iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

It's our birthday! We honestly can't believe it's already been one year of Cryptic Frog 😁 Go read something on our website to celebrate!

A drawing of a frog in a wizard's hat throwing its tongue to catch a candle on a cake. The frog is a bright green, and its hat is blue-purple with white stars on it. The cake is likewise blue-purple, with white icing on the edges. A single green candle is lit on top of it.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Two unreal beings in @cantodjauricco.bsky.social’s “The Dowager and the Seedsnipe” have a conversation on an empty heath outside of reality. “Low clouds scudded above empty crowberry heath, desolation absent the occasional...” Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/10/05/i...

A simple white-on-black sketch of a seedsnipe. The pigeon-shaped bird has a white belly and detailed feathers with individual designs on them. There are a few wispy clouds in the sky in the background.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Desert weeds roll over electric expanse in Brian Duran-Fuentes’s “Estepicursors,” guests in a standoff between a cowboy and his antimatter doppelganger. “The Oxford Dictionary fails to recognize the word ‘Estepicursors’ ...” Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/10/02/i...

A simple white-on-black sketch of an "estepicursor" or a tumbleweed, with detailed, tiny branches. Motion lines give it the effect of rolling.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

A successful businessman in David McGillveray’s “The Wonders” hones supernatural abilities until success in this world is no longer enough. “On the day of my hundred and second birthday, more than thirty years after I...” Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/09/28/i...

A simple black-and-white sketch of an old penny, heads-up. There are visible scratches across the surface, and the edges seem worn and chipped. The penny seems to be from the year 2001.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

A loafer picking up odd jobs in Jacob Walters’s “The Old Man’s Watch” starts to notice peculiar qualities in an otherwise unremarkable wristwatch. “Johnny started doing the old man’s yard every other weekend for pocket...” Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/09/25/i...

A simple black-and-white sketch of a wristwatch.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

After a summer of being Carl, can we be Apple now, please? -👑 #frogmememondays

Meme: Which frogge are you? 1. Carl--places to be, people to see, round; 2. Apple--warm sweaters, offers you tea; 3. Peter--pizza time; 4. mmmm--great hair, a mystery; 5. Grogan--not sure what's going on, happy to be here; 6. soups--an imposter, no one can know.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

We appreciate the commitment to excellence. Only correct answers here. -👑 #frogmememondays

Meme with the text, "Whoever named frogs got it 100% right. Those things are frogs."

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Issue #4 is right around the corner, coming in print and digital formats on September 21, 2026! Titles: The Old Man's Watch The Dowager and the Seedsnipe A Bug Screamed at Me, Yet I Must Carry On as Normal and more . . . See crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/.../cryptic.... for updates.

A drawing of a simple, sheet-like ghost with a crown on its head. To the right of the drawing is the text, "Cryptic Frog Issue 4 - September 21, 2026."

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Actually, we hired him to flag AI submissions, but he prefers a more personal approach. -👑 #FrogMemeMondays

Meme: A close-up image of a frog's face, staring with unblinking eyes. Text above the image says, "I hired this frog to stare at you" in capitalized, bold letters.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Your submission waiting patiently in our inbox. Us: -👑

Meme: I got ADHD: Attention Deficit Hold up is Dat a frog?

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Thank you to all of our Issue #3 authors for your incredible work. You’ve taken us places we never would have dreamed of going! Good luck with your future endeavors, and keep an eye out for the next issue of Cryptic Frog. @jamielackey.bsky.social @deborahldavitt.bsky.social @ajlnoda.bsky.social

"Thank you!" in big letters along the top, followed below by a picture of the cover of Cryptic Frog Quarterly Issue #3, and the names of all the authors. These are the authors: "Gabriel Page, A.J.L. Noda, Jamie Lackey, Andrew Milliken, Jeff Raderstrong, Evan Wellbrock, DS Camperdown, Lev Working, Steven Mathes, Joe Christopher, Deborah L. Davitt, Simon MacCulloch, Jacob Berstresser."

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

Confined to the vicinity of an airport, a spectral observer in DS Camperdown’s “Final Call” watches humanity’s downfall. And must decide when to intervene. “I was en route to Venice, at Gate B35 when I died. There was no...” Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/08/03/i...

