Former Guardian/Times journalist, now writing fiction full-time. Having fun playing with web3 publishing.

S410: DEEP
The crew pulled on the thick, wet rope that clung to the side of the trawler. “Anything?” “Nothing!” Four faces peered into the black rising swells that pitched the boat up in the air. “Keep pulling.” “But…” “Keep pulling.” The captain stalked from the deck and the hands watched as his face reappeared in the murky window that overlooked the deck of the ship. He shouted something they couldn’t hear at them. Without a word they turned themselves back to the rope. The three hands’ eyes met as th...

S410: BREATHE
Music plays. A calm, swell of chords that holds you steady. We begin. As you take a breath in, you close your eyes. You breathe out and your eyes want to open. Let them if it adds to your feeling of security. But as you breathe – in…out – you feel the need to open your eyes reduces. Your eyes are closed. Gradually, like the emergence of dawn, you start to become aware of the world inside your mind. It is a place of great beauty and a serene, epic grandeur. You are aware that you are sat comfo...

S410: THOUGHTS
All the ideas and thoughts that coalesced in my brain between 19:41 and 19:51 A cosy ninja. Furry slippers. Marshmallows on the points of his shuriken. The Smiths on a camping holiday. The 100 Acres Wood implies the existence of a 100 acres wouldn’t. I bet The Fonz really struggled to buy batteries. What size would you like Mr Fonzarelli? Aaaaaaaaaaay. Floating, floating, floating, floating, floating, then not floating Tesla superchargers, Tesla superduperchargers, Tesla supercalifragilistice...

S410: DEEP
The crew pulled on the thick, wet rope that clung to the side of the trawler. “Anything?” “Nothing!” Four faces peered into the black rising swells that pitched the boat up in the air. “Keep pulling.” “But…” “Keep pulling.” The captain stalked from the deck and the hands watched as his face reappeared in the murky window that overlooked the deck of the ship. He shouted something they couldn’t hear at them. Without a word they turned themselves back to the rope. The three hands’ eyes met as th...

S410: BREATHE
Music plays. A calm, swell of chords that holds you steady. We begin. As you take a breath in, you close your eyes. You breathe out and your eyes want to open. Let them if it adds to your feeling of security. But as you breathe – in…out – you feel the need to open your eyes reduces. Your eyes are closed. Gradually, like the emergence of dawn, you start to become aware of the world inside your mind. It is a place of great beauty and a serene, epic grandeur. You are aware that you are sat comfo...

S410: THOUGHTS
All the ideas and thoughts that coalesced in my brain between 19:41 and 19:51 A cosy ninja. Furry slippers. Marshmallows on the points of his shuriken. The Smiths on a camping holiday. The 100 Acres Wood implies the existence of a 100 acres wouldn’t. I bet The Fonz really struggled to buy batteries. What size would you like Mr Fonzarelli? Aaaaaaaaaaay. Floating, floating, floating, floating, floating, then not floating Tesla superchargers, Tesla superduperchargers, Tesla supercalifragilistice...
Former Guardian/Times journalist, now writing fiction full-time. Having fun playing with web3 publishing.

