Pages flip past, a time-lapse of images documenting the expansion of a grand city rising in sacred service to the Throne. Structures of meaning and empowered will, each unfolding as perfect edifices of collaboration and interchange, each glittering under the eternal illumination shining from Above as channeled through the forged unity binding all to one, and one to all.
And below this glory of infinites, to a tower of dazzling brilliance a dark angel comes.
Twitch let my head rest against his chest, his close presence reassuring and solid just as it had been on all those wagon journeys taken together through the dark. Thoughts rampaged anyway behind closed eyelids like a herd of startled graxh tearing through sharp-ferned forest. Between the blurred collapsing leaves and trunks crashing aside from the mental onslaught hung a simple circlet of gold.
Shakespeare's TAMING OF THE SHREW is one of the greatest of The Bard's plays, BUT in these days of female assertion and the 'Me Too' movement, this show about female subservience offers a lot of challenges. A long time actor in a semi-professional Shakespearean troupe finds himself unexpectedly cast in the part of Kate's younger, cuter, more flirtatious sister, Bianca, by a director who wants to challenge her actors and society.
His preparation for the role required him to open doors to parts of himself that he never knew he had!
Max never truly believed that his dream of becoming a magical girl could become a reality - but he never even imagined that becoming the villainess of the magical girls was a possibility!
***
Ever since the first Magical Girls appeared, to fight against the Violet Ooze threat, Max has dreamed of joining their ranks. Not that he’s particularly interested in the girl part - no way! - but the magical bit? The being a hero bit? That’s everything he’s ever wanted in life! So when a Magical Crystal offers him an out from the mundanity of college life, he agrees without a second thought!
Unfortunately, the Magical Crystal gets attacked by Violet Ooze during the formation of their contract! Instead of a purehearted magical girl, ready to face the forces of evil, Max ends up as the Violet Queen - the new leader of those very same monsters!
Of course, the problems don’t end there! She's got magical girls aiming for her head, powers that are fueled by people lusting after her, and - worst of all - a ‘corrupted’ crystal that insists the true threat to the world is actually the (unwitting) magical girls themselves!
Christen looked at his reflection as he tried to adjust the bra supporting his huge breasts. He was still pissed at what Eddie had done to him. He looked over towards his roommate Thomas as he fumbled around with the bra, he was wearing to support his huge breasts as well. The two of
them had been victims of bullies at their respected high schools.
A group of people wake up in a video game world and are forced to work together to survive and find out how to escape.
The group settles down for the night and Artemis struggles with new feelings.
New revelations for the world and our characters as well as a load of drama…
Yes this is labeled as 7 and 8. Why? Well it’s long so either I’m sorry or you’re welcome.
A group of people wake up in a video game world and are forced to work together to survive and find out how to escape.
The group attempts to leave the woods after finishing their objective.
Chapter 6
The morning air is cool and crisp as I slowly open my eyes, the soft light filtering through the trees casting a faint golden glow across the clearing. The fire has burned down to embers, its warmth fading but still comforting.
The warm June sun streamed through the windows of the Henderson home, bathing the living room in golden light. David sat cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by his two best friends, Eric and Ryan, controllers in hand as they raced each other in the latest Mario Kart game. Laughter and friendly jeers filled the room as their characters collided in-game, sending one kart careening off the track.
"Come on, Eric, you’re supposed to be good at this!" Ryan teased, nudging his friend with an elbow.
Akari's frustration had been building for days, a relentless storm in her heart that she could no longer contain. As she sat alone in her dorm room, the weight of everything—the rumors, the fear, the isolation—crashed down on her. She slammed her fist against the desk, her breath quickening with anger, her eyes brimming with tears of helplessness.
With all the equipment through for out camp, we made a habit of keeping the main portal closed, but with the smaller one generated by the dagger open so we could maintain communications with home. I called for the main portal to be opened so I could evacuate non-combatants, only to discover it wouldn’t let us through.
