#Original Novel

[calchexxis]

The final chapter of my Post-Canon Lightcannon fic.

First thing's first, don't worry, it's not the end of Jinx & Lux's story in this dream, just the end of the first part. I had always intended one fic to follow my version of the events of the Lux comic (at least timeline-wise) and then for another fic to follow the actions of Lux (& Jinx) during the timespan of the Mageseeker game, which followed Sylas, but reintroduced Lux as having founded a new city to protect those mages who wanted to be free of Demacia AND the violence of the rebellion either because they weren't able to fight, or didn't want to.

Secondly, for everyone who followed along with this story of mine, and even made art for it, thank you so, so much. I love that so many people were enthralled by this random passion project of mine.

If you want more Lightcannon fics, just check out my body of work on Ao3 as I have written something like 70+ Lightcannon fics of varying lengths, and many of them are complete or even completed series.

If you love my writing and truly want to support me, I'd be eternally grateful if you checked out my original novels. You can find them on Barnes & Noble, Rakuten Kobo, and my latest release, Sacred, can be found on Amazon.

Again, thank you all for following this crazy challenge of mine to write and post a chapter a day. Thank you for following my girls through their ordeals.

And always,

Cheers.

[r-f-m-writes]

A Lark In a Hollow Chapter One

Really, she doesn't have a choice.

Lark barely remembers the huge shadow of a man sitting beside her in the dead heat of Mrs. Poppy's office at the children's home. He is silent, stoic, and completely terrifying.

Christopher Hollow.

Muscled.

Six foot five.

Storm blue eyes.

Dog tags outlined under the straining stretch of his black tee-shirt.

"Lark," Mrs. Poppy says, gently, "you're happy with this arrangement? You want to go with your Godfather?"

There's no money left for her to live off until she finds a job - if she finds a job.

Her Dad is dead.

Lark doesn't have a choice.

Lark Douglas didn’t know who Christopher Hollow was when Mrs. Poppy brought his name up to her on a hot Saturday afternoon in her office. The additional details that he had served with her Dad in Afghanistan and was her appointed legal guardian and Godfather did nothing to help jog Lark’s memory.

      In fact, it was a full week after Mrs. Poppy informed Lark of Christopher Hollow’s existence that the girl finally managed to scrounge up a single, short, fuzzy memory of the man.

         She was home.

         The door to their flat was open, the old ceiling fan had been turning in slow circles over her head. It did nothing to fight against the mid July heat that was so stifling and muggy it made her skin stick to the linoleum floors. She had sat on the couch playing with Labrador, her stuffed toy dog, when Mom walked in with someone.

        Lark was five, she thinks, and she hadn’t paid attention to anything that was being said, or looked at who had stepped the room after her mother. She only glanced up from where she was making her stuffed dog do backflips off the worn-down couch cushions when big, black boots stepped into her vision off the edge of the sofa.

       The man who stood in front of her was tall, wearing camo pants and a fitted grey tee-shirt. His face was hard to remember, but Lark thought he had sandy brown hair and the start of a thick brown beard. He had crouched down, setting aside a battered black duffle bag, looking at her like he expected something.

     Lark had only stared at him.

      Mom’s voice had a strain in it when she spoke.

     “Say hi to Chris, baby. He’s come all the way from the airport just to see you.”

     The man spoke before Lark had the chance. He had a deep, rough rumbly voice.

     “Don’t worry her about it, Lori. Been two years. I’d be surprised if Pet remembered me at all.”

      Pet.

      That was the only memory Lark had of Christopher.

      She wasn’t even sure it was real and not just something she had made up in the recesses of her mind as an unconscious effort to help herself fill in the gaps and feel less uncertain.

     She had lots of memories like that.

      Memories no one else could verify. Memories she wasn’t sure happened, but couldn’t shake as being real.

      This was what led Lark to where she stood at the top of the worn flight of wooden stairs.  Seventeen years old, dressed in clothes that didn’t belong to her, feeling entirely unsure of what the future would hold.

      Seventeen, and only three weeks and four days shy of her eighteenth birthday.

     It was ridiculous.

     Stupid, even.

     Why couldn’t she just wait it out at the girl’s home?

     Why was Mrs. Poppy was obligated, by law, to reach out to relatives Lark had never even heard of and negotiate with them down the phone, asking and then, after the eighth rejection, pleading with each of them to come and pick her up?

      “Just a month - no, no, you wouldn’t have to commit to adoption, Mrs. Tanner - not at all. I am only reaching out because Lark is your niece, and I am sure you want the best for her -”

     The list thinned, name by name. Lark saw them each time Mrs. Poppy opened the manilla envelope with her initials on it, glancing over the struck off phone numbers and feeling nothing.

