Storyfeather

A starry-eyed youth seeks to entreat the man in the moon to stop the lunar fairies from causing terrible storms in the earthen realm. Genre: Mythology, Fairy Tale, Fable Excerpt: The starry-eyed youth named Carson cast his gaze at the full moon. His father had just cursed it, or rather, he had cursed those who dwelt upon it. "A storm is coming," his father said, gazing up at the low and looming clouds. "A storm with high winds." Yet another storm, the fourth one in as many days. "Soon it will storm day and night," his father said. And then he raised a fist to the full bright moon and shook it. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Moonbroch: "This is an old word from the far north of Scotland for a hazy halo of cloud around the moon at night that was supposedly a sign of bad weather to come." (Source: Mental Floss) Follow my Fictioneering MischiefSign up to get a monthly round-up of my recent podcast episodes, short stories, trailers, news, recommendations, and more by email in the STORYFEATHER GAZETTE. Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "The Moonbroch" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Scroll of the wind walker" "The village" "Elders wisdom" "Northern dusk" "Dark fields" "Secret water" "Infinite land" "Winterheart" "Faeries" "The village near the lake" "Seasons" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.netFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. At center bottom, two figures in silhouette and in profile hold their bent arms out toward each other. The figure at left has shaggy hair and is seen from shoulders up. The figure at right is taller, seen from chest up. Both their palms are held loosely up. Above their hands is a bright orb of light, surrounded by dark, which itself is surrounded by a ring of light, which encompasses the two figures. This ring of light is then surrounded by patches of darkness. Just visible above the left figure's hand is the translucent light silhouette of a moth.

A dying wizard forges a pair of enchanted rings to help himself fulfill his last wish, to speak with his baby granddaughter. Genre: Fantasy Excerpt: When my grandfather, the humble and ordinary wizard Caducus, first heard the whispers of the after-world summoning him, he decided to heed the call, but only after achieving his last wish. My grandfather's trade always gave him strength, even as time drained that strength away. The race could not abide forever. One of the runners must lose. And in the race against time, time never lost. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Caducity: 1. Archaic. The infirmity or weakness of old age. 2. Literary. The quality of being perishable or transitory (example: the caducity of life) (source: dictionary.com) From the Latin "Caducus" meaning: falling, fallen; hurled (like lightning); frail, perishable, transitory (source: Langenscheidt Pocket Latin Dictionary) Follow my Fictioneering MischiefSign up to get a monthly round-up of my recent podcast episodes, short stories, trailers, news, recommendations, and more by email in the STORYFEATHER GAZETTE. Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "The Last Wish of Caducus the Wizard" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by TRG BANKS "Keith in 1987" "The silver bus" "After midnight" "Packed lunch" "Great Aunt Henrietta" Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Joy" "Silent walk" "Everything and more" Music by ANDREW SITKOV (MuzStation Game Music)* "Casual Theme #3" "Casual Theme #1" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Andrew Sitkov and Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Music by TRG Banks is licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal LicenseSound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Nicholas Jeudy and Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.netFind more music by TRG Banks at bandcamp.comFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. At left, an elderly man seen from waist up, wearing a long sleeved tunic with a piled collar and an upside down pentagon pendant. He smiles and points his left index finger at a curly-haired young toddler in left profile sitting with outstretched legs on a soft surface, a pillow or bed. The man's right hand rests on the toddler's feet. Both of the man's hands are adorned with rings. The toddler wears a ring around the neck. A butterfly is perched behind the toddler's shoulder.

A modest town at the foot of the mountain holds a contest every summer with a powerful prize. Genre: Mystery, Mythology Excerpt: The Contest Chevelure was a time-honored competition held in a modest town in the middle of a modest country. It was a contest to see who could have the most extravagant and beautiful head of hair. Only, there was one notable detail. None of the people in the town had any hair on their heads. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Chevelure: a head of hair (source: dictionary.com) Milestone Alert! I posted my 500th short story mere days before releasing this episode: "ATTACK OF THE PANTALOONS FROM THE MOON" Follow my Fictioneering MischiefSign up to get a monthly round-up of my recent podcast episodes, short stories, trailers, news, recommendations, and more by email in the STORYFEATHER GAZETTE. Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "Contest Chevelure" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by ANDREW SITKOV (MuzStation Game Music)* "Medieval Theme #5" "Lyric Voices #5" "Medieval Track #1 (looped)" "Medieval Theme #3" "Be a Hero" "Peace in My World (final theme)" Music by BENJAMIN CARR (Scythuz)* "Crystal Caves" "Dwarven Settlement" Music by ALBERT FERNANDEZ (Audio Alchemist, Potion Studio)* "Locations Medieval Tavern Song" "Exploration Cave (loop)" "Exploration Forest of Magic" "Humorous Exploration (loop)" "Locations Court Song" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Albert Fernandez, Benjamin Carr, and Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Benjamin Carr, Andrew Sitkov, and Albert Fernandez at gamedevmarket.netFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Center bottom third, a figure facing forward, seen from shoulders up, wearing a scarf around the neck and a fitted coat. Her head is tilted up and her left hand is extended up, index finger pointing up, and other fingers held loosely. She has no hair, but a set of spiraling horns emerging from the top of her head and extending up through the top two-thirds of the image. A second set of shorter spiraling horns extend from the back of her head. She stands beneath a starry sky. A falling star streaks across that sky from upper right to lower left, just between the span of her horns.

A researcher comes across a legendary text and is overwhelmed by the knowledge contained within. Genre: Mystery, Mythology Excerpt: I glanced at the clean white bandage wrapped around her left hand and a good ways down her wrist. "It's going to be all right," I said. "I'm here to help." The steely-eyed woman sitting across from me in the booth gave a single nod. She wasted no time on small talk and launched straight into her first question. "The Axiom Enchiridion, ever heard of it?" What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Palimpsest: a parchment or the like from which writing has been partially or completely erased to make room for another text. (source: dictionary.com) Follow my Fictioneering MischiefSign up to get a monthly round-up of my recent podcast episodes, short stories, trailers, news, recommendations, and more by email in the STORYFEATHER GAZETTE. Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "A Handbook of Universal Truths" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Master" "Learning punch" "Genetic marker" "Men in black" "Connecting dots" "Under the mask" "Negociation" "Mindhunter" "Complexe mind" Music by RAFAEL ARCHANGEL "Smoke" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Music by Rafael Archangel is licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal License Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.netFind more music by Rafael Archangel at bandcamp.comFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A portal that looks like an iris. The center is dark, save for one small bright spot like a star. Surrounding this center is a toroidal or donut shape. This is surrounded by circular layers of lightning sparks and ripples of different colors.

A mortal apprentice to an immortal being is tempted to steal the great powers contained within the Cosmic Hourglass to tilt the balance of the cosmos toward good. Genre: Mythology Excerpt: When young mortals were told the story of the Cosmic Hourglass for the first time, and taught to cherish each speck of sand, many would ask a question that their teachers foresaw (and had themselves asked). Why sand? The teachers would smile, for this was one of the questions they were ready to answer. And they would answer. A single speck of sand is so small that even the wind can lift it. But a multitude of grains together are so powerful that they can bury a city. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?I…cheated? There was apparently no word that inspired this story. I just wanted to write a myth about cosmic powers, and hourglasses. Follow my Fictioneering MischiefSign up to get a monthly round-up of my recent podcast episodes, short stories, trailers, news, recommendations, and more by email in the STORYFEATHER GAZETTE. Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "The Cosmic Hourglass" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Dark fields" "Emblem" "Peacefull place" "Secret water" "Into wild lands" "Experiment 7" "The village near the lake" "Shadow forest" "Transfiguration" "Sancta terra" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Find more music by Digital Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.netFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. At center, an hourglass with an equal amount of glittering sand on the top and bottom levels. Two hands hold the hourglass in place at top and bottom. The hands share the complexion of the face behind the hourglass and seen through its glass. The face looks forward. Light symmetrical lines extend over the face from the centerline out. The face's hair flares out from the side, growing more voluminous from chin to top of head.

A private investigator who thinks she's chasing a thief realizes that her case may be linked to her own uncanny past, and a truth she may not be ready to face. Genre: Mystery Excerpt: She didn't let me into her house, but she did give me the trash bag with the broken shards of the mirror. And she did agree to take a picture of the mirror's remnants with my camera. (She frowned when Iteased her not to steal it.) My phone had a better lens than that old camera, but this wasn't the first time someone didn't let me in somewhere, but did agree to take pictures for me. I nodded to myself as I reviewed the pictures. I would be able to put the shards back together again. And compare them to the other mirrors I'd reassembled. I could already guess what I would find. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Adventitious: 1) Associated with something by chance rather than as an integral part 2) Botany, Zoology. Appearing in an abnormal or unusual position or place, as a root. (source dictionary.com) Follow my Fictioneering MischiefSign up to get a monthly round-up of my recent podcast episodes, short stories, trailers, news, recommendations, and more by email in the STORYFEATHER GAZETTE. Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "All the Mirrors Are Broken" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Cold case" "Genetic marker" "Connecting dots" "In search for" "Under the mask" "Neon city" Music by TAO AND SOUND* "80s Synth Ambient 01 C" Music by RAFAEL ARCHANGEL "Smoke" "So Cold" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy and Tao and Sound is licensed from GameDev Market Music by Rafael Archangel is licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal LicenseSound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Nicholas Jeudy and Tao and Sound at gamedevmarket.netFind more music by Rafael Archangel at bandcamp.comFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A woman seen from the left, crouching and picking up a shard of glass. She wears a knee-length coat which flares down from the waist. More shards of glass lie on the floor. She holds a small notebook in her left hand, and wears a ring with a stone on her right hand. At top left, glass shatters outward from left to right above her head. On the wall or surface behind are faint elemental symbols.

Every year on her birthday, the daughter of a mage receives a key that unlocks a different world in her enchanted triptych. Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy Excerpt: When I was born, a clever mage, who was also my mother, made for me a triptych: three panels, attached in a row by hinges, depicting paintings of our home. The middle panel depicted our capital city, where we lived. The left panel depicted my mother, her hands raised as if in the casting of a spell. The right panel depicted the Arx, the great tower of knowledge where mages learned their trade. The flanking panels were each half the width of the middle one, so they could be folded inward, and the image could be hidden. And strangely, my mother had built a lock into the triptych. Once folded, the triptych could be secured. I did not know why it would need to be locked. There were no secret or blasphemous things depicted in the paintings, as far as I knew. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Triptych: (Fine arts.) A set of three panels or compartments side by side, bearing pictures, carvings, or the like. (source: dictionary.com) Follow my Fictioneering MischiefSign up to get a monthly round-up of my recent podcast episodes, short stories, trailers, news, recommendations, and more by email in the STORYFEATHER GAZETTE. Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "The Magic Triptych" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "A new day begins" "Peacefull place" "Imagine" "The village" "Oinions" "Into wild lands" "City" "Emblem" "Shadow forest" "Home" "Immortals" "Oinions (second part)" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.netFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A collage made of three panels, the center one being square and bigger than the two rectangles that flank it, which are of equal size to each other. From left to right, a long stem flower with six petals and two long leaves running alongside the stem; the front half of a turtle swimming at right, and strands of seaweed and fish swimming behind the turtle; and the bright silhouette of a tall tower with several openings and protruding sections, and the silhouettes of trees on either side.

