Lester D. Crawford
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lesterdcrawford.com
Lester D. Crawford
@lesterdcrawford.com
68 followers 91 following 220 posts
Writer of stories involving dragons, mostly, that use themes of love, loyalty, friendship, kindness, acceptance, family of origin, and family of choice.

www.LesterDCrawford.com

Related Bluesky accounts:
@thedragonuniverse.com
@dracotation.com
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lesterdcrawford.com
#WIPSnips November 28 - zigzag
Playing tag with a baby dragon.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: "I can catch you." Hope charged the baby dragon. "You can't catch me." Baby dashed away in a zigzag, occasionally pausing to let her come close, and then dodging while making his goik, goik laugh. Hope, laughing with him, was unable to keep up. Then he stopped, swung around, and said, "I can catch you." She had no doubt he could. She stopped laughing and ran. Behind her she heard the squelching and splattering of his hands and feet on the rain-soaked grass coming closer as he galloped on all fours. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
November 28, 2025 at 6:48 PM
lesterdcrawford.com
Happy Thanksgiving

I'm thankful for:

Family
Friends
Followers
And, many other things, including Hope and the baby dragon she calls Baby, the main characters in my current writing project.

#AmWriting #Dragons #Fantasy
Standing on a night-time medieval street, a girl dressed in dark gray pants, shirt, boots, gloves, and broad-brimmed hat is standing with a young dragon only half her height, wings spread, tail and neck bent around the girl, as he looks up at her with a dragon smile and the girl smiles at him. The dragon has red, green, and blue highlights on his head and torso. The end of his tail is red. The trailing edges of his primary and tail wings are blue.
November 27, 2025 at 8:07 PM
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#WIPSnips November 22 - crystal
Dragon senses are useful.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: Hope retrieved the geodes from her carrysack. "Mister Tymon asked me to look for rocks like these." She handed Baby the geodes. "Do you think you can help me find some?" He shifted his body back and forth as he used his dragon senses to analyze the rocks. Then, he said, "They have holes in the middle." Hope jumped into her connection to his metal map to see what he sensed, but to her, the patterns of the geodes looked like every other rock. She handed him another one. "This one has been cut in half. They're hollow." "I like the colors, and the shiny crystals in the middle. I will search for them." — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
November 22, 2025 at 6:10 PM
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#WIPSnips November 21 - direction
How a dragon shows affection.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: The baby dragon woke. Hope said, "Did you have a nice nap?" "Squawk." He tumbled off the sleeping pallet and staggered in her direction. Eventually, after veering left and right a few times, he reached her and rubbed his head on her almost knocking her over. "Oh my!" — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
November 21, 2025 at 6:22 PM
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#WIPSnips November 20 - special
The inverse square law. One of my favorites.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: Eager to learn things only special people learn, Hope opened Esoteric Physics, read the table of contents, and then leafed through the pages. The book was full of illustrations and diagrams that excited the baby dragon. She stopped on an illustration of lines spreading apart from a point, first passing through the corners of a square, then the corners of a square that consisted of four squares the size of the first, and then the corners of another square made of nine of the small squares. "This explains why our connection gets weaker when we're far apart, and why your dragon senses get weaker for things farther away. It's a geometric dilution of point-source radiation into three-dimensional space." She read further, sighed, and said, "It still doesn't explain what our connection or your dragon senses are." — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
November 20, 2025 at 5:33 PM
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#WIPSnips November 19 - third
The baby dragon saw something move.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: The baby dragon lurched around swiveling his head to look at everything, although there wasn't much to look at — the lair was empty, except for the sleeping pallet. He stopped and spun around, swinging his head left and right. A sense of having lost something filled their connection. He resumed lurching, but again stopped and spun round. This time Hope knew something moving had attracted his attention and he was trying to see it, but each time, it was was gone. After the third time, she understood. He kept getting a glimpse of his tail, but when he spun around to look, it was gone. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
November 19, 2025 at 6:31 PM
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#WIPSnips November 17 - spend
The most delightful place in the world.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: At the top of the wall, Hope paused to admire her teachers' garden. The gardens of the neighboring shanties did not compare. Multiple varieties of fruit-bearing trees, vines, and shrubs, and plots of vegetables, filled the garden. Clusters of colorful flowers occupied any extra space. Sometimes when she arrived, they weren't there. On those days, she would spend time enjoying the garden. It was the most beautiful, most peaceful, most delightful place in the world. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
November 17, 2025 at 6:25 PM
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#WIPSnips November 16 - run
Danger, run or hide.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: Hope's parents disappeared when she was very young. They had taught her that if they said danger she was to reply run or hide and then do what they said. One day, they said danger. To her run or hide they responded hide, which she was good at doing -- no one found her. She hadn't understood what was happening nor did she remember much about the event. When she came out from her hiding place, she was alone and never saw her parents again. Her only link to them was the stuffed toy she had with her when she hid. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
November 16, 2025 at 6:34 PM
