St. Charles and the Children from the Sun

ArDeeBurger | historical | On going

This story is a tale classic in its tragedy, about the foibles of Man and how he destroys the things he loves, all to prove himself superior over the Universe. In a quest to defeat Hilter during Wold War II, Winston Churchill and Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt barter with a race of serpents who come from outer space. There are a few inconveniences for the leaders of the West when dealing with these creatures. For one, they can't even talk to them, for the aliens 'speak' by manipulating light. But in exchange for the knowledge of how to build an atomic bomb, all the monsters want from us is to live in peace at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. What could go wrong with that? * * * This story is my entry in The Royal Road Community Magazine Contest * * *

5.76 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-04-02 14:59

The Oresteia (Modernized)

HAXX0RZ | historical | Complete

All three of the great Greek Tragedians have written plays about the bloody chain of murder and revenge within the royal family of Argos. Yet theirs is in fact not a story of tragedy, but rather one of redemption. As they move from darkness to light, from rage to self-governance, from primitive ritual to civilized institution, their spirit of struggle and regeneration becomes an everlasting song of celebration to be heard throughout the ages. Forming a discourse set against the emergence of Athenian democracy out of a period of chaos and destruction, the Orestian plays are compelling stories of the tensions between our obligations to our families and the laws that bind us together as a society. In the beginning, we witness how a king's decision to sacrifice his daughter and turn the tide of war inflicts lasting damage on his family, culminating in a terrible act of retribution. In the aftermath of regicide, we behold how a son must set out to avenge his father's death by committing a most egregious sin. In the end, the sinner is tormented by supernatural powers that can never be appeased, but ultimately finds redemption and ends the curse on his house once and for all. Woven through all of this is the story of a friendship so close that it elevates itself to brotherhood - Where the blood of the covenant is shown to be indeed thicker than the water of the womb. In this very brief twelve-chapter modern rendition of the Orestian plays, I have chosen to place my focus mainly on the lives of the characters Orestes and his best friend Pylades. The chapters, each around 2000-2500 words, are split up evenly between them in first-person narrative. I hope that you will come to enjoy reading this heartwarming story, but more importantly, that you see how the conflicts portrayed in the story, whether human or institutional, are still much very relevant to our societies today. Note on Sources: The details of this story is very loosely based on The Oresteia by Aeschylus. And I mean very loosely. Other sources that I referenced for detail and inspiration are Mythology by Edith Hamilton, Electra by Sophocles, and Iphigenia in Tauris by Euripides. You may also find that I have quoted some of these works, and others (such as Shelley's Ozymondaeus), without citations (average of 1-2 such quotes per chapter). I did this because I do not have the ability to describe certain scenes nearly as well as some of those writers. If you read a particularly beautiful piece of prose here, chances are it's probably stolen lol. Also, I wrote this during the summer between my high school senior year and my college freshmen year. It was the summer of 2020, and being quarantined apparently gets my creative side out lol.

15.05 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:30

Satisfaction Earned

KimberlyEAB | historical | Complete

Blood is spilled in 17th century France as a nobleman confronts the man he believes defiled his sister. However, the culprit is not who he seems. A tale of bisexuality, gender nonconformity, and polyamory inspired by the infamous life of Julie d’Aubigny, a duelist and opera singer who breached the social norms of her time to express herself and love those she wanted.

1.43 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:29

Echoes Of Memory

M-Anthony-Harris | historical | Complete

Vealand's jewel twin cities of Portin and Brinhold fell to terror fourty years ago. During their fall a man rose up and saved them. He took the survivors of the fall of the Veaish coast and brought them inland, setting up his new empire inland in the mountain stronghold of Fiell. The Emperor singlehandedly saved the people of Vealand. Everyone knows that and everybody in Vealand adores him as a hero and the savior of their nation. Dren though, says differently. As a Memory Mage and the leader of the Rebellion, he's desperate to prove that the Emperor is a false savior. He bets his life on it. He fails that bet and fails in his last attempt at transfering his memories into the mind of one of the Emperor's Inquisitors. Now it's up two the two most unlikely people, Aris Ravenscroft, the head of Fiell's city guards and Kestrel, a street rat, to save Vealand from a monster that it worships as a savior. Notice, this is a High Fantasy novel, there are no LitRPG or Cultivation elements in it.

