Michael Spearwater
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michaelspearwater.bsky.social
Michael Spearwater
@michaelspearwater.bsky.social
46 followers 50 following 180 posts
alt account here for my less child-friendly titles

currently in edits for #romantasy #dystopic and #creaturefeature fiction
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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · Jul 9
My author's copy is in!
My #romantasy #travelogue, A Wager for Wanderlust, is ready and waiting, available 7/31!

This title is something of a departure for me, including a new pen name for less child-friendly material

#AskMeAnything? (If you feel like it?)

www.amazon.com/dp/B0FBZMX7MP
Front cover of "A Wager for Wanderlust" by Michael Spearwater cover art by LykosVTuber It shows an artistically messy gentleman's desk with sketches of fantastical nudes, a pocket watch, various writing implements, etc. In the background there are statues and portraits, a bookshelf, and books on the floor Back cover of "A Wager for Wanderlust" by Michael Spearwater cover art by LykosVTuber It shows a gentleman's personal office with various navigational implements, artwork, a letter, and books strewn across the floor. A frilly pink item of lady's apparel can be seen on the floor near the spine of the book
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Nov. 11 is 'burger'

Any burger can be a good burger

But sometimes the timing's just bad
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'burger' is highlighted twice --- “Er, hello,” the man said as he approached. “Fancy meeting you here, ha-ha. You wouldn’t happen to, er, how best to ask…” “If you’re here about monsters,” Reggie said quickly and quietly, “then you’ve come to the right place.” More loudly, she added, “Hey, can we get a menu for our friend here?” “No need, ha-ha,” Mr. Henderson protested as he waved to the waitress, an older woman who looked like she should be named Flo, no matter what the nametag said. “Ahem, you have a vegetarian menu, yes? Then I’d like a soy burger, no cheese, extra pickles, if you’d please. Side of fries and a glass of water. Yes…” he said as ‘Flo’ walked away with the order. “I suppose we were all looking for one another after all. That was, er, your video I came across on the internet, yes?” “One of a few,” Reggie confirmed. “We haven’t uploaded the rest yet.” “Excellent work, sir,” Mr. Henderson said to Braskell. The deputy snorted. “I’m not the one you should be saying that to. I’ve never even seen one of these things alive. These two are your local experts.” He flashed a thumb’s-up at the teens. “Credit where it’s due.” “Amazing…” Mr. Henderson shook his head. “I’d assumed an adult or at least someone with experience with hunting and trapping, to catch one of those creatures, and of that size. Someone like your father.” He nodded to JB. Braskell’s laugh was sharp and dry. The young man took a long sip from his glass of iced cola. “Dunno what impression Pop gave you on Friday, but a hunter he wasn’t. Pretty much the opposite.” Next to him, Reggie shrank back into her seat and shivered. “Ah… I am missing something, aren’t I?” Reggie brought up the correct window on the old laptop, so that it now showed the worst-moments reel of the past few days. “Like I said, we haven’t uploaded everything, and for good reason. Can hardly bear to look at it, even. You’ll, ah, wanna…
November 11, 2025 at 9:19 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Nov. 10 is 'local'

Our protagonist here is fed up with supporting local athletes, because the local in question was an awful boyfriend

Too bad certain people just can't let it go
#creaturefeature #horror #lookingforbetareaders
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'local' is highlighted --- “Sure! Fine! Whatever you say, Gina!” Melody’s arms waved in improbably geometric forms as her nerves gave motion to her stress. “Just break up with one of our better football players…” “Better is relative,” Regina pointed out. “…barely a week before a game! When we need to be spreading school spirit and getting people to support our local athletes…” “Because, of course, even if we can’t all be athletes, we can at least be athletic supporters, right?” she added quickly. “Yes! Er, what?” Mel paused in mid-tirade as the other girls in the room tittered. “Gina! You know what I mean. Who’s going to root for poor Jake, now that he’s got this, this cloud over his head!” “Dude should’ve thought of that before he started with the stories about me and his head,” Regina stated. “I was willing to make this a peaceful and quiet breakup—” Mel was shaking her head. “No, no, no! No breakups just yet! It’s bad for morale!” “I dunno, I’m feeling pretty good about it.”
November 10, 2025 at 9:56 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Nov. 5 is 'trail'