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#WIPSnips November 15 - progress
Monsoon is coming, you better be prepared.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: Monsoon was coming. Hope paused to admire the artistic flair of the writhing and spiraling grey clouds displacing the orange-haze overhead. She should draw that someday, maybe with a panicking person, their hands on their face, screaming. This monsoon was on time, if you considered the average arrival day to be on time. This will be Baby's and her first monsoon in the cave lair. The experience will be a change and maybe a challenge, but she had a plan. The typical everyone running around in a panic preparing for monsoon slowed her progress as she maneuvered through the chaos to get out of the city. In the farm fields, workers scurried between the sluice gates setting them to handle the monsoon runoff. When she came to the forest, she saw something new: the animals were also doing everyone run around in a panic making their own preparations for monsoon. The indigenous animals being attuned to monsoon cycles had never occurred to her. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
November 15, 2025 at 6:45 PM
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#WIPSnips November 13 - build
The baby dragon wants to play in the monsoon, but Hope is hesitant.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: Baby began entertaining himself by chasing his tail. Round and round he went more enthusiastic with each spin. He caught it, bit it, squealed, ran to Hope, and tried to climb into her lap. "Aw, did Baby bite his tail?" She got as much of the him into her lap as she could, which was mostly his head, as he wrapped the rest of him around her, which showed how long his neck and tail had grown -- they now touched. "Let me check your tail. See, it's okay. Next time you catch your tail, don't bite it." Ears drooping, he whimpered, and said, "Don't bite tail." Hope gave the baby dragon a loving hug. She had spent so much of her existence merely surviving, she hadn't actually lived. Now, she knew what living meant, what life meant. It was more than simply existing, simply surviving. For the first time, she felt she was alive. When Baby went to his corner and began building an elaborated structure using all his toys at once, Hope began the task of convincing herself to do what she needed to do. Sometimes, things she didn't want to do were things she had to do. Baby needed to experience monsoon. He craved experiencing monsoon. That experience wasn't about existing or surviving. It was about living life. He'd been patient. It was time. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
November 13, 2025 at 6:35 PM
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#WIPSnips November 12 - shirt
Manipulating gender expression using clothing.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: Mister Emery said, "Gender is a complex continuum, but as actors, we're only interested in one aspect: gender expression -- how someone outwardly presents themselves using society's gender stereotypes. Our lessons will concentrate on using those stereotypes to manipulate people into assuming your gender to be the gender you want them to assume." He went on to discuss clothing and how privileged people dressed flamboyantly with obvious differences, such as men wearing pants and shirts while women wore frocks. In contrast, to blend into the crowd, riffraff men and women dressed alike wearing farm-dirt brown pants, shirts, and hats. However, because of the range in body shapes and sizes, the cut of people's clothing often provided gender expression cues, meaning that by using cut and padding, clothing can be made to present as masculine or feminine. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
November 12, 2025 at 6:48 PM
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#WIPSnips November 10 - local
The local artesian well provides safe drinking water.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: Hope put away her daggers, washed in her makeshift washroom, ate a couple of carrots and an apple from school, a piece of dried meat from her food cache, and drank her fill of water. Later in the evening, when the only people on the street would be a few riffraff on their way to a work-shift, she would visit the local artesian well and refill her drinking water containers. For now, though, she would read the history book. According to The History of Tossal, the world used to be different. It had been friendly, safe, smart, and with social equality and rights for everyone. She jumped to the end to see how the world came to be broken, but the book ended before explaining it. Yet, this history did explain Mister Emery's play I Will Be a Symbol, which was about bringing back that different world. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
November 10, 2025 at 6:35 PM
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#WIPSnips November 9 - picture
A talented artist, actor, musician, and dancer teaches Hope those skills. He also teaches her fighting and weapons. She wonders why he knows those things. His backstory is a mystery, even to the author.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: When finished with sparing practice, the rest of their scheduled time was spent practicing drawing. When Hope finished her picture, Mister Emery said, "Excellent. What is the creature?" "He's a dragon ... like, what's in story books." "It looks like a real creature. I like how the wings are spread in a horaltic pose." "Baby doesn't always do that. Normally, he keeps them closed, folded tight to his body, but that doesn't look dramatic." He gave her a sideways glance. "Indeed." — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
November 9, 2025 at 7:43 PM
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#WIPSnips November 8 - little
I use little a lot! I need to do a little editing.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: "It's time for sleep. Go walk circles." The baby dragon tilted his head and said, "Why walk circles?" "You always walk circles, and do little marching steps, before you lie down for the night." "I do not." He snorted, went to the sleeping place, walked half a circle, stopped, stared at Hope, and plopped himself down. He wiggled. He squirmed. He fidgeted. Then he stood, walked two circles, made little marching steps, lay down facing away from Hope, and snorted again. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
November 8, 2025 at 6:57 PM
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#WIPSnips November 7 - movement
Does a dragon look funny doing that?
