In Dwarven Aid, a monstrous horde assembles beside the Larian colony. Their constant shuffle shakes the ground and devours the setting sun. As this danger looms over the colonists, Tarian dispatches two colonists in a last-ditch effort to secure allies in their struggle. Among them, Caleb ventures deep into the wilderness, hoping to find support from the group that seemed most willing to help the dwarves...

From the moment I finished Caged Tales and Hidden Effects, I turned my attention to the final exclusive story for my patrons, a fantasy tale. When I first pulled the result, I knew I wanted to blur this tale with a fairy tale so I could explore my Puck inspired character, Gaius. Yet I didn’t know what kind of story I would create, so I reached for my story cubes and gave them a toss. The three pictures that spoke to me for this tale were the mug of ale (my assumption of what filled it), a hooded individual (I assumed a woman), and a toad...

To round out the month, I’m eager to bring another Sebastian & Jimmy tale to the world. This is yet another item I didn’t have on my bingo card for the year. I never would have thought it possible that I’d enjoy writing comedies. However, I’ve found it to be exceptional fun working with these two. There’s a kind of friendship where one person create meticulous plans, correctly sets their expectations, and braces for a likely outcome. Unfortunately their paired with someone who arrives like a parade float with a loose wheel and a blaring foghorn. My Sebastian & Jimmy stories thrive in that contrast. One, Sebastian, is the down to earth, while Jimmy is the figurative foghorn...

In Mounting Tensions, no conversation is ever just a conversation. Power shifts with every breath, behind closed doors, between veiled smiles, and through every carefully chosen word. In this latest installment, our focus returns to Rylan, who walks a tightrope between trust and secrecy. While recent chapters have explored Darvin’s dealings with the pilots bound for colony worlds, this time, a figure from Rylan’s past reemerges: Liam, his former commander.

As is often the case in this series, we don’t open with violence, but with something far more dangerous, a polite visit, loaded with veiled threats and unspoken accusations...

There are moments that latch themselves into your mind. It could be something simple as a crooked tree pressing up against a small road, or a quiet moment on the beach. You may be able to step back into those moments, but when you have them immortalized in a photo, you can srutinize every detail of these kinds of images, ensuring nothign within the frame is forgotten. But couldhow do you make these sights more impactful? One simple way is to transform the clean images into watercolor images.

This post highlights two such compositions. Both blur the line between observation and memory. These aren’t just scenes. They’re feelings rendered in light and pigment, both real and remembered. They invite stillness as they whisper to you. And if you let them, they might remind you of a place you’ve never been, yet somehow miss...

In The Pursuit, a set of fraternal twins are exploring the convention, and the line between performance and reality blur, especially when you’re chasing your next viral moment. When they turn their attention to a potential lead, it draws them off the main floor and down a restricted hallway. While looking for a shortcut to something special, the whispers of promised growth blinds them. However, shortly after diverting from the approved path, they discover a nightmare beyond their worst dreams and descriptions...

After finishing Caged Tales, I turned my attention to the month’s second tale, a drama. When I pulled the results of the poll, horror missed the top three, and I considered blending the drama with Solomon, my horror series protagonist. I stared at the screen until I remembered the events of Treatments and Hunted Hunter. In that singular moment, I realized he would set the stage for the perfect bridge to a quieter, more dramatic tale.

In this follow-up, I’m dropping in on Solomon to examine the aftermath of those tales. With those events, the line between a man and monsters isn’t just blurred, they’re derived from a chemical cocktail...

Despite publishing another picture prompt earlier this month, I couldn’t resist highlighting another image from DeviantArt. The first image on this page is Swamp Cottage by Zanariya, a hauntingly beautiful scene soaking in atmosphere and gravitas. As I stared at it, dozens of stories clamored for attention. But I needed a single thread to follow. So, I grabbed my story cubes and gave them a toss. There’s nothing wrong with layering prompts. From the tumble, I selected three elements: the sleeping figure, the bridge, and the sheep. At first, the combination disoriented me. But soon enough, a story emerged, one that perfectly complemented the image’s quiet tension...

After finishing The Clawed Path, I put my next piece of microfiction on hold. I simply had too many other projects to work on, including my psychological thriller. Fortunately, I’m determined to break the recent pattern where my creative momentum stalls. As the release date for the second story approached, I began thinking about what kind of story I wanted to tell. The only thing I’d already settled was that it would involve my shifters, and I love pitting the predatory tribes against the more peaceful ones...

Last month when I sat down to work on my picture prompt, I used ChatGPT to generate a laundry list of prompts from the picture. As a result, I selected the next prompt from the list that I wanted to explore. A scholar enters the forest in search of a long-lost magical archive said to record the memories of every creature who’s ever walked the earth. The deeper they go, the more they begin to remember things they never lived. Is the forest showing them a forgotten past—or creating false memories? While the premise intrigued me, there were elements I didn’t particularly like. But that’s the beauty of prompts. The real magic lies in how the story takes shape in your mind...

There’s something meaningful about the final stretch of any journey. Those last few moments often feel the most vivid, not because they outshine the rest, but because we know the experience is drawing to a close. As the end nears, our attention sharpens, and we start to notice details we might have otherwise overlooked. On a drive, those final miles seem to unfold more slowly, as if the world outside the window is giving us one last chance to enjoy the scenery. Be it a curve in the shoreline, the shimmer of water under fading light, or a splash of color tucked between the trees. These quiet elements speak volumes without saying a word...

In Preparations, the colonists of a distant world continue their struggle against the strange new inhabitants of Morven. Their survival hangs by a thread as the world’s foot soldiers gather in overwhelming numbers. With each passing moment, creatures pulled from the colonists’ myth and nightmare swell the enemy ranks. When faced with impossible odds, Tarian is forced to make a choice, not for victory, but for survival. Sometimes the only way forward begins with weighing the options available and choosing one. There are those who call it an act of desperate, while others recognize its necessity.

This is not a story about triumph. There aren’t any grand speeches or heroic charges, only the steady weight of forced choices. It’s a story about resolve. It’s about the quiet, often unseen strength it takes to act when hope is thin and the outcome uncertain...

After pulling the results of the genre poll, I was pleased to discover a comedy in the results. With this genre topping my list, I immediately rolled my story cubes to determine the story for my comedic duo, Sebastian & Jimmy. After the roll, I poked through the dice and selected the watch, a glove, and a birdcage. With the seed set, it didn’t take me long to come up with the location. Just because these ordinary objects are commonplace doesn’t mean they’re incapable of being a wonderful backdrop for Jimmy. There’s something special about a quiet room, especially when this duo gets started. While exploring a house for things they’d like to buy, they peek inside a small room, allowing them to slip into a familiar rhythm of curiosity and chaos...

Sometimes the simplest things in life are the most rewarding. I know it’s a cliché, but that just means it holds a fundamental truth. It’s also the reason I’ve always enjoyed sitting quietly and watching nature. Every season brings its own beauty, but there’s something especially meaningful about observing the landscape in transition, when one season begins to give way to another. Whether it’s fall to winter, winter to spring, or any shift in between, these in-between moments reveal subtle patterns and unexpected details. On this particular trip, I was lucky enough to catch the lingering traces of summer as autumn began to lay its claim on the landscape. From the vantage point of a moving vehicle, the world unfolds in soft layers, offering brief but beautiful glimpses into the rhythm of change...

In Allies, the colonists of a distant world continue their desperate search for the missing. Survival in the alien wilderness has become a daily battle, with threats pulled from nightmares and myths. Every step into the mysterious forest risks new horrors, predators lurking behind every tree, and unseen watchers in the dark.

Tarian refuses to abandon the lost...