Sci Fi

Welcome to the Nightingale Training Program!. Content Warning.
Welcome to the Nightingale Training Program (NTP)! Congratulations on successfully completing the Nightingale Entrance Exam! If you successfully complete the NTP, you will become the grace and glory of Gallia. We wish you success on your journey with us.
By Leigh Victoria Phan, MS, MFA22 days ago in Fiction
Technician Orientation . Runner-Up in Instructions Included Challenge.
TECHNICIAN ORIENTATION OVERVIEW Castle Ceremony Operations Guidelines for New Personnel Welcome to the Ceremony Tech team! Your role represents one of the final human-interface positions in the Transformation system. This distinction is essential to understanding your responsibilities.
By Nicky Frankly22 days ago in Fiction
THE METAMORPHOSIS: 3I/ATLAS DIDN'T JUST SURVIVE THE SUN. IT WOKE UP.
We were told to expect a disintegration. We were told that 3I/ATLAS, the mysterious traveler from the deep void, would likely crack and fade as it faced the inferno of its closest approach to the Sun. That is what comets do. They are fragile things, made of dirty ice and loose gravel, and when you drag them through the solar fire, they usually break apart or exhaust themselves. But 3I/ATLAS is not playing by the rules of our solar system. New data released this morning from the SPHEREx mission has stunned the astrophysical community. Instead of fading, the object has undergone a terrifying transformation. It is no longer the object we saw just a few months ago. It has shed its skin, changed its chemistry, and throttled up its activity to levels that border on the mechanical. The "Water" Explosion The most shocking number in the report is the "water-gas emission." Before it hit the perihelion (its closest point to the Sun), the object was venting a steady stream of vapor. But now? The emission is twenty times brighter. Let that sink in. A natural comet usually loses steam as it flies away from the heat source. 3I/ATLAS has done the opposite. It survived the fire, and now, on the outbound leg, it is pumping out water at a staggering rate of 180 kilograms per second. To the uninitiated, this sounds like melting. But look at the symmetry. The data shows that the water, Carbon Dioxide (CO2), and Carbon Monoxide (CO) are originating from a "symmetric region centered on the nucleus." This isn't the chaotic outgassing of a heating rock; this is a consistent, high-pressure release. It mimics the signature of a cooling system flushing its heat exchangers after a critical thermal event. The Skin Peel Even more disturbing is what happened to the surface. Before the Sun, 3I/ATLAS looked like an icy body. The spectrum was dominated by water ice. Now? The ice is gone. It has completely disappeared from the spectral signature. It has been replaced by "scattered-light plus thermal-emission from organo-silicaceous dust grains." In plain English: The white camouflage has burned off, revealing a dark, organic, silicon-based hull beneath. The object has effectively changed its colors, shifting from a reflective icy visitor to a low-albedo, dark traveler. The "cyanide (CN) and organic features" are now showing up clearly, suggesting these chemicals were hidden inside the water phase, waiting to be released. The Impossible Brightness Here is where the scientists are scratching their heads. The gas plume around the object is now a hundred times brighter than the nucleus itself. For a natural comet, this creates a mathematical nightmare. To get that much gas and that much brightness, you need a massive amount of surface area reacting to the sunlight. You need dust. Lots of it. But 3I/ATLAS isn't releasing normal dust. The SPHEREx team found no evidence of the fine, powdery dust that usually makes up a comet's tail. Instead, the data implies that the object is surrounded by "large dust grains." And when they say large, they aren't talking about sand. They are talking about boulders.
By Wellova 22 days ago in Fiction
Your New Perfect Boyfriend™
ENKITECH Designing Perfect Humans for Perfect Futures [Alt text: Three 2026 models of the Enkitech Perfect Boyfriend™ (Javier, Isaiah, and Heath) stand in a brightly lit room. Each model appears tall and muscular, is clean shaven, smiling, exposing straight, white teeth. From left to right: Model Javier has golden brown skin, dark brown eyes, jet black, wavy hair that is combed back from his forehead and wears a gray cardigan over a white v-neck t-shirt and black trousers. Javier has one hand tucked into his pocket, and one hand smoothing his hair. Model Isaiah has dark brown skin, green-gray eyes, close-cropped dark brown hair and wears a navy blazer over a partially unbuttoned cream linen shirt tucked into wide-leg trousers. Isaiah tugs at the lapels of his jacket. Model Heath has fair skin, dark blue eyes, reddish-brown hair that is parted and combed to the side and wears a plaid button down shirt tucked into fitted jeans. Heath holds his hands up, fingers touching, in a generally-recognized gesture of gratitude. This image has been ai-enhanced.]
By Kailey Haider22 days ago in Fiction
A Practical Manual for Accountability. Winner in Instructions Included Challenge.
This manual exists because something already went wrong. If you are reading this, it is likely because You caused harm and tried to minimize it.