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: While making her way back to the cave lair, Hope ducked into a secure hiding place to concentrate on her connection with the baby dragon. He had stopped exploring the forest to do something different that she couldn't figure out without concentrating. She probed the strands that connected to his body and movements. He lay on his back with his wings spread wide and his feet sticking up. Hope whispered, "What are you doing, Baby?" "Light feel good." — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
November 7, 2025 at 6:24 PM
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#WIPSnips November 5 - trail
An editorial choice made for this story was to call trails in the forest "animal traces."
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: The trees, ferns, and bushes were abundant enough to make travel difficult had it not been for animal traces that provided paths to follow. She rarely saw the animals — they ran or hid as she approached — but she assumed there were many of them. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
November 5, 2025 at 6:03 PM
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#WIPSnips November 3 - nice
A nice treat. I used to occasionally enjoy nice treats, until the price rose to a substantial percentage of an hours pay.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: The aromas coming from the bakery were as wonderful as ever. When she was certain no one was coming and no one watched, she placed two polished gemstones — a blue one and a yellow one — on the stoop then returned to her hiding place. As always, Mister Aviar took the gemstones and placed a paper wrapped package on the stoop. With excitement, Hope opened the package. It contained a loaf of bread, which it always did, and something new: several individually wrapped doughnuts that were missing the hole in the middle. She took a bite of the strange doughnut. Where the hole should have been, it was filled with custard. She had had custard a few times when Mister Stirling snuck containers into her food order. Custard was a nice treat, but Hope did not considered it food — food was things like meat, vegetables, fruits, beans, and things made with grain. However, custard inside a doughnut…. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
November 3, 2025 at 6:05 PM
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#WIPSnips October 26 - hat
Was the man having an affair?
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: Hope said, "Hide." There was no place to hide. The baby dragon dropped to the ground, curled up, and mantled his wings. Hope froze in place. A man came down the steps, saw her, grabbed the brim of his hat, pulled it down to conceal his face, and said, "Good evening," as he headed down the street as if he didn't want to be there. How had the man not seen Baby? He was right there. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
October 26, 2025 at 5:58 PM
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#WIPSnips October 24 - total
The baby dragon reads for the first time.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: "Try reading Kirik and Mirik's Adventures." The baby dragon's ears drooped. "I don't know all the words." "You know enough to get started. As you find new words, we'll add them to your list." He ran a hand over the book. "There are so many words in the book." "Words are used over and over again, so there aren't as many different words as there are total words. You'll do fine." Opening the book, Baby slowly read aloud: "The mighty dragon Kirik and his friend the indomitable mountain cat Mirik stood on the ridge outside Kirik's cave overlooking the mist-shrouded valley. Something was coming and they were ready to protect their families and community. They just needed to decide what that something would be for today's adventure game." Baby's ears pricked, the tip of his tail wagged, and he softly purred. "I told you you could do it." The words they had practiced were from the beginning of the book, so Hope wasn't suppressed he could read them. Although, she wondered if he had memorized the story as she had and therefore knew what the words would be. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
October 24, 2025 at 5:20 PM
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Stray Cat Friend died today.
