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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 19h

#WIPSnips for Oct. 7 is 'comparison' From the #creaturefeature, where the second day of the monster-hunting lifestyle is not treating the MC all that well, except by comparison

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Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 19h

#WIPSnips for Oct. 7 is 'comparison' From the #mythic fantasy

snippet from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'comparison' is highlighted
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The seeds of the banana were not large things, each being halfway between a pebble and a grain of sand, and any teeth which found one by accident would discover the comparison to be accurate as to their hardness as well. Carefully did Keilani and Hulikali walk hand in hand, not trusting in the trail to keep them together. Every second step, they left behind a seed. Against the dull, dark moss of the steps, the unborn children of the banana were easy to spot.

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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

#WIPSnips for Oct. 6 is 'rice' There are many fine and exotic meals in a #romantasy #travelogue, and there's certainly room for a good bowl of rice in there

snippet of a meal out of 'A Wager for Wanderlust' by Michael Spearwater
the word 'rice' is highlighted twice
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The platters proved to hold steamed rice and soup, but the main part of the meal came in waves of tiny plates and dishes, each with its own small bounty for the palate. Attendants spooned the rice into bowls, which provided a foundation for strips of meat, some cooked and others simply aged and marinated to a silky smoothness upon the tongue. Slivers of fish were served with a salty sauce, and slices of squash, carrots, onions, and even whole leaves of some spicy plant were fried in a crisp batter and then served salted and hot from the oil. These were just the dishes she could reasonably identify. There was a block of white, wobbly stuff, so much like an eastron cheese whilst being absolutely nothing like an eastron cheese, topped with grated ginger root and more of that dark, salty sauce. For the soups, there was a thin meat broth with a lumpen round thing in it that turned out to be a whole fig. There was a tiny cup holding an orange ball that might well have been an octopus eye for all that she knew—but when she asked, she learned it to be a sweet chestnut in syrup.

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Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

#WIPSnips for Oct. 6 is 'rice' The #mythic fantasy, being heavily #Polynesian, doesn't exactly have rice, but it does have a goddess of plenty who provides (and, tbh, she's a combination of a Hawaiian mythic origin and Japanese mythic event, which included rice)

excerpt from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'grain' is highlighted instead of 'rice'
---

“We goddesses have our ways, do we not?” said Moki-Uke. “You name yourself the handmaiden of Honua-Mea; surely you have seen your goddess perform feats and miracles? It is no different for me. Yours is a goddess full of fire, but I have found another calling as the goddess of plenty. You wonder that there is no food here? You are mistaken; I am the food, and it is I.”
Moki-Uke took her knife and pressed it to her arm till it bled, and each crimson droplet landed on the ground as a perfect red berry. Next she took a handful of her hair and sheared it off, placing next to the berries the bundle of exotic grain it had become. “This is what it means to be a goddess: responsibility and sacrifice. You would do well to remember.”
“I do not know why you tell me this, but I thank you,” said Hiiaka. “So all of the food outside is of your making?”
“It is all mine, as it is of me. And so I provide for those who dwell here and those who visit, as well. Now, take this knife and help me prepare.”

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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

#WIPSnips for Oct. 5 is 'wall' The main character of the #romantasy #travelogue is well-travelled and doesn't have much care for walls, usually Oh, but the stories some walls may tell...

snippet from 'A Wager for Wanderlust' by Michael Spearwater
the word 'walls' is highlighted
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The many parlours of the Mongers Club each had a theme, and for the Red Parlour, that theme was the War in all its rawness and glory. Treasured arms and armour decorated the four corners, with rifles and pistols upon the walls, surrounded by framed collections of medals that had never had the chance to be worn. No one named on these collections was with them now, but always an extra glass was filled and set at the table in their memory.
Six glasses of a deep red wine stood on the table. Brume claimed his seat and the fifth glass as the luncheon bells chimed their happy voices.

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Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

#WIPSnips for Oct. 5 is 'wall' Walls keep in, walls keep out, walls protect, either way. Lots of walls in the #mythic fantasy, so here's just one example

excerpt from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'walls' is highlighted
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Now, Hiiaka had already done a great service for her mistress. For eight days and eight nights, she had attended to the slumbering form of Honua-Mea and practiced the dance to welcome her return. She had fresh spring water to drink and the blessed red berries which the goddess favored for food, but nothing else. She would not stray from her duty long enough to find better sustenance, and the other handmaidens dared not approach because of the sacred bans, so she shared not their food. Honua-Mea recognized the great labor of her favored servant, and upon finishing her tale, she bade Hiiaka go to the shore, to the secret coves where the handmaidens bathed, to refresh herself and relax.
Her favorite cove was a special place, a secret place, which had never been visited by mortal man. Across the Center of the Sea were many wide craters, where once hot lava had bubbled forth. One of those had since been filled by the sea, the water following stony tunnels within the earth, and the crater was now home to coral and fish of every color. The towering walls of volcanic stone kept out unwanted visitors, but the maidservants of Honua-Mea knew the secret paths between mountain and shore, and thus Hiiaka could visit this little haven whenever she desired.

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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

#WIPSnips for Oct. 4 is 'contract' In the #romantasy #travelogue, one MC is hired to be the valet of the other. It's a simple, straightforward contract, and everything appears in order At least, until the young sir makes an appearance

excerpt from 'A Wager for Wanderlust' by Michael Spearwater
the word 'contract' is highlighted
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“Yes, the young master's current project.” Good'un Gorom's voice burred with distaste. “How the Ministry of Decency has not come to take it all away just yet, I cannot say. Lord Bodhilly must be even more of a drunkard than the rumours tell.”
“I, ah, would not know anything of that.”
“Be thankful for small luck. Ah, and here we are at your room.”
It was a closet, or it had been, but it was a nice closet. The bed fitted into the deep end, above which the promised window let in the sunlight. It was, Ollover decided, not a bad place at all. For a three-month contract, it was excellent. Again, he worried where the catch might lie.
The noises of commotion arose from the first-floor entrance, with shouts for “Pomor! Pomor!” This was apparently Good'un Gorom's given name, for the house-minster rolled his eyes in a manner most unprofessional and said, “Come, the young master is returned early from the club today.”
And so Ollover first laid his eyes upon the master whom he would serve for the next few months. A tællyng, of course, young-faced as his kind tended to be between the ages of twenty and fifty years, with nary a whisker allowed upon his face. Black hair was pomaded back into a moulded crest, and the points of his ears were scandalously exposed. Beneath a conservative grey twill jacket, the loud colours of his clothing likely said many things in a language which the valet could not comprehend, beyond one simple word, and that was 'foppish'.

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Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

#WIPSnips for Oct. 4 is 'contract' But that doesn't appear in the #mythic fantasy, so we're going with 'agreements' instead It's a short snip today, the end of a much longer and more fraught diplomatic incident between the Above and the Below Turned out all right in the end, tho

snippet from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'agreements' is highlighted in place of 'contract'
--

The shark lord looked upon the chaos he had wrought and knew shame, for he recognized that he had let his appetites rule him. Many apologies were made: to Moki-Uwe their hostess, to the King of the Moon with his lords and ladies, and to Hiiaka the dancer, whom everyone now saw as a power to herself, despite all her protests of modesty. The night was tense, but discussion occurred and agreements were made. The moon would continue to pull the waters, and the sea would send its vapors high into the sky to support the world above. Both parties were gone before the light of day broke over the horizon.