    The rejections didn’t surprise her.

    She knew from lived experience how reluctant people were to help a stranger.

     It took less than half a week for them to reach the last one.

     His name.

     Christopher Hollow.

     He was who Lark was waiting for as she hung onto the banister, her dark eyes fixed on the panes of frosted glass in the door, anticipating seeing a shadow blot across the panels when he stepped onto the porch and rang the buzzer.

     Floorboards creaked.

     Lark moved too late when Mrs. Poppy stepped out of her office that stood at the side of the stairs. The stacked blonde beehive of her hair bobbing into the girl’s view as Lark tried to scurry back out of her sight.

    Too little, too late.

    The kind wrinkles around Mrs. Poppy’s eyes doubled and deepened as the sound made her look upward and spot Lark.

     “Lark, there you are! I was just about to come and find you, dear. Nip down into my office for a moment, I’ve got some things I want to discuss with you before Mr. Hollow arrives.”

    The old stairs squeaked loudly as the girl walked sheepishly down the grossly worn-out blue carpet runner, rounding the curved banister at the bottom to follow Mrs. Poppy into her office.

    It was sun warm inside, light spilling over the faded hardwood floor and shiny varnish of the big, brown desk, highlighting the dozens of ring-marks stained into its top by mugs of coffee past. Mrs. Poppy rounded the desk, having to skirt sideways between the edge of it and the rows of heavy metal file drawers that flanked the room on all sides.

   Taking her perch in a black wheely chair, the woman gestured for Lark to sit in one of the two big, green, retro velvet sofas that faced her desk.

      Sinking down into her seat, Lark folded her hands in her lap and looked at the woman, waiting to be spoken to. She had been thoroughly taught from a young age that she was to be seen and not heard. There had also been plenty of occasions when Lark wasn’t to be seen or heard. Those were moments when her half empty pink, princess wardrobe came in handy.

        Mrs. Poppy placed a pair of up-swept cat eye spectacles on the tip of her tall, gently crooked nose, and took out a notepad. It was one of dozens she had, this particular piece of stationary sported Lark’s name on its front, written in black pen and then broadly underlined in purple marker.

       “Miss Douglas today is a big one for you. How are you feeling, hon? Excited? Nervous?”

        The soft slip of her southern accent calmed Lark some as she fought against the urge to fidget, keeping her fingers still in her lap.

        “Excited, Ma’am. Dad didn’t like to travel much, so seeing the Appalachians sounds like a real adventure.”

        Lark stuck a quick smile onto the end of her lie. She had rehearsed it in her head a hundred times since she was told the good news a week before.

        Christopher Hollow wanted her.

        He was driving the whole way down the coast from his home in the Appalachian Mountains to come and collect her. Lark couldn’t even comprehend where the Appalachian Mountains stood, just that they were stupendously far away.

        Mrs. Poppy grinned at Lark, genuine and radiant, as she wrote something in fast scratching cursive over and empty line of the notepad.

       “Always such an optimist, Lark. I’m sure Mr. Hollow will be delighted by you.”

        Lark’s left thumb twitched. When she smiled, it felt tight in the corners, “I certainly hope so, Ma’am.”

        And she truly did. Lark knew the way men behaved when they weren’t delighted by her.

~R.F.M~

         A fist gripped long, brown hair tightly enough to tear dozens of strands out of Lark’s scalp as she was dragged down the hallway by her head, the girl’s frame stooped almost to the floor as she clawed at the hands restraining her.

       “Fucking little bitch coming to steal from me? Think you’re slick, huh?”

         In honesty, Lark did.

        She had stolen from the man before on countless occasions, rummaging through the contents of his worn leather wallet, fishing out loose coins and dollar notes that wouldn’t be missed. Before, he was always too out of his mind to realize, so Lark had gotten greedy.

        Twenty dollars was a lot of money to people like them. She was foolish for thinking she could snatch it away without his notice.

       Lark didn’t know his name, or his age, or anything about him other than the fact he bought pot on Thursday afternoons and left the door to his apartment wide open with 90’s music playing full volume while he sat out on his balcony in a beat-up pink recliner, back to the living room, smoking.

         By all accounts, the man wasn’t very smart. But he was still a man, a man much stronger than Lark.

[gaslightgallows]

Hey Writeblr, show us your original project's AO3 tags.* So far for mine, I've got:

Terrible Decisions, PTSD, Bad at Relationships, Seances, Ghosts, Historical Romance, Psychological Horror, Haunted Houses, Artists Behaving Badly

*like if you were going to post your original whatever how would you tag it to let people know what to expect

[blradley]

A powerpoint introduction to Liesmyth!

