#poweronstorytoot

Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · 6d ago

“Show some respect, ‘The Corps is Mother, the Corps is Father’, noob!” “The Mu Corps killed my mother when they took me” “Serves her right for harboring an unregistered mentat. Mentats United is the only logical way to raise a Neurodivergent” “You never had a mother, did you?” “Tankie and proud, decanted right here at the academy.” “Machines could do spreadsheets and Neuros could have families. It worked before.” “Thats a fable, and blasphemy besides, don’t let the Brothers hear you say that or you’ll be up before the Jihad quick smart” “There was a ruined datacenter near where I lived in the outworld. They were real.” “Well, there must have been a reason for the Jihad. I have to believe that” “Must be nice” “What?” “Your comfortable fantasy” #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Aug 04, 2026

The Toshiba Lithetto is a pocket sized trilithon engine still appreciated by hardcore infodruids. While all modern computing devices share the same circumsilicon processing technology as the first stone circles, the development of the integrated circle at Bell Labs, and the infocyclotron and the World Wide Wirtzite at CERN mean that most devices we use today use etched waveguides as their Circular Processing Unit. The Lithetto was remarkable, especially in a pocket device, for using size 0805 vertical trilithons, permitting a 1024-ring stone circle to be fitted in a two centimeter thick pocket computer. While the device shipped with Portals 95 most users today run Basaltic/Sedimentary Disibsubstrate OS variants[Citation Needed]. Production of the Lithetto ceased in 2002 but #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Jul 31, 2026

“It’s bullshit. Those things don’t work” “It’s the future, Afterlife Intelligence is going to revolutionize coding. You need to get an ouija board or you’ll be left behind!” “Even if it did work the concept that a dead spirit can help with coding is daft. Would you ask your ninety year old grandpa for coding help?” “That’s not how it works. At Microschlock they stack-ranked their coders, fired the bottom half, murdered the top quintile and captured the spirits as AI agents. Reduced payroll cost by eighty percent!” #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Jul 30, 2026

“I understand the disposable coveralls and the showers, but why does the decontam mist smell like fly spray?” “It is fly spray.” “What, why? Is pyrethrum some kind of herbal radiation antidote? Is this woo? It sounds like woo.” “No it’s all because of Jason. He was smuggling arthropods to work and putting them through the gamma ray irradiator. Thats why he got fired.” “Why would he do that? “ “Big black market for radioactive critter bites. Where do you think all those supervillains came from last spring?” #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Jul 30, 2026

“Captain, Incoming hail” “On hold, Mx Werf!” “Ye—What“ “This system borders the Ferengoid Prosperity Zone.” “Sir?” “I have never had a hail that was not spam from that sector.” “What should I tell them?” “Transmit that their hail is important to us; Miss Darta, fetch my flute” #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Jul 27, 2026

“Uh, hi, it’s Kevin…” “Heh, I didn’t know synths used telephones, can’t you just use your head or something” “Karen’s policy, sick leave on her team must be phoned in, voice call no texting. Between you and me it’s borderline racist.” “I didn’t know synths got sick, either.” “Snapped a belt in my hip drive, can’t get out of bed” “Bed, gee I’m learning a lot today!” “Oh, honey, you have no idea, but this conversation is getting enn ess eff dubleyoo. I’ll buy you a drink sometime and fill you in?” “Uh, sure. Putting you through to Karen. Bye!” *click*. “YESSSSS!!!” #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Jul 24, 2026

“We are sorry but your civilisation has not met one of the Galactic Commons membership criteria. We will return next rotation to reassess you.” “Oh, Darn. Was it the wars? We could stop—well, try to.” “Alas it is more serious; the single planetary paper size requirement. We admire your A series; perhaps if you focused your wars on the recalcitrants?” #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Jul 21, 2026

“Oh no, what’s with the moon boot?” “That storm last night; lightning strike caused a power glitch and the SoftStairs in my apartment phased out just as I was climbing them” “Ouch, Sorry to hear that. Kinda glad I live in a house made of stone. “ “But programmable architecture is just so convenient—my cousin visited last month and we used a macro to temporarily rearrange our four bedrooms into five slightly smaller ones” “Yeah nah, you can keep your I-can’t-believe-it’s-not-Matter thanks” #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Jul 20, 2026

“Fifty rounds of Winchester Silvertip in 25ACP please?” “You still carrying that Beretta? God dammit it will be the death of you, gurl.” “Meh, precision beats punch in the Werewolf hunt. Besides, the price of silver is fucking criminal right now. How’s business?” “Well I’m not making any extra margin on ammo, all the profit goes to the stackers. This business in Persia is displacing a lot of Djinni. You want to make sure you have a fresh polishing cloth on you. Have this one, on the house” “Miss Susan, your blood’s worth bottlin’” “I am not aware of any cryptids susceptible to my vital fluids” “Oh, you” #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Jul 19, 2026

“What the heck, why is there a wind turbine sitting on the ground in your backyard?” “Granny flat!” “What?” “Well, you know how some offshore wind farms have keeperhomes where folk live under the turbines?” “Yeah, never saw the point…” “I grew up on one, it was magical! My mum retired last year but she misses the Life.” “And?” “And I got this turbine shell for a song at auction. She’s moving on next month.” #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Jul 18, 2026

When the V-parasites went airborne we nearly lost society to PHANG syndrome. All the media blared that you must wear an airtight mask and cover all exposed skin outdoors. BUT who has that on hand?. Well, somehow a few of us did. A mysterious cadre of neighbours wearing gas masks and form fitting latex self-organised to deliver prophylactic coverings to the rest of us. I’m not sure what purpose the cat-ears served, but we owe these anonymous heroes a debt. #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Jul 18, 2026