"Trouble on the trail" is technically true for our protagonists here. There's a lot of lying by omission, tho

#creaturefeature #horror
an excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'trail' is highlighted -- God only know what they looked like, stumbling into the convenience store with a bloody JB between them. God and the clerk at the register, who was staring at them with a face not unlike some nameless extra in the first five minutes of a George Romero movie. “Um, is your friend doing okay?” the woman asked, clearly expecting a negative response. She was only a few years older than JB or Reggie, with frizzy hair and a nametag that said ‘Clara.’ “He took a fall,” the doc explained. “Nighttime hike, couldn’t see the trail well, tumbled a bit. You know how it is, ha-ha.” “Er, ha ah?” The one thing the clerk didn’t sound was certain. “Do you, um, need a first-aid kit or something?” “That would be marvelous, thank you. Come along, JB. To the washroom with you.”
November 6, 2025 at 2:23 AM
Reposted by Michael Spearwater
maikelyarimizu.bsky.social
It's #selfpromosaturday for me now, so let's self-promo this sale again

For whatever reason, the 'Zon doesn't let me choose markets for sales, so it appears to be .com only :(
maikelyarimizu.bsky.social Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 11d
My 48-hour #booksale should start at 9 AM Pacific, which is in about an hour!

But I'll be asleep by then, so I guess I should inform the world now

Vainglorious: Long Is the Night, reflowable text edition, 99 cents! Spread the word!

#litRPG #metroidvania #LGBTQ

www.amazon.com/dp/B0F48CPRK5/
Front cover for Vainglorious: Long Is the Night Features a whip-wielding protagonist in a movie archaeologist Halloween costume, with a castle and a vampire antagonist in the background
October 31, 2025 at 10:45 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Oct. 31 is... 'monster'...

*looks at title of current WIP*

um...

*word search function turns up 178 instances*

OK... let's just go with the first four and see how that goes.

All on page 15?

Well, then...
page 15 of "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater The word 'monster' is highlighted four times. On the left, there is a word search side bar open. It is showing result "1 out of 178" for 'monster' It says "There are too many results to show here" (in the preview) --- “Here!” Reggie was dragging the pressure cleaner over, pushing the lance into his hands. With a firm grip on the handle, JB stabbed the business end between those metal jaws and let ‘er rip. Whoosh. And he almost lost it, then and there. The dial on the engine must’ve been cranked to 11, because the force of pressure nearly launched the thing from his hands. As it was, he was sure to have some bruises out of this. What that blast of water did to the trashcan monster, he’d rather not have seen for himself. Metal sides bulged at the point of impact where the water was punching from the inside. After a few seconds, the deeper-than-rust-red metal buckled outward, ripping and peeling back as a gush of brownish green muck flooded out. Much of it was the usual trash he’d expect to find, but there were also bones—small ones, thankfully—like the monster had chomped a cat of some other family pet. “Oh, gawd…” Reggie made retching noises behind him. Releasing the trigger button on the water lance, he pulled the tool from the monster’s mouth. There were scratched and gouges all the way down the length of metal. The monster’s little toes twitched, and some of those beady purple marbles shifted to follow his movements. “Reggie,” he said slowly, with a calm he wasn’t really feeling, deep down. “Need you to get some more stuff outta Rodney…”
October 31, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Reposted by Michael Spearwater
maikelyarimizu.bsky.social
My 48-hour #booksale should start at 9 AM Pacific, which is in about an hour!

But I'll be asleep by then, so I guess I should inform the world now

Vainglorious: Long Is the Night, reflowable text edition, 99 cents! Spread the word!