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Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

#WIPSnips for Oct. 3 is 'petal' I'm surprised that, for all the flowers named in the #mythic #Polynesian fantasy WIP, there's only one instance of 'petal' But it's in a good scene at the start of the second story, "How a Wife Found Lohiau"

excerpt from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire', second story: "How a Wife Found Lohiau" by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'petals' is highlighted
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The wedding was, as all such important occasions should be, centered upon a feast. The scents on the air made stomachs growl like greedy hogs, and it was with great impatience that the guests were all seated along the two long tables—one for the men and the other for the women. Upon the wedding daïs, the chairs of bride and groom stood empty, awaiting the arrival of the celebrants.

Leinani, daughter of chiefs and woman of herb and medicine, walked with confidence up the aisle between the tables, her usual white bark dress exchanged for a flowing garment of even purer pallor, handed down from mother to daughter over the generations and lovingly maintained for this purpose. At her side, with his arm in hers, walked Master Hau with his broad chest bare beneath a leather vest and kilt. Together, they made their procession to the daïs, where the village elders awaited them.

“Greetings, sweet Leinani,” said the first elder, a woman so old she was claimed by all in the village as their grandmother. “Who is this man I see beside you? Is he your husband?”

“Yes,” Leinani declared with pride.

“Then take the garland from your chair.” The lei of vines and leaves, with the tiny white petals of the pikake flower hidden in its braids, was lifted from the bridal seat. Leinani placed it around the neck of her man.

“Greetings, Master Hau,” said the second elder, a wizened grandfather who knew the names of every fish in the waters. “Who is this woman I see beside you? Is she your wife?”

“Yes,” said Master Hau with a smile upon his lips.

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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

#WIPSnips for Oct. 3 is 'petal' Let me see what I can find in the #travelogue #romantasy ... ... ... O_O Ah, I had forgotten how often I used it for -that- sort of meaning... Is there perchance a safe-for-work example? ... Only a reference to a public striptease performance. I'll take it.

excerpt from 'A Wager for Wanderlust' by Michael Spearwater
the word 'petals' is highlighted
---

Brume himself was of mild interest to others at the table, talking of his journey to this point and of the pages and sketches he made to record his experience. He'd had the presence of mind to grab his sketching book and some pencils before setting out that afternoon, and he never minded a demonstration.
Not that Sir Bertos paid attention to aught but himself. “I, I mean...” the elder tællyng continued, words dribbling like the nut-wine from his eighth cup of the evening. “They, they got a half-legged churl, of all folk, sitting right there, there... next to the big chief's third son...”
It took a moment for him to decipher that, as the wine-soaked tongue swapped consonants and eroded vowels until the envoy spoke a strange and foreign language that happened to be Lydish. A wobbling finger pointed out the object of Sir Bertos' annoyance: two short figures sitting at a table far towards the front, where there was a perfect view of the flower dancers slowly losing their petals as they swayed to the beat of the drums.
“Bloody churls, both of 'em. What've they got...”
“For your information,” Brume told him, “that is Master Ollover Sterkey, formerly of Her Majesty's Army, 37th Regiment, alongside his bride Temisia Dithyrambodes of the Boseia Dithyrambodes. A noted trading partner of Her Majesty's Company East,” he added. “They are my travelling companions for this grand voyage.”
And how the pair had found themselves in the best seats of the evening, he was not about to guess. Not when he could get the details out of Ollover later.

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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

#WIPSnips for Oct. 2 is 'dent' ...there are far too many words that include 'dent' within them, and I use them all far more frequently from the #creaturefeature, where the word in question actually does appear

excerpt from 'Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland' by Michael Spearwater
the word 'dent' is highlighted
--

“I’d get my ears checked if I were you,” said Reggie. Hopping over to the cans, she took her blunt and stubbed its cherry end on the metal lid.
The canister clattered fitfully in its frame. The girl squeaked in fright, leaping back with a speed and grace she’d regularly failed to show in cheer squad practice.
“Did you… did you see that? Or has Dave’s best shit got a lot stronger?”
“Yeah, I saw it.” JB couldn’t have said what ‘it’ was, but there’d been something, alright. “Got a crowbar in Rodney. Under the back seat. Go get it for me.”
He kept his eyes on the trashcan as she went and came back. No movement from the metal cylinder, but that didn’t mean a thing. Once he had the cast-iron crowbar in hand, it was time to give it a good ol’-fashioned wake-up call. With a single, heavy swing, he rang that trashcan like a gong.
What had he been expecting? A raccoon, maybe a possum or even a large cat. Instead, the can itself leapt from its frame, crashing back to the ground with a thud a few yards away. The large dent he’d just put in it slowly pushed outward, until its sides were as seamless as they were when new. The metal canister rolled on the gravel, rattling back and forth until it righted itself on its base with a jerk.
“The hell?” It didn’t matter which of them said it first, because he and Reggie both were on the same wavelength.
“Reggie, get back.” The trashcan was quaking now, and the clatter of its lid had turned into something suspiciously like a growl. “Now!”

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Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

#WIPSnips for Oct. 1 is 'injury' In the #mythic fantasy, a certain dragon has not made the best first impression, and then a further misunderstanding adds injury to insult

a snippet from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'injury' is highlighted
--

In his shame, Haumo-o had fled up the slope to the lands of the wispy spirits who swim through the air and make their homes upon the clouds. For many a year they had been neighbors, and the spirits remembered him with fondness, so they were dismayed to see him in such a state as he was in now. “Whatever is the matter?” they cried. “Have you been hurt?”
“Only through my heart!” he cried. “Two women came to visit me at my pool, and now my heart aches!”
It should go without saying that spirits are not of the physical world in the way which men and dragons are, and their understanding of many things is limited. When the old dragon spoke of heartache and heartbreak, his neighbors the spirits took it to mean literal injury to their friend, and that was something they could not bear. Even as the two women made their way through the thick forest, word spread quickly amongst the spirits. Strong winds passed through the greenery, whipping at Hiiaka and Leinani with branches of leaf and thorn. Some spirits raised great clouds of dust to blind them, while others pinched and poked them directly.

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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

#WIPSnips for Oct. 1 is 'injury' In a #travelogue #romantasy, one is bound to meet plenty of interesting people. And some of them deserve what they get.

excerpt from 'A Wager for Wanderlust' by Michael Spearwater
the word 'injury' is highlighted
--

The local one repeated himself loudly, with a dangerous flick of the tail. From a pocket-purse, he retrieved a bag of summat. Perhaps it was currency; it had that particular clink to it. An offer, a price, whatever it was, it was presented to Melitza, but with eyes upon the younger lass.
“No,” said the young mistress, in one clear, loud syllable that could not be mistaken for aught else. “No, again,” she repeated when a second bag of clinking bits was presented. She had height on the Teocelec, and possibly muscle as well, so when she declared “Certainly not!” to a third bag, she could loom enough to set the impertinent one's ears to pin back.
The Teocelec snarled and pocketed the bags, and when next his hands rose, their claws were bared. With a menacing wave, he presented challenge to their larger companion.
It was a pity for the angry one that he paid no mind to the shorter companion, the one whose fists were right of a height with his loincloth. Ollover's right-handed uppercut served as a reminder to his presence, and his left hook landed upon the insolent one's jaw as it sank into range. Melitza added further injury to insult with a kick that sent the Teocelec scrambling back to his locomotor carriage.
“So... what was that about?” asked Parisa. “Did he just try to, to buy me? Why?”
“Maybe it is because you are too cute for your own safety,” teased Melitza. “But in all seriousness, let us go now before he can call the local constabulary on us. There was a brew house down the way. Fancy-lad can meet us there.”