When Twitch and I finally stepped through the portal ourselves, I instantly knew where we’d gone:
The Spires.
A few sleeps by wagon away from Outpost Epsilon, forces deep underground had shoved tall formations of rock and crystal to tower over the lifeless plains of ice and shadows below. Here is where the Lilim traders under Vance had built their secret portal to their embassy in Dis, and here is where Colonel Dhalgrix had landed his mercenary company before slaughtering their way to the Outpost and to the Hole itself.
Cameron is thrust back into the role of "Captain" and it's not a role she's interested in assuming as quickly as she's required to take it on. It's yet another transformation, not a physical one, but a mental shift that will challenge her perception of self as a woman now. Adding to her troubles the Planetary Guild has some hoops for her and those held captive to jump through. She'll be told the true nature of the Exhibit Housing facility and it will shake her to her core. She'll wrestle with whether she should telling the others, but one slip on a small ship could jeopardize her command.
WARNING: The true nature of the Exhibit Housing is revealed in this chapter and it might be a bit disturbing to read. I can assure you the contents of this chapter do not dwell on that disclosure much and are only included to explain the 'why' humans were being held - which in the scope of the story is necessary. I tried very hard to not make this uglier than necessary. Can you skip this chapter and pick up knowing what's going on in the next one and not miss much? Eh, maybe, maybe not. There are pieces of the puzzle in every chapter and why they were held is a piece that gives their captivity scope - it isn't the story though. Please consider this warning as I do not EVER want to purposely cause anyone distress while trying to entertain. Thank you - Rachel M. Moore
A group of people wake up in a video game world and are forced to work together to survive and find out how to escape.
The group searches for their lost ally and things get odd?
Ok looks like most chapters will be around 4000-7000 words instead of 2-4 like I’d thought before this ones even longer than that so enjoy!
(It’s totally not cause I couldn’t wait to get to a certain part of the story…)
Crystal has gotten used to being a girl, a Nymph, a Muse, and even a mother figure, but is she really ready to go to an all-girls school and start working at Pandora's Box? The life of a trouble magnet is never easy.
Mallory was grinning like a cat that just ate the canary now and my girlfriend arched an eyebrow as she said, “Okay, I’ll bite. What did you just do?”
'Little Hope' continues the story of Stacy's journey from 'Exchanged.' Stacy is a young college student who chose to travel to a new dimension to study their advanced computing technology at a prestigious university as an exchange student. Stacy thought he knew what he was getting into when he traveled, having visited before with his family and pre-arranged a sort of Amazonian foster family to take him in. Shrinking more than he had on his previous visit, he finds himself the size of a tiny Amazonian baby instead of the near Betweener size he had hoped to be. A further misunderstanding on his gender due to his name resulted in the need for a radical change to make him match the gender the university believed him to be, to maintain his scholarship. Having survived the initial CARES exam, now she and her adopted parents work to make sure she's ready to begin orientation at Emerson University. Can Stacy survive this new world? (Story set in the Diaper Dimension)
Eli grew up on a ranch in Montana. He had heard about Incursions, Breaches, and the Titans that came through those breaches to slaughter some people and capture others. To him though, it had always been something that happened far away to other people. His life was forever changed though when a Breach opened near his home, everything he knew was destroyed or taken, and he ended up Altered.
Altered Chapter 19: Ainslee
By Amethyst
“It’s not like I have a choice,” Ainslee retorted with a long sigh before hugging her sister and heading out the door.
A group of people wake up in video game world and are forced to work together to survive and find out how to escape.
This is my first story let me know what you think!
Since this is the first chapter it’ll likely be updated later on.
Update 1 fixed spelling and grammar errors and added chapter to title.
