Amuse-gueule or very short stories

Hey All,

Amuze-gueule: The term is French, literally translated to "mouth amuser" or "maw amuser". The idea is very short stories or just scenes, good for new authors to try some writing in a relaxed environment, and also for experienced authors to try out writing techniques or ideas that they either don't want or don't have time to try in their main works.

Stories may be complete or isolated scenes lacking context, perhaps beginning or ending in medias res: In the middle of things. They may be as short as you like, but will typically be less than one-thousand words long. People can then comment on those stories in this same thread.

I'll post something up a bit later as an example, but otherwise do we think this is a good idea?

Yours,

Ambrose,

ambrose-euanthe wrote:

I'll post something up a bit later as an example, but otherwise do we think this is a good idea?,

Yes.
Anyway we already have heaps of these. Maybe some authors could post some examples too?

Yes, why not? It is indeed a good idea; it could be quite useful.

It's a great idea I think

This is too good of an idea to leave exiled to the depths of the forum. Thus, I've created something to put here. My first foray into the first-person perspective (which was weirder than I expected with a female character), and a much more angsty tone than usual too. (And a little long, just barely under 1000 words.) Feel free to let me know just how disastrously it turned out.

And no, this is not a new direction for my writing, just a flight of fancy. Though a couple of my previously used characters are here, albeit unnamed.

The Little Things
"Look girl, I really, really tried to humor you, but it's stupid! Why are you making such a big deal about this?" Chiilia said, tone filled with exasperation. I looked straight into her eyes, searching for some hint of understanding, or even that she wanted to understand. There was none. Not that I could blame her, the truth could be a cruel thing, and it had nearly destroyed me. But then I had always been... fragile, though I hadn't known it.

"But you promised. You lied to me."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I just thought... I could do it where you wouldn't see. Until you got over this... phase. It's not like I'm hurting anyone." I suppressed the urge laugh. Or cry.

"Please, Chiilia, just put her down."

"...No. No, I won't! You can do whatever you want, and I'd never judge you, so why can't you give me the same courtesy? No. I will not be bullied into just doing whatever you say! I worked hard to catch this, and I'm going to enjoy it." The little human in Chiilia's hand looked back and forth between the two of us, breathing hard, eyes wide with fear.

"No, you are not. Please, I don't want to hurt you."

"What the hell happened to you? You used to be so fun... happy. And now you're just... I don't know. It's like I don't even know you anymore."

"I mean it! Put her down." I pulled myself up out of the water, displayed my height advantage over Chiilia. I did my best to be intimidating, despite the fact she outweighed me by quite a bit, due to her tail, and I had no natural weaponry to speak of. She'd probably crush me in a real fight. Literally.

"So... what? You're just going to beat me up if I don't give you your way? Is that where we're at, now?"

"I tried to explain this to you..."

"And it was stupid! 'Humans are just like us'? Come on! I thought you were joking. Just look at it for a second." Chiilia held out her hand containing the terrified human for emphasis. I wasn't likely to get a better shot, so I lunged. Chiilia yelped and pulled her arm back, so I just continued the assault, barreling into her so that we both crashed to the ground in a tangle.

"Agkh! Are you insane?! Let-urk!" Chiilia's tail lashed around, looping reflexively around my waist in its search for purchase. The pressure, even from a single coil when she wasn't actively trying to hurt me, was painful, crushing the breath from my lungs. I wasn't afraid though; she might be able to (easily) destroy my body if she tried, but she couldn't kill me.

I acted on impulse, twisting to pin her under me, her shocked, hurt eyes meeting mine for a moment... before I hit her in the face. Hard. She made a strangled sound, more indicative of emotional pain than physical, and I ignored the sickening guilt that rose up in the pit of my stomach. Taking hold of the human-holding-arm by the wrist, I wrenched it until she cried out in pain, snatching the human (who was now screaming in blind fear) away as gently as I could.

