Death is coming. And he wants to help.

The world of Eleg may seem like a normal enough place at first blush, but wade deeper into it, and soon the dark, the deadly, and the mad will begin to reveal themselves.

But don't worry.

They usually have a sense of humor.

((Ebook versions of the first four Volumes [138 chapters] are available on Amazon.))

"He who fights with harem tropes should see to it that he himself does not become a harem protagonist. And if you gaze for long into a narrative, the narrative gazes also into you." --- Friedrich Nietzsche (probably?)

How would you react if one day you woke up inside an environment running on tropes and clichés? For allegedly average high-schooler Leonard Dunning, this question became quite relevant when one day he woke up in a pristine city on a strange island in the middle of the Atlantic, without any memories, surrounded by classmates who are barely more than characterless placeholders, and with a classic indecisive harem protagonist and his impossibly beautiful love interests for friends.

That would be hard to deal with already, yet his investigation into the tropes governing the world, trying to avoid harem shenanigans, and his odd blend of outside-context knowledge, unique abilities, and a penchant for causing trouble wherever he goes ends up dragging him into the center of the action anyway.

Disclaimer: This is a tongue-in-cheek, slice of life romantic comedy, with occasional sprinkles of combat and mystery to spice things up. Please do not expect a straight up deconstruction beyond some in-universe meta-commentary by the characters.

It is an undeniable fact that good things come in small packages. More often than not, it is necessary to trim the fat in order to bring what really matters to the forefront. Having extra bulk may seem like a good idea, but in reality it is merely a crutch that will one day become a hindrance, as it is no substitute for personality nor ability. Indeed, often times it is the small things in life that brighten up our daily lives and constantly remind us exactly why we do the things we do.

However, it is important to keep an open mind, for while bigger is not always better, there are also times when it is. This holds especially true when it comes to hopes and dreams, which have been known to require a suitably large container from time to time. And while dreaming big could potentially lead to massive dissapointment, one will never truly reach fulfilment if they think too small.

A truth that one small woman with meager aspirations is about to find out.

DISCLAIMER: This is a spin-off/side story of my main series, Everybody Loves Large Chests, which is also mandatory reading to understand this one. It runs parallel to the main plot, branching off from the chapter titled Upheaval 2, so there will be spoilers for anyone who hasn't reached that point.

Arwyn has just bought Fantasia, the first fantasy-based VRMMORPG, with 99% realism that you can play while you sleep. In the game, she becomes Fey, a moon elf starting in the magical Elvenwood. Join her (and her snarky narrator who likes to interject sarcastic comments in parentheses) on her exciting, often hilarious adventures inside this magical world full of every fantasy creature you've ever encountered in books, games, and movies, and a few that you haven't.

Oh, and there's something strange about the NPCs in this game... See if you can figure it out before Fey does. (No, they are not self-aware AIs.)

-Cover art credit goes to A. Noviant

Arael is an otherworldly being from the upper plane, a place similar to Heaven, full of Light. He now dwells on Earth, touched by Darkness, unable to return. When he rescues Sariel, an innocent angel from the clutches of Dark mages, he is no longer alone for the first time in centuries, but knows that he must return her home before she is also stranded on Earth.

The question is, does she wish to go?

(Pure fantasy romance)

- Cover art credit goes to Cassandra DenHartog (www.cassandradenhartog.com)

General Summary:

Sometimes, the multiverse needs expanding. That's where I come in. But, unfortunately, being a deity isn't all fun and games (and is incredibly complicated), as there are always things working against you. Not even the God of the Multiverses can change that. 

Another Summary:

Twelve souls were chosen to expand into the void surrounding the known universe(s), and were given a grace period in which they would experience a relatively safe expansion of their domains. Once that period is up, however, they are free to interact with each other...and what lurks in the depths of the Abyss, the Void, and the Primordial Chaos. I am one of those souls. And let me tell you, this shit ain't easy. Between trying to raise mortals into an immortal army, with which I can defend my domain, dealing with my children, and trying to maintain the balance between all realms of existance, I have my work cut out for me. Sigh. Now I know why, back on Earth, gods worked in mysterious, invisible ways. There's just too much to be done. 

Formerly called RE: Deity

A comedy.

All life on Earth has been stolen away by The System, transported to another world at the behest of a distant galactic empire, who lived in terror of humanity's potential.

Ben was a normal, slightly above average man, and had been about to go on the first real vacation of his adult life. Now he must contend with danger and mystery in a world of monsters, magic and treasure, armed with nothing but his wits, and the special item given to him by The System.

This is his adventure.

Welcome to The World.

Summary – Level 1:

Delve is an isekai litrpg that follows an average guy who just happened to wake up in a forest one day. He wasn’t summoned to defeat the demon lord or to save the world or anything like that, at least as far as he can tell. The only creature there to greet him was a regular old squirrel.

