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My short story got published!!!

Giant Squeeing Robots is LIVE!!!

Please go check it out! Buy it! Rate it! Review it! Enjoy it! (Not necessarily in that order.)

My story is called Frames & Kittens & Bears, Oh My! and I'm really looking forward to reading everyone else's as well!

I'll reply with the link!

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GT July 2024 - 31 Eepy

Dylan found Max asleep in the corner of his lab. He smirked and moved closer to poke him. Max was curled up into a tight ball. Like that, he could fit in one of Dylan’s hands. Dylan pulled his finger back. Mom had told him about Max’s natural size. That would be rough. To learn that this little size was his natural one when he’d thought he’d been a normal-sized person.

Dylan wasn’t sure how he would have reacted to something like that. It wasn’t that being small was bad, or anything. There were tons of people who were smaller than humans and tons more who were bigger. It wasn’t a huge deal. But not knowing that about yourself. Thinking you were something else because someone had lied to you your entire life. Well, that could wreck a person.

Dylan had been planning on working on some new sigils, but that was noisy and dangerous work. It would probably wake Max up. Max had probably come here because he’d thought he’d be alone. After the last time, the twins were too scared to come here. Only Dylan came here, and he was supposed to be gone for another few days.

Dylan grabbed a clean towel from the desk and laid it on Max. Then he grabbed a book and started reading. He didn’t need to work on things today. He could study up on some of the recent crest-script theories instead.

---

Dylan can be thoughtful when he puts his mind to it.

Check out the prompt list here: https://www.tumblr.com/gianttol/751027101880270848/gt-july-2024-prompt-list?source=share

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GT July 2024 - 30 Candlelight

The candle was taller than Wyll, everything was. Its wax was dripping. Wyll let a bit trail onto his hand. Besides the flickering candlelight, the room was dark. But Wyll heard and felt it when Rob came in.

Rob knelt behind him, “Wyll, what’s wrong?”

Wyll sniffled and curled up his knees to his chest, “It’s Summer’s End.”

“Yeah, I thought you’d want to watch the currents shift.”

Wyll shook his head.

Rob slid his hand forward on the desk until Wyll was in the space between his thumb and pointer finger. He squeezed just a bit to let Wyll know he was there. “What’s going on?”

“Today’s the day,” Wyll whispered.

“What day?” Rob asked.

“The day my parents—” Wyll choked.

“Oh. Oh, I see,” Rob glanced at the candle. “A vigil?”

Rob had told Wyll about vigils a few days ago. A way to honor the fallen.

“Can I join you?”

Wyll scooched deeper into Rob’s hand.

Rob sat down on the floor and stayed with Wyll. Wyll fell asleep in his hand before the candle went out, but Rob stayed until it was gone. Then, Rob picked him up and put him in his favorite pocket. The one he’d hidden in when he’d stowed away.

Rob left his hand in the pocket with Wyll and went to find the Captain. The Captain would want to know about this. They would make sure Wyll wasn’t alone on this day ever again.

---

Yeah. The last day of summer is a rough day for Wyll.

Check out the prompt list here: https://www.tumblr.com/gianttol/751027101880270848/gt-july-2024-prompt-list?source=share

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GT July 2024 - 29 Sweet Tooth

Alex had to be sneaky.

If he wasn’t sneaky, Dad would wake up.

If Dad woke up, Alex might get in trouble.

Alex didn’t like getting in trouble. Dad wouldn’t be like … the others. But if Alex got in too much trouble, Dad might start acting like them.

But Alex hadn’t gotten into trouble yet. Dad had given him yum yums because he was a good boy. Alex wanted more yum yums. Dad had said he had to wait until later.

It was later.

Dad put the yum yums on his desk. Todd couldn’t have reached them, but Alex could reach. He grabbed a yum yum. Now to unwrap it.

He scratched at it. The covering wasn’t tasty. The inside was tasty. He got a bit to stick up. He used that to open the rest.

Alex grinned and put the whole yum yum in his mouth.

Happiness! Tastiness! Wonder!

Alex reached for another one.

Before long, all the yum yums were gone. They were very tasty. But why did his stomach hurt? It hurt a lot!

Alex shook the post to Dad’s bed.

Dad groaned, “Alex, what are you doing?”

“My stomach hurts.”

Dad blinked. Then he saw the yum yum coverings. “Did you eat all the candy?”

“Yum yums,” Alex moaned.

“Great. Come on, let’s get you to the bathroom before you explode.”

Explode!

Alex didn’t like exploding!

He liked not exploding!

Alex began crying.

Tom sighed, “You’re okay Alex. Let’s just get to the bathroom.”

---

Alex is learning lessons, and Tom needs to hide the candy better.

Check out the prompt list here: https://www.tumblr.com/gianttol/751027101880270848/gt-july-2024-prompt-list?source=share

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GT July 2024 - 28 Distortion

Max jetted into Alison’s study, for once not caring that he was at this little size, and landed on her desk. “You have the results? You stop me from having to shrink?”