(I swear the next one will actually be in Comic Sans... shout out to @incandescent-creativity for popularizing this medium!)

Anyway...

Do you wanna read a dark, Norse-inspired Adult Fantasy?

Do you wanna read about queer gods causing mayhem?

(literally every single character is queer lmaooooo)

Do you wanna support a queer, multiply disabled author?

Look no further than Liesmyth! We're out on subs at the moment - so, pretty-please reblog this powerpoint if you like the concept! Let's prove to all those prospective publishers that there's an audience for my book!

Image IDs:

All eleven images are power point slides.

Image 1: Title card reading 'Liesmyth: or, how Sigyn ruined everything, by B. L. Radley'. The words are displayed over a person in (...vaguely) Viking-era garb, against a green background. Only a slice of their torso is visible.

Image 2: A picture of an ash tree against a green, cool, mountainous scene. In a yellow text box, words read: Welcome to a world inspired by Norse mythology, where witches can climb through the cosmos using the boughs of an ancient ash tree, and any magic is possible, so long as it is cast with a suitable sacrifice. Yes, it’s basically a Viking Isekai. Shoot me. Then, a quote in italics: I know an ash tree named Yggdrasil, Nine realms cradled in its loamy arms… Prophecy of the Voluspa, verse 19

Image 3: Meet the characters! An image shows a white woman in Viking-era dress, leaning against a fence, looking pensieve. She is introduced as Sigyn Narisdottir. Her quote is: “It’s a God-eat-God world out there…” Below this, there is a description of Sigyn, reading: Just a nice, normal Christian woman from a nice, normal Christian village. (Totally not a gay witch, haha no, why would you suggest such a thing.) After her father is killed by his own God, Þórr, Sigyn has only one chance to free his trapped ghost from eternal torment. She must confront Þórr and slay him in combat. But how can a mortal defeat a God? Traits are bullet pointed at the bottom of the page. Hers are: Ruthless, ambitious, cunning, and desperate.

Image 4: The next character description is of Loki. His quote is “Monsters lost their menace when they huddled crying in the corner. And when you might use them for your own ends.” His image shows a clean-shaven half-naked man sat against a scandinavian-esque backdrop of rugged rocks and dried grass. He is white, with curly red hair, and is looking curiously off to one side. His description reads: The savior of the Gods, or their bane? A framed innocent, or a prophesized murderer? A victim, or a monster? Loki is a man of juxtaposed polarities, not least of which being that he isn’t a man at all. At least, not when it doesn’t suit him. Sigyn knows he’s dangerous. But in the viper nest of Ásgarð’s royal court, he might be her only ally… or her downfall. His traits are: Sly, wily, and 'not to be trusted'.

Image 5: The two characters introduced on this slide are Freyja and Thor. Freyja's image is of an Arab woman staring directly at the camera, expression serene, curly hair falling around her face. Her quote is: “Goddess of beauty. Goddess of desire. All who saw Freyja fell a little in love—but though silken longing stirred in my belly, I wrung it dead, reminding myself that Freyja was a goddess of bloodshed, too.” Her description reads: Queen of the Vanir, Freyja is an ancient and powerful goddess who takes Sigyn as her indentured servant. Her traits are: Proud, cold, and vicious. On the opposite side of the page, Thor's image shows a white, bearded man in an iron helmet glaring into the camera, viking sigils scrawled across his face in charcoal. He is shadowy and menacing. His quote is: “I saw a rainbow flash over a church. I saw a broken sky. I saw the end of everything.” His description is: Eldest prince of the Æsir. Murderer of Sigyn’s father, and countless more beside. The living embodiment of berserker rage, he is the strongest god around – and next to inherit Ásgarð’s throne. Unless Sigyn can stop him. His traits are: Violent, mighty, and 'a storm made flesh'

Image 6: introduces Angrboda and Baldr. Angrboda's image shows a white woman with blonde braids, wearing chain mail and warpaint (black streaks over her face), with a huge axe over one shoulder. Her quote is: “ ‘Sigyn, meet Angrboða: witch of the Ironwoods, god of a lost nation, relic of an elder age, master of magics that not even my darling brother dares dabble in, cosmopolitan worldwalker, mother and father of my children, and—if I might say so—a practitioner of truly superlative strap-game.’ ” Baldr's image is of Assad Zaman, looking wistfully, beautifully, into the camera. His quote is: “Out strode the most beautiful man in all the Nine Worlds. His gentle smile, his topaz eyes, his black curls, the fawn velvet of his cheeks… Oh, warmth radiated from him. I looked at him and felt, for the first time in oh-so-very-long, safe.”