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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Catching up with the #WIPSnips for Sept. 30, 'guard' In a #werewolf story, the biggest threat is not just if someone finds out, it's =who= finds out

from a werewolf romantasy WIP by Michael Spearwater
the word 'guard' is highlighted
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"What is this about?" she demanded. "And did you have to show up at my work?"
"Well, you weren't responding to my texts."
"That's because we've got a posted No Porn rule in the store."
"Oh, really?" Pale eyelashes fluttered as the woman laughed. "Oh, there's a story there. But it's your lunchtime, so let's not waste it. How does pasta sound?" She set off before Harriet could say yes or no to the suggestion, and a few minutes later, they were seated with bowls of cold tomato cream spaghetti topped with grated parmesan and garlic scallops. It wasn't what she'd usually order, but there hadn't been a chance to say otherwise with Raquel doing the talking for them both.
Her suit jacket was on the back of her seat, but her white dress shirt would stain terribly if she let any of that sauce hit it. Eating carefully took most of her attention, when she really should be listening more to what the other woman was saying. "What are we doing?" she asked again, as she arranged a napkin along her collar to act as a splash guard.
"Having a lunch date."
"We are not dating."
"Says who?" came the challenge.
"Your boyfriend, for one."
"Yours as well."
"Not anymore," she growled through gritted teeth.
"And likewise, as soon as I feel like informing him," said Raquel. "Once he has nothing more I need. It shouldn't be long now. Oh, I can imagine the look on his face..."
"Didn't you, er, with him last night?" Harriet asked, after a careful forkful of spaghetti with zero slurping.
"So you do read my texts. Well, that was the plan, only he was too drunk when he got home and passed right out." The other woman pouted. "After making me wait for him, of all the nerve. No fun at all. Oh, but there's one detail that might interest you."
"Nothing about that man interests me any more."

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Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 30 is 'guard' In the #mythic fantasy, to guard is to be trusted, which is no small thing when watching over the slumbering form of a goddess

snippet fro 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'guarded' is highlighted
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With voice and with dance, Hiiaka practiced the song under the tutelage of her goddess, each time being more graceful, each time being more perfect, until Honua-Mea could find no fault in her. The goddess then set the sacred bans, the boundaries which warned others away from places of great magic, and made ready for her journey. Hiiaka prepared for her a soft pallet of moss and ferns as she washed in the steaming pool at the heart of the valley, and when she arose from the water, there was a soft towel of flower-cloth awaiting her.
Honua-Mea gave her dearest servant, her little sister of the heart, a kiss farewell, and lay upon the sleeping pallet. There was a power in that naked body, so perfect of form, and as the goddess closed her eyes and willed herself into the ghost lands of sleep, that power flowed away. Such was the trust that Honua-Mea had for her Hiiaka, that she let the handmaiden see her sleeping form so! For in slumber, Honua-Mea showed her true age, showed every wrinkled line of her face, every streak of grey in her hair and the sagging folds of her breasts. This was her most closely guarded secret, and still she entrusted it to her dear Hiiaka.

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Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 29 is 'well' ... ... well... OK, can I fine one example in the #mythic fantasy that is NOT an adverb... Yay, found a verb. Result... 82... out of... 183...

snippet from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the verb 'well' is highlighted
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"How many months have passed since I last
Saw with these eyes of mine a chick to hatch
From its egg with but a scratch.
My son, the pride of my flock has had
Chicks of his own, and it must be said,
His mother, my wife, these long months past,
Lost to the winds by fickle fate and yet
What strange twist of destiny has let
Me do honor to her memory, to see the lands
Which I and she did dream in loving reverie."

Hiiaka felt the tears well up from her eyes as the little bird sang on, of nests now empty and children now grown, of purpose lost and found again. Of many things had she and ʻApapane spoken in their time together, and it guilted her heart that she never once thought to ask of his past life on the Isles of Many Branches. Hers were not the only cheeks so stained with the bird came to the end of his song.

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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 28 is 'delay' In a #travelogue #adventure, #romantasy or otherwise, delays are to be expected, tolerated, but never enjoyed

excerpt from 'A Wager for Wanderlust' by Michael Spearwater
the word 'delay' is highlighted
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Would that the dark between stars swallow the local trundle lines and all its operators with it. Brume could feel the weight of the deadline upon his shoulders, though his promised day was still a full month's count distant. They were two-thirds along, and so any delay now had less chance for him and his itinerary to recover. It was not like the crisis of the Grand Canal, where an alternative route was immediately available, nor like the tangled mess of the Zudic translandian trundle line, where he never need consider it as an option. The Aferonian landmass was a continent of grand longitude, unlike his native Alignea and its sister Eklithea, both of which stretched upon the latitudes. To the north of the Napantlalli was naught but deserts, mountains, and a land as vast as the High Krut, but wilder. To the south was a thousand miles of rain forest, and then another thousand miles of rain forests with mountains. The only route—viable, non-viable, or utter foolishness—remained the traverse of the Land Between North and South, which they were now upon.
And it was slow. It was intractable. It was more slothful than the powerful but lackadaisical beasts which the farmers used to work their fields. It made a trip of a single day into two evenings of patient frustration as he did everything in his power to distract himself from the matter.

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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 26 is 'observe' And you know what? It's time for something new. Here's the first shared snippet from my #werewolf #romantasy WIP

excerpt from a werewolf romantasy, WIP by Michael Spearwater
the word 'observe' is highlighted
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A sigh became a huff became a chuckle. The higher-ups had sent him a rookie to train, so there had to be the occasional lecture. "You read a lot of werewolf stories?"
"Some," Virgil admitted.
"Not gonna say any of them are inaccurate, but you're looking at them the wrong way round," said Wyatt. "Werewolves, vampires, Bigfoot, whatever, the stories aren't there to describe what they did. They help to prescribe what they'll do. People become monsters and lose their human limitations, so we give them new limitations and hope they believe the stories hard enough to make them happen. And maybe this werewolf doesn't care what's in the sky at night. We won't know without more observation."
"Does that mean silver bullets might not..." Virgil trailed off nervously.
"In my experience," said the senior hunter, "bullets don't care about what anyone believes."
A knock at the door: "Er, Detective Wyatt?" The police officer didn't sound too sure. It wasn't worth mentioning that the monster hunter was in no way a detective, but that was the impression he gave to law enforcement in the short span where they needed his services and remembered he'd been there to perform them. "The two witnesses are here."
"The man and the woman? Good." He peeked out the door to observe the two in the foyer of the rental hall. "You send the man to Room A first. This shouldn't take long."
They only needed a moment to prepare, but he had to be a good senior and give the rookie another lesson: "If at all possible, interview within twenty-four hours. Any longer, and their memories will trick themselves into forgetting important details. Most people do not wish to remember. Now, let's go talk to this guy."

