Trailers

TRAILERS FOR RECENT SHORT STORIES
& PODCAST EPISODES


Welcome to Year 10 of Storyfeather

Every year’s short stories (mostly) follow a theme. For Year Ten, every month’s stories share a genre or theme, some anchor point that the reader can rely on. But within that, there are strange concoctions brewing. The genre’s merge, archetypes collide, mythologies mash…welcome to the Year of Fusion.

May Base Element:
⚡🧜🏽‍♀️ MAYTHOLOGY! 🦉🔱

Storyfeather feather logo, a feather quill shaped like the letter "f" with a drop of ink hovering below its tip. Lying above the logo are two more logo squares, but they are tilted and angled in different directions, and they're translucent.

A stranger in a quiet corner of a tavern is asked to share a story, and tells a tale of a thorn that kills, a sword that heals, and a teardrop that never fell.

FUSION RECIPE
Base element for May: Mythology
Fusion Element: It was bound to happen.  I forgot about the fusion element for this story!

One of this year’s previous stories mentions a traveler god, whose actions are the inciting incident for the story.  Pretty much just a plot device.  But it made me wonder about this god, and what their experiences might be, and whether the point of being a traveler god was to observe or remember the stories of other beings and peoples.  And I started with the image of a figure sitting in the corner of a tavern, feet propped up on the table, quietly watching.  And then I thought about what this traveler god would carry by way of possessions, and that’s when I thought of the three objects.  Thorn, sword, and teardrop.  They, not the god, were the story.

Video description

Video Description: “Thorn, Sword, and Teardrop” Trailer. Duration, 24 seconds. “Song Painful Memories (loop)” by Albert Fernandez. Digital drawing. The top part of a table in a tavern set before a window. An empty chair sits at left. Portions of the stone wall are visible. At left, a sword is hung up on the wall, the blade partly obscured by the chair. A mask of tragedy is hung before the pommel. The mask has a single tear falling from the left eye. A thorny vine is wrapped around the blade. On the table from left to right sit a plate holding a bowl with a spoon beside a bread roll, a tankard, a lit candle in a holder, and a stein with steam rising from the top. Dark clouds are visible through the diagonal grids of the window. Watermark of word “Storyfeather” appears along left edge of blade. Title card with the words “Short Story” and “Genre: Mythology,” is displayed at middle. Tagline is displayed below. It reads: “A stranger in a quiet corner of a tavern is asked to share a story, and tells a tale of a thorn that kills, a sword that heals, and a teardrop that never fell.” Title card and tagline fade. Lines from the story appear: “In the beginning, she was a blacksmith. She managed a noisy shop. And she lived a quiet life. But a quiet life is not enough to avoid doom. Every life teeters on the edge of oblivion. Even the ones that are the safest.” Animation of a candle flame throughout. Site URL appears at bottom center throughout and fades at end. The title appears at center. A text card appears at top that reads “Available to Read Now.”


A girl puts together an event that everyone thinks is a stunt to break a record, even though she told them it’s a ritual to summon a vast mythic creature.

FUSION RECIPE
Base element for May: Mythology
Fusion Element: Handstand

The fusion element actually helped me think of something. What if, there was a mythical creature that supposedly only appeared to you if you did a handstand? Like how in some mythologies, a god appears if you meditate on them long enough, and they grant you a boon. Maybe it’s because this creature believes that a handstand is the ultimate feat of physical prowess. Hmm, extending that… What if there was a person who couldn’t do a handstand themselves, and didn’t think it was safe for anyone to do a handstand for eight days straight the way someone in a myth did. But this person hires a bunch of people to do a handstand at the exact same time for as long as they can, just to see if the creature will appear. Would anyone agree to do this?  And why?