Alison sighed, “I’m sorry, Max. I was wrong. It’s not good news.”

Max’s heart froze. “What do you mean?”

“Your legacy isn’t what it should be.”

“Well, what does that mean?”

“You should be a Soli-Ardere hybrid, but you’re something different. The results say you’re a homunculus.”

“I don’t know what that means either,” Max groaned.

“It means, that I was wrong. I thought that this,” she waved at his not-even-a-foot-tall stature, “was a curse. Something I could fix. It’s not. This is your natural state. Your ‘normal’ size form is a sort of battle form. Not your natural form. That means I can’t stop you from shrinking now and then, like when you sleep, any more than I could stop Zac and Ian from shrinking when they sleep. This is you. It’s who you are.”

Max stared at her. Then he shook his head. “No, that can’t be right.”

“I’m sorry Max, I gave you hope when I shouldn’t have.” Alison leaned down so that her head was at his level. “I should have been more careful before I made any promises.”

“You can’t do anything?” He asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing that wouldn’t cause irreparable damage. I’m sorry.”

Max blinked tears away. He flared his wings and jetted out of the window of her study.

---

That's going to be a rough one.

Check out the prompt list here: https://www.tumblr.com/gianttol/751027101880270848/gt-july-2024-prompt-list?source=share

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GT July 2024 - 27 Key

“I didn’t know you could sing,” Koyotl mumbled as he looked up into the afternoon sky. The giant squirt was walking through one of the private courtyards of his father, the emperor. For his birthday, Koy’s father had given him the use of the courtyard and told everyone else to stay out. It was probably the nicest thing his father had ever done for him.

“Singing is rarely called for while I guard you, Master,” Itzli replied as the halfling walked beside and a step behind Koy, his eyes moving and watching for threats even here where they should be perfectly safe.

Koy was still struggling to get used to how small his tepiani was becoming. Well, Itzli wasn’t actually getting smaller. Koy was getting bigger. Koy had always been bigger than Itzli, even though it was Itzli’s job to protect Koy. But when Koy had been born, Itzli had still been as tall as Koy’s shoulder and was broader than Koy was as a whelp.

But that had been a year ago. Today was Koy’s first birthday. He was no longer a whelp. Now, he was a squirt. He was twice as tall as he had been when he was born. So, Itzli only came up to the middle of his thigh. Koy’s growth was going to slow down now that he’d reached his first year alive. He’d only grow a handful of inches every year now. And Itzli was going to get smaller and smaller. Koy wasn’t sure he liked that.

“How come you sing for your children, but you don’t sing for me?” Koy asked. Every tepiani was entitled to one day a year to visit his family. Traditionally, this day was their master’s birthday. Untraditionally, Koy had decided he wanted to go with his tepiani to visit the halfling’s family. Koy was curious about Itzli’s family. After all, only tepiani halflings were even allowed to have families. Koy had suspected that halfling families were different from his family, and he’d been right.

First off, Itzli’s wife was still alive. Unlike Koy’s mother. An ache that he’d lived with his entire life twinged in his chest. Koy reached back and scooped up his tepiani, hugging the halfling to his chest. That helped with the ache. Itzli didn’t resist. He only wrapped an arm around Koy’s neck and braced himself against Koy’s torso, eyes still on a swivel.

The other big difference between Koy’s family and Itzli’s family was that everyone lived together in the same room. Well, except for Itzli of course. Itzli slept in Koy’s quarters so that the tepiani could guard Koy when he was sleeping. But all of Itzli’s children and his wife all slept in the same room.

Koy frowned as he realized that he didn’t even know where his father slept. And it would be a very bad idea to sleep in the same room as his brothers and sisters. It would make Itzli’s job much harder. Koy’s siblings might try to eat them both in the middle of the night.

“Because, master,” Itzli emphasized the word, “you are not my child. You are my master.”

“That’s not fair,” Koy sighed and squeezed Itzli a bit tighter. The ache was slowly fading. It was always there, but hugging Itzli helped him to ignore it sometimes. A grin broke out on Koy’s face, “What if I told you to sing to me?”

Since Koy was holding his tepiani, he felt the halfling tense up for just a moment before responding, “It is my duty to obey your commands when they do not bring you danger.”

Koy’s grin grew wider, “Then I order you to sing for me like you sing for your children.”

“That will be difficult master,” Itzli replied.

Koy frowned for a moment. Itzli had held his children in his lap while he had sung for them. Koy hadn’t ever fit in Itzli’s lap though. He certainly wouldn’t fit now.

“I have an idea,” Itzli said. “Come.” The tepiani easily escaped Koy’s grip and landed on the ground. He walked over to one of the walls and sat down against it. “Lay down, with your head here,” he patted his lap.

