invidious | tragedy | Complete
The Demon Lord has fallen. The Hero has his victory, at the expense of everything he fought to save. Bereft of purpose, he begins a journey through the uncharted ocean beyond his archipelago on a pilgrimage to the mythological Spine of the World. M I N I Mis an experimental short story where each section is divided in two. It can be read sequentially - consuming each section holistically - or chronologically - reading the first part of each section until the story's end and then reading the second part of each section in reverse.
4.83 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 11:14
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
DarthKirby | tragedy | Complete
Perhaps the most well known of all devils, demons, or fallen angels is the one known as Lucifer, Satan, the Father of Lies. The cultural influence of this figure throughout history is by no means small. Despite that, it wasn't until the time of Milton's classic Paradise Lost that we saw an attempt to portray a dramatized version of the events leading to this figure's fall from grace and power. And while this is the case, Paradise Lost is not about Lucifer though it goes into great detail about his potential musings. No, Paradise Lost was, and still is, about the fall of mankind. So, in light of this, and the feeling that the classical story deserved another telling, I present to you all The Fall a story focused particularly on Lucifer's fall from grace and his musings both before and after.
4.75 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:30
kiltsi | psychological | Complete
A short story about isolation, empire, and the shadows that exist when no one else is around.
4.70 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 18:50
michela violet | mystery | Complete
Pokemon/Stardew crossover fancfiction short story. Punk girl Abigail finds a pokemon in the mines and the discovery gives her a newfound sense of purpose.
4.69 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 18:53
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
Tokage Noshipo | historical | Complete
Notes for a forthcoming work that have been cobbled together to form a historical narrative from the distant past. A first attempt at world building, the setting is an alternative Earth/Isekai and is written based on the common sense of that reality. I anticipate many changes may be made as this is only a draft, and the primary work is still a ways off from completion, but I place it here for practice, and if any soul chooses to take it on, notes and advice would be greatly appreciated.
4.61 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-21 18:31
Scientists discover that a massive gas cloud in space will cover the solar system in one year.They assure the populace that they recognize the gas and confirm that it is harmless. A year passes, and the fateful day arrives. Eric and Michael go to school like normal, but the world begins to change. System Initiating... Standby... Modification is being chosen.... Standby... Undead System has been chosen... Standby... System starting in 3... 2... 1...
4.59 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:47
EveForward | comedy | Complete
THE MUSTACHE STORY : A wandering traveler gets help from an unusual fungus friend. This is the original 'adventure' that led to the talking mustache in "The Trashscarf Tales" (I haven't posted those chapters yet). Most of this is my own work, but the parts that are Sudowrite have been left in BOLD, for transparency.
4.58 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 14:58
The Yobanashi Girouette | tragedy | Complete
Within every individual lies infinite possibilities. Any number of infinitely small changes in their lives, conscious or unconscious, could result in a wholly different individual, walking a wholly different path. An average person can only guess at what they could've been had things been a little different& But not Michael Ocenar. Every night when Michael goes to sleep, every Michael across all known and unknown universes is there, waiting for him. Whenever he's in trouble, he knows he can switch out, exchanging places with another Michael from another world. But now, the Michaels are dying. One by one, their numbers are dwindling across the countless parallel worlds. But what is causing this sudden string of deaths, and can a multiverse of Michaels come to the answer before they all die out?
4.53 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 11:14
E.J.Lockwood | one_shot | Complete
Ardeus's existence is a cycle of countless lives, each a wheel of death, choice, and starting anew. This latest death, ended by a sharp blade wielded by wild eyes, has unlocked an unprecedented choice. The Magnificent, the overseer of his eternal journey, presents Ardeus with reincarnation options new even to the timeless being. Now, Ardeus stands at the crossroads of life, death and determining the elusive value of eternity.
4.52 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 17:56
WhiteRose-BlueSpace | tragedy | Complete
Time takes everything. Nothing can beat it, nothing can change it, entropy will always take its course but there are always those who try to resist it, to try and immortalise themselves in one way or another. There is never a question of whether they will succeed, but of how many will be dragged down in the attempt and just how long it will take for time to wipe the slate clean. For there is no such thing as immortality. [Joint 4th runner up in the January 2024 RR Community Magazine Contestant "Immortality is a Myth" with also the highest prompt adherence score]
4.47 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 15:05
The God Of Boredom | satire | Complete
A guy wakes up in the morning. That, alone, is a traumatic experience by itself. But then the sun goes out. The guy figures that it's just some freak solar eclipse or something like that. After all, he isn't exactly a scientist. But, no; The same thing happens again the next morning. And the next. The guy must now figure out what's going on. This is my 2nd fiction, written for the [Royal Road Community Magazine] Contest, with the first being something I'd rather not show you. When I started this one(a couple hours before I wrote this synopsis), I had a fair idea of what I was doing, kind of. Cover by MRMerrigan.
4.41 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:18
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
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
davel.gomoz | horror | Complete
This is my testimony about the day I discovered the horror that lived in Cerro Alto. I wanted to forget about the matter as soon as possible, but today, I believe my words could serve the world. --- Hello! Davel here. This is a Lovecraftian, short story set in my country (M閤ico). The events of the story take place in the same world as in my story "The dweller under the waters", which you can find here in RoyalRoad
4.23 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 10:38
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
Years ago, a mysterious egg-like shape appeared in deep space. The naturally curious humans constructed a research station to study the anomaly, which is currently manned by a relief team waiting for the next batch of researchers. Simon, the sanitation officer, is obsessed with the egg and hopes it will lead to newfound fame and discovery. What it contains however will change the course of his life forever.
4.16 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 14:35
CorinnaTaylor | drama | Complete
A retelling of Persephone's journey to the underworld.
4.03 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 13:45
Kitsune's Inkwell | comedy | Complete
A series of shorts set in a mash-up of the Pokemon Universe and Baldur's Gate 3. A pop-up event just for fun!
4.00 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 14:21
