MichaelJSullivan | contemporary | Complete
I admit it; I'm a long-time gaming geek. When I started back in 1984, I played on a Compaq DeskPro outfitted with an 8 MHz 8086 CPU and an awesome monochrome display adapter. I said I was a geek, remember? During the golden age of computer gaming, otherwise known as the 1990s, each month brought quantum innovations, spurring a host of inventive game designs. For me, the pinnacle was reached with the invention of the MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role-playing game), and my wife and I became lost in the world ofEverquestfrom 1999 to 2001. In the land of Norrath, we made many friends as we rose from a pair of pathetic magic users to guild legends, and I saw how the lines blurred betweenrealityand thevirtualworld. People speak of how computer games are a waste of time. But a great many good things grew out of those days. One of them was a fertile seed of an idea that I pondered well over a decade ago...and still do. This story is the result. What people are saying about "The Game" "An impressive and thought-provoking short story." - Mikel on Goodreads "The Game" is a wonderful short story, asking profound questions about existence and the meaning of life. I really enjoyed and be glad to see more from Troth." - Gil Estel on Goodreads "Great short story...different from much of Michael's writing (at least that I am familiar with). Definitely thought-provoking and chilling towards the end." - Gabe Erwin on Goodreads ". . . this one is just . . . brilliant! Do yourself a favor, everyone, and just read it." - Christomir Rackov on Goodreads.
4.38 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 16:52
AziaElga | contemporary | Complete
A forbidden relationship with the most popular girl in school is the last thing Chloe Lee expects when she begins bartending. Especially when she doesn't even realize she's gay herself. Desperate for money for her mother's surgery, Singaporean student Chloe Lee illegally serves drinks at a local bar. When equally underage RJ Shin--the richest and most popular girl in school--shows up as a customer, they already have something in common. Their fateful encounter sends both their lives out of control. Chloe's money-making plan is soon derailed by RJ's insistent involvement, a growing hostility at work, and an unfortunate entanglement with RJ's family's politics. Worst of all, Chloe is slowly discovering her sexuality as she falls for RJ. Hard. Suddenly, sacrificing everything for money is no longer an easy choice to make. As secrets unveil and feelings surface, Chloe is forced to reevaluate her life goals and decide what she is willing to sacrifice for love--and what she must sacrifice for herself. If she holds on to more than she can take, she might end up losing everything she values. Life is hard, but love is harder. ***Also published on Wattpad, Tapas, and ScribblehubWord Count: ~65,000-70,000Cover art by @chomk.art on Instagram
36.21 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:08
maxxli | contemporary | Complete
what it means to love someone that no one else can
0.08 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 15:27
nicoshaw | contemporary | Complete
TheFriday Night Food Heistis fraught with danger, but some boys will do anything for free pizza. Ross Cameron is sick and tired of boring Friday nights. Of course, with friends like Mac, there's always the chance of a more exciting development. On this occasion, it's the chance of free food at the expense of someone nobody likes. The only problem - Mac's plan requires military precision to pull off and could leave the boys facing the wrath of the most dangerous man in the neighbourhood.
4.84 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 16:51
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
Fresh_Pursuit | contemporary | Complete
Completed Story. Texas Lawman Cash Renshaw gets pulled into a world of magic and mysticism that he never knew existed but finds himself uniquely suited to handle. Alhambra Sheriff's Office Detective Cash Renshaw is about to wake up. He learns that there is another world out there where all the creatures of nightmare and magic are real. Not only that but he finds that he is a special type of person called an "Archetype" that derives powers from the collective power of human imagination. Now he will join his new partner in the Agency for Metanatural Investigation to investigate a strange new type of Runic Tattooing that allows normal humans to tap into magic powers, at the cost of their lives. Cash will learn that his new reality is as deadly as it is mysterious, and his first case might be his last.
51.07 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 14:16
Not_Important | contemporary | Complete
After being subjected to a strange drug while on a language trip in Kyoto, Young adult Sias Jourdin is forced to go on the run, his semblance of a normal lifereduced to nothing by the tremendous force of the wave called fate. Even worse than the serial killers, hired assassins and crazy billionaires believing to be able to control magic, His true foe is his own past. As everything happening, every encounter, good or bad,makes him come one step closer to awakening the old, buried demons under his House. I am Sias, the legitimate heir of the Jourdin and the sparkle that ruined it.