Image 7: introduces Saga and Menglod. Saga's image shows a Black woman in darkness, with facial tattoos and a nose ring. She raises her eyes to the camera, pulling back a dark hood, her expression difficult to read. Her quote is: “In another version of this tale, I stayed with Sága. We travelled to Ljósálfheim every winter—one for every six of Vanaheim’s years—and raised foundlings as our own (for ever were the elvish freer with their loves than those of my world). But in this tale, we reached Freyja’s palace, and I had a dream.” Her description is: Prophet, witch, worldwalker. The woman Sigyn left behind. Menglod's image shows a Black woman smiling slightly, slyly, as she looks back over her shoulder, her natural hair framing her face. Her quote is: “If I tended the hearth in Freyja’s chamber, I left ash on her floors. If I swept the ash, I left streaks invisible to any eyes but Menglǫð’s. If I breathed, I did so far too loudly and regularly, and if I were a considerate soul, I would stop.” Her description is: Freyja’s attendant, and Sigyn’s main rival for her favor.

Image 8: So, like, wtf happens? Set against a background of dramatic red-on-black fire is a description of the book's plot, as follows: Crumbling kingdoms. Hungering Gods. One woman who will end the worlds. Loki, Norse god of fire and mischief, will be tortured until the end of time. And he shall deserve every minute. At least, that’s how the story goes. Behind every great man is a great woman, and behind every genderfluid trickster-god is a spouse who darns his socks, plots his victories and keeps his secrets, as well as her own. After a thousand years of agony, Loki looks to the woman who kneels by his side – his jailer, his torturer, his wife – and asks for a different story. Hers.

Image 9: a continuation of the plot from the previous slide, this time with a cool blue lake as the background, with a viking-style ship floating atop its surface. The image feels less calming, more unnerving in its stillness and the lack of human life. The description reads as follows: Down with the gods. So swore Sigyn, a young mortal woman, after watching her father die at godly hands. One millennium later, she has joined the same pantheon she once despised. Now, as Ragnarǫk approaches – the end of all Nine Worlds – Sigyn narrates the tale of the Norse Gods’ fall, and her own.

Image 10: Themes. A picture of two crossed axes accompanies a list of themes, which are: 1) Revenge. What is a life worth? And what would you give up, to avenge the life of someone you love? 2) Corruption. Can you ever fix a broken system from the inside? Or will it, inevitably, consume you? and 3) Divinity. What does it mean, to become a god? What might you lose along the way?

Image 11: A picture of Loki as a woman, with red hair, dressed in a Viking-style dress and sat on the edge of a Scandinavian dock, accompanies text that reads: This book is for you if you like... Queer-led, queer-written fantasy, with main wlw and nonbinary characters! Court drama and political intrigue, mixed with a sizzling dash of mythology! A prophecy that cannot be averted; a tragedy that cannot be outrun…

[sterekshipper-writer]

I'm writing an original YA novel on a young girl who learns she is asexual. I wanted to ask for opinions from others who are asexual and are comfortable answering.

[joannekwan]

Shifting Lanes a Werewolf Romance is now officially OUT in paperback and ebook!

If you want a signed copy bundled with a bookmark, 2 stickers, and a spicy print, head on over to my gumroad store!!!

[ekholocationn]

I WROTE A BOOK!!!

Today an announcement dropped on my Youtube channel about my upcoming original novel, Cthalia! You may have heard it mentioned on this account (I can't shut up about it lol). Here's a link to the announcement:

Multiple things got revealed in this video, one of which being the official Tumblr for the story, @cthaliaofficial !! Feel free to follow this account for updates, art posts, sneak peeks, and more!! The pinned post will also give more info about the story, and a link to the Discord if that interests you!

I'm VERY VERY VERY excited to be making big announcements like this again for Cthalia!! Thank you to everyone who has supported me through this, I can't wait to finally start releasing this thing soon >w<

[luciiferous]

Before him sat the Scholars on two benches facing the inner aisle; on the left were the Humans, Marciano and Magnolia, and Emil, the sole Yaksha among them. (...) On the other side were the Aos Sí twins, Alphonse and Medb. Their identical blue-hued faces would be impossible for a layperson to differentiate; both twins had worn their long, white hair tied back to keep the flyaways from their eyes, and sported matching bluish robes that dusted the floor of the caravan.

[oc]

Here's the chapter 1 splash art page for The Corpse Swallower!