#litRPG #metroidvania #LGBTQ

www.amazon.com/dp/B0F48CPRK5/
Front cover for Vainglorious: Long Is the Night Features a whip-wielding protagonist in a movie archaeologist Halloween costume, with a castle and a vampire antagonist in the background
October 31, 2025 at 3:08 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
And the #WIPSnips for Oct. 30 is 'spell'

...this #creaturefeature is nominally #sciencefiction / #horror, not fantasy, so I shall have to go with the non-magical meaning here

Good spelling online is practically magic, I suppose
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the 'spell' in 'spelled' is highlighted --- Back at the house, there was more to distract him. Dishes had sat unwashed for over a day now, and he had a strange and sudden urge to vacuum. Reggie helped by pouring herself a glass of tea and pointing out which spots he’d missed. On its cubby desk in the living room, the old laptop whirred along. Like many things in his life, it was second-hand and heavily refurbished, but it did the bare minimum he needed. Right now, that meant email. “Huh, got something,” Reggie announced, squinting at the screen. “Another conspiracy nut, or someone looking for a bit part in this supposed horror movie they think we’re making?” “Neither.” She read it over again. “Well, maybe a conspiracy guy, but if so then he’s more coherent than most. Everything’s spelled properly, no mention of aliens or government mind control, and not an exclamation point in sight. Pretty reasonable, all in all.”
October 30, 2025 at 8:54 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
Oops, almost forgot the #WIPSnips for Oct. 29, 'broomstick'

This shows up several times in clusters in my #creaturefeature, oddly enough

Here's the last few times
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'broomstick' is highlighted three times --- JB hadn’t wanted to leave his bed for nothing. He skipped lunch, ignored a message from Reggie, and generally pretended that the real world didn’t exist. He couldn’t keep it up, though. He’d left the thing down there, and he had to make sure it stayed left. So there he was, broomstick in hand, making sure. In the old pen area of the junkyard, the trashcan did not move. This was perfectly ordinary for a squat cylinder of battered sheet metal, regardless of its contents, and JB could not find it in his head to take the thing at its appearance. Once more, for the two dozenth time, he poked it with the round end of the broomstick. For the two dozenth time, this failed to produce any result beyond a light rocking and a thick sloshing sound which he refused to think too much about. His phone sat in his pocket, used once and then ignored. What was he supposed to do with it, take selfies with… with… No. That was beyond morbid. No selfies, no fun, no celebrating the execution. And most definitely no distractions, just in case the trashcan was only playing dead. He jabbed it with the broomstick for the two dozenth and first time. Light rocking, thick sloshing, no murder-tentacles.
October 30, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Reposted by Michael Spearwater
maikelyarimizu.bsky.social
This is a little last-minute, but it's time to announce a #booksale!

Vainglorious: Long Is the Night takes place over Halloween night, so for the 31st and the 1st, it'll be 99 cents on Amazon

(reflowable version on sale only, this time)

#LitRPG #metroidvania #LGBTQ

www.amazon.com/dp/B0F48CPRK5/
Front cover for Vainglorious: Long Is the Night Features a whip-wielding protagonist in a movie archaeologist Halloween costume, with a castle and a vampire antagonist in the background
October 30, 2025 at 3:08 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Oct. 28, and the topical word for the day is 'costume'

...which doesn't appear in my #creaturefeature about monsters that 'disguise' themselves as everyday objects, so I guess that substitution will have to do
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'disguise' is highlighted in lieu of 'costume --- Even starting on a full charge that morning, Regina’s smartphone was on track to be in its last gasps at the end of the day, because she’d had the diviner app running on it the entire damn time. Whenever it seemed like there was a free moment or safe opportunity to be had, she used her phone’s camera to scope out anything that could be a monster in disguise, which was damn near everything. So far, she hadn’t had any positives, though there were lingering doubts over the nature of Mr. Siebert’s toupee.
October 29, 2025 at 12:02 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Oct. 27 is "blood-curdling", which my #creaturefeature #horror story does not have, but there are plenty of 'shriek' and 'scream' to go around
an excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'shriek' is highlighted -- Something fell over at the other end of the alley, clanking on the concrete. Regina shrieked, surprised out of her apathy and into a momentary trip back to those moments behind the school the other day. At her side, Jake winced as he held his left ear. “Damn, baby. A little louder next time, why don’tcha? Probably just a cat… Yeah, see?” He nodded as a black-furred shape with a white muzzle and mittens hopped past the pile of old paint cans it had overturned. A soft mew hovered past them. “Nothing to worry about, Gina. Just a cute kitty—” The paint cans split open, on one end six-bladed flowers spreading to reveal ravenous little mouths, while at the other end they fragmented into dozens of tiny legs. They piled on the poor feline, clamping metal jaws onto its tail and flanks. The only thing louder than the cat’s wails of painful demise were Jake’s screams as he caught his own dick in his zipper and ran out the alley as fast as he could.
October 27, 2025 at 8:36 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
Taking the #travelogue #romantasy novel off the virtual bookshelf for a while to work on some things

