Hope's Light

Chapter 12

by Erisian

Book 6

Chapter Twelve - Ideals

Sucking air into lungs finding themselves able to expand fully, Nick again pushed a hand against the rack of green produce to stay upright.

“Gimme…gimme a minute.”

“Sure.”

Emotions, fresh and bleeding, spilled one after another across the lines of his face. Not just the tautness of anger and pain - but also the deepest troughs of despair, haunted by what he’d just touched.

Chapter 1

“You’ve got to know when to fold, know when to hold, know when to walk away, know when to run.”

They might not have been the exact words of the song, but they were running on repeat in my mind. I wasn’t in a good place, right now, and I think it was all of my own doing, although I didn’t know why.

The resolve Cameron had fighting the changes that were happening to her looks to be waning and more time with Garrett is the catalyst for that shift. Will her attitude change if they can make it back to the Exhibit Housing?

Chapter 11

Mum appeared in my room about ten o’clock with the perfect cup of tea, which almost made up for only seven hours sleep.

“Your father’s been telling me what an amazing daughter we have. I’ll be honest, dear, I didn’t understand half of what he said, and the other half scared me out of my wits, but I couldn’t be prouder.”

I wasn’t so sure. Those didn’t look like tears of pride. I put the tea down and put my arms around her.

“Oh my,” she said after a very long moment. “Thank you for that, dear. I rather needed that.

Did I even recognize myself anymore?

Pete's Vagina
59. Hut... Hut...
by Erin Halfelven

After flubbing a powerful incantation, meant to give newly coronated Demon Queens the wisdom of their ancestors, Devilla Satanne awakens to memories of her past life as Jacob Divington, a human from Earth. Having gained a new perspective on life, she quickly comes to a rather horrifying conclusion: she's been a complete and utter brat! No wonder everyone hates her!

And then there's the fact that she's apparently been reincarnated as the villainess of Tower Conquest, a lesbian porn game with a surprisingly intricate plot. One in which the Heroine conquers Dimona Tower, turning Devilla's people against her in the process. In victory, the Heroine brings about a glorious age of peace between demons and humans for the first time in millennia. ...Which actually sounds pretty good for her people, come to think of it. Devilla knows her terrible behavior is beyond forgiveness, but maybe she can still make up for her past mistakes? She just needs to make sure the events of the game unfold correctly. Though there is one little detail she'd like to change - the part where Devilla herself is killed or enslaved!

The series cover was commissioned from https://twitter.com/HaizeUqei

I accepted magic to fight evil and it turned me into a girl, but I don’t think I really mind?

Jennifer Shannon

Chapter 7

It took a couple of days for me to calm down, but Daniel kept checking on me to make sure I was OK. Today we had been chatting for hours about various things, and he must have finally judged me to be well enough to pick up the topic of my fight.

“You know, you have some admirers now among the girls from the gay bar you saved. Maybe some of them are bi and you could impress them as your superhero self,” he said, smiling.

The Alter Ego
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

If I was to tell you my name then you might have heard of me, so I will just tell you that my first name is John, or at least it was. It is a common name and will give nothing away – not that you could ever consider me and him to be the same person. Not anymore.

Chapter 7

Orphan Petal

December 2023 - Part 2

Chistmas is coming...

Is Late Better than Never?
by Lily Rasputin

Chapter Four

“Honestly, Madeline. Could you possibly think about someone other than yourself for once?

The woman at the end of the connection, the one listed in the phone’s contacts as “Mother”, possessed an annoyingly superior tone of voice which made me instantly sympathetic for the former Maddie’s having to have dealt with it for her entire life.

A sympathy, I supposed, that I should now feel for myself.

Chapter 6

With what he said, I knew I was in for a fight for my future in archaeology.

“Evelyn Saunders, what is your part in getting three perfectly respectable archaeologists blacklisted with one still in a hellhole of a prison?”

“Sir?”

Hope's Light

Chapter 10

by Erisian

Book 6

Part Three

Chapter Ten - Keepers

Layers unfold as the Book advances chapters, and intervals beyond time nevertheless speed forward.

Past further iterations of Light’s expansion, past concept of boundary enforced by the one called to such purpose, past moment of blood and sacrifice, of pain and birth.

No More Worlds to Conquer
A Short Story being an Alternative Retelling of History
By Maryanne Peters

A New Start

As Vimastte became their daughter Vimastte had realised how poor, despite appearances, life was for Lelle and Celce. Eventually she’d admitted there were others like her in desperate need and to her surprise Lelle and Celce had insisted on her assisting them to find those others and to bring them home.

Chapter 5

We all went to the shop to take our pick. It was sixteen well-dressed and made-up women who were picked up by a bus and taken to the restaurant that the four of us had been before. We were ushered to a private room where Khepri was waiting with his parents. There was also Abbas, his wife, Heba, her husband, as well as a few of the Museum administration and Gyasi with his wife.