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Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 26 is 'observe' Making and executing plans in a #mythic fantasy requires keen observation skills

excerpt from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'observed' is highlighted
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Soon after, she was off into the forest once more, accompanied by ʻApapane the honeycreeper and by Puanani as well, who had been impressed by her dance. The fairy girl had many questions about other islands, and Hiiaka answered them as well as she could, though her own knowledge be limited. They had not traveled an hour ere they found trace of the boar, places where it had rooted and torn the earth to get at the sweet roots of the trees.
“Oh, what a terrible beast!” said Puanani. “How will you defeat it?”
“With thinking and with tricks,” said Hiiaka, “for it is obviously a powerful beast, and I would not gamble on being able to best it in a direct confrontation. Tell me,” she said. “Is there any stone on this isle? A rock or a boulder?”
“Yes,” said Puanani. “Not far from here is an immense rock, left in place from the age when these islands still possessed the fire of creation and thus did still erupt in great bursts of gas and flame. Long has it been since then, but some remnants exist.”
They found the rock, and it was as large as Puanani had said. Though covered by moss and ivy, it was dark and powerful of presence. “It has magic power,” Hiiaka observed, “and is itself a sort of god. O stone!” she called out. “Will you help us? We seek to defeat the great boar, and could sorely use your strength.” Then she danced for the stone, lightly and freely, and sang of its splendid form till she felt its assent without words. “Thank you, O stone,” she said, and she kissed the mossy surface.

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Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I need to start a new #books #selfpromo thread! I've got too many things going on, and even more to come Starting with the ongoing #mermaid #epic on #RoyalRoad (art by Astrid Vujnovich) It's up to Canto X out of XIII, and will keep chugging along till it's done and I can commission covers

royalroad.com

Mer Manoa

Mer Manoa is a deep-sea epic of mermaids, cetaceans, and deep-dwelling secrets. Since time immemorial, merkind has swum the nine seas, the four greater tribes gathered as one under the benevolent rule...

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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 25 is 'nation' The first appearance of this in the #romantasy #travelogue is an important one, as it sets the premise of the entire trip

Joffer had brought out the daily newspaper, as was the merchant son's wont. His fingers were often stained with ink from the cheap pulp paper. “Much to say here,” he reported. “Little of it new or interesting. Society events, trade deals, upcoming nuptials.”
“Lucky dog, you.” Willifer sent a salute Brume's way. “We won't be seeing you around as much, I suppose.”
A shrug from the betrothed. “Such is life, I am afraid. What of the auguries? Is there good fortune in my future?”
Pulp paper rustled. “Let us see... Sign of the Snake, wasn't it? Ah, here: 'All the signs are favourable for travel.' Hmm, that's actually what several of these say. My sign as well.”
Entwan finished chewing through his current bite of chicken and white cheese before wiping his lips and snorting his disbelief. “Of course they all say that. Didn't you see the Ministry of Auguries latest grand missive? Ah, I had it in my bag here... a-hah! Here we are.” A scroll made of a more expensive sort of pulp paper unrolled upon the table. “See? Her Majesty's government is promoting those dæmon rehabilitation projects that Joffer was rabbiting on about, and hoping that more people will travel and conduct trade. What silly business! And look, they included a list of major shipping and trundle lines across the nations of the old Alliance.”
“What's that part say?” Willifer pointed to a smaller box of print in the corner of the paper.

(cut off for length; this thing's denser on wordcount than it looks)

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Reposted by Michael Spearwater

Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 24 is 'meddle' ...which is not in the #mythic fantasy, but we have 'bother', and it's even on the page just ahead of the excerpt I used for 'tumble', so let's go with that.

excerpt from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'bother' is highlighted instead of 'meddle'
---

Hiiaka had no doubts that it was in fact a goddess who stood before her, for the woman carried within her a power and a poise she had only seen in a few people, first among them Honua-Mea. The other people of this village may number sorcerers and chiefs amongst them, but this woman was far beyond even they. Her skin was the creamy white of fresh milk, and her hair the warm brown of a nut from the tree of life. Red as berries were her lips, and her eyes were the deep purple of the sweet potato. She was clad elegantly in a bark dress, and a garland of yellow flowers hung around her neck.
“What have we here?” the goddess asked. “Rare is it for visitors to come to this isle without invitation. And what visitors!” She looked them over. “A bird, a fairy, and a…” Her voice stopped short as she examined Hiiaka. “Yes… and something rarer still, I think. Who might you be?”
“I am Hiiaka, handmaiden of Honua-Mea, on a journey by her bidding. I would apologize for imposing, but our boat lost its way in the storm, and directed itself here out of concern for our safety. If it be a bother, then let us refill our gourds with fresh water and we shall be on our way.”
“Nonsense!” said the goddess. “Though our isle may be difficult to find, its hospitality is unmatched. Please share it with us, for this evening we shall host a party for the King of the Moon, and that shall be a sight to see!”
“Thank you,” said Hiiaka, who could not refuse such an invitation. “Is there any way in which we may assist you?”

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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 23 is 'tumble' In the #creaturefeature, the hero has had a bit of a tumble. Don't worry; it's only a little worse than it looks.

excerpt from 'Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland' by Michael Spearwater
the word 'tumbled' is highlighted
---

“Famous last words,” grumbled Reggie. “Okay, we’re making a pit stop. There’s a convenience store on the main road, right?”
There was, in fact. The store attached to the local garage and trucker weigh-in station was a new addition, built only a year before, but it didn’t look its age. Instead, red brick walls and slate shingles had been colored and weathered to better resemble its neighbor, the old man on the highway. The only thing missing was the lichen, which took longer to grow right. The inside was thoroughly modern, with bright fluorescent lights giving a stark radiance that washed out most colors, so all the food packaging had evolved into garish displays to compensate. Under those lights, JB could feel his skin turning grey, and he kept his eyes hooded so his head wouldn’t ache so badly.
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 ha?” 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.”