A student seeking to learn the craft of enchantment is challenged to pass through a forest filled with strange obstacles. Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Mythology Excerpt: "Wait until you are within the borders of the forest before you open the box, else you have failed before you have begun." With those words, the schoolmaster turned away and left Naji alone before the borders of the forest. Naji entered the forest with no other possessions but that box, as the test required. He carried no water, no food, no clothing but what he already wore, no bedroll, nothing to trade or barter with. But that is what he had chosen. A box. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Who knows what I could have been thinking? I certainly don't remember, and I didn't write it down this time. But did you know that the Dutch word for "butterfly" is "vlinder"? There's a Vlinder in this story. Follow my Fictioneering MischiefSign up to get a monthly round-up of my recent podcast episodes, short stories, trailers, news, recommendations, and more by email in the STORYFEATHER GAZETTE. Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "The Forest of the Dasollagi" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Lonely Day" "Elders wisdom" "The forest" "Ancient gods" "Deep lands part 2" "Kingdom rises" "Infinite land" "Creatures of the night" "The edge of nightmare" "Back in the village" "The bard" Music by JONATHAN SHAW* "Cold Sanctuary" "Treading the Unknown" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy and Jonathan Shaw is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Nicholas Jeudy and Jonathan Shaw at gamedevmarket.netFind more music by Jonathan Shaw at jshaw.co.ukFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. At bottom, center right, a figure seen in dark silhouette walks a forest path toward a simple cabin. Bordering this path is trees and shrubbery. The right side is in shadow. Light shines through the trees from top left. Along the left of frame, a faint shadowy figure extends a long-fingered arm toward the person walking to the cabin. The original image is a horizontal rectangle. The image is made square by adding borders at top and bottom that copy and extend the edges of the original image in grayscale and shadow.

Two cousins decide to visit the mysterious isle of giants, and to steal portions of treasure small enough to escape a giant's notice, but large enough to make their fortunes. Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy Excerpt: "We will live in their house, as mice live in ours. Wes hall never want for anything. One slice of their bread could feed us for half a year." Slubber slapped me on the back. "Cousin, I have always thought you clever, but this is beyond clever. This is true brilliance." "Mice. What if there are giant mice?" Strangely, the thought had not occurred to me, as many useful thoughts had not. "Or worse yet…cats?" What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Slubber: to perform hastily or carelessly (dictionary.com) Follow my Fictioneering MischiefSign up to get a monthly round-up of my recent podcast episodes, short stories, trailers, news, recommendations, and more by email in the STORYFEATHER GAZETTE. Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "A Tiny Man in a Giant Land" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by BENJAMIN CARR (Scythuz)* "Dwarven Settlement" "Miscellaneous Battle Theme 3" "Deceitful Castle" "Crystal Caves" Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "A bank in the inn" "Jesters dance" "Into wild lands" "Infinite land" "Written in stones" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Benjamin Carr and Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Benjamin Carr and Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.netFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Scan of ink drawing, digitally colored. A person at right and facing left, partially seen from waist to forehead, holds the handle of a Y-shaped slingshot in the extended left arm. The right hand stretches back the sling portion, which contains a stone, and a small human figure lying with their back on the stone. In the background is a sunny blue sky, with a light scattering of rain, and to the left, rocky terrain obscured by fog that extends to bottom edge.

ALERT: This episode contains a fictionalized depiction of a panic attack and heartbeat sound effects. Please listen with caution. A patient checks into the hospital for a simple procedure and experiences remarkable side effects. Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy Excerpt: It was a simple procedure. A simple procedure. I would be admitted to the hospital overnight. I had to be fasting. Except for some clear liquid that the nurse would have me drink every four hours. It contained some stuff that the doctor called "fixers." She explained that they were meant to help boost the efficiency of the procedure and help my recovery go faster. Then she joked that they would "fix" me. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Fantod: usually "the fantods." A state of extreme nervousness or restlessness; the willies; the fidgets Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "A Simple Procedure" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by LEE ROSEVERE "All the Answers" "Heat Haze" "The Nightmare" "Here's the Thing" Music by CHRIS LOGSDON* "Level 8" "Level 6" "Level 7" Music by ANDREA BARONI (Cyberleaf)* "Slightly Across (No Percussion)" "March Of The Waking Lights" "Night Time (No Percussion)" "Forest Bathing" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Andrea Baroni and Chris Logsdon is licensed from GameDev Market Music by Lee Rosevere is licensed under CC BY 4.0Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Andrea Baroni and Chris Logsdon at gamedevmarket.netFind more music by Lee Rosevere at freemusicarchive.org and bandcamp.comFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. View around two sides of a corner. On the left wall are two elevators with a man stepping away from the far elevator. The man holds a bouquet and a balloon. On the right wall is a painting and a floor vase containing a plant. The right wall is connected to another wall. At right foreground are two women and a girl. One woman and the girl stand against a counter and one woman stands behind them. Transposed over all this are the translucent distorted edges and outlines of the original image.

A lone astronaut and a ship's artificial intelligence spend two decades trapped in a spatial phenomenon from which there is no escape. Genre: Science Fiction Excerpt: What if you knew that you only had twenty-five years to live, safely and surely, but you would be alone, watching your death approach, unable to escape it? And what if you knew that whatever you did or accomplished in that time would most certainly never be known by the rest of your people? So you won't be leaving behind a legacy of observations and musings. Not even raw data collected by the sensors will make it out. What would you do? Who would you be? Do you think you'd last? Do you think I will last? What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Futilitarian: 1) believing that human hopes are vain, and human strivings unjustified. 2) a person who holds this belief. (source: dictionary.com) Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "Happy Anniversary, Forever" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "()" "Haunted spaceship" Music by ANDREW SITKOV (MuzStation Game Music)* "Unknown Terrain" "Space Discoveries" "Time for Adventures" Music by ANDREA BARONI (Cyberleaf)* "Fugue For One Synthetic Heart (No Percussion)" "Cozy Afternoons" "Forest Bathing" "The Longest Year (No Percussion)" "The Longest Year" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy, Andrew Sitkov, Andrea Baroni is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Nicholas Jeudy, Andrew Sitkov, and Andrea Baroni at gamedevmarket.netFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A face seen in left profile from chin to forehead vertically and nose to cheek horizontally. The face is looking upward, mouth parted and brows drawn in. Reflected in the iris and the background are images of phenomena in space, like stars and nebulas.

Andie Ogami is hired as a spy by a wealthy family because of her ability to astral project. Genre: Mystery, Science Fiction Excerpt: "How do you feel?" the technician asked. She was holding one of those astral scanners toward my head. I blinked a few times. "Strange…uh, disoriented." My lips felt dry. I licked them and glanced over at the chair where I'd left my handbag. I had some balm in one of the front pockets. "Here," the technician said, handing me a pad and pen. "Write down everything you remember in as much detail as you can provide. Remember your training, all five senses in one section, emotions in an-other. If you have any thoughts and impressions and speculations, you can record them in the last section." What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Otiose: being at leisure; idle (source: dictionary.com) I mentioned in the outro that I needed additional help brainstorming this story. So I rolled my Story Cubes. STORY CUBES(I'm not being paid to endorse these or anything. I just really like them, and actually use them.) Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "Astral Andie Is Angry" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "As it happened" "Learned punch" "Master" "Trojan horse" "In search for" "Fist of fury" "Mindhunter (seamless)" "Virtual reality" "The deal" "Men in black" Music by ANDREA BARONI (Cyberleaf)* "Fugue For One Synthetic Heart (No Percussion)" "Night Time (No Percussion)" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy and Andrea Baroni is licensed from GameDev Market Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Nicholas Jeudy and Andrea Baroni at gamedevmarket.netFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A woman, seen from waist up, lying down on a cot near a window with closed blinds. The view is angled so her head is at top right. She wears a long sleeve sweater over a collared shirt. Her short hair lies at her left side. Her right hand lies over her stomach. Her left hand at her waist. Her eyes are closed and her face is expressionless. A glowing waking version of her face with brows and mouth drawn down appears vertically above her neck as if the ghostly face has risen from the sleeping face. The original image is a horizontal rectangle. The format is made square with borders above and below that repeat or blur out the original image.

A guest at an extravagant hotel gets lost and stumbles upon a strange secret. Genre: Mystery, Fantasy Excerpt: I noticed the magician when he slipped in behind the last person to enter the golden-walled elevator, and I sucked in a breath. I held it, half-subconsciously, as if it would make me invisible to him. It did not. I started feeling thudding of my heart as soon as he started turning to people, one at a time, handing them scraps of paper, touching their hands. I exhaled when he turned to me and handed me a scrap of paper too. He grinned and told me what I was supposed to do the next time he called upon me. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Gloaming: twilight; dusk (source: dictionary.com) Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "Lost and Found at the Hotel Gloaming" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by ANDREW SITKOV (MuzStation Game Music)* "Casual Theme #3" "Casual Theme #1" "Story at Night" "Hidden Fear" "Peace in My World (final theme)" "Magic Within" "Scary Theme #2 (Version 2)" "A&C Percussion Loop #3" Music by ALBERT FERNANDEZ (Audio Alchemist, Potion Studio)* "Humorous Exploration (loop)" "Exploration Cave (loop)" "Holy Cathedral" "Cue Nostalgic Story" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Andrew Sitkov and Albert Fernandez is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Andrew Sitkov and Albert Fernandez at gamedevmarket.netFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Partial slightly angled view of a wall of compartments, like ornate safe deposit boxes, bearing an art deco pattern of layered scales. One box is fully visible. It bears a plate at its bottom right corner that reads "1443." At bottom center is the handle to the box, an art deco pattern of fanned out diamonds. Above the handle is the lock. A key sits in the lock and that key is being held by a hand whose bottom half is covered by a sleeve which extends out of frame to the right. A watermark of the word "Storyfeather" appears along the left edge of the main box. The original image is a horizontal rectangle. Borders at top and bottom with a messy stamp of the layered scales pattern make the final image shape square.

