MHM: 4 Prathak’s Perilous Pickles

Mostly Harmless Magic, Chapter 4 Rue settled in with her morning tea, the sun spilling through the kitchen window. It was peaceful and bright, the start of another promising day. She reached for her journal, the urge to capture her thoughts as insistent as ever. But, before she could begin, a thunderous knock at the […]

AO: 3 Tutorial

Apocalypse Online, Chapter 3 The world around Alice shattered, blinding her with white light. For a moment, she felt Albion fall away entirely. Her old mind floated, weightless, like it was submerged under miles of water. And then she was gasping. Stumbling. Fighting to regain balance and breath. The whiteness resolved around her, stretching out […]

TOJGM: 5 Streaming the Abyss

The Ocean Just Gets Me, Chapter 5 The soft pulse of the signal thrums over the speakers, creeping through my head, sinking its hooks into my thoughts. I close my door, holding the bag Sam bought me, and slide out the smooth plastic box. The microphone is real. It’s here. The possibilities coil tightly around […]

Aetherloft: 3 Indigo

Aetherloft, Chapter 3 A breeze carries the scent of rare flowers as Indigo adjusts zir uniform—a perfectly pressed black ballroom gown, showing off curves and colors that have no right to be there—while watching opulent guests from behind slatted screens. Chandeliers of spun ice refract rainbow light across a reception hall where Chastity and Drake […]

MHM: 3 Labeling Day

Mostly Harmless Magic, Chapter 3 Rue set her jaw, determination and frustration coiling inside her like wild vines. “How can I be a proper apprentice with those jars in such a state?” she protested, the words bursting out before she could hold them back. Granny Thorn’s eyes held a glimmer of amusement. “Proper, is it?” […]

AO: 2 New Beginnings

Apocalypse Online, Chapter 2 “Humanity Will Persevere!” a poster next to Albion proclaimed. The restaurant itself felt like an afterthought, tucked into a corner of the sprawling bunker complex. Its steel tables and metal chairs were bolted to the floor, arranged with cold precision beneath fluorescent lights that cast a clinical pall over the space. […]

Aetherloft: 2 Drake

Aetherloft, Chapter 2 Prince Bartholomew “Drake” Galedragon stood at the center of the sprawling banquet hall, as perfectly polished as the gleaming chandeliers. Around him, war comrades in varying states of sobriety lounged over lavish feasts and empty boasts. A gold braid hanging from his shoulder marked him as the guest of honor. Or, as […]

MHM: 2 A Jar Too Far

Mostly Harmless Magic, Chapter 2 Forty Years Ago Ethelwyn’s hands trembled slightly as she whispered the ancient words, her voice barely audible beneath the roar of the storm. The jar in front of her seemed to pulse with a life of its own, the viscous black substance inside shifting and swirling as if trying to […]

AO: 1 Train Ride

Apocalypse Online, Chapter 1 Albion sits on the underground train, watching the walls of the tunnel flicker by, an endless blur of gray. The train hums beneath him, vibrating with a steady monotony that matches the rhythm of his thoughts. He’s always liked tunnels. Their dark, constant lines make him feel as though he’s suspended […]

TOJGM: 3 The Signal

The Ocean Just Gets Me, Chapter 3 I count the days by the number of times Mom asks me to come eat. Sometimes I do—when Dad is out for a football game, when even I can’t ignore my hunger—but mostly I don’t eat. I hear them arguing through the walls again. “She’s always not hungry,” […]