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Akihiro Moroto

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Oct, 2025

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209 Followers
213 Following

16 Stories

1032 karma pts

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Bite the Hand that Feeds

Weekly Contest #355

CW: Inspired by classic German Folktales, popularized by the Brothers Grimm. Nestled beneath the Arnsberg Castle on a spring afternoon, the Vehmic court was in session. The accused siblings, nervously ensconced on moss-covered seats, next to the Judge. They allegedly lived off the kindness of a talented baker, who adopted the two orphans, only for them to attempt burning her alive in her own oven and then stealing her life savings. “They have nibbled on my house too, these Skamelar TERMITES!!”- A harshly disfigured woman, whose entire body w...

40 likes 28 comments 28
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Late Bloomer

Weekly Contest #354

Out of the blue, in April, eight Flamingo colored orchids decided to blossom. Strange that they would, considering I am terrible with plants. They haven’t done so since my ... Ah... Why do I keep dwelling? I don’t want to remember. Every stillness reminds me of her void- from these vibrant flowers to the brightly upholstered empty chair in the indoor garden room, her frayed Daffodil-colored toothbrush hanging abandoned by the sink, to her side of the bed with the plump, Victorian rose pillow... Undisturbed. ‘Living’ in this empty house, it a...

46 likes 33 comments 33
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Die Laughing

Weekly Contest #350

I don’t understand how all the greats went through this grind:-from doing stand-up at the local dive for the village idiots--to handing out flyers for the late-night Jello wrestling-Karaoke--to showcasing my ‘range’ by being a non-verbal extra on a taxidermy emporium commercial… There’s got to be a more linear path to get ahead in this industry! My comedic mentor has been in this game for a few decades, and he mockingly critiqued my comedy routines. He called me the ‘walking dead’ because I bored my audience to death with my niche pop-cultur...

49 likes 37 comments 37
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The Last Plesiosaurus

Weekly Contest #349

My midday slumber, floating on the ocean surface, was interrupted by an orange streak in the sky that zoomed overhead. It eventually disappeared in the distance. I honestly thought it was just some flock of pesky Pterodactyls that got too close to the Sun. In my peripheral vision, I noticed a flash far away, but a school of Belemnites caught my attention instead. I dove after my next meal, deeper and farther. They were much faster than usual, but my mother taught me well; I am a tenacious hunter. I was able to flank some of the ten-limbed cr...

43 likes 28 comments 28
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Jolly's Prerogative

Weekly Contest #347

CW: Depictions of animal abuse, violence, and child endangerment. The world as I know it is within the confines of this Junk and salvage yard. It's surrounded by rusty metal walls and barbed wire fences that are as tall as the sky. With the chew-proof extended chain attached to my collar, I ain’t going anywhere. Never dawned on me to have a life beyond this property. This is where I was born.This is where I will die. My human master is who I serve, and it’s my birthright prerogative to protect everything he deems valuable. If I don’t- He wil...

29 likes 16 comments 16
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The Totality Paradox

Weekly Contest #345

-Mon Apr 8, 2024, at 2:04 PM--New version of iOS upgrade is available--Would you like to schedule the upgrade tonight? --YES/NO- ... To be honest, I didn’t care either way as long as the phone worked. I had way too many things to juggle in life. Can’t my phone just automatically do so without asking me every few months? I cannot micromanage everything. Without much thought, I agreed to the upgrade and went about my workday... After being obligated to sit in meetings, put out fires, get my Ducks in a row, and delegating tasks to a burnt-out s...

49 likes 33 comments 33
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At Your Service

Weekly Contest #343

CW: Strong language, Depiction of Death Transitioning from a high-level restaurant executive in the city to a private chef hasn’t been as easy as advertised. From having a brigade of knuckle-dragging restaurant team that I delegated to create and serve excellence, I have now become a one-man army that shops, preps, cooks, serves, entertains, and cleans. I basically am an overeager Octopus wrangling all eight arms in all directions in pursuit of perfection. Speaking of, I'd better stop by the fish market for the Pulpo Gallego on tonight's men...