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Reposted by Michael Spearwater

Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 23 is 'tumble' In the #mythic fantasy, the heroine aids a different goddess in her work: the making of a grand feast like no other. Things do not go the way she might imagine.

excerpt from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'tumbled' is highlighted
---

“But how shall you do that?” asked Hiiaka, for she saw no meat or fish, no vegetable or fruit—nay, not even a place to hold them!
“We goddesses have our ways, do we not?” said Moki-Uwe. “You name yourself the handmaiden of Honua-Mea; surely you have seen your goddess perform feats and miracles? It is no different for me. Yours is a goddess full of fire, but I have found another calling as the goddess of plenty. You wonder that there is no food here? You are mistaken; I am the food, and it is I.”
Moki-Uwe took her knife and pressed it to her arm till it bled, and each crimson droplet landed on the ground as a perfect red berry. Next she took a handful of her hair and sheared it off, placing next to the berries the bundle of exotic grain it had become. “This is what it means to be a goddess: responsibility and sacrifice. You would do well to remember.”
“I do not know why you tell me this, but I thank you,” said Hiiaka. “So all of the food outside is of your making?”
“It is all mine, as it is of me. And so I provide for those who dwell here and those who visit, as well. Now, take this knife and help me prepare.”
Hiiaka did as she was told, though she found it distasteful. Every part of Moki-Uwe seemed capable of becoming a different food, and the goddess knew well exactly where to cut or what to bleed in order to get what she needed. Where she spat upon the ground, fish would appear, and where her tears fell, delicate fruits tumbled. Never once did the goddess cry out in pain, however, and the handmaiden was rightly impressed by her dedication. Had her own Honua-Mea ever done a thing as selfless as this? Never in a thousand thousand lifetimes, she thought.

0101

Reposted by Michael Spearwater

Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 22 is 'meltdown,' and while this word does not fit in the general lexicon of a #mythic fantasy, when there's a volcano goddess around, there shall be meltdowns in every sense of the word

excerpt from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
---

It was almost night by the time they reached the place near the mountain peak where Honua-Mea held court, but the way was lit by a hundred lanterns, each burning with a bit of flame borrowed from the volcano itself. Upon a throne of blackest stone, the goddess awaited them, with all her other handmaidens but one gathered behind her. On the bare ground at her feet, Hopoe lay slumped and still.
“What is this?” cried Hiiaka when she arrived and saw her friend. “What did you do?”
“The dancer Nanahuki our handmaiden has been punished,” said Honua-Mea in deep, angry tones. “She dared speak back, to repeat the lie I know to be false, that my Lohiau is soon to arrive. He will never come!” cried the goddess. “It has been too long and he is lost to me forever.”
“What are you saying?” demanded Hiiaka. “I have brought him to you now. He stands with me before you.”
“Do not deceive me, ungrateful child whom I once called little sister! You have taken so long—too long!—in accomplishing my commands. You have tarried so that you may win my Lohiau from me!” the goddess accused. “Yes! Just as Lilinoe wanted him, and as the mortal women of the north wanted him. But I wanted him more! More than anyone! How could you take him from me?”
Truly was Hiiaka at a loss for words, for nothing that escaped the lips of her mistress could be farther from the truth. “Do you not hear yourself?” she asked. “Your worry consumes you and makes you blind! Your Lohiau is here, right now, for you!”
“So did Hopoe say, and she lied!” said Honua-Mea. “For it can not be the truth!”

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Reposted by Michael Spearwater

Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 20 is 'signal' From the #mythic fantasy, a showdown of symbolism

excerpt from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'signal' is highlighted
--

In answer, the fantail bird called Tiʻwaka-waka fluttered down, strutting the boards of the magic shell with his signature display. The feathers of his tail spread wide, and where once only two dark plumes were visible, now three more or purest white appeared to either side. Through them flowed the magic of the skies, so that as they swayed left and right, small whorls of breeze curled away. “Look at me!” they seemed to say, and in stately strut did Tiʻwaka-waka present himself. With measured poise he defined his dance, and with it the essence of courtly desire.
Through skips and struts he made his case, laying forth the facts as so. This slip of a girl, this child before him, what did she know of the world, of people, of life? A silly young thing, enchanted by ideas greater than her means to comprehend and yet following them willingly, willfully, blindly off the cliff of fate. Oh ho ho, the bird feigned to laugh, face artfully hid behind one wing in mockery. Such a child had no place in the World Above, where her ignorance could only hang from her like a stone.
To this Puanani put down her foot, her toes tracing a delicate arc in the air as her sole rose and fell to the deck of the magic shell. A simple gesture, firm and assertive, and from it led a dance that was the fairy herself. Much time had she spent with Hiiaka, and much had she learned from watching the handmaiden. A hand might twist and wave to signal many things, and in this moment she made the signs of abnegation, of denial, of retort.

051

Reposted by Michael Spearwater

Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 21 is 'stream' When exploring the isles in a #mythic fantasy, streams are vital discoveries. Just be aware of what lives within.

excerpt from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'stream' is highlighted twice
--
They found a stream, but it was brackish and not good to drink, so they followed its track up through the forest to its source. This was not the forest of their home isles, and many plants were strange even to Leinani. The way was difficult, for there was hardly a trail to be found, and fallen logs were plentiful. But in the Isles of the Clouds, the forest is thick yet not so wide, and soon they were clear of it and standing before the source of the stream.
From high above, water fell into a natural cleft in the face of the mountain, and over so many years it had carved out a tiny valley with a pool of extraordinary depth and clarity. Truly, it seemed as if one could see all the way to the bottom, though it was very far down.
“This must be the place of some god,” said Hiiaka, and Leinani agreed. Together they sang a prayer of thanks before opening their gourds to gather the much-needed water.

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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 21 is 'stream' Let me see, what's an example from the #romantasy #travelogue in a non-spicy context... ah, here we are, in one of the epistolary sections, hence the handwriting font

snippet from 'A Wager for Wanderlust' by Michael Spearwater
the word 'stream' is highlighted
--

23rd of Hynderfan / 1st of Usaget II
The sky was so dark tonight. The moon is new, and the stars came out like no display I have ever seen. They say that the mæn of the Bynthine Ocean use the stars as their map, following their signs to journey from isle to isle. What we call the River of Milk in Zudic, or the Silver Stream in Gessyugi, they call the Current in the Sky, and the stars within it are like fish swimming home.
Image

Oh, to be a fish,
Swimming against the current
In search of warm seas

0232

Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 20 is 'signal' ...perhaps it is best that the page cuts where it does, or else I'd be need a warning label on here From the #romantasy #travelogue

snippet from 'A Wager for Wanderlust' by Michael Spearwater
the word 'signal' in 'signalled' is highlighted
--

A sigh of contentment signalled a happy collapse onto the cushions. “That was, ah...”
“Perfect,” he supplied for her.
“Yes...” There was the trace of a purr at the end of the syllable. “Is there aught else you have for me? I must admit that I feel the need to recover a moment first.”
“Alas,” said he, mindful of a tightness in his trousers, “I have promised to meet friends for lunch downstairs, and the hour is upon us.”
“Already...?” He looked up to see the moue of disappointment on the lady's red-painted lips. He kissed them as well, with gentle hunger. “Ah, and do I truly taste like that?”
“Truly sweet you are,” he said. “But sadly, I cannot continue.”

