Mom's rationalization didn't sit well with me.
I didn't relish the idea of being the lesser of two evils.
The lesser evil is still evil.

First half of this is another brand new scene, I hope you all like it.

Alright so a few things. First off, Desyi being brought back might be seen as cheap or a deus ex machina. I understand that viewpoint but at the same time I really have no idea whether Ruexin’s original intention was to bring her back. I killed off Raycern to bring her back so we still had one character death in order to make it feel as non cheap as possible. Also it just kind of fit.

Second off, the anti capitalist messaging may be seen as shoehorned in because the original story had nothing to do with capitalism. So, okay. I tried to make the anti capitalist stuff as minor as possible, but I still think the story needed a nice and uplifting ending. And this was what I thought worked the best.

UPDATE AUGUST 2024: Again, a lot of this was written when I was a new writer. You don't have to cut 2022 me slack if you don't want to, but I will.

The Time of Void Skies brought death and destruction all across Vanasia. Memorials were set up across many towns, honoring those who had lost their lives in the tragic event.

The Lyceum had the largest memorial of all. Thousands of names were listed. It didn’t matter if they were rich, poor, a criminal, or someone who had died of causes unrelated to the event. If they died during it, their name was listed.

“Wrong time for conceiving. If there was a risk for that, I would ask you to use a condom,” Carla smiled. “Could you please turn aside while I put some clothes on?”

I did, jokingly protesting:

“Hey, we even had sex! And I am a woman five days out of seven, I can look in the mirror as much as I want. What is the problem with seeing you naked?”

Pulled Over
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

It was not as if I was dressed as a woman – I wasn’t because I never did that. I had been supporting my sister’s basketball team and I was in sweats in her colors, including face paint and eyeliner, for some reason. Her team had played well, and I had shouted myself hoarse. That was why I could barely talk when I was pulled over.

As I was leaving, Hanna ran and fetched the book.
She pressed it into my hands, insisting that I take it.

"Be our Perry Mason!" she chirped, smiling and nearly dancing with excitement.

“Time for a lunch, girls!” said Mommy two days later. “Are you coming, Lexie?”

“Of course.” I was already hungry. And the only one here besides Mommy – the other three women were today at the annual health check.

By the time Genesis and Megan got to the witches' headquarters, they'd already gone over their plan. Even so, Genesis felt like she was on the verge of a panic attack. She was about to break and enter. And since it was a witches' place that she was breaking and entering into, she might face some very serious consequences.

“Thank you very much, Carlo. The dinner was exquisite… But I am thinking about its cost. Would you agree to split it?”

“Natalie: Do you remember our visit to our parents and Kate? Do you remember when I talked to them, Mom specifically? Do you remember what she said to me? She told me about you, and how in elementary school, you cried because you thought you were ugly. She said she tells that story every time you call yourself ugly. EVERY TIME.

Nathan, how many times has that happened? Why do you think you’re ugly?”

Our swift and unexpected takeover of Varik's clan sent shockwaves across the planet. The sudden and decisive nature of our victory left the other clans in a state of bewilderment and fascination. How could an obscure pirate clan, seemingly out of nowhere, so thoroughly dismantle the most formidable clan on the planet?

The Wandering Heart
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

The heart is a curious thing. I am not talking about the anatomical organ, but about the feelings that grow and subside, that sometimes burn like fire and sometimes just give us a warm glow, and sometimes go cold as ice.

But how can you fall in love with a man who has abused you? How can you fall in love with a man who has mutilated and maimed you? A man who took away your future as a man and castrated you, and modified you to be his sexual plaything – how can you love such a man?

“This purse is just great, Lexie!”

“Umm, I like it too. Convenient, you can carry it on your shoulder. And, umm, I like these styles…”

“I was wondering when you will dare to show some femininity,” Lu smiled. “What you will say, Mommy?”

"Alright," she said, leaning in toward me, a half-smile playing over her lips.
"I want to start by saying Once upon a time, but as improbable as it is, this isn't a fairy tale."

"So how does it start?" I asked. My patience was near its end.

Mom leaned in a little closer, and trying to not smile, told me:

"Charlotte had a boyfriend."

I’d just finished putting the last coat of varnish on my latest job when I saw the silhouette of someone standing in the doorway of my Workshop.

“I’ll be with you in a minute or so. I need to clean the brush before the varnish on it dries,” I called out to the person. The person didn’t answer so I took it as they didn’t object.