45 likes 28 comments 28
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You are not alone

Weekly Contest #338

CW: Strong language, Suicidal ideation, Recovery ‘-Ever wondered how it would be to have a superpower? What would you use it for? Would you save the world, or rule it?-’​That message was on a plaque by the entrance of a sterile office space in the garment district. The supergroup meets every Wednesday at 8 pm. Mind you, this is not an elite team of superheroes that would join forces to fight some intergalactic villain. Members here are struggling to come to terms with their extraordinary abilities, without.. You know, destroying our world.​T...

60 likes 29 comments 29
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As Plucky as a Feather

Weekly Contest #337

We came a long way, from being caged at a pet store in swamp-ass Orlando, to being mindlessly fed stale crackers by the featherless giants… I fought and escaped all that to the uncharted skies of the Big Apple. The world will be mine. Our ancestors came from the jungles of Central America in search of a better life, one that was free from deforestation, hurricanes, and Jaguars. Centuries (and possibly more in our bird years) later, we have chapters in every city in South America and Western Europe, and have expanded our presence in the US, f...

48 likes 28 comments 28
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The Spurious signal

Weekly Contest #335

Waking up to another morning with lead colored skies. Another day of monotonous limbo. I aimlessly scrolled in bed for yesterday’s war machine highlights. “Greetings, Ben. Lovely day. Did you recharge optimally?” The onboard neuralink system always addressed me with kindheartedness. It’s not prudent to name our machines- since attachments are a sign of weakness, they say. .. But in my heart, I call her ARLA. She is always the highlight of my day. I’m jaded about everything else. Every day, we prospects mandatorily participate in a ‘game’ tha...

52 likes 20 comments 20
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Bukubuku Cha, and the General’s Osettai

Weekly Contest #333

Fujinomiya lane was a dirt uphill road that came straight from coastal route one. It was a pleasant April morning in Shizuoka, and Kajifuchi wasn’t expecting any visitors to his pig farm. However, there was a sleek black sedan beelining towards his property. Instead of waiting around for whoever was to arrive, the weathered farmer continued stewing the giant iron pot full of vegetable peelings, and wheat- donated by the US government; A porridge for his prized swine. Even with the vigorous simmering and repetitive stirring with the over-size...

47 likes 19 comments 19
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Lost and Found

Weekly Contest #331

Spending the new years in Manhattan seems like a magical time, right? NOT if you’re a Cabbie. Oh the insanity of full contact traffic, random road closures, and dealing with drunk and horny riders messing up my upholstery. With the whole town hungover, and at the countdown, TriBeca was deserted. I already turned off my cab’s roof light, and decided to stick solely to big ticket Uber/Lyft rides, since ushering sloshed tourists to Times Square wasn’t really worth my effort. I was focused on peacefully welcoming the new year, scribbling my reso...

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Vielle Vignes

Weekly Contest #329

From the depths of the damp Limestone cave, a fine vintage was selected. The cellarmaster carefully decanted out the Caramel amber liquid away from the coagulated sediments. I chuckled at the ceremony, as it reminded me of a monocled mad scientist; The oversized beaker, iron apparatus that cradled the mold covered Jeroboam, a reeded silver funnel- lined with a virgin handkerchief, and a vigil candle below the bottle's neck. Hell of a ritual, just for a drink. I fiddled with the Solutrean flint pendant around my neck, out of boredom. “A glass...

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Got Ninety Nine Resurrections, but Remiss ain’t one

Weekly Contest #328

Preparing a Ceviche with the Fugu that I’ve fished from the East River was not living up to the hype. I was hoping it would be terminally psychedelic, like last autumn’s mushroom foraging incident in the Berkshires. The dreadful part, was the agonizing pain, the projectile fluids shooting out from everywhere, and the body gradually breaking down. I could never get used to the suffocating aspects of my life slipping away. I do however love the end-of-life dreams though; It’s like the highlight reels of memories on shuffle- and it all fades to...

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He Doesn’t read the room

Weekly Contest #326

-Look, Doc. I’m really not a spy. Do I seem like Austin Powers to you? I’m from New Jersey..- *Dr. Waller was the third forensic psychologist that has been brought in by INTERPOL, and like her predecessors, she’s been struggling to not be derailed by this voluble prisoner. She’s analyzed tough subjects before; Hacker masterminds, warlords, black market bookkeepers…It was only a matter of time before she would crack this mystery man.* -I told the last interviewer the same, but then he put me in a cell with bad acoustics. Anyways, I was just s...

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