B. A. Baker (Thedude3445) | drama | Complete
Aspiring priest Beatrice dreams of saving the world. Delinquent debutante Emi dreads her looming engagement to a distant noblewoman. A chance meeting in a library ignites a flame of love in their hearts. But, as the pair explore the wintery city of Balarand and each other, they must contend with their relationship's uncertain future. Only by walking together hand-in-hand can they face these obstacles for the sake of their futures. Hands Held in the Snow is an LGBT+ fantasy romance about a bookworm and a brat at the cusp of adulthood. Read all 70 chapters today. -- Featuring artwork by Mikayla Buan. https://twitter.com/mikayla_buan You can also read Hands Held in the Snowon its official website:http://handsheld.quinlancircle.com/ And follow Hands Held on Twitter:https://twitter.com/hands_held Please vote onTop Web Fiction!You can vote once a week on each device for this story (and any others you enjoy!).
67.01 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:24
No雔 is known across the city of Portlandand not by choice. Under the care of the richest man in the city and just transferred to a new high school, she's already making close friends... and bitter enemies. A chance encounter on her first day plunges her headfirst into a secret underground tournament. Between suspicious classmates and utter strangers, No雔 soon gets a taste for the addictive rush of the duel, but questions of love and trust complicate every move she makes. Cutthroat games with grim consequences await her in a shadowy world of competitors all dueling for the greatest prize imaginable. A new story from Etzoli, that one butterfly who writes things. This is a side-adventure I've written during the pandemic, as I've been having a lot of trouble getting into the correct head-space for writing my main series (The Last Science). Expect some rougher bits. Schedule is sporadic, but this will be a shorter one (closer to Snipe or Epilogue in length). I hope you enjoy it! Full-size cover art [Discord] - come hang out and chat sometime with etzy and other readers!
77.75 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:24
PJ_Lowry | historical | Complete
David Jones thought he was normal until he discovered that his family has been keeping a secret from him his entire life. He learned that his father's side of the family can and has been doing something that no one else can: travel through time.
29.71 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:26
Michael Regal | historical | Complete
Europe is set ablaze in the fire of war as brother turns against brother, stirred to violence by their corrupt governments and churches. In this time of upheaval, free bands such as the honorable(?) Talbot Company make their name by selling their swords to the highest bidders. The company is a family bound by coin and blood. When a Swedish castle falls to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Talbot Company must venture to the wild lands beyond the Oder River to stop war from breaking out over the ambitions of a rogue Polish colonel. The company attracts all manner of characters, among them an English peasant archer, an impoverished conquistador, and a cross-dressing Italian girl who thinks she has what it takes to hold her own amidst the rigors of war. Read on and find out if they have what it takes to survive this time of war and suffering. ----- If you like what you're reading, please consider buying the complete book. That is the only place where the final chapters will be available. Click here to buy on Amazon Click here to view on Goodreads Click here to buy on Smashwords
40.93 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:31
Panacea | historical | Complete
Yuri tried, really, but everything conspired against her. Now her peace finally reached an end, and it's up to her to try and get out of the roles the universe gave her."""From childhood friend promises, to beautiful foreign princes, to cute pets and shady items, I shall strike down all those plot flags!"When you hear voices in your head, gods troll you for their enjoyment, and your brother is a stalker, it's easier said than done.-Complete-
65.54 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:39
The Cabbage Preacher | historical | Complete
"In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death, taxes and trucks whom transport men to other worlds." Meet our titular protagonist Haruto Watanabe, a man who has all the markings of a good protagonist for a generic portal fantasy story. As an overworked office worker, to escape from the grips of crippling capitalist alienation, he had taken up to reading many stories where young men like him were transported to other worlds and enjoyed their lives at a most leisurely pace. Armed with genre-awareness and (what he believes to be) a marketable personality which would make him an easy audience self-insert, he longed for the day the isekai express would take him to his long-awaited adventure to another world. When the fateful day came, where the fair yet harsh mistress that is the fabled truck took Watanabe on one last date to the other side, he was most ready to escape his previous life, ready to embark on an errant so great he'd be most overpowered, his heroics so exceptional and his harem so vast that they would barely fit ten or twenty volumes of an overly long novel made by a desperate author looking for quick cash. Lo and behold however, Watanabe instead found himself in a low fantasy world which lacked severely in the department of any game-like systems, cheat skills or easily charmed damsels in distress. In a setting so antithetical to his established genre savviness or any attempts at power fantasy, how will a man like Watanabe, lacking in strength, wits and courage, manage to survive in a land most foreign to him? The Errant Otherworlder is on indefinite hiatus until the John Brown Isekai is finished.
