The saying goes that when a man is born the Fates weave his destiny and swaddle him in it. Then one day the man dies, and the swaddle becomes a shroud. Heaven moves on.

It is audacity to question the Fates. Olympus is Olympus. The land of men is the land of men. To transgress that, to cross the line of divinity and scale Olympus Mons? To defy the Fates and cast off their threads?

That is hubris. It’s a mark that every philosopher bears plainly on their soul.

[Virtuous Sons updates every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 8pm EST.]

Hello. I am a sunflower.

Are you a sunflower too?

Well, it doesn't really matter. Today is a calm day. The wind is warm. I do not know why I am alive, but do you want to look at the sun together with me?

- I am a sunflower.

[Updates Sundays]

WELCOME TO THE RETROFUTURE!

The Future That Never Was is an extended universe where Mars was terraformed before the Beatles sang Penny Lane, the Soviets colonized the asteroid belt and pirates plundered the rings of Saturn. In this alternate space age, humankind couldn't dream of a brighter future. Alas, the minute Earth turned into a nuclear wasteland, shadows already conspired from the heart of the Moon to the mysterious Planet Nine—and maybe beyond...

The book series includes numerous R-rated titles. All of them will be uploaded on Royal Road. Check the Index or the list below for the main stories.

🐈  KITTY KITTY - START READING

Join sassy space cat Lee and his Desert Eagle-toting, soda-swigging human partner, Ali, in a future stuck in the late 80s/early 90s. Board the dynamic duo’s ship, the mythical Kitty, as they bounty-hunt their way through a dystopian solar system—so lock and load, and shout Cowabunga! because it’s crime-fightin’ time! 

🪐  PACHINKO BLUES - Fall 2022 - LEARN MORE

Amid the chaos of the Rings Civil War, a disgraced pilot called Miles finds itself tangled in a vast vendetta involving a Lunar corporation, android mercenaries and data-cartels. From Saturn’s Plastic Fields to the fringes of Kuiper, Miles’s violent redemption is an 80s-esthetic space western filled with tears, blood and... ducks?

Other stories related to the first arc of The Future That Never Was:

• RADIO FREAK - Standalone biopunk short story featuring Ali Koviràn, the Data Maiden and Bill Murray

• STELLAR PATRIOTS - Special episodes with Braun Kamirov, linking KITTY KITTY to the upcoming DATA dilogy and CYBER MACHO

• DATA ONE & DATA ZERO - 2023

• CYBER MACHO - TBA

Do you want to support our work or simply read in better condition? Visit our amazon shop and Patreon!

[I died and was accidentally reborn as an angelic monstrosity, so now I’m building a holy dungeon-tower that is tall enough to reach the gods; so that I can complain about it! But the humans think that I am trying to destroy the world.]

[Dungeon-Core] [litRPG] [Base-building]

Kobolds cower at the bottom of the foodchain, forced to eke out a meager existence in the most wretched of caves.

Most have made peace with their lot in life; one of eating scraps and carrion. They hide and run from predators, delaying the inevitable day when they aren't fast or sneaky enough to make their escape.

But not Samazzar.  Sam is different from other Kobold pups.  Traps and caves might keep him and his people alive, but sometimes, just living isn't enough.  The blood of dragons pumps through his veins, and Sam isn't willing to settle for mere survival.  Whether by claw, magic, or cunning, one day he will soar above the plains, predator rather than prey. And nothing, be it the mockery of his tribe, the hazards of the deep caves, or even the almost insurmountable difficulty of successfully evolving his bloodline, nothing is going to stop him.

Join Samazzar and his boundless optimism on his quest to throw off the shackles placed on his tiny scaled body by fate so that he can claim his birthright once and for all.

- - - - -

Kobold design by Faewild

Coloring/Everything Else on the cover KrazeKode

It's hard being a [Peasant] on Pallos. Immortal troll [Jarls] crush mortals under their boots, dinosaurs roam the lands, pirates sail the seas, and goblin hordes run rampant. 

Yet everyone, even Iona, has access to a grand System, making the impossible into the every day. Follow her adventures as she navigates her path through Pallos!

Valkyrie's Dawn is a collection of all the the Iona side-stories from Beneath the Dragoneye Moons. They'll be posted one a day until they're all up. If you can't wait, and need to find out what happens next? Find the chapters in Beneath the Dragoneye Moons!

I am Titan Maximus Chadman, the seventh head of Alpha Cultivation sect. I practice the Dao of Chadness and cultivate Big D energy. To grow my powers, I must be alpha in every situation.

Now that foreign cultivators have taken over Earth, I may be modern civilization’s only hope.

Discord link

A fantasy progression, a coming of age story, and a tale of revenge...