Chiilia probably could have just constricted me until I passed out and taken her back, but she didn't. Instead she writhed, shoving and squirming away from me as though my touch burned her, only stopping when she was well out of reach. She was breathing hard, tears in her eyes, holding one hand to her mouth, where she seemed to be bleeding slightly. Her face held an expression of utter hurt and betrayal, as though her best friend had attacked her over nothing. And she would probably spend her whole life thinking that was exactly what happened.

"W-why? I... I thought we were friends..." her voice broke, unsteady with emotion. I wanted to cry. To go over and hug her, apologize, beg for forgiveness. Tell her I had lost my mind, or something. Anything. But it could never go back to the way things were. And apparently, she couldn't follow where I was going.

"We were," I said softly, not trusting my voice with anything more complex. The stricken look on her face broke my heart, but mercifully she turned away quickly, the sound of her sobs as she slithered back into the jungle making me feel like a monster. Apparently, no matter what I did, in the end I was always the monster. Perhaps it was karma, if such a thing exists.

I finally tore my eyes away from the spot Chiilia had been, looking down at the tiny, fragile, vulnerable creature in my hand. I was struck; suddenly, painfully reminded of that young woman on the beach, nearly a year ago. They didn't look alike at all, the girl in the present wearing a tight, dark full-body covering, her hair equally dark and tied back in a little knot, in contrast to the wispy blonde of the girl from my past. Still, there was a fire in her eyes, a zest for life perhaps, including all the dangers inherent in it, that they seemed to share. She stared back up at me, and swallowed.

"You don't have to be afraid, I will protect you. Have you anywhere to go?" I said as gently as I could. She nodded, warily, a little bit of hopefulness creeping into her features. Perhaps it would be enough. Perhaps for both of us.

Thank you for reviving the thread!

That's a heart-wrenching situation, beautifully written. Writers have dealt with similar conflicts before (heck, including myself), but never like this. The emotions are really well conveyed. You make it so easy to understand the sincere hurt each character feels, and to sympathise with them. Ouch.

This is nice for all the short nonsense stories that mob me on occasion. Comedy piece I thought up a day ago.

Attack!

The pinpricks of the all-wood sword, little more than an elongated stake, barely even itched. The weapon was barely sharp enough to break his skin, and the ten-year old neko girl wielding it was hardly the strongest warrior in the world. The chilotaur, a male with dusky skin and a black lower half, just raised an eyebrow at the child stabbing at the hand she was caught in.

It was peculiar. He hadn't picked her up to eat her, as he disliked the taste of nekos, but to halt her from attacking him. She had just suddenly burst out of the thick brush of the Bulvon wood, letting out a squeaky battle-cry, and began jabbing at him with the sword.

"What the heck are you doing?" he asked, wondering at her fervor.

"Imma monster hunter! I WILL END YOU!" was her only reply, along with a renewal in her frenzied pricks.

The chilotaur put his free hand on his face. He knew children of the smaller humanoids often played at hunting giant predators, but for one to actually go out and ATTACK a predator was ludicrous. He sighed at her foolishness and plucked the toy sword from her tiny hands, snapping it between his fingers.

"Kyaaaa! You broke it! Now I can't slay you!"

The chilotaur rolled his eyes; she couldn't have slain him in any case. He put her down, then shooed her away. The neko ran off, crying and shouting that she would come back for revenge one day.

"Remember my face! I'll come back when I get a metal sword, and then you'll be sorry!"


Felarya is Karbo's

Named characters are mine unless otherwise stated.

Those stories are short but really nicely written, with a situation developping and a conclusion

The mermaid one was really powerful with strong and very well conveyed emotions ! you could really feel the distress of Chiilia. great work here ^__^

And that one with the hilotaur was unusual and fu, really nice job on managing to make something interesting in such a short space

FrenchSnack: Thank you, good sir, I'm glad to hear it had the desired effect. Also, I would be remiss if I did not point out that several of your stories were a fairly direct inspiration for this.

MrNobody: That was freaking adorable! Simple, but nicely realized.

Karbo: Thank you. That was quite a departure for me, but that's kinda of what this thread is for huh?

