Michael Gattis
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mgattis.bsky.social
Michael Gattis
@mgattis.bsky.social
1.1K followers 1.2K following 440 posts
He/him
Aspiring #fantasy #author 📖 🐲
Dad by day, #writer by naptime 🧑‍🍼
#AmQuerying
(I'm just leaving these parentheses here until I think of something clever to say)
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mgattis.bsky.social
POV: You are a 3yo and your parents stashed your toy robot in the basement (because it's annoying as hell).
#WIPSnips #Movement #WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #WritingPrompt
I know I can pull it off, provided I avoid The Guardians. The Guardians run this place. Their rules are arbitrary. Their moods, unpredictable. They think the rest of us are powerless. That our every movement needs monitoring. I shiver to think what consequences await me, if I’m caught. The Guardians wouldn’t send me to The Basement. No, I’m too valuable to them. More likely, they’ll take their fury out on one of my friends; exile them to The Basement or worse. This threat usually quells my heart’s rebellious tendencies. But not this time. I can’t abandon Roby. Won’t.
November 7, 2025 at 2:08 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
Let's try this again...

Bit longer of a passage for today's #WIPSnips #Spell.
Context was needed.
#WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #WritingPrompt
On the eve of the morrow, the king was set to marry an evil sorceress. The nobles whispered amongst each other at the general wrongness of it. The peasants, being out of His Majesty’s earshot, grumbled more loudly (and quite specifically) about the new taxes levied upon them to pay for the wedding. And the horses ate hay, giving exactly zero whinnies about the whole business. Yet even they suspected some ensorcelling must have occurred in the time between the king’s quest to vanquish the sorceress and his engagement to her. One thing they all agreed on? Having an evil sorceress as queen was likely to give everyone stomach ulcers. To find out exactly what had befallen the king, the nobles hired the most expensive psychologist their peasants’ taxes could buy. His name was Aremento Spellsage, and he was the only psychologist in the tri-kingdom area with a PHD in both witchcraft and wizardry. The king lay down on Aremento’s leather couch. He was under a spell – one of Aremento’s – essentially a hard hypnosis, as opposed to the suggestive sort that was hit-or-miss.
October 30, 2025 at 2:25 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
#WIPSnips vibes! #blood-curdling
#WritingCommunity #Writing #WritingPrompt #Writesky
I check through every cage twice, but my friend is nowhere to be found. I risk calling his name louder. “Roby?” Still no reply. Doubt slithers into my mind. Maybe The Guardians didn’t put Roby in The Basement. Maybe he ran away. No. He wouldn’t. He loves me. He told me so only yesterday. A loud sound bangs at the back of The Basement. A click. A whoosh. It startles me into a scream. Then I see it: a monster made all of metal. Sharp corners. Countless steel appendages. And fire in its mouth. I run and hide under a table.
October 27, 2025 at 1:20 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
#WIPSnips vibes. #Total = summed up!
#WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #WritingPrompt
Finally, an idea hits me: I’ll write a short story about my hike today. But every story needs a disaster. When is mine going to strike? The path ahead leads down to the stream. My immediate reaction can be summed up in one, great big, “NOPE.” It’s a picturesque scene, but all that rushing water makes it loud. How will I hear the bear’s approach? And there are so many boulders. Which one is hiding the bear? Which dark, bear-sized cave has it chosen to lay in wait for an unsuspecting hiker (read: snack) to walk by? And when the bear does show up, how will I back away slowly while maintaining eye-contact without tripping, probably startling the apex predator and dooming myself?
October 24, 2025 at 12:46 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
#WIPSnips vibes! #gradient = hill.

Never underestimate the power of a haunting children's melody...nor the unexpected honk of a goose.

#WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #WritingPrompt
Ever upward, I march. I’m tired. What if I’m hit with vertigo, then have to back away slowly from a bear, down a hill, while I’m too dizzy to see straight? A children’s song plays in my head. If you go into the woods today, you’re in for a big surprise …because today’s the day “I’ll be the teddy bears’ picnic,” I finish aloud. I don’t know all the words, clearly, but it’s a haunting melody at any rate. A lone goose honks in the distance, startling me back into silence.
October 23, 2025 at 1:04 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
#WIPSnips vibes. #Charge = cost.
This was a fun little short story to write.

Premise: a support group for people with niche and useless superpowers.

MC: can fry a single egg per day.