Alvixia "Vix" Altorelli's idyllic childhood is disrupted in one tragic night when the duke's fanatics ransack the Altorelli home and imprison the rest of her family, selling them into slavery across the ocean. Vix soon finds herself fleeing for her life and her freedom, fleeing to the faraway city of Floria on an island ruled by the mysterious Nurass, Prince of Shadows. In Floria, Vix's sharp mind and talent for magic land her a spot at the Perdita Free Collegium, the world's greatest school for spies, saboteurs, swashbucklers, seductresses and, some claim, practitioners of dark magic... and that suits Vix just fine. If the Collegium wants to give Vix the tools she needs to save her family and get her revenge on Duke Orso, she'll take that deal any day of the week and twice on Saintsdays, even if that means making a deal with the Prince of Shadows himself. This is Vix's tale.

Author's Note: Now that Writathon 2022 is over, updates will be on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays!

Meet Lynn Lee: yoga instructor, personal trainer, life coach, and smoothie enthusiast...

Not a mystical martial artist.

Lynn is nobody special, and yet she awakens to find herself in somebody else's body in a merciless medieval world of martial arts cultivators and superhuman muscle wizards. And, what's more, the quirky meditation technique she's been practicing for years somehow gives her an edge over most of the locals. The only question is... will Lynn survive long enough to take advantage of it?

They Shall Call Me EMPRESS is my quirky take on the cultivation novel, a story of a fitness enthusiast Cali girl transported into a realm of immortal warriors and trying to survive... and maybe even thrive beyond her wildest imagination.

Chapter updates on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday. Plus, sometimes I accidentally upload chapters on Tuesdays, which will either stand in for the Wednesday chapter or be a weekly bonus chapter. It is a mystery!

Please also check out my other novel, The Shadows Become Her

Winner of the 2022 Stabby Award!

Elaine is ripped from this world to Pallos, a land of unlimited possibilities made real by a grand System governing classes, skills, and magic.

An ideal society? What is this, a fantasy novel?

Adventures? Right this way!

A Grand quest? Nah.

Friends and loot? Heck yes!

Humans are the top dog? Nope, dinosaur food.

Healing and fighting? Well, everything is trying to eat her.

Join Elaine as she travels around Pallos, discovering all the wonders and mysteries of the world, trying to find a place where she belongs, hunting those elusive mangos, all while the ominous Dragoneye Moons watch her every move.

Hey! Beneath the Dragoneye Moons is my first writing effort, so please be kind, but don’t hesitate to point out the flaws.

The story starts off slowly, more like a slice of life than action-adventure, but it gets there!

I’m going to be posting M-W-F

I do know how the story ends, and I promise if it ever gets dropped, or I stop doing this, I will post the ending. There will be no random “this is the last chapter” out of the blue.

Miro was a slime.

Summoned under stressful circumstances and captured by the people hunting down its summoner, this slime has no idea what lies in store for it.

Perhaps food?

Most likely not.

An obscure jarl’s daughter will rise to wield the power of the gods. 

The old order is collapsing. The Archean Empire devours all in its path, toppling kings, razing cities, and massacring any that oppose it. Sweeping into the north, a land of brutal cold, ragged mountains, and dark myths, they believe their infamous discipline will crush the white-hot rage of its sea reavers and dreaded berserkers.

And at first they are right. 

But their invasion dislodges a pebble that is destined to become an avalanche. When Skadi Styrbjörnsdóttir is forced into exile to escape the Archeans, she begins a journey that will bring her to the attention of the gods, arm her with legendary weapons, and set her against immortal foes. 

Wielding the power of her ever-growing wyrd, Skadi seeks to avenge her people, and in doing so defy the world-devouring Archean Empire—and one day destroy it.

Content Warnings are selected to give me artistic freedom down the road.
Release Schedule: 5 chapters per week, Mon-Fri.
This web novel is only posted on Royal Road.
See my Amazon author page for other works of epic and progression fantasy.

World Map

What is a woman to do after reincarnating? Her cultivation crippled, the realm she inhabited foreign, and even her old name lost to her. There was one familiar comfort left to Daphne in these trying times: shopping.

There were some fates worse than dying Daphne supposed. She could have been poor.

This is a comedic take on the adventures of a xianxia cold beauty.

Link to my discord server

The stars align - the Heavens are once more looking upon the world. Seven are chosen for a destiny that will change the world. The Great Game has begun once more.

Kandis Hammond is a perfectly ordinary junior financial research analyst in a prominant Sydney trading firm. When she is transported to another world she is left naked and alone with the enigmatic System her only tool. Unsuited to physical combat, she will have to rely on her wits and charm to survive and find out the reason behind her abduction.