[paigia4]

New Oldworldtale Chapter 3

"I don't give a fuck!! Even if the pain crawls all over my body, I will continue to persevere!!" ——Kare

"Who am I..." I slowly opened my eyes, and everything around me was blank... Just like a newborn baby, everything around me was blurry...

"Great! It turns out that inspiration is most suitable for the role!" Suddenly I heard a voice coming, and this voice was very sacred... I slowly raised my head and saw a woman's face appear in the blank above... She gave me a very kind feeling, as if she was my mother. I slowly tilted my head and expressed my doubts. My throat couldn't make a sound, so I could only express my doubts in this way.

"What's a good name~" The woman touched her chin and closed her eyes as if she was thinking about something of great significance. "My...name...?" I was still unable to speak as usual, but I was extremely excited when I heard that a name was given to me. My heart couldn't express my excitement at this time. Although my face was still expressionless, I was actually very happy.

"Let's name you... Jiuyuer!" The woman snapped her fingers and quickly took out her pen. She began to write and draw on my body, and slowly colors and clothes appeared on my body. I began to feel a constant flow of emotions pouring into my soul, and my soul was no longer blank... At this time, I really had emotions. "You can start trying to put him into the AU!" The woman said in her voice, and I listened to her voice and began to wonder... "Why did she... put me in the so-called AU?" My heart was full of doubts, until I stood still, and a huge amount of colors suddenly appeared around me! Slowly, these colors began to spread towards my feet.....

"Is this... AU?" When I said this sentence inadvertently, I suddenly found that I could speak! ! I no longer only have my voice! ! I looked at my whole body excitedly, I looked at every corner of my body, and my whole body was full of colors. At this moment, I suddenly found that there were snakes around my head, but I didn't have any emotional fluctuations... They didn't attack me... Instead, I felt that they were more like a part of my body. I kept listening to the sound of them spitting out their tongues, and I touched their heads with my fingers. I stood there, not knowing what to do next. I kept looking around... Suddenly I found a place with smoke in the distance.

"Where... what place?" My curiosity was instantly aroused, and curiosity drove me to walk towards the smoking place. The road under my feet was originally muddy, but as I walked towards the smoking place, the road began to become flat, and walking was no longer difficult. Along the way, I saw many kinds of indigenous people... Some of them had horns, and some had special looks. They kept talking and laughing, as if they were living a happy life. I began to wonder why they were so happy, so I walked up to two of the residents.

"Hello? Where is this place? This is my first time here and I don't know much about it." I looked at them with a fake smile and asked them with a somewhat puzzled tone. "Here? This is one of the villages in Puzzletale called Selwind! Are you from outside?! Outsiders are not common here! Welcome!" One of the residents walked up to me enthusiastically and answered my question. His expression seemed to welcome my presence. I was a little scared by his enthusiasm. I nodded to his question about whether I was from outside.

"Welcome!! You will like it here!" After seeing my answer, he shook my hand enthusiastically and shook it violently, while the residents next to him just watched silently and smiled at me. When my hand was shaken violently, I quickly pulled it out. To be honest, I was really scared by the other party's enthusiasm...

I looked at the two of them and asked, "Where is Selwind?" When I asked this question, the very enthusiastic resident pointed to a village in the distance. After hurriedly thanking them, I walked towards the village. Along the way, there were many aboriginals walking, some were taking their children out to play, and some were going out to do business. I suddenly began to look forward to the surprises that this village would bring me. I came to this village, and the village that caught my eye was holding a busy market, which was particularly lively. There were constant hawking in the busy market, and some of the residents who were hawking were selling some vegetables, and some were selling some small jewelry, etc.

My eyes were fixed on the entire village, as if I wanted to take in everything I could see, and the corners of my mouth rose unconsciously. I began to stroll around the busy market, and I saw that every resident was talking and laughing about daily meals and family matters. I walked and walked and came to a store, which sold all kinds of things. My curiosity was aroused again, and I was driven to walk into the store. In an instant, my eyes were attracted by the dazzling array of goods and I couldn't leave my sight. I felt novel, and suddenly I was attracted by a fragrance. I turned around and saw the shop owner frying something. I walked forward to see what the shop owner was frying.

I walked forward and took a closer look. I saw the boss frying tofu. The aroma of fried tofu was like a beautiful woman seducing me, refreshing. My saliva flowed down the corners of my mouth unconsciously, and my stomach started to growl. The boss heard a voice behind him and immediately turned his head. "Oh? Are you hungry? Do you want some?" After saying this, the boss looked at my face. I began to nod quickly. After the boss saw me nod, he began to pick up the fried tofu and put it into the paper bag. I kept drooling as I watched the boss pack the fried tofu, my eyes fixed on the fried tofu, as if I was going to bite the boss's hand holding the fried tofu in the next second.