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The seventh instance of James appeared to the right of the third instance and blocked the creatures lunge. The eighth appeared at the gates and held what looked like the amulet and the scarab covering the dagger. The first four James had by this point circled behind the monster and with one at each claw they pulled with all their might and managed to expose the beast’s tender belly. The eighth James pulled back his arm and flung the amulet to the original James, who ducked his head slightly and dextrously managed to loop the amulet’s necklace over his head. His hand came up as the dagger arrived and he caught it and unsheathed it in one swoop. Aware of the strain of the rest of his selves, he smoothly drove the dagger into the centre of the foul creature’s heart. Or at least where he imagined the heart might be.
The dagger was swallowed nearly to the hilt of the handle and James felt the connection between amulet and dagger as the magical force from the amulet kept the crablike animals own protective spells in check and allowed the prosaic blade to bleed the fucker out. It twitched like a jumpy leg and James watched the eyes on the end of the stalks blink and blink, until they became milky and still. Collectively, the Jameses fell onto their backsides and exhaled with relief. Something within the crab gave up and it emitted a jet of wind that flubbed with a musical trill. James Three started to laugh and soon they were all chuckling identically.
Gradually, the multiple Jameses got to their feet and assessed their wounds and scratches. It appeared that James two was dead with a pincer wound to the neck that had bled voluminously, but otherwise they had escaped unscathed. James One looked around the various instances of himself. “Thanks guys, I couldn’t have done it without you. Without me. You know what I mean.”
“No problem,” James Eight replied. “What’s next?”
“Well, the crab king is dead, I’m going to carry on with the quest,” James One said flatly.
“Oh, ok.”
“Was that not what you were thinking? Sorry? I’m confused.”
“No, no, it’s ok,” James Four replied, seemingly speaking for all of the newly-summoned James’ “We – well I – just thought that we might get involved?”
“Oh right, I see,” James One said. “No, that’s not how I’d seen this. I don’t know though - I’m new to summoning. Is that not normal?”
**************
S410 stands for Starter for 10 and it’s a daily live-writing meditation that I do in 10 minutes. Each piece I write teaches me something. Sometimes what it teaches me is that I suck. Other times it opens up an entire universe.
Each S410 is a 1/1 original. Owners of S410 pieces will have access to a range of benefits, from story airdrops, special performances and even the opportunity to be killed in my longer fiction works.
The seventh instance of James appeared to the right of the third instance and blocked the creatures lunge. The eighth appeared at the gates and held what looked like the amulet and the scarab covering the dagger. The first four James had by this point circled behind the monster and with one at each claw they pulled with all their might and managed to expose the beast’s tender belly. The eighth James pulled back his arm and flung the amulet to the original James, who ducked his head slightly and dextrously managed to loop the amulet’s necklace over his head. His hand came up as the dagger arrived and he caught it and unsheathed it in one swoop. Aware of the strain of the rest of his selves, he smoothly drove the dagger into the centre of the foul creature’s heart. Or at least where he imagined the heart might be.
The dagger was swallowed nearly to the hilt of the handle and James felt the connection between amulet and dagger as the magical force from the amulet kept the crablike animals own protective spells in check and allowed the prosaic blade to bleed the fucker out. It twitched like a jumpy leg and James watched the eyes on the end of the stalks blink and blink, until they became milky and still. Collectively, the Jameses fell onto their backsides and exhaled with relief. Something within the crab gave up and it emitted a jet of wind that flubbed with a musical trill. James Three started to laugh and soon they were all chuckling identically.
Gradually, the multiple Jameses got to their feet and assessed their wounds and scratches. It appeared that James two was dead with a pincer wound to the neck that had bled voluminously, but otherwise they had escaped unscathed. James One looked around the various instances of himself. “Thanks guys, I couldn’t have done it without you. Without me. You know what I mean.”
“No problem,” James Eight replied. “What’s next?”
“Well, the crab king is dead, I’m going to carry on with the quest,” James One said flatly.
“Oh, ok.”
“Was that not what you were thinking? Sorry? I’m confused.”
“No, no, it’s ok,” James Four replied, seemingly speaking for all of the newly-summoned James’ “We – well I – just thought that we might get involved?”
“Oh right, I see,” James One said. “No, that’s not how I’d seen this. I don’t know though - I’m new to summoning. Is that not normal?”
**************
S410 stands for Starter for 10 and it’s a daily live-writing meditation that I do in 10 minutes. Each piece I write teaches me something. Sometimes what it teaches me is that I suck. Other times it opens up an entire universe.
Each S410 is a 1/1 original. Owners of S410 pieces will have access to a range of benefits, from story airdrops, special performances and even the opportunity to be killed in my longer fiction works.
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