Soon enough, he meets other people, only to discover that he can’t speak the language, and that not everybody immediately trusts random pajama-wearing strangers they met in the middle of the wilderness. Things generally go downhill from there, at least until the blue boxes start appearing.

Delve is a story about finding your way in a new, strange, and dangerous world. It’s about avoiding death, figuring out what the heck is going on, and trying to make some friends along the way. It’s not about getting home, so much as finding a new one.

Did I mention that there will be math?

 Summary – Level 2:

Cover by Miha Brumec

Summary Updated: 2020-06-14

If evil was easy, everybody would be doing it, and there would be more Dark Lords running around than you could shake a stick at. But the road to Utter Domination isn't easy, smooth or straight, as the boy who will one day become Gar the Pitiless will discover.

For millennia, The Elders gifted pre-technological civilizations with a piece of technology that allows them to transcend the bounds of what is normally possible: The Implant.

Altering reality on a quantum level, creatures with an Implant can gain extraordinary physical and mental abilities. In return, the Elders require wearers of the implant to pass through the Gauntlets - Entire worlds that have been hollowed out and turned into a training and testing ground for the wearers. Once their trial is complete, the wearers then are used by the Elders as their foot soldiers as they expand across the galaxy.

What happens when a human accidentally receives an implant instead?

Powerless and filled with raging anger for half his life, an avenger grasps hold of what was to be his redemption only to find despair and darkness. His mind lost, his anger went on to bring about the path of carnage. He is, but an inextinguishable flame that threatens to consume everything; all in the name of retribution. Death was but a moments reprieve for his agony. His rage overflows even after the sweet release. Unable to be snuffed out by the laws of the world, he is granted life once more In a different era. All those whom his vengeance is focused on, vanished into obscurity with the passage of time. What does one who has all the power of the world at his finger-tips do, when all the reasons for that power have vanished?

Kragathor is the final guardian of the world’s deepest dungeon. He is an immortal pinnacle of existence that is otherwise known as an ancient dragon. And he is terribly bored. His sole source of amusement comes from scrying on the adventurer teams that are in the upper levels of his dungeon.

Through spying on adventurers, Kragathor hears of a new magic item, called a Virmo, that allows one to project their mind into a fictional world in some sort of grand-scale game.  Recognizing these Virmo games as a potential diversion for his endless boredom, he orders a minion to infiltrate the nearby town and acquire some of these games. Once the minion returns, he logs into a game set in a world that runs on the twin magics of ‘science’ and ‘technology’, and embarks on his new journey as Bob, the Level 1 Human with no class.

Release Schedule:  As I wrap up the end of the first major arc, I will publish the chapters as they're completed.  However, as I transition into the next arc, I will go with a two or three times a week release schedule, since I will be splitting time between this story and Chimera.

 Discord Server

Gwen Song awoke in a world that was not her own, in which everything she was familiar with had been replaced. Instead of airplanes and electricity, this 21st-century Earth is ruled by magic and dragons; humanity survives in a land of magical beasts and otherworldly beings, protected by shielded enclaves and magical constructs.

Follow Gwen across the world as she struggles to rebuild her life in this strange new reality. Behold a tale of adventure, friendship, and (of course), magic! Witness as she grows from a simple grade school student to a fully-fledged Mage, through university and beyond, discovering the secrets of a world made unreal by magic and mysticism.

Satiate yourself while you wait with Metaworld-Meta-fics :

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Buck Jones was born in 1850 and died in 1880. He was an outlaw, and technically still is.

 The world may change, the species may differ, and the circumstances may twist, but Buck knows one thing for sure.

Always draw first.

Travel with a newly born demon as he grows and learns in his own world as well as in other worlds as he gets summoned again and again. Usually to die or kill for others in strange and exciting places, but it's never certain what the next one will bring. It has its perks. With each new world comes a new story with new experiences and new lessons. There is always more to see, more to learn and more to know. Maybe, someday, it will all make sense. For now he will just work hard to become stronger, to be useful and, hopefully, survive that way.

A coming-of-age story, but different.

Things start to slow down to a crawl. Colors blur into one another until my vision is completely white. All I can think is "Shit, not this again!"

I hate being summoned.

_________________________________

updates once a week until I get more time

The idea for this story began in two places. One was the ridiculously rapid pace of gaining power in many novels. Both in games and in novels, I enjoy the struggle of the beginning character, why always the rush? The other was the way many monster or non-human MCs always seem to hurry to become human (again). It always felt like a cheap way to grant the character extra powers without the difficulty of writing a non-standard thought process.