Mostly marketing, possibly some tweaks

Not like it's selling any at the moment, after all
October 22, 2025 at 9:11 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Oct. 21 is 'second', which makes one wonder why it wasn't slotted for the 22nd?

Seconds matter, of course, but not always in a good way
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'second' is highlighted --- Sunday morning was… JB couldn’t be sure what adjectives to place there. Better? Hardly. Though the pain had dulled a bit, it still throbbed and hurt more than the bruises he’d got from the kick of the shotgun. But comparisons were all relative, and the word ‘better’ could only compare to the day before, which had been a brand of awful normally reserved for sale at the gift store on the eighth circle of Hell. Taken by that measure, Sunday morning truly was ‘better.’ It was only the second worst day of his life. There were woods out back behind the scrapyard, fenced with barbed wire and NO TRESPASSING signs. The owners were friends of Pop’s, and they traded him occasional favors in exchange for watching over the property. To his credit, Pop had only taken mild advantage of this, using the woods as a target practice range, a site for a still that had only produced a few bottles before self-detonating, and a failure of a grow-op that had gone to seed. Considering all the stuff hidden in those ninety-five acres, it seemed appropriate that Pop himself ended up there, too.
October 21, 2025 at 10:43 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
The #WIPSnips for Oct. 20 is 'field'

There's a broad field of meaning for that word, and in this case, it includes 'cover story'
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'field' is highlighted --- Reggie only shrugged her shoulders when he looked her way, so JB’s brain had to scramble to organize the details properly before they ran through his mouth. “Um, we’re helping out this guy. Doc… Dr. Henderson. He’s a wildlife specialist, um, doing field work. Surveys.” The doc’s own cover story fitted in well enough, so he stuck with it. “We, er, met him last week, when he stopped by… by Pop’s store, to pick up some extra traps.” “Coach Paxton said we could get some extra credit for it,” said Reggie. “Cuz you know how he gets about wildlife stuff. Plus, it’s pretty interesting to see what all is actually out there in the woods at night. In fact, Dr. Henderson said he could use some help sorting samples if we could find the time.”
October 20, 2025 at 10:24 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
For #WIPSnips Oct. 19, the word is 'trial'

...which is something the heroine of my #upcoming #creaturefeature isn't interested in giving to any monsters at the moment

By this point, she's fed up, burnt out, and ready to move on to 'summary execution' if need be
excerpt from 'Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'trial' is highlighted -- Late in the night, in the silence of a sleeping house, Regina stepped quietly into the garage. It was not a long trip, only a few yards from her room to the door, but it had all the somber gravity of a funeral march weighing down her feet. In her hands was a bucket, and in that, the little bottlecap monster skittered in confusion. As soon as she had the door shut and a towel from the laundry stuck along the bottom to block any light, Regina set up the stands and the cables and one of the lighting gizmos that the doc had in his collection. A pair of thick-glassed welding goggles went over her eyes. Then, by excruciating trial and error, she spent half the night determining exactly which combination of frequencies and intensities of light would best reduce the vile little abomination to a state of fatal crispiness. The tears hurt her eyes more than the flashes did.
October 19, 2025 at 3:00 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
And I can verify through marketing experimentation that this particular approach does not work

Back to the drawing board...
michaelspearwater.bsky.social Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · Oct 11
For #selfpromosaturday, it'd be nice if someone took a look at this one

I know my marketing skill stats have a negative value, but it'd still be nice to see

#romantasy #travelogue #needreaders
michaelspearwater.bsky.social Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · Jul 9
My author's copy is in!
My #romantasy #travelogue, A Wager for Wanderlust, is ready and waiting, available 7/31!

