Joshua Cannon

Poems

Unyielding, Undying

Eddy sworn to both land and sea. Contradiction in the oath he keeps. Demise is set into his soul. Life he takes, but death’s the toll. - Trial of ancients sprung From the peak of the mount on tarn. Mont shall burst and Font shall flow. Broken boulder rivers

Poems

Aqalyre: Sticks and Stones

Sticks and stones Will break my bones, But scoffs and scorns Won’t make me mourn. - Iron and steel, Their wounds won’t heal. Ignore vicious mocking. Let me do the talking. - Sticks and stones. Tree branches spiked with thorns. This weapon has been magically enhanced. Made a

Poems

Sleeper Agent

The face in your dream you’ve never seen in real life. The voice that says your name, waking you in the night. The bloodstained words you find painted on the wall. Or in the corner of your eye, a silhouette black and tall. - Have you ever wondered who

Poems

Dream Reaver

I burst ashore in a mind that’s not mine. I body-swap with kindergarten girl this time. What horrific nightmares she’s been hav’in. Better wipe out the fear-mongering infestation. - Parents belittle; Her friends mock. I’ll turn the table From this laughingstock. - Her dreams will haunt

Non-ECCC Story

Cursed

Cursed? That actually sounds like a good name for a novel series. Too bad it's probably already been taken. Oh well, I'm sure I'll think of something. Have you ever played Dungeons and Dragons? Yes, well I think some of the things in it are pretty cool. It's almost like

Poems

Memory Lapse

Met somebody the other day. We had a swell time. We planned to meet up again, We set a date, I’d give them a ride. - Now the day has come. Time to meet them again. It’s going to be fun. But there is a problem. - I

Ego Concentric Circles

Hours of Power: Setting Description

This setting is a world in which a certain magic system is in place that produces this specific magical effect in everyone in that world determined by the time. This setting and magic system was created in the earliest conception of the Egocentric Concentric Circles multiversal setting. I first brainstormed

Ego Concentric Circles

Occulturation #18: It's A Monster!

Dylishan hour of Ghost quintuple (4th hour of 4th 5-hour period) Ghost-Incorporeal-Restcha (4th day, 4th week, 3rd month) Ystra can barely only barely see the road lit by the dim porch lights and street lamps. She is already saddle sore from riding Lauren at full gallop for what feels to

Poems

Blood Circle

Darkness all around me. Nothing else can I see. But the scratching on the wall Warns me of the monster’s claws. - Ten feet. Once he gets within ten feet, He will taste my glaive, red as I beat Him to the ground. For no Denizen will be found

Poems

Darkness of Day

Darkness creeps through the foggy mist. Darkness rises from an unfathomable abyss. Darkness spreads through the hearts of men. Darkness spares no one, not even the children. - Denizens of the Day wait in the shadows. Denizens of the Dead seek to take our lives, our souls. Denizens are here.

Ego Concentric Circles

Tarn Nation: Secrets of Font

“Mishlan! Get out of the water! You’re scaring the fish!” Mishlan ignores the voices of angry women yelling from their boats as they try to catch fish in their nets. Mishlan doesn’t understand the big fuss. They always collect enough fish to feed the village. They always take

Ego Concentric Circles

Introduction to Tarn Nation

“This is the land of Issylun. It is home to the people of Tarn Nation. This realm consists of a few major features. First, the whole of the land is a single island. It is roughly a circle shape. The whole island appears to be a massive mountain, but the

Ego Concentric Circles

Second Encounter

“No. I won’t let you, Belladonna!” The woman shouts into her phone, “You were supposed to help. I never should have told you.” She angrily hangs up the phone, stands up from the bed, and stomps to the bedroom door. After unlocking it, she storms through the house, collecting

Ego Concentric Circles

First Encounter

The little girl, only about 10 years old [3 Earth years] runs into her mothers arms, crying. The woman hugs her daughter and speaks softly, trying to sooth her. “It’s okay. It’s okay. You had another nightmare?” “Waah! It was terrible!” The little girl sobs. After a little

Ego Concentric Circles

Last Life

Reckless violence like a tornado siren. “Youth is wasted on the youth.” Idle elders on porch sitting are cry’in, “Uncivilized, it’s so uncouth.” - I fight back so that death won't take me. Kill the winged warrior of death, the Val-cry. “Wait, Ace, isn’t it pronounced ‘Valkyrie?

Ego Concentric Circles

Chicken

They call me Ace. I'm a fiery flyer. Death I’ve escaped. But now I’m retired. - How many times can I die before I fail to rise again? I’m no longer willing to take that risk, testing Space-Makers’ patience. I used to throw caution to the wind,

Ego Concentric Circles

Escape Artist

Bear Trap! I see it. I touch it tentatively. A swing and a miss! I pull my leg out of reach. Vicious sabers claw together beneath. - A loop of rope limp on the ground. A snare trap I must disarm. Trip over a tripwire into a canvas. Tightening around

Ego Concentric Circles

Hand-Hook Monster

Be careful when you hunt, stay out of sight. No matter how much those tourists ask for a bite. Don’t let anyone know that you’re a Screamer. Beware the death sentence of the hook-hand monster. - Unnatural, inhuman, unliving yet not undead. It’s a machine made to

Ego Concentric Circles

Lethal Drug

Explicit Content Warning! Gore! Isuertal is absolutely brutal. You may want to look away if you have blood and body parts. Blade glinting in the darkness. I can see it in his hand. What does that matter? I’ve got him right where I want him. Time to strike, time

Ego Concentric Circles

Paranoia

It’s next to me. The desk of the seat of the child Undead. I saw it last month too. Always watching through the roof. Haunted by nightmares. I stay awake all night in bed. Every shadow, every blur, I’d swear I see them move. - But I don’

Ego Concentric Circles

Occulturation #17: Night Trials

Explicit Content Warning! If you have internal organs or are internal organs, you may want to cover your eyes when reading an explicit section about Isuertal. This is a blood warning. That lady is violent Dylishan hour of Ghost quintuple (4th hour of 4th 5-hour period) Ghost-Incorporeal-Restcha (4th day, 4th

Ego Concentric Circles

Reckless Adventure

Bubbling up from the dark blue abyss. Rises a sand wyrm that doesn’t fit in. A cry from the stern, “What in Tarn Nation?” “Aye, Mate E. We’re far from that lake mountain.” - Never rode a ship larger than a rowboat before. Never fear the monsters that

Poems

Cozy Glow and Tirek

My name is Cozy Glow. My mane’s adorable. My curly locks are teal. Magic is what we steal. - Tirek, my old pen pal Helped me to no avail. It’s just the two of us Stuck trapped in Tartarus. - You get all the magic. I get all

Ego Concentric Circles

Change in Leadership

Captain of the Angel Strike Force You’re the Captain, so calm down and breathe. “Nothing can beat you.” If only you were so naive. Shadows in the corners of your eyes. Behind each corner you swear there’ll be pixies. And when you close your eyes, you hear whispering.

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File Redacted

I may have been possessed by an evil spirit. But don’t worry. It’s gone now. No need to fear it. But after that, my mind never was the same. I fear that sadly, it may have damaged my brain. - Good luck trying to hold me down. No