“Battle Stations! Main power is out! Gravity on battery. Damage report” “False alarm Captain, Engineering tripped the Warp Leakage Detector” “Send a distress signal, Warp Leak, Assistance required. Signal abandon—“ “Wait, Captain! An engineering intern put their coffee in the dilithium oven by mistake. No leak.” “These fucking Earth ships, I swear…” “Say again, captain?” “Never mind, carry on. I’ll be in my ranting uh ready room” #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Jul 16, 2026

This totally snuck up on me, but as mentioned in today’s PBS Space Time, today marks 50 years since the first human landing on Mars. Six Soyuz launches in 1975 lofted tanks of uranyl chloride/heavy water to (inconveniently) low earth orbit where Apollo 24 and 25 boosted half of them Marsward. Apollo 27 and its nuclear saltwater thruster delivered an American, Australian and Soviet crew to Phobos Base on 16 July 1976. Against orders the crew played an excruciatingly long game of low-gravity two-up to choose which of them won the chance to make a forbidden landing. Janel O’Malley became the first woman to set foot on another planet, sabotaging her lander’s heaters to choose her own conclusion to the mission rather than starvation or suffocation. When the return fuel arrived, her crew mates erected a memorial at the landing site before returning her to earth. Commander LeBrayne Johnson still resides on Phobos, aged ninety-one. Cosmonaut Valentina Ivanova was tragically lost saving the lives of the crew of Apollo 40, in 1980. #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot #TodayInHerstory

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Jul 04, 2026

There’s a particular strip-mall nearby that I drive past a few times a week. I’m sure you know the kind too, rather dingy, slightly inconvenient to access, and home to an endless succession of hopeful new businesses that only last a few months each. The rent must be absurdly cheap. Cafes and burger bars seem to be the shortest lived tenants. Restaurants run a close third. Computer repair places seem immune to the curse. For about six months now I’ve been seeing a new sign, plain yellow on black in a bold block font “DEEP GROCERY AND SPICE”. They seem to be sticking around; must be good stuff. I resolve to drop in next time I need Indian spices. Look, it was an easy mistake to make—but it’s not a family name, and the proprietors are from further south than south asia. The girl in the tank behind the counter tells me that Brisbane actually has the second highest Deep One population of any city above sea level. You really must try their spices. #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Jul 04, 2026

“He’s not popular, it’s all just online bot-farms.” “Yeah, tell that to the mob outside” “Them too. Watch!” “What did you do?! Looks like they all fell asleep!” “Starlink jammer.” #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Mar 16, 2024

Banning the climbers bought us a few decades, but Uluru was always going to wake up sooner or later. The Geocryptid International Response Team at Pine Gap were our last line of defense, bless their memory. #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Jun 30, 2026

“She’s not leaving; she’s just sitting there like she owns the country.” “Technically, she does. Dammit, I’m going to have to fight her.” “I thought you wanted her gone?” “Of course I do, she’s evil. But smart enough to know it’s over, I thought” “What will you do?” “Walk right up to her and start some shit” “But–the guards?” “Definitely *are* smart enough to know which way the wind is blowing. Give me the White Handbag and a small pistol. Is my dress straight” “Yes, but she’s bulletproof and here. Uh, reverse order.” “The pistol’s not for her” I only made it two steps before it happened. The crowd in the hall stood up and *left*. They didn’t file out the back, they just moved forward in a solid wave, pushing chairs aside, driving guards and the Prime Minister before them, busting open the fire doors. DNA analysis and nanoscale serial number comparison of soul chip fragments proved that the stain in the courtyard had been The Presence. Someone claiming to have led the charge—there was no charge, no leader, just an implacable human landslide of justice—is running for The Job now. Maybe they’ll be good at it. If not, I still have the handbag. #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Jun 25, 2026

Dear #LazyGalaxy our planet has developed a concerning climate instability. Our axial tilt of around 0.261 has the sunward hemisphere experiencing life threatening heat spikes at the moment.

Things we have tried:

ignoring the problem
combusting fossil hydrocarbons
pretending decentralized solar and wind power are ugly

Please share any experience or preferences you have on these options we are considering.

reducing axial tilt by induced planetesimal impact
conversion of inner planets to dust belt
igniting upper mantle fissile nuclides to induce plasma-jet orbital adjustment
salting geological hydrocarbon deposits with short-life fission products to make them inaccessible
destroying our industrial civilisation

If you have any technology (maybe neutrino flux air conditioning, or phase cloak insolation adjusters) that could help, let us know!

For political reasons we are unable to alter our hydrocarbon pollution situation, please do not suggest that.

#Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Jun 16, 2026

“Can you change the battery on this?” I sigh. An increasing percentage of what people bring to Mistress Minit for repair is things that were never fit for purpose. “It doesn’t have a battery. Those are fitted with an Imp Turbine. As you’ve learned it stops working once the imp starves.” “Uh, that sounds a bit cruel?” “Yes, which is why we don’t replace them. I can teach you a simple charm that will make it run on your mana” “Oh, but I’m not magical” “Common misconception; everyone is magical, sweetie” #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot #Title_Beyond_Repair

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Kit Bashir @Unixbigot@aus.social · Jun 15, 2026

“Yeah that’s a cool effect, but it if you make a digital postprocess the whole gimmick of your song, it will sound like ass live. “ “What do you mean?” “Well it’s a negative reverb filter, right; it feeds the next bar back into the current bar. Only works on recordings—obviously—You can’t have a time machine effect pedal” “Hah, Shows what you know.” “You don’t!” “I do.” “How?!” “Bought it from one of *those* shops.” #Tootfic #MicroFiction #PowerOnStoryToot #Title_Preverb

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