#WebSerial

[evil-no-good-overlord-jojo]

do you guys ever think abt what it means that Contessa shoots twice at the end of Worm.

do you guys ever think its because the first shot was fired without the use of her power.

[emrowene]

Free to read now: FRACTURED MAGIC

A penny dreadful for the modern reader! A thrilling tale for the masses! Read all about a corrupted hero's hunt for redemption and an elven lordlings' quest to rescue his kidnapped King. The two estranged best friends are racing against time -- and long-lost gods -- to achieve their goals. Will they make up and work together before it's too late?

Fractured Magic is a queer fantasy webserial. New chapters are published on substack and at emrowene.com every monday.

[victoriadallonfan]

Webnovel Rec: Pale Lights by ErracticErrata

Thanks to the prodding of a friend, I decided to read Pale Lights, written by the same author of Practical Guide to Evil (which I have not read), and let me say this:

I binged Pale Lights in a week and a half, and I don't regret it. I absolutely love one of the MC's almost as much as I love Victoria Dallon from Worm/Ward (and if you can't tell by the username, that means a lot from me), and the story itself is just very enjoyable on every level.

I have some mild to minor complaints about some potential unintended implications, but other than that, I recommend the book.

[thewanderinginn]

Book 13: The Empress of Beasts

The next book of The Wandering Inn is out this September!

Find out more... Kindle: https://a.co/d/0b5OMLJl Audible: https://loom.ly/8n8s9j4

[pactposting]

I feel like i"m going crazy because all i want is to write.

Like writing my own webserial after consuming exactly 1.75 webserials seems insane bit like??? I could just be typing one of the candidates from my brain.

I have 3 story ideas

[d4t-webserial]

D4T: Page 7 (Lu POV)

//cw: ableist slur and depiction of internalized ableism// go here for more info on d4t

previous page

After telling her about his detransition she proceeded to ask a handful of follow up questions (they were pretty incoherent, and he honestly didn’t know enough..), he did his best to answer them until she just told him “srry for so mny questions idk if u can rlly give me what i wnt…for answers i mean! i think i  jst need some time to thnk” (so there’s still, a chance they stay friends, hahaha,,, he’s dying ;-;).

But actually tho what the fuck just happened? Lu was so confused… did Alice just ask him out, or ask him to ask her out… why? He’s so… subpar, how long had she liked him??? Her little brother always called him her “boyfriend” to tease her, but he thought the joke was cause of how… mediocre he was. He knew she would say stupid things to make him flustered but, but wasn’t that to get a reaction out of him (plus she teased all her friends). She always did sit close to him when they hung out (but like she’s a girl, girls hug and cuddle and hold each other's hands all the time… right?). Wasn’t there that guy she liked??? Was she playing a prank on him?... no she would say that’s cringe and lame probably… so she likes him. He still can’t begin to process that but, luckily he won’t have too! Since she now knows about how absolutely disgusting his body is she’ll stop having feelings real quick (yay problem solved ;~;)... this sucks, if she had just never liked him it wouldn’t have hurt this much, was she gonna grow cold… like… nvm, he didn’t want to think about that, he didn’t want to think at all actually… she was his only friend (unless you counted his roommate Tanner… he seems nice… they rarely talked tho.) why did he have to like her so much, why did she have to like him back! If she was just not interested he could repress and hide away his feelings as tho they didn’t exist, but instead she ripped his heart out of his chest and now that she knew… she would throw it away. In this moment he wished more than anything he could be a feather floating thru the wind not needing to feel emotions or have thoughts, just going where the universe takes him.

Alice was somewhat more distant than before, but Lu was surprised how much she kept in contact. They didn’t really talk about what happened, which was comforting. He didn’t need to worry about what to say or do to keep her in his life, it was as tho they had an unspoken agreement to not acknowledge it. One day she asks to hangout at his, it was just after a big test so his roommate was out at a party…

trashbag_minister (Lu): “sure thing”

Tranny Mona Lisa (Alice): “yay!”

