Yoretide // by Joseph Gibson

A sci/fantasy writing project set in a vast, mythical universe, explored through short stories, full-length novels, and everything in between.


Everything here can be read as standalone works, each one completely different from the others. Nevertheless, a good starting path for newcomers is from the top down.


Yoretide // Glamora




Above the vast cosmos lies a realm unrestricted by space or time, a mythical landscape long since left alone to prosper for all eternity while the universe ages into oblivion. The lonesome spirit who dwells there seeks a life beyond the rote mantra of tending the realm’s nature, weary of sowing its gardens and cutting down its weeds, wanting more out of her ageless existence. But when her wish comes true, when the chance arrives to go beyond her intended purpose, the unexpected changes throw her into a conflict spanning across the stars. To find one’s potential can be hard in an unforgiving universe. In the void of space, anything goes.[ Short Story \ Complete ]




Yoretide // The Gambler's Eye



Eliot and his motley crew of pirates embark on the greatest quest of their lives. After surviving an encounter with a mountain-sized leviathan, a once hidden treasure guides them across the ocean as they search for lands previously unheard of, places where myths and legends thrive upon the islands of Strevenfall and its vast coastal vistas of islands and haunted shipwrecks. Danger looms past the skyline, however, and the crew knows how treacherous such paths can be when magic is involved, powers beyond their control.The journey across Strevenfall will test the pirates' trust in each other while unraveling the secrets Eliot has tried so desperately to keep away from everyone but himself. Secrets cannot be hidden forever. There's always a secondary motive to a captain's plan.[ Novella \ Complete ]



Yoretide // Sempiternal Solo


Sempiternal Solo

Perfectionism had been drilled into Lola Pern years before she left home, trained in the art of music by those who wanted nothing more than perfection itself, scolded brutally, punished constantly. The wounds sustained from her past have given her an obscure view of the world that most find peculiar to the point of absurdity, but she nevertheless goes through life in mental isolation despite the efforts by others to reach out to her. Her forced-upon talent for music has gifted her a place in one of the most prestigious universities around, a talent she doesn’t want to give up no matter the circumstances that bestowed it onto her in the first place.Now, with the past seemingly behind her and the future looking bright for the violinist’s career, a song from her childhood has come to shroud the corners of her mind, the likes of which delve into whimsical nightmares and impossible visions. This magical song holds the power to send her back through the worst parts of her life, a metaphysical curse that resurfaces the trauma she had thought to be buried with time. With only one way out, Lola will face her past in hopes of bringing closure. Altering such forces is a breeding ground for danger, though, and with a mind as mistreated as hers, the risks may cost dearly.How can one move on from the past when it’s constantly being shoved to the forefront? Lola will need to answer this question if she is to break this musical curse and reforge the ties once made with her friends and loved ones. The forces of time and magic may be out of her control, but that doesn’t mean she has to be a marionette to the madness, lest she herself fall into that same, twisted madness.Sempiternal Solo is a literary novel set upon a majestic fantasy background, with themes of acceptance, time, and accepting the past. It will be released by Liminal Books in late 2024.[ Novel \ Complete ]



Yoretide // The Eldritch Oath



The macabre world of Droodpike is the home of everyone’s nightmares and the place where violence is celebrated. Bloodshed is art. Death is just the beginning. Jard’s occupation is just an extension of the chaos that’s so renowned throughout the land, himself an apathetic machine manifested by the whims of his haunted world.Jard is a scarecrow, a name given to those who take the dead bodies of criminals and reassemble them into grotesque monsters, and many scarecrows like him will do anything to gain the recognition of those who can make their zeal for creation respected by anyone worth their salt. So, when a mysterious soldier approaches Jard with the promise of making his art famous to the world, the scarecrow is more than willing to travel throughout the cold and desolate world of Droodpike to make that dream happen, no matter the cost. But scarecrows who have been made apathetic by the world’s chaos are also vulnerable to those who would use them for deeds far beyond just simple devotees. Recognition can come at a price. Backstabbers are not hard to find, and for Jard, separating the kind from the treasonous is a game where people cheat, a battlefield only the strong can navigate.What becomes of hope and change in a world so desensitized to violence? Glimpse the lives of the needy and powerless as Jard ushers on to fulfill the scarecrow’s dream of remembrance. Just because the world is a meat grinder doesn’t mean you have to be a marionette to the chaos.The Eldritch Oath is a horror fantasy novel with themes of death, survival, and the supernatural.[ Novel \ Complete ]



