | Website Thia says: Full disclosure: I chose this story because I could absolutely find this exchange in a book I am reading for pleasure on the daily. Also, I liked that this was the only story that wasn’t ACTUALLY about the end of the world but incorporated the prompt. If this is part of a WIP, I need to know when it releases, because it should be on my TBR pile. Bill Engleson | Website Thia says: Honestly, this felt like the most accurate portrayal of current End of the World likeness. I could see this playing out on CNN or FOX. Points for accuracy. It made me a little sad about the state of current affairs, and all good writing elicits emotion. winner announcement Week 623 Winner Eric Martell Thia says: The humor, the wit, and the sarcasm drew me in immediately. Although every one of my picks could have won, I crowned this story because it feels like a beginning. The beginning of the next YA apocalypse novel or an enemies-to-lovers saga is yet to be seen. However, at the end of the 249 words, I wanted more. (Want more still, to be clear.) Great job. Well, as it turned out, even though he’d said it in front of God and Mrs. Warren and the entire sophomore class of West Monroe High, we didn’t have to wait for the end of the world for Kyle Packer to ask me on a date. Technically. I mean, yes, the world was *going* to end in less than six weeks, if the big green aliens who’d landed everywhere were able to follow through on their promises. And no, Kyle Packer and me going on a nightime reconnaissance mission out behind the hog rendering plant wasn’t a date per se, even if the moon was lovely and the plant hadn’t been operational in long enough that you could actually smell the honeysuckle and the two of us were only going because he and I were the only ones who’d managed to get our invisibility spells to work before the alien invasion had shut down all the magic schools. The point is, he’d asked me if I’d go out with him tonight, even though he’d also said other words like “to scout their defenses” and “make sure we keep a minimum of twenty feet between us so that if they detect one of us, the other might be able to get away” and “the shadows of the moon are just lovely in your eyes tonight, Alex.” Okay, I made that last one up. But he did say something about the moon and shadows and staying safe, so I’m counting it.~~~~~~~ Congratulations THIRTY TIME WINNER Eric, and Honorable Mentions Silver, and Bill! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! NEXT WEEK IS OUR 12TH ANNIVERSARY, AND THERE WILL BE PRIZES! Pass on the great news on Facebook, MeWe, Bluesky, Mastodon, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂

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Week 622 of #ThursThreads was a success, and y’all never disappoint. Thank you to everyone who writes each week. You are why we’re still doing this. If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to David A. Ludwig for judging this week. Follow Siobhan Muir on Bluesky or check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc. Entries: Bill Engleson  Richard Gibney Siobhan Muir  Eric Martell Mark A. Morris David A. Ludwig  Sheilagh Lee M.L. Gammella Honorable Mention Eric Martell | Website David says: I love the narrative flow of this one and the way it hinges on the prompt that the narrator asserts is inaccurate. The confusion from the number of characters and lack of punctuation is a fascinating part of the experience. winner announcement Week 622 Winner M.L. Gammella David says: Weary immortals at the end of the world work well for me. I especially like the prompt being used for “enough beer for the end of the world.” The sensory details were well delivered and made me want a beer. All of this was topped off by a tight execution that was both easy and enjoyable to read. It was really happening, The world was ending. The apocalypse was nigh and there wasn’t jackshit anyone could do. Of course, when the news broke of the prophecy, mass anarchy broke out. Looting, rampant crime, the complete and total breakdown of modern society. If the world wasn’t already ending, the current state of the world certainly would do it. Wait. The prophecy never said how the world was ending, just that it was. Everyone assumed they knew how, well every religious fanatic nutjob did. Fire and brimstone, hellfire and destruction. We didn’t have to wait for the end of the world. We did it ourselves. Shit. The ultimate self-fulfilling prophecy. With a long-suffering sigh that only a being who wasn’t quite immortal but certainly older than any human could make, Josiah cracked open a beer. That first cold, crisp swallow coated his throat and down to his stomach. He sighed again, this time in relief. The fires were getting closer and the ever-present smoke in the air was irritating his throat. His companion, another quasi-immortal like himself, leaned back in the chair across from him, his boot-clad feet propped up on the table. “We all said it wasn’t enough.” Josiah looked down at his dwindling beer collection as the other man grabbed a beer from the cooler. “I know, but how does one properly stock enough beer for the end of the world? I bought ALL of it.”~~~~~~~ Congratulations Four Time Winner M.L., and Honorable Mention Eric! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! Pass on the great news on Facebook, MeWe, Bluesky, Mastodon, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂

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Week 621 of #ThursThreads was a success, small, but mighty. Thank you to everyone who writes each week. You are why we’re still doing this. If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Muirlette #1 for stepping in to judge when Daelyn Morgana had something come up this week. Follow Siobhan Muir on Bluesky or check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc. Entries: Bill Engleson  Siobhan Muir  Silver James Richard Gibney David A. Ludwig  Sheilagh Lee Honorable Mention Siobhan Muir | Website Muirlette says: I really liked the connection between the two characters. That the heroine was willing to ask for help and that the hero went acknowledging that she was still strong and independent even if she needed backup. Well done. winner announcement Week 621 Winner Sheilagh Lee Muirlette says: The sweetness of this tale is what grabbed my attention. It’s a fantasy, and it didn’t work out like expected, but people did come and help, and wouldn’t we all wish it could happen that way? Good tale. She could not face this battle alone. We all had to help her. Sarah had done so much for us over the years. Every time we had a problem she was there; with kind word a hug or a solution depending whatever we needed. Now she’d lost her job, her house had burnt down a month ago. We needed a plan to help her. I called all our friends. The next day Luanne took her to lunch and a marathon of movies. We and 500 other people rebuilt Sarah’s home and contacted some people who were interested in the skills Sarah had. By 4 p.m. the house was rebuilt and three companies were chomping at the bit to hire Sarah. The companies would be calling her soon to offer the positions and she could take her pick. This was the scenario I envisioned but of course this isn’t what happened 4 people showed up to rebuild and we restored the living room and the bathroom by the time Sarah came home to look at the damage. Sarah had tears in her eyes when she saw the work we had done. “We’ll spend some more time and get it all done,” we had all protested, sad that Sarah was crying. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me!” Sarah cried. We all said it wasn’t enough and that there was more we intended. Sarah was overjoyed and blubbered that she had the best friends ever.~~~~~~~ Congratulations Sixteen Time Winner Sheilagh! Don’t forget to claim your badge and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! Pass on the great news on Facebook, MeWe, Bluesky, Mastodon, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂

