ariasne

Apparently the RMCP have made a number of arrests made regarding a republican protest to a visit by Prince Charles. The fact there has been a protest is wonderful, the arrests not so much. There should be a more organised republican movement in the UK. I think the United Republics sounds so much more dignified...
Although this raises the question. If we did abolish our monarchy, would the royal family up-stakes and head out to one of their other kingdoms, or would there be a domino effect or republicanism? Even if there weren't, would they still choose to stay? Who can say...



The above image is from a protest in 2005. I think the sign "We're not bees, why do we need a queen" is brilliant.
The concept of a republican movement wanting an elected Governor General however seems somewhat confused. Surely if the monarchy were abolished, the office of GG would also, and be replaced by a president or something similar.

The young man sat in the ante chamber, waiting to be invited in. Though he was little more than a boy, he held himself like a man in his prime who was used to giving orders and having them obeyed. Despite this however, his eyes seemed to flick around the room a little too much to be natural, as though he were afraid of an ambush.
After a while, one of the large wooden doors at the end of the room opened, and a clerk poked his head around the door. "You can come in now," he said quietly, though his voice echoed in the silent room.
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I've been weirdly prolific the last week or so... I just wish I'd had all this inspiration when I didn't have an ass-tonne of uni work to be doing.
Out of interest, does anyone rely on livejournal for reading my writing?

I don't have many vivid memories of my grandfather. I only met him a few times, but something that happened on the last of these occasions stands out.
I wasn't very old at the time, maybe six or seven at most when he and my grandma came to stay. I didn't like either of them very much. They were both very tall, and I remember I thought they looked like the drawing of Jack Spratt and his wife in my picture book. He was stick thing, and she was round as a pudding, but I would never consider approaching her for a cuddle.
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Life is a metaphor.
It doesn't always make sense.
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I am older now than Alex Band, the lead singer of The Calling, was when I fell in love with their first record back in 2001.
Does this mean I'm a grown up now?

I just found out that my best friend from when I was 11 is now the vocalist in an Italian Death Metal band.
I kind of want to get in contact with him, just for old time's sake, but I don't think we have that much in common any more. I certainly can't think of anything I'd say to him, especially since I think I spoke to him once after I visited him in 1999.

I looked around nonchalantly as I waited for Dariusz to open the door. It was a cold, frosty morning, so I thought it fairly unlikely that anyone would be wandering around this industrial estate, but it always pays to be vigilant. I turned around at the sound of creaking metal hinges to see the thin Polish man grinning down at me.

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I just bought a Josh Groban cd. It makes me really happy to listen to it...

What am I turning into?!

“Alice is on her way.”
Danny looked up and stared blankly across at his brother, who frowned back at him. “She just finished work, and is coming straight here. It’s only about five minutes walk away.”
“Oh, okay.” He sighed and averted his eyes, looking down and starting to stir the ice sitting in the bottom of his glass.
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Shiv and I are going down to Gravesend tomorrow to visit my sister, who is turning 18 on Tuesday. I'm so happy at the idea of this weekend away, as it's the furthest afield by about 400miles that I'll have been since Easter weekend! Actually... It'll be only the second time I've actually been in England since then as well...

Feminists almost made me cry today.

Home at Last
“The American president today told the Mr Netanyahu...”
Crackle
“...I learned how to carry on, and so you’re back, from outer space...”
Fzzt.
“Bamba passes to Riordan, Riordan shoots!”