36.12 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:39
Black Iron & Cinder is complete and will no longer be updated except for important announcements. If you're interested, consider purchasing the published version on Amazon, which is a brand new revision with error fixes and approximately 2000 more words in length. Also, please check out my newest fiction, The Wolf of Asano. Six months ago, a colorlessmiasma swept across the entire northern section of the continent of Yhordran, creating a vast army of undead that lurks within its boundaries. In an attempt to encourage citizens to help restore order, the crown creates a public organization called the "Mistwalkers", made of individuals who register to venture into the mysterious fog to discover and stop its source. A foreign knight in self-exile from his home is one of those Mistwalkers, and on a desperate journey for meaning, he steps into the grey abyss with the company of Yhordran natives to make his way 400 miles north to reach the plague's epicenter.
92.72 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:53
Solus-Solace | horror | Complete
A new dawn is on the horizon for the land of 揲rge. The cult of Irka has found a means to quickly expel the blight that devastated the land, many generations ago. With the power of the St閗kr trees, great hosts of immense spiritual energy, the cult shall send their witches into dangerous regions still beset with blight where they will attempt to purify the land. While many of these regions are only slightly blighted, others are steeped in a miasma powerful enough to ruin the body and drive the mind to madness. Summoned by the high king to guide a witch through the deadly wilderness, the ranger captain G髍in arrives in the city of Elbregn, where another secret and urgent mission awaits him... ------------- Cover artwork made by Wong40k
40.19 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:50
LeeAlexander | horror | Complete
Dante DeWisr is an ordinary military veteran, a desk jockey in the private sector. He wakes up with a hangover to the worst day of his- and everybody's life. Soon, his hangover is forgotten as frost settles in on the strangely dark July day. A mix of light sci-fi with low fantasy in a post-apocalyptic setting in near future Earth. Follow Dante as he tries to make sense of a dead world.
4.23 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:51
WinnieSallow | horror | Complete
On the alien planet of Scaldigir, where the people are grey, there are average individuals, and then, there are arcanes. Every arcane gets one power, except for the reapers. They can take as many powers as they want, so long as they lift them from the bodies of the dead and the dying. It's a useful power that could preserve the best abilities among the arcanes in theory. Thus far, every reaper has been too impatient to wait for the deaths of their comrades. Murder and neglect; the words are synonymous with reaper. That's how everyone else sees it. Pan, the last of the reapers, doesn't think she's that bad. She hides among the arcanes as a ghost seer. She's content, with being the one and only reaper, not to mention a secret, until she meets a special ghost. Updates Monday, Wednesday, Friday Revisions completed in April 2021
283.82 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 12:13
Lykanthropy | mystery | Complete
[Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] What happens when heroes are sent back in time to stop a terrible apocalypse, given blessings and physical boons beyond comprehension. In all seven survivors managed to survive the great purge. The only problem was, the heroes fought the gods to a standstill, it was clear no side would truly win, though both sides had losses. The solution, offer up one wish to each of the survivors. The only problem, is that the Gods cheat, lie and steal. The first six asked to be sent back in time so they could prevent the apocalypse from unfolding as it had.Of course, only after those six left did Maria, the last of the legendary seven realize the flaw with the wish her companions asked. They went back in time with no clear advantage, with no means to be able to enact the change they so desperately wished to be upon the world. That was why Maria asked to be sent back with powers. This exception was granted, but modified slightly, making it so she would begin with maxed out attributes, and the legendary exceptional growth skill. Feeling confident in her amended choice she accepted the compromise and was sent back. The only problem, none of those who went back in time to prevent the apocalypse from happening, asked to retain their memories the horrors they went through. Now Maria finds herself in the past, her body and mental acuity has seemingly changed over night, the only sign that something life shattering is about to happen is the fact that she keeps remembering bits and pieces of her past life, in her nightmarish dreams that constantly warn of the impending doom coming to claim everyone.