By Cadma23 days ago in Fiction
The Simple Guide to Being Human
Is becoming a human your life long dream? You've come to the right place. Thank you for purchasing this guide and we hope you enjoy your journey as you make your way through these steps.
By Krysta Dawn24 days ago in Fiction
The Dead Princess's Mercy. AI-Generated.
General Wei stared at the pool of black water beneath his feet. In its reflection, he didn’t see his own battle scared face, but the faces of the three thousand men he had burned alive at the Siege of Yan. Their skin was translucent and their mouths were stitched shut with what looked like rusted wire.
By Carolyn Patton24 days ago in Fiction
THE COSMIC INTERROGATION: JANUARY 22 IS JUDGMENT DAY (3I/ATLAS)
The universe rarely gives second chances. Usually, when an interstellar visitor screams through our solar system, it stays hidden in the dark, keeping its secrets as it fades into the void. We saw this with ‘Oumuamua, a silent cigar-shaped riddle that refused to speak. We saw it with 2I/Borisov, which kept its distance. But 3I/ATLAS is different. It isn't just passing through; it is putting on a show. And on January 22, 2026, at exactly 13:00 UTC, a celestial tumbler is going to click into place, offering humanity a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see what this thing really is. The Perfect Trap Astronomers call it "opposition." I call it a spotlight. On this specific date, the Earth will slide directly between the Sun and 3I/ATLAS. This is not a random flyby. It is a geometrically perfect alignment that creates a phenomenon known as the "Opposition Surge". Think of it like a deer caught in high beams. Usually, when we look at objects in space, shadows hide the details. The surface texture, the craters, the machinery—it all gets lost in the darkness of the angle. But on January 22, the angle between the Sun, Earth, and the object will drop to almost zero. This triggers a rare physical effect called "Shadow-hiding". For a brief window, every shadow on the surface of 3I/ATLAS will vanish. The object will not just reflect light; it will erupt in brightness, illuminated from directly behind us. Faster Than a Bullet Why does this matter? Because 3I/ATLAS is a monster. It was clocked moving at 57.7 kilometers per second relative to the Sun. To put that in perspective, the previous visitors were sluggish by comparison—‘Oumuamua moved at 26.4 km/s, and Borisov at 32.3 km/s. 3I/ATLAS is moving with a velocity that suggests it is either running from something, or rushing toward something. And unlike its predecessors, which were ghosts in the machine, 3I/ATLAS has an "anti-tail jet". It has a stream of material pointing toward the Sun, fighting against the solar wind. Nature doesn't usually build thrusters that point the wrong way. The Quantum Spike The alignment on January 22 offers more than just light. It offers a glimpse into the quantum realm. At this precise angle (less than 2 degrees), scientists are waiting for something called "Coherent Backscatter". This is where light waves traveling through the dust and surface of the object interfere with each other constructively, creating a sharp, intense spike of brightness driven by quantum mechanics. This is the moment of truth. If 3I/ATLAS is just a "fluffy fractal aggregate" of dust, the surge will be broad and dull. But if the particles are compact—or if the surface is manufactured, smooth, or metallic—the surge will be narrow and blinding. We are about to find out if we are looking at a cloud of primitive dust, or the hull of something much more solid. The geometry is locked in. The clock is ticking
By Wellova 24 days ago in Fiction
A Rare Blood Worm Moon 2026
A Rare Blood Worm Moon 2026 I read about it late one evening, the way these things always seem to arrive. Not shouted, not urgent, just there, waiting between ordinary headlines and forgotten promises. A rare Blood Worm Moon, coming in March 2026. An eclipse said to be one of the most spectacular of the decade. The words stayed with me longer than they should have.
By Marie381Uk 25 days ago in Fiction
The Sucker Punch
While the weather grew miserable and the city turned sullen, a lone lightpost oscillated under the weight of the incessant rain. Kine stood in the downpour, her polycarbonate skin slick and cold, watching as his shadow inched closer with a hollow step.
By Caitlin Charlton25 days ago in Fiction
Instructions for Returning to a Place That No Longer Exists. Runner-Up in Instructions Included Challenge.
I. Purpose of This Document These instructions exist because return has been explicitly requested. Please note that they are not an endorsement of the request, nor should their existence be interpreted as confirmation that return is advisable, safe, or even possible in any way commonly understood. This document addresses procedure only.
By Shannon Hilson25 days ago in Fiction
The New Born Sun
PART 2 Everyone on Earth dreamed the same dream. That was the first sign something had gone wrong with the sun. Not an explosion. Not a flare. Just a hesitation—brief, deliberate—like a breath held too long. Astronomers noticed it in the data before anyone felt it in their bones, but by the time we woke up, the knowing was already there. The sun had paused. And whatever it was waiting for, it was looking at us.
By Solaryn25 days ago in Fiction