Tranny Mona Lisa (Alice): “when wll u get here btw”

trashbag_minister (Lu): “around 20 minutes”

Tranny Mona Lisa (Alice): “❤️❤️❤️❤️”

.

.

.

She just sent him hearts, he thinks his brain is about to explode… did she used to send hearts?... he thinks so… maybe, but like it had to mean someth- no… no no no. He wasn’t going to do this, he was going to be normal. She’s his friend.

When he picked her up she waved to him and got in, the car ride was quiet, but that was normal (he was so bad at talking and driving). But when they got out she was a bit quieter than usual, she barely said a word until they got to his dorm. When they did she hesitantly started talking about her life as they often did, but it felt strange, like she was padding for time. After a couple of minutes of this he asked…

Lu: “Is there something you wanna talk about?”

Alice: “...”

she seems more nervous than he’s ever seen her

Alice: “yeah…”

(oh god, dear god, please let it be no big deal)

she is fiddling with the seam of her shirt ever so slightly

Alice: “I don't super know what your detransition means to you…”

Alice: “... i mean, i tried to learn, but there aren’t many… resources or anything”

Alice: “anyway i don’t know what it means, but i still like *you*”

he lets out a deep breath 

(thank jesus)

Lu: “Cool…”

Alice: “...”

Alice: “Do you… like me too?”

(shit)

Lu: “Oh… you meant like *like like*.”

Alice glares at him like he just said the stupidest thing in the world

Alice: “Yeah no fucking duh, also who says ‘like like’ past the age of ten”

Lu: “i don’t umm…”

Alice pulls back and once again becomes more timid

Alice: “Do you not? It’s okay if you don’t i… just thought you did…”

Lu: “No i d-do- i do, i just…”

Alice both looks affirmed and confused

Lu: “You shouldn’t,,n’t l-like me.”

Alice: “Why???”

Lu: “Be-be-be-cau-cause you can do better-ter…”

Alice: “That’s retarded!”

Lu: “L-Lys! You can’t sssay that!”

Alice: “Jesus fucking christ Lu, i… i just *fucking confessed to you*, and you respond with the dumbest shit i’ve ever heard, i can respond however the fuck i god damn want!”

Lu: “go-ju-Alice! I- it’s- god like you- you- you could- could have any s-s-ssself respecting man you want, you sh-shouldn’t se–se-set-t-tle for… *me*”

Alice: “I’m not settling, i *like* you, you’re smart and caring and sweet, why wouldn’t i like you.”

Lu: “Why *w-would* you! I’m a fu-fu-fu shit fuck god damn it! I’m a- I’m a fucking pathetic little shit preten-pretending to be a man, i-i-i can b-b-b-barely even s-sb-sp-speak, i…"

she rests a hand on him and looks in his eyes, he didn’t realize he was crying

Alice: “Are you okay?”

Lu: “...ye i just, it’s nothing, my brain is stupid sometimes”

Alice: “That's okay, i’m sorry for getting you worked up."

she smiles up at him

Alice: “I’m just… if you like me and i like you there isn’t any real reason not to date right?”

Lu: “But it’s more,, complicated than that-t”

Alice’s jaw clenches for a second but she takes a somewhat forced breath to relax

Alice: “Why? Why does it have to be?”

Lu: “Because of all the s–st-stuff i said.”

Alice: “But i don’t care about any of that.”

he pulls away from her

Lu: “I don’t even have a f-f-d-di-dick Alice… how would that- how would that even work”

she looks somewhat surprised at that, but responds quickly anyways

Alice: “Tons of people make that work.”

Lu: “But you shouldn’t- you shoulnt have too, your boy-boyfriend should be a real man not a tr-tr-trans girl in denial”

Alice: “You could be my girlfriend then, we don’t hav-”

Lu: “I don’t want to be your girlfriend!”

Alice: “...”

she looks down at her lap where her hands are gripping hard into her pants

Alice: “ok”

they sit like that awkwardly, tensely until…

Alice: “I want to go home”

.

.

.

