A pair of twins

collegewriter | psychological | On going

In the afternoon - at the very last rows of an asphalt staircase - I met them. Twins, everchanging between a perverse grin and a gorgeous smile.Then, a week later, I couldn't ever live without them.

4.52 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:10

Lewy Body: The Demon in the Mirror [RRCM Winner June 2023]

Aest Belequa | contemporary | Complete

Some men have demons inside them. Lou's stays in the mirror, stalking his wife. It's at the doctor's office. It's in the bathroom at their assisted living apartment. It even chases the car when they go shopping. It keeps getting closer. And as it does, he's having a harder and harder time remembering. Lou doesn't want to find out what'll happen if if reaches Abigail. He has to stop the demon. Content Warning: This story is about dementia. I'm trying not to pull punches. Edit: I'm incredibly honored to have won the June 2023 Community Magazine Contest. Thank you all for reading!

4.65 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-13 10:51

Fragments from the Wildlands

CKJ5 | drama | Complete

"Your first death is always the hardest." Miguela was the third-born child of a well-off merchant family and knew from around the time she could speak that her life's path was already decided for her by her father. She was to become an Orator, as was Xandran tradition. However, Miguela had an affinity with the magikal arts and somehow found herself studying at the Academy. One fateful day, the government offers Miguela an opportunity to join a team tasked with the mission of gathering intelligence via scrying magik. The catch is that Miguela and her associates can only scry the deceased. Miguela finds the memories of the dead haunting but is adamant not to fail because the prospect of regaining control of her life and using her magik to help others gives her a purpose in life that she never had before. Of course, Miguela soon discovers her new job has an exorbitant cost. Will she be willing to pay when the bill comes due? Welcome to Five Kingdoms of Cordizal! What is the Five Kingdoms of Cordizal? I often get asked this type of question about my stories by friends, bloggers, and potential readers. The Five Kingdoms of Cordizal is a high-fantasy epic universe that is the setting for most of my stories. The foundation of the universe is its multicultural, multiracial setting with several sentient races attempting to carve their legacy and survive. The world is fully fleshed out and vibrant with a rich and mysterious history not based on Tolkien mythology. This brings me to magic. To me, magic is an essential part of the fantasy genre, so, of course, there is magic in the Five Kingdoms universe. However, one critical part of the Five Kingdoms universe is that magic is an abundant commodity that is a part of everyday life and not some plot device used to drive the story. In short, the Five Kingdoms universe is the setting of epic fantasy stories with deep characters and world-building. I try to tell as many different types of stories as possible in the universe, and hopefully, you can find something for you in it.

28.01 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:40

5 Threads of Fate

HWPerfidy | historical | Complete

Lin is a Weaver of Fate, someone who can see and weave the Threads of Fate. Her family had always cautioned her to be aware of the boundaries her role imposes upon her, to know that she is merely to watch and witness all that happens. But Lin is not convinced. She will do all she can to write a shining legacy, no matter what Fate has to say about it. (Community magazine contest submission)

9.02 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:20

Flight of a Villainess

cathfach | mystery | Complete

Few people are purely evil or good. Everyone has their own desires and their own principles guiding what they are prepared to do to achieve those desires. A duke who wants to expand the influence of his house, his wife who is fiercely loyal to her friends, and their child who just wants some comfortable clothes. The queen who wants what's best for the kingdom, the king who wants what's best for his family and a prince with an inferiority complex. Even if everyone acts in a way they deem 'correct', sometimes people can still get hurt. This was the first story I finished writing, although not the first I posted. It's a very short (11k word) story about a 'villainess' who just wants to get away from it all. Only posted on scribblehub and royalroad. Cover image is from the graphics fairy.

6.62 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:39

In Dying Starlight: A Cyborg Sci-Fi Adventure

emily_mccosh | romance | Complete

Book 1 is now available for free on Amazon. Following books can be found on KU here. A rogue cyborg. A talking badger. A bounty job that goes incredibly wrong. Aaron is perfectly content to chase bounties in his run-down little space ship, avoid human interaction at all cost, and lay low from the cyborg planet that created him. But when he and Bathis half-robotic badger companion (who talks just a little too much)chase their largest bounty ever, they run head-first into not only some dangerous criminals, but other cyborgs much stronger than them, and worst of all, a handful of humans who aren't going anywhere. What you can expect from In Dying Starlight: - Heaps of fast-paced adventure and odd planets - A stubborn MC in over his head and trying to survive - A talking, half-robot badger who likes fixing space ships - Allllll the found family vibes - An atrocious amount of sarcasm and snark - A tiny bit of romance a ways into the story Chapters between 1k-3k words. [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge - April 2022]

12.64 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-13 16:05

ECLIPSE: A Complete Fantasy Novelette

Aster Loka | one_shot | Complete

~First place winner! January 2022 Royal Road Community Magazine Contest~ When all else fails, when all hope is lost, perhaps madness is less important than results. If the world is going to end, save what you can from the ashes. No matter the sacrifice. When came the monsters, So fell the elves; The rising of the Dungeon Queen, And then the sun went out.

8.70 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 18:11

Eyes of Bloodshed

Freya Stone | contemporary | Complete

Remdia, a once peaceful country, sends an army towards the unprepared nation of Caledorn. This single action sets off a chain of events that will uproot the lives of everyone involved. A recent graduate suddenly finds himself in enemy territory, struggling to shield his birthplace from angered citizens. A news broadcaster must present a horrifying report while maintaining her perfected poise. A doctor steals an ambulance in an attempt to aid the injured. A student is evacuated from school, while a father tries desperately to escape a prison. Watch the war unfold through the eyes of those most impacted while the bloodshed increases. A relay of short stories where each chapter follows the perspective of one person through a difficult time.A massive shoutout to the brilliant cover artist as well, Snooki.