Koy’s eyes lit up. That would work! He quickly did as he was told. Itzli adjusted his legs so that Koy’s head wasn’t squishing them. Koy couldn’t see his tepiani very well, but he could feel Itzli’s heartbeat through the top of his head. Itzli reached up and placed his hands and arms on the sides of Koy’s head and started to press gently.

“I will sing for you master,” Itzli said. “But you must not tell anyone of this. Especially, you must not tell anyone the words to the song.”

“Why not?” Koy asked.

“Because it is a dangerous song.”

“How can a song be dangerous?”

“Because songs teach us things, and sometimes those things aren’t what people want you to be taught.”

“I thought you wouldn’t follow my orders if they would bring me danger,” Koy replied, tilting his head back a bit to see Itzli’s big eyes looking down at him.

“This is an exception. Your mother asked that I teach this song to you one day.”

Koy’s heart lurched, and the ache returned. “My mother knew this song?”

“Your mother taught me this song.”

Koy relaxed his neck again so that he was looking up into the sky once more. “Oh.”

Itzli started singing. Itzli was singing quietly. So quietly that Koy probably couldn’t have heard him unless he was so close. The halfling’s voice sounded deeper than normal as he sang, and Koy could feel Itzli’s chest vibrating through his head.

Abeil, our Father, guard us all this night. Beneil, our Savior, keep us in the light. Rukeil, our Spirit, grant us breath each hour. Eil, Lord Creator, ward us with your power.

“Sing it again,” Koy ordered immediately as his tepiani’s voice drifted away.

For some reason, the ache in his chest nearly vanished when his tepiani sang the song. Maybe it was because it was his mother’s song. Maybe it was because it felt good when Itzli was rubbing his head like this. Maybe it was because he was as close to sitting in his tepiani’s lap as he could get. He wasn’t sure. He just knew that it felt good, and the ache was hardly there at all.

Even after Koy fell asleep, Itzli continued singing the song for his master. The halfling would follow through on the oath he had sworn before his God to Tlalli, Koy’s mother. He would do everything in his power to protect this boy and to teach him the ways of Eil. His mistress and his God had given him everything. His life, his family, and his purpose. He would not fail them, no matter the inevitable consequences. ---

A longer one again here. This is part of another story that I thought fit well with this prompt.

Check out the prompt list here: https://www.tumblr.com/gianttol/751027101880270848/gt-july-2024-prompt-list?source=share

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GT July 2024 - 26 Bumbling

“No, no, no,” Sprout shouted, pulling on the tip of one of Dad’s wings. That was all he could reach when Dad was big. “The other way! The bad guys are the other way!”

“Oh.” Spruce swung around. His arm slammed into the second story of one of the houses.

Sprout groaned, but at least Dad was headed in the right direction now.

A child ran out of an alley, heading for a nearby house. She stopped for just a moment to stare in awe at the fourteen-foot-tall sprite heading her way. The good news, Spruce noticed her before he stepped on her. The bad news was he lurched to the side, into the very house she was running to.

Sprout jumped forward to shove at Dad’s side, but at this size, Dad weighed close to a ton. Sprout’s crest hadn’t awakened yet. He didn’t have any enhanced strength, or endurance. If Dad fell on him, he’d get hurt, maybe die.

Despite being completely wasted, Spruce wasn’t completely senseless. He saw the danger and tried to catch himself. By planting his foot right into the front door of the house. He managed to avoid Sprout. He didn’t manage to catch himself.

Sprout winced as the front wall of the house buckled inward.

“Ow,” Spruce groaned.

The family had pulled back to the far wall and looked to be uninjured. They stared at the giant fairy man with gaping mouths.

Sprout slapped his face, as the sounds of fighting grew closer.

---

Ever wondered what it would be like to have a sprite character that went Path of the Giant, or was a Rune Knight? Me too! :D

Check out the prompt list here: https://www.tumblr.com/gianttol/751027101880270848/gt-july-2024-prompt-list?source=share

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GT July 2024 - 25 Doubts

“What do you think of all this?” Airic waved at the dwarf dressed in a dress marching down the center aisle. He was on Tore’s shoulder because he hadn’t wanted to sit with Evan and his family. They tried to explain things too much. Besides, Tore’s shoulder looked lonely.

“I think it's interesting,” Tore rumbled, trying, and failing, to keep his voice low. “Everything they do has a reason and a teaching behind it.”

“What’s the teaching here?” Airic asked.

“That their leaders like to wear dresses?” Tore grinned.

Airic slapped his ear. “It’s rude to make fun of people just because of what they wear.”

“Perhaps. I’d have thought you would know the meaning since you’re an Eilian now.”

“I didn’t magically learn everything all at once.”

“Fair enough.”

“You really don’t know then? I thought you were fascinated by it all.” Airic waved at the soaring building. If nothing else, you had to give Eilians this, they could build beautiful buildings. Buildings that were designed for legacies of all sizes and shapes. Having a bathroom the right size for you was much more important than most humans or giants thought it was.