061

Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 19 is 'tube' In the #romantasy #travelogue, it takes all kinds to keep a voyage going, and some of those kinds are of a more artificial nature

excerpt from 'A Wager for Wanderlust' by Michael Spearwater
the word 'tube' is highlighted
---

A single sequence of trundle carriages sat on the rails, each cab blocky and solid with a half storey for passengers set above the main cabin holds. The thing was the black of wrought iron, whilst its attendants were all silver without polish.
The pawns, as they were called. The hard-working pieces of the chess set, identical in their blind obedience to commands and their constant forward motion. They were built in the silhouette of mæn, vaguely and without thought as to which kind. Two arms, two legs, a body, a head: Melitza had seen the dolls of children with more character to them. But a pawn would not be a pawn if it were unique, and this made its superiors easier to recognize.
Positioned at the base of the loading ramp, there was the next rung up the locomaton hierarchy, the sort her grandmother would call the turrets, for they could give direction but were otherwise as straightforward as the pawns they supervised. The turret was a thing of cylinders connected end-to-end with rubber tubes and gaskets, stolidly standing upon its tripodal arrangement as red lights travelled a circuit around its bucket-shaped head.
The hand which accepted their travelling papers was realistic—jarringly so, with its five fingers in a cloth glove. The fine instrument was too good for the tinker-yard appearance of the turret.
“All is in order,” it confirmed in its crackly, atonal version of the Krutki tongue. “Place luggage in bin. Passenger carriage is designated Number Three. Please proceed. And a nice day to you all.” The last sentence was delivered in a completely different tone that could almost have been a recording of someone else's voice entirely. The turret waved them farewell with that unsettling hand.

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Reposted by Michael Spearwater

Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 19 is 'tube' Not one to be found in the #mythic fantasy, but at least one good instance in the #mermaid epic By nice timing, it's also from the most recent update on #RoyalRoad www.royalroad.com/fiction/1153... and a happy #selfpromosaturday to all

excerpt from Mer Manoa by Maikel Yarimizu
'tube' is highlighted
---

The final stretch was nothing but the flat silt plain of the fundament stretching below the jagged plane of the firmament, with cracks and holes that broke the world. Things lived above; their shadows were visible through the thinner places in the ice, and some would dive through the clear fathoms from time to time, snatching fishes and then floating back high. Pinky swam alongside the beasts for a ways, her whistling in her way and them barking in theirs, before the delphin rose to a break in the firmament to make her regular kiss.
Then, finally, after more than a week of going there, they got there. A big rock of brown and black popped out of the distant haze like a tube-nosed eel, and it weren’t any prettier for it. The old mount rose from the fundament, mud and silt shedding down its sides, while anything near to the firmament was hidden by the ice. From the distance of a first glance, Rook couldn’t make out any more than that. But she wasn’t limited by the distance of her eyes anymore.
“Hey, Elspeth. Could’jer spell me on this?” she asked. The brown-on-white equmara lass was still the better worker of the kinetic grammars, and it always helped to have a friend watching for mess-haps. Holding her hands with the fingers to make a big circle, she placed the runes of stillness in a pattern of grammar that only she could see.
But Blaer could feel it as she held Rook from behind and supported her arms. But Elspeth could hear it as she chanted it out. A gentle touch corrected her pose, while a note sung low fixed a weak point in the course of her own chant ere she could finish making it. As she intoned the final syllable and the grammar quickened, the space between her hands rippled and then smoothed to unnatural stillness. Different layers of effect worked with each other to make what she saw through it large and clear to her eyes. The big rock over yonder suddenly weren’t so distant.

0202

Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 16 is 'call' In the #romantasy #travelogue, it is time for tea and exposition.

“Amadeo Lutencio Firallis Etrovan Brume!”
It was the tradition to list as many ancestors as possible within twenty syllables of a name, and his own came to fifteen. Many-greats-grandfather Tiliovecchio sadly had not made it through the count. It was also common tradition to ignore all of those middle names unless and until they were required to scold one properly. That his father felt the need to drag them out of storage like this was not a good sign, though it was surely expected.
“Why, hello, Father,” said Brume as he entered his parlour once more to find his parent standing there, red in the face. “Shall I call Pomor to steep the tea? We still have a few sachets of Lord Wessingher's Morning Selection.”
“Cut the bilious bloviation, my son. What do you think it is that you are going?”
“You happen to be the second person to ask me that in the past half hour,” Brume noted. “I am afraid to repeat myself too often now, lest I be a bore. It was all passed on by messenger dæmon.”
“Yes, certainly. 'Taking Great-Aunt Cimorine's travel advice. Will be home by wedding. Honour of family and large purse at stake.' Really, Amadeo? I think half the city knows, and yet I note that what bindings you put on the messenger dæmons prevent the gossipy little twits from leaving the city with this news.”
“Ah, does it so? I suppose I should check my bindings more thoroughly. What would Mother say?”
“Nothing, because she's overseeing a new branch of the messenger service towards Dervisshire and that happens to be just about the only place this message and news shall not be going to-day. Really, Amadeo? She is going to erupt like Old Besabia when she hears.”
“And when shall you inform her?”
His father's face had flushed the red of apoplexy away, leaving his thoughts and feelings clearer to read, and the story they told was both old and new to his son. “This evening, I suppose. If I send a messenger dæmon at half-past the eighth hour, she should receive it just before the ninth.”

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Reposted by Michael Spearwater

Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 16 is 'call' In the #mythic fantasy, what a goddess is called is not always what she wishes to be called

snippet from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'called' is highlighted
--

Few are those who can claim to have seen this goddess in the flesh, but of those who have, all use the same words to describe her: alluring, graceful, powerful. Her skin is the golden sheen of the clouds at sunset, sent by the gods of the firmament to show great tidings. Her hair is the black of volcanic glass, and her eyes smoulder and shine. She is the heart of the land, the heat which flows like blood beneath its surface. She is life and lust and every fiery emotion. Yes, say those who know, the goddess is everything she is described to be, and dangerous besides. In public, she is called Honua-Mea, the Lady of the Sacred Land, but in quiet whispers behind walls of cane, cloth, and hide, she is ‘Ai-Honua, the Witch who Devours the Land.

0121

Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 15 is 'exterior' When in a #romantasy #travelogue, it's important to take notes of appearances and inner realities as best one can. The least of observances can be the most interesting

excerpt from 'A Wager for Wanderlust' by Michael Spearwater
the word 'exterior' is highlighted
--

Looking to the right, no sign of Miss Atsalnova was to be found, but there was a general movement from the main hall to the lodge's plentiful side rooms for private entertainments and relations. He wished her the best in whatever endeavour she was about to partake.
But for himself, oh, what to do, and with whom? Folk of all kinds still loitered around the main hall, having conversations and making connections before taking things private. His inability to speak the local tongue would not help here, so he need play a different game. Sitting at a now-empty table near the middle, where a bowl of fruit remained half-full and delicious, he took out his sketching pad once more and began a study of the stranger and more exotic items. One such fruit, called the ha'amaina locally, was the size of one's head before it was cut in quarters lengthwise to reveal a sweet-sour yellow meat within its scaly exterior. The meat was further cubed so as to be easily speared by forks for the diner's enjoyment. Another fruit was furled in layers of fleshy, bright red leaves, though the meat itself was grey with dark seeds and was vaguely spicy upon the tongue. And the nababa fingers were subtly different from those grown in the Many Lands, being firmer and starchier. His pencil traced back and forth, recording the shapes and proportions as best it could.
“A'iu'eo.” It sounded like a greeting, and he was happy to find that his ears did not lie. A lass of the under-isles, the shallow waters immediately around and between the shores of the Bynthine, took a seat next to him, arranging her curling, boneless limbs below her. Inky dark eyes glanced curiously at the papers, and a questioning note followed.