20.14 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:08

Herold's Extremely Legendary Parenting skills in another world.

Cynical Stranger | satire | Complete

Herold just bought the house he worked so hard for just to get a heart attack and die. But it was not the end of him. He lived again, waking up as a poor homeless man in a fantasy world. After going through the 5 stages of grief he found that the man he was in the body of now was a sort of father figure to the many homeless orphan children of the town. Soon enough he found a new purpose. One that might prove to be much more meaningful than his new house or the money he spent on it. Be the best parent he can be and help the orphans fulfill their true potential.

1.23 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:18

A Day in the Life of a Combat Maid [A LitRPG Short]

zechamp | one_shot | Complete

Francesca is a combat maid and she has one simple job - ensure that the carefree and idyllic life of the young lady of the Albergoni family is not disturbed. Many would seek to harm the young lady, so Francesca must ensure that all of the dirt of the world is discreetly cleaned without her noticing.On a day like any other, the young lady sets off to play with her friend at the park, and as usual, Francesca expects to have a busy time. The cleaning work of a maid never ends after all.

4.35 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:26

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

Samsara Cycle - Xianxia - Villainous Reincarnation [COMPLETED]

noct | mystery | Complete

A thousand lifetimes ago, Qiu Xuanwu stood atop the world as the King of the Underworld. He sealed the righteous deities and reigned alone--until the last remaining righteous deity, Kai Bailong, tore him from his throne, released the righteous deities, and restored order to the world. Instead of exterminating Qiu Xuanwu, Kai Bailong consigned his soul to enter the cycle of samsara, experiencing countless reincarnations until his soul purified. Kai Bailong followed him into the mortal cycle, watching over the evil deity. For eons, the two reincarnated together, locked in eternal moral combat. As orange trees, bees, cats and dogs, and a thousand other lifeforms, the two struggled endlessly. A thousand lifetimes later, Qiu Xuanwu awakens as the young Chen Wuya, finally reincarnated into a human form capable of cultivation. With Kai Bailong nowhere in sight, he sets out to once more become the strongest martial deity and finally complete the vengeance that led him to become the King of the Underworld in his first life. Though a thousand lifetimes have passed, nothing will keep him from his goal... unless that damned Kai Bailong finds him again! -Low-fantasy for Xianxia, high-fantasy in general -Lightly comedic, mostly action/adventure -Updates biweekly Mon/Fri, daily updates until I catch up to backlog!

23.22 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:00

Quoth the Catto

Mad Sadie | satire | Complete

A drunk guy has a conversation with a cat. Parody of The Raven by that famous poet dude. A short poem.

0.64 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:12

The hunt before Christmas

TheMoldySausage | satire | Complete

Santa Claus is real, but he doesn't deliver presents, he hunts Yetis.

0.13 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:16

Trapped: The GM

Troll | tragedy | Complete

[Participating in the NaNoWriMo]"Damn you Josh! How could you mess up this badly? Now I will somehow have to sit out the shitstorm that麓s to come..." ~GMThis is the story of a GM and 3012 players who were one day trapped in a virtual reality game. Watch as people in power make bad choices which may or may not lead to the worst possible outcome. ___________________________________There will be some cursing and swearing, a tiny bit of gore perhaps but nothing major. The story also deals with darker emotional things... the psycho and tragedy tags are there for a reason!I had only a months time to write this story and frankly that磗 the most creative writing I have ever done in my life. 50k words I can磘 believe I did it. Thanks everyone. Without your support I doubt I would have made it.Please support me by pointing out logical errors and the things you didn磘 like about the story. As it磗 a rushed work I am aware that it has many flaws.

28.04 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:27

The Juveniles - Segment 1 (Completed)

JFSA132 | historical | Complete

In the year 2019, Joshua Alo, a college drop-out, has been living the depressing dream, going from place to place around Greece, looking for booze, money, women, and most especially, trouble. However within this seemingly never-ending cycle, a strange man appeared in his life and gives him a second chance to regain back his good life, not knowing the consequences that may happen later on.

14.83 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-21 18:34

Acquired Taste

Random Mudkip | horror | Complete

A coven of vampires is investigated by a hapless FBI agent. Trigger Warning: Contains gratuitious violence and foul language.

3.21 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-21 18:38

If You Expect The Unexpected It Won't Be Unexpected Any More. A Perfectly (Un)Expected Collection of Short Stories

MattyMillard | satire | Complete

A mixture of light and dark. A mixture of solemn and laugh out loud. A mixture of sci-fi and fantasy. There's something in here for everyone, but each story has something in common. They all begin in the real world - but each story has it's own distinct twist. Have you ever experienced the corrupted underground scene of high school conkers? Gambling, dirty dealings, blackmail? Ever met the girl of your dreams but wondered whether she's a vampire? Have you ever met a dragon... made of cake? If no is the answer to any of these questions, you ought to know what you are missing. Matty Millard's collection of short stories is not one to be missed. Featuring the prize winning short story "Weapons of Mass Destruction", placed first in the GKBC Inc 2013/14 competition by crime novelist Tim Weaver. I've taken the majority of the chapter down now as this is due to be published very soon, but Weapons of Mass Destruction is still there to be read. I will link to the published book soon!

1.11 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 09:37

Cereal

Keyori | one_shot | Complete

A boy ventures into his kitchen for a late night snack.

1.01 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 13:43

Shadowed Waters: Book One

NicholasGraves | horror | Complete

It came down in a ball of fire missing the transatlantic cruise. In a search for survivors, crewmembers find a body floating among the debris. But they also find something else. Before they realize the terror they've uncovered, it's already too late. A horror quickly spreads across the ship while its passengers are trapped in the middle of the endless blue.

16.61 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 14:29