Tore shrugged with his other shoulder. “I haven’t gotten to this part yet. But there’s surely a deep profound reason.”

Airic sighed and leaned back against Tore’s neck. “I guess I’ll just have to ask the fancy dwarf later then.”

“He usually has the answer.”

“I know. It’s very frustrating.”

“I like him.”

“Me too.”

---

When in doubt, ask a question!

Check out the prompt list here: https://www.tumblr.com/gianttol/751027101880270848/gt-july-2024-prompt-list?source=share

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GT July 2024 - 24 Western

There should have been a tumbleweed. That was how this worked, right?

Wyll stood in his crestframe. Well, he stood in his pod, in his crestframe. Same thing. His hand was dangling next to his hip. On the crestframe, a laser pistol hung there, ready to be drawn.

Rob stood across from him, hand hanging loose next to his pistol.

“You remembered to set yours to stun, right?” Rob asked.

“Of course,” Wyll grumbled. He ran a quick check, just to make sure. He had.

“Because the captain will not be pleased if we waste another healing potion.”

“That was your idea!”

Rob rolled his eyes. “Ready?”

Wyll took a deep breath and nodded.

“On the count of ten.” Rob hit a button on his AR link. A countdown appeared in the corner of Wyll’s display.

Wyll focused. The first step to engaging your crest.

9

He visualized the motion.

8

Grab the pistol.

7

Draw the pistol.

6

Aim.

5

Focus entirely on the shot.

4

Otherwise, his shot wouldn’t break through Rob’s deflection field.

3

Then, pull the trigger.

2

He could do this.

1

He breathed in.

0

Wyll reached for his pistol and got a fistful of electricity as Rob’s shot took him right in the hand.

“Gah!” Wyll flinched away as phantom pain made his hand hurt as if he’d been shot.

Rob blew the smoke away from his barrel. “And this is why we practice.”

---

Got to love a good ol fashioned showdown right?

Check out the prompt list here: https://www.tumblr.com/gianttol/751027101880270848/gt-july-2024-prompt-list?source=share

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GT July 2024 - 23 Gamble

The oversized dice slipped from Garvar’s sweaty palms and came up drake eyes.

“Uh, wait!” He cried, looking up at the giant he’d been playing against. She grabbed him, easily encompassing his entire body in her fist. He poked his head out enough to be heard. She was bringing him to her mouth.

“Double or nothing!” He shouted.

Her stomach rumbled. “You can’t double yourself.” She pointed out.

“I have twin boys at home!” Garvar yelped. “They’re demigiants! They’re already almost as big as I am, and I’m sure they’re much tastier.”

She gave him a long sniff, hummed, and dropped him on the table. “Bring them.” She poked his chest and a spell glyph flashed. “Try to run, and I will find you, and eat your entire village.” She snapped her fingers and a portal that led right into Garvar’s home appeared.

He carried his twin sons through the portal. It was a struggle. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d said they were almost as big as he was already. They were only a few months old and already half his height. Aside from their red hair, they looked nothing like him. Their mother had left them with him for the night. He’d explained that he had other plans. She didn’t listen. She just expected him to drop everything for the little brats.

The giant frowned at him and held out a hand, inside was a pair of dice. Garvar set down the boys and reached for the dice.

---

Well. That just happened.

Check out the prompt list here: https://www.tumblr.com/gianttol/751027101880270848/gt-july-2024-prompt-list?source=share

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GT July 2024 - 22 Lost

“Robert Falcon!” A light mechanical voice pierced Rob’s ear. “I swear to the Astral Winds that if you don’t get that lifeboat functional again, I’m going to make you sleep in it!”

Rob rolled his eyes, but replied, “I’m already working on it, ma’am.” He was harnessed to the malfunctioning lifeboat, hanging upside down off its stern, using his AR Link to scan its hull. The ship’s core had flagged this boat with an error but hadn’t specified what the problem was. So far, his diagnostic disagreed. There were a few more things to check, but he grinned, “As far as I can tell, it’s in ship shape.”

The chief’s groan was music to his ears.

“Plus, I wouldn’t mind sleeping in the lifeboat. It’s a much better view, and significantly less smelly.” Rob pointed out.

As the only engineer’s assistant on board, he had the dubious honor of sharing a room with the Chief Engineer. On the bright side, the chief engineer was an ornery crestframe who didn’t need a real bunk to rest, while Rob was a plucky teenage human who very much enjoyed sleeping in a bed instead of a hammock. Since the chief didn’t use it, she let him sleep there despite his very junior rank. The smell was mostly from the various fluids the ship needed to keep running smoothly. All of which ran through its core room, which was naturally where the chief and Rob slept.