Video description

Video Description: “The Stork That Drank the Stars” Trailer. Duration, 42 seconds. “Holy Hymn (loop)” by Albert Fernandez. Digital drawing. A bird-like creature perched on a tree branch. The body faces left, the head is turned to look forward. The bird has two large rodent-like ears, rodent-like legs, two antennae emerging from the head above the eyes, a large wide beak like that of a shoebill stork, and segments of fur along the chest. Large feathers drape over the bird’s back. Part of the tree is visible at right with one branch arcing over the bird. Watermark of word “Storyfeather” appears along right ear. Title card with the words “Short Story” and “Genre: Mythology,” is displayed at middle. Tagline is displayed below. It reads: “A girl puts together an event that everyone thinks is a stunt to break a record, even though she told them it’s a ritual to summon a vast mythic creature.” Title card and tagline fade. Lines from the story appear: “The stork could handle being in outer space.  But people couldn’t, except the people who were granted special powers by the ancients, a race of god-like beings who were in charge of the earth-world back in those days.  The ancients could all handle space travel.  They rode around in the stork’s bills to different worlds warmed by different stars.” Site URL appears at bottom center right throughout and fades at end. The title appears at center. Animation of a twinkling star between the last two words of the title. A text card appears at top that reads “Available to Read Now.”


The origin of a conventioneer’s costume is a myth that reveals the many skills and talents of the humble pigeon.

FUSION RECIPE
Base element for May: Mythology
Fusion Element: Pushing against a freestanding wall

I started this brainstorm by searching through drawings I’d done for art challenges to see if anything could fit with the mythology genre. I settled on a drawing I’d done based on the prompt “pigeon man.”  It looked like a guy wearing a pigeon costume, maybe for Halloween or a comic book convention.  So that became the framing story for someone to launch into the origins of his costume, a myth about pigeons and why they are not to be underestimated.

Video description

Video Description: “The Plentiful Powers of Pigeons” Trailer. Duration, 41 seconds. “Magic Within” by Andrew Sitkov. Digital drawing. A man seen from waist up, facing forward, with hands on hips, a crooked smile, and eyes closed. He wears a pigeon costume. The pigeon head lies over his head, with his full face showing. His arms look like pigeon legs, with the feet forming cuffs around his wrists. At his waist is a band of overlapping feathers, and on his back are two large folded wings. Watermark of word “Storyfeather” appears along top of right wing. Title card with the words “Short Story” and “Genre: Mythology,” is displayed at top. Tagline is displayed below. It reads: “The city leaders did not heed the warning. The leaders assured the people…that they had nothing to fear from the mountain. …they decreed that all the people would take turns climbing some ways up the mountain and performing a ritual of thanks. …the pigeons continued warning them.  The mountain could not be appeased.  It was not angry.  It was simply waking.  And its waking would doom the entire city.” Site URL appears at bottom right throughout and fades at end. The title appears at center. A text card appears at top that reads “Available to Read Now.”


A rat named Hatcher has hatched a plan that might save his king and colony, and might doom his own life.

FUSION RECIPE
Base element for May: Mythology
Fusion Element: Eggs

This story was inspired by a drawing I did for an art challenge earlier this year. The prompt was “rat king.” So that helped with the brainstorm. And I thought, okay, what about this? There’s a god in the story. The trickster god of the rats, who has an uncountable number of tails.  It is thinking about this trickster that gives the hero rat in the story the idea of tying tails together and spreading their bodies apart to float and keep all their heads above rising storm waters.

Video description

Video Description: “No Kings Among Rats” Trailer. Duration, 38 seconds. “Immortals (seamless)” by Nicholas Jeudy. Digital drawing. Eight rats arrayed in a circle with their tails tied in a pattern. The furthest rat is seen from the back. The rat in the foreground is facing forward and wears a small yellow crown. The other rats are seen in profile. They appear to be sitting atop a watery textured background, which glows where their tails meet. Watermark of word “Storyfeather” appears at an angle at bottom left. Title card with the words “Short Story” and “Genre: Myth and Fable,” is displayed at top. Tagline is displayed below. It reads: “A rat named Hatcher has hatched a plan that might save his king and colony, and might doom his own life.” Title card and tagline fade. Lines from the story appear: “‘I am tempted to ask you what is around the corner for my colony.’ ‘Then why not ask, and be prepared?’ ‘I am not a god. I may not understand what I am seeing. And in my ignorance, I may do something, decide upon a course that may doom my colony.’ ‘What if I show you anyway?’ the god of corners said.” Site URL appears at bottom center throughout and fades at end. The title appears at center. A text card appears at top that reads “Available to Read Now.”