Strange happenings in one household trigger a police investigation that reveals a deeper mystery. Genre: Mystery, Science Fiction Excerpt: A few days later, Reggie mentioned seeing a "weird-looking dog" in the backyard when he came home from school. He looked it up and realized that what he'd seen was a fox. But if there had indeed been a fox in the yard, it had run off by the time Reena went to look. She'd never heard of any fox sightings in the town proper. But aside from a few jokes at dinner about wildlife passing through their backyard, the Songs had no further concern. Then, items began to appear. An old-fashioned lantern lying outside in the yard. A rake that no one remembered buying. And one morning, Reena came downstairs to find a stack of plates in the kitchen that didn't belong to the family. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Intertemporal: Describing any relationship between past, present, and future events or conditions. (source: Wiktionary) Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "The Mystery on Marigold Drive" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Silent walk" "Monochromatic stain" "Cold case" "Virtual reality" "Prisma" "Profiler" "Investigation day" "In search for (seamless)" "Unclassified" "Do or die" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.netFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A street map with a few labeled elements and denser detail in the middle, which shows a grid of streets. At top center is a green area labeled "Exeter Park." At bottom center is another green area, unlabeled. One of the streets curves down into a body of water labeled "Dragonfly Lake." Just outside the grid, in each other cardinal direction is a circle. The circles are labeled "Circle North," "Circle East," Circle West," and "Circle South," according to their position. Radiating out from the center of the map is a web of cracks or tears. One of these cracks terminates at upper right on a house symbol on a side street labeled "Marigold." Other parallel streets nearby are labeled "Olive" and "Park." The original image is a horizontal rectangle. Borders are added to the top and bottom showing faded portions of the map to make the final image square.

A woman seeking medical treatment for what seems to be a travel-related infection in her foot becomes involved in a grander mystery. Genre: Mystery, Science Fiction Excerpt: "Is there such a thing as hallucinogenic moss?" Seyyal raised her brows as she asked the question, and watched her cousin's fork freeze in mid-air. They were having their usual monthly brunch and catching up with each other. And Seyyal had already somewhat updated Yalanda about the subject that had been occupying her mind since she'd gotten back from vacation, her left foot. Yalanda set her fork down and leaned forward. "Okay, am I about to get the real story about your vacation?" What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Overmorrow: the day after tomorrow (source: dictionary.com) Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "The Cavern Traveler" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by ANDREA BARONI (Cyberleaf)* "Fugue For One Synthetic Heart (No Percussion)" "Slightly Across (No Percussion)" "Forest Bathing" Music by LEE ROSEVERE "All the Answers" "Night Caves" "Featherlight (remix – vocals by Heather Feather)" "Decompress" "Thoughtful" "Waves of Sleep" "Baldachin" "Awkward Silences (version a)" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Andrea Baroni is licensed from GameDev Market Music by Lee Rosevere is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Andrea Baroni at gamedevmarket.netFind more music by Lee Rosevere at freemusicarchive.org and bandcamp.comFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Black silhouette of a figure seen from the back standing at the mouth of a cavern. The mouth has a rough trapezoidal shape. Light shines into the cavern from outside. The cavern has smooth walls. Some trees and shrubbery are visible outside. To the left of the silhouette is a translucent mirror image copy of the silhouette. The two figures are connected and overlap at one foot, below which is aglow. The original image is horizontal and rectangular. A border was added at top and bottom to make the shape square. A version of the original image was magnified and color-shifted.

A woman unwittingly misses the start of daylight savings, falls one hour behind, and is unable to catch up. Genre: Mystery, Mythology Excerpt: On her way back to her cubicle, she called to her nearest neighbor. He didn't answer. She walked over, leaned against his cubicle and called his name again. He kept working. You too? she wondered. The silent treatment? For being late? Audrey sighed. It was going to be a long day. She re-turned to her cubicle and reached for the mug on her desk. The handle was freezing. Her hand recoiled instinctively, then reached back. It was also, it seemed, going to be one of those days when every little thing would be hard. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?None. I wrote this when daylight savings was about to start and was frustrated about losing an hour and decided to attempt a "ridiculous and unoriginal" story. Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "Behind the Hour" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by ANDREA BARONI (Cyberleaf)* "March of the Waking Lights" "Ground Control" "You Were Always In The Right Place" "Cozy Afternoons" "Fugue For One Synthetic Heart" "Slightly Across (No Percussion)" "Forest Bathing" "Night Time (No Percussion)" Music by ALBERT FERNANDEZ (Audio Alchemist, Potion Studio)* "Exploration Mystery (loop)" "Exploration Mystical Place (loop 1)" "Exploration Technologic Place (loop)" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Andrea Baroni and Albert Fernandez is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Andrea Baroni and Albert Fernandez at gamedevmarket.netFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A sphere set on a stand that's lying on a table top. The sphere bears a pattern that looks like several atomic orbitals intersecting and jagged lines moving from edge to center. The stand bears on its front a colorful version of the intersecting orbitals pattern. The horizontal rectangular image is made square by adding a textured pattern of the sphere design in borders at top and bottom.

When rumors and gossip surround the newest resident of town, particularly about her mysterious habit of hiding her feet, one girl dares to seek the truth. Genre: Mystery Excerpt: "Ah yes, Madam Pantoflae. She of the delicate foot. Have you heard? A witch placed a curse upon her feet, and the curse can only be counteracted by the wearing of enchanted boots." Katherine Lovelace sighed a long and long-suffering sigh at the girl who'd spoken. They two, and the several other children gathered at the Baker house for the first party on the cusp of winter, were gathered around the small fireplace in the receiving room. In the few months since the new resident had settled into town, the infamous Madam Pantoflae had been the subject of many rumors. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Pantofle: a slipper (source: dictionary.com) Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "Madam Pantoflae" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by JONATHAN SHAW* "Midnight Creeping" "Visions of Freedom" "A Bitter Hope" Music by BENJAMIN CARR (Scythuz)* "Underwater Template" "Mines" "Ancient Ruins" "Ice Cavern" "Ghost Town" "Necropolis" "Dwarven Settlement" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Benjamin Carr and Jonathan Shaw is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Benjamin Carr and Jonathan Shaw at gamedevmarket.netFind more music by Jonathan Shaw at jshaw.co.ukFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Composite image. At bottom center, three children stand clustered together seen from waist up. From left to right: A boy with short hair holding a mug in his right hand at waist level, wearing a collared shirt. A girl in a dress with her hair pinned back holding a cup between her hands in front of her. Another girl in a dress with her hair in a high braid, with left arm held across herself and her chin propped under her right fist. Surrounding them at bottom of frame are flames. Behind them and above their heads is the oversized figure of a woman, seen from shoulders up, facing forward in three-quarters profile. She has short wavy hair and a cap-style hat with a sword-shaped pin. Four sets of four vertical lines pass diagonally behind the whole image.

Starling and Leveret investigate the sudden disappearance of the legendary Tortoise of the famed race between the Tortoise and the Hare. Genre: Fable, Fantasy Excerpt: "Is it true that you once beat Hare in a foot race? It can't be true. But is it true?" Tortoise sighed. He continued walking along as the little black bird flapped around him. She landed on a nearby branch. "I've heard that you've seen the world from above as a bird does when she's flying. Is that true? How did you do it? It can't be true. But is it true?" What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Leveret: a young hare (source: dictionary.com) Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "Starling and Leveret" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by JONATHAN SHAW* "In Tranquil Spring" "Checking Inventory" "Spinning Tavern" "Midnight Creeping" "Treading the Unknown" "Thoughts" "Lingering Evil" "Cold Sanctuary" "Land of Misdeeds" "Encounter of Misdeeds" Music by CHRIS LOGSDON* "Mystical Town" "Haunted Town" "Mining Town" "Shady Town" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Chris Logsdon and Jonathan Shaw is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Chris Logsdon and Jonathan Shaw at gamedevmarket.netFind more music by Jonathan Shaw at jshaw.co.ukFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Two figures facing forward. A leveret, or young hare at left, standing upright and holding out human-like hands in a clawed pose. A starling, a black bird, at right, standing with wings folded, body in left profile and extending off frame to the right so that the tail feathers are not visible. Both have eyebrows, which are drawn down. At left behind the figures is a doorway or opening with only darkness visible beyond. The horizontal image is made square with border bars above and below displaying distorted faded partial copies of the main image.

As penance for a recent crime, a thief is tasked with carrying a most precious and coveted treasure to a place where no mortal may tread. Genre: Fairy Tale, Mythology, Fantasy Excerpt: The thief fell from the tower's upper window. She had lost her precarious grip on the pitted brick. She remembered that she should roll herself up into a loose ball to protect her head and neck. But by the time she remembered, she had already struck the first branch of the tree in the orchard below. Then she struck another and another. Scratched and thrashed and bounced about, she finally reached the ground, thankful that the soil was soft. She lay there for far too long a moment. The breath had been knocked out of her. And she feared moving for fear she might discover that she could not. But she heard voices, shouting, lights coming on, the barking of dogs from the other side of the courtyard. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Evenfall: the beginning of evening; twilight; dusk. (source: dictionary.com) Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "The Thief, The Fairy, and the Raven" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Gateways" "Illusions" "Elders wisdom" "Jesters dance" "Back in the village" "Infinite land" "Written in stones" "Into wild lands" Music by ALBERT FERNANDEZ (Audio Alchemist, Potion Studio)* "Exploration_Cave (loop)" "Exploration_Forest Of Magic" "Humorous_Stealth (loop)" "Locations_Medieval Tavern Song" "Battle_1_normal (loop)" "Holy_Hymn (loop)" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy and Albert Fernandez is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Nicholas Jeudy and Albert Fernandez at gamedevmarket.netFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Two figures facing forward seen from waist up. The figure at left, face in three-quarters profile facing left, has her arms raised, but bent, the left one in front of her and the right one with hand near her face, fingers loosely flourished. One of her brows is raised. She wears shoulder guards and elbow length gloves. The figure at right, standing slightly behind, bears a quiver of arrows on his back, has pointed ears, and has an arrow knocked and ready to fire. Behind them is the silhouette of a bird with wings outstretched seen from above. This lies over an opening shaped like a three-pointed arch. A haze of fog surrounds the figures up to their shoulders.

