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#shortstories — Public Fediverse posts

Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #shortstories, aggregated by home.social.

  1. Behind the Scenes: Part 3

    Behind the Scenes with Our Latest Sketch Every page of a picture book starts with simple lines on paper. Before we worry about color, lighting, or final details, we use these initial drafts to figure out how a scene feels.I wanted to share this rough drawing from another scene we are working on. In our house, my kids like to spot the tiny details in these early sketches that sometimes change by the time the final book is printed. Rough Sketch from Sharing Kindness Wherever I Go Drafting […]

    heathercongrove.com/2026/09/05

  2. Behind the Scenes: Part 3

    Behind the Scenes with Our Latest Sketch Every page of a picture book starts with simple lines on paper. Before we worry about color, lighting, or final details, we use these initial drafts to figure out how a scene feels.I wanted to share this rough drawing from another scene we are working on. In our house, my kids like to spot the tiny details in these early sketches that sometimes change by the time the final book is printed. Rough Sketch from Sharing Kindness Wherever I Go Drafting […]

    heathercongrove.com/2026/09/05

  3. Behind the Scenes: Part 3

    Behind the Scenes with Our Latest Sketch Every page of a picture book starts with simple lines on paper. Before we worry about color, lighting, or final details, we use these initial drafts to figure out how a scene feels.I wanted to share this rough drawing from another scene we are working on. In our house, my kids like to spot the tiny details in these early sketches that sometimes change by the time the final book is printed. Rough Sketch from Sharing Kindness Wherever I Go Drafting […]

    heathercongrove.com/2026/09/05

  4. Behind the Scenes: Part 3

    Behind the Scenes with Our Latest Sketch Every page of a picture book starts with simple lines on paper. Before we worry about color, lighting, or final details, we use these initial drafts to figure out how a scene feels.I wanted to share this rough drawing from another scene we are working on. In our house, my kids like to spot the tiny details in these early sketches that sometimes change by the time the final book is printed. Rough Sketch from Sharing Kindness Wherever I Go Drafting […]

    heathercongrove.com/2026/09/05

  5. Behind the Scenes: Part 3

    Behind the Scenes with Our Latest Sketch Every page of a picture book starts with simple lines on paper. Before we worry about color, lighting, or final details, we use these initial drafts to figure out how a scene feels.I wanted to share this rough drawing from another scene we are working on. In our house, my kids like to spot the tiny details in these early sketches that sometimes change by the time the final book is printed. Rough Sketch from Sharing Kindness Wherever I Go Drafting […]

    heathercongrove.com/2026/09/05

  6. The Dreamers of the Fading Bloom – Newsletter #8

    August 19, 2026 23rd Lore Fragment Clamores Corallii MortiferiClamores Corallii Mortiferi, better known as the "Deadly Coral Cries," is an event in which the seaside village of Corallvik experienced a large increase in activity from the merfolk within the surrounding region.These creatures would emerge at night along the shoreline, singing for hours at a time. The village, which was located not far from the site of the event, experienced a disturbing number of residents waking from their […]

    veilofentheos.com/2026/09/04/t

  7. The Dreamers of the Fading Bloom – Newsletter #8

    August 19, 2026 23rd Lore Fragment Clamores Corallii MortiferiClamores Corallii Mortiferi, better known as the "Deadly Coral Cries," is an event in which the seaside village of Corallvik experienced a large increase in activity from the merfolk within the surrounding region.These creatures would emerge at night along the shoreline, singing for hours at a time. The village, which was located not far from the site of the event, experienced a disturbing number of residents waking from their […]

    veilofentheos.com/2026/09/04/t

  8. The Dreamers of the Fading Bloom – Newsletter #8

    August 19, 2026 23rd Lore Fragment Clamores Corallii MortiferiClamores Corallii Mortiferi, better known as the "Deadly Coral Cries," is an event in which the seaside village of Corallvik experienced a large increase in activity from the merfolk within the surrounding region.These creatures would emerge at night along the shoreline, singing for hours at a time. The village, which was located not far from the site of the event, experienced a disturbing number of residents waking from their […]