Well, been doing some brainstorming related to the most recent group contest, but so far my muse has not been cooperating. Instead, this popped into my brain, and would not leave until I wrote it out, proving that I am a terrible, terrible person, for which I feel absolutely no shame. Since this lovely topic has once again sunken farther than I think is right, I will once again be the bearer of the mighty bump.

This probably won't make much sense to anyone who hasn't read the 4th Tome of the Felarya Manga. It also might not make much sense to anyone under any circumstances.

Enjoy, if you dare. X3


Practice Makes Perfect

"Urgh! It's just impossible!" the enormous, blue-skinned female cursed, causing Dr. Eira Millicent to cringe fearfully. Her first expedition to collect Hydrographical data on the Jewel River was not going especially well, so far.

Eira dangled, flushed, panting and soaked in saliva, from the mermaid's fingers. Her clothes were disheveled to the point of risque comedy, at least under other circumstances; skirt knotted up around her waist, blouse unbuttoned but wrapped intractably about her left arm, and her bra had ended up trapped on her neck.

"I-I'm sorry...?"

"Oh, it's not your fault, I just need more practice. Now; straighten them back out so I can try again," the mermaid said firmly, placing Eira on her stomach and watching expectantly.

"A-again?"

"Yes, again! If she can do it, it can't be that hard. Now hurry up, unless you want me to just eat you."

"No! No, I'm hurrying!" Eira began half-frantically realigning her clothes, a process the mermaid observed curiously. The whole day had gone from terrifying, to profoundly surreal and only slightly less terrifying, when the mermaid had caught her on the bank, but instead of eating her, had introduced herself as Mina, and done... this.

"They're so small, I wonder if there's some sort of trick to it..." the mermaid murmured thoughtfully.

"This doesn't seem like normal mermaid behavior, I just... are... are you going to eat me?" Eira asked once she had returned her clothes to some semblance of order, unable to stand the suspense anymore.

"Judging by how this is going, probably not," Mina returned, voice filled with annoyance. "I resolved to myself that if I can't get you unwrapped, I have to let you go. Helps keep me motivated. I had a bunch of fish earlier anyway, or else I would have just eaten you up lickety-split."

"I... see. Maybe if you explained what this is all about, I-"

"Alright, you look ready to go," the massive predator interrupted, "third time's the charm!" Without any further warning, the blue-skinned giant lifted Eira into the air, where she squirmed despite herself. Then, she was lowered into that huge, cavernous mouth for the third time.

"Ohh, oh gods..."

Once again, she was enclosed in humid darkness, and once again the mermaid's tongue began a clumsy series of attempts to undress her, a process which while not exactly pleasant and profoundly embarrassing, was very much preferable to being digested.

Now, her life rested on the hope that this Mina wouldn't start getting good at... tongue-stripping. Or even just 'forgot' about her little resolution. Still, it was better odds than most could ask for when languishing inside a mermaid's mouth whilst her tongue attempted to remove their bra.

I think the only appropriate response to that is: Oh, gawd!

Looks like a good challenge, so to speak. Having a limited amount of words - either going for the 1,000 mark suggested here or giving yourself your own limitations - helps in developing your imagination and your writing skills... Trust me, it isn't the same writing with no limits than with a word limit. ;P

I might try this sooner or later.

@PrinnyDood: I have to read more of your work. That story was flippin awesome! I can't really say enough about it. Nice job on it all around.

I wouldn't call it "awesome" however the prose was fine, I couldn't see any mistakes and the events flowed quite well. Stories like these tend to have a sharp point that is just there, exposed by the length of the story. The entire text becomes the point. I didn't really see much of a point in "Practice Makes Perfect."

Taken from the introduction to 100 great science fiction short short stories:
"Finally, in the short short story, everything is eliminated but the point. The short short story reduces itself to the point alone and presents that to you like a bare needle fired from a blowgun; a needle that can tickle or sting and leave its effect buried within you for a long time." - Issac Asimov

haha that was a great story
I loved what you did with that idea and you are right to point out how hard it would be XD

Anime-Junkie wrote:

Stories like these tend to have a sharp point that is just there, exposed by the length of the story. The entire text becomes the point. I didn't really see much of a point in "Practice Makes Perfect."

