Achievements

Project Hail Mary
When Ryland Grace wakes up, he doesn’t remember who he is, where he is, or what he’s doing. All he knows is that he’s strapped to a bed in a sterile room, attended by a robotic medical arm. Nearby are two corpses — crewmates who didn’t survive. Slowly, his memories trickle back like distant echoes. He learns that his name is Ryland Grace, and that he’s aboard a spaceship traveling through deep space. The ship is called the Hail Mary. And then he remembers the mission: he’s humanity’s last hope. Years earlier, scientists on Earth discovered a terrifying phenomenon. The sun’s energy output was decreasing at an alarming rate. After much research, the cause was identified: a mysterious, spacefaring microbe that feeds on stellar energy. It was dubbed astrophage. The implications were catastrophic — within decades, Earth would be too cold to support life. But a small ray of hope emerged. While most nearby stars were also dimming due to astrophage, one — Tau Ceti — was not. A multinational coalition formed to investigate. If Tau Ceti had astrophage but wasn’t dimming, something must be protecting it. Something humanity could use. Thus was born Project Hail Mary: a one-way mission to Tau Ceti to discover how that star is surviving, and to return the solution to Earth — if possible. Grace had never intended to be part of the crew. He had been a scientist — a molecular biologist turned middle-school teacher after a career-ending academic dispute. But when the original crew succumbed to coma-related complications, and with time running out, Grace was chosen as a reluctant last resort. He had the knowledge. He could fly solo. He just didn’t agree to it consciously — he was sedated and loaded into the ship against his will. Now, 12 light-years from Earth, Grace must piece together clues, alone, to save humanity. The Hail Mary is powered by astrophage itself, whose energy density is high enough to enable interstellar travel. As Grace explores the star system, he discovers something shocking: he’s not alone. Another ship is nearby — massive, alien in design. Soon, first contact is made. From the alien ship emerges a creature like nothing on Earth: spider-like, five-limbed, encased in rock-like armor, breathing ammonia and communicating through musical tones. Grace names him Rocky. Despite their biological differences, Rocky and Grace find common ground: both their worlds are dying because of astrophage. Rocky’s species, the Eridians, live in the 40 Eridani system and have advanced technology but are as desperate as Earth. The two form a working partnership — and a deep friendship. Together, they investigate Tau Ceti and discover the key to its resistance: a natural predator of astrophage, a microbe they name Taumoeba. It exists only in this system, but it eats astrophage, keeping the star clear. The problem? Taumoeba is fragile — it dies quickly under any conditions outside of Tau Ceti. It has to be engineered to survive on both Earth and Erid. For weeks, Grace and Rocky work tirelessly. They share data, invent joint experiments, and modify Taumoeba to become more resilient. They face setback after setback, but their trust in each other grows. Grace begins to care more for Rocky than he ever expected — not just an alien colleague, but a friend. Eventually, success. A hardy strain of Taumoeba is developed, capable of withstanding the environments of both planets. Grace prepares to send samples back to Earth using a preprogrammed probe. Rocky, too, prepares to return home. Their mission is nearly complete. But tragedy strikes. A breach in Rocky’s ship threatens his life. The ammonia atmosphere he requires is leaking, and he’ll die without repairs. Grace faces an impossible choice: continue on the Hail Mary’s programmed course and return to Earth a hero — or turn back, save Rocky, and risk being stranded light-years from home. To Grace, the choice becomes clear. He turns the ship around. He rescues Rocky and helps rebuild the Eridian ship, but doing so uses up the return fuel. Grace knows he won’t see Earth again. He watches as Rocky flies home, taking the Taumoeba with him. Grace, alone once more, finds solace in knowing he did the right thing. Time passes. In a surprising turn, Rocky returns. With advanced Eridian tech and knowledge of human biology, he helps build a livable environment for Grace on Erid. There, Grace becomes something unexpected: a teacher again. This time, he teaches alien children — the next generation of Eridians — about Earth, humanity, and science. He’ll never go home. But he saved two worlds. And in that, he finds peace.