92.03 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:35

Other West: Diablero [Completed]

T E Branco | historical | Complete

A complete Otherwest novella. What if the life you want is taken from you? After surviving the brutal slaughter of his naval squadron, Van Bran believed he could escape the world of empires, war, and magic by forging a new life on the American frontier. As a rancher, Van's life was simple, quiet, and far more peaceful. But when Van and his drovers come face to face with an ancient evil vying for control of the New World, a life of peace may be forever outside his grasp. Unless Van can take up arms once more and face the terrors of his past, he and his friends will serve as spiritual hosts to demonic skinwalkers. Enter the Other West... Follow, read, and comment today! Thank you for reading.

26.99 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:29

The Soul Engine - (Isekai/Fantasy)

Cambrian | drama | Complete

Summary: Being summoned to another world is supposed to be fun. Or at least exciting. Either you find yourself in a Church being given a divine mission, or you wake up in a forest and have to survive off of the land. And if you're lucky, you get some sort of System as well, or at least a handy Cheat/Power-Up. Waking up in a prison cell with nothing but a pair of pants to your name is NOT the way things usually go. Unfortunately, nothing about Mikael's adventure in another world is going to be 'normal'. An attempt at taking a bunch of well-trodden tropes and ideas and putting my own special twist on them that will hopefully be engaging and exciting! Warning: This story has erotic scenes sprinkled throughout it. Based on feedback I received, each lewd chapter will be marked as such going forward. Update Schedule will be every weekday MONDAY-FRIDAY, with Saturdays and Sundays off!

101.30 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:32

Reverse Reincarnation

Tejoka | drama | Complete

Returning to a previous life she doesn't remember, Tori wakes up in a fantasy world as the heir to an empire. One where magic called cultivation rules. While doing research and kickstarting an industrialization, she has to deal with a family of transmigrators, politics, and spirits. Maybe she'll even figure out why some of them keep trying to kill her. Life in a different world has its challenges, even if it's the life you're supposed to lead. This is a slightly tongue-in-cheek take on a transmigration/cultivation novel. The story will be more focused on characters than action. A few characters, including the MC, are LGBT+. Updates: Mon. & Thurs.

296.81 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:37

One Hell Of A Vacation

Wave Of Wire | drama | Complete

Joseph had been given a pretty rough hand in life. Barely able to hold down a job, relationship history that he would rather not think about, and now his year-long vacation ended prematurely when his cruise across the stars was met with a bang.Stranded on a planet of yellow flora and delicious rocks, he finds himself using the opportunity to make something that he has always wanted: Family. Galactic Government conspiracies, abandoned soldiers, and mysterious insectoids all stand between Joseph and a peaceful realization of his efforts to make a home. - Story is a mix of perspectives starting at Chapter 10, focusing on our Human lead until then. - This story is my first attempt at writing, and as such, improves greatly as chapters progress. I would appreciate if you would power through the first 9 or so chapters where i'm still learning how i want to write.

