In Undulating Confinement, tensions rise as Tarian and Keldon confront the ethical and tactical limits of science. When a captured shapeshifter surrenders the secrets to its abilities, the fragile trust between command and research begins to fracture. Secrets, ambition, and fear twist through the laboratory walls as containment becomes more illusion than reality.

In this chapter of Colonization, discovery takes a dangerous turn. The boundaries between safety and arrogance blur as Tarian pushes the scientists toward results, no matter the cost. But when the creature mirrors familiar faces, the experiment turns into a confrontation with the unknown...

The moment I finished Reflected Reset and Sealed Departure, I turned my attention to the political satire my patrons requested. Though I often blend my tales with science fiction, coming fresh off a follow-up to Tumultuous Beginning, I realized I had the perfect vessel for a political satire. The opportunity to explore the Council, an institution that will come to dominate this world was far too compelling to ignore.

I’ve hinted at their power many times across my stories, but this marks the first occasion the Council steps out of the shadows. Within their vaulted chamber of power, conviction often masquerades as wisdom...

As the month comes to a close, I turned to the last story for my blog, a Sebastian and Jimmy tale. As the months pass and I’ve added new chapters to their ongoing antics, writing comedies has become a joyful experience. It’s also a nice palette cleanser after writing more emotionally heavy entries such as Frozen Storm and Reflected Sanctuary. But enough of other tales; let’s talk about the spark that ignited this one. Despite knowing I wanted to craft a comedy, I didn’t know what shape it would take, so I turned to an old standby. Or rather, I intended to, but finding my story cubes was a little tricky. So instead of hunting those dice, I grabbed a digital set through ChatGPT and was rewarded with the following trio of items: a Snake 🐍, the Full Moon 🌕, and a Candle 🕯️.

As always, the cubes sat idle until inspiration struck...

With Defenders’ Flame complete, I devoted the remainder of my time set aside for my Wattpad writing to the next installment of Mounting Tensions. With the series roadmap in place, this entry became a natural pivot that was designed to anchor Rylan’s recent actions to explore the ripples of his growing agenda.

Beneath the shimmer of a city settling into evening, a layer of shifting lights amplifies the conspiratorial exchange between Rylan and his father-in-law. Within that glow, their conversation unfolds behind closed doors...

After finishing Frozen Storm, I turned my attention to the second image I’d selected for the month, Hall by kiklopp. Like the previous piece, this one called to me in a way I couldn’t quite explain. Yet the longer I stared, the more a rough idea began to take shape. I latched onto that small kernel of inspiration and built the story below.

Some places are not built, they are remembered. The hall in this image feels like one of those places. Despite the artistic style, its depth radiates an ancient power...

In Tumultuous Beginning, a powerful mage disagrees with the ruling council. He rushes to flee from their mandate. When Thobin’s tower comes under siege, his power becomes both a shield and sentence. What starts as a confrontation quickly escalates and promises to linger for centuries.

Thobin’s mastery over magic is vast. In fact, his existence threatens the absolute rule of the ruling council. Faced with those tasked with binding his will, he answers not with surrender, but with a spell that shows his true mastery...

After completing Reflected Reset, I turned my attention to the next story for my patrons, a fantasy. Having recently redrafted Tumultuous Beginning, I knew I wanted to continue Thobin’s journey. Though I’ve imagined countless scenes involving him, this one was never among them. Yet as I wrote this tale, it strengthened the connection between Thobin and another of my characters. And that’s a storyline I’m eager to explore further, most likely in a future Wattpad series. Stay with me as that thread unfolds.

For now, let’s set the table for this story. The echoes of magic rarely fade quietly, and the whispers of a storm still linger in the air...

After completing Territorial Flight, I turned my attention to the next piece of micro-fiction for the month—an entry in my Wanderings series. In the previous installment, Kindled Message, I began laying the foundation for a greater tale, one woven through choices, burdens, and echoes of power. Now, it’s time to follow Ramas as he faces one of those choices.

Every dawn is a reckoning for Ramas. Once, the light of the world guided his every path, but the Sight has changed everything...

As October marches on, my blog’s unique stories were coming due. Up first was a picture post. So I went to DeviantArt and began scrolling through the artwork. Eventually, I stumbled upon a breathtaking landscape, a swirling vortex bearing down on two towers/keeps, with a solitary man striding between them. Even now, I can’t fully explain why this image captivated me. But I’m thankful I found it, because it sparked a story that took root deep within my mind.

There’s a particular kind of stillness that only exists before a storm, as though the world itself is holding its breath. The image below captures that stillness perfectly...

In Hunting Shadows, Caleb and his squad are dispatched into the dense forests beyond the settlement, chasing whispers of shapeshifters that have filled the colony with fear. What begins as a tracking mission becomes a deadly game of reflection and deceit. Where even your own face might turn against you. In this world, shadows aren’t always cast by light.

As the squad follows a trail through the fractured woods, the unseen grows ever nearer. Every step deepens the uncertainty, forcing them to wonder if they are the hunters or the hunted...

From the moment the genre poll closed, I knew the first story would be a suspense tale. However, for me, this genre is a little more difficult to write. It always felt too close to a thriller which made it hard for me to keep from drifting. During the drafting process, I went searching for a clear distinction between the two genres. According to some guy on the internet, while both genres share the same literary DNA, the key difference lies in how the author uses tension. Suspense makes you worry about what might happen. Thrillers make you fear what’s happening right now.

That insight finally separated the two in my mind, and gave me the footing I needed...

As the month continues, my attention turned to the micro-fiction stories that I wanted to tell. After examining my schedule, I knew I needed to pen a Shifter tale. While they are similar to the conventional shape shifters, my shifters can only alternate between their human form and a specific type of animal. Typically, I’ve focused on the bear, wolves, and deer tribes. However, I recently crafted a story with a shifter capable of becoming a bird, think eagle for scale. In that piece of flash fiction, I hinted at a larger conflict, as a result it didn’t take me long to orient my current micro-tale.

Beneath the hush of midnight skies, some battles are waged without banners. They rely on nothing but instinct and motion...

When October began its march, I turned to my schedule to see which stories were ready for exploration. This month, both Discovery and Mounting Tensions were slated for attention. Without hesitation, I pulled out the early draft of Discovery and dove into the weeds. Given the stage already set within this series, and knowing where it’s headed, it didn’t take long to shape this installment into something ready to share. Allow me to set the stage.

Tensions simmer between historical allies, and the cost of peace grows steeper with every failed negotiation...

In Wandering Stranger, a lone traveler braves a merciless snowstorm deep within the mountains in search of warmth and survival. When the faint promise of safety appears, desperation drives him to wager a gemstone of impossible worth for the safety of an inn. Inside its walls, he faces an innkeeper determined to cast him back into the storm to protect his patrons.

Every trade carries a cost, and every refuge hides the price it will demand. What begins as a plea for shelter becomes a dangerous game of trust and temptation...

In Investigation, Tarian presses the settlement’s scientists for answers as unease consumes the colony. Within the makeshift lab, the shapeshifter’s corpse offers more questions than solutions. When the scientist’s whispers of a potential solution raises the fragile line between trust and survival grows thinner.

This chapter deepens the tension at the heart of the colony...