When her sister disappears into the fairy realm, a girl and her best friend mount a rescue. But while it's quite easy to get into the fairy realm, almost no one gets out. Genre: Fairy Tale Excerpt: It's quite easy to get into the fairy realm, you see. They want you to come to them. They need you to come to them. So quite easy to get into the fairy realm. But almost no one gets out. There were eight hundred and eighty-eight doors leading into the fairy realm. And only eight leading out. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?I have no idea. I don't think there was one. But here's an intriguing word that appears in the story: Harridan: a scolding, vicious woman; hag; shrew. (source: dictionary.com) Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "The Fairy Blackberry" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by BENJAMIN CARR (Scythuz)* "Dwarven Settlement" "Crystal Caves" "Ancient Ruins" "Ice Cavern" "Mystical Forest" "Necropolis" "Flying Fortress" Music by JONATHAN SHAW* "Midnight Creeping" "Spinning Tavern" "Encounter of Misdeeds" "Sinning Tavern" "Lingering Evil" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Benjamin Carr and Jonathan Shaw is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.netFind more music by Benjamin Carr and Jonathan Shaw at gamedevmarket.netFind more music by Jonathan Shaw at jshaw.co.ukFind more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. At right, two little girls standing next to each other. The one at left stands facing forward, her long hair pinned to either side, arms at her side, looking and smiling down at the outstretched hands of the girl at right. The girl at right is seen from left profile, mouth parted, brows raised, looking down at her hands. Her upper arms are at her side, bent at the elbow with her cupped hands held out. In her palms, there stands a small human figure whose features are not visible, but whose face is raised up to the girl. Behind the girls is shrubbery. Along the left edge is a tree.

Rare are the fantasticators, who can by their very presence bring about the emergence of the fantastic from the most common of things and the most mundane of people. Genre: Fable, Fairy Tale, Fantasy Excerpt: Rare are they who can by their very presence bring about the emergence of the fantastic from the most common of things and the most mundane of people. So rare indeed, that most towns only had one such person, only one whose speech inspired the emergence of energy from lethargy, whose gaze trans-formed ugliness to beauty, and whose touch could change a blunder into a wonder. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Fantasticate: to make or render fantastic Fantastic: extraordinarily good; excellent: Also fan·tas·ti·cal —conceived or appearing as if conceived by an unrestrained imagination; odd and remarkable; bizarre; grotesque: —fanciful or capricious, as persons or their ideas or actions: —imaginary or groundless in not being based on reality; foolish or irrational: —extravagantly fanciful; marvelous: —incredibly great or extreme; exorbitant: —highly unrealistic or impractical: (source: dictionary.com) CREDITSStory: "The Frog Who Foiled the Fantasticator" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by ALBERT FERNANDEZ (Audio Alchemist, Potion Studio)* "Locations_Happy Villlage (loop)" "Exploration_Forest Of Magic" "Humorous_Exploration (loop)" "Exploration_Mystery (loop)" "Cue_Nature 2" "Locations_House (loop)" "Cue_Nature" Music by ANDREW SITKOV (MuzStation Game Music)* "Lyric Voices #5" "Lyric Voices #1" "Adventure Track #1" Music by TRG BANKS "Horse ride 4" "The silver bus" "Lake in the woods" Music by LEE ROSEVERE "Featherlight (remix – vocals by Heather Feather)" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Albert Fernandez and Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Music by Lee Rosevere is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Music by TRG Banks is licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal License Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Albert Fernandez and Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net Find more music by Lee Rosevere and TRG Banks at bandcamp.com Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Bottom left corner, a frog seen from behind, sitting on a rock, surrounded by blades of grass. In front of the frog is a human looking down at the frog with her right hand on her chin, left hand propped on her hip. She wears boots, bloomers, a long coat, and a cap with a feather in it. At right is a tree whose branches and leafy canopy extend over the head of the human and droop down to the ground line. Through the branches, in the distance, is a flying pig facing forward. At bottom right are bushes of unusual and bright colors. They curve around the base of the tree.

Jaquery Tattery was born at sea, and he grew up in a town far from the sea, and all he wanted to do was return to the sea. Genre: Fantasy Excerpt: The Tatterys were tailors who started working in town with a humble business of repairing and refreshing old clothes, and soon expanded to fine tailoring of clothes and tapestries. Jack learned the trade of sewing and tailoring from a young age, as his brother and sister had been required to do before they set out on their own. He knew he would one day mind the family business. Jack was proud of his family's trade and their shop, and he admired what his parents had built, but so did he admire their courage incoming to a new land to build a new life. He had never gone on any such adventure, and feared he never would. Still, he dreamed. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Jactation: 1) boasting; bragging. 2) [Pathology] a restless tossing of the body (source: dictionary.com) CREDITSStory: "Jacquery Tattery Maker of Sails" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Scroll of the wind walker" "Back in the village" "Into wild lands" "They come from the north" "Pirate attack!" Music by CHRIS LOGSDON* "Mining Town" "Mystical Town" "Whimsical Town" "Port Town" Music by BENJAMIN CARR (Scythuz)* "Dwarven Settlement" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy, Chris Logsdon, and Benjamin Carr is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy, Chris Logsdon, and Benjamin Carr at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Part of a sail whose braided border is being pierced by a needle. The sail sits on the lap of a person, at right of image, whose left hand grips a section of the braided border and whose right hand, equipped with a sailmaker's sewing palm, directs the need through the braid of cloth. An image is stitched onto the sail and is partially visible, the body of a serpent entangled around a boat with one sail unfurled at bottom center and middle. At bottom right, the serpent's head with mouth parted, looking at the ship.

The mayor of a modest harbor town struggles to deal with the appearance of a whale in the sky above the ocean. Genre: Fantasy Excerpt: "There's a whale, just…floating in the middle of the sky. That doesn't impress you?" "I never said I wasn't impressed." "I mean that doesn't move you to—I don't know—ponder about the big stuff in life?" The mayor crossed his arms. "Big stuff?" She shook her head, then turned back to look at him. Her brows were slightly creased now, and her gaze fixed on him. "If the official explanation isn't real, do you think there's a logical explanation for this?" "I think there's an explanation," Mayor Joyance said. "Whether or not it's logical remains to be seen." What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Joyance: (Archaic) joyous feeling; gladness. (source: dictionary.com) CREDITSStory: "The Watchers of the Whale" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by ANDREA BARONI (Cyberleaf)* "Ground Control" "Night Time" "Evolving Cities" "Fugue For One Synthetic Heart" "Slightly Across" "Cozy Afternoons" "Fast Lanes Light Rain" "March of the Waking Lights" "You Were Always In The Right Place" Music by TAO AND SOUND* "I Never Gave Up - INTRO" "I Never Gave Up - (B) MELODY LOOP" "I Never Gave Up - (A) MELODY LOOP" "U Never Had To Exist - INTRO" "Cry No More - (B) MELODY LOOP" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Andrea Baroni and Tao and Sound is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Andrea Baroni and Tao and Sound at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A right whale seen in left profile, floating in midair in a cloudy sky with sunset colors.

An air of mystery surrounds a young lord who came to rule a province from a distant land, until those closest to him gather clues about his past. Genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy Excerpt: Lord Orgulous came to our province some time ago, and when he did, he inherited the rule of the province. As might be expected, he arrived with quite a flurry of rumor swirling about him, for he hailed from a distant land, and he was young and handsome and mysterious. Some said he left behind a fortune so grand that even the stars looked down upon its glittering magnificence with envy. Some said he was exiled for some preposterous boast that insulted a very powerful personage. And there are some among us—the romantics—who believe that he came to our land because he was fleeing from heartbreak. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Orgulous: (Archaic) haughty; proud. (source: dictionary.com) Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "Lord Orgulous" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "A band in the inn" "Shadows and flames" "Back in the village" "Dragon rider" "Facing the dragon" "The bard" Music by ALBERT FERNANDEZ ((Audio Alchemist, Potion Studio)* "Exploration_Mystical Place (loop 2)" "Exploration_Forest of Magic" "Locations_Happy Village (loop)" "Locations_Medieval Tavern Song" "Locations_Court Song" "Humorous_Exploration (loop)" "Exploration_Cave (loop)" "Holyl_Hymn (loop)" "Battle_1_normal (loop)" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy and Albert Fernandez is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy and Albert Fernandez at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Three people sitting at a table, described from left to right. In three-quarters profile, a bald man in a collared long sleeve shirt, holding a stein in both hands with his elbows on the table. A woman facing forward with her hair in a bun, wearing a double-breasted jacket, resting her left forearm on the table, and holding her right index finger to her mouth. She looks to the right at the third person, a woman with long curly hair, seen in left profile, smiling, and holding up her right hand with palm loosely facing upward.

A baker chosen for an honorable and prestigious assignment must contend with a rival who was not chosen. Genre: Mystery, Fantasy Excerpt: Four nations warred. And they warred. And they warred. And some suppose that they might be war-ring still if not for the firm but humble interference of a fifth nation. Mensulamare was a lengthy name for such a small nation. "The Little Table in the Sea" it was called, for the isle floated in one of the world's vast oceans, surrounded by four nations much greater in size and power, and much fiercer in fury. The leaders of the four nations despised each other, but there was one for whom they had enough respect and admiration—even affection—to come together for talks of a truce. Perhaps it was time. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Piecemeal: piece by piece; one piece at a time; gradually Peace: the nonwarring condition of a nation, group of nations, or the world. (source: dictionary.com) Storyfeather-themed merchandiseT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from stories and art challenges STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "The Piecemeal Cake" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by ANDREW SITKOV (MuzStation Game Music)* "Medieval Theme #4" "Medieval Theme #5" "Medieval Track #1" "Adventure Track #1 (looped)" "Medieval Theme #3" "Journey into Fog" "Lyric Voices #1" "Lyric Voices #2" Music by ALBERT FERNANDEZ ((Audio Alchemist, Potion Studio)* "Battle_2_Evil (loop)" "Humorous_Exploration (loop)" "Locations_House (loop)" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Andrew Sitkov and Albert Fernandez is licensed from GameDev Market Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Andrew Sitkov and Albert Fernandez at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. View down a table set with plates and platters of cakes with colorful patterns on the inside. At the other end of the table sit five people. From left to right, a person with a simple head covering seen profile; a person with face in three-quarters profile, smiling and folding hands upon the table; a person with a cowl neck tunic and gloves looking down at a cake and smiling, also with hands folded on the table; a person wearing a cloak and two high braids, pointing with left hand to a cake; and a person wearing a hair combs, earrings, an armband on the left arm that appears to be a device, with hands folded on the lap. The rectangular image is bordered with repeating patterns of cake slices at top and bottom to make the whole image square.