Yoretide // Heart of Spoils



Five exiles live in a lonely castle on the abandoned world of Clodwoo. With nothing but time on their hands, this small band of misfits have long since forgotten the sane attributes of normal society and have endeavored to make all of life a game where nothing is forbidden and fun reigns as top priority. The castle is a playground for their endless creative rabbit holes no matter how cruel or devious. Of the five, Zafer likes playing with fire, Creen enjoys the comfort of ghosts, Sigit makes brass from body parts, Vixie collects bones, and Barben sculpts living gargoyles. Their different talents and devotees have made them an odd yet semi-functional family driven together for the sake of wild ingenuity.But when the ghostly entity threatens the solace of their castle, the band of exiles slowly discover that what they thought was their home is actually a breeding ground for chaos and forbidden history. Their once hidden secrets slowly filter out in a sequence of events told in twisted narratives and haunted revelations. Zafer in particular has many secrets to hide, and the consequences of his actions could have devastating effects on the ones he cherishes the most. His own past, his own creative pursuits, are the result so such much death and destruction.How does a band of completely different people find balance in their lives if one of them has committed an unforgivable crime? Zafer, Creen, Sigit, Vixie, and Barben will all need to find the answer to that question lest their home burn down in ruins, lest the ghosts from their pasts take over. In Clodwoo, in the abandoned castle they call home, there’s no such thing as a typical outcome. One needs to open their mind to quell this sort of chaos.Heart of Spoils is a speculative novel set upon a fantasy background, with themes of chaos, relationships, and the impact of change.[ Novel \ Complete ]



Yoretide // Runic Overture



An odyssey of two paths, two narratives on a collision course to war...Glave's bloodline has vanished while his future grows all the more uncertain. He searches the metropolis of Hobe for the truth about his family, orphaned early on in life following the death of his sister and the disappearance of his mother, his found father giving him solace in the great mystical city where industry thrives. The previous war had spanned across the cosmos with Hobe caught in the middle, leaving many to fend for themselves in a world where the law is seldom generous to those on the wrong side of it. Glave has grown skilled at skirting authority, however. He knows that city well. He knows how to navigate its countless networks and secret passageways.This knack for adventuring is what draws him to one of Hobe's greatest mysteries. The city's dungeon, a seemingly bottomless subterranean world that Glave has set his sights on as the key to unlocking his past. It is there wherein he shall not only find unlikely companionship, but learn that his quest will require him to face the most bloodthirsty and ruthless bounty hunters known throughout the realm. The forces against him will test both his own magic prowess and his willingness to sacrifice all that is necessary.Uriel strives to be the perfect warrior in a world of hidden fates. She spends her time on a remote island honing her magecraft and fighting prowess, pushing her limits while under the watchful mentorship of Hobe's forgotten overlord. As her knowledge grows, so does she continue to gain respect from lord Heron and his infamous company of bounty hunters. She knows her uncanny origins well, and knows that the future laid before her will someday change the fabric of reality itself. Her perception of the world beyond the coast is limited, however. The palace where she lives may be fit for demigods, but she wants more, and she is beginning to feel the limits of her boundaries.There are plenty of secrets to uncover within the palace walls, meanwhile, because she is coming to realize that Heron's plans for her are not entirely benevolent. The quest to obtain forbidden power can make anyone an object for another's success. Uriel may be loyal, but she has no intentions of playing games designed to make her the pawn.While seemingly separate, Glave and Uriel’s paths in life shall converge in a way that will change everything they thought was true.[ Novel \ Complete ]



Yoretide // A Deity's Dream



The cosmos have faded and the universe is soon to expire. Nev is the soul remaining life form in existence, an android deity with the power to manipulate the cosmos and shape the very fabric of reality, having lived all throughout time since the beginning of time itself, born alongside the very first stars and planets. As the pontifex, the most powerful being in creation's history, it is her responsibility to retire what is left of the old universe so that a new one can take its place, a sacred task passed down to those of her kind. It is the pontifex's only true purpose. Failure is not an option lest reality end with her.Nev lives on a world called Jiken, a self-sustaining body of nanites that take the form of a vast desert landscape, a barren vista littered with relics and memories of the past. It is here where Nev undergoes preparations to fulfill her all-important task. The universe has aged just shy of death. The time has arrived.Reality isn't always as it seems, however. Nev is aware of her own hidden fate, aware of the reader's presence as well as the author who wrote her into being. With that kind of knowledge comes secrecy. With that kind of power comes mischief, and she knows very well that altering her own destiny is bound to cause unexpected change in the largest ways possible. She will need to change the metatextual nature of her existence in order to escape the purpose given to her at birth, change the author's plan while carving a new path for her own narrative on the page.A Deity's Dream is a literary sci-fi novel that crosses genres and takes a long look at itself in the mirror, bridging the gap between the characters and their creator by exploring what it means to create something when no one is around to see it, peering into the past, embracing the present, then gazing into the uncertain future. It is fiction on a grand scale, while at the same time deeply personal. It explores the fictional world of Jiken as well as the real implications of lonesome art, artificial intelligence, meaning, love, and freedom. At the eve of creation, everything is a true story.[ Novel \ drafting ]




If the links for individual writings are offline, use these folder links instead. The folders also have additional content for those who've read everything else.