This title is something of a departure for me, including a new pen name for less child-friendly material

#AskMeAnything? (If you feel like it?)

www.amazon.com/dp/B0FBZMX7MP
October 18, 2025 at 3:09 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips Oct.14, and it's time for the "ultimate"... what?

Looking through, I see that the only time that word appears for me is at the end of a villainous conversation

How appropriate.
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'ultimate' is highlighted --- “Again, yes. A behemoth to dwarf behemoths, a leviathan in fact. Completely unnecessary for our ultimate goals, but what do I know, I’m just the one with the brain…” The man stood calmly in the center of the room, unperturbed by shakes and cracks. “Now, I have said my piece, and you two have had a nice breather, so it is time for us to kill each other, I’m afraid.”
October 14, 2025 at 8:22 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
#WIPSnips for Oct. 13, and some characters are 'push'-ing their luck a little too far

The heroine of this #upcoming #creaturefeature is finding nearly-ex-boyfriends more annoying to deal with than things that go bump in the night
an excerpt from "Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater The word 'push' is highlighted -- “And the rumor?” she pressed. Her eyes were stabbing at him. “Um…” He had this nervous pose sometimes, where he folded both his arms behind his back and somehow reached up to scratch the nape of his neck at the same time. “I… didn’t actually say it that way, or at all. Um, I was still a bit sore that morning, y’know, but I couldn’t really explain it to the guys. Like, where to even start? So they had fun making their own guesses and… and… I didn’t say no to any of ‘em. The whole team came up with the final product, I guess you could say.” She stared at him, daring him to say more, but he maintained his embarrassed silence. The sigh that departed her lungs was only the ghost of her annoyance, given limited voice in the world, but it still made him jump. “I can imagine that, unfortunately,” she said. “So you’ll forgive me?” He practically bounced at the thought. “I’ll keep it under consideration,” she said. “That much pissed-off ain’t vanishing so easily. But.” Regina extended a hand. “Make peace, not war, and all that.” “I thought it was ‘Make love, not war’?” And that damn grin was back. “Don’t push your luck.”
October 13, 2025 at 3:12 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
For #selfpromosaturday, it'd be nice if someone took a look at this one

I know my marketing skill stats have a negative value, but it'd still be nice to see

#romantasy #travelogue #needreaders
michaelspearwater.bsky.social Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · Jul 9
My author's copy is in!
My #romantasy #travelogue, A Wager for Wanderlust, is ready and waiting, available 7/31!

This title is something of a departure for me, including a new pen name for less child-friendly material

#AskMeAnything? (If you feel like it?)

www.amazon.com/dp/B0FBZMX7MP
Front cover of "A Wager for Wanderlust" by Michael Spearwater cover art by LykosVTuber It shows an artistically messy gentleman's desk with sketches of fantastical nudes, a pocket watch, various writing implements, etc. In the background there are statues and portraits, a bookshelf, and books on the floor Back cover of "A Wager for Wanderlust" by Michael Spearwater cover art by LykosVTuber It shows a gentleman's personal office with various navigational implements, artwork, a letter, and books strewn across the floor. A frilly pink item of lady's apparel can be seen on the floor near the spine of the book
October 11, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Reposted by Michael Spearwater
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
It's #selfpromosaturday for me (hurray for time zones)

So it's time to promote my #travelogue #romantasy!

"A Wager for Wanderlust", like what Jules Verne would've written if he were into high fantasy and playful #spicy content

Still legal to own in most states!

www.amazon.com/dp/B0FBZMX7MP
Front cover of "A Wager for Wanderlust" by Michael Spearwater cover art by LykosVTuber It shows an artistically messy gentleman's desk with sketches of fantastical nudes, a pocket watch, various writing implements, etc. In the background there are statues and portraits, a bookshelf, and books on the floor A portrait of a satyr-like girl, topless and poised for dance. With one hand, she beckons someone to join
October 3, 2025 at 3:09 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
It's #selfpromosaturday for me (hurray for time zones)

So it's time to promote my #travelogue #romantasy!