A young woman receives a letter written by her future self about all the significant events to come in the next year of her life. Genre: Mystery, Fantasy Excerpt: Three major things will happen to me over the course of the coming year. I'll meet someone. I'll think he's wonderful. He won't be. That's the first thing. Second, I'll break my arm in a cowardly attempt to flee from my own responsibilities. And third, I'll serve on the crew of the most extravagant ship to ever sail the nine seas, the Glorious. How do I know these things will happen? Because I told myself they would in a letter… What's the Word (that inspired the story)?There was none! I seem to have defied my own theme guidelines for this story. Storyfeather-themed merchandiseNEW DESIGNS FOR DECEMBER 2022! Warrior woman with an axe shaped like butterfly wings, a luminous woman gazing at the phases of the moon, a majestic sea serpent, and a parrot shaped like a pterosaur, just to name a few. T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from the stories. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "Letter From Self" Copyright © 2019 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Crazy race" "Here we go" "Joy" "Playing in water" Music by LEE ROSEVERE "Quizitive" "Southside" "Keep Trying" "Awkward Silences (version b)" "Start the Day" "All the Answers" "Tech Toys" "Awkward Silences (version a)" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Music by Lee Rosevere is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.net Find more music by Lee Rosevere at freemusicarchive.org and bandcamp.com Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A woman with short hair and wearing colorful business attire, seen from mid-thigh up, facing forward, turned to the left, holding a baby cradled in her right arm. Her left arm is in a sling. The baby is facing the woman and reaches up with the right hand to her nose. The two are translucent so that most of the words from a magnified view of a handwritten letter behind the woman and baby are visible. The visible writing on the letter reads as follows (the ellipsis representing obscured words): "Dear me of the future, I am hoping that…you read this, you've enjoyed a calm…year—with no broken bones to speak of, the opposite of the year I've had. You remember, don't you? I hustled my butt off during pilot season. No luck there and nothing really happened until April when I [crossed out letters] Marvin. Then everything started happening at once. I want to start at the end…The Glorious." There is a hand holding a fountain pen whose edge is still forming the letter "s" on the word "glorious." The letter is written in all capitals.

Reporter Lily Landry has an extraordinary encounter one night after she investigates a bright light in the sky above her apartment. Genre: Science Fiction Excerpt: She gulped and tried to tell herself what she always told herself in such situations. There's a story here. A figure approached her and she gulped again. Come on, Landry. Put on your reporter's hat. No time to panic. No time to— The figure reached out to her with one of its eight arms. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Valorous: having valor—boldness or determination in facing great danger, especially in battle; heroic courage; bravery (source: dictionary.com) Storyfeather-themed merchandiseNEW DESIGNS FOR DECEMBER 2022! Warrior woman with an axe shaped like butterfly wings, a luminous woman gazing at the phases of the moon, a majestic sea serpent, and a parrot shaped like a pterosaur, just to name a few. T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from the stories. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE CREDITSStory: "The Visitor on the Valorous" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by ANDREW SITKOV (MuzStation Game Music)* "Magic Within" "A&C Percussion Loop #3" "Unknown Terrain" "Stars Talk" "Space Discoveries" "Another World" "Secrets of Kingdom" "Knight Rising" "Knight Power" "Percussion Loop #5" "Dark Side" "Percussion Loop #12" "Journey into Fog" "Lost In The Dark" "Freedom" Music by ANDREA BARONI (Cyberleaf)* "March Of The Waking Lights" "Fugue For One Synthetic Heart (No Percussion)" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Andrew Sitkov and Andrea Baroni is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Andrew Sitkov and Andrea Baroni at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A woman seen from behind, knees up, standing at a section of railing. Her left hand rests on the railing to the side. Her right arm is held up over her head. Her hair, the bottom of her long coat or robe, and her skirt are all flared back from the force of something above her that's casting down a bright light. A flower pot with two long-stemmed flowers is set on the floor beside her to her left in the corner where a cross bar meets the railing.

Two rival television shows set aside their differences to film their solstice holiday specials. Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Science Fiction Excerpt: "Lily Loquacious" and "Calling All Ships" were both filmed in the same giant building that housed the famed Stage 34. In fact, they were the reason that Stage 34 was famed. The building actually housed five stages, all originally occupied by the "Lily Loquacious Variety Hour," brought over from radio, which later became "Lily Loquacious Lives," and finally just "Lily Loquacious." The show started as a sketch comedy, where Lily Loquacious was a returning favorite character played by the inimitable Lily McKay. When it was clear audiences wanted more of Lily Loquacious, the studio obliged by building a show around her. "Calling All Ships" was a space saga about a ship ironically named the Valorous because it and its crew fled from a critical battle during the last war that their people and allies fought against a mysterious long-time enemy. What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Loquacious: talking or tending to talk much or freely; talkative (source: dictionary.com) Storyfeather-themed merchandiseNEW DESIGNS FOR DECEMBER 2022! Warrior woman with an axe shaped like butterfly wings, a luminous woman gazing at the phases of the moon, a majestic sea serpent, and a parrot shaped like a pterosaur, just to name a few. T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from the stories. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE. CREDITSStory: "The Holiday Truce on Stage 34" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Here we go" "Joy" "The super hero" "Black flag" "Playing in water" "Silent walk" "Beware the boss" Music by ANDREW SITKOV (MuzStation Game Music)* "Casual Theme #2" "Another World" "Stars Talk" "Casual Theme #3 (Looped)" "Casual Theme #1 (Looped)" "Lyric Voice #4" "Medieval Theme #5" "Space Discoveries" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy and Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Andrew Sitkov and Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A group of people at a party, all facing forward and seen from their upper halves. Upper left corner, a banner extends at an angle up from bottom left. It reads "Happy Solstice," but the letters "H," "C," and "E" are only partially visible. The party-goers from left to right are a man in background holding a full champagne glass in his right hand, a woman in foreground holding up a full champagne glass as if in a toast, a humanoid with bulbous head and three fingers in background holding a champagne glass in the left hand, and another humanoid with pointed ears holding a bowl of snacks. Beside the woman in the foreground, the top half of another person's head is seen, wearing a helmet, and looking at the woman. Behind the woman there extend several tentacles that curl around and in front of the others. The image is in color at center, and is repeated in grayscale at top and bottom to make the entire shape a square.

"Why does there have to be winter?" Genre: Mythology, Fantasy Excerpt: "Why does there have to be winter?" The asker was my little niece, all bundled up in black-and-silver fleece blankets. Her favorite colors. She didn't ask the question just out of curiosity. She was frowning slightly. Winter had swallowed up her favorite season, autumn. (The season to which her only objection was, "why does there have to be so much orange?"). I smiled. "Do you want the scientific explanation or the non-scientific explanation?" What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Favonian: of or relating to the west wind (source dictionary.com) Storyfeather-themed merchandiseNEW DESIGNS FOR DECEMBER 2022! Warrior woman with an axe shaped like butterfly wings, a luminous woman gazing at the phases of the moon, a majestic sea serpent, and a parrot shaped like a pterosaur, just to name a few. T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from the stories. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE. CREDITSStory: "The Why Winter Challenge" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by JONATHAN SHAW* "Morning Frost" "A Tale of Peace" Music by ANDREW SITKOV (MuzStation Game Music)* "Another World" "Adventure Track #1 (looped)" "Medieval Track #1 (looped)" "Story at Night" "Hidden Fear" "Ice and Fire" "Funny Horror" "Stars Talk" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Jonathan Shaw and Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Andrew Sitkov and Jonathan Shaw at gamedevmarket.net Find more music by Jonathan Shaw at jshaw.co.uk Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Collage of four vertical images, described from left to right. Part of a planet seen at bottom, and above it, a ship emitting sparks and smoke. A forearm with horns emerging from several spots extends down and places a clawed hand on a surface of cracked ice. A cloaked figure with a featureless face seen in right profile and waist up, partially visible, holds up the left hand, palm curled up as if to catch a snowflake just above it. A figure with a featureless face seen from knees up, facing forward, holding a dagger at their side in the right hand, and holding up a scythe with their bent left arm. Behind this figure stands a magnified version of the same figure. Behind that stands a still more magnified version of the same figure. Snowflakes of different sizes are scattered across all the collage. This landscape image is made square with a top and bottom border behind the image that depicts a stretched version of the image in shades of blue.

Two technicians working alone to maintain an Arctic monitoring station begin to see something they shouldn't be seeing…a third resident of the station. Genre: Mystery Excerpt: Andrew saw it first. About a month into our six-month rotation maintaining the company's Arctic monitoring station. He was doing weekly maintenance on all the pumps on the north side when he thought he saw some motion. At first, he thought he'd just imagined something. Season 6 Theme is DEFINITIONS What's the Word (that inspired the story)?Frigorific: causing or producing cold Storyfeather-themed merchandiseNEW DESIGNS FOR DECEMBER 2022!A parrot shaped like a pterosaur, an adorable green and blue baby dragon, a narwhal, a humanoid butterfly, a hippocampus in shades of bubblegum-pink-and-blue, just to name a few. T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, baby onesies, and more featuring artwork from the stories. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE. CREDITSStory: "The Station Companions" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by ANDREA BARONI (Cyberleaf)* "Ground Control" "March Of The Waking Lights" "Forest Bathing" Music by ALBERT FERNANDEZ (Audio Alchemist, Potion Studio)* "Exploration_Dark (loop)" "Atmosphere_PersecutionDanger_Loop" "Atmosphere_Frozen" Music by FICUS PROSOUND* "The Escape Room Full Version" "Armageddon Full Version" "The Jigsaw Full Version" "Following Clues Full Version" "Investigation Full Version" "Now Way Out Full Version" Music by CHRIS LOGSDON* "Level 6" "Level 4" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Andrea Baroni, Albert Fernandez, Ficus ProSound, and Chris Logsdon is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Andrea Baroni, Albert Fernandez, Ficus ProSound, and Chris Logsdon at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. At left, two people, facing front, before a large monitor with a glowing screen. Both have mouths drawn into an o-shape and brows raised. The monitor sits on a tabletop that extends across the bottom of the screen. Other items on the table are a clipboard with loose pages atop it; a rack with three test tubes, two partially full, one capped, one containing a scoop or stirrer; and an instrument, partially visible. The person at left is only seen from neck up, body obscured by the monitor, and is wearing a faux fur collar and glasses. The second person is seen from waist up with left arm resting on the tabletop, glancing to the right where a large distorted humanoid shadow stretches from top to bottom. The shadow wields a wrench in a raised hand. At top left is an overhanging light with a single bulb and a string switch hanging down. The bulb is off. A wide bar of dim light extends from top right to bottom left.

