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lilfluffThis a Flashfic based on a prompt from aldersprig and kc_obrien's 30 Days of Flash Fiction: Round 2 Meme
My 30 Days of Flashfic: Round 2 Index Page
Day 3 – Prompt: the story must involve a goblet and a set of three [somethings]
Setting: Galactic Academy sight of 30 Days 1st Semester stories First Class Education and The Computer is Never Wrong. Jumping ahead about a year or so.
Title: Aliens & Weddings (what? Playing off a movie title? Don't know what you're talking about :p)
Rick broke out the formal school uniform for the wedding. Which, fortunately for his room's tiny closet, meant little more than adding a freshly cleaned and pressed jacket to the normal school uniform. The meeting room Machio, or rather as Machio corrected Sather and Maykabi had selected was sparsely decorated. Lit only by a single spotlight above a small table in the center of the room. A large goblet, for that was all Rick could think to call it, sat in the center. From where he stood just outside the pool of light the goblet looked like it was nearly a foot tall and made from well polished wood. The bowl and base of the goblet were both about half as wide as it was tall. It was nearly a minute before Rick noticed the three tiny cups at the edges of the table. The were made from the same turned wood but were not much bigger than shot glasses.
"Impressive, isn't it." Machio grinned, "I figured we'd improvise, but Sather has a cousin who works at the consulate and she talked him into lending us everything. Even the Speaker for the ceremony."
As Machio spoke an older Bechen walked up to the table. His fur was a silvery white which only enhanced what Rick had always thought was a vaguely reptilian appearance. Waiting a moment for the guests to become quiet he raised a hand. "Would the three and their escorts come forward."
Rick stepped up to stand behind Machio, smiling over to Sather and her escort Ty who was one of the starving teddy bears whose species name he had never managed to learn to say. To the other side he finally got to see the mysterious Maykabi and was once more puzzled by how different the third Bechen gender appeared. If not for the clothes and having read up the previous two nights Rick might have thought it was a pet. In some ways, such as the shape of the head Maykabi looked much like Machio and Sather. But slight differences in the proportions of the body and limbs suggested Maykabi was just as comfortable on four legs as two.
The older man's opening speech wasn't that different from what Rick had heard at weddings before. A comment on the sacredness of marriage, a short prayer and even a blessing for the soon to be married and all present were given by the elder Brechen. And then, came another apparent universal, an exchange of vows.
"Purshia Sather, Koazeta Machio, do you promise to do as your ancestors have and join your future fortunes and follies? To make three lives one with love and respect? Supporting one another when strong and accepting each other's support with good grace when in need? To make one home for yourself and your bearer?"
As one both bowed and called out, "I so promise."
"Lisia Maykabi, do you promise you join your life with Sather and Machio? Sharing with them each fortune and folly, entering willingly with love and respect? Accepting their support and joining with them offering of your flesh to bear their children? Rendering such only unto them and to no other male or female?"
Maykabi bowed calling out at they had, "I so promise."
The elder smiled and took the goblet in one hand. "I bring to you water. The clearest and cleanest to be found in this land. May it speak of a strong future for you free of the poisons of anger, selfishness, or jealousy. Does Sather's escort bring anything?"
Ty bowed to the elder and held out a small bottle. "I bring Emi Blossom Syrup. May it speak of the love the three shall hold for one another."
The elder smiled and poured the syrup in with the water. "Does Machio's escort bring anything?"
Rick bowed, giving the line in Imperial Standard a quick review. "From Earth, I bring coffee bitters. Undrinkable on its own, but only with other flavors. May it speak of their love leading them to overcome adversity."
The elder accepted the offered bottle and poured some of it into the goblet as well. "Does Maykabi's escort bring anything?"
Another Bechen by Maykabi's side held up a bottle of his own, "I bring juice made fresh today from fruit in the Academy gardens. May it speak of the their marriage growing stronger with each year."
With each ingredient mixed the smaller cups were dipped within and handed to each of the three. "As these have mixed and become one, drink and become one with the blessings of your family and friends."