Lu: “ok… can i go to the bathroom first”

Alice: “of course”

Lu walks into the bathroom, and sits on the floor. What was he doing? She was like the girl of his dreams, and more importantly, his best friend. Was he really gonna throw that all away because of… fuck, he entirely forgot what his point was. He was so scared. For almost a year now, ever since he detransitioned he just… accepted he would never be in a relationship again. But then Alice came in with her unending confidence and had the gall to just… like him, as he is… she didn’t care, not about his body, not about his brain, not about anything… god damn it. He walks out of the bathroom and sits next to Alice, when he approaches she seems to wipe something from her face…

Lu: “What’s wrong?”

(why did he say that jesus christ)

she looks at him like he asked her if she preferred drinking water or vegetable oil

Alice: “...nothing”

Lu: “mhm?”

she looks at the floor

before she could ask him to take her home he put his arm around her

she rests her head on his shoulder

(good sign… here goes nothing)

Lu: “You don’t have to say you’re fine.”

she looks up at him

Alice: “*I am fine*”

(she very obviously isn’t)

Lu spends some time trying to find the right words

(god damn it he is so bad at this)

he holds her cheek

Lu: “Look as your boyfriend, you should- you should tell me when you aren’t ok.”

Alice: “You’re my boyfriend?”

Lu: “I mean, even if i think you have bad taste, who would i be to deny the most b-b-gorgeous woman i-i’ve ever laid eyes on”

(that was the cringiest thing he’s ever said)

but she’s blushing very hard

Alice: “... i… you think i…”

she attempts to compose herself

Alice: “I don’t have bad taste, you’re very…”

Lu: “The point is you should tell me why you feel bad.”

she rolls her eyes but smiles

Alice: “I actually feel alot better now.”

(now Lu wasn’t so autistic that he didn’t *know* it was because of him before, but man did it feel good to hear her pretty much say she felt *better* because of him)

riding that high he kisses her once softly on the lips

Lu: “I hope that means you don’t have to go home right now, cause i,, i really wanna,, be with you a bit longer”

she responds by grabbing onto his shirt and nuzzling further into him

Lu can’t stop the massive smile on his face, as he hugs her tight. Nor does he want to, as he thinks about how lucky he is to be here.

[laura-in-calernia]

F*cking love parragraphs like this.

Image description: text reading: "

“My mom could explode houses with her aura when she got angry. Mrsha’s mom doesn’t have one, right?”

The Gnoll girl began to sweat. She ordered a double-shot of milk, with whipped cream."

[desertsoftime]

Tam and Bow - 1.1 Prayer

New serial updates every Thursday

[quoria]

CLICK HERE to be redirected to ECHO, the interactive Chapter 1 Epilogue. It features Lalli, a mage and nominal member of the City Watch, investigating the scene of the crime with his partner, Teddy. Yeah, that crime.

Standard Quoria content warnings apply.

Chapter 1.15 ↢ || ↣ Chapter 2.1

[ellowynthenotking]

Apr 12

Dear Dad,

That was a huge waste of time. An unbelievably huge, massive, colossal, gigantic waste of time!

I can’t believe we fell for it, and I can’t believe other people keep falling for it! Hundreds of people have gone into this wizard circle for help, but they can’t really help anyone! 

We should have known better. I mean, I should have known better. With all the people we’ve seen and talked to. We should have known that none of them would actually help us. No one in this world is actually able or willing to help us. They just don’t want to help us. They give us just enough hope to go on to the next place, so we stop bothering them and move on to the next people. 

Just one after another. That’s all they do, all they’re willing to do. Just get us out of their hair or use us until they can get rid of us. It’s ridiculous, it’s insane, it’s so, so so mean. Why not just help us? Or just tell us that you can’t actually help us? 

I mean, the people at the temples have been telling us that all along. Because they know that it’s what’s actually important. Actually, right, one might even say. Because we deserve to know if you can’t actually help us. It’s not like we’ve gotten mad at anyone for not being able to help us. Usually, we just try to get them to point us in the right direction. Which isn’t hard at all! Even if I don’t know where something or someone is, I can usually at least point someone in the right direction.