Most people think the "double" in Mokkie's Double Diner means that the diner has two levels. That's…not what it means. Genre: Mystery, Science Fiction Excerpt: Did you know that Mokkie's Double Diner is the only place in this sector that serves everything from Trilenkarian froth to Earthlingian burgers and fries? A sound machine sits beside a self-serve frozen cream fountain, and both are loaded with enough variety that even a sample of each choice would occupy most beings for multiple lifetimes. And that's just the first level. Such luxury. Who would want anything more? CREDITSStory: "Mokkie's Double Diner" Copyright © 2017 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by TRG BANKS "Insideoutworld" "Through the gravitational field" "Non-stop to Insideoutworld" "After midnight" "Cigar" Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Secret agent" "Mindhunter" "Connected" "Learning punch (seamless)" "Cyber" "The one and the eclipse" "Sunrise" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Music by TRG Banks is licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal License Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.net Find more music by TRG Banks at freemusicarchive.org and bandcamp.com Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. View of four customers seen from the back sitting on stools at the counter of a diner. From left to right, the customers appear to be a human holding a frothy drink in the bent right arm. A humanoid person with downturned horns at the sides of their head, wearing a blazer with a patch at the back bearing geometric shapes, with arms around the next customer, who is a slime-covered serpentine figure, whose body extends out of frame and back into frame, ending in a face with a huge eyeball at right. The fourth customer is a gray alien wearing a plaid shirt, left elbow propped on the countertop, hand holding open a book. On the counter at right is a milkshake and at left is a plate with burger and fries. A couple of shelves behind the counter hold salt and pepper shakers, ketchup bottles, glasses, and a stack of plates. Storyfeather-themed merchandise Angry Gingerbread ManT-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE.

A pair of physicians observe the bizarre and dying practices of their profession's predecessor, the remedy man. Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction Excerpt: The wounded man, his wife, the vulnerary, and the two physicians made their way out of the kitchen and into the yard where the chickens were still pecking away at their breakfast. It was winter, but a mild one. The risen sun had already baked the chill out of the ground and the air. The vulnerary coaxed a rooster toward his patient. The wounded man gripped his wounded arm with his opposite hand. He held his arm out as the vulnerary corralled the rooster toward it. "I'm afraid I must object," one of the physicians said. CREDITSStory: "The Remedy Men" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by ANDREW SITKOV (MuzStation Game Music)* "Medieval Theme #3" "Medieval Theme #5" "Medieval Track #2" "Medieval Theme #4" "Medieval Theme #1" "Lyric Voices #5" "Adventure Track #1" Music by NICHOLAS JEUDY (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "A way to find the truth" "The village" "A way to find another truth" "Medieval fiesta" Music by ALBERT FERNANDEZ (Audio Alchemist, Potion Studio)* "Locations_Medieval Tavern Song" "Exploration_Cave (loop)" "Locations_Village (loop)" "Holy_Hymn (loop)" "Locations_Court Song" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Andrew Sitkov, Albert Fernandez, and Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Andrew Sitkov, Albert Fernandez, and Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A rooster seen in right profile, facing right, standing amidst thin patches of grass. Emerging from out of frame at top right is a forearm, fingers lightly curled, held steady by the opposite hand, as if being presented to the rooster. A long deep gash runs vertically from just above the inside of the wrist along the arm. A light silhouette of tools and other objects are seen in the background. Storyfeather-themed merchandise T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE.

Every evening, one woman undergoes an unfathomable transformation. She turns into a cartoon. Genre: Fantasy, Mystery Excerpt: I needed a mental health professional to contact the company with me, so that the company would take me seriously when I told them what their app was doing to me. "Eleanor," the therapist said. "Let's back up. Tell me about the app. What does it do? Why did you start using it? When did you first notice something unusual?" CREDITSStory: "Midnight 45" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by TAO AND SOUND* "U Never Had To Exist – INTRO" "U Never Had To Exist – (B) MELODY LOOP" "Cry No More– INTRO" "Cry No More– (A) MELODY LOOP" "Cry No More– (B) DRUMS & BASS LOOP" "Cry No More– (B) MELODY LOOP" "80s Synth Ambient 01 C" "I Never Gave Up – (A) MELODY LOOP" "I Never Gave Up – (B) DRUMS & BASS LOOP" "I Never Gave Up – INTRO" "U Never Had To Exist – (A) MELODY LOOP" "U Never Had To Exist – (A) DRUMS & BASS LOOP" Music by CHRIS LOGSDON* "Level 6" "Level 7" "Level 1" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Tao and Sound and Chris Logsdon is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Chris Logsdon and Tao and Sound at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A woman seen from her top half stands facing forward with her arms partly raised away from her sides. She is looking to her left. Her left forearm has transformed into a lion's paw. Behind her, in silhouette is a creature with the body of a lion and the tail of a scorpion. The creature is seen from its left flank, with right forepaw raised and tail curling up. A watermark of the word "Storyfeather" lies over the image. Storyfeather-themed merchandise T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE.

A cast and crew of middle school students put on an original play about cosmic heroes and deadly aliens. Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction Excerpt: "I am Exoplanetary Janet, Traveler of the Cosmos." She raised her arm and swept her hand slowly from left to right. There was whispering at the back of the class. Two girls, so thick-as-thieves that they were more like one two-headed girl, glanced at Janet, then resumed whispering. One of them, Rhine, raised her hand. "Then why are you dressed like a cowgirl, Miss Winsome?" she asked. "Why not?" Storyfeather-themed merchandiseNew Creature designs for October 2022!T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more. (Does anyone need a baby onesie with a ghoul on it?) STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE. CREDITSStory: "Attack of the Giant Cyclops Worm" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Benjamin Carr (Scythuz)* "Abandoned Spacestation" "Wasteland Ruins" "Alien Hive" Music by Chris Logsdon* "Mining Town" "Desert Town" Music by Andrew Sitkov (MuzStation Game Music)* "Casual Theme #2" "Casual Theme #3" "Unknown Terrain" "Dark Side" "Prepare for Battle" "The Superiority" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Benjamin Carr, Chris Logsdon, and Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Benjamin Carr, Chris Logsdon, and Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode art description: Digital drawing. Foreground bottom, the silhouettes of figures seen from the back, mostly from shoulder-up, and surrounded by a glow of light. They are facing a stage. On stage at left is a girl, on her knees with arms outstretched. She wears a long coat and a hat. In front of her is a small worm-like creature with one large eye which is looking at her. In front of the girl is a small puppet of a worm-like creature. In front of that small creature is a larger worm puppet whose body takes up the whole length of the stage. A pair of humanoid legs can be seen under the large worm puppet. Lying along the worm's back, holding onto it is a boy wearing a clear helmet with a hose leading to an attachment on his belt. Alongside the large worm is another smaller worm. Behind that smaller worm is a tall robotic figure. Behind the robot is a kid in a costume that looks like hollow metal tubes from which a carrot head emerges. Behind them is a background painted with hills and a vague building in the distance. Above left hang clouds and a moon. Watermark of the word "storyfeather" lies over the image. The Storyfeather site was recently renovated. Do visit, won't you?The all new START HERE page will guide you through all things Storyfeather. Sign up there to receive the Storyfeather Gazette in your inbox. It's a monthly round-up of the latest stories, podcast episodes, and trailers, news about upcoming events (like the start of a new podcast season), and other Storyfeathery stuff.

When the Lavendars sought to settle on new lands, they were warned that the surrounding moors were haunted by strange creatures. Genre: Horror, Mystery Excerpt: Nisha knew what was in the basket though she could no longer see it and could barely hear it. The "allfeistus" they were called once. Strange creatures who were thought to have died out until someone rediscovered them. Uncle Nestor said they might still die out. And that's why people like him were trying to capture them. Not just to study them. But also to try and preserve them. Perhaps even try to teach them. "Be mindful, niece. The gift is not the creature. The gift is his future friendship…a thing, I admit, neither you nor I can predict." Storyfeather-themed merchandise New Creature designs for October 2022!T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more. (Does anyone need a baby onesie with a ghoul on it?) STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE. CREDITSStory: "The Monstrous Men of the Moors" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Nicholas Jeudy (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Creatures of the night" "Witches" "Ancient gods" "Orbs" "Once" "Omen" "The 4th world" "The ritual" "Horns" "The forest" "Eternal life" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digitally colored ink drawing. At left, a girl with a bow in her hair, seen from waist up and her right profile. Her right arm is bent, hand perched on the edge of a basket that sits at center. A small scaly tail curves over the edge inches from the girl's hand. A scaly arm reaches up from a bundle of blankets. The hand is reaching toward the girl's left hand, which is stretched over the basket, holding a cricket. A watermark of the word "Storyfeather" lies over the image. The Storyfeather site was recently renovated. Do visit, won't you?The all new START HERE page will guide you through all things Storyfeather. Sign up there to receive the monthly Storyfeather Gazette in your inbox. It's a round-up of the latest stories, podcast episodes, and trailers, news about upcoming events (like the start of a new podcast season), and other stuff.

A young investigator must spend a set number of nights in a haunted house to earn a hefty inheritance. Genre: Horror, Mystery Excerpt: "You said it yourself. I'll keep it simple." Kay rose from her chair. "I will investigate thoroughly, find nothing paranormal, report my findings, and then…" She clapped her hands. "…I will collect that hefty inheritance, and perhaps even share a bit of it with my husband-to-be." She tapped a finger on the tip of his nose. Storyfeather-themed merchandise New Creature designs for October 2022!T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE. CREDITSStory: "The Haunted Harpsichord" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Nicholas Jeudy (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Where Am I" "At night" "Dedale" "Witches" "Creepy doll" "Blood and bones" "Dark wonders" "Eternal life" "A dead heart" "The death of love" Music by Benjamin Carr (Scythuz)* "Ghost Town" "Deceitful Castle" "Labyrinth" "Forbidden Tower" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Benjamin Carr and Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy and Benjamin Carr at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Statue of a crouching gargoyle facing forward, wings partly unfolded, sneering with mouth open, showing the outlines of sharp teeth. The eyes are hollow. The right spiraling horn is broken. Both arms are held before the bent legs, the right arm with fist pressed to the ground. The left arm is slightly bent, the hand holding what appears to be the hilt of a sword with a jewel dangling from the knuckle guard. The blade is missing. The Storyfeather site was recently renovated. Do visit, won't you?The all new START HERE page will guide you through all things Storyfeather. Sign up there to receive the monthly Storyfeather Gazette in your inbox. It's a round-up of the latest stories, podcast episodes, and trailers, news about upcoming events (like the start of a new podcast season), and other stuff.