This website serves as the front-end to a collection of writings called Yoretide, a sci/fantasy series wherein each story is self-contained, yet has an overarching narrative if read together. The project launched in late 2015 when the first part of 'Runic Overture' was released to the public. The online editions of Yoretide are presented free of charge, and are published under a special copyright license (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0) so that the writings can be retrieved and shared without fear of legal repercussions.Stories written by Joseph Gibson // With editing help from Troy FinkelYoretide cover art by Joseph Gibson and Chrissy SkyWebsite art by Cody Greene


Last Updated: 4/19/24

Minor corrections might be applied to completed works up until the project is finished, but they are only to ammend technical mistakes, and will not effect the likes of plot, style, characters, ect, ect.


  1. Runic Overture:

  2. Complete // 282,190 Words

  3. Runic Overture - Part 1

  4. 1 - Providence

  5. 2 - The Daystar

  6. 3 - Cross Through The Curtain

  7. 4 - Break Your Hand

  8. 5 - Here Birdy Here

  9. 6 - Firefly Tooth

  10. 7 - Strawberry Twins

  11. 8 - The Drop

  12. 9 - The Green Gallicide

  13. 10 - The Blue Bambosh

  14. 11 - The Red Recluse

  15. 12 - First Wake

  16. 13 - Mothman

  17. 14 - Mothman 2

  18. 15 - Mothman 3

  19. 16 - Holds No Water

  20. 17 - Liminal Hours

  21. 18 - An Eye For Color

  22. 19 - Caterpillar Spots

  23. 20 - Drugged Delight

  24. 21 - The Fake Testament

  25. 22 - The Fake Testament 2

  26. 23 - The Fake Testament 3

  27. 24 - The Fake Testament 4

  28. 25 - The Classic Symptoms of a Path Less Traveled On

  29. 26 - The Old And New Trust

  30. 27 - Prepare For My Pageant

  31. 28 - Forbidden Orchard

  32. 29 - Greenfall

  33. 30 - Become Immense

  34. 31 - A Lifeless Newborn Rages

  35. 32 - The Daystar 2

  36. 33 - Serenity

  37. 34 - Living With Us

  38. 35 - Living With Us 2

  39. 36 - Love Is A Polaroid

  40. Runic Overture - Part 2

  41. 37 - Hood Of Lightning

  42. 38 - Featherbed

  43. 39 - A Red Velvet Enigma

  44. 40 - Second Shelter

  45. 41 - Sour Meadow

  46. 42 - Flowers Burn To Water

  47. 43 - Cleft

  48. 44 - Preparing The Sacred Lamb

  49. 45 - An Eye For Color 2

  50. 46 - Morningtide

  51. 47 - Eventide

  52. 48 - Let Me Hear

  53. 49 - Let Me Hear 2

  54. 50 - Let Me Hear 3

  55. 51 - Rain; A Strident World

  56. 52 - I Think We’re Doomed

  57. 53 - Bedheads Together

  58. 54 - Rain; A Stainless World

  59. 55 - A Second Less

  60. 56 - Apotheosis

  61. 57 - Apotheosis 2

  62. 58 - Deadman Standing

  63. 59 - A Dawn Cherub's New Life

  64. 60 - The Daystar 3

  65. 61 - A Second More

  66. 62 - Back We Go

  67. Runic Overture - Part 3

  68. 63 - Symbiosis

  69. 64 - Like A Chariot Red

  70. 65 - Unburdened Dissonance

  71. 66 - A Fabled Place In Mind

  72. 67 - Undermined Emotions

  73. 68 - Everything For No One

  74. 69 - Everything For No One 2

  75. 70 - Unpromised Parables

  76. 71 - Ironsides

  77. 72 - The Quelling Brace

  78. 73 - Undignified Doubt

  79. 74 - Third Conflux

  80. 75 - A Waking Moment Dies

  81. 76 - Ancestor

  82. 77 - Untarnished Time

  83. 78 - Everything In The Clouds

  84. 79 - Everything In The Clouds 2

  85. 80 - Everything In The Clouds 3

  86. 81 - Everything In The Clouds 4

  87. 82 - Unexplained Epithets

  88. 83 - The Voice Laid Between

  89. 84 - The Sight Laid Beyond

  90. 85 - Unfinished Order

  91. 86 - Parting Words

  92. 87 - None The Wiser

  93. 88 - An Eye For Color 3

  94. 89 - Unheld Horizons

  95. 90 - A Normal Day’s Requiem

  96. 91 - A Sharpened Night's Tension

  97. 92 - Cherub's Dominion

  98. 93 - Cherub's Dominion 2

  99. 94 - The Daystar Finale

  • Glamora

  • Complete // 5,476 Words

  • 1 - Glamora

  • A Deity's Dream

  • Drafting // 53,186 Words

  • 0 - Glamora (prelude)