But then again, maybe that’s what these people have been doing. Doing that, they think, is pointing us in the right direction when really they don’t even know where the right direction is. Maybe in their minds, it’s better than nothing. 

But it still hasn’t actually helped us at all. It’s done nothing, nothing at all for us. All it’s done is send us further and further away from where we started with no actual certainty of anything.

And these guys are the worst of all the people we’ve run into. They didn’t even try to actually help. I doubt that they’ve actually helped anyone! They’re not even wizards! The so-called wizards are actually just a bunch of dudes in a castle using magic items to pretend to be great and powerful wizards. They don’t even know how to use half the stuff that they’ve gotten stashed away. They just take all these insane, potentially helpful to someone magic items, and they hide them away from the world, using them to convince people they’re the ones with magic, and then they take more of the mafic items in trade. 

There was nothing there that could help us, because they weren’t actually any people who could help us, and they didn’t actually have any items that could have helped us. It was all duds, all of it.

They tried to do their drama theater show on us to show how magic-y they are. But I could see when they used scrolls and items for it. And Zunair called them out for using ambiance music in the place to make it seem more mystical. Grace was the one who actually tore into them for it all, though. When we pointed out all the items that they were using to give us a sham show of power, she was probably more mad than the rest of us. She tore them to shreds, asking what they did, where they got the items, how they could do what they were doing, and calling them scam artists to their faces. 

I thought she was actually going to attack them, but the most she did was break one of the wands that the guy at the front had, which was mostly just making bright and shiny lights, which was kind of amazing and terrifying. At least, it really terrified the stupid fake wizards. We interrogated them to see if they had anything, anything at all that might be able to help us, but the most useful thing they had was a scrying bowl. But since we didn’t know exactly what we were looking for or where it was, it was useless to us. 

A castle full of stuff, full of magic, and we couldn’t even get directions from them.

They wasted our time, they wasted our money, they’re absolutely useless.

I can’t believe they have an entire city, not just an entire city, but an entire kingdom, really, fooled. Convinced that they’re these great and powerful wizards when they’re just fancy con artists. I mean, someone else’s gotta know, right? That they’re just taking people's time and money. Tricking people, good people, probably. Cause of what, money? The illusion of power? 

Bastards, the lot of them. I hope something terrible happens to their castle and all their magic items get spread to the corners of this world.  

We wasted days, Dad. We wasted so much time looking to get here and looking for them, looking for work to pay them. All for what, for them not even to be able to help us. They can’t even point us to someone else who might be able to help us because they’re fakes. Big fakes. The fakiest fakes to ever fake in this kingdom. 

I wanted to yell at them more. I wanted to scream at them. I wanted to take everything from them and show it to the world. 

We should have grabbed a few things out of their stocks. They weren’t even using most of it, just showing it off and hoarding it like terrible fake dragons. Using it to make themselves look good. I’m sure there was stuff in there that we could have actually used. Something that might have actually been able to help us later on, or that we could have sold to help fund other research, other things that might have been able to help us. 

Wasted so much time. I can’t believe it. And there wasn’t even anything to show for it. We didn’t get anything from them, didn’t have any items to show, didn’t have any directions. 

We didn’t get home, god I can’t believe I was so stupid to believe that they would acutally be able to get us home. 

It hasn’t happened do far, why would it happen now? Just cause we waited in line? Just cause we thought that it might be able to help us?

No, it was a dumb ploy, a dumb con, and we fell for it: hook, line, and sinker. I can’t believe that we were so dumb.

We’re going to keep on through the city, but if the cult was looking for us here, they might have more than caught up. We still have the temples to look through. The one we’re staying at, Willow, is covering, so tomorrow, one of the others and I are going to go look for the other temples and see if they have anything or might be able to help us in some way. I’m not going to get my hopes up again. I’m going to stay firmly in the “we’re not getting home, but I’m gonna keep trying” camp until we’re actually home. It might help, it might not, but I can’t keep hoping like this. It’s hurting me, really hurting me, I think, to hope so much and to keep having it dashed on the rocks like this.