A black and white sketch of an airport. A sign at the top reads "B35-B40" with and arrow pointing up. To the left are chairs and a vending machine. To the right and taking up most of the space after two moving walkways continuing into the distance.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Detective Pra, protagonist in Evan Wellbrock’s “Spokes on the Wheel,” is staunchly religious & prodigiously talented. What happens when everything he believes in is challenged? “Samhet woke to the sound of screaming from...” Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/07/31/i...

A black and white sketch of a sunrise or sunset over an ocean. Simple shapes of birds and long, wispy clouds can be seen in the sky. The sun reflects across the water. The tide pushes across the sand drawn with tight cross-hatching.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

It's all fun and games in Jeff Raderstrong’s “The Secret Internet” (Sci-Fi). But is there more to life than waiting for a screen to appear? “I was trying to make a box within a box the first time the secret internet...” Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/07/27/i...

A black and white sketch of a computer monitor and keyboard. On the computer screen is a black box with large, unreadable text inside.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

There is just one thing the astronaut has to remember in Jacob Bergstresser’s “The Astronaut’s Mantra” (Sci-Fi). Is the mantra going to work? “Don't crash into the sun. Don't crash into the sun. ... ” Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/07/24/i...

A black and white sketch of an astronaut, zoomed in on the helmet where the astronaut's face would be. A large, circular sun reflects in the surface of the helmet.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

A feline struggles to survive the long, harsh night in Joe Christopher’s “An Unfathomable Crisis” while the Hind-Walkers ignore its tactics to scrounge food. “Fourteen. “I count fourteen elliptical kernels of...” Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/07/20/i...

A black and white sketch of a cat-tower, including four platforms, a ladder, a small cave, and a hanging cat toy. There are motion lines leading all the way up the tower.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

The death of a loved one in Andrew Milliken’s “Nothing in the Box” fills a man with questions. But he may not be prepared for the answers. “Mourners file out, all in black. Why? White’s just as good. Wear black, wear white...” Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/07/17/i...

A black and white sketch of an open casket. There is nothing inside the casket except a pillow. Rough outlines give the casket an unsettling look.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

A haunting tale, Simon MacCulloch’s poem “The Ghost Who Guards the Gold” tells of a tyrant and his hoard of cursed gold. “At the dark of year, in a town quite near, There’s an eldritch tale that’s told ... ” Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/07/13/i...

A black and white sketch of a treasure chest overflowing with gold coins. Piles of gold also shine all around in the foreground and the background. Other than the gold, the place looks quite empty and motionless.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

In Steven Mathes’s “Pursuit of Happiness,” the minimum requirement is happiness. So what do you do when something, anything, goes horribly wrong? “The greatest happiness for the greatest number was a ...” Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/07/10/i...

A black and white sketch of a spa scene. There are hot towels and a fat candle with steam/smoke rising curly from them. There is also a stack of smooth rocks descending in size as it goes up. Two cucumber slices sit near everything else.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

An unexpected opportunity in @jamielackey.bsky.social’s “For Want of a Dog-Friendly Workplace" forces Tori to choose between leaving her distressing world forever, and her dog. “Tori checked her purse for the eighth time...” Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/07/06/i...

A black and white sketch of a dog. The dog stares intently with its light-colored eyes. One of its pointy ears perks up; the other bends slightly to the side. The dog's expression looks interested and maybe a little sad or like its begging for something. It looks like a pit bull mixed with some other breed.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Living in his grandfather’s room, a teen in @ajlnoda.bsky.social’s "Opportunity Cost" discovers the destructiveness of a lingering tradition. “I move into Grandfather’s room after Uncle Bill and Aunt Marie get rent-hiked..." Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/07/03/i...

A simple black and white sketch of a plant with long, pointed leaves. It sits in a large, rounded, Tang-dynasty-style vase. One of its leaves points downward like it might be wilted, falling over the edge of the pot.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

In @deborahldavitt.bsky.social’s “Balance of Evidence,” an attorney must prove it was actually a doppelganger who killed the bride. “The case had rock-solid evidence, proof; the police thought the young man had done it, ...” Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/06/29/i...

A black and white sketch of a judges bench with a comfortable chair for the judge looming tall behind the bench. There are witness boxes on either side. On the bench there is a nameplate and a gavel.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

About Lev Working’s “Dream Halls," you should know adventures are a lot safer if you know how to get back. “Dream Halls... is my favorite Magic: the Gathering card. I’ve decided you haven’t played before, so bear with me. ...” Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/06/26/i...