  • 1 - Before Me

  • 2 - Elysium

  • 3 - Cry Omega

  • 4 - Breathe Holy Fire

  • 5 - Momento Mori

  • 6 - Definitive Matter

  • 7 - The Vespertine Solstice

  • 8 - Bird Behavior

  • 9 - Iusaaset Ascended

  • 10 - The Abstract of a Mirage Now Forgotten

  • 11 - Worlds Within Us

  • 12 - Oblivion Beloved

  • 13 - A Somber Price For Blind Faith

  • 14 - Mesmer

  • 15 - A Tale of Old Suburbia

  1. Sempiternal Solo

  2. Complete // 60,234 Words

  3. 1 - Lunar Dance

  4. 2 - House Of The Arctic Circle

  5. 3 - Bring Me Hoarfrost

  6. 4 - Hibernal Sleepwalk

  7. 5 - The Great Inner Snowglobe

  8. 6 - Faerie

  9. 7 - Hourglass Empress

  10. 8 - Dream Machines

  11. 9 - Gearbot

  12. 10 - A Wishing Well In A Land Of Disbelief

  13. 11 - Drawn With Coastlines

  14. 12 - Sandcastle Kingdom

  15. 13 - Act Restless, Be Careful, Think Softly

  16. 14 - Synthesize

  17. 15 - Underground Orchard

  18. 16 - Windswept Sanity

  19. 17 - Dear Lady Cosmos

  20. 18 - A Nebula's Way Out

  21. 19 - Oneironaut

  22. 20 - Solar Dance

  • The Eldritch Oath

  • Complete // 62,949 Words

  • 1 - Rejection Letter

  • 2- Atavism

  • 3 - Broken Windows Thesis

  • 4 - Act Ruthless, Be Angry, Think Fast

  • 5 - Half Breeds

  • 6 - Dress Without A Smile

  • 7 - The Goat's Banquet

  • 8 - Swallow

  • 9 - Joneses' Yard

  • 10 - Golden Goose

  • 11 - Apostates

  • 12 - A Mouthful Of Spades

  • 13 - What The Edge of Your Seat Was Made For

  • 14 - Valentine's Day

  • 15 - Homeland

  • 16 - Unworldliness

  • 17 - We The Fallen Children

  • 18 - New Autumn's Hellfire

  • 19 - Leviticus

  • 20 - Goetia

  • Heart of Spoils

  • Complete // 60,436 Words

  • 1 - Apocryphal Bliss

  • 2 - Heavy Roses, Flying Silver

  • 3 - Pull Your Nails Up

  • 4 - Joywave

  • 5 - A Flock Of Jokers

  • 6 - The Promised Vale

  • 7 - Bottom Lathe

  • 8 - A Place For Happy Dwellers

  • 9 - You Mustn't Believe

  • 10 - The Abolitionists

  • 11 - Headspace

  • 12 - White Rabbits With Silent Steps

  • 13 - Vanta Black

  • 14 - Hoodwinked Moons

  • 15 - Phantom's Supper

  • 16 - Sweet As Can Be

  • 17 - Laserhead

  • 18 - Wicked Witch Of The North

  • 19 - Act Crazy, Be Dangerous, Think Twice

  • 20 - Spoiled

  1. The Gambler's Eye

  2. Complete // 26,111 Words

  3. 1 - Henceforth

  4. 2- Treasure's Maw

  5. 3 - The Tropics

  6. 4 - A Brightwood Land

  7. 5 - Underwater Dreamhouse

  8. 6 - Having Visitors Doesn't Change The Game

  9. 7 - Creature Comfort

  1. The Eldritch Oath: Bloodsport

  2. Complete // 24,479 Words

  3. 1 - Visage

  4. 2 - Vigor

  5. 3 - Vibrant

  6. 4 - Vital

  7. 5 - Vices

  8. 6 - Virtue

  9. 7 - Vixen

  1. Realmwake

  2. Complete // 28,960 Words

  3. 1 - Synaesthesia

  4. 2 - Hood of Lighting

  5. 3 - Vixie's Fun Run

  6. 4 - Mythic Twins

  7. 5 - Forest Field



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With the adoption of A.I-generated content across the digital space, it is important to assert that this project does not in any way use A.I language models to create, edit, or aid in the presentation of Yoretide, rather it be the writing itself, covers, or auxiliary media. As a push for transparency, the drafts folder is publicly available to view.