"Okay! Your fried tofu!" The boss handed me the fried tofu, and I took it immediately. I picked up a bamboo stick and inserted it into the fried tofu that was cut into small pieces. The fried tofu was still steaming. I took the bamboo stick with the fried tofu and put it into my mouth. Instantly, the soup wrapped by the fried tofu gushed out of my mouth. The taste was the best thing I have ever eaten in my life. I dare to guarantee that I will love this delicacy all my life! When I was enjoying the food, I suddenly heard the boss say, "Sir, you haven't paid yet?" The boss looked at me who was enjoying the food with a happy face a little embarrassed. He really couldn't bear it and reminded me to pay... But I just came here, and my pocket was empty... I silently turned out my pocket, and there was no money in it... The boss laughed when he saw it.

"I think you are from another place?! I will put this order in the account first, and remember to pay me back when you have money!" The boss looked at me with a smile, and he generously gave me credit. I walked out of the store with fried tofu in my hand, smiling. I continued to stroll with satisfaction. Suddenly, a dog ran over from beside me and followed me. I turned to look at the dog. The dog wagged its tail and kept looking at the fried tofu in my hand. Its pitiful eyes seemed to want to melt my heart. I looked at the dog and held the fried tofu tightly in my arms. When the dog saw that I was not going to fry tofu for it, it immediately changed its face. It stood up on all fours and started barking at me. I was about to leave quickly, but suddenly I felt a sharp pain. I turned around and found that the dog was biting my calf tightly and refused to let go.

"Quick! Let go!" I kept shaking my feet, and suddenly I lost my balance and fell down, and the fried tofu in my hand also fell directly to the ground because of my unstable center of gravity, and the fried tofu in the bag fell to the ground. After seeing this, the dog picked up a piece of fried tofu and ran quickly towards the one in the distance. I stood up and looked at the fried tofu on the ground with a distressed face. "It's all dirty..." I looked at the fried tofu on the ground and had to turn around and leave. I was too embarrassed to ask the boss for a new one. I walked and walked and came to a big mountain, and suddenly a familiar voice came.

"We have to give him an identity... Then he should be the mountain god! Protect this village!" I looked up at the sky, and it was still the familiar woman. She said... She wanted to give me an identity? Or the mountain god? What a special identity... Suddenly a bright light shone on me, and I immediately felt a strong force rushing into my body, and I slowly closed my eyes. After an unknown amount of time... The light disappeared... I slowly opened my eyes, but suddenly found that the residents around me would all look at me, saying "This is a miracle! He has been canonized as the mountain god! Kneel down and worship him!" Almost all the residents in the downtown area knelt down and kept kneeling down to worship me.

I suddenly realized... this feeling was wonderful... I seemed to start to feel that this situation was also quite good... During the few days when I became the mountain god, the villagers began to build a temple for me on the mountain and offered all kinds of offerings. They kept begging me to bless them... I agreed to all their requests... Just like that... I lived like this for a full hundred years...

One hundred years later... I started to get tired of being a mountain god... because I wanted to leave the village and go somewhere else... but I found that I couldn't leave the village... I had to satisfy the residents' demands all day, and I started to get tired... One day, I suddenly had an idea... I could leave as long as I destroyed the village, right? Thinking of this, I didn't realize the seriousness of the matter, I just naively went to complete my idea immediately. I flew over the village, and all the residents looked at me... I felt very... selfish at this moment... I felt that I had helped these residents so many times, and it shouldn't matter if they helped me once... Thinking of this, the snake next to my head began to condense light balls from its mouth. "Fire..." I gave an order... The light balls condensed in the mouths of all the snakes above my head turned into shock waves and bombed the entire village indiscriminately.

Suddenly, the whole village was ablaze, and the whole village was in ruins! ! The flames almost illuminated the village at night... I had a satisfied smile on my face, and I thought I could leave here... right... but no... A familiar face suddenly appeared in the sky, it was my "mother"!! She looked at me with anger and said, "You actually did this!! You are too selfish and you don't deserve to stay in this AU anymore!! Get out of here!" After she said this, a portal suddenly appeared under my feet, and I fell into this portal... The moment I fell in, I found that there was a blank void here.