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

You really have to see it to believe it. Gabriel Page's "BIG" is a sci-fi essay on a really big cube and its effects on anyone near it. “BIG is a marathon tall, a marathon deep and a marathon wide. It sits on the border of...” Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/06/22/i...

A black and white sketch of a giant cube in the foreground. To the side of it in the background, there are mountains and a city with skyscrapers.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Let the anticipation begin! Issue #3 of Cryptic Frog is coming in print and digital formats on June 21. BIG Opportunity Cost For Want of a Dog-Friendly Workplace and more... See crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/issues/crypt... if curious about genres, authors, availability, and cover art.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Happy Memorial Day to our friends in the U.S. - 👑 #FrogMemeMondays

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

Deep questions and silly side quests. That's our magazine; that's our marriage. New side quest: Frog Meme Mondays, filed under #FrogMemeMondays. It's pretty self-explanatory. Join us as we 1) post memes of frogs 2) on Mondays 3) use our hashtag. Those are the only rules. 👑 #frogmememondays

A meme of a frog sitting in a container that also looks like a frog: "A frog sits in his bowl thinking... Is his bowl made of frog or is he made of bowl? He screams, for he does not know."

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 09/05/2026

Thank you to all of our Issue #2 authors for your unforgettable work. Truly, monsters, catastrophes, sociopaths, & eternal consequences will leave a mark. Good luck with your future endeavors, and keep an eye out for the next issue of Cryptic Frog! @flintyflop.bsky.social @chadgayle.bsky.social

"Thank you!" is written in big letters at the top of the image. Below it is a picture of the Issue #2 cover art for Cryptic Frog Quarterly and a list of names. These are the names: Simina Lungu, S.L. Newton, Daniel Stride, Floyd Largent, Matt Flintoff, Chad Gayle, H.J. Dutton, Trenton White, D. Thomas Minton, Oliver Smith, Christopher Collingwood, Jeff Mach, and Colleen Anderson. The cover art shows a wolf with two heads (one on each side of its body) howling at a giant, red moon.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

When a Mother's children across the Grid begin to suffer harmful effects from Her illness, one child in Chad Gayle's "Mother May I" decides to take action against it. "Like you, I grew up in the shadow of Mother’s illness..." Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/05/04/i....

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 02/05/2026

The Dome protects the village. The Maintainers take care of the Dome. But how the Dome works and why it is there is a mystery to everyone in Matt Flintoff's "Maintainer" (Sci-Fi). Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/05/01/i....

A simple black and white sketch of a wrench.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

What to say? Colleen Anderson's untitled horrorku is a horror + haiku mix. It cannot be previewed. Go read it (at least once!) and let us know when the horror sets in. Enjoy! Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/04/27/i....

A rough black and white sketch of a triangular test tube (or conical flask). It is tipped so that a drop falls from the opening in the top. Bubbles also rise from the opening.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

In Floyd Largent's "From Hell," a preteen's "grisly hobby" turns into something much worse after a mysterious man attempts to change fate. "J.A. was gilding a badger’s skull when the haggard man appeared in his room. ..." Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/04/24/i....

A simple black and white drawing of a knife, like a switchblade or a penknife. Something (blood?) drips off the tip of the blade.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

If villains are unstoppable, how are they always stopped? Jeff Mach's "Nature's Immutable Laws Of things Going Wrong" makes a case for the answer. "One of Nature’s immutable Laws: All castle guards must have glass jaws. ..." Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/04/20/i....

A simple black and white sketch of a square chest with a lock on the front. The chest looks quite old fashioned with braces around it. A lock pick sits on the ground next to the chest.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

In D. Thomas Minton's "Internal Wellness" an employee finds a scrap of meaning in his dead-end job and reacts quickly. "Contrary to what the day-shifters believed, night shift at the Department of Universal Salvage wasn’t..." Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/04/17/i....

A simple black and white sketch of a rocket. It's a typical rocket drawing with three fins on the bottom, a window, and a different-colored pointed nose on the top.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

Daniel Stride's "Gilding the Lily" follows a charmer who takes his friends out on his estate—to show off, yes—but also to prove his uncanny abilities. "'Did you know this house once belonged to Robert Whiddon?' I frown, ..." Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/04/13/i....

A simple black and white sketch of two lily flowers. They stand tall and white with five petals and four long leaves each.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 11/04/2026

There is a pathogen in Christopher Collingwood's poem "Eyes Burn to the Neon Fever"—a disease slowly taking hold. Whatever is lost to this sickness may never be found. "Pathogen in the electric pulse—luminous stage to ..." Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/04/10/i....

