The guard in front of the incubator chamber checked Alan's ID carefully, moving it to see the holograms dance. Mother as always hired the best. For herself.

“Sorry for your loss,” the guard said.

“She'll be back soon,” Alan replied, staring at the seedp…

There was an abrupt change of context, so violent that Tenever felt himself feeling for the edges of the dream, but was thrown back by the immediacy of the scene.

The interior of an armoured vehicle was once again folded around him, but it was mostly ups…

"Elarion, could you maybe help me for a bit?"

Selura had watched the young half-elf nervously peering around the corner, clearly afraid of his oppressor lurking nearby. The entire situation saddened her. She wished she could protect the young boy bette…

"BREAK IT UP! NOW!"

Billy was a lot older than most of the new arrivals at the orphanage. A human boy of nine, left parentless after an orc raid, Billy was not the usual blank canvas, but a somewhat educated child. As such, he had developed a specific …

Moira couldn't understand it.

How could Selura, a woman she rather admired, be so forgiving of a drow elf, considering the incident.

Several decades ago, a drow raid had set upon a gathering of moon elves, a small clan living in the Moonwood, to the n…

Story is marked as mature

Chaz Chaplin made films in black and white; there was no green

It was gold, rush to modern times, comedy supreme

I love how he inspires even little kids bright like city lights

Why should we hate on people we don't know? The past has got delights

That we …

If Drow Elves are a rare sight in the surface realms, Half-Drow are all but unheard of.

Most humans have never seen a dark elf, and with his dusky grey skin and stark white hair, a lot of people assume Hraz'Elarion is one of the notoriously evil Underdar…

The festival passed by absent either girl's presence, as neither felt particularly festive. When the time came for Taka to return to her studies, she did so eagerly, searching for any distraction from the painful fissure in her heart.

When her own gempuk…

Keshintai's correspondence trailed off over the last couple of months of the year, until eventually, all of Taka's letters went without reply. Concern filled Taka's mind, and she began to worry that something might have happened to her friend. The only co…

The next year passed in a blur, the two friends and lovers filling it with all the experiences they could, knowing that Keshintai was nearing the end of her studies. This would mean they would see each other far less often, so they made up the difference …

There was another attack as we exited the concourse. Small arms fire from several mid-ranged infantry rifles and a single heavy support weapon, with above-average accuracy. Skilled shooters, but poor weapons. The last-gen, outdated firearms put up an impr…

Rock back and forth

Upon the front porch

I find myself here once again

I'm grinding my teeth

This sanctuary

Won't let me keep playing pretend

A cigarette held

As memories meld

The past, present, future are here

And though I have claimed

My faith is reg…

The cell door slammed open. Kerr looked up, and locked eyes with his brother. "Gierard," he growled, contemptuously.

Gierard's voice, by comparison, gave no indication of any emotion at all. "When I ascended to the throne..." he began.

"Usurped!" Kerr…

Taka was thrilled by how well her fireworks were received. Her excitement was, however, slightly tempered by her sadness that her family, and her tutor, Fakura, could not be here to share in her success. Though her sorrow could not survive the sight of he…

Story is marked as mature

Story is marked as mature

The pair returned to their dojos and their studies, though they resolved to increase the frequency of their visits to one another, now meeting up almost every week, not to let so small a distance come between this new and exciting romance.

They each love…

The pair continued much as before, though their time spent together grew more intimate and more frequent. Taka tried to split her time evenly between spending time with her family, helping Fakura with the fireworks, and enjoying Keshintai's company, but t…

"Ah! That stings!" Taka complained, as Keshintai attempted to clean her wounds with a damp cloth.

"I'm sorry, you were always better at this sort of stuff."

"No, I'm sorry, you're doing your best. Here, I may be able to try something." Taka meditated a …

CRACK!

All magic comes with a price, and Taka was regretting the drawback of the particular protective potion she had just imbibed. While it dulled the sting of her opressors' whips, it bound her to the Earth, slowing her movements. Already slower than…

The journey was brilliant. They left a week early so Taka could offer Tamori Fakura her help in preparing the fireworks display. Taka had to teach Keshintai the basics of riding, and at first, she struggled, but eventually she got the hang of it and was a…

Nightly, he would walk home from work. John hoped and waited in his secret heart to see the sun break from the horizon to end his everynight.

It was almost as if the sun was hiding from him. He stopped along the sidewalk and turned to the eastern skies.

N…

I took pity on Ryle and spun the paper at him, watching him catch it idly with his left hand.

On it were three words in the butler's formal lettering and one in my sister's tall, elegant script. The butler's words were simple - an abbreviated version of …

The silence stretched on, but it was a well-trodden quiet. A familiar space between us, to be relaxed into like a favourite chair.

The lamp on the floor guttered, a little, and Ryle leaned over to trim the wick. While he was so occupied, I unfolded a nea…