Only then did I realize the seriousness of the matter! Because of my impulse, I was driven out... I don't know how long I stayed in this void... During this period, I kept begging my "mother"... I begged her to let me go back to Au... but she was indifferent. Just when I felt desperate... suddenly I felt a hand patting my shoulder, I turned around and thought it was my "mother"... but what appeared in front of me was a skeleton with some cracks on his face... Just when I was wondering where the other party came from... he spoke!

"I know what happened to you... do you want to make a deal with me... don't refuse yet, I can help you return to your AU" The skeleton said with a cigarette in his mouth and a warm tone that made me feel warm, this warmth is like my "mother". When he said this, my eyes lit up, and when I was about to ask him what the content of the deal was, he said one step faster than me, "The content of the deal is that a skeleton will appear later, and you have to help him complete his things. As long as you help him complete his wish, you can return to your AU! How about it, it's very tempting, isn't it?" The tall skeleton said, his deal really tempted me, so I nodded frantically and agreed to the deal. Just after I nodded, the skeleton in front of me disappeared...

Thinking back to this, I was suddenly interrupted! "Jiuyuer, why do you want to be my friend, and why do you want to help me?" Kare walked in front of me and asked in a puzzled tone.

"Who knows~ It's a secret~" I said in a nonchalant tone, and slapped Kare's butt hard. "Can you not be so perverted!!" Kare's face turned red instantly after being hit on the butt! "No~" I said in a teasing tone~

(Thanks to my friend for helping me draw)

[yukiwhitetm]

I wrote! I wrote! I actually wrote!

After a long time not writing much due to my grieving the loss of three of my friends, I have finally gotten back into writing. Edited a part in chapter five that I was unhappy with and started chapter eight of TLB.

Yay!

[r-f-m-writes]

Pretty, Dead Animals Chapter Four

Linette runs on Mondays.

It's ritual. A routine she had been honoring since she was fifteen and still in foster homes, trapped in the city. 

It felt safer out on the flats of the desert, nowhere for predators to hide, no unexpected turns in the roads, just clear, calm sand stretching further than she could see. 

Linette would have liked to listen to music while she ran, but the cost of headphones and a smartphone were luxuries that she couldn’t even dream of. The steady pound of sand under her shoes and even rushing of her breath was good enough as Linette sped across the ground, a pleasant sting in her legs and stain in her lungs as she moved.

It was mid morning. The sun sat high. She felt good, oddly optimistic for the week ahead as if there were a little spout of hope sprung up from the rubble of her heart. 

Something good was coming Linette’s way. She could feel it.

~R.F.M~

Logan tugged at the length of chain to test its bearing again, watching the silver links go taught, pinching one after the other, all the way along to the stud tightened securely in the wall. 

It didn’t budge. 

Dropping the metal tether to the floor with a clatter, he stepped around the careful arrangement of scented markers and mindful coloring books to the mattress. Twin sized, brand new, made with top quality memory foam. It was pushed flush with the wall, right under the thick metal stud. 

He hadn't bothered with a bedframe. Too much potential for her to hurt herself if she pitched a fit when she was brought home. 

The sheets were white and pink, an organic blend with eight hundred thread count. Two pillows, just the same as what she had in her apartment and a light duvet with a single, beige fleece blanket folded into a square at the foot of the bed. 

Other than the sleeping area, her room was sparse. No pictures hung from the walls, no clutter on the floor, nothing that she could make into a weapon or use to hurt herself. It was perfect.

Logan would buy her things, of course. If she was good, his girl could have whatever she wanted. Books. Movies. A full screen TV. Clothes and makeup.

New, pretty toys to play with that were more fun than the single raggedy old bunny she doted over.

Linette could have whatever she wanted if she was good. 

But if she was bad?

Logan lifted a hand to rub along the hinge of his jaw while he stared at the length of chain.

If she was bad, then it would be Logan who got whatever he wanted.

[argentum-in-aqua]

Silver in the Ashes (Argentum in Aqua #2): Chapter 73

No smoke without fire

In which the ritual proper begins, and Archer finally admits the truth

(New to the story? Start here)

(No idea what this is, but interested/intrigued? Go here)

Patreon | Ko-fi

[blradley]

By popular (ish) request: a WIP intro

KING OF THE WORLD (Adult romantasy/comedy, m/m)

Meet MALEVOLOTH (Loth to his friends. If he had any - ), a tyrannical dragon-king who reigns over the realm of Krazuk with a fire-filled fist. Has burned millions. Will do it again. A proud human-hater, for reasons (no, he won’t talk about it), he lives by the doctrine that only the strongest can rule.

...Which means that he spent the entirety of his five kids' lives subjecting them to horrific abuse. He pitted them against each other constantly, almost killing them to ‘make them stronger’, encouraging them to fight for power and privilege and never displaying affection unless it’s part of a ploy.