A simple black and white sketch of a girl or woman (just a rough outline) looking down at some kind of screen in her hand. The screen might be a tablet or a phone.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

Octopus-ostrich aliens and multitudes of mysterious passengers make first contact on Earth in Trenton White's "The Passengers". But why bring passengers? "It was dawn when the first ship touched down. Spiraling lights... " Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/04/06/i....

A simple black and white sketch of a dog collar. It has a bone-shaped name tag hanging from the front of it.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 04/04/2026

One cold, dark night a struggling musician in S.L. Newton's "Leave a Message" must confront more than meager funds & aging vocals as she drives home alone. "Amber echoes of neon filled all the puddles in the parking lot. ..." Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/04/03/i....

A simple black and white sketch of a box-y car with large rearview mirrors. It looks like it could be a truck or a van. Its headlights are large and white.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

From blinding summer day to icy nighttime, Oliver Smith's "Swimming the Unseelie River" is an adventure through the nature and unnatural. "I swam daylight-blinded out of summer, followed the lazy meander of the river, ..." Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/03/30/i....

A simple drawing of white lily pads and a few water lilies on a black background of water. The water has some movement to it by the waves on the top and ripples around some of the lily pads.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

At first, nobody paid the them much mind... The sinkholes, that is, in H.J. Dutton's story of the same name. But the more disappearances, the more people began to wonder, who's next? "when one beneath the road opened up...." Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/03/27/i....

A simple black and white high contrast sketch of an emergency room sign. The sign has the word EMERGENCY in capital letters and an arrow beneath it pointing right. There are lines above the sign indicating an emotion of urgency.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Simina Lungu's "The Caves Towards Forever" puts an impossible choice on the shoulders of a teenage princess. What will she choose? "Isabella knelt in front of the Witch of Eternity, trembling under a gaze that was as old..." Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2026/03/23/i....

A black and white simple sketch of stalactites and stalagmites in the dark. A few of the stalactites drip water to the ground.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Thank you, to all of our Issue #1 authors, for helping us enter the magical, mystical, imaginative world of magazine publishing. It's truly been a joy to work with you all. We're excited to continue to drift along this thrilling journey with Issue #2 coming in print and digital formats next month!

The words "Cryptic Frog Issue 2: Coming March 21, 2026" on a green background. Below the words is a crown with flowers growing in and around it and a white rose with black leaves at its base.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Obscured but emotional, Lance Mazmanian's poem "Canyons Untitled" communicates a sort of melancholy attached to grief and loss, between fog and light. "Fog, but light. Canyons. Reflection between rain . . . " Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2025/12/21/i....

In a black and white sketch, a sun peeks out from behind a raining cloud.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

In editor Caleb Call's "A Question for the Dragons" a toddler's question prods teetering human-dragon political relations into a new age. "Lili was on her way to meet the dragons. Of course, the dragons didn’t know that...." Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2025/12/21/i....

A rough black and white sketch of a butterfly.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 15/02/2026

If the aged of different worlds gathered in one place for rest and care, what kind of place would it be? John Grey's "On a Planet for the Aged" (Sci-Fi) is the answer: "In green air, lorbals flutter their purple foliage ..." Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2025/12/21/i....

A black and white sketch of a planet with rings.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

In Conner Martin's "Zeralore: Fallen Realm Expansion", Nora has an impossible quest: find a small (magical?) object in a world she hardly understands. Is it worth it? "Nora scrambled across ladders laid flat on moonlit..." Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2025/12/21/i....

A black and white sketch of a small box, tied up like a gift in a black ribbon. Its ribbon ends fly out as though it is falling or floating.

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

Rhythmic, stylistic, and colorful, Nicholas De Marino's poem "No Fly List" (sci-fi) takes anti gravity boots for a spin in the unlikeliest of places. "My tiny alien green anti gravity boots fizz and fume as I ... " Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2025/12/21/i....

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Cryptic Frog @crypticfrogpub.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

In a place so personified it loses its grip on reality, Mario Senzale's "Cleveland, Ohio." (horror) paints a picture of discomfort. "Ahead was the structure. It rose in a series of sterile plateaus, a ziggurat of decay..." Continue reading at crypticfrogpublishing.wordpress.com/2025/12/21/i....

White light streams from an open door on a black background in a simple black and white sketch.

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