467.03 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:26

Warhund - A Mind-bending Cyberpunk Noir Thriller

TheDeliciousMeats | drama | Complete

Cyberpunk meets alternative history in this dark mind bending story about an enhanced canine cop with nothing to lose. Warhund explores identity, family, love, loss, rage, and what it means to be alive when technology blurs the lines between life and death. Kerner Braverhund was used to being the underdog. After the Second Continental War ended Kerner decided to put his life as a Jagdkommando behind him and leave his homeland of D鯾i. It was an adjustment, going from being an elite soldier to an anonymous beat cop, but he managed. He hid his past and his anger, tried to integrate, tried to forget. Years later when a chance run-in with the mob ends in a bloody shootout Kerner knows that his days are numbered and he can't hide who he is anymore. So if he's going to die, he's going to go out on his own terms with his head held high. The mob might have numbers in their favor and the police in their pocket. But Kerner is a warhund with a head full of cutting-edge military hardware, unresolved anger issues, and nothing to lose. Whoever said that all dogs go to heaven probably never saw Kerner use a flamethrower. He's not a good boy, he's not dead yet, and he's going to make that everyone else's problem. COMPLETE What to expect: An enhanced canine anti-hero and his psychotic body-jumping war criminal father fighting an uphill battle. Explorations of Identity, purpose, morality and family. Also dog jokes. So many dog jokes. This book was originally called Death by Chocolate but it was later changed to Warhund because it conveyed the idea and tone much better.

46.17 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:13

Bitter

mooderino | drama | Complete

The story of a girl who finds her life is not what she wanted. So she gets another one. Schedule:Story has been completed. Book One is available free on Amazon and EPUB. Books Two to Five are out now. Final Book out soon. Chapters will be around 500-1000 words. This will not change so if you don't like reading very short chapters wait till the end of the week or even end of the month. This many chapters a week isn't easy to pull off so please bear that in mind. This is a VRMMORPG story, but the ones I've read tend to use VR as an excuse to get into a fantasy world and then don't really play up the game aspect other than pulling up a status screen every now and then. To me, MMOs are about more than the fantasy setting. Bugs, exploits, devs who don't understand their own game, OP classes, over the top nerfs, p2w, ridiculous RNG, cash shop fiasco, lockboxes, raging players, broken mechanics, limited bag space, tedious crafting and above all that, a company trying to squeeze money out if its playerbase while pretending they're just in the business of having fun. Of course, then there's the orcs and elves. This story is about finding yourself in a completely immersive fantasy game, but it's also about what a game like that would really be like.

337.94 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:04

Boneclock

Quickman | drama | Complete

[Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] Dying a sudden death, a man finds himself unwittingly making a deal with mana itself. Through no fault of his own, the newly dead soul finds its personality in life traded for the power of a lich, and thus must build its identity from what remains. A Clockpunk (Steampunk but with more gears and the like) Litrpg with Western flavors. Also gender bender that has no romantic or sexual consequences. Updates will be sporadic for a while, but plans are in the works to have 7 chapters per week at max (Normal chapter length 1500-2500).

225.04 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:26

Altura’s Defiance [ A Transmigrated into a Villainess LitRPG with Kingdom Building, MC befriending and Xianxia Politics]

The Random Cat | drama | Complete

[I have not published this work on amazon at the moment] [Participating in Royal Road Writathon] [Volume cover by Aslikova] [Fic cover is a wombo] A lonely girl finds herself transmigrated into a book she had dropped as a villainess. Now she must play Xianxia politics, run a duchy that really doesn't want to exist, handle an overzealous MC with far far too many love interests', make sense of a System that really shouldn't work all while making sure she doesn't die because of simply existing. Are we sure dying is not an option? What you can expect from the book 1) Kingdom Building 2) A person becoming a book villain 3) Xianxia Setting 4) System, stats and skills with Xianxia realms as levels 5) Weak to Strong 6) Female MC 7) Light Comedy, not the focus of the story 8) Non-Loner MC. 9) Action is a sub-theme of the fiction but is not the mainstay.

