Amidst the glow of computer screens and the rhythmic clack of keyboards, Alex sat in his cramped office, immersed in lines of code. At 19 years old, he was a mild-mannered software developer with a penchant for order and structure, finding solace in the digital realm where everything had its place.

My entry for the 2024 New Year's Resolution Story Contest

Tired of loneliness, Skylar resolves to find love at any cost. Nudged along by fate, and self imposed circumstance, he's well on his way to a happy future. It just doesn't look like anything he ever expected.

Beware which apps you give access to your information. It could change your life.

Is Late Better than Never?
by Lily Rasputin

Chapter One

It was a bad time to be driving. Darkness, rain, despair, and self-loathing are a really bad combination on their own, but when being behind the wheel of a moving auto is thrown in, it’s downright dangerous. I knew it as surely as I knew my life had just taken two painful torpedoes to the starboard side and was sinking fast.

I knew … I just didn’t care.

A Grumpy Old Man’s Tale 47 Increasing Independence

“That story Angus prised out of her concerning that Landrace boar her grandfather gave her as a piglet when she was what? six or seven was priceless! And her mum’s reaction when her lurcher pup her dad gave her just kept growing when she’d thought it to be a Jack Russell was out of this world priceless. That she raised the pig to killing weight, had it follow a bucket of feed to the slaughterhouse and insisted on watching every detail of its slaughter and butchering and being given explanations of what was being done and why was remarkable enough. But to cap it all that she helped process the blood, the head meat, the offal and all the bits and pieces was, I considered, amazing. When she said it had had a good life, but she’d raised it to eat and didn’t like her bacon so fresh that it could bite back, so it had to die, I had to struggle to avoid laughing, because she was absolutely serious about it. When she said that her next piglet, a gilt [an unmated sow], was given to her by the slaughterman, who is shortly to become her grandfather in law, so she could see the differences between sows processed for pork and boars processed for cured meat due to the testosterone boar taint I couldn’t help but laugh. Then when she said Grandad Vince the Mince obtained a barrow [a castrated boar] for her to raise to finally to complete the picture, which she then killed and butchered herself at the slaughterhouse. I had to look away because I’d tears of laughter in my eyes.

Dot and Sam 29

Jonah was wearing a pink tank top and black miniskirt as he cooked dinner for him and Kelly. The pandemic still raged on, and the couple continued to do their dares from the Truth or Dare game a few weeks back. It took a while for Jonah to get used to his new wardrobe, especially the bras, but he was feeling more comfortable in it with every day that passed.

Countdown to Confidence
by Peregrine

Copyright © 2023 Peregrine
All rights reserved.
Disclaimer:
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Dot and Sam 27

The Silent Ghost

Trygg was an irritation to many of his teachers. He wouldn’t engage with any he didn’t wish to, and because of the injunction against the Ed Psychs they were not able to discover what his ‘problems’ and ‘special educational needs’ were. It would have been an impossible step for them to take to realise that they were his problems and his special educational needs were merely to be left alone so as not to distract him from soaking up information.

Downtown Middleburg, Va.:
Ada, Clair, and Ayla pull into a parking spot at Bebe’s Clothing. Clair figures Alya would be able to find what she was looking for here.

“I’ve never heard about this place, Clair.” Ada was curious about it.

“It’s local. They carry a lot of designer clothes and off-the-wall clothing from unknown designers.” Clair has found a lot of good deals inside the place.

Clair leads the way inside the old-style store. It was bigger inside than it was outside.

Emily Berrigan is a 23 year old transwoman. At 17, she was thrown out by her parents. She hasn't seen her twin Jordan in person in six years, as a result. Her older sister, Stephanie, is engaged. Will sparks fly?

In Chapter 1, we met Emily. In Chapter 2, her (non-binary) twin Jordan. Now, we meet Stephanie, their cishet older sister and the bride-to-be
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A welcoming gathering spot, The Midnight Hour is a place where love can be found, lost and maybe even found again.

At The Midnight Hour
By Marissa Lynn

This would have been a "You may wonder how I wound up here" needle scratch moment, but Ethan Hammond knew exactly how he came to be sitting in The Midnight Hour, sipping on a bourbon cocktail that somehow tasted of chocolate even though there wasn't any in it.

This was the scene of the crime -- where it all started and where it all went completely sideways.

Blue Silk

by Erisian

This year, I hereby resolve…

“Seriously, Joe? Are you still working on that journal assignment?”

Cass hovered above a shoulder, or more precisely, peeked over it as they only reached a few inches above five feet even when shoved into boots.

Whereas in contrast I could hardly fit in the chair and had to lean way over to type, seeing as how my knees would never fit below the ridiculously tiny desk standard to each small and drafty dorm room.

Clothes are just clothes, right? It's all just a joke, right? For Miles Carlson? Maybe. Maybe not.

Late Christmas
By Marissa Lynn

As far as conventions go, this one was going well, at least Miles thought so. He picked up some cool finds and was getting compliments on his costume.

For something different, he was dressed as Asuka from one of his favorite anime series, "Sun Runner."

Part 9

Steve had eased off on getting us shows this year, in deference to Angelica, Josh and Kieran, all who would be doing important exams. With that in mind, he released a single from the CD to the media, followed it up with putting the CD on the market, and just scheduled one show for us, in the break between terms.

On a welcoming station deep in space Patryk, a 24 year old, has shirked all his adult responsibilities. He gets by fine. The station is host to an unequal society, but no-one goes hungry. This suits Patryk as he bumbles through life, keeping himself to himself and going to parties, while resting in whatever temporary accommodation he can secure for a few weeks at a time.

When Patryk’s idiosyncrasies about sleeping at parties comes up again he finds his way to a safe bed, in a room that had obviously been host to criminality. What he discovers there, or more who discovers him, begins Patryk on a path he never even dreamt of. At least he thinks so. Patryk has never remembered his dreams.

If you're a regular BCTS reader you can read here or on Royal Road. I'd suggest here, and that Royal Road visitors click around looking for other trans fiction that might interest you (a lot less LitRPG though.) For Allison/BCTS people BCTS has better functionality for allowing me to interact with readers, and I've written a decent amount here. Allison Zero will continue to appear here. As you'll be aware BCTS is a community, Royal Road is simply another one I'm exploring.

I have tried to give the flavor of J'Marra's speech without overdoing the profanity. I just can't picture her in a stressful situation not being course. It's part of her street cred and automatic now. You may recognize her name from one line in The Worst Day. Dorothy's comment made me realize that her story needed to be told.