* * *
World building notes: In pondering how three genders might work, Machio and Sather and male and female. In something fairly similar to human biology Sather produces eggs and Machio what is essentially sperm. What Maykabi brings is the womb. And yes, you did notice that Machio and Sather got one set of vows and Maykabi another. It is an improvement over the past through. Jump back not so many centuries an in the dominant Bechan culture of the time there wasn't a vow for the third gender. The male and female promised to take care of them as part of their vows and it was considered enough, no need for even a vow of obedience as it was simply expected by society. The initial claims by third-gender rights campaigners that this was akin to slavery were not taken well.
* * * * *
The days so far:
1) the story starts with the words "It's going down." (LJ link)
2) write a scene that takes place in a train station (LJ link)
3) the story must involve a goblet and a set of three [somethings] (LJ link)
4) prompt: one for the road (LJ link)
5) write a story using an imaginary color (LJ link)
6) write the pitch for a new Final Fantasy styled RPG (LJ link)
7) prompt: frigid (LJ link)
8) write a scene in the middle of a novel called "The Long, Dirty Afterwards." (LJ link)
9) prompt: mourning dead gods (LJ link)
10) write a story set in three different time periods (LJ link)
11) Write a movie trailer style trailer for a story, existing or not-yet-written (LJ link)
12) prompt: sweet iced tea (LJ link)
13) re-write a story that everyone knows
14) write a vanilla story dealing with kinky subject matter (LJ link)
15) prompt: ascension (LJ link)
16) write a scene that takes place at the end of a long road trip (LJ link)
17) write an uncomfortable story (LJ link)
18) prompt: a step too far
19) write a story in which something goes BOOM
20) Write the end of the story "The Purple Bag."
21) Roll a d20 twice (Random.Org). Combine the themes of the two previous stories for those numbers
22) prompt: knight in shining armor
23) write a scene that takes place in a place that is war-torn
24) prompt: founding fathers
25) write a story set in a library
26) prompt: elemental
27) write a story using only one period. Bonus: write the story using only one /ending punctuation at all.
28) write a story set in a laundromat
29) (from Lilifluff) Randomly pick a number between 1 and 28 (Random.Org) . Re-write that prompt as a Spaghetti Western or Melodrama
30) the story ends with the words "coming up."
aldersprig and kc_obrien's 30 Days of Flash Fiction: Round 2 MemeMy 30 Days of Flashfic: Round 2 Index Page
Day 3 – Prompt: the story must involve a goblet and a set of three [somethings]
Setting: Galactic Academy sight of 30 Days 1st Semester stories First Class Education and The Computer is Never Wrong. Jumping ahead about a year or so.
Title: Aliens & Weddings (what? Playing off a movie title? Don't know what you're talking about :p)
Rick broke out the formal school uniform for the wedding. Which, fortunately for his room's tiny closet, meant little more than adding a freshly cleaned and pressed jacket to the normal school uniform. The meeting room Machio, or rather as Machio corrected Sather and Maykabi had selected was sparsely decorated. Lit only by a single spotlight above a small table in the center of the room. A large goblet, for that was all Rick could think to call it, sat in the center. From where he stood just outside the pool of light the goblet looked like it was nearly a foot tall and made from well polished wood. The bowl and base of the goblet were both about half as wide as it was tall. It was nearly a minute before Rick noticed the three tiny cups at the edges of the table. The were made from the same turned wood but were not much bigger than shot glasses.
"Impressive, isn't it." Machio grinned, "I figured we'd improvise, but Sather has a cousin who works at the consulate and she talked him into lending us everything. Even the Speaker for the ceremony."
As Machio spoke an older Bechen walked up to the table. His fur was a silvery white which only enhanced what Rick had always thought was a vaguely reptilian appearance. Waiting a moment for the guests to become quiet he raised a hand. "Would the three and their escorts come forward."
Rick stepped up to stand behind Machio, smiling over to Sather and her escort Ty who was one of the starving teddy bears whose species name he had never managed to learn to say. To the other side he finally got to see the mysterious Maykabi and was once more puzzled by how different the third Bechen gender appeared. If not for the clothes and having read up the previous two nights Rick might have thought it was a pet. In some ways, such as the shape of the head Maykabi looked much like Machio and Sather. But slight differences in the proportions of the body and limbs suggested Maykabi was just as comfortable on four legs as two.
The older man's opening speech wasn't that different from what Rick had heard at weddings before. A comment on the sacredness of marriage, a short prayer and even a blessing for the soon to be married and all present were given by the elder Brechen. And then, came another apparent universal, an exchange of vows.