By SULAIMAN SHAHabout a year ago in Writers
What Is Innovation? Shaping the Future Through the Power of Ideas: The Anatomy of Transformation
Whether we realize it or not, each of our days is woven with a series of innovations. From the smart alarms that wake us up to the apps we use, from energy efficient appliances to digital services that simplify our lives at every turn, we trace the unmistakable imprint of one powerful concept: innovation. Far from being a sterile term echoing in corporate R&D labs, innovation is the tangible expression of humanity’s drive to learn, improve, and reach for something better. The journey from a spark of an idea to a reality that creates value is, in essence, the story of innovation. But what exactly sets innovation apart from a mere improvement or a basic invention?
By Nedir Lifeabout a year ago in Writers
Commencement Speech - Winners
ViM's May Prompt - Commencement Speech - is over, and the voting is complete. We had an amazing turnout for the challenge, with many wonderful entries. We even had to call in a tie-breaker for the first time, which was a pleasant surprise. Now, I am here to announce the winners to everyone, so that you all may enjoy these speeches as much as we did.
By Mother Combsabout a year ago in Writers
I Doubled My Word Count in Two Months. Top Story - June 2025.
Wow, it's been two months already! To say things spiraled would be an understatement, but amidst the bad news, there is good news too.
By Amanda Starksabout a year ago in Writers
Romantic Story. Content Warning. AI-Generated.
The atmosphere is very rough in the strong way with the night down! After crossing Sunamganj, the car fell on Main Road a long time ago. The car of the sun is running on the road of the pitch concrete concrete road. Has the girl been separated all day? With that information, it is very logical and dirty to be tired! As soon as the sun drives the car, he is looking at the front mirror in the moment. He has been playing with the waves of unknown happiness in his mind.
By Md Sumonabout a year ago in Writers
Shakespeare's Novel A Midnight’s Revel
In the verdant realm of Ardenwood, where moonlight wove silver threads through ancient oaks, there dwelt a noble duke, Lord Alaric, exiled from his court by a treacherous brother, Duke Ferdinand. Alaric, with his loyal retinue, found solace in the forest’s embrace, living simply among shepherds and wanderers. Among his followers was young Rosalind, his daughter, a maiden of wit and grace, and her cousin Celia, who had fled the court to share her exile. The forest, alive with whispers of magic, was said to be touched by the fae, who delighted in meddling with mortal hearts.
By Am@n Khan about a year ago in Writers
Steady in the Storm
It’s often been said, “If you dislike change, you’re going to dislike irrelevancy even more.” One certainty as we navigate our personal and professional lives is this: there will be highs and there will be lows. How we handle each will ultimately dictate our happiness and success.
By George Carralejoabout a year ago in Writers
Some Next Steps
Introduction Nothing is going to change majorly, but every so often, I have ideas, and the last few days have resulted in a lot of things to write about, which have included CRITIQUEs of TV series and films that I have watched.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred about a year ago in Writers
Contested. Top Story - June 2025.
And here I go again... June is here, and with it my yearly entry into the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)'s Poetry Contest. They also have ones for Non-Fiction and Short Stories, but I think most wistfully over the one devoted to poetry. First, the deadlines are always the same, this one coming just as summer is about to begin (one of the coldest days in Montréal, but still). Second, I feel like I do my best work at the end of the semester with the pressure of term work and grading taken away and placed on someone else's back.