After closing his latest case, a private investigator who specializes in finding missing persons starts experiencing strange changes. Genre: Horror, Mystery Excerpt: "Can you put that out?" I asked through clenched teeth. I was still hunched over the desk, but I could smell it. Her cigarette. It felt as if every particle of ash was boring its way up into my nose, past my eyes, into my skull. When she dimmed the lights, I'd been mostly suspicious and partly curious about what she had in mind. But now I was just thankful. Because it felt as if every pinpoint of light was focusing through the lenses of my eyes and drilling through my brain. The Storyfeather site was recently renovated. Do visit, won't you?The all new START HERE page will guide you through all things Storyfeather. Sign up there to receive the monthly Storyfeather Gazette in your inbox. It's a round-up of the latest stories, podcast episodes, and trailers, news about upcoming events (like the start of a new podcast season), and other stuff. CREDITSStory: "The Transmutation of Mister Lang" Copyright © 2017 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Nicholas Jeudy (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Monochromatic stain" "Profiler" "Prisma" "Hunter's moon" "Black light (seamless)" "Black light" "Investigation day" "Genetic marker" "Unclassified" Music by Chris Logsdon* "Level 6" "Level 4" "Level 2" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Chris Logsdon and Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy and Chris Logsdon at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Two figures, a man behind a desk, and a woman sitting in front of it in a small dim office. The man is sitting and bent over the desk. His hands are hairy. His left arm is bent before him on the table surface, lying over an open file. His right hand is pressed against the desk surface. His pointed ears protrude from his long hair. The back of his shirt is torn in three places, and hair protrudes from the tears. A desk lamp sits to the left. Behind him, at left, is a bookcase. Behind him, at right, is a window with blinds drawn, partly visible. Foreground, bottom left, a file cabinet is just visible with a label that reads "Case Files" with the "c" not visible and alphanumerics below it. The woman sits on a chair. She's seen from the back and her left profile. She holds her left arm on her lap. Her right hand is raised before her, holding a lit cigarette between her first two fingers. A watermark of the word "Storyfeather" lies over the image. Storyfeather-themed merchandise T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE.

A man overwhelmed by the good but stressful changes in his life wishes he could switch places with his reflection. Genre: Horror, Mystery Excerpt: "If only I could take your place," he said to her. And I felt my gut drop. I banged against the mirror's inside surface and I kept my gaze from straying to the darkness that surrounded me. I would have given anything to keep my wife from feeling any pain when she gave birth to our children. But I could not have allowed Reflection to take her place. I should not have allowed him to take mine. The Storyfeather site was recently renovated. Do visit, won't you?The all new START HERE page will guide you through all things Storyfeather. Sign up there to receive the monthly Storyfeather Gazette in your inbox. It's a round-up of the latest stories, podcast episodes, and trailers, news about upcoming events (like the start of a new podcast season), and other stuff. CREDITSStory: "The Unstrange Face in the Mirror" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Nicholas Jeudy (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "What's going on" "The mirror" "Let me out" "An optimist turn of life" "Secret water" "Dark wonders" "Oinions" "For the rest of time" "For your smile" "The truth" "That's my wish for tomorrow" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Scan of ink drawing. A man's fractured face from neck up seen in a cracked mirror. The shard at upper right shows half of his face in shadow, wide-eyed and mouth drawn. The shard at upper left shows half his face smiling. A shard at middle shows half his mouth frowning. Storyfeather-themed merchandise New Merch is Coming Soon!T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE.

Why and how are the world's bacterial species suddenly banding together? Genre: Science Fiction Excerpt: "Ladies, gentlemen, rogues, and sundry, I implore you to focus," Greenfield said. Doctor Greenfield, a microbiologist, was the northwestern region's representative in the newly formed International Research Consortium on the Planetary Biofilm. She asked a simple question, a prompt really. "Do we know if the species that makes up this planetary biofilm is dangerous to humans? Or even to animals or plants? Is it infectious?" The Storyfeather site was recently renovated. Do visit, won't you?The all new START HERE page will guide you through your journey. Sign up there to receive the monthly Storyfeather Gazette in your inbox. It's a round-up of the latest stories, podcast episodes, and trailers, news about upcoming events (like the start of a new podcast season), and other stuff. CREDITSStory: "Rise of the Prokaryotes" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Andrea Baroni (Cyberleaf)* "Fugue For One Synthetic Heart (no percussion)" "You Were Always In the Right Place (no percussion)" "Ground Control" "Forest Bathing" "The Longest Year" Music by Nicholas Jeudy (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Genetic marker" "Learning punch" "Neon city" "The deal" "Cold case" "Pitch black" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Andrea Baroni and Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy and Andrea Baroni at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Three people at right gathered before a monitor at left displaying the planet Earth. An inset on the monitor, seen at a bias displays a scattering of circles or spheres in front of a hazy mass. A few papers lie on the long table supporting the monitor. An office chair is pulled out from the table. A man at bottom foreground, seen from shoulders up, has his hand raised to his chin. Beside him, directly in front of the monitor, stands a woman with arm outstretched to point to the image. Beside her, and behind the pulled-out chair, stands another woman, right arm crossed before her, left arm bent with her hand covering the bottom of her face. Storyfeather-themed merchandise T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE.

An explorer gets lost in a spatiotemporal anomaly that was once the treasure vault of an alien pirate. Genre: Mystery, Science Fiction Excerpt: It didn't seem like a fool's mission three months ago, this wandering into the deep unknown. Despite all our misgivings about plunging into a newly discovered spatiotemporal anomaly, the expedition seemed like it would be worth it. It seemed like an adventure I could handle when I was firmly wrapped in Landy's arms under a blue sky, standing on green grass. CREDITSStory: "Anomaly Valley" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Nicholas Jeudy (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Silent Walk" "The ocean takes it all" "To hell" "Haunted" "Deep" "Cold case" "Connecting dots" "Between two worlds" "Retrospective" Music by ROZKOL "The World Has Moved On" "Fever Dream" "Ambient I-IV" "Go then, there are other worlds than these" "The Apotheosis of All Deserts" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Music by ROZKOL and Lee Rosevere is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.net Find more music by ROZKOL at freemusicarchive.org and bandcamp.com Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. Two figures. At left, a young man lies on the grassy ground on his stomach, his arms folded, his head resting on his left arm, seen from knees up, face turned forward, eyes closed. At right, another young man kneels before the other, looking down at him, his right leg folded up, hands resting lightly on the ground. He's wearing a backpack. The grass is purple and the sky is green. At top left, hanging in the air, are bright orbs with hazy glows. Watermark of the word "storyfeather" lies over image. Storyfeather-themed merchandise T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE.

The passionate people involved with making movies at Plotz Hole Studios hail from all the many corners of the universe, and beyond. Genre: Science Fiction It's the 250th episode. Yay! Excerpt: Martin Plotz glanced down at the photographs that Trudy had placed on his desk. He took a magnifying lens to one of them and bent over it. He frowned and glanced up at Trudy with the expression that she expected him to have on his face, annoyed but certain disbelief. "Spider-snake?" "Yes, the story comes from a reputable news outlet." Trudy flipped through her notebook. "Let me guess, the Curious Cryptid Weekly?" CREDITSStory: "The Plotz Hole" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Andrew Sitkov (MuzStation Game Music)* "Casual Theme #1" "Casual Theme #2" "Another World" "Space Discoveries" Music by TRG Banks "Through the gravitational field" "Smooth jacket" "After midnight" "Keith in 1987" "Interstellar breakfast" "Cigar" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Music by TRG Banks is licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal License Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net Find more music by TRG Banks at freemusicarchive.org and bandcamp.com Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A woman seen from the back, standing in a bar of light that extends from upper left corner to lower right corner of image. She's wearing a knee-length skirt and boots and a fancy top. The woman raises her right hand out toward a framed bright glass surface. The surface displays the light gray silhouette of a man, one hand reaching down to a small dog. Upper right, in shadow, some artwork hung on the wall. Below it, partly visible, is some raised surface like a bench or table. Storyfeather-themed merchandise T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE

With his uniquely gifted voice, Nate tries to right a wrong by doing wrong. Genre: Fantasy, Mystery Excerpt: As it turned out, Nate was the real deal. When he sang, his voice was like honey and sunshine. The piano player joked that Nate's last name was a fitting one for a man who could make people cry waterfalls worth of tears, whether he was singing a happy and hopeful song or a sad and mournful one. It was Nate himself who cried the first time he read a glowing review in the papers. He'd regretted that his mother wasn't there to read it, to see that her pride and faith in him had paid off at last. The reviewer said that Nate's voice had the power to "unlock hearts." That word. "Unlock." It stuck with Nate. CREDITSStory: "The Singing Safecracker" Copyright © 2017 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Jonathan Shaw* "Thoughts" "Welcome to the Club" "Sinning Tavern" "Afternoon Chat" "Encounter of Misdeeds" "Lingering Evil" "Treading the Unknown" Music by Rafael Archangel "Persistence" "Deep Dive" "Smoke" "So Cold" "Persistence (With Beat)" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Jonathan Shaw is licensed from GameDev Market Music by Rafael Archangel is licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal License Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Jonathan Shaw at jshaw.co.uk and gamedevmarket.net Find more music by Rafael Archangel at freemusicarchive.org and bandcamp.com Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode art description: Digital drawing. At center, a man standing on a stage, seen from waist up, facing front and turned to the left (his right), dressed in a tuxedo, with a pompadour. He holds a microphone up to his face in his right hand. His mouth is open. To the right, along the frame, are two palm trees. Behind the man is a backdrop with a peacock tail design, arrayed around the man. Folds of curtains are seen along the top of frame. Watermark of the word "storyfeather" lies over the image. Storyfeather-themed merchandise T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE.

An unassuming artifact in a small museum might be a powerful mythical object from whence all sound arises. Genre: Mythology Excerpt: There was a sound; it was called the "keynote." And just as a keystone holds all other stones in place in an arch, the keynote held all other sounds in place in the world. The keynote was also the sound from which all other sounds emerged. CREDITSStory: "The Thief of All Sounds" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Nicholas Jeudy* "Stars above" "The bard" "A story untold" "Jesters dance" "The ritual" Music by ROZKOL "Ambient I-IV" Music by Lee Rosevere "Musical Mathematics" "Awkward Silences (version b)" "Featherlight (remix – vocals by Heather Feather)" "Awkward Silences (version a)" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Music by ROZKOL and Lee Rosevere is licensed under CC BY 4.0 Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.net Find more music by ROZKOL and Lee Rosevere at freemusicarchive.org and bandcamp.com Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. At center, a disc with a solid border, inside of which is a script that circumscribes the disc, and a figure in left profile from shoulders up, with pointed ears, mouth open, and eyes closed. A small sliver of the disc has broken off and is missing near top right. Small cracks are visible over the disc's surface. At the disc's base sit three snail shells. Flanking the shells are two birds. A duck in right profile sits in a puddle at left. A songbird in left profile is perched on a branch at right. The bird's head is turned away with beak open. Behind the duck is the funnel of a tornado. The original image is a rectangle. To make it square a border is added at top and bottom, rays of energy emanate from the background of the image and extend into these borders. A watermark of the word "Storyfeather" lies over the center of the image. Storyfeather-themed merchandise T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE.

