Fiction | Rising in His Moonlit Guard

a fantasy romantica drabble© iZer0The pointed tips of Narrentuarn’s ears twitched at the urgent sounds in his mind. His hands vibrated from the desperate energy in his two ceremonial swords. The spell worked. They were coming. Across the platform of the moon rising ceremony, Hrroulenan gently drew smooth arcs of thickly smoking, herbal balls. His hypnotic body …

The Writer in the Corner: On Characterization

A writer in one of my groups asked how to avoid cookie-cutter characters. That got me thinking about the main characters in my flash fiction. It's what most of you know me for, I'm pretty certain. So, who are my characters on Medium.com? What do they do...? A creepy narrator commits murder of passion. [This …

Fiction | Butterfly in The Anthill

Lexi hits his limits during self-defense training in Aaron’s security center.© agsandrew“Ten more,” ordered Crunch.Lexi flexed his fingers. The motion set off a scream in the muscles above his wrist. His fingers were cramping in the open palm strike position while his tormentor counted. Crunch smirked, knowingly.The skin-tight biocyber suit Lexi wore reduced fatigue and …

Fiction | Coffee Perking

Who pays $50 for a coffee? The slicker of the night creatures, for the right grind.© jarmolukAntonia Lup slunk into a polished, wooden chair that the youngest customers would’ve chewed on at her coffee shop. Carvings in the wood of nearby chairs depicted urban scenes for a strange mix of styles. Each metal table topped …

Fiction | Courting Ripples

A dream of Iron Henri’s for his frog prince.© sujuHenri descended the estate pond’s lower slope. Fireflies illuminated water lily blooms closed into tight, pointed buds. On one lily pad ahead, a lone frog chirruped a greeting. “HenRIi.”It was only a frog, yet a feeling of recognition struck as a smooth stone skips across a …

Fiction | Popping Personal Bubbles

My hive handle? 0gRobinHoodEat the rich (© oneinchpunch)These crops are coming along nicely.I take this moment, ignoring the persistent ding of a message, to enjoy balls of various colors floating in the center of the huge recreational deck. A different algae mix bloom inside each ball:Blue-green-black. (Not the harmful black, my assisting AI reassured me.)Yellow-orange-red. …

Fiction | Chapped Hips

© vladorlovHis text said, “when u get home round me up”.My withdrawn fangs itched in my gums at the images inspired by his simple message. Billy was only direct when it came to sex and jokes. He knew I planned to leave work at the warehouse early, before 2 A.M. I now expected a surprise. …

Fiction | Mag’s Super Crush

My supervillain/-hero flash titled "Locked up, Tight" won second place in Scribophile's Through the Eyes of a Villain contest! The contest...

Medium Works

An update about Fals' publications. A lot of links.

Fiction | Wrangling Them Vampire Cows

Hurts and comforts on the (other-world) range.Them wandering calves are the worst.On the rocky terrain past Gilard, the calves eager to hunt for themselves slip away from the herd during a cattle drive and set the old cows screaming. Riding ponies into hills don’t just risks falls; it gives a calf a chance to jump …