Using Australian (ie: British) spelling, so sorry if it looks weird. Proofreading gratefully accepted, but keep that in mind. 

A LitRPG progression Fantasy

I am a worthless prince with a useless Blessing in a world where deep running waters threaten to pull even the most experienced warriors under.

Lucky me, I’ve always been a good swimmer.

Read the bloody story tags. All of them. Only warning. 

Freya presents Chester with a choice: die as he was destined or be her champion and evangelist. Chester chooses life then embarks on an adventure to establish himself in a new life. 

Join Chester as he explores his new magical realm, its people, its magic, and the new body Freya has foisted on him.

This is a story about the family we find for ourselves and embrace to face the dangers of a hostile world and how we are better for them.

Fair warning, this work is a first draft that I've put through Grammarly so expect me to add and change the story over time. I'll mention any significant changes in the notes of the latest chapters or here. If you spot a flaw, point it out, I'll address it. Same with any questions you may have, they will be answered, whether you find it on the first or last chapter, or the day the chapter comes out, or a year later.

Generally, expect about two weeks between chapters. Sometimes I'm faster, sometimes much slower. Work often demands 14 and 15 hr days.

The first edit is currently at Chapter 27.

Book one (ends Chapter 34) I intend to leave most of it alone as far as development goes. I'm improving the grammar and characterization etc as best I can but the story will stay the same.

Book two (ends Chapter 71) will eventually undergo a large developmental edit as it's a much weaker book overall and lacks a good impetus (the stuck in dungeon reviews are somewhat accurate here in their view of the disconnect to outside.) I do intend to end in the same place. It just needs work and especially in the reduction effort. So, please bear with me.

Book three is currently being written. Albeit slowly.

Cheers.

Raelik.

Long has Mika, an otherwise devout princess of the Deep, dreamed of the wonders of the surface. Of endless oceans of trees, feathered carnivores and magical lightning. But the Overworld is a dangerous place, populated by warlike peoples who dwarf her already diminutive species in both size and brutality. To cross the boundary into that world is forbidden to all but a very few…and most certainly to her, a weak Singer in possession of a vital treasure. But when the horrors of the surface find their way below, Mika must choose: embrace the brutal, or face a fate worse than death.

~First place winner of the Royal Road Community Magazine Contest, summer 2022~

*Note: The dungeon side of this story will build slowly over time and only really kick off at the beginning of the second arc*

This story features a bisexual non-human MC and includes unconventional, probably kind of weird versions of high fantasy species like elves, orcs, and goblins. It’s also got elements of manapunk and flintlock fantasy, varied modes of gender expression, polyamory, multiple different sexualities but no explicit sex, grotesque lovecraftian body-horror abominations, fantastical versions of prehistoric animals and some very gratuitous hand-holding. 

Discord

Immortality is an illusion.

Ianna Kovac’s first moments of a new life after her own uneventful one comes to an end are marked with fear, pain, and yet another death. Faced by the guardian of an ancient tomb she experiences firsthand the horrors of her new home.  She will need to find allies; horrors, monsters, demons, warriors, and kings to help her.

No solution is out of the question, no means are off the table to survive and make her place in a world terrified of her very existence. Even if that means becoming a monster herself. After all, nothing is immortal in Orum, not even the gods.

Normal Release Schedule is 5 Chapters Per Week, Monday - Friday EST

[Completed the April 2022 Royal Writeathon Challenge!]

In a future of robots and CRTs, Atlanta is the most powerful city in the world. And in that city, twentysomething slacker Morgan Harding dreams of being able to live a normal, peaceful life... until they're given cybernetic superpowers and forced to become a hero. Together with a mysterious sentient robot and an overworked college student, they must keep Atlanta safe from the technological threats that arise... pretty much constantly... Sigh.

ATL is divided into several novel or novella-sized stories, and the entire first season is online on Royal Road for you to gobble up like a robot filling up at a power socket.

And if you're itching for more, always know you can read the story at its official website too.

Please vote on Top Web Fiction! You can vote once a week on each device for this story (and any others you enjoy!).

There lies a rock. It sleeps within a cavern, alongside a marbled altar, and in the company of a glowing, green gem. 

There lies a world. It waits with bated breath, as its sentient beings are put through the meat grinder that is the tutorial

There lies a couple, who know not what this system offers, nor what it might entail for their world. All they know is that they must live.

This is the story of how that one rock averts the fate of this doomed world, and does its best to save this group of friends.

[Congratulations User! You are the first of your kind to achieve sentience. Please select a class]

Holder of the [RoyalRoad Writathon Achievement], completed in 3 weeks instead of 5

Update Schedule: 2 Chapters a week, on Monday and Saturday (times may vary, because my schedule has only gotten crazier since I've started), at an average length of 2K words.