    veilofentheos.com/2026/09/04/t

  9. The Dreamers of the Fading Bloom – Newsletter #8

    August 19, 2026 23rd Lore Fragment Clamores Corallii MortiferiClamores Corallii Mortiferi, better known as the "Deadly Coral Cries," is an event in which the seaside village of Corallvik experienced a large increase in activity from the merfolk within the surrounding region.These creatures would emerge at night along the shoreline, singing for hours at a time. The village, which was located not far from the site of the event, experienced a disturbing number of residents waking from their […]

    veilofentheos.com/2026/09/04/t

  10. The Dreamers of the Fading Bloom – Newsletter #8

    August 19, 2026 23rd Lore Fragment Clamores Corallii MortiferiClamores Corallii Mortiferi, better known as the "Deadly Coral Cries," is an event in which the seaside village of Corallvik experienced a large increase in activity from the merfolk within the surrounding region.These creatures would emerge at night along the shoreline, singing for hours at a time. The village, which was located not far from the site of the event, experienced a disturbing number of residents waking from their […]

    veilofentheos.com/2026/09/04/t

  11. The Dreamers of the Fading Bloom – Newsletter #7

    July 19, 2026 18th Lore Fragment Petroabyssus OceanThe Petroabyssus Ocean, also referenced as the Oil Abyss, is notably extremely frigid and is known for the large ice sheets that stretch throughout the northern areas of the ocean.Due to the start of the Cycle Anomaly, an oil spill that occurred during the original cycle appears to be growing worse with each loop, resulting in the deaths of large populations of local wildlife. The spill has continued to spread and contaminate portions of […]

    veilofentheos.com/2026/09/03/t

  12. This Story Hour, Redfern Barrett and Deborah L. Davitt left our heads spinning with the vast potential of SFF! These four tales are all completely different, comparable only in their excellence. You can still watch! #Bookstodon #StoryHour2020 #ShortStories #ShortFiction #AuthorReading #FantasyFiction #ScienceFiction #SFF #DeborahLDavitt #RedfernBarrett youtu.be/6TIbLV927Yc

  13. This Story Hour, Redfern Barrett and Deborah L. Davitt left our heads spinning with the vast potential of SFF! These four tales are all completely different, comparable only in their excellence. You can still watch! #Bookstodon #StoryHour2020 #ShortStories #ShortFiction #AuthorReading #FantasyFiction #ScienceFiction #SFF #DeborahLDavitt #RedfernBarrett youtu.be/6TIbLV927Yc

  14. This Story Hour, Redfern Barrett and Deborah L. Davitt left our heads spinning with the vast potential of SFF! These four tales are all completely different, comparable only in their excellence. You can still watch! #Bookstodon #StoryHour2020 #ShortStories #ShortFiction #AuthorReading #FantasyFiction #ScienceFiction #SFF #DeborahLDavitt #RedfernBarrett youtu.be/6TIbLV927Yc

  15. This Story Hour, Redfern Barrett and Deborah L. Davitt left our heads spinning with the vast potential of SFF! These four tales are all completely different, comparable only in their excellence. You can still watch! #Bookstodon #StoryHour2020 #ShortStories #ShortFiction #AuthorReading #FantasyFiction #ScienceFiction #SFF #DeborahLDavitt #RedfernBarrett youtu.be/6TIbLV927Yc

  16. This Story Hour, Redfern Barrett and Deborah L. Davitt left our heads spinning with the vast potential of SFF! These four tales are all completely different, comparable only in their excellence. You can still watch! #Bookstodon #StoryHour2020 #ShortStories #ShortFiction #AuthorReading #FantasyFiction #ScienceFiction #SFF #DeborahLDavitt #RedfernBarrett youtu.be/6TIbLV927Yc