OLDER SHORT STORY TRAILERS

JUMP INTO THE PORTAL BELOW TO EXPLORE PREVIOUSLY POSTED STORIES

Portal Button. Elongated rectangle. Rings of colored light emanate from the center. Inset on the left, a square with the Storyfeather feather logo, a feather quill shaped like the letter "f" with a drop of ink hovering below its tip. Lying above the logo are two more logo squares, but they are tilted and angled in different directions, and they're translucent. To the right of the image, the word "Fusion." At top right, the word "Year." Below "Year," the numeral "10."


PODCAST SEASON 6
The Year of DEFINITIONS

In this season of the podcast, I’m recording the short stories I wrote back in 2018-2019, where the theme was Definitions, where I wrote stories centered on dictionary words that were uncommon, or at least unfamiliar to me.

You can listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, and most places where podcasts are found.  Or listen directly from my Podcast page on storyfeather.com


THE COSMIC HOURGLASS

Video description

Video description: Trailer for “The Cosmic Hourglass.” 54 seconds. Title card with the words “Podcast Episode” and “Genre: Mythology” is displayed at top. Story tagline is displayed at bottom. Tagline reads, “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.” The title card and tagline fade. 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 watermark of the word “Storyfeather” appears at left along side of face. Subtitles appear in time with music and narration at the bottom: “‘But is there no way that I can put right what I have done wrong?’ No. It is done. Time can be transformed into anything, but it cannot be transformed back into itself. Ilaria’s heart was seized with fright, but she rose and took a step toward the Cosmic Hourglass. ‘Then I am ready to be imprisoned.’ No. Your punishment will be to witness what you have wrought. You will live in the world among those who suffer from your mistake. And so she did.” Animation: Sparkles appears at end. Website URL appears at bottom center throughout and fades as story title appears at top and text box appears at center displaying the words, “Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, and so on. Or listen on my Podcast page at storyfeather.com.”


ALL THE MIRRORS ARE BROKEN

Video description

Video description: Trailer for “All the Mirrors Are Broken.” 47 seconds. Title card with the words “Podcast Episode” and “Genre: Mystery” is displayed at top. Story tagline is displayed at bottom. Tagline reads, “A private investigator realizes her latest case may be linked to her own uncanny past, and a truth she may not be ready to face.” The title card and tagline fade. 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. A watermark of the word “Storyfeather” appears along bottom edge of coat. Subtitles appear in time with music and narration at the bottom: “Before he even opened the door, I saw it. Blood. It was smeared along the edge of the bathroom door and around the knob. He pushed the door opened and I gaped. The bathroom mirror was obliterated. There were no shards of glass. Only pebbles and grains. And all of it was swimming in a sticky pool of dark maroon blood. Blood was spattered along the walls. I wasn’t an expert, but I would have been willing to bet that the spatter pattern indicated that the blood had exploded out from the mirror.” Website URL appears at bottom center throughout and fades as story title appears at top and text box appears at center displaying the words, “Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, and so on. Or listen on my Podcast page at storyfeather.com.”


Video description

Video description: Trailer for “The Magic Triptych.” 40 seconds. Title card with the words “Podcast Episode” and “Genre: Fairy Tale” is displayed at top. Story tagline is displayed at bottom. Tagline reads, “Every year on her birthday, the daughter of a mage receives a key that unlocks a different world in her enchanted triptych.” The title card and tagline fade. 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 watermark of the word “Storyfeather” appears along bottom of turtle. Subtitles appear in time with music and narration at the bottom: “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.” Website URL appears at bottom center throughout and fades as story title appears at top and text box appears at center displaying the words, “Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, and so on. Or listen on my Podcast page at storyfeather.com.”


OLDER PODCAST TRAILERS

JUMP INTO THE PORTAL BELOW TO EXPLORE PREVIOUSLY POSTED EPISODES

Portal Button. Elongated rectangle. Rings of colored light emanate from the center. Inset on the left, an embossed circle with the Storyfeather feather logo, a feather quill shaped like the letter "f" with a drop of ink hovering below its tip. The circle is bordered with dots and dashes and casts a shadow. To the right of the image, the word "Definitions." At top right, the word "Year." Below "Year," the numeral "6."