The time wasted is going to come back to haunt us, I’m sure. I’m hoping the cultists aren’t still following us because if they have been, they’re already 4 days closer to us because of all the time wasted. Time was wasted waiting outside the city, time wasted just finding a place to sleep, and then even more time was wasted at the door of the stupid wizards and their stupid castle. The stupid fake wizards. How many people have they tricked? Is there even a point to this? To all of it? 

Are the cultists looking for anything, too, or are they just going to hunt us down to do terrible things to us, too? I mean, what are we even going to do if they catch up with us again? There’s no real answer because the answer is probably going to be something terrible.

I want to go home, that’s all I want. I want to not be here, I want to be able to see the world again without worrying about cultists of all things. I want to be able to sleep in a bed that I don’t have to barter for. I want to know what else the cultists are planning, if they catch up to us, I don’t have to wonder about them too. 

I don’t want theme to catch up with us at all. I want them gone. I want us gone. 

I want to find a way home in one of these libraries. So I’m going to keep looking for a way, home, but I”m not going to trust anyone elses’ word on it. I can’t. 

I don’t know how the others feel. I don’t know if I want to know. I want to go home.

We don’t even know where to go or what to do next. We’re just fumbling around, hoping that the way home is something we’ll be able to find, and find soon. But I don’t know if it is something we’ll find or find soon.

I wonder if the Seers were even telling the truth. We trusted them, too, and I don’t know if we can actually trust them. 

I don’t know if I can trust anyone.

I can’t stop, though. I don’t know what I’ll do if I stop. Maybe die like a shark.

Jack

Read the rest of the series here: 

Or read more by this author here: 

[emrowene]

Read the New Fractured Magic Chapter!

Or Start From the Beginning

Fractured Magic is a queer fantasy webserial. New chapters are published for free on substack and at emrowene.com every Monday. Subscribe on substack and have new chapters delivered directly to your email inbox.

More About the Story (&CWs and a Character Gallery)

[beauvandalen]

Working on my author website, we have interactive particles now!!!✨✨✨

The page is still under construction, but you can already play with the particles here! 🥳🌟✨

This is what it used to look like before if anyone wants a little before&after! 🌟

[thewanderinginn]

Fanart by Stargazing Selphid: Selphid [Witch]

Every [Witch] must have their hat, and what a magical one this Selphid has!

Check out more from this artist over on https://www.instagram.com/megawint

[tafferling]

Aphelion

Free to read cyberpunk-lite/aetherpunk with a side of zombie apocalyse, soul magic, and slow burn. 

Episode 4 has begun! 

>> Read on Ao3 | Follow it on Campfire | Tumblr Tag <<

Chapter 20: No way.

“All work, no— ugh. For fuck’s sake—play—okay, come on, will you loosen already you piece a’—”

With one last heave, Varrett bounced the stubborn shutters up.

His effort? Herculean. His ranting? Incessant. And his prize? A firm reminder why you were meant to lift with your legs and not with your already aching back.

“—makes V a sad boy,” he finally concluded, followed by a heartfelt “ow,” as he rubbed at a spot right above his ass bone.

The sun leered at him from over the storefront’s roof, slow-cooking him, while the once bustling artisan alley around him continued to rot quietly. At least the rotting had charm, the kind you got downhill from a park after three years of no one bothering to sweep. Dirt had been carried down by rain and wind alike, forming a cover of soil thick enough to attract the Elpisan fauna. With vengeance on its mind, it’d wrestled lampposts to the ground, ripped antennas from their sockets, and repurposed neon signs by hanging them off young trees like chokers.

And dear God, was it swampy.

Storms carried rains in their wake, and in the last few days, that’d been all Varrett had gotten out here: rain and heat and extra crowded streets since Maulers liked the wet a lot more than he did. But now the rain had let up. The clouds had broken. But the heat and the moisture had stuck around, turning even the widest of HC’s streets into saunas.

Varrett stared into the darkness beyond the shop’s shutters, his filter listless in its venture to pick up any potential threat, tired and overheated like the rest of him. No big surprise then that a sudden whisper of movement from above gave him a solid fright.