"Purshia Sather, Koazeta Machio, do you promise to do as your ancestors have and join your future fortunes and follies? To make three lives one with love and respect? Supporting one another when strong and accepting each other's support with good grace when in need? To make one home for yourself and your bearer?"
As one both bowed and called out, "I so promise."
"Lisia Maykabi, do you promise you join your life with Sather and Machio? Sharing with them each fortune and folly, entering willingly with love and respect? Accepting their support and joining with them offering of your flesh to bear their children? Rendering such only unto them and to no other male or female?"
Maykabi bowed calling out at they had, "I so promise."
The elder smiled and took the goblet in one hand. "I bring to you water. The clearest and cleanest to be found in this land. May it speak of a strong future for you free of the poisons of anger, selfishness, or jealousy. Does Sather's escort bring anything?"
Ty bowed to the elder and held out a small bottle. "I bring Emi Blossom Syrup. May it speak of the love the three shall hold for one another."
The elder smiled and poured the syrup in with the water. "Does Machio's escort bring anything?"
Rick bowed, giving the line in Imperial Standard a quick review. "From Earth, I bring coffee bitters. Undrinkable on its own, but only with other flavors. May it speak of their love leading them to overcome adversity."
The elder accepted the offered bottle and poured some of it into the goblet as well. "Does Maykabi's escort bring anything?"
Another Bechen by Maykabi's side held up a bottle of his own, "I bring juice made fresh today from fruit in the Academy gardens. May it speak of the their marriage growing stronger with each year."
With each ingredient mixed the smaller cups were dipped within and handed to each of the three. "As these have mixed and become one, drink and become one with the blessings of your family and friends."
* * *
World building notes: In pondering how three genders might work, Machio and Sather and male and female. In something fairly similar to human biology Sather produces eggs and Machio what is essentially sperm. What Maykabi brings is the womb. And yes, you did notice that Machio and Sather got one set of vows and Maykabi another. It is an improvement over the past through. Jump back not so many centuries an in the dominant Bechan culture of the time there wasn't a vow for the third gender. The male and female promised to take care of them as part of their vows and it was considered enough, no need for even a vow of obedience as it was simply expected by society. The initial claims by third-gender rights campaigners that this was akin to slavery were not taken well.
* * * * *
The days so far:
1) the story starts with the words "It's going down." (LJ link)
2) write a scene that takes place in a train station (LJ link)
3) the story must involve a goblet and a set of three [somethings] (LJ link)
4) prompt: one for the road (LJ link)
5) write a story using an imaginary color (LJ link)
6) write the pitch for a new Final Fantasy styled RPG (LJ link)
7) prompt: frigid (LJ link)
8) write a scene in the middle of a novel called "The Long, Dirty Afterwards." (LJ link)
9) prompt: mourning dead gods (LJ link)
10) write a story set in three different time periods (LJ link)
11) Write a movie trailer style trailer for a story, existing or not-yet-written (LJ link)
12) prompt: sweet iced tea (LJ link)
13) re-write a story that everyone knows
14) write a vanilla story dealing with kinky subject matter (LJ link)
15) prompt: ascension (LJ link)
16) write a scene that takes place at the end of a long road trip (LJ link)
17) write an uncomfortable story (LJ link)
18) prompt: a step too far
19) write a story in which something goes BOOM
20) Write the end of the story "The Purple Bag."
21) Roll a d20 twice (Random.Org). Combine the themes of the two previous stories for those numbers
22) prompt: knight in shining armor
23) write a scene that takes place in a place that is war-torn
24) prompt: founding fathers
25) write a story set in a library
26) prompt: elemental
27) write a story using only one period. Bonus: write the story using only one /ending punctuation at all.
28) write a story set in a laundromat
29) (from Lilifluff) Randomly pick a number between 1 and 28 (Random.Org) . Re-write that prompt as a Spaghetti Western or Melodrama
30) the story ends with the words "coming up."
no subject
Date: 2011-08-11 12:42 pm (UTC)(Making up genders is tricky.)
no subject
Date: 2011-08-11 03:59 pm (UTC)Officially the third gender has equal rights now, but socially is another question. The higher degree of difference in body form may well have also made it easier to say, "They're different, of course it's right to do this."
no subject
Date: 2011-08-11 04:37 pm (UTC)Interesting set-up you've got there!!