#Writingcommunity #writing #Writesky #WritingPrompt
“Then he went and started his own support group for people who wanted to increase their powers,” said Steven. Lenny sat up a little straighter. “Is that possible?” “Well, yeah, but at what cost?” Steven asked. “So, he can make a rabbit come sniff his finger now. So what?” “What do you mean, ‘so what?’” Lenny laughed. “Don’t you want to deliver important secret messages, Steve? And Louise, what if you could make daisies smell like funions? And Jimmy, what if you could…uh…” “Change the color of my freckles to look diseased and get out of taking finals?” Jimmy asked.
October 22, 2025 at 1:39 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
#WIPSnips #Second #WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #Writingprompt
What a lovely witch.
The boy hid behind the hedges, watching the witch feed her chickens. She wasn’t as ugly as the townsfolk joked. Her skin was neither green nor gray, but a pleasing combination of the two. She sported a thick beard that would have been considered attractive on any man. In fact, if you looked past the mountain range of warts on her cheeks, her knobby, horse-sized knees, and the second nose growing where her left ear should have been, she was quite lovely.
October 21, 2025 at 1:17 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
#WIPSnips #Field
Demons have different olfactory opinions than most people.
#WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #Writingprompt
“It doesn’t pretend to know the impetuses of humankind.” Zaelzagog smothered a yawn in the crook of its arm and a sink hole swallowed one of their hovels. Half the villagers fled into the forest. “Apologies. Its strength grows the longer it remains awake. Mayhap if they turn over proper tribute, it can eat and be on its way?” “No!” the sacrifice cried. “I won’t let you take any more of the people I love!” “You don’t have to watch,” said the demon, quite reasonably. “You’ll have me or no one.” The demon considered her. She smelled terrible, it was true. Like a field of roses slathered in honey. Yet, something was familiar. “Has it eaten of your flesh before, sacrifice?”
October 20, 2025 at 12:47 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
#WIPSnips vibes today. #loaf = bread.
This was a fun one to write because I sought out cliches to use, rather than avoid them. It was the point.
#WritingCommunity #writing #writesky #writingprompt
Chef had time to neither dilly nor dally. Though it would be a quick read, her short story dessert still needed boatloads of preparation and careful editing. As she worked, Chef’s head floated up to the clouds. She could see The Critic’s article now, calling Cliché’s “the best thing since sliced bread.” The appetizer and entrée would never win any awards, but maybe she’d enter the dessert in a short story competition to see what would happen.
October 17, 2025 at 2:43 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
I #might have had too many choices for this week's #WIPSnips...
#WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #Writingprompt
…Well, it was less a superpower, and more a “specific issue resolver.” Lenny Livingston could [insert drumroll here] fry an egg under any circumstances, provided he had a frying pan handy. No, he couldn’t create fire to heat the pan. No, he didn’t have laser vision to cook the egg. And, no, he didn’t switch the uncooked egg for a fried one when you weren’t looking. He merely cracked the egg open, dropped it into the pan, and shook his fist at it threateningly. Moments later, the egg was so perfectly fried, Gordan Ramsay himself would call it “the most amazing” thing he’d ever eaten (before remarking the burnt toast that came with it was “a real shame”). I imagine some of you might be asking questions about Lenny’s power’s limits. How about an omelet? What if you wanted sunny-side up? Could he do an ostrich egg?
October 16, 2025 at 1:18 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
#WIPSnips #care #WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #writingprompt
Still, Patrick was exhausted; the kind of tired you get from years of working all day, only to come home and spend what free time you have left focused on other peoples’ needs. Helping the kids with their homework. Chauffeuring them to their various extracurriculars. Cooking, cleaning, doctor appointments, home maintenance, car repairs. Patrick and Rebecca thought they’d reclaim some time for themselves once their youngest left for college, but now Patrick’s mom, in her twilight years, needed daily care. With neither siblings nor the money to pay for a home health aide, that, too, fell on Patrick and Rebecca. It was a miracle they could (barely) keep up with the H.O.A.’s stringent demands in between everything else.
October 15, 2025 at 1:24 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
This #ultimate #WIPSnips from a short story where the king falls in love with an evil sorceress.
#WritingCommunity #Writing #WriteSky #Writingprompt
After a moment, the king recovered himself enough to ask, “well, what is it? What’s wrong with me?” “Nothing,” Aremento said, his voice hollow. “Only…you are in love.” “Love?” asked the king. “Love.” Aremento looked out the window. He was really going to miss the sunshine. “It would be sweet, if the consequences weren’t so dire.” “Love.” The king nodded, slowly. “I see. Well, what can be done?” Aremento shook his head. “Nothing, unfortunately. Love is the ultimate blessing, but also the ultimate curse. People – even kings, it seems – do stupid things for love.” The next day, the king married the evil sorceress, and the kingdom burned.
October 14, 2025 at 1:30 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
Today's #WIPSnips #push from a tongue-in-cheek short story about a chef who owns a restaurant called "Cliche's." Seasons the dishes (stories) she makes with overused tropes and cliches.

#WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #writingprompt
There are too many cooks in the kitchen.” “I wondered when we’d see that one,” said Waiter. As the staff shuffled out the door, Chef consulted the rolodex of clichés in her mind, muttering them to herself. “If you can’t stand the heat…no, not for a dessert. Tip of the tongue? It has potential, but I’d rather her swallow it whole.” Then Chef had it. “Icing on the cake!” That one always pushed a dish across the finish line. Chef thrusted the final course into Waiter’s hands and watched him funeral march his way back to the dining room. Then she leaned against the wall and slid to the floor.
October 13, 2025 at 12:49 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
Truly some #WIPSnips vibes today for #prize. This is part of a short story I'm going to enter for The Hope Prize. Still lots of editing ahead.
#WritingCommunity #Writing #Writesky #WritingPrompt
Ron beamed. “A choice has been made! Tell him what he’s won, Bill.” “Connnn-gratulations, Patrick!” said a deep, sultry voice from the ceiling. “You’ll spend the next twenty years paying off a debt totaling $38,575. After graduation, you’ll land yourself in a stable career that has nothing to do with your major. Best of all, your choice today will lead you to Rebecca, the love of your life!” “Amazing!” said Ron. He clapped Patrick on the shoulder. “Good choice. Congratulations, Pat. Thanks for playing. And we’ll see you next time on—” LIFE’S! LITTLE! CHOICES!
October 10, 2025 at 1:02 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
#WIPSnips vibing: #dungeon = cage
#WritingCommunity #Writesky #writing #writingprompt
“Roby?” I whisper into the silence. “Roby, where are you?” There’s no answer. Maybe he’s asleep. But, if he’s asleep, I should hear him snoring. Roby is a chronic snorer, and falls asleep instantaneously, if he’s laid on his back. One by one, I peer into The Basement’s plethora of cages. Some are empty, save for a few scrap parts and discarded batteries. Others house husks of prisoners long past their expiration dates, barely distinguishable from the trash around them. Too late for them. They’ll have a snack time appointment with the monsters already on the books.
October 8, 2025 at 1:13 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
#WIPSnips today from the bear story. Nice and short for my fellow snippers :)
#WritingCommunity #Writing #WriteSky #writingprompt
Back on the trail I miss the safety of the water. Why had I feared it? I can’t see anything through the trees. Don’t bears climb trees? I come to a fork in the road. This is the perfect time to turn around. But I can’t chicken out now. The tension’s still building. The story needs a climax. Onward I go, following red blazes.
October 7, 2025 at 1:10 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
#WIPSnips vibes today. #Hibernate = sleep.
When a hungry ghost is just hungry.
#WritingCommunity #Writing #WriteSky #WritingPrompt
Clifton frowned. “I might have, if you weren’t standing in front of that cartoonishly bright light.” O’Brien looked behind him. There was only darkness, and the storm had yet to produce any great flashes of lightning. “You see The Light?” “See it?” Clifton laughed. “The feckin’ thing follows me everywhere I go. Always hoverin’ in some doorway. Makes sleeping impossible.” “The dead can’t sleep,” said Father O’Brien. “Don’t I know it.” Clifton reached into the fridge and pulled out a bowl of chocolate pudding. “Mind throwin’ me a spoon? They’re in the drawer next to you.”
October 3, 2025 at 12:44 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
I had today's #WIPSnips, guys! #Salmon
#WritingCommunity #Writing #WriteSky #WritingPrompt
The upward trek seems never-ending. I’m getting loud from the exertion of climbing. I clear my throat as quietly as I can. I’m breathing through my mouth. Can the bear smell my breakfast? That bagel with lox and cream cheese seems like a bad idea in hindsight. Do black bears even know the smell of salmon? No, that’s grizzlies, not black bears. Right?
October 2, 2025 at 1:18 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
#WIPSnips vibes today. #River = stream. Another one from the bear story. Probably the shortest snip I've shared yet.
#WritingCommunity #Writing #WriteSky #WritingPrompt
I stop on a bridge that crosses a tiny part of the stream. Where’s the troll? My daughter would want to play troll, if she were here. I’d have to tell her no, because we’re sitting ducks down here. Then she’d probably cry, and the bear would come to lecture me on my parenting style.
October 1, 2025 at 1:22 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
#WIPSnips vibes today. #Paw = claw. Zaelzagog again! I love this demon. Might end up using him for a full novel.
#WritingCommunity #Writing #WriteSky #Writingprompt