If he slept in the lifeboat though, he’d be outside, sleeping among the lights of the Astral Canopy. The Astral Winds, solar currents flowing with the energy that powered their ship would lull him to sleep every night. He wouldn’t have to listen to the sounds of machinery keeping them all alive and moving. Or at least it would be quieter anyway. He’d been joking with the chief, but maybe he should delay a bit. It might be better to sleep out here.

“That can be arranged,” the chief informed him. “I’d sure love to see what happened to you the first time we get a bit too close to one of the solar currents.”

Well, the Chief had a point there. The lifeboats were tied up outside the hull of the ship, and therefore, outside that hull’s protection. The hull of their ship, and her lifeboats, were made of solar wood. Wood that had been infused with the elemental energies of fire and light. They’d be fine if they got closer than ideal to a solar current. But a lifeboat wouldn’t protect Rob from the streams of energy that came from the sun. He’d disintegrate. Which would put a downer on his day.

“All right, all right,” Rob grumbled. “But I don’t see any problems here. Everything’s checked out so far. Maybe there’s something wrong with the connection between the cores?”

The chief grunted, and Rob could almost hear her mechanical brain’s cogs turning. “Could be. Check it out.”

Rob pulled himself into the lifeboat proper. The lifeboat was more of a dinghy than anything else. It was ten feet long, with a single solar sail, a very small core to transform the energy gathered from the sail into thrust, and a tiller to guide where that thrust was directed. The core was also what would communicate with any other ship’s cores in the area.

Rob pulled the core out of its setting. It was a clump of crystal orbs attached to a central power core about the size of his fist. A vessel the size of a lifeboat only needed a single cutter-grade power core. It also had modular crystals for communication, signal amplification, life support, and shields. He scrutinized the crystals, his AR goggles displaying diagnostic information in the corner of his vision.

“Ah!” He grinned. “Got it. The signal amplifier’s backup power core isn’t drawing power from the main core. I just need to replace it.”

There was a moment of silence over the com as Rob dug in his pack for a spare micro power core. He was pretty sure he’d thrown one in here before he’d come out. Or maybe that had been a cutter core? Great. Now he wasn’t sure.

“Are you sure that’s it?” The chief asked. “The ship’s core seemed mighty concerned if it was only a backup power core replacement.”

Rob frowned. That was another good point. The ship would have marked that as a medium-priority malfunction. This was a high-priority error.

The lifeboat shifted under Rob. He lurched and grabbed the side of the boat, looking around with wide eyes. The core fell from his hand, and gently floated back to its setting.

“What was that?” Rob called.

“What was what?” The Chief asked.

“The lifeboat moved.”

“How’d it do that? It’s tied up.”

“I don’t know, but it did.”

“It is tied up right?” The chief asked.

Rob looked up at where the boat was tied to the hull of the ship. The backup lines were good and tight, but the main latches were slowly opening. The latches were mechanical. The lines were just ropes. Theoretically, the lines would keep the lifeboat attached, but not if the ship made any sort of fast maneuvers.

“That’s not good,” Rob announced.

“Robert Falcon, get off that lifeboat this instant!” The chief shouted.

Rob glanced back at the boat’s core and saw the actual problem now. It was hard to see, even with his goggles, but deep in the main power core of the lifeboat was a spot of darkness.

“Chief! It’s been corrupted!” Rob shouted. He jumped for the core and ripped it out of its setting. If that corruption spread to the ship’s core through its com mod, they’d all be worse than dead. The corruption would infect the ship’s core, turning her against her sailors.

They’d never survive. Neither would the ship.

Rob looked at the core in his hands, unsure what to do with it.

“Don’t just hold it you damn fool, throw it overboard!” The chief shouted. Rob looked up. The chief was now at the ship’s railing looking down at him. The crestframe’s body was a hodgepodge and jury-rigged affair. Most captains would have thrown her out at first glance. But not Rob’s captain. She’d recognized something in the old crestframe, and it turned out, the chief was the best solar engineer in the seven astral seas.

Rob did as he was told. He moved to the far side of the lifeboat and threw the core overboard as hard as he could. He needed to throw it with enough force to get it out of the ship’s artificial gravity. He chucked it as hard as he could. For a moment, the core slowed in the air as the ship’s life support mod tried to pull it back. But then it hit the edge of the gravity well and started floating away into the distance of the Astral Canopy.

The knot in Rob’s chest loosened, and his heart rate started to settle. Then his stomach jumped into his throat as the lifeboat fell from the ship.

“No, no, no, you blasted barge!” The chief’s voice cracked. How did a mechanical lifeform’s voice crack? “We took care of it! You don’t have to eject!”

Rob’s entire body went cold. The ship had sensed the corruption. She was trying to save herself and her crew by severing the connection to the infected core. The only way she could do that without prior authorization was to get rid of the entire lifeboat. She had reversed her local gravity for the lifeboat, shooting it off into the heights of the Astral Canopy, along with Rob.