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Week 620 of #ThursThreads was a success, and y’all never disappoint. Thank you to everyone who writes each week. You are why we’re still doing this. If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Kelex for judging this week. Follow Siobhan Muir on Bluesky or check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc. Entries: Bill Engleson Kelly Heinen Sandra L. Penrod Silver James Mark Ethridge Siobhan Muir Sheilagh Lee David A. Ludwig Richard Gibney Honorable Mention Siobhan Muir | Website Kelex says: I felt the sense of concern for her partner. winner announcement Week 620 Winner Silver James Kelex says: As I’ve said before, I’m very visual and love when someone paints a picture in my mind. The beginning was quite adept at that and the flow tight, smooth, and writing strong. Maura untwisted and twisted the cap of her favorite Mont Blanc—the one her college mentor had gifted her upon passing the bar. The fountain pen held no ink because it had long ago become her touchstone when thinking. The shivery snick of silver on wood created a soothing backdrop to the chaos her mind sometimes became. You know what to do. Brian’s final words still echoed in her brain days later. Ronan hadn’t said a word in response to Brian’s parting words. What plans had the two men made before she appeared and…well…surrendered. She could not face this battle alone. She’d thought the instructions were meant for Ronan. Now she wondered. Were they meant for her? The part of her that firmly believed in law and order stirred. She’d literally made a deal with the devil by going to the head of Boston’s Irish mob for assistance. She was an assistant district attorney. And she was, again literally, in bed with the enemy since she’d fallen in love with Ronan O’Connor, Brian Boru’s top lieutenant. Maura had learned some things along the way. Boru’s Wolves were honorable despite a flexible legal line in the sand. It was her own boss, the district attorney, who had obliterated that line. Alex covered himself in the stench of corruption. And last she’d learned that the Wolves were, again literally, wolves. Shapeshifters. “You know what to do.” She spoke the words aloud, and did know. “Because sometimes, Justice carries a sword.”~~~~~~~ Congratulations SIXTY-NINE TIME WINNER Silver! Don’t forget to claim your badge and display it with pride. You certainly earned it! Pass on the great news on Facebook, MeWe, Bluesky, Mastodon, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂

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Week 619 of #ThursThreads was a success, and y’all never disappoint. The group was small, but mighty. Thank you to everyone who writes each week. You are why we’re still doing this. If you’ve just found us, welcome to the crew! May you come back again and write more great flash. A thousand thanks to Mark Ethridge for judging this week. Follow Siobhan Muir on Bluesky or check out the #ThursThreads #flashfiction group on Facebook or the #ThursThreads Group on MeWe to keep up with news, etc. Entries: Bill Engleson  Silver James Kelly Heinen David A. Ludwig  Mark A. Morris Siobhan Muir  Honorable Mention Kelly Heinen | Website Mark says: Banned from heaven, stuck couch surfing. Leaves me wondering what he did. Sounds like he’ll be there a while. winner announcement Week 619 Winner Silver James Mark says: Well crafted, as always. Almost lets you know what’s coming next. “I’ll admit, it’s not ideal.” Maura scrubbed at her forehead with the heel of hand. She was so damn tired. Her mind blanked for a moment. How long had it been since she’d slept? Far too long. “I see no other solution.” She studied the gray haired man on the other side of the desk. She’d heard stories about Brian “Boru” O’Hara. He was handsome in a hewned way. Usually, the word rough was used with that word. She wondered how many people knew that hewned meant rough. Her brain skipped a beat. Wow. She desperately needed a nap but these were dangerous times and she was negotiating with a dangerous opponent. Except he wasn’t exactly. Life was strange now. Allies were not to be trusted and enemies were now friends with shared goals. “Ms. Brannigan?” Maura glanced up. She’d drifted again. “I apologize, Mr. O’Hara.” “For what? You’re drivin’ on fumes, girl. I’ll have a room made up for you.” “No need for that, Brian.” She didn’t turn around. She knew exactly who stood in the doorway. Her heart started to gallop when he stopped behind her chair. Maura almost groaned when one hands settled on her neck and his magic fingers began to knead her muscles. Her eyes drifted shut as the men’s voices floated around her. “Take her home, boyo. We need her at full capacity when it all goes down.” “Aye. We do. Are you sure about this? “I am, Ronan. You know what to do.”~~~~~~~ Congratulations SIXTY-EIGHT TIME WINNER Silver, and Honorable Mention Kelly! Don’t forget to claim your badges and display them with pride. You certainly earned it! Pass on the great news on Facebook, MeWe, Bluesky, Mastodon, shiny mirrors, Morse Code, and signal flags. Check out all the original tales HERE. Thanks for stopping by and happy reading! 🙂

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