“It heard what you said.” The demon swept its bottomless black eyes over the villagers. It produced from Nowhere and unfurled a long scroll which rolled out upon the ground, splitting the villagers’ gathered group in half on its way past their feet. “And yet, you are contractually obligated to provide it one.” The villagers looked at one another, murmuring their ignorance. The sacrifice stepped rudely upon the scroll. “Be gone! We will fall not for your trickery, foul beast!” Zaelz put a clawed hand to the place where its prune-sized heart beat (once a decade) in its chest. “Such gall. Your ancestors, at least, showed grace upon signing our agreement.”
September 30, 2025 at 1:11 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
When the story is about a #bear, finding a #WIPSnips is easy!
#WritingCommunity #Writing #WriteSky #WritingPrompt
But maybe a solitary hike in bear-infested woods isn’t the best idea… What am I supposed to do if I encounter a bear, anyway? Play dead? Make myself big and scary? I ask Google, and AI gives me the answer. “Stay calm, avoid running…make yourself known to the bear…make yourself appear bigger…back away slowly and calmly…” Seems simple enough. “Hi, Bear, nice to meet you. I’m bigger than I look, and don’t taste nearly as delicious. Please don’t chase me as I walk backwards away from you, because I’ll surely trip and become an easy meal.” Thusly armed with a quick summary of the internet’s collective defensive knowledge vis-à-vis black bears, I enter the woods.
September 29, 2025 at 1:13 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
#WIPSnips today is the most vibing of vibes. I don't even have a specific word to replace #mire - just a situation.
#WritingCommunity #Writing #WriteSky #WritingPrompt
On the eve of the morrow, the king was set to marry an evil sorceress. The nobles whispered amongst each other at the general wrongness of it. The peasants, being out of His Majesty’s earshot, grumbled more loudly and quite specifically about the new taxes levied upon them to pay for the wedding. And the horses ate hay, giving exactly zero whinnies about the whole business. Yet even they suspected some ensorcelling must have occurred in the time between the king’s quest to vanquish the sorceress and his engagement to her. One thing they all agreed on? Having an evil sorceress as queen was like to give everyone stomach ulcers.
September 26, 2025 at 1:38 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
#WIPSnips vibes today. #Absorb = suck
May have used this snip before. Honestly can't remember :)
#WritingCommunuty #Writing #WriteSky #Writingprompt
When it opened its eyes, all but a clawful of the villagers had absconded. Zaelz wasn’t offended. It must have butchered the third verse. But the sacrifice’s spear penetrating deep into its throat was a bit much. “Its singing isn’t that bad,” grumbled the demon. It sucked the spear into its throat and sent it into the abyss of its stomach, where the iron spearhead would send up bimillennial bouts of gastritis. Unfortunate. Still, the point needed proving. Zaelz was a reasonable demon, but it had its pride.
September 25, 2025 at 12:54 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
First #WIPSnips I've been able to post all week! Haven't even had vibes for the others, oddly enough.
#Leave #WritingCommunity #Writing #WriteSky #WritingPrompt
“Be gone, child, and take your disgusting acne with you. Unless you want to be turned into a toad.” The boy didn’t move. He’d often been advised not to poke a bear. To let sleeping dogs lie, and leave well-enough alone. However, he’d never been told to leave a witch to her chickens. “Could you really do that?” he asked. “Turn me into a toad?” “You are dangerously close to finding out.” The boy pumped his fist triumphantly. “What about a bird? I’d awfully like to be a bird.”
September 24, 2025 at 1:32 PM
mgattis.bsky.social
Today's #WIPSnips #red is featured in the first non-fantasy short story I've written. Basically a stream-of-conscious hike I took, during which I feared running into a black bear.
#WritingCommunity #Writing #WriteSky #hiking
Back on the trail I miss the safety of the water. Why had I feared it? I can’t see anything through the trees. Don’t bears climb trees? I come to a fork in the road. This is the perfect time to turn around. But I can’t chicken out now. The tension’s still building. The story needs a climax. Onward I go, following red blazes. I narrowly avoid stepping on a cute little toad. She’s the first creature I’ve seen since I began my hike. I name her Little Friend and we part ways amicably. I imagine she is grateful for me not squishing her. I’m grateful she didn’t get herself splattered all over my shoe. Her blood surely would have summoned the bear.
September 18, 2025 at 12:51 PM