"A Wager for Wanderlust", like what Jules Verne would've written if he were into high fantasy and playful #spicy content

Still legal to own in most states!

www.amazon.com/dp/B0FBZMX7MP
Front cover of "A Wager for Wanderlust" by Michael Spearwater cover art by LykosVTuber It shows an artistically messy gentleman's desk with sketches of fantastical nudes, a pocket watch, various writing implements, etc. In the background there are statues and portraits, a bookshelf, and books on the floor A portrait of a satyr-like girl, topless and poised for dance. With one hand, she beckons someone to join
October 3, 2025 at 3:09 PM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
The #WIPSnips for Sept. 29 is 'bear'

The MC of this #creaturefeature has to bear with his father all too often
excerpt from "Monsters Among Us 1: Teenage Wasteland" by Michael Spearwater the word 'bear' is highlighted --- Navigating through the rear of the store was an art. The shelves were balanced on wheels that allowed them to be pushed and pulled whenever it suited Pop. Rarely did it convenience anyone else. Today, the best path to the front lay through the vintage miliary apparel selection, because old coats were easier to push through. JB’s current jacket had come from there, same as the ones before it. As expected, Pop was leaning on the counter by the cash register, schmoozing with the latest wallet on legs to mistake this fine establishment for a serious place of business. From the looks of it, the guy was loading up for bear, or maybe elephant. “Boy!” Pop shouted as soon as JB stepped up. “Where the hell ya been?”
September 29, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Reposted by Michael Spearwater
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
And it is #selfpromosaturday once more

We have a #romantasy #travelogue which is, to the best of my knowledge, still legal to purchase in at least 47 out of 50 US states. That may change in the future, so be prepared.

It's not even that #spicy... okay, maybe a little

www.amazon.com/dp/B0FBZMX7MP
A Wager for Wanderlust
Amazon.com: A Wager for Wanderlust eBook : Spearwater, Michael: Kindle Store
www.amazon.com
September 28, 2025 at 12:26 AM
michaelspearwater.bsky.social
And it is #selfpromosaturday once more

We have a #romantasy #travelogue which is, to the best of my knowledge, still legal to purchase in at least 47 out of 50 US states. That may change in the future, so be prepared.

It's not even that #spicy... okay, maybe a little

www.amazon.com/dp/B0FBZMX7MP
A Wager for Wanderlust
Amazon.com: A Wager for Wanderlust eBook : Spearwater, Michael: Kindle Store
www.amazon.com
September 28, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Reposted by Michael Spearwater
maikelyarimizu.bsky.social
The #WIPSnips for Sept. 26 is 'mire', and you'd think a deep-sea #mermaid epic WIP wouldn't have that word in there, but to be honest, sometimes you just have to take the words that fit
excerpt from Mer Manoa, book I (Canto II, verse XII), by Maikel Yarimizu the word "Mires" is highlighted -- Verse XII The Mires. The word had meant nothing to Ardenne when she'd heard it in Baba's chamber. It was one more word in a long day's worth of words unknown to her. The brief explanation Sera had furnished did little to help her understand its meaning. From what was said, it had not sounded much different from the shelf-lands of her home waters, no matter how much distaste the red mer had shown towards it. The next morning, however, Ardenne knew the answer first-hand. They had left Bryndoon that in the late afternoon, slept in a tussock of grass east of the city, and arrived just as the firmament turned its morning silver. Ripples of light flowed across the flats before her, only to be swallowed by the dark browns, greens, and purples. The Mires, as she now saw, were a broad stretch of thick mud and slime that had flowed from the heights and down into a natural hollow in the shelf-lands east of Bryndoon. A row of mounts, barely high enough to kiss the firmament at low tide, prevented the mess from continuing into the deeper waters of the abyss. The mud was broken here and there by small patches of grass or kelp, but other than that her eyes could not make out any signs of life. There were no large creatures to be found, and the smaller fishes were hidden in the scant foliage. Sera had told her that things lived in the muck itself, but she couldn't see any of them, either.
September 26, 2025 at 7:47 AM