  17. The Dreamers of the Fading Bloom – Newsletter #6

    June 19, 2026 25th Lore Fragment Bloom PhaseInformation on the Bloom Phase is limited. However, the (REDACTED) has compiled a chart detailing the Cycle Phases and what each phase entails.The Bloom Phase begins during the first month of the cycle and ends halfway through the third month, at which point it transitions into the Pulse Phase. The Bloom Phase marks the point when the world once more begins to stir with life. Interestingly enough, the Cycle Anomaly also restarts during this […]

    veilofentheos.com/2026/09/03/t

  18. Empire of Dragons @dragonshortstories.wordpress.com@dragonshortstories.wordpress.com ·

    A Dragon’s Power (Part One): Mattia’s Gift, Mattia’s Embrace

    A tired man limps across the narrow pathway, the only safe path on a floor of lava
    wearing a ragged orange poncho with crisscross patterns,
    and tattered trousers wracked by his tumultuous life.
    the heat nearly sears his skin,
    his wits are barely clinging on, and the path seems endless,
    yet he still walks,
    he still takes steps forward.

    There was loneliness on this road,
    a vast fiery sea within this underground expanse, with only a single narrow path,
    no signs of life but hearing the occasional chittering of fire wyrms,
    eventually, his steps slowed to a halt
    he couldn’t continue onward, despite what he felt in his heart
    ‘keep going,’ it urged, but his body said, ‘no.’

    On his knees, he begged aloud for the grace of Mattia
    he begged and begged, incessantly, hands clasped together,
    and after a while,
    after the heat nearly burned his feet,
    the ceiling ahead caved in and a light shone from above

    that light was Mattia himself, descending upon the forsaken man,
    gracefully flying behind him and encasing the man in his gentle embrace
    Mattia softly guided the man’s head to his chest,
    enveloping the dejected man in a quiet, motherly comfort,
    his gentle heartbeat sending healing vibrations.

    Mattia’s voice was like a soothing, soft blanket for the man’s shaken nerves, “O, forsaken soul, thy hast cometh to mine lands seeking help. I shall grant you safe passage.”

    He took this human away,
    to a place where all of his worshippers gathered,
    carefully taken care of and tended to in his care

    ~ ~ ~

    “I will… do anything for him… my god.”

    The man knelt before the radiant prince,
    taking his hand with the softness of a lover,
    and laying a kiss upon it

    Mattia seemed indifferent,
    his eyes staring blankly
    no smile present upon his delicate features

    The man looks up,
    soaking in the sight of that solemn face
    a reflection of beauty—of Ashuton Karrucci
    and all who came after him
    but Ashuton was the one his heart remembers most

    During the war when dragons reclaimed earth,
    his family had always been devout followers of Ashuton
    hanging portraits of him above their fireplace
    alongside photos of their family
    photos of smiling little girls and boys surrounded by bigger people
    of smiling aunts and uncles in professional portraits
    colorful, with a bevy of hairstyles from different generations
    mohawks, fluffed permed hair, bed-tousled straight hair, afros adorned with accessories
    a blended memorial to time—and to the dragon kings
    portraits of Ashuton remain in the middle
    like as if he was one of them
    that worship still continues today, through this man
    the last of his family.

    He took this pilgrimage to beg forgiveness from the Karrucci line
    but to be accepted… like this?
    it was unheard of
    his ancestors could only dream this, in their ageless coffins long forgotten by the constant dirt

    “I give my heart to you,” he said gently
    Mattia nods.
    “I recognize you, human.”

    Human.
    not even on a last name basis.
    he accepts it, lucky enough to get this far
    being lumped in with the other humans is fine.

    ~ ~ ~

    In the garden, he watered the flowers
    it was his job, assigned to him by a tall biped yellow dragon with crinkled wings
    the wyvern had bowed to him upon first meeting
    when he spoke, his voice had the same gentle warmth as Mattia’s silken tones
    “your place is in the garden, where your weary soul may rest among the flowers, but you must tend to them,” he said.