'Little Hope' continues the story of Stacy's journey from 'Exchanged.' Stacy is a young college student who chose to travel to a new dimension to study their advanced computing technology at a prestigious university as an exchange student. Stacy thought he knew what he was getting into when he traveled, having visited before with his family and pre-arranged a sort of Amazonian foster family to take him in. Shrinking more than he had on his previous visit, he finds himself the size of a tiny Amazonian baby instead of the near Betweener size he had hoped to be. A further misunderstanding on his gender due to his name resulted in the need for a radical change to make him match the gender the university believed him to be, to maintain his scholarship. Having survived the initial CARES exam, now she and her adopted parents work to make sure she's ready to begin orientation at Emerson University. Can Stacy survive this new world? (Story set in the Diaper Dimension)
Max never truly believed that his dream of becoming a magical girl could become a reality - but he never even imagined that becoming the villainess of the magical girls was a possibility!
***
Ever since the first Magical Girls appeared, to fight against the Violet Ooze threat, Max has dreamed of joining their ranks. Not that he’s particularly interested in the girl part - no way! - but the magical bit? The being a hero bit? That’s everything he’s ever wanted in life! So when a Magical Crystal offers him an out from the mundanity of college life, he agrees without a second thought!
Unfortunately, the Magical Crystal gets attacked by Violet Ooze during the formation of their contract! Instead of a purehearted magical girl, ready to face the forces of evil, Max ends up as the Violet Queen - the new leader of those very same monsters!
Of course, the problems don’t end there! She's got magical girls aiming for her head, powers that are fueled by people lusting after her, and - worst of all - a ‘corrupted’ crystal that insists the true threat to the world is actually the (unwitting) magical girls themselves!
There was a car outside and waiting for me at seven the next morning. Mum had come into my room and pulled my duvet off at six thirty, so I was up and breakfasted and about to reach for my phone when the doorbell rang.
I recognised him from the demonstration David and I had given – pang of hurt at the thought of David – but I didn’t remember a name or even if one had been offered.
“No Finn?” I asked more breezily than I felt.
“Er, commissioned officers don’t tend to pull driver duty, er, ma’am, er, miss. Sorry.”
Cameron is slowly moving towards acceptance of her new fate, but not without a few bumps in that road. A new 'remembrance', hope they can effectively stand up to their hosts, and an unexpected presence reveals itself. What will happen to all she's come to accept in this reality she's been living?
In the shadowy halls of the grand temple dedicated to Bellatrice, the High Priest stood in front of an ornate altar, his expression twisted with frustration. The soft glow of candles flickered around him, casting long shadows dancing in sync with his growing anger. The assassin knelt before him, head bowed low in shame, trembling under the weight of the High Priest's piercing gaze.
The morning sunlight filtered into the small bedroom, casting a soft glow on Daniel’s face as he sat on the edge of his bed, staring at himself in the mirror. His hazel eyes looked tired, and his brown hair, always a bit unruly, stuck up in all directions. He sighed, pulling at the loose hem of his shirt.
Today was his fifteenth birthday, but he felt as invisible as ever.
Caelan grew up as an orphan in the shadow of Avaloria’s palace, scraping by on the streets and bound by the ruthless thieves’ guild that demanded his loyalty. He never felt right in his own skin, never found his purpose, only his friends kept him from despair: Eira, the beautiful thief he secretly loved and longed to be like; Thorne, the mercenary who pulled him out of crime; and Alric, a healer who gave hope to the hopeless.
When Caelan is wrongly accused of a crime and the palace guards begin hunting him and his friends, his world falls apart. With nowhere to turn, a mysterious stranger offers a way out; a dangerous mission to find the lost princess of Avaloria. With everything to gain and nothing left to lose, Caelan and his friends set off on a journey that will change them, and their kingdom, forever.
Author’s Note: This is a full-length novel of nearly 100,000 words. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I had writing it.
December 2024 Change A Life Christmas Story Contest Entry
Crystal has gotten used to being a girl, a Nymph, a Muse, and even a mother figure, but is she really ready to go to an all-girls school and start working at Pandora's Box? The life of a trouble magnet is never easy.
She turned around to glower at me, her face red with fury, and snarled, “What?”