115.90 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:17

Fallout: Vault X

FourPin | drama | Complete

An original novel set in the Fallout universe, written to be accessible to all, featuring unique people and places. Vol.IIl (3) out now Fallout: Vault X tells the story of John. A vault dweller, who spent every day of his twenty five years underground. Like his father, and his father before him. Proud to live in the last remaining bastion of humanity, all that survived The Great War of the atomic age. Hidden deep below the surface of the earth, toiling under brutal conditions. Year after year, decade upon decade. All to expand into the natural cave system the Vault occupied, building for the future. However, John knew what his forefathers did not, that everything he'd been taught was a lie. After finishing school at the age of ten, John received his standard issue pipboy. An arm mounted personal computer, worn by everyone in the Vault. Used to coordinate the relentless pace of expansion, needed to work as an apprentice. To learn the craft that would be his life's work. A noble calling to ensure a future for all that remained of the human race. A quirk of fate saw John equipped not with the crude, clunky, pipboy model his father wore. That almost everyone around him wore. His looked smaller, sleeker, finished in a jet black sheen. And capable of doing far more than its drab counterparts. The world above had been ravaged by atomic flames, yet life clung to its bones. The Red Valley fared better than most in the century since the bombs fell. The clean water and rich soil protected by rolling hills. All spared from direct strikes, for the most part. Life survived here. Trees spawned from charred ground, misshapen, green leaves turned red. Along with simple crops, grown wild at first, then cultivated by the survivors. The scavengers of the old world were inventive, hardy people. All determined to rebuild in the ruins of a world they never knew. In the decades that passed settlements emerged. They grew, spreading along the valley floor. Reclaiming the pre-war remnants of the once industrialised heartland. Salvaging the robotic wonders of a bygone age to build their walls and work their fields. To protect them in the dark of the wasteland. But such things are uncommon in this world, and the rarer something is, the greater its value. And the worth of pre-war technology had not gone unnoticed. The last, real, power in this world rested in the mechanised hands of The Brotherhood of Steel. Forged from the mortally wounded old world military. The Brotherhood used its access to the weapons made for a conflict no one won to strike out into the wastes. Men and women were equipped with advanced armour, aerial transportation, high grade weaponry. Accompanied by the training, strength, and will, to put them to use. They established chapters and set up outputs far and wide. All dedicated to a single purpose. To ensure the technology left abandoned by its long dead creators didn't fall into the wrong hands. Namely, any hands that were not their own. This is the world John escaped into. A place of horrors brought forth from atomic fire. A place where survival meant battling against the darkness. Fighting a war each day to get to the next. And war...war never changes

332.17 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:28

Of Men and Dragons, Book 1

DrBlackJack21 | drama | On going

Book 1 is now available on Kindle, or in paperback/hardcover! You can buy it here! Jack crash-landed on a planet where the natives are seven-foot-tall carnivorous cat-lizards currently somewhere between stone and bronze age. The good news is the natives think the ship that crashed into their mountain is a dragon and are steering clear of it. The bad news is they just left one of their own as a sacrifice to appease the beast. No matter what Jack and his AI co-pilot decide, his life just got a lot more complicated... ATTENTION: This is soft sci-fi rather than hard sci-fi, hence why I chose that tag. For those of you unfamiliar with the distinction, here's what Wikipedia had to say. 1. It explores the"soft" sciences, and especially the social sciences (for example, anthropology, sociology, or psychology), rather than engineering or the "hard" sciences (for example, physics, astronomy, or chemistry). 2. It is not scientifically accurate or plausible; the opposite ofhard science fiction. Soft science fiction of either type is often more concerned with character and speculative societies, rather than speculative science or engineering.The term first appeared in the late 1970s and is attributed to Australian literary scholarPeter Nicholls.

100.77 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-04-02 15:00

Adorable Atrocity: An Alien Evolution LITRPG

Zenkarn | drama | Complete

Adorable Atrocity is not on amazon. Celestial Transformation is not mine. It uses my blurb and the text of Path of Dragons. If you can please report. This is not ok! Three hunters: two for a pet and one for power. Today was the Erodicilee's happiest dayuntil it wasn't. A cruel monster interrupted his trip, stole his mother and fled, but thankfully, he was born for such an occasion. For him, eating creatures will allow him to evolve new abilities to grow strong enough and find the one he loves! Lecorondia loved the perks of being a movie star, especially easy access to smuggling. However, when a native interrupts her illegal romp about The Australian Outback, things get complicated. It turns out losing a dangerous predator gets the Galactic Government riled up. Now she must get her darling baby backor else! Lucy McCloud loved her job at the Department of Miscellaneous Affairs. But she never bargained on seeing proof of aliens on Earth actually hitting her desk. Now, she and her colleague Jerry are the governments first response, and theyre on a collision course toward an adorable first contactprovided it's not as deadly as the conspiracy theorist says. What to expect - Numberless LITRPG - Multiple POV - Evolution - No real animals were harmed in the making of this story Posts M-F around 9:00am - 10am AEST