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Reposted by Michael Spearwater

Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 15 is 'exterior' In the #mythic fantasy, and many other places besides, it's wise not to assume the interior by the exterior (tbh, might change this word to something else to better fit the tone, but it's there for now)

excerpt from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'exterior' is highlighted
---

“I know that I see an old woman, and I believe her to be a witch,” said Hiiaka. “I know that my friend has had terrible magic wrought upon her, and I believe you to be responsible, for there is no one else upon this isle.”
“There are the beasts of the land,” said the old woman. “And the birds of the air, and yes, the mice which creep through the grass as well. Are they not people?” She did not wait for Hiiaka to reply, but continued. “Well, as you are here now, come in and sit.”
Hiiaka did as the old woman bade, though she was nervous and careful in her steps. ʻApapane took his rest in her hair, and together they entered. The inside of the hut was a surprise, for it was more spacious than its exterior would suggest. There was a greater magic at work here than she had expected, and nervousness gave way to vigilance. The walls of the dwelling were lined with shelves, each one filled with tiny statues carved from swamp wood. There were birds and lizards, frogs and mice, and even some larger pieces like pigs and chickens. Each looked so lifelike that Hiiaka could swear that they moved when her eyes passed from them. The rest of the hut was dedicated to the sundries of life: lines of fish, stacks of root vegetables, and a small oven upon which to cook.
“Might I know the name of my hostess?” she asked as the old woman poured a bowl of water for them to share.
“Call me Aiaiʻa, if you must call me anything,” said the woman. She motioned to a short table. “Here. Sit.”

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Reposted by Michael Spearwater

Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 14 is 'month' A month happens to be how much time passes, give or take, in the first half of the #mythic fantasy. A lot can happen in a single month...

snippet from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'month' is highlighted
--

“I say this again: I am Rohein son of Rons, and I am the sum of a hundred generations, of a hundred mighty chiefs and sorcerers whose blood now culminates in me! I have loved a goddess and survived, no matter how ardent her passion did burn! I have slept a month and more to dally with her in her dreams Even now, I fly to be by her side.
“Do you deny my strength, noble hawk, or seek to prevent me from rejoining she who has claim upon my hand in marriage? For I shall fight you if I must, and though a single man I may be, like fifty strong do I strike!” And from the shoulders of Lohiau, the rainbow mantle rose like clouds above the volcanic peaks which warn of the force to come. “Will you, then?” the man demanded.

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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 14 is 'month' Time management and calendars are a major part of the #romantasy #travelogue, which is likely why there are so many of them. Every time the journey takes the protagonist into a new dating system, he just adds it to the list, until it ends up like so:

Final date notation for 'A Wager for Wanderlust' by Michael Spearwater
It utilizes an inordinate number of calendrical systems
--

The day of the Wedding

The Fifth of Oksefen, or Pecoras, the Month of the Kine
The Twenty-Fifth of Ïulës
The Eighteenth of Peristoros
Year of the Merciful 1752

The Nineteenth of Kine,
second month of the Season of Floods
Year 372 of the XXXIVth Dynasty

The Eighteenth Day of the Sailing Month,
Year 1345 after the Fall of the Kingdom

The Eighteenth of Tyrza, or Tïksyna,
the Month of Accuity
The two-thousand-and-twentieth
year of the Eternal Falsa,
Fourth Year of Faravsya, Clad in Gems

The Seventeenth of Owahst-meñ, the Month of Growth
twenty-first year of the Toch'Krut

The Seventeenth of Tataget,
the Year of the Gilded Rat,
the seventeenth of Emperor Daisyo's reign

The Seventh Fulsome Day of Kawa'u,
Month of the Glossy Green Leaf

The Second Day of the Reed Period, Jaguar of Reed,
Year of the Old Knife, Eighth in the Fortieth Cycle of the Age

The Third Day of the Ripening Month,
Year of the League 27

0121

Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 13 is 'distract' Reaching back to the start of the #romantasy #travelogue here for an example

excerpt from 'A Wager for Wanderlust' by Michael Spearwater
the word 'distract' is highlighted
--

There was not much time, and so he spent what little he had on a quick hug to his mother. He paid no mind to the flash of the picture-lamps in the background. Master Brume was making one last speech to the news-mongers, and such was to be expected. “I'll be home soon enough, mother,” he promised. “It is just a job, like any other. You shall see.”
His cheek had a callus from the number of pinches it had gotten, just like the one his mother left on it now. “You better. And beware of those wanton foreign lasses. I hear the stories, you realise. Get back here with a decent wage in your pocket, and we'll see about finding you a good, honest skurl-lass to wed.”
“Never fret, madam,” said Master Brume as he led Ollover away. “Your lad is safe with me. I shall insist he not do any such thing as I would not do myself.”
It seemed to Ollover, when thinking back on this moment, that the casual honorific to his mother had done its job to dazzle her and distract her from the fact that, to a mæn, the gathered news-mongers had guffawed at that final statement.
“Fare you well, everyone! We shall see you in ninety days' time!”

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Reposted by Michael Spearwater

Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 13/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 13 is 'distract' And so, we have a 'distraction' from the #mythic fantasy WIP

snippet from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'distraction' is highlighted
---

Dreams were not a thing which bothered Keilani often. When her spirit quit her body for the realms of slumber, it rarely felt the need to travel far, and the greater among the images dwelling in that space rarely found her ere wakefulness reeled her back to the realm of life. At most, she was visited by little dreams, passing thoughts and images of fancy which might fly past swiftly or else stop and sit for a while upon her dream-self. Never did she remember them well.
That night, her entrance to slumber was slow in coming, as thoughts and worries anchored her spirit too heavily to the realm of life. Her ears caught the faint noises of the evening, the wind in the leaves and the surf on the sand, or the footfalls and quiet laughter of villagers returning to their lodges. On the other side of the room, the slow breathing of her sudden lodgemate was a jarring new distraction.

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Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 12 is 'wedge' While the word itself does not appear in the #mythic fantasy, one of the book's various background myths implies that there was a lot of wedging and separating going on at one point

excerpt from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire'
no highlights, but the vibe is 'wedge'
--

It is said that long ago the land and the sky were married, as close to one another as any mortal husband and wife, and in their wedded bliss there was precious little space between them. The plants which grew were short and stunted, and the animals were forced to crawl on their bellies lest they be crushed. But then from this loving embrace were born the first gods, powerful and bold, who found it necessary to forcibly separate their overly amorous parents, lifting the sky upon high and driving the land down beneath the sea so that life might have a chance to breathe in the space between them. In this way was everything divided between the World Above, the World Below, and the World Beneath the Waves.

