Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

“Edraculatte Flexes Down An Avalanche” by Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

Submitted to Contest #129

Crystals of ice form on the hairs in his nose, which is an incredibly peculiar sensation. He feels as though he has just done a line of Ice 9 up each nostril; a feeling which takes his attention away from the fact that he is skiing down the side of a large mountain and is about to collide with a large, hairy humanoid. "What the fugk, bro?" the large, hairy humanoid manages to eek out before he is knocked ass akimbo by the thoughtless skier. Neither of the bipeds are hurt, but the hairless one on skis takes a bit longer to recover. When h...

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“The Last In Line of the Divine” by Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

Taken from the Discordia Obscura, Chapter 4 – Ironia Years after the ordeal with the apple, Eris roamed the Earth, far away from those megalomaniacal pricks on Olympus who never had the good sense to appreciate her contributions to the divine scheme. Other than the occasional run-in with Pan, she hadn’t seen any of her kind in over a decade. Then one day when she was making sasquatch shadows in the forest to bring some mystery to the nearby villagers, she came across the exiled Momus, who quickly joined her game by making a second sas...

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“I Am Not Going To Try To Make This About Me With An Apology” by Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

Submitted to Contest #61

I can remember that hot, sticky night so many years ago, laying in front of a fan blowing air in through the screen door, and pretending to be asleep while the adults had the kind of conversation they would not have had if they realized an eight year old boy was listening. My father had recently died, and there were always people at the house, making sure that my mom was okay and that me and my two younger brothers were being taken care of. I had used my own grief to leverage a campout in the living room so that I could listen in as they tol...

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“Setting The Cruise Control To The Speed Of Social Cohesion” by Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

Submitted to Contest #61

It is only two days into the six week road trip and Toni is already having some reservations about her choice of co-pilot. She had the option of making this journey on her own, but she couldn't leave Ashlyn alone after the bitter divorce she had just been through. That is what best friends are for. Yet the obsessive nature of her companion has made the first thousand miles of their long journey a bit straining. "Seriously, Ashlyn, I love you - but if I hear any more eighties music I am probably going to lose my shit and drive us off a brid...

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“Because I Care About Art More Than You Do” by Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

Submitted to Contest #60

“Alright, quiet on the set.”“Rolling.”“Background.”“Action.”The cast and crew stand motionless, except for the director, who is pantomiming direction to the background actors, despite the fact that they are incapable of movement.“Reset. Still rolling. Action.”The scene is being filmed on location at an amusement park, which is where most of the film will conveniently take place. The ones who were outside when the Pause occurred have remained uncorrupt. Alive but inanimate, without bodily function or the need for nourishment. Everyone who had...

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“Death By 1,000 Wuts” by Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

Submitted to Contest #60

"Died in birth. That is how I prefer to think of it. Human beings had sacrificed every last ounce of their intellect to bring new life into the world, and were so exhausted by their efforts that their own survival became impossible. That is how I choose to think of their civilization's downfall, no matter how cynical the outlook of humanity which most of our kind have adopted. This is why I was chosen to be head caretaker of the Homo Sapien Preservation Center." There were giggles from the crowd of tourists gathered around Stultus in the v...

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“An Exception For Saviors” by Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

Submitted to Contest #60

“The problem with people who are always trying to be nice is that they create a blind spot for the potential harm they are doing to others. The perpetually congenial have a knack for reducing their metric for goodness into an absurdly narrow area of consideration. In the history of mankind there has been more harm done with smiles and good intentions than a planet full of evildoers could ever possibly aspire to.” “Damnit, Huck, do you have to give this monologue every time we meet someone new?” Brenna groans articulately. “I do believe l...

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“Give The Body Joy” by Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

Submitted to Contest #60

The half dozen mindlessly savage assailants that have gathered in the parking lot are no match for the pair of mountain lions and single moose that Feria summons to dispatch them. Although she cannot use her magic directly against the neurally-displaced homicidal maniacs, she can use it to bend the rest of the animal kingdom to her will. “I don’t think I could ever get tired of watching a moose gore robozombies to death,” Bowie exclaims, as he lightly rubs a circular pattern on her back affectionately. “You’ll be able to do it yourself s...