46.85 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:06

WEAKLING

Faenon | contemporary | Complete

A geeky highschooler develops superpowers and is recruited to an international peackeeping unit at the same time as struggling with mental health problems. * Gonzalo Lopez, nicknamed 'Weakling' by his bullies, is just a normal teenager except that now he has superpowers. Ever since that fight with the bully where his powers first manifested and he broke his attacker's hand by accident, everything has been spiralling out of control. Now all of a sudden he's getting invited to parties, his psychiatrist's started dating his Mom, and at least two different international organisations are trying to hunt him down. Then there's Ali--the new girl at school, the only other person who believes any of this is happening to him, who seems to be hiding a secret of her own. Is she really his friend like she says she is, or does she have some sort of ulterior motive for being so nice to him all the time? Should he tell her about Miracle Force, the superpowered United Nations peacekeeping unit he's just been recruited to? And is any of this really happening, or is it all just going on in his head? * You can read deleted scenes on my Patreon.

54.41 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:07

I Summoned You

Adelaide West | contemporary | Complete

Julia wanted revenge, but she didn't imagine she'd get a demon to help her with it. Three girls worked together to cast a ritual, and summoned a demon to grant their wishes. Whether its peace of mind, the confidence to not be bullied, or revenge, the demon is willing to please. What matters afterward is the price that has to be paid. Not only by the summoners, but by the ones who have wronged them. --- Cover photo by Mallory Johndrow on Unsplash.com --- [participant in the NaNoWriMo Royal Road challenge]

26.72 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:03

In The Tall Grass

PublicApology | contemporary | Complete

(I'm doing a complete rewrite as of 2/1/24. I hate the quality and the overall story changed so much that this has noncanon stuff to the petrichor series) Elizabeth Wilson commits suicide. She was the golden girl among her peers in Darkwood, Washington who stood above the pressure of her drug-riddentown. Explore the summer before her senior year that triggered the domino effect of Elizabeth's emotional and psychological breakdown that lead her to take her own life. This is the prequel to the main story, Petrichor and was never intended to be made. I wrote this because I wanted to explore Elizabeth's character and show how the main characters have changed since this event. I decided to release this first because Petrichor is undergoing a full rewrite. In the meantime, I'm writing a side story called Mourning Glory that takes place between thesecond and third act of Petrichor. Development is going rather fast so I suggest to to read that if you like this story

23.52 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:03

The nature of legacy

sarvashaktimaan | contemporary | Complete

By the grace of the Three, may their blessings touch you. May all around you prosper, as shall you. When you depart, may the only sin staining you be death. May your legacy not be forgot. This is very different from my usual writing. Hope it does not disappoint. Participating in January 2024 RR magazine. This is a self contained short story with no direct relationship with my other work.

6.13 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:01

The Secrets of Soward's Mansion

Trish | contemporary | Complete

[Psychological Thriller] Soward's mansion was once a beautiful, historic example of Victorian architecture, but time has an ironic sense of humor. It's now an eyesore and magnet for crime and vagabonds. I know I'm not the ideal person to restore her, but this is an opportunity to do one last great deed for my town before time finds it funny to ruin me too. What's the worst that could happen? [Winner of the Royal Road Writathon challenge] The Secrets of Soward's Mansionhas been exclusively published on RoyalRoad. All other sites have stolen the story. If you find this title anywhere else, please PM me on RoyalRoad or email me at [email protected]. Thank you!

31.56 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:03