By Kendall Defoe about a year ago in Writers
The Clockmaker’s Promise
In the heart of an old European village wrapped in fog and cobblestone, there lived a clockmaker named Elias Grunewald. His tiny shop sat nestled between a bakery and a bookstore, where the smell of ink and fresh bread danced through his open windows. Time itself seemed to pause at the threshold of his store, not out of reluctance, but respect. Elias wasn’t just a clockmaker. He was a keeper of stories, a man who repaired more than broken gears. People brought him pocket watches that had survived wars, mantel clocks that had witnessed generations grow and wither. He treated each timepiece like a sacred artifact, often asking about its history before lifting a single tool. He lived alone, save for the ticking companions that filled his walls. Yet, he was not lonely. His daughter, Annaliese, once filled the rooms with music and laughter. But she had fallen gravely ill four winters ago and passed just before her seventeenth birthday. Grief had curled itself around Elias’s bones like ivy, but he kept his promise to her—to keep making clocks, to keep moving forward. Then, one rainy evening in late autumn, a stranger entered his shop. She was no older than Annaliese had been, with violet eyes that held more sorrow than someone her age should carry. In her hands, she cradled a strange object—a pocket watch unlike any Elias had ever seen. It was shaped like a teardrop and made of brass darker than night, etched with symbols that weren’t any language he recognized. “I was told you could fix this,” she said quietly. Elias turned it over in his hand. It was cold, unnaturally so, and didn’t open by any known mechanism. No ticking, no hinge. Just stillness. “Where did you get it?” “My grandmother left it to me,” she replied, voice tight. “She said it was broken. But… she also said it once held time itself. That you would understand.” Elias blinked. “Held time?” She nodded, and for a moment, the room seemed to grow heavier, as though the air was thick with history. He should have refused. But something in her voice—perhaps the same tremor he used to hear in Annaliese’s when she played the violin with cold fingers—held him in place. “I’ll try,” he whispered. She smiled for the first time, and it struck him like sunlight breaking through frost. For days, Elias studied the watch. He dissected its casing, polished its surface, even consulted old books from the bookstore next door. But nothing made sense. It had no gearworks, no spring, no hands. Just a hollow chamber inside, where a single sliver of crystal floated, glowing faintly blue when he was alone. On the sixth night, just past midnight, Elias fell asleep at his workbench. He awoke to a sound not heard in his shop for years: a violin, playing Annaliese’s favorite song. He stood, heart thudding, and turned toward the back room—her room. The door was ajar. Inside, the music played from nowhere, the walls aglow with a soft, shimmering light. On the floor, the teardrop watch lay open, its crystal pulsing in time with the melody. Then, the light faded. Silence returned. Elias staggered back, clutching the edge of the workbench. Was it grief? Hallucination? Or something else? The girl returned the next morning, and Elias, with trembling hands, gave her the opened watch. “It’s not broken,” he told her. “It’s… a memory vessel. A keeper of moments. Your grandmother must have sealed something inside.” The girl nodded. “She said she sealed the last dance she shared with my grandfather. He died young, before I was born. She told me one day I’d need to feel what love feels like. She said this would help.” Elias understood then. The watch didn’t measure time—it preserved it. “I want to leave something inside it,” the girl said. “Can I?” “I think so,” Elias replied. She sat down, closed her eyes, and began to hum softly. A lullaby, fragile and beautiful. As she sang, the crystal within the watch glowed again, accepting her offering. When she left, Elias kept the shop door open for the first time in years. People came with broken clocks and old watches, and he began to ask a new question: “What moment do you wish had lasted longer?” He would listen. Then, when the piece was repaired, he would whisper something into its ticking heart. A promise, a memory, a fragment of time. Word spread. The shop became known not just for fixing clocks, but for healing what time had worn down. The villagers called Elias “The Timekeeper.” Some believed he could mend more than mechanics—that he could slow the ache of grief, or rewind joy for just a moment more. And though he never claimed to possess such magic, Elias believed one thing above all: Time was not always the enemy. Sometimes, it was the keeper of miracles.
By M.SUDAIS about a year ago in Writers
RESULTS: The Eulogy [an unofficial challenge]
THE RESULTS ARE IN! While this challenge only brought in four entries, it was still quite a pleasure to host, and I loved seeing how many people connected to the original prompt and the BoJack Horseman reference!
By Belleabout a year ago in Writers
Why I Keep Writing On Vocal
Introduction I often write about why I still write, and I loved the Ray Bradbury meme. Writers write, artists paint, sculptors sculpt, musicians create songs, but there are times when I think that I have reached the end.
By Mike Singleton 💜 Mikeydred about a year ago in Writers