I'm heartbroken.

He was a good friend.
He was the best cat friend I ever had.
Portrait of Stray Cat Friend, May 10, 2019, a tabby cat with black and white tabby patterned fur and a large white spot of fur under his chin, his neck, and chest
October 22, 2025 at 11:15 PM
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#WIPSnips October 22 - charge
Baby dragon scares himself. Inspired by Big Bear bald eagle Sunny practicing with wings while branching. Wind caught wings and tossed her backward into nest bowl. She just sat there, wits scared out of her.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: "I can catch you." Hope charged the baby dragon. "You can't catch me." Baby dashed away in a zigzag, occasionally pausing to let her come close, and then dodging while making his goik, goik laugh. Hope, laughing with him, was unable to keep up. Then he stopped, swung around, and said, "I can catch you." She had no doubt he could. She stopped laughing and ran. Behind her she heard the squelching and splattering of his hands and feet on the rain-soaked grass coming closer as he galloped on all fours. They hadn't made rules for this game, so she didn't know what to expect. Her foot caught on the hem of her raincloak sending her tumbling. She curled into a ball and covered her head expecting to be trampled. Through their connection came the feeling of frantic panic, then, the power of Baby's legs as he leapt, his primary wings snapping to full extension, his tail wings fanning out, and the air under both sets of wings. Looking up, she saw his magnificent, wide-spread form glistening from the rain as his wings caught the air to waft him over her, ending in a crash as he scrapped a trench through the grass that spun him around leaving him facing her, his eyes full of terror that matched what was coming through their connection. "Oh my! You flew." She ran to him. "Well, maybe not flew, but you definitely glided a couple of dozen steps. It was glorious. Let's do it again." "Go inside lair now." — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
October 22, 2025 at 5:27 PM
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#WIPSnips October 21 - second
They were proud of the fear they had instilled.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: Several moments later, a squad of militiamen came into the alley. A second squad approached from the opposite direction. The two squads stopped to talk. Hope withdrew deeper into the hollow's shadows and wished the militiamen would move on so she could continue her survival tasks. The men laughed as they exchanged stories about mentally and physically abusing and traumatizing riffraff; how many they had harassed, humiliated, threatened, or simply chained and hauled away for further investigation, or sent to work camps; how they had forced them into surrender, into submission, into silence; and how much coin reward they received from the City Lords. They were proud of the fear they had instilled, and all with no accountability. They had made the world a grim, miserable place where riffraff hurried along, head down, afraid, paranoid, and subject to being disappeared at any moment. When the militiamen finally left, Hope said to herself, "The world is a dark place." — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
October 21, 2025 at 4:15 PM
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#WIPSnips October 20 - field
Don't smash the plants.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky #Dragons
Text that says: "We've rested enough. We should go." The baby dragon jumped out the hedgerow bower and crossed the path to the edge of a field of vegetable crops. "Don't go into the farm field. You'll smash the plants. The farmers wouldn't like that, and it would be sign we were here. We don't want anyone to know we were here." "I want play in the plants." "Not in the farmer's plants. We are to never disturb the farmer's plants, or their animals. Do you understand?" Baby's ears drooped. "Yes." — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
October 20, 2025 at 6:24 PM
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#WIPSnips October 18 - dodge
Reality throws things at Hope.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: Reality constantly tested Hope, constantly caused her despair, constantly tried to make her surrender. Those were the times when she learned who she was, at least for that moment. She expected reality to continue throwing things at her. She would dodge and deflect them, and then carry on as always. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
October 18, 2025 at 4:20 PM
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#WIPSnips October 17 - loaf
Search for anything edible.
#AmWriting #AmWritingFantasy #AmWritingScifi #WriteSky
Text that says: Hope had just tipped over the swill container to search for anything edible when a man came out the door. She ran and ducked into a hiding place. "Hey, come back. I have bread for you." Peeking out, Hope watched the man place a package on the cobblestone pavement and then retreat to his door. The man said, "Please, take it." After considering the offer, looking around for dangers, and stopping to think before she acted, she ran out, grabbed the package, and returned to her hiding place. The package contained a small loaf of bread. She ate it. The flaky, deeply browned crust, the soft insides, and the mild sweetness had been exactly what she had dreamed of. — The Dragon Universe Hope (working title, work-in-progress)
October 17, 2025 at 5:00 PM