    The man nodded, “I am ever-grateful to be allowed rest.”

    The wyvern mimics his action, eyes closed, “yes, yes, but it cannot last.”

    The man’s eyebrows creased, his head tilting as confusion reigned his thoughts, “what do you mean?”
    hm, concern was starting to dig itself in

    The wyvern replied, “when you have recovered physically, and your mind has rested enough, The Prince will have need for your company.”

    That didn’t sound ominous at all…

    Rate this:

    #Anime #books #creativeWriting #Dragons #Fantasy #Fiction #literature #ShortStories #shortStory #Writing
  19. Some of Violet Jacob’s works are available to download as free ebooks via @gutenberg_org

    4 novels: Flemington, The Sheep-Stealers, Irresolute Catherine, & The Interloper;
    2 poetry collections: Bonnie Joann, and Other Poems, & Songs of Angus and More Songs of Angus;
    The Golden Heart, & Other Fairy Stories

    8/8

    gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/77

    #Scottish #literature #Scots #Scotslanguage #19thCentury #20thcentury #WomenWriters #VioletJacob #novels #poetry #shortstories #shortfiction #fairytales

  20. Empire of Dragons @dragonshortstories.wordpress.com@dragonshortstories.wordpress.com ·

    Last Limp

    Old old old fiction taking place within the Ruggizuomo storyline featured in Dragon Mafia

    In the mist of New York, Roland Nikdydobrý was running in the rain. He had neither an umbrella nor a hat. He frantically looked around, as if he was searching for someone. He studied the crowd. There were no signs of steady movement. The people were walking like robots. He ran across the rainy streets, avoiding cars that honked at him but dared not stop. He stumbled into a nearby café. When that little bell rung, everyone slowly lifted their heads to stare at him. Their eyes were a thirsty blood red color. One woman reading a magazine stared at him with emerald green eyes. A teenage boy took his stare away from his iPhone to stare with blue eyes.

    Roland gulped. His chest was heaving. He ran out the door but was met with a crowd of people surrounding him…staring at him. He dashed across the street, little light shone in the rainy and cloudy skies. He ran up to a payphone, probably the last of its kind, and dialed a number like a frantic man.

    “Rugizzuomo Army, please!”

    He constantly checked his surroundings with quick glances. He waited for someone to pick up, and finally a click.

    “Maya! It’s Roland! Tell Riley I love him as a brother and I’ll miss him. I need this message delivered to Emperor Aaron. I am going to follow Beatrice to Illinois by posing as an entourage member. Someone is already letting me know they know I’m suspicious. I know because all of New York is possessed! Even when I was on something called the Wendy Williams show and the spell took affect there. Do not send forces until I end up dead and on the news!”

    He hung up and frantically looked like someone on the run from police. He searched for a taxi while watching the surroundings. A man across the street stared at him. Another person across the street smiled. Everyone started smiling at him as the rain came down harder and the winds picked up like a hurricane. A newspaper flew in his face. Roland struggled with it, and when he ripped it off a taxi was right in front of him. He forced the door open and scrambled inside with haste.

    “Drive!” He commanded as he slammed the door.

    The wet man looked in the rear-view window and saw the taxi driver, whom was smiling and had eyes flooded with green colors. Roland stumbled out of the moving car and ran across the street and into the flowing crowd of walkers. They stopped to watch as he entered another taxi. He made his way inside and examined the driver. He smiled, but his smile wasn’t sinister and evil. The car drove off and Roland sighed with relief. As they came to an intersection Roland heard the sound of a speeding car. He looked out the window and another car slammed into the taxi. The left door creaked open and Roland, bloodied from his left cheek to his hand, fell out shaking and trembling. He stood up and limped across the sleek city streets. The world was spinning. Those red eyes still followed him like red neon lights.

    There were 3 stories in the Last Limp saga. One preceded this, and was about Roland going to Illinois to monitor Beatrice. In this version Roland, brother of Riley, was investigating a cult of some sort. They called themselves Kuruga. It is left open to your interpretation. I will certainly not play with it.