The smallest bird in the world embarks on a quest to recover a lost gift left to him by his mother…his true name. Genre: Fable, Mystery, Mythology, Science Fiction Excerpt: The thunderbird. The trickster raven. The creator heron known as Benu. He was in awe of them all. And he wanted to learn to acquire their qualities. Cleverness, strength, knowledge. And wings so magnificent that all creatures great and small were gripped with awe at their sight. But whenever he would voice such longings, he was always ridiculed, for he was so small that all who knew him called him the flea bird, and soon that became his name, "Flea." CREDITSStory: "The Flight of Flea" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Jonathan Shaw* "A Dream of First Flight" "Thoughts" "Afternoon Chat" "Midnight Creeping" "Checking Inventory" "A Fight in the Fields" Music by TRG Banks "The silver bus" "Insideoutworld" "Above the Earth" "A Tale of Wind" "Horse ride 4" "Smooth jacket" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Jonathan Shaw is licensed from GameDev Market Music by TRG Banks is licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal License Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Jonathan Shaw at jshaw.co.uk and gamedevmarket.net Find more music by TRG Banks at freemusicarchive.org and bandcamp.com Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode art description: Digital drawing. Composite image of various mythological figures associated with birds. Foreground center is a spark of light emitting a glow and a crown of tiny rays. Behind is a curled serpent with a frilled neck and tail facing right, representing Quetzlcoatl. Behind Quetzlcoatl, facing left, is a glowing silhouette of a bird with an ornate tail just visible and a flowing crest, representing the Phoenix. Behind the Phoenix, top half of image, center, is a humanoid figure wearing gold jewelry, with a bird's beak for a nose, outstretched wings, and eyes closed, making the praying hands gesture, representing Garuda. Behind all the figures is the hazy outline of mountains in the distance. Watermark of the word "storyfeather" lies over the image. Storyfeather-themed merchandise T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE.

A girl is haunted by a mysterious voice that she can only hear through her headphones. Genre: Mystery Excerpt: She scanned his blueprints. She understood the math equations he had neatly written in his notebook, and some of the code he'd drafted. But she didn't really get how it all came together. "What is it supposed to do?" she asked. "Eavesdrop." Vinnie raised her brows. "Listen in on them before they listen in on us?" Marcus shrugged. "Something like that. CREDITSStory: "The Lady in My Headphones" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Andrea Baroni (Cyberleaf)* "Fugue For One Synthetic Heart" "Ground Control" "NightTime (No Percussion)" "Forest Bathing" "Fugue For One Synthetic Heart (No Percussion)" Music by Nicholas Jeudy (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Sun and moon" "Investigation day" "Dark web" "()" "Ghost hacker" "13 sins" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy and Andrea Baroni is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Andrea Baroni and Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A girl seen from waist up, facing forward. She wears a pair of over-the-ear headphones and a hoodie with a star symbol on the front. Her right arm is bent up, her hand resting on her headphones. She's wearing a fingerless glove. Her eyes are wide and looking to the left, her mouth is parted, and her brows are raised. Storyfeather-themed merchandise T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE.

A rookie agent assigned to test a new piece of technology makes a momentous observation about a young woman at a taco truck. Genre: Science Fiction Excerpt: The human eye can only see so much. The human senses can only perceive…so much. That is why the Agency established an entire division to develop and test technologies that can augment and even surpass human perception. DarkGray, it was called. CREDITSStory: "Spectral Camera Model 57" Copyright © 2017 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Chris Logsdon* "Level 2" "Level 7" "Level 6" "Level 3" "Level 4" Music by Nicholas Jeudy (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "Prisma" "Playing in water" "Unclassified" "Black light" "Silent walk" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy and Chris Logsdon is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Chris Logsdon and Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A young woman seen in left side profile sitting on a bench. She is leaning forward and has her mouth parted. In both hands, she holds a wrapped food item. A napkin lies on her lap. Beside her is a paper bag with "Terrific Taco" written on the side, the letter "o" being half visible. A green glow surrounds the top of her head and her legs, the color blending into the background of trees and bushes. Markings on the image indicate she's being seen through a camera. At top right is a bar graph indicator in three different colors. At bottom right is a label marked "Undefined energy signature." At bottom left is a display reading "SES Fine Focus: 4/3.1" The drawing is framed in a thick black border. The original image is rectangular. To make it square, a border at top and bottom is visible, with a slightly enlarged grayscale version of the original image sitting behind. Storyfeather-themed merchandise T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE.

A man struggles with his decision to become a "Cultural Ambassador" to a newly befriended alien species. Genre: Science Fiction Excerpt: Yeah, I've come to terms with it. I'm not going offworld to do anything noble, like teach aliens how to speak human languages, or to plant trees, build houses, or pass out blankets and water during emergencies. I'm going offworld to go live in the house of some rich Blorgnathian who'll spend the next five years licking my face. CREDITSStory: "Humans: A Blorgnathian Delicacy?" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Chris Logsdon* "Haunted Town" "Mystical Town" "Whimsical Town" "Mining Town" "Shady Town" Music by Andrew Sitkov (MuzStation Game Music)* "Stars Talk" "Another World" "Fight Till Dying" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Andrew Sitkov and Chris Logsdon is licensed from GameDev Market Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Andrew Sitkov and Chris Logsdon at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. At center, a human man, whose face and hands are dark (in silhouette). He stands, three-quarters profile facing right, in the middle of a giant plate that sits on a flat surface. His arms are raised to his sides and his face looks up. Just behind him, sitting at the table is a giant humanoid being seen from waist up to nostrils. The being has large scales over their chest and arms. Their hands rest on either side of the plate, one at right curled around a fork, the one at left curled around a knife. The being's mouth is open, a long knobby tapered tongue descending and curling behind the man on the plate. The being is wearing a hood. A watermark of the word "Storyfeather" appears over the image. Storyfeather-themed merchandise T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE.

When people in a newly prosperous town fall ill from a mysterious blood disease that doctors cannot cure or treat, one patient invents his own treatment. Genre: Science Fiction Excerpt: They went to visit him at night. They had to. They could not walk about by day, for the light of the sun was abhorrent to them. Those words were taken from the writings of a nurse who resided in the town at the foot of the hills, a charming and lively town in modern times. But steeped in accounts of strange—some say otherworldly—events from only a few generations past. CREDITSStory: "The Porphyrion Machine" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Nicholas Jeudy (Dark Fantasy Studio)* "The ceremonial" "Lullaby" "Dark echoes" "Past memories" "Obscura" "Out of body" "Brume" "Reflexion" "Haunted" "A death embrace" "Broken keys" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Nicholas Jeudy is licensed from GameDev Market Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Nicholas Jeudy at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. At center, a person seen from the back, sitting in a chair, arms laying on the armrests. A tube leads from each arm to a machine that the person is facing. The tubes are filled with a red liquid, presumably blood. Simple dials, wheels, buttons, and indicator lights, all unmarked, are seen on face of the machine, arranged mostly symmetrically on the left and right of the figure. Storyfeather-themed merchandise T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE.

In a kingdom ruled by threes, Princess Number Four was never meant to be... Genre: Fairy Tale Excerpt: Though he loved them all, he could not help but to feel distant from the fourth child, whose coming into the world had twisted all his joy into sorrow. CREDITSStory: "Princess Number Four" Copyright © 2017 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Andrew Sitkov (MuzStation Game Music)* "My Kingdom (main theme)" "Adventure Track #1 (looped)" "Medieval Track #1 (looped)" "Medieval Theme #4" "Knight Rising" "Secrets of Kingdom (looped)" "Lyric Voices #2" "Medieval Theme #5" Music by Albert Fernandez (Audio Alchemist, Potion Audio)* "Locations Village (loop)" "Exploration Mystery (loop)" "Battle 1 normal (loop)" Music by Benjamin Carr (Scythuz)* "Mystical Forest" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Andrew Sitkov, Benjamin Carr, and Albert Fernandez is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Andrew Sitkov, Benjamin Carr, and Albert Fernandez at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. At left foreground in full color, a young girl wearing a crown. She's facing forward and her eyes are closed. Her right hand is crossed over her waist and props the elbow of her left arm, which is bent up, her hand holding up a key. At right and behind, the figures of three more girls, each appearing only in a different mono-color and each being faceless. The rightmost girl, in left profile, raises her bent left arm, holding up a container. In front of her, a girl raises a bow and arrow to the sky. In front of the archer, a girl with her face looking down, holds a ribbon in her left hand. In the background behind all the figures is a grassy field. Storyfeather-themed merchandise T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE.

A pair of inventors aim to 'think outside the box' and imagine a new purpose for an everyday item…chewing gum. Genre: Science Fiction Excerpt: At some point, Sunny got tired of pacing and settled in Jerry's chair. He watched the mind map forming with the suggestions and discussion they'd already covered. He leaned over it. "Wait, what if there's a way for the energy of chewing to be put to work? Like nanobots in the gum are powered by the act of chewing. But powered to do what?" He sat back. "And where would we get these…nanobots?" CREDITSStory: "Transpogum" Copyright © 2018 by Nila L. Patel Narration, Episode Art, Editing, and Production: Nila L. Patel Music: "Trip-Hop Lounge Abstract Background" by Digital Emotions (Intro/Outro) Music by Andrew Sitkov (MuzStation Game Music)* "Start Successfully" "Stars Talk" "Scary Theme #1 (Version 3)" "Scary Theme #5" "Brave Heart" "Unbreakable" "The Last Stand" "Reinforcement" Music by Andrea Baroni (Cyberleaf)* "Ground Control" "March of the Waking Lights" "Fast Lanes Light Rain" "Fugue For One Synthetic Heart (No Percussion)" "You Were Always In The Right Place" *These tracks were part of a music and sound effects bundles I purchased from Humble Bundle and sourced from GameDev Market. Music by Andrea Baroni and Andrew Sitkov is licensed from GameDev Market Sound effects from AudioJungle and GameDevMarket Find more music by Digital_Emotions at audiojungle.net Find more music by Andrea Baroni and Andrew Sitkov at gamedevmarket.net Find more stories by Nila at storyfeather.com Episode Art Description: Digital drawing. A young man, seen from waist up, facing forward, is blowing a bubble with bubble gum. Both arms are raised and bent before him. His brows are raised as he looks at his right hand, the ringers of which appear to be fading. To make the image square, a border has been placed behind the image of a translucent square tilted right over a solid square, which sits over another solid square. The edge of a pink sphere appears behind the image, representing bubble gum. Storyfeather-themed merchandise T-shirts, mugs, stickers, notebooks, and more featuring artwork from the stories and podcast episodes. STORYFEATHER TEEPUBLIC STORE.