In Devastating Loss, an unexpected alarm tears through the night, pulling Tarian from restless sleep into a fight for survival. When he sees the lights bathing the compound, he rushes out to meet the unknown. But as the smoke clears, he learns that bravery and loss often walk hand in hand. Every act of courage demands its price.

As the siren fades and silence returns, Tarian is left to count what remains...

After pulling the results from the genre poll, I knew exactly how I’d satisfy my patrons’ choice, a horror tale. Solomon is my go-to character when my patrons want horror, and I’m in the middle of an arc, so I was thrilled to see this genre waiting for me to explore. After a couple of days, I sat down, and the story poured out as if I were watching it unfold in my mind.

Beneath a shining moon, a forest never sleeps. There is a constant din spreading through the trees...

As another month began, I turned my attention to the new lineup. Up first were the micro-fiction tales. Fortunately, I was able to mostly stick to the original plan. In my first draft, the second story was going to be a followup to Solomon’s recent escapades, but after seeing how my Patron genre poll turned out, I rearranged the order. As a result the first piece of micro-fiction will feature Solomon and his race through his compound.

The facility lies in ruin, choked by smoke and the scent of scorched metal. Echoes fill the empty corridors, but Solomon knows his marks on the walls. Each step is a deliberate, steady, practiced, and far too quiet for normal men...

In Running Leap, courage and recklessness go head-to-head on the edge of a cliff. Daniel bears a constant reminder of his past failure, but he’s ready to try again. He’s convinced that a little pain can’t stop his next stunt, but his friend Ethan isn’t so sure. As one man seeks personal glory while the other braces for disaster, only gravity knows who’s about to win.

Daniel’s unstoppable energy collides with Ethan’s exasperated logic in this dramatic short about courage, chaos, and the thrill of ignoring better judgment. Running Leap reminds us that sometimes, the line between bravery and foolishness is narrower than we’d prefer to admit...

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...