Taken from the introduction to 100 great science fiction short short stories:
"Finally, in the short short story, everything is eliminated but the point. The short short story reduces itself to the point alone and presents that to you like a bare needle fired from a blowgun; a needle that can tickle or sting and leave its effect buried within you for a long time." - Issac Asimov

They "tend to", but this is not a stand-alone work intended to be published in a literary collection. It's a piece of short, effective humour which derives its humour from being a rather well-imagined response to a small event in the manga. It doesn't need to be any more than that; it achieves its intended aim perfectly well.

If we were all bound by certain strict conventions, stories would soon lose their originality.

French snack wrote:

I think the only appropriate response to that is: Oh, gawd!

That's what she... you know what, I just can't make that joke. Even I have standards. I'm glad it was amusing, though.

Feadraug wrote:

I might try this sooner or later.

You should, it's surprisingly fun to work within such a metaphorically 'small' space. Much more challenging in some ways, but also amazingly easy in others.

gt500x wrote:

I have to read more of your work. That story was flippin awesome! I can't really say enough about it. Nice job on it all around.

Thank you, and I wholeheartedly agree, everyone should totally read more of my work. But seriously, thanks.

Anime-Junkie wrote:

I wouldn't call it "awesome" however the prose was fine, I couldn't see any mistakes and the events flowed quite well. Stories like these tend to have a sharp point that is just there, exposed by the length of the story. The entire text becomes the point. I didn't really see much of a point in "Practice Makes Perfect."

Actually, it's a poignant and satirical criticism of the lack of adequate security that plagues most scientific expeditions from Negav, and points out the need for the Magocrats to provide better safety for their valued scientists.
...actually, yeah, you've kinda got me there. This was pretty much just silly, pointless humor. Glad you thought the actual writing itself was passable though, and in all seriousness constructive criticism is something I highly value, so thank you very much for the feedback.

Karbo wrote:

haha that was a great story lol!I loved what you did with that idea and you are right to point out how hard it would be XD

Thank you! It's certainly not a skill you develop overnight, definitely something that takes much practice to perfect. X3

Mind If I try something real quick? :O

“We heard it first. Its great thundering steps, its deep, cavernous breath.

We saw the trees shaking around us. We saw birds, lizards, lots of small things, just scampering from the jungle and between our legs. They were trying to escape what was coming. Maybe we should have done so too.

We saw its gigantic shape, dark and indistinct in the engulfing green. The stench was horrible, like an open crypt or worse. I gave the order, and the gatling guns roared. It was like a wood chipper. We had the perfect distance, you know, there was no way we’d miss!

Then we heard that bellow, louder even than our guns. And next thing we knew, it was on top of us.

So fast…so damn fast

It was…it was horrific. That hate, that brutality, that...relentlessness. We couldn’t counter, we couldn’t retreat, hell we couldn’t do anything at all. It took Gabriel, and Arthur, and Lara and Bad Alej and my whole goddamn crew. I don’t even know how I escaped…but I did.

But before that, I saw its eyes.

Sweet merciful Minalca, those eyes.

What can I say? I saw…I saw…..wrath. So much wrath. Contempt. Bloodlust. And…pain, I think. And who knows what else. Like staring at a raging volcano, and that volcano was being tempered by the cold steam of the jungle Only it was failing.

This is not another mischievous schemer that toys with its victims. This is a true predator”


-Fuller Napoleon, fungus farmer/ former bounty hunter

It's not hard to tell who it was. Lol.

Nice one.

I'm a fountain of originality ID

PrinnyDood wrote:

Anime-Junkie wrote:

I wouldn't call it "awesome" however the prose was fine, I couldn't see any mistakes and the events flowed quite well. Stories like these tend to have a sharp point that is just there, exposed by the length of the story. The entire text becomes the point. I didn't really see much of a point in "Practice Makes Perfect."