Blake Medical Recovery Center, Napa Valley, Northern California: Cindy and Sara’s Office:
Dakota was sitting at a little table that Sara had bought for her to color and play on her tablet while she worked. Sara knew Dakota sometimes didn’t like being alone and felt better if she was nearby. She looked over towards Dakota and could tell she was happy.
Eli grew up on a ranch in Montana. He had heard about Incursions, Breaches, and the Titans that came through those breaches to slaughter some people and capture others. To him though, it had always been something that happened far away to other people. His life was forever changed though when a Breach opened near his home, everything he knew was destroyed or taken, and he ended up Altered.
Altered Chapter 18: Familiar Faces
By Amethyst
Her eyes immediately widened, “Is that really you? I heard about how Fairy-types change, but I didn’t think I would ever know someone who had gone through it. How are you dealing with…”
'Little Hope' continues the story of Stacy's journey from 'Exchanged.' Stacy is a young college student who chose to travel to a new dimension to study their advanced computing technology at a prestigious university as an exchange student. Stacy thought he knew what he was getting into when he traveled, having visited before with his family and pre-arranged a sort of Amazonian foster family to take him in. Shrinking more than he had on his previous visit, he finds himself the size of a tiny Amazonian baby instead of the near Betweener size he had hoped to be. A further misunderstanding on his gender due to his name resulted in the need for a radical change to make him match the gender the university believed him to be, to maintain his scholarship. Having survived the initial CARES exam, now she and her adopted parents work to make sure she's ready to begin orientation at Emerson University. Can Stacy survive this new world? (Story set in the Diaper Dimension)
Max never truly believed that his dream of becoming a magical girl could become a reality - but he never even imagined that becoming the villainess of the magical girls was a possibility!
***
Ever since the first Magical Girls appeared, to fight against the Violet Ooze threat, Max has dreamed of joining their ranks. Not that he’s particularly interested in the girl part - no way! - but the magical bit? The being a hero bit? That’s everything he’s ever wanted in life! So when a Magical Crystal offers him an out from the mundanity of college life, he agrees without a second thought!
Unfortunately, the Magical Crystal gets attacked by Violet Ooze during the formation of their contract! Instead of a purehearted magical girl, ready to face the forces of evil, Max ends up as the Violet Queen - the new leader of those very same monsters!
Of course, the problems don’t end there! She's got magical girls aiming for her head, powers that are fueled by people lusting after her, and - worst of all - a ‘corrupted’ crystal that insists the true threat to the world is actually the (unwitting) magical girls themselves!
We'd been in good spirits when we returned to Eclipton that one time. Sure it'd be hard not to miss the country estate but this castle had its own charm. Rugged and sturdy but there were certainly worse places to be in the world.
And it was particularly beautiful that day. The flowers had just begun to bloom with the start of spring. The sky was especially blue that morning and you could hear the faint chirping of birds.
This is the complete story of Adam’s first day at Sasha Sucklove’s. We’ll be regularly checking in with him (soon to be her) and his classmates here. Now that the school, classes and characters have been established, I’m going to be posting the story in longer chunks, similar in size to this omnibus rather than the bite sized installments I’ve been posting so far. I’ll also be doing some spin-offs and new stories.
Prince Connor sat in his lavish study, a glass of wine in hand, watching a recording of the trial's conclusion on a large screen. His expression shifted from intrigue to irritation as he leaned back in his chair, swirling the wine in his glass. The sight of Alex standing firm alongside Princess Helena, her loyalty unshaken, clearly displeased him.
"Huh," he muttered, narrowing his eyes at the screen, "I hadn't expected Consort Alex to completely abandon her parents like that. She played the part well—loyal, unflinching. It seems going after her family is not going to work."