53.67 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 12:08
Averichollie | mystery | Complete
In a world of unending rain, hacker "Vio" is invited to interview aboard the Salieri Crime Family's starship; Salieri's Shadow. The other candidates have their own secrets, however. Ones they'd do anything to protect. Soon Vio finds herself caught in a deadly cat-and-mouse game of twisting alliances and dark secrets. Dogged by merciless criminals and clever conmen she must figure out who to trust before the secrets of Salieri's Shadow claim her too.
12.28 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 12:06
The Hawkshaw Inheritance is a completed story, with twenty chapters in total. For as long as almost anyone can remember, a small percentage of people have possessed fantastic gifts. Superhuman strength, speed, and smarts are just a few of the many such abilities on record. Some choose to exploit these powers for personal gain, but most use them for the benefit of their fellow man. Thanks to these people, who we call superheroes, the world is safe. The reality is a little more complicated. Most heroes are content to stop the supervillain and pose for the cameras. But it takes more than a few costumed cops and superpowered celebrities to save the world. Humanity is in danger from forces that ordinary heroes are woefully unequipped to handle. But neither they nor the public will ever be aware of the danger they are in, thanks to the efforts of the Council. For more than twenty years, the world's most powerful, influential, and intelligent metahumans have worked tirelessly in secret to protect the world, and subtly steer it on a better course. Six months ago, one of their number, the infamous vigilante detective known as Hawkshaw, disappeared without a trace. Now it falls to his protege to take up the mantle of Hawkshaw, learn the truth of his mentor's disappearance, and uncover the secrets of the most powerful people in the world... as well as what they're willing to do to keep those secrets buried.
93.76 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 12:10
KevinADavis | mystery | Complete
Some questions are best left unanswered. Obsessive Eugene law student, Haddie faces gruesome murder that leave victims impossibly incinerated. Could this be connected to her dad, who doesn't appear to age? If she digs too deep, she, or her friends might become the next set of ghastly remains. An urban fantasy origin story for the AngelSong Series with characters and magic inspired by the likes of Jane Yellowrock and Kate Daniels. Origin Story of the AngelSong Series
34.13 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 12:12
Doctor Zero | psychological | Complete
A super-intelligence is only limited by its ambition. If you could do anything, what would you do? Megacles has a pretty good life. Also, she's horny, lonely, bored, anxious, and a bit of a drunk. She decides to fix all that with science. It works okay, until she accidentally builds a doomsday device. At least she's not bored anymore. This is a simple tale of love, hope, sex, rejection, revenge, secrets, extortion, thievery, dead billionaires, killer robots, space monkeys, mind control, superhot lasers, god-like power, and the destruction of the Earth. And drugs. Almost forgot the drugs. Check out the reviews - people like it, maybe you will too. Or, just read Chapter 1. It's a good example of the book. If you like it, you're good to go. Cover Photo by Jean Fan (JFotography.net)
48.44 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 12:19
SuperSayu | psychological | Complete
In a modern world invaded by System Dungeons, one man's search for sanity and redemption will plunge him into an insane plot connecting Gods, Dungeon Administrators, Fairies, and the dangerous creature at the heart of the invasion. If he can survive it all, he might have a chance to save humankind... but he may not be ready for that responsibility. In a world gone to madness, perhaps only the mad can rise? NOTE: Although this novel is LitRPG in its origins, the numbers were never the focus and have been completely de-emphasized by the end. Includes romance, crass puns, spontaneous musical numbers (including fights set to music), horror, madness, and other nonsense. THIS WORK HAS NOT BEEN PUBLISHED TO AMAZON
191.92 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 12:30
DragonOfRochester | romance | Complete
When the Passivity Precept takes over the world it snuffs out all brutality, leaving its MMO-like Violence Simulator as humanity's only source of physical violence. Knowing how much she can make from selling epic gear, Grace Winston enters the simulation and discovers that it's more than just a game. Somewhere in there are the answers to who started the fire that killed her father. For far too long, Lorevinel Silvercat has been stuck as the Ravenborn clan's free-roaming prisoner. They've held a grudge against his clan and have used him to vent their hatred. Having planned his escape for several years, he has everything ready, but he needs a specific artifact from the Rogues Guild to finally start his journey. Will Grace find her answers? Will Lore gain his freedom? Can these two unlikely people, both alien to each other, find common ground and work together while dealing with an unasked for soul bond? ToS is a Lite LitRPG (meaning very few stats with a focus on story). Expect cursing, sexual tension, descriptions of breeding dungeon rats, and a little gore. TL;DR- The System Anti-Apocalypse forces everyone to be peaceful and only commit violence inside its Magical VR game.