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“Reconsidering The Merits Of Incontinence From The Front Row Of The Shit Show” by Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

Submitted to Contest #59

I can hear Valentina in the other room, laughing hysterically. I shudder to think what sort of depravity might be exciting her humors. Since the first day that we arrived in this shady, meth-infested trailer park, she has found constant amusement in the misbehavior of the community's most excessive characters.Yesterday I found her doubled over in hysterics, and when I looked out the window, the couple from across the street were engaged in physical battle on the hood of our car. I ran out screaming at the emaciated warriors, who only had a f...

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“Fake Plastic Flowers For Algernon” by Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

Submitted to Contest #59

There is a famous satirical science fiction story from the nineteenth century called ‘Flatland’. Aside from being a critical commentary on Victorian culture and the British monarchy, it serves as a primer in understanding the differences between the first three dimensions, before positing on ones we have not yet even discovered. Although quite popular, having even been made into a handful of films, it is utter bollocks.I am going to let you in on a little secret – there are no such things as dimensions.Human beings have a habit of creating c...

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“Titular Redundancy” by Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

Submitted to Contest #59

There is a knock on the door. It is the eighth time somebody has knocked on his door today, which is more activity than the door had seen in the entire previous year. Jimbo does not consider answering it, not even a little bit. It would be the same intrusion as all the others, a dire warning to evacuate his home before things outside get seriously high strung. Not only does he have nowhere else he can possibly go, he doesn't want to leave. He plans to sit right here in front of his laptop, writing. If the ship goes down, he will happily go d...

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“Smells Like Geriatric Despair” by Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

Submitted to Contest #59

There are roughly, on average, eight thousand people per square mile in the city of Seattle. From his top floor apartment on Capitol Hill he can see a million people or more, figuratively, although only his parole officer can see him back. To everyone else in the Emerald City he is virtually invisible, thanks to the Offender Cap strapped to his head which tells others it is illegal to recognize his existence. Despite this, he cannot help but spend his days walking the streets, watching the people who are prohibited from seeing him. The ...

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“Kallisti” by Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

Submitted to Contest #59

"I hate to say it, but I think we gotta start hitting kids again," Doug says in a tone which straddles matter-of-factly and I-don't-like-it-either."What the fugk are you even talking about?" Chris asks, having missed the build-up to that last sentence."Well, not hitting. Spanking. Basic discipline." Doug corrects himself."Sorry, I haven't been paying attention. What are you going on about?" Chris asks, still not really paying attention, as he spies on the stranger in the park through the window."It's the internet. People are raised to believ...

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“How To Plan A Rodeo With Only Bulls And Clowns” by Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

"What I am proposing here is nothing short of a complete and total terrorfest." Shara finishes her proposal to the three other ghosts gathered with her in the attic of the sorority house."I love it. I'm in," Blake signs on.Shara weighs the situation. If Blake says yes, then Kiera will say no, because that is how it always goes. The love that drove their desperate suicide pact in life had dissolved in death, and the two had been engaged in a cold war ever since they had crossed over into whatever this existence was. That means the deciding vo...

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“Four Cows Being Milked By Mimes In A Submarine While A Naked Woman Sings The Battle Hymn Of The Republic” by Joshua Scott Hotchkin Wordpress.dungherder.com

Submitted to Contest #58

"The Emerson Affair is the term generally used to refer to an incident that occurred on July 7 of 2001 in which 32 people lost their life while taking part in an art exhibit inside a submarine which was submerged in the San Francisco Bay. The name comes from the artist who had created the exhibit, Tyla Emerson, who was also killed in the accident."Thus begins the Wikipedia article that talks about the day my mom died. It's so cold and precise that it gives me chills every time that I read it. I hate that this is her legacy. When you type her...

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