'Little Hope' continues the story of Stacy's journey from 'Exchanged.' Stacy is a young college student who chose to travel to a new dimension to study their advanced computing technology at a prestigious university as an exchange student. Stacy thought he knew what he was getting into when he traveled, having visited before with his family and pre-arranged a sort of Amazonian foster family to take him in. Shrinking more than he had on his previous visit, he finds himself the size of a tiny Amazonian baby instead of the near Betweener size he had hoped to be. A further misunderstanding on his gender due to his name resulted in the need for a radical change to make him match the gender the university believed him to be, to maintain his scholarship. Having survived the initial CARES exam, now she and her adopted parents work to make sure she's ready to begin orientation at Emerson University. Can Stacy survive this new world? (Story set in the Diaper Dimension)
When Akari returned to Gale Haven Academy, the atmosphere had shifted. Word of the king’s summons had spread quickly, and the students and faculty alike were abuzz with speculation. Her walk through the academy halls was met with hushed whispers and furtive glances, and the once familiar surroundings now felt tense and uncertain.
"Just--" I raised a finger to get her to stop talking if only for a moment. I couldn't understand what she was saying. Or maybe I didn't want to understand, "What are you telling me?" I asked plainly.
"You have been manipulated ever since you stepped foot in King Richard's court" she replied. "I had tried to warn you but I'll admit I could never have known to what extent"
Time, fluid in its speed across all realms, inexorably moves forward with each advancing page.
Upon the fundament do towers rise, gleaming with marbled perfection in the undying shine radiating eternally from above. Multitudes of angels, working hand-in-hand and wing-to-wing in the fulfillment of the plans laid out by their cherished Architect, constructing the channels which culminate at the focal point, at the tallest tower of all:
“What’s happening?” he asked as we arrived at the comms tent. Stuart and Jen were there along with our remaining guards.
“We’re er, waiting for Laurel,” Stuart said. “She and Nick are on their way. I’m not sure she would have been able to do anything by herself, any more than these, er, people can.”
“This has to do with what you were saying when I left the tent, isn’t it?” I asked one of my former captors. “That heuristic defence thing you were talking about. Care to tell us about it?”
Crystal has gotten used to being a girl, a Nymph, a Muse, and even a mother figure, but is she really ready to go to an all-girls school and start working at Pandora's Box? The life of a trouble magnet is never easy.
“Because my mom and dad loved each other very much,” I answered cheekily after a moment.
Eli grew up on a ranch in Montana. He had heard about Incursions, Breaches, and the Titans that came through those breaches to slaughter some people and capture others. To him though, it had always been something that happened far away to other people. His life was forever changed though when a Breach opened near his home, everything he knew was destroyed or taken, and he ended up Altered.
Altered Chapter 17: Shopping
By Amethyst
“Wait, what?” I squeaked. This was sounding suspiciously like a blank check, and I wasn’t really sure how I felt about that.
'Little Hope' continues the story of Stacy's journey from 'Exchanged.' Stacy is a young college student who chose to travel to a new dimension to study their advanced computing technology at a prestigious university as an exchange student. Stacy thought he knew what he was getting into when he traveled, having visited before with his family and pre-arranged a sort of Amazonian foster family to take him in. Shrinking more than he had on his previous visit, he finds himself the size of a tiny Amazonian baby instead of the near Betweener size he had hoped to be. A further misunderstanding on his gender due to his name resulted in the need for a radical change to make him match the gender the university believed him to be, to maintain his scholarship. Having survived the initial CARES exam, now she and her adopted parents work to make sure she's ready to begin orientation at Emerson University. Can Stacy survive this new world? (Story set in the Diaper Dimension)
I groaned as I slowly but very painfully regained my consciousness. I had the most intense headache I'd ever had and my world spun violently.
Not that I could see it. My vision was dark as a result of the cloth that covered my eyes. I wanted to scream but even my mouth was restrained. It was a terrible realization that I was cut off from the world. I felt that much more helpless when I tugged at my arms but they were secured firmly behind my back.
Checks can be made out & sent to:
Joyce Melton
1001 Third St.
Space 80
Calimesa, CA 92320
USA
Note: $6000 is the operating, maintenance and upgrade budget. Amounts received in excess of the $6000 will be applied to long term debt accrued over the last 19 years.