    Rate this:

    #Anime #AnimeArt #Art #creativeWriting #FlashFiction #literature #reading #Roland #ShortStories #urbanFantasy
  21. NAMING THE SNAKES: New Writing Scotland 44
    Glasgow launch
    8 September, Waterstones Sauchiehall St, Glasgow – £5 / £12 with book

    Celebrate the latest issue with a mix of readings of poetry, short fiction & non-fiction in English, Gaelic & Scots – all welcome!

    waterstones.com/events/new-wri

    #Scottish #literature #Gaidhlig #Gaelic #Scots #Scotslanguage #poetry #shortfiction #shortstories #booklaunch #writingcommunity #Glasgow

  22. This week, Mackenzie Hurlbert makes her Scary Hour—er, STORY Hour debut! And she’s not alone. None other than Errick Nunnally returns! Join us Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. PDT! #Bookstodon #StoryHour2020 #ShortStories #ShortFiction #AuthorReading #Horror #HorrorFiction #MackenzieHurlbert #ErrickNunnally storyhour2020.com/

  23. Empire of Dragons @dragonshortstories.wordpress.com@dragonshortstories.wordpress.com ·

    The Sun’s Beloved – Àsùnmọ́ (Embrace the Sun)

    a half dragon born to Ashuton, Nari and Niccolo
    a dragon of the moon and stars, worshipped in the modern day
    he was stolen from them and marked as a divine envoy
    forced to join the proto-Sun Devourer cult
    he is forced to telepathically connect to an emotionally distant serpent god
    it is painful for him, but he feels himself growing closer to the seemingly cold god
    his followers await his reappearance
    even in his absence, they still beg for his guidance under the Big Dipper

    day after day he completes tasks meant to appease the serpent
    writing constant devotions, praises and affirmations
    but sometimes he fights against it
    he writes his resistance against the serpent
    as punishment for his insubordination,
    the serpent cursed him to become his divine representative
    forsaking his own divinity of the stars and pledging only to him
    linking them for as long as he lives

    but at the end of his service, Àsùnmọ́ is fated to be devoured
    brought before the serpent and eaten, his power stolen in the process
    he values his life, he values waking up every morning
    he values the moon, the stars, the sky, grapes, the friends he once had
    he doesn’t want to die…
    he still dreams of having his first kiss

    Name meaning

    A common Yorùbá oríki, likely meaning someone that you like to be with or be around. (Source)

    Read about the Sun Serpent here

    Rate this:

    #African #Anime #AnimeArt #BlackFemboys #Fantasy #Femboys #Fiction #FlashFiction #Gay #LGBT #LGBTQIAFiction #OC #OCArt #Poetry #ShortStories #ToxicYaoi
  24. Book Review: Before Eden by Arthur C. Clarke

    Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today is Friday, and it’s time for another review. This week, I’m sharing my review of Before Eden by Arthur C. Clarke.

    Click the image to find the book!

    Before Eden was originally published in 1961 in the science fiction magazine ‘Amazing Stories’, and it is 37 pages long. It was also collected in one of Clarke’s short story collections, Tales of Ten Worlds, published in 1962.

    The Plot
    The story follows a small scientific team stationed on Venus, studying its geology and extreme environment.

    Unbeknownst to the explorers, their presence contaminates the environment. When they depart, believing they’vewitnessed a triumph for science, their leftover trash introduces Earth microbes that infect and ultimately destroy the native Venusian life.

    Characters
    Jerry Garfield
    Garfield is the practical engineer and navigator. He is the one piloting the scout car and thinking in terms of routes, obstacles, and logistics. He’s also the one who voices the classic Clarke sentiment: wherever life can exist, it probably will.

    Graham Hutchins
    Hutchins is the biologist and, in some ways, the emotional core of the story. Hutchins is “the happiest biologist in the Solar System” when he realises they’ve found an alien organism; his excitement embodies the scientific joy of discovery. But it’s a restrained joy – this is Clarke, after all, not pulp melodrama.