Actually, it's a poignant and satirical criticism of the lack of adequate security that plagues most scientific expeditions from Negav, and points out the need for the Magocrats to provide better safety for their valued scientists.

I don't particularly like that perception, it paints the whole "Silly, incompetent humans" picture again.
I'm not saying 'no vore' or anything. I'm saying show sometimes that expeditions from Negav actually are a challenge to predators.

A bit of nonsense that decided to show up in my head and demanded to be written.

Prey Complaints

Predators.

Let me tell you about them.

They disturb me. I absolutely cannot stand them. Why? I have an infinity of reasons why, but I'll tell you a couple, just because you should know. The first is: They are FRIGGIN' HUGE! Nothing in the world has any right to be a hundred feet tall. It's like cheating at life. I would be fine if they were dumb animals, because that evens things out somewhat, but NOOOOO, they have to be smart as humans, too. Seriously, don't you think it's kind of -meaning completely- unfair that they get to be intelligent and big enough to tear a house in half with their bare hands? I do.

Secondly, they get to have a lot more down time than regular people. Yeah, they have to hunt and stuff, but pfft, that takes no time at all when you're the size of a freaking OFFICE BUILDING. They're like lions. They hunt, eat, and then they get to nap half the day, or do whatever. Lazy bums. I have to WORK. I have BILLS. I have RENT to make. That's three things to the one of eating. And that is just not fair.

Last but not least, they EAT people. And that, my friend, is sick. They are sick, sick puppies. They swallow people whole, and pay no attention to it. No morals. That is creepy as hell, don't you think? Just 'oh look, a person who has a life and emotions and maybe a family . . . Lunch!'. Gulp. That's screwed up to the point of no return.

So, that right there is why I don't like preds.

* * * * *

The naga smiled.

"Those were some interesting points you had there. One of the best-worded complaints I've ever heard."

"Thank you." the neko in her hand responded.

"Of course. Thank you for coming to the Prey Complaint Department Naga."

And then she ate him.


Felarya is Karbo's

Prey Complaint Department Naga and complaining neko are mine.

Anime-Junkie wrote:

I don't particularly like that perception, it paints the whole "Silly, incompetent humans" picture again.
I'm not saying 'no vore' or anything. I'm saying show sometimes that expeditions from Negav actually are a challenge to predators.

Well why not throw your hat in the ring and try writing such a story?
At any rate, here's my own little contribution:

Fighting Fire with Guile

“Whoa, Galya! Hold off before you burn me to a crisp.” Parlan hopped from foot to foot to illustrate his point that the ground was becoming quite hot – matching the giant naga’s rapidly rising temper. He watched with some trepidation as faintly luminous flames danced along her length.

“Those stupid, no-good, brainless, deceitful humans!” Her body trembling in barely suppressed rage, Galya slammed her fist into the ground, far enough away from her much smaller human friend to cause him no harm, but close enough that he felt the impact resound through his frame. Huge chunks of dirt and debris flew in all directions. And were promptly vaporized by a flick of invisible heat from the naga’s other hand before they could strike Parlan.

Keeping an eye on the rest of her long, serpentine form to make sure he was not about to be crushed, Parlan said, “What in the world are you on about this time?”

“They tricked me!”

“Yes, deceit usually entails trickery. Though I’m not sure it’s wise to mention that stupid, brainless people tricked you.”

Eyes flaring in brightness with white-hot fury, Galya cocked her head to glare down at Parlan. “I’m not in the mood–”

“Then I’ll be on my way so you can tear up the place in solitude. Burn a few trees down. Melt some boulders too. I hear that helps.” Parlan started to walk away only to find Galya’s hand blocking his path.

“Wait. I’m sorry. I’m just…” Galya struggled to find a word suitable to match her mood.

“Furious, yeah, I got that much. And I got that humans were responsible for my favorite naga’s foul temper. So care to tell me what they did that was so infuriating?”

Keeping her body still, Galya focused her rage into her hand, closing her clawed fingers into the ground, creating a deep furrow. With one heave, she yanked the clump up and threw it with all her might across the rocky plain.