70.96 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:14
MachineCapybara | satire | Complete
Join Mary Susan Oceanrunner on her quest to do... erm... something really important for the world... probably... Ahem. Long gone are the days when every hero could do whatever they wanted - now, we are civilised. We have government. Law. And proper forms. Lots of proper forms. (Final episode 25/07/2022. Also - beta readers far into the book rate the 'gore' degree as below 2/10, so the warning is a bit much) Mary Susan Oceanrunner is a poor girl from the orphanage, who like many others before, has to fulfil her destiny. The prophecy had been told, and she is the only one who can make things right. Erm... probably. Anyway, she can't just go and kill monsters like in the middle ages. First, she must apply for the appropriate permissions, fill the forms, learn about the proper loot taxations... Hey, no one said adventuring would be easy, right? Disclaimers: No claim made by any character by the book should be treated as the author's or anyone else's opinion on any subject. Most likely, it was just the funniest thing the Author could think of at the time of writing. This book contains many references to other works. It will probably be best enjoyed by individuals familiar with at least some of the following: 1) Computer games2) Fantasy in general3) Science fiction4) Tabletop RPGs5) Conspiracy theories6) Corporation work life7) Long forgotten prophecies uttered millennia ago in almost as forgotten languages under a starless night three dusks before the great convergence8) Filling any government-mandated form9) School10) EnglishMy ultimate goal is to make as many people experience something akin to joy while reading (think ~a bit louder exhale through the nose). It doesn't mean every scene will be funny or joyful because that's not how this stuff works. I can neither confirm nor deny having any other hidden agenda outside of that. (11.01.2022 NEW COVER by Philippa_and_art. You can find her here: https://www.instagram.com/philippa_and_art/)
60.44 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:18
Larkspur Wren | satire | Complete
[Participant in the Royal Road Community Magazine, January 2024] Legend tells of a vagrant herofearless in the truest sense of the wordfor whom no opponent was too strong and no odds too steep. He travelled the Four Seas, quashing evil and uplifting downtrodden folk everywhere he went. But when his latest quest puts the Fearless Bladesman on a collision course with the one thing he fears in the world, he's forced to confront his own mortalityand the measure of a life truly lived.
4.82 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:11
B. A. Baker (Thedude3445) | satire | Complete
The Soul Palace System has ruled the world of Wuweizi for countless eons, but there is a new magic afoot--or should we say, avine. Xi Gua Lao, an aspiring daoist, embarks on an adventure that leads him to an up close and personal encounter with the one thing he never expected: Vine Waifus. Vine Waifu created with Artbreeder. Cover by me. Audiobook narration by Kgy121. Read other Vines: Chaos Vines OnlineVINAL FANTASYVines: A Short StoryThe Vines of Bramblekeep When Immortal Ascension Fails Divine Thorns
20.78 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:15