It was too late for anyone to stop it. The lifeboat was already past the edge of the ship’s gravity well and was going on the opposite vector of the ship. It gave Rob an excellent view of the solar sailor that had been his home over the last few years. The solar wood of the ship was a dark reddish-orange color. Unlike a seafaring vessel, which had masts going straight up, a solar sailor had masts shooting out in three directions. One straight up, and two out of the hull, angled downward so that its sails looked like a triangle around the ship. The solar sails were shimmering gold with the captured energy of the solar currents.

The ship skewed into a hairpin turn. The chief was working fast. The ship was already coming about after him, but it wasn’t going to be fast enough. They’d been going at nearly maximum speed. Already, the ship was vanishing into the darkness, no longer visible to the naked eye. The depowered lifeboat would get lost against the ambient echoes and solar energy of the Astral Canopy. The ship’s sensors wouldn’t be able to find him alone.

Normally, that wouldn’t be a huge deal. These lifeboats were designed to be found. But it was the boat’s com mod that sent out that signal. The very com mod that had been attached to the core Rob had thrown overboard. His AR link could be tracked a short distance. But the lifeboat was moving fast, and he was already past that. The chief and the Captain would be able to make a good guess about his trajectory, but it would still be like finding a needle in a haystack. They’d be relying on luck as much as anything else.

Unless Rob could find a way to amplify the signal of his AR link.

Rob let out another breath and relaxed again. He could do that. He just needed to give his AR link some more power. He grabbed his pack and found the backup power core he’d been looking for at the very bottom. He just needed to connect his AR link to it, and that should get the job done. No big deal.

The lifeboat jerked to a halt, throwing Rob into its mast hard enough for him to see stars for a second, and giving him an instant headache. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.  The lifeboat shuddered.

Something had caught the lifeboat, and it hadn’t been a ship’s tractor line. There were any number of creatures in the Astral Canopy that might be interested in a free-flying lifeboat. Most of them would be quite pleased to find a nice, tasty human inside.

Rob looked around with only his eyes for options. There was a pistol in the storage compartment. But that was all the way over on the other side of the boat. Rob’s crest wasn’t fully awakened yet. It was connected to the ship, and if he’d been there, his crest might have helped him. But he wasn’t. He was defenseless.

His eyes landed on the micro power core in his hands. It was the only realistic chance he had of the ship finding him. But it was also the only possible weapon he had against whatever was about to try and eat him.

The boat lurched harder, and Rob jumped into action. He didn’t make a conscious decision. It just happened. He spun as he connected his AR link to the power core. Instead of using the core to overpower his AR Link, he used all the remaining power in his AR Link to overcharge the micro power core. So overcharged, it would explode if someone blew on it too hard. Rob only had to give the command. Rob turned to see what creature was trying to make a snack of him, and his heart tried to jump out of his chest at the same as his stomach tried to escape through his backside.

It was a jelly slime.

Jelly slimes were only barely alive. They were a type of ooze that had adapted for the Astral Canopy. They consisted of a ship-sized blob of acidic ooze that served as their bodies, and tentacles of paralyzing ooze that reached out from that body in all directions. As it floated along through the canopy, anytime those tentacles brushed up against something, they immediately stuck to it pulling close to the main body. When its prey touched the main body, the slime would engulf it, and begin breaking it down to add more mass to itself. It wasn’t a quick process either. The slime’s body would paralyze anything alive inside of it while simultaneously keeping it alive. The victim would be slowly digested alive, which could take days.

On average, they were the size of a large astral barge. This one was small. It was only the size of a solar sailor. Which was still plenty large enough to completely swallow Rob and his lifeboat.

But Rob and the boat were still on the fringes of the jelly slime’s reach. Only one tentacle had latched on. If Rob could get that off his boat, he might be able to get away before the other tentacles snagged him.

Rob threw the power crystal at the tentacle. It hit with a plop, but Rob hadn’t thrown hard enough. The core was only a few feet from the edge of the lifeboat. That was too close. If Rob blew it up that close, it might destroy the ship as well.

More tentacles were heading his way. The tentacle that had grabbed the boat was starting to pull. He didn’t have time. It’d be better to die quickly in an explosion than slowly in the belly of a jelly slime.

Rob triggered the power crystal, and everything went white.

---

This is actually the first chapter of Rob and Wyll's story. But it fit so well with the prompt that I just had to do it. Not a lot of GT for GT July I guess though. Oh well. It gives a bit of context for all of the other prompts you've seen them in.

Check out the prompt list here: https://www.tumblr.com/gianttol/751027101880270848/gt-july-2024-prompt-list?source=share

[firenze11]

GT July 2024 - 21 Coveted

“So, which one of are you taller?” Annabelle asked. She, Sage, and Drew were away from the party looking at Annabelle’s ‘hoard.’ It was a pile of plushies.