Parlan nodded as he watched the projectile sail into the distance before crashing with a tremendous explosion into the ground. “Impressive. You’ve got a good arm. Feel better?”

Sighing in frustration, Galya said, “A little.” Sullenly, she coiled her serpentine body into a tight bundle, keeping her human portion steady and directly in front of her human friend.

Stepping forward, Parlan leaned into her hand and grasped her index finger, rubbing it roughly. The heat so close to her flesh was intense, but bearable. That was a good sign. “Tell me what happened.”

Visibly calming herself, Galya took a moment to clear her thoughts. She wanted to wring her hands some more, but Parlan’s location was preventing that. “I was out by the lake this morning when I caught some humans sneaking through my territory. They had some treasure with them – coins, jewelry, baubles, nothing special. I was going to eat and run when one of them told me they’d come across intact manuscripts, books, and tomes of all sorts inside a cave they’d discovered.” Galya’s fingers began to curl in upon Parlan until he tapped them. “Sorry. As I was saying, they told me this story that was too good to be true, and stupid me, I believed them. I was so excited. They told me exactly what I wanted to hear. So I let them go, even thanked them!”

Smiling at her sour expression, Parlan patted her hand. “And then you found out they had lied. Yep, that’s an old trick.”

“I’ve never felt so foolish – so used – in my life.”

“Cheer up, Galya. You aren’t the first and won’t be the last to fall for something like that. I’ve been duped more than once myself. You can’t fault them for doing what they had to do to survive.”

Eyes blazing again, Galya growled. “I swear that’s the last time I ever listen to humans again. The next group won’t even know what hit them. I won’t even bother to taste them.”

Still smiling, Parlan said, “Well, go ahead and eat me then. You’ve already got me in your hand.”

Glancing down at her friend, Galya smirked. “I’m not mad at you. Well, not this time.”

“Why not? I’m human.”

“Yes, but you didn’t trick me like they did.”

“Ah, I see.”

Scowling, Galya said, “What?”

“You plan on taking out your anger on the next group of humans you meet because of what another group of humans already did. You’ll just gobble them right up.”

“Yes, I will.”'

“How is it I’m any different? I’m human. It’s obvious we’re all the same, so go ahead and take it out on me.”

“Don’t be stupid, I’m not going to eat you.”

“Why not?”

“Do I have to state the obvious?”

“I’m curious to know what that hypothetical next group of humans you’ve never even met before has done to earn such a fate, while I haven’t.” Galya opened her mouth to reply, but sound came out. “Yes? What’s wrong, neko got your tongue?”

Shaking her head, Galya said, “You know, you really are infuriating.” Despite her words, the anger she had felt building all day slipped away like a thief in the night.

His point made, Parlan prodded Galya to shift her hand so he could sit in it comfortably. Leaning back against her thumb, he said, “Mad enough to eat me yet?”

“Not even close. Thanks, by the way.”

“Don’t mention it. And what about those future humans?”

Licking her lips and with just the hint of a smile forming, she said, “We’ll see.”

Ahhhh, I thought that the name Galya looked familiar! I've seen her pic in the Wiki. Cool, It was nice to read this story so I could get to know her better. She's a real hot head.

Damn, I've missed your stories! Galya and Parlan have great chemistry. An almost literally explosive combination.

I understand Galya's anger and frustration - no doubt at having her hopes dashed, at least as much as at having been tricked. But Parlan's right: She can't blame humans for surviving with what means they can. And it's a pleasant surprise to see him argue the case of those next humans; it counterbalances his apparent callousness in his previous appearance (where, admittedly, he was dealing with enemies). His rubbing her finger was a sweet touch, too.

gt500x wrote:

Ahhhh, I thought that the name Galya looked familiar! I've seen her pic in the Wiki. Cool, It was nice to read this story so I could get to know her better. She's a real hot head.

Galya appears in two full-length stories. You can find the first here:
http://timing2.deviantart.com/art/In-the-Belly-of-the-Beast-1-127565348