“Stop! Stop it!” the commander shouted. “Go Back!”
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Last Hope
People would say, years later, that Stan Weston was desperate when he sought out the legal advice of Tony D’Annunzio. This is only half true. Yes, Weston had been desperate, but he wasn’t looking for a attourney. He was looking for Ice Cream.
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Heavens
“Jupiter!”
“Pluto? Did you say something?”
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Homeward Bound
“Where you headed?”
“Excuse me?” I looked up to see a rather large man sitting on the bench next to me.
“I asked where are you headed?” he repeated
“Oh. Anywhere. I don’t care. So long as it’s not here.”
“Ah,” he said knowingly, and turned back to his magazine.
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Keeping a Secret
A cigarette, a book of poetry and an extractor fan. What more could a guy ask for?
What?
Oh... the extractor fan. Well it’s like this. I’m a smoker. Have been for years, but what with the bad rep we’ve been getting recently, some people take offense if you light up in their homes.
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Misfortune
The door opens and a girl, who looks to be in her late teens, walks in wrapped only in a towel, and picks up the ringing phone. “Hello?” says the voice at the other end of the line
“Hi.” She says, smiling.
“You weren’t in school today.”
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Umgestaltung und Offenheit
“What is the difference, Herr Reichschancellor, between your reforms, and the Prague Spring?” the American president drawled.
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Bazaar
The whiplash split the sky, and the man stumbled under its blow.
“Get up!” One of the men on horses snarled, lashing out again with his whip. Pain seared through the European, who had fallen to his knees in the dust. The chains that bound his hands made recovery difficult, but fear of being whipped again gave him haste. Another deafening crack and it was all the man could do not to tumble again.
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The blizzard was still obscuring Christy’s view out of the bedroom window. With a sigh, she leant back and put her feet up on the windowsill. After a moment inspecting her dusty socks - she had been ignoring her mother’s call to clean her room for a week now -, she pushed off as hard as she could. Her chair sailed backwards across the carpet until the wheels met a top she had abandoned days earlier, and along with Christy, toppled to the floor.
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Day 16 of Flash Fiction Month

Are You Challenging Me?

“Okay,” the redhead said with a mischievous grin. “The world is ending in a week...” she paused to glare at the short gentlemen who had stopped short beside their table. “It’s a hypothetical situation. Move along moron.” She rolled her eyes and turned back to her colleague who was chuckling to himself.
“Maybe we should take out lab coats off before coming out for coffee in the future Melissa?”
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Night
“You don’t have to do this.”
His eyes flicked to her scared face before returning to the road. “Yes I do.”
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First Dance
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Your Bride and Groom.”
The crowd clapped enthusiastically as the couple walked onto the dance floor hand in hand. Smiling, he leant down to kiss her on the forehead. Grinning back, she stood on tip toes to reach his lips, and both laughed quietly.
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Hero
“So you see, I really don’t have a choice. My reputation is at stake, and without my reputation, I have nothing.”
“Why do you feel that way?”
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Are You Challenging Me?
“Okay,” the redhead said with a mischievous grin. “The world is ending in a week...” she paused to glare at the short gentlemen who had stopped short beside their table. “It’s a hypothetical situation. Move along moron.” She rolled her eyes and turned back to her colleague who was chuckling to himself.
“Maybe we should take out lab coats off before coming out for coffee in the future Melissa?”
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Theft
Peter Waugh looked up from his newspaper to find that there was a penguin standing staring at him. He blinked. Once, twice, decided that he was not imagining things, and sighed. Casting his paper aside, he unbuckled his seatbelt and leant forward to talk to the driver.
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Another Time Travellin' Song
“I don’t care if there are rules,” Charlie thought to himself. “Music in these days was painfully bad.” He paused, then corrected himself, “Is painfully bad”. Even after six months he still got his tenses mixed up occasionally.
As the cab drove off into the distance, he picked up his guitar; he walked up to the building and knocked on the door.
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The man had been wandering for months when he found it. He had left his village once the snows had cleared up. There had been nothing left for him there after such a cold winter, so he had headed south. It had not been an easy journey, but he had survived, hunting what he could, foraging when he couldn’t. He had gone days at a time without eating.
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9/31 in Flash Fiction Month

“Mum, don’t leave me alone with him!”
“Don’t be silly.”
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8/31 in Flash Fiction Month

“I hate you.”
“No you don’t.” He said, stroking her hair softly.
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7/31 in Flash Fiction Month

“The Doors.”
“Eh, maybe. Led Zep”
“Oh yeah, definitely. The Beatles, or at least John Lennon.”
“Overrated. The Who.”
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6/31 in Flash Fiction Month

“To start I’d like a light garden salad with Honey Mustard dressing.”
“Very good. For your main?”
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74 words

5/31 in Flash Fiction Month