33.64 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:11
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
kevin_writer2 | contemporary | Complete
Davis Archer was cut off by his family when he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for accidentally killing a friend when he was 13. Five years after his release, he has yet to overcome his past to build relationships and has now received a sudden request from his estranged family to return home. Will the family that once abandoned him welcome him back if it means saving a life? As Davis attempts to navigate where home is for him, those he cares about wrestle with what's more important: who we are or who we were. AVAILABLE ON AMAZON
37.74 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 16:09
Critical-meltdown1 | contemporary | Complete
This great witch will write some short stories from my life here. Updates will be irregular
7.79 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 14:09
OceansInTheSky | contemporary | Complete
It's been ten months since the incident, and Yuuko's moved to a new school. But there's one student he notices is different from the others, and his father's words echo through his mind everytime he sees her. How should a person cope with something lost? And just what is it that a child should, and should not, do?
27.34 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 16:51
JLBuchanan | contemporary | Complete
Robert was just an ordinary police officer, until one day while on the job, he sees something really weird. Like, sci-fi and aliens weird. The investigation leads him to make discoveries about himself and his past lives. A big crisis is upon him and if he intends to beat it, he needs to find the pieces of who he was.
60.05 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 10:17
The Last Tavern Open | contemporary | Complete
Back in 2011 I was working for a company doing a lot of electrical work. I was part of a project that had me driving all about Western Australia and assessing properties.On my trips I met many different people and heard quite a few stories.Some of them I wrote about, this is one.
0.22 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 10:13
noctelibri | contemporary | Complete
Is love worth the risk? This is for every person who has ever loved a pet. (Inspired by our own loss yesterday.) cover vectorDesigned by Freepik
0.69 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 11:27
LSR | contemporary | Complete
Synopsis: John Brunsen has failed at most things in his life. His most recent mistake has left him the unwilling host to an unknown lifeform that has reprogrammed his brain to pursue unending violence. With alternating cycles of pharmaceutical grade stimulants and depressants as the only means to keep his sanity in check, John is thrust into the role of Savior as the lifeform spreads across the planet fueled by a combination of destruction, evolution and ultra-capitalism. Can a man who can't hold down a job prevent an impending planetary apocalypse? Probably not! But it's worth a try. What to expect: 1)a complete book, it's already done, upload is done. 2)a pretty wild adventure story that goes a lot of places and does a lot of things3)hopefully a few laughs and an entertaining read.
55.72 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 16:50
Lady Siv | contemporary | Complete
Long ago Wendigos settled in the cold north away from most other Beings. Their almost secretive nature often gives Beings the impression of deep spirituality. And then there is Yrsa. Flighty at best she lives in her deceased grandparent's RV in the middle of the desert. Taking up the job of a mail carrier she earns enough money to keep her lights on and not much else. When a fairy on her route causes her to crash it triggers a chain reaction leading up to her finding a purpose.
20.21 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-04-10 16:02
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
DWS | contemporary | On going
Hideki is a young man who lives with his grandmother after the loss of his parents. Despite the tragedy he finds simple pleasures in his everyday school life and playing with the music club, of which he is a member. He greatly admires the council president, Reina, who he meets in the corridors after school. Hideki's life is turned upside down once again and he finds himself drifting with nowhere to go. Reina offers him a chance, an evening meeting between the two of them leads to Hideki taking on an entirely new life as her second sister, Miyako. But not everything is as it seems - and accepting the mercy of another isn't always easy.
30.81 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-04-02 15:00
Wulfrann | contemporary | Complete
Alex Wallen is the tall, blond, athletic cheerleader everyone loves.Nancy Campbell-Park is the nerd who wears glasses and gets shoved in the hallway for no reason.They could not be more different... But not everything is as it seems, and when the both of them collide, they can't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, this could actually work. (LGBT+ themes - F/F high school love story)
11.60 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 16:54
storytopia07 | contemporary | Complete
Ever since childhood, Monica looked up to the heroes of her myths. So, when she discovered that she had a gift unique to her, she made a choice to become just like the heroes she once aspired to. Everyone remembered the white mask and the vigilante who wore it. They knew her as the Lady in White', whose watchful eyes made sure to keep the crimes of the country in check. But real life proved to be harsher than the stories. After a series of violent events, by those trying to imitate their hero, the reign of the superhero came to an abrupt end and everyone presumed that the Lady was dead. A year after her death as the Lady, Monica found herself returning to the world as a normal woman once again. She was determined to lead a normal life, but how long can one keep the soul of a rebel in check? As she tries to come to terms with her mistakes, the pull to don the costume once again is stronger than ever before. Only now the world and herself ask, should the alter-ego return?
71.06 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:00