Thus I wanted to write the slow(ish) progression of a monster character gaining strength and intelligence, while remaining distinctly non-human. There are no stats, xp or systems, no reincarnated soul or completely formed being to start with - unless I want to make fun of those. While the MC 'evolves', the process takes months if not years to proceed step by little step. Sit down with me and imagine, what would it be like if...

Buy or review Book One, Larkspur

Clandestina is a realm of secrets, fairies, and dark magics. Among the nobles there is talk of a goddess of death, and a forbidden magic she grants to those that follow her-- cræft that can heal injuries that should be fatal or even bring back the dead. But she asks for much in return; blood and sometimes even life itself.

Larkspur, or A Necromancer's Romance: Pierre Salvador has just returned to court after finishing his studies and becoming a surgeon. But as he flirts with his childhood friend Elizabeth Anne, Mora, The Lady of Death, waits for him.

Delphinium, or A Necromancer's Home: Lady Elizabeth Anne does not know about the dark magic her beloved practices, and he has no intent to tell her. As they travel to his childhood home for the summer, Pierre Salvador attempts to balance his newfound love with his murderous cræft and his duties as duc.

Aconitella, or A Necromancer's Wife: Coming Soon

Real Fantasy Online. The flagship product for the latest generation neural-interface headset. Touting: "The Best NPC AIs", "Better than Life Realism" and "Total Immersion", RFO promises to be a virtual world like no other. But when the line between one's real self and one's digital identity becomes blurred, and the "Gods" have their own agenda, who is the player, and which is the game?

Marcus has played any number of VR games, beta-tested dangerous and unstable systems and lived to tell the tale. He even has a certain amount of fame and influence within...certain circles. He usually disdains the idea of pre-orders and their respective "perks" as blatent commerical exploitation, but this time the bonus is too tempting to pass up. The ability to craft your character's backstory and have it integrated into the game's lore is enough for him to sign up for the Early Access program. He isn't interested in being all-powerful. Frankly, he's been there and done that enough to be bored of the whole thing. Instead, he opts to make a character purely for the purpose of having fun. Things aren't quite what they seem however, and his "backstory" and character class have implications he never would have imagined.

Author Note: First time posting a story online, and I'd appreciate any feedback. Updates may be slow, as each "chapter" will likely be in the 10,000 word range and I tend to revise several times before being (tentatively) satisfied. If people seem to like this I'll try to establish a regular post schedule.

On just another normal Monday, the world changed. The universe had reached a threshold humanity didn’t even know existed, and it was time to finally be integrated into the vast multiverse. A world where power is the only thing that one can truly rely on.

Jake, a seemingly average office worker, finds himself thrust into this new world. Into a tutorial filled with dangers and opportunities. In a world that should breed fear and concern, an environment that makes his fellow coworkers falter, Jake instead finds himself thriving.

Perhaps… Jake was born for this kind of world, to begin with.

Release Schedule:

5 chapters a week.

Average chapter length: 2500

Tags and content warnings are mainly to give me creative freedom later on. This is my first novel ever, and English isn’t my native language, so go easy on me chaps. Any feedback is more than welcome, of course.

What young boy doesn't crave adventure? What young man doesn't wish to be a superhero?

But time marches on, and life grows dull with responsibility. Is it any wonder that old dreams are forgotten?

Welcome to The Law of Averages: In which a man is dragged solidly out of his comfort zone. Be careful what you wish for, you never know when it will come true.

This story follows Daniel Newman as he adjusts to a strange new world. One where superpowers are for sale, where heroics are frowned upon, and where life is constantly defying Daniel's expectations. Dan always thought that he was destined to be normal, but one world's normal is another world's special.

The Law of Averages now has a Patreon page!

Elevator pitch: '300' meets 'Lone Wolf and Cub'. A retired veteran has to keep some orphans from being eaten by horrible monsters.

This fiction contains the professionally-published novel Obstacles as well as the ongoing sequels. 

Back Cover Copy:
Androkles, son of Paramonos, spent twenty-five years in the world’s greatest army trying to earn enough money to buy back his good name. He’s battle-scarred, weary, and heartbroken after decades of watching dear friends die, but he survived. He’s ready to retire and be welcomed as a hero, finally able to see the reward he sacrificed so much to achieve. 

There’s only one problem: his wife just fled civilization with all his hard-won savings. Now he must pursue her north, through desperate bandits, ravening beasts, and worse. But after he rescues a pair of orphans from starvation, he is faced with his most difficult challenge yet: a question that goes to the very heart of honor. The consequences might be deeper than he realizes, and it’s not just his life on the line…

Updates: Irregular but Ongoing

Book title in the chapter heading.

If you like what you're reading, please consider
purchasing a copy of the published novel Obstacles:
books2read.com/u/mleazq