Varrett wheeled around, the prybar he’d used to jimmy the shutters open held at the ready—

—and growled at the vine that’d dropped from the roof’s edge to land on his shoulder. The vine slid lower, slung its slinky end around his biceps, and gave him a light squeeze. His thick shirt (which was totally the worst thing to wear in this heat) kept it from tasting skin.

“A for effort,” Varrett muttered, grabbed ahold of the plant above his head, and snapped it off with one hard yank.

>> Read on Ao3 | Follow it on Campfire | Tumblr Tag <<

[d4t-webserial]

D4T: Page 5 (Lu POV)

go here for more info on d4t

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On one of the rare instances that Lu told Alice about his life he mentioned the school he was going to, to which she excitedly told him she lives in the same city. This is awful, no matter how much he’s become a man, part of him will always be that transbian who wants to uhaul after the first date (and even more so fall hopelessly in love with your friend who’ll never like you back ;-;). Even the moment after this information came about she suggested they hang out, he brushed it off with a simple “hehe maybe later” but knew he couldn’t resist for long, he was under no circumstance going to being to able to deny his only close friend (and an upsettingly pretty one too) the opportunity to hang. 

Looking up at his ceiling he thinks about how over it is, when they meet she’s gonna realize how lame he is, and even if she’s fine with that he’ll be completely unable to hide his infatuation with her (he’s surprised he was even able to so far), and then she’ll be grossed out and not want anything to do with him. Life is hell. After a lot of pestering he agreed to hangout, at first she wanted to do it at her house (which is horrifying! what if he was a murderer, or a rapist!) but he convinced her to instead hang at a small restaurant near where she lived. He unfortunately couldn’t get her to untell him her address, but what can you do? 

After around 15 minutes of waiting for her, Alice finally arrived. Lu, waiting for her outside asked… 

Lu: “do you always come this late?” 

Alice: “well i had to walk here”

she looks at him pointedly

Alice: “if you picked me up it would have been easier.”

he doesn’t make eye contact

Lu: “u-um yea i g-guess… i just,, it uh,, would’ve seemed a bit strange no?”

Alice: “whatever you say”

They walk in and order their food. Lu can’t help but notice that her outfit tho masc enough to throw off her parents, is still incredibly attractive (and also that it compliments… nothing, absolutely nothing,... he’s normal). She looks up at him with a small smirk as she drinks, her eyes are stunningly b- no no nonononono. Taking a deep breath in, Lu decides to engage in conversation, because tho he isn’t good at talking, it is something to keep his mind… where it needs to be. They talk about the food they had and what they liked or disliked about it, they talked about the things that they usually do, friendship, hobbies, life and so on. And in that Lu had a brilliant idea.

Lu: “so have you been talking to any guys”

she picks at her napkins

Alice: “...umm there’s one i’m kinda talking to”

(jackpot)

Lu: “that’s sick! are you into him?”

she sits more upright and looks intently at her food

Alice: “ye, but it’s complicated…”

(fuck)

Lu: “how so?”

.

.

.

Alice: “i don’t think i wanna talk about this, with you”

Lu: “me?”

she goes wide eyed like she misspoke and quickly tries to correct herself

Alice: “or like, right now”

Alice: “right now i just wanna chill”

Lu: “o-oh o-o-of course, s-s-ssorry for uhh,, bringing it up”

Maybe his idea wasn’t so brilliant. He wanted to hear her talk about some guy she was obsessed with, so that his “supportive friend” drive would beat out his “god i love women” drive, but instead he touched on a sore spot… “with him” why him? did she still think he liked her (well he did but he thought was doing a good job hiding it), is it just like a guy thing, like this is something you talk about with the girlfriends not your dude friends? It was probably that. They sit in silent awkwardness for a while since he is completely unable to navigate social situations like this. Eventually the conversation picks up again, and it’s like nothing happened. After an hour or so hanging out Alice asks if he wanted to come hang at hers, he again insisted they didn’t know each other well enough but…

Alice: “cmon! we can even watch your stupid shows together!”

.

.

.

Lu: “f-ffine… for a bit…”

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