“Huh?” Drew looked at Sage, the giant. Then looked at himself, the gnome. He quirked an eyebrow at her.

“What do you mean?” Sage asked. He pointed at Drew, who was sitting on his shoulder. “It’s sort of obvious, isn’t it?”

“No, I mean, when you guys are on the same scale, who is taller?”

Sage and Drew looked at each other, and then back at her. “You mean like if Sage shrunk down to gnome size?” Drew asked.

She nodded.

“Oh,” Sage replied. “Well, we’re pretty close. Sometimes Drew’s taller, and sometimes I am.”

“Can I see?” Annabelle asked.

“I guess,” Sage muttered. “I don’t know why it’s that important though. I’m a giant, I can be whatever size I want to be that’s smaller than my natural size.”

“I’m just curious,” Annabelle pouted.

“Fine,” Sage sighed. He knelt and Drew slid the rest of the way to the floor on Sage’s arm. A moment later, Sage had shrunk down to gnome size. He stepped closer to Drew and they stood back to back.

“Perfect,” Annabelle hissed.

Sage’s head whipped around as light appeared around their feet.

“Hey!” Drew shouted.

“What are you doing?” Sage called. He tried to grow back to his full size but couldn’t.

“Adding you to my hoard of course.” Annabelle smiled at them.

---

Annabelle is both a very fun character to write, but also incredibly creepy at the same time. She's not really evil per se, she's just so incredibly spoiled that she doesn't even really recognize that other people really exist. Sage and Drew are about to realize this.

Check out the prompt list here: https://www.tumblr.com/gianttol/751027101880270848/gt-july-2024-prompt-list?source=share

[firenze11]

GT July 2024 - 20 Sour

This was going to be a delicate operation. But Dylan’s vengeance must be had. Everything in the room was twice as big as it should have been, which made Dylan feel like a halfling. He was in his socks and he’d used a featherlight sigil on himself. They might have felt the vibrations otherwise. That would not end well. He needed to catch Zac while he was sleeping. He lugged his bucket with him, making sure to not let it touch the ground or to let the lid open.

Dylan snuck up to Zac and Ian’s bed. They preferred to be at their giant size whenever possible. But, since they were demigiant gnomes, their gnome size was their natural size, the size they slept in. Much more manageable.

Dylan reached their bed. Thankfully, Zac was closer to Dylan. Annoyingly, the boys preferred to fall asleep at their giant size, so they had a giant-sized bed. Dylan activated his hover sigil, lifting his feet off the floor enough to reach over the bed without touching it.

Just as he snagged Zac, Ian’s eyes shot open.

There was one frozen moment where Ian and Dylan’s eyes met.

Dylan pulled Zac off the bed just as Ian yelped. He’d suspected this would happen and was prepared to deal with the consequences. At his gnome size, Zac was barely over a foot tall. Dylan slid the lid of the bucket open and dropped Zac into the bucket of sour milk he’d brought with him.

---

Gross. Come on, Dylan. You can do better than that.

Check out the prompt list here: https://www.tumblr.com/gianttol/751027101880270848/gt-july-2024-prompt-list?source=share

[firenze11]

GT July 2024 - 19 Out of Reach

“Where did I put it?” Tom groaned.

It was entirely too early in the morning for his tea to have gone missing. He always kept it here in the cupboard. Where else could it have gone?

Unless.

Tom stepped back and looked up. He couldn’t see the top of the counter from where he was. Menei and he needed a giant kitchen since they had giant children. Even though Tom was a halfling, this wasn’t a big deal. Usually. Menei did most of the cooking for the boys, and as a demigiant, she could grow to a giant size. Tom, not so much. He’d have to take the ladder.

Until now, he hadn’t needed it. But Alex had discovered that he liked tea. And Alex was a bit absent-minded when it came to remembering to put his dad’s things back in a place his dad could easily reach.

Tom sighed and climbed up to the counter. The counters were only fifteen feet tall. It was just more than he wanted to do this early. He spotted his tea right next to Alex’s mug.

Tom grinned.

---

Alex came down later. He wasn’t tall enough to reach the counters either, yet, so he pulled a step stool over. When his head crested the countertop, he found his dad sitting on the counter with Alex’smug between his legs, sipping from it. He had to use two hands to balance it and not spill it everywhere.

“Hey! That’s mine!” Alex frowned.

Tom quirked an eyebrow at him.

“Well, the mug is anyway.”

“And the tea?” Dad asked.

“That’s yours,” Alex muttered.

“And where pray tell, do you think I found my tea?”

Alex’s eyes widened. He looked over at the box of teabags.

“Oh.”

Tom hummed and took another sip out of the giant mug.

---

I'm getting a bit lazy on editing these. But we're almost to the end of the slog! I hope you've been enjoying them.

Check out the prompt list here: https://www.tumblr.com/gianttol/751027101880270848/gt-july-2024-prompt-list?source=share

[firenze11]

NEXT PUBLISHED BOOK WINNER!