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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 10 is 'teeth' And what #creaturefeature would be complete without large numbers of teeth in endless variety? Big or small, sharp or dull, we all snack here.

excerpt from 'Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland' by Michael Spearwater
the word 'teeth' is highlighted
--

Out in the woods on a cool autumn evening, it was quiet. Frank Henderson refused to let his brain fill in the next most logical words, cliché as they were. Instead, he stared out the window of his rental cabin and prayed for… something. At this point, he wasn’t quite sure what.
A field guide sat on the small table next to the window, alongside a pair of binoculars. He knew as well as an informed layman could what sort of beasts should be out and about. Where were the usual creatures of the night, he wondered; the foxes, raccoons, and other moderately fuzzy things that called this forest area home? In the last few days, he’d seen nothing of that. Nothing but…
His gaze turned to the old glass aquarium by the far wall, in which a battered and muddy sneaker sat. As if sensing his gaze, the shoe growled at him. Fake leather parted from its rubber sole, revealing parallel lines of little teeth. He’d learned that it preferred small prey, mice or sparrows, but it wouldn’t turn down dog food.
Or fingers, as his bandaged hands could attest.

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Reposted by Michael Spearwater

Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 10 is 'teeth' From early in the #mythic fantasy, with the sorcerer who can command anyone whose name he knows...

excerpt from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'teeth' is highlighted
--

“Oh, Leinani!” said Hiiaka. “What troubles you so? Does some ill spirit disturb you in the realm of sleep and dream?”
“Nay, no spirit, but something worse besides!” cried Leinani. “As I predicted, Po has divined our trickery and has forced some villager to divulge to him my name! I felt him visit me in my dreams, telling me what he would make me do. Oh! what a vile man!”
“What shall we do?” asked Hiiaka.
“Quick, tie me well with this knotted rope. He is not here to command me now, but he will be soon. Oh, hurry!”
No sooner had Hiiaka finished tying her friend than Po appeared, riding high on a great wave that slid across the open water against all currents. There was no board beneath his feet, but he rode the surf more nimbly than any son of the chiefs, for such was the power granted to him by his lineage. “I have found you, O treacherous women! O lying women! You have stolen my boat, and you shall pay!” He began listing all the awful acts which he would force upon them, each more degrading than the last, until Hiiaka felt her ears burn with shame and her heart with hate.
“You vile man!” she shouted into the rising waves. “You do not know whom you insult with your filthy threats, but surely you shall yourself pay for your words!”
“I know you are a liar and a thief!” Po shouted back. “And though I know not your name yet, I know that of your sister, for the fisherman told me as much. É Leinani! Stand and greet me!”
“I cannot!” Leinani cried. “For I am tied down!”
“Then tell me the name of your sister!” he demanded. “Tell me now!”
The medicine-maker gritted her teeth and cried as she rolled back and forth within the bed of the boat. She fought the order as well as she could, but she was only human, while Po held the power of the sea behind his words. Finally, she shouted out, “My sister, her name is Keilani!”

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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 9 is 'mental' Let me see, what haven't we looked at in a while... From the #romantasy #travelogue

snippet from 'A Wager for Wanderlust' by Michael Spearwater
the word 'mental' is highlighted
--

“Come on out, Brume!” she said, not quite at the shout it deserved. “You've been naught but bound to your cabin this past week, and so help me, if I need to actually begin to worry about your well-being...”
She was on the street, in front of the public house whose upper rooms they had rented for a night. Fancy-lad was still in the rooms. A spectre of worry raised its head within her, and she batted it away with a mental fist of annoyance. “Do not make me come up there, only to throw you out the window!”
“Fine! I am coming!” His voice was thin but unwavering. A moment later, Brume was out the front door. “Ah, where are the others?”

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Michael Spearwater @michaelspearwater.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 7 is 'elevator' From the #creaturefeature! (plot-relevant character name redacted, since this happens near the end of the story)

excerpt from 'Monsters Among Us : Teenage Wasteland' by Michael Spearwater
the word 'elevator' is highlighted twice
one name is redacted.

---

A map of the building hung next to the front desk, helpfully pointing out all of the emergency exits. “########’s got to be on the fourth floor, right?” said JB as he examined the layout. “Elevator or stairs?”
“Electricity’s out.” His friend thumbed upward at darkened light bulbs.
“Should still check,” he said. “Maybe they’re on a different power source or something.” Standing out of the way of the elevator’s door, he reached over and pressed the up button on the wall. The door did open, but through no act of engineering or electricity. Like a set of vertical jaws, they pried apart to reveal thick cords of gloop lining the walls as gobs of liquid green passed up and down. It looked too much like the inside of someone’s throat, down to the squeezing and gurgling.
JB tossed one of their pipe bombs in before the fleshy green jaws closed back. The explosion bent the door metal outward, and acrid black smoke leaked through the cracks.
“Stairs,” they said in unison.

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Reposted by Michael Spearwater

Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 7 is 'elevator' ... ... Yeah... that's not happening in the #mythic fantasy Not the #mermaid epic, either The #princess series? ... Well I'll be, in episode 14 and out of character, but we have a winner!

excerpt from Princesses of the Pizza Parlor, ep. 14, 'A Few Princesses More' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'elevator' is highlighted
---

The rope trailed long behind the chariot, gaining from it some of the divine aura, and golden sparklies flew as it whipped monsters in passing. Shadows arose, grasping and grabbing, from the cracks and crevices of the undercity plaza, only to cringe away from the light and dissolve. There were brief glimpses of the summoner, the satyr robed in shadows who appeared to be in charge. When they next veered close enough, Dell gave the command, "Snatch."
The dice of fate must've been well and truly on their side that evening, because she didn't know how else to explain why the summoner chose that moment to turn, to step, to present the perfect angle for the rope to grab his ankle, but he did and it did and away they went with a very upset satyr dragging behind them.
And then Seshat urged the chariot to go faster...

[spacer image]

"No, I am not going to go into further detail," Uncle told the gaggle of little ghouls around the table. "Suffice to say that, for a brief moment, the satyr leader really didn't enjoy the trip." The map on the table told the tale in toppled toys and figurines, the end result of several good dice rolls facing off against several less-good ones, and the nature of that oracular juggernaut spell only made things more imbalanced with every success. "Look, it's almost time to go, and we've got a showdown and some final scenes left. Accept the win, ignore the carnage, and let's get to it."
He didn't need to beg. Their own eyes could see the fading daylight through the window. "Fine," said his niece. "But the park is still way up and my princess is in her chair. Is the elevator even working?"
"Maybe we should've thought of that sooner?" said Shelby.

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Reposted by Michael Spearwater

Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

#WIPSnips for Sept. 6 is 'sigh' We have a true snippet from the #Polynesian #mythic fantasy today, and not an entire page. Some things are better in suspense

snippet from 'Sea of Life, Heart of Fire' by Maikel Yarimizu
the word 'sigh' is highlighted
--

There was not a sound to be heard behind her, and yet her ears caught that not-a-sound perfectly. It was like the sigh of an ant or the footsteps of a ghost, existing somewhere beyond the limits of hearing and yet there nonetheless. Whatever subtle signs her ears did catch, she could not say, only that she knew beyond knowing that there stood someone behind them now.

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Reposted by Michael Spearwater

Maikel Yarimizu @maikelyarimizu.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

For #selfpromosaturday / #selfpromosunday I need to remind the world that I have a #mermaid #epic series in progress on #RoyalRoad Currently in Canto X out of XIII, so things are moving right along. Lovely mermaid art by Astrid Vujnovic, who also does the Pizza Princess covers for me

royalroad.com

Mer Manoa

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