…....And then he wonders why he gets brutally assassinated and deposed.

Because he spent 0 time on building any sort of political stability and +1000 time on WAR and TORTURE-MURDER and BEING HORRID, his kingdom crumbles the minute he can no longer terrorize everyone into order. The vultures are circling, as his five children splinter the army to form their own factions and fight each other for the crown, and the surrounding kingdoms throw their collective hats in the ring in a bid to piss on Loth’s legacy as much as possible.

In short: womp, womp, no bitches.

Loth tries to project a personality that is cold, calculating, and oozing menace, to the point that he glamours his body to look far more imposing than he actually is – but he’s the sort of loser who starts screaming internally whenever things don’t go his way. When he can no longer control the actions of everyone around him, he becomes a shaking wreck, constantly catastrophising, refusing to believe that anyone could ever be kind to him without ulterior motive.

Loth spent his whole life (except for. Some very bleak formative parts.) as the despotic ruler of this kingdom. He has completely lost touch with anything outside of the prison he built for himself within his own mind, where everyone is an enemy.

MALEVOLOTH SONGS: You’re Nobody Till Somebody Wants You Dead (Saint Motel); To Ashes and Blood (Arcane, Woodkid); King of Disappointment (Echoes)

Enter AZRAEL DE LIONHART, a young human man who’s been on the run from Loth his entire life (he was prophesied as a baby to be the one to eventually slay him. Loth, unable to be Normal about anything, has been hunting him ever since).

He’s thoughtful. He’s kind. He’s warm-hearted, and seems to actually care about the endless human collateral of the wars sparked by Loth’s heirs as they bicker over the crown. Despite the absolute hell Loth’s put him through, he doesn't succumb to trauma and darkness. Instead, he makes friends everywhere he goes, and genuinely does his utmost to help anyone who needs him.

Obviously, this is all a cunning act to gain the support of the people, so he can steal the throne for himself.

Or so Loth tries to convince himself, with increasing desperation. No one can be that kind. That forgiving. That… handsome. It’s not possible.

Right?

In fact, there’s only one person in the entire world that our noble hero seems to hate… and that’s Malevoloth himself.

Whoops.

AZRAEL SONGS: Dear Fellow Traveller (Sea Wolf); New Eyes (Echoes); Me and the Devil (Soap and Skin); Thus Always To Tyrants (The Oh Hellos)

Thankfully (?) following a near-successful assassin attempt from his kids, Loth is stuck in the body of Azrael's beloved tutor: the erudite imp RIVVEN of VARRUN, who has been teaching Azrael how to fight a diverse menagerie of beasts.

Unthankfully, Rivven is very, very dead, and it's 100% Loth's fault. And all of Loth’s once-legendary powers have been lost to him, much like his corpse, which has been locked in his old fortress to prevent resurrection attempts by his dedicated cult.

If Azrael finds out that Rivven… isn’t Rivven anymore, things will get very, very bad for Loth. If Loth can con Azrael into returning him to his cadaver, where Loth can reverse his accidental bodyswap (and, um, rebuild his exploded head), things will get exceedingly bad for Azrael.

All Loth has to do is get this trusting, naive idiot to guard him for the duration of one eensy-weensy cross-continental journey. Then it's all over for humanity's so-called hero.

…Only what’s that voice in the back of his head? The one that sounds like a cross between Jiminy Cricket and a certain tortured-to-death imp?

And why, with each passing day, does the prospect of killing Azrael become less appealing?

RIVVEN SONGS: Liar (The Arcadian Wild); The Devil Within (Digital Daggers); The Whole Being Dead Thing (Alex Brightman & Beetlejuice Cast)

TL;DR: ‘we’ve gotta kill this guy, Steven.’  ‘okay but. hear me out. what if I romanced him instead?’ ‘but you’re prophesied to kill him??’ ‘…your point is?’

(note: I have no idea how long this concept will itch at my brain, and I'm mostly focusing on my vampire imperialism story & my YA at the moment! but it's a fun background project for me to poke at when I get bored of the others~ intro for the Vampire project will be coming soon!)

[trailofburningstar]

Character sheet of Tyra, Rin’s closest friend and companion

[joannekwan]

BOOK COVER REVEAL

ARC applications are technically open on my site, but I’ll make a formal post soon for this Achillean werewolf romance!

This story can be a stepping stone to my longer works and a baby step for anyone curious to dive into monster romance! This is the first time I’m starting to promo within the bookish bookstagram community before the official publication, so I hope it will get more traction than my earlier works from the get-go.