Hey there tall, small, and in the walls!

I am absolutely thrilled to announce that "My Borrowed Son" has officially won the poll. Across all of my platforms (Tumblr, Wattpad, DeviantArt, Twitter/X, and Ko-Fi), I did the math and My Borrowed Son ended up as the winner.

We are not done yet though!

The next step is to determine whether or not YOU - the amazing and wonderful readers and creators here - want hard back or soft back books.

Keep in mind! These books have raised in price. I did some math and have the price comparison down below.

Hard back is on the LEFT Paperback is on the RIGHT

As you can see, there is a significant price difference.

I would LOVE to do the hardback, but want to make sure this is a financially smart decision.

SO! Below is a poll. Please let me know whether you want hard back or soft back and PLEASE RSVP which book type you would like if you would like to purchase a copy of "My Borrowed Son."

This is such an amazing community and I cannot thank all of you enough for commenting and enjoying my piddly scratchings. I cannot wait to see what you all want to do moving forward. There will certainly be more updates to follow.

Cheers and, as always, stay awesome! ~Narrans

[firenze11]

GT July 2024 - 18 Pirates

“Gah!” Rob kicked at the halfling that had just taken a bit out of his leg. “Out of all the pirate gangs, the piranaughts are the worst!”

“Not my favorite either.” Thankfully, Wyll had been in his crestframe when the pirates attacked. He did not want to fight off a boarding party of cannibal pirates when he was bite-sized. Besides, his crestframe was taller than Rob, something Wyll enjoyed. Sadly, the captain wouldn’t give him a laser pistol to play, er, defend himself with. But the crestframe’s metal fists could still dole out some punishment to any pirates that got too close to Rob’s back.

Rob fired his pistol into the face of an ogre coming for them. Rob was allowed to have one, even though he was only four years older than Wyll.

“Down!” A voice cut through the din of battle.

Rob and Wyll were on the ground suddenly. They were so used to obeying that voice they didn’t even need to think about it. A shot from one of the antipersonnel turrets blew a hole through the ogre, which had still been coming, and it finally went down.

Rob and Wyll stood up and looked around for more enemies.

“You got something on your arm there,” Rob stated.

Wyll held up his arm and found a gnome gnawing on his elbow.

“For crying out loud,” Wyll grumbled. He grabbed the gnome's leg and tore the pirate off. “It’s made of metal!” Wyll moved to throw the gnome off the deck.

“Stop!”

Wyll froze.

The captain appeared and held out a hand. He was wearing his fancy hat and coat. There wasn’t a single thread out of place despite single-handedly fighting off two ogres by the helm.

Wyll handed the gnome to him.

The captain looked at him, seeming to see Wyll’s through his crestframe and pod. “Good job. This one will lead us back to his ship and earn us a pretty penny when we take her.”

Wyll didn’t believe it for a minute. Had he just gotten a ‘good job’ from the captain? His heart just about exploded, and he was pretty sure his crestframe started glowing.

---

We get our first glimpse of the mysterious captain of Wyll and Rob's ship.

Check out the prompt list here: https://www.tumblr.com/gianttol/751027101880270848/gt-july-2024-prompt-list?source=share

[firenze11]

GT July 2024 - 17 Quaff

“How am I supposed to quaff a potion when it’s as big as I am?” Wyll asked.

“Technically it’s bigger.” Rob held the vial up next to Wyll. The scrawny twelve-year-old was somewhere between three and four inches tall. If Wyll wanted to, he could fit inside the healing potion’s vial.

Wyll nodded, “So, how am I supposed to drink that whole thing? I might like, blow up or something.”

“Fair point,” Rob muttered. “Maybe if you drink less of it, it will have the same effect?”

Wyll grinned, “Oh, that might work. We should test it.” He darted for the edge of the table.

“Ease off the throttle kiddo.” Rob intercepted Wyll with his hand. Wyll slammed into it, and Rob winced. At least he’d stopped Wyll from dive-bombing off the desk. Rob flipped his hand so that Wyll was lying on it and brought it up to look closer.

“You all right?” Rob asked.

“I think you broke my nose.” There was blood coming from Wyll’s nose. “Can we try the potion now?”

Rob rolled his eyes, “Fine, but you’re explaining to the captain.”

“It’ll be fine. He loves me!”

“If by love, you mean tolerates your presence most days. Here.” Rob held the potion up. Wyll carefully took it and started chugging it.

And chugging it.

And chugging it.

Until it was gone.

Only at that point did the bleeding stop, and his nose straighten out.

They looked at the empty vial. Then at each other.

“Huh.”

---

These guys are quite fun to write. They're just always getting up to mischief. :D

Check out the prompt list here: https://www.tumblr.com/gianttol/751027101880270848/gt-july-2024-prompt-list?source=share