    George Coleman
    George is a more cautious scientist, often playing the foil to Hutchins’ enthusiasm. He’s the one raising doubts about whether life could survive in boiling rain and extreme conditions, and through him, Clarke gets to stage the “could anything really live here?” debate.

    Writing Style
    Clarke’s writing here is precise, cool, and deliberate. He prioritises scientific plausibility over melodrama, though the Venus he depicts reflects early-1960s assumptions about the planet—steamy, swamp-like, volcanic—before later probes revealed its true nature. Still, within that framework, Clarke’s speculative world-building feels full and immersive.

    The prose is lean. Clarke avoids flowery language, instead building tension through detail: atmospheric pressure readings, geological descriptions, and the slow realisation of what has been found—and perhaps destroyed. There’s a quiet, almost clinical tone that amplifies the ethical impact. When the emotional beat lands, it lands without fanfare.

    However, readers who prefer character-driven storytelling may find the piece somewhat distant; there’s no backstory, no inner lives beyond their immediate reactions. The crew function more as intellectual lenses than as fully realised personalities. The story’s strength lies in its concept and implication rather than in interpersonal drama.

    Final Thoughts
    Overall, Before Eden is thoughtful and unsettling, but also restrained to a fault. It raises a powerful ethical idea about humanity’s impact on alien ecosystems—yet it stops just short of full emotional immersion. As a piece of classic science fiction, it’s intellectually engaging and historically interesting—particularly in its pre-space-probe depiction of Venus—but it may feel slight compared to Clarke’s larger, more ambitious works.

    I’m giving Before Eden a 5/10.

    Have you read this short? What did you think?

    As ever, thanks for stopping by and reading my review!

    Until next time,

    George

    © 2026 GLT

    #AlienLife #ArthurCClarke #bookReview #review #scienceFiction #shortStories #venus
  25. This week, Story Hour showed us how SF can go from universal to personal scale and still ring true. Beautiful and beautifully written stories from Wole Talabi and Lauren Parker. You can still watch! #Bookstodon #StoryHour2020 #ShortStories #ShortFiction #AuthorReading #FantasyFiction #ScienceFiction #SFF #LaurenParker #WoleTalabi youtu.be/KWlP2Pu0S50

  26. 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗟𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗿: "𝗠𝗲𝗻 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻" 𝗯𝘆 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝘂𝗸𝗶 𝗠𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗺𝗶 -

    3-Word Review:

    - Quiet
    - Self-Deluded
    - Poignant

    Frictional Posture:

    - Across the stories, to what degree are Murakami's narrators blame-worthy for their alienation?

    #bookreview #bookrecommendations #readinglist #literature #books #book #reading #bookstagram #frictionalreading #3words #harukimurakami #menwithoutwomen #shortstories #japaneseliterature

  27. Thanks to Red River Review for publishing my story, "Essential Elements." The editors persuaded me to rewrite the introduction by taking out a scene, and I'm not sure how well that works, but here it is: redriverreview.org/patricia-a- #fiction #shortstory #shortstories #shortfiction

  28. This Story Hour, Jo Kaplan and Angela (A.G.) Slatter walked us through some very dark forests. Both stories had color in their titles; both had a strong oral-tradition feel; both were exquisite and devastating. You can still watch! #Bookstodon #StoryHour2020 #ShortStories #ShortFiction #AuthorReading #Horror #HorrorFiction #JoKaplan #AngelaSlatter youtu.be/30OrCau9kBo

  29. We had a very companionable evening with Story Hour cohost Daniel Marcus and occasional guest host Douglas Gwilym. Their stories, now—those were melancholy, full of ghosts and time displacement. You can still watch! #Bookstodon #StoryHour2020 #ShortStories #ShortFiction #AuthorReading #FantasyFiction #ScienceFiction #SFF #DouglasGwilym #DanielMarcus
    youtu.be/IxZdgtVZpVc