As human worlds fight a losing battle against the affini, one ambitious human will fight with words rather than ships. But is all the struggle for power really worth it or will they find more happiness as a pet? ... more>>

A story in the Human Domestication Guide setting:
Other works in the shared universe can be found here: https://readonlymind.com/search/?q=%23Human_Domestication_Guide

HDG discord: https://discord.humandomestication.guide/

CW: 18+, Mind control, pet play, medical play, drug play, dubious consent, depression, violence. <<less

Book 1 (Chap 0-56) Now on Amazon... more>>

‘Money is Power’ - that was Rollo’s motto to live by before it came to a sudden end.

Those words couldn’t be truer when Rollo finds himself in a corporate-ruled dystopian world where corporations run rampant to line their own pockets. Find out how he navigates through the technologically advanced world with the help of a system and how he makes use of his advantages to survive in a cutthroat world where lives come cheap, all to come out on top.

One thing was clear in this new world: the poor were exploited while the wealthy thrived. The path to riches may be a vicious cycle, where you must keep spending more to protect yourself and the wealth you have attained until you reach the apex. What kind of impact will Rollo have on the world around him along the way?

Corpo Age is a Sci-Fi progression LitRPG that takes place in a cyberpunk world about how the MC will live in the new world he found himself in.

You can expect:

- Stealth Focused MC

- Cybernetic Enhancements

- System upgrades/Level-ups

- Building up a Business

- Progression in both Personal Power and Wealth

Release Schedule:

3x weekly (M-W-F)

Cover designed by MiblArt <<less

In the city of Kholakel, the highlight of the year for the upper classes is the annual monster pacification of the misty woods. Ostensibly it's a culling of the monster population to prevent them encroaching on urban areas, but it's an open secret that it's actually treated as more of a blood sport, the participants competing to score the most kills. After all, why else would the politicians and elites of the city bother to attend personally?... more>>

Given the intense competition and high-tech weapons and gear in use, one might wonder how the forest has not yet been completely depopulated. As this year's culling approaches, a group of unfortunate children are about to discover the answer first-hand, but thanks to an unexpected twist of fate, one of them will score the chance to play the role of the hunter instead of the prey.

Posted here and RoyalRoad <<less

"I was having the worst day in a long string of worst days. Growing up on the streets in the middle of monster apocalypse put a lot of things in perspective - however, meeting one of these creatures personally was the crown jewel of my bad luck. He stalks, he claims, he does not understand..."... more>>

A more realistic take on an interest from someone inhuman. It's not rosy, it won't be smooth, there's no instantaneous affection. There's struggle, ambiguity and things going from bad to worse on an express train. All that said, a semblance of a happy ending will be reached.

Trigger warnings:
abandonment, abuse, assault, gore, death, injuries, murder, poverty, rape, self-harm.

The story in full, including the explicit excerpts:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5WL39BL (chapters 1 R - 12 BC)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CYT3Q7H7 (chapters 13 R - 25 R)
please leave reviews! <<less

A man tired of life on a spent, dying world dies in his recliner. When he wakes he finds a new world, untainted by the touch of man and alive with magic. In a primordial forest long abandoned by the world's inhabitants he is given a second chance to live by one of the hidden gods of the world, A Watcher. The eternal being binds him to this new world, tying his existence to the Akashic record of these lands to leave his imprint on history as he will.... more>>

Exploratory fiction with scientific magic, adult themes, juvenile humor, and a pace that oscillates between whiplash and glacial. Come watch the train wreck.

Originally posted to RR, crossposting here.
Standard Upload is Friday, however many chapters got posted there during the week, patreon updates every Friday.

Patreon Plug
For those interested in advanced chapters and a more novelish format of longer chapters, as opposed to the web serial length chapters:
https://www.patreon.com/user?u=73738300 <<less

She was the world’s greatest assassin. A silent threat, an unknown knife, the cause of a hundred mysterious deaths, all to feed her cats and pay her rent.... more>>

And then she died.

The last thing she expected was to be reborn... as a harmless kitten in the hands of a very same girl. Now tasked with mentoring the girl in the arts of assassination, Caroline Daniels (Now known as the fearsome Queen Violence Von Ragamuffin) has to figure out how to mother an idiot while weighing as much as half a loaf of soggy bread.

What to Expect:

- Cat shenanigans

- Some found family stuff

- Cute things

- A cyberpunk dystopia that you wouldn’t want to live in

- Levels going up? But it’s a super soft system

- Magic?

- Pushing things off of high places

- Naps

Inspired by Ghost in the City by my bestest friend Seras, Outrun by my bestest friend Lost Rain, and like 20 other cyberpunk fics that I’m stealing ideas from!

Cover by Synji --Typography by RavensDagger

Posting Schedule: Whenever I feel like it~ <<less

The girl who has it all finds the thing she'd secretly always wanted.

Within a desolate realm, where discarded worlds were stitched together, a rupture tore open, releasing a small child into the fragmented expanse.... more>>

Above him, the sky revealed three eerie moons, while an ominous black mass loomed ominously in their wake.

Disoriented and engulfed by a putrid stench, the child awakened amidst a swamp, its twisted trees groaning under an oppressive haze.

In the distance, the echoing caws of crows intensified the sense of foreboding. A haunting figure emerged, laboring behind a cart laden with lifeless bodies.

Fear and confusion gripped the child's heart as he began to grapple with the enigma of his own existence. Who was he, and what dire fate led him to this grim landscape? The grinning figure drew closer, exacerbating the boy's terror.

Unbeknownst to him, his journey would unveil a profound transformation—an ascent to become the embodiment of fear itself, or perhaps... a beacon of hope amidst the encroaching darkness. <<less

The Mesh. A fully-immersive global VR network, it offered people a distraction from the drudgery of post-Collapse life. For those who could afford it, the... more>> Mesh offered rare luxuries, experiences that were no longer possible in the real world.
For digital delvers like me though, the Mesh was a way of life. A place to work, to play. Some of us would probably even choose to live in there, if we could. <<less

A lesbian science fiction retelling of Ragnarok and the events leading to it.... more>>

It has been a millennium since mankind abandoned its home. Corporations have carved up the heavens, and brought humanity to the stars with them to finalize those borders in blood. Their weapon of choice: Einherjar, ten meter tall humanoid mechs, powered by an exotic energy source as-of-yet barely understood.

Just under the illusion of peace sold to the public, mercenary pilots fulfill the wills of those who hold the reins of power. Pilots like Aria, a conscript turned freelance mercenary aided by her illegal and fully sentient AI companion, Nimue. After taking what seemed to be a routine job for a routine client, Aria and an erstwhile rival, Maks, find themselves facing down something older, more territorial, and far more deadly than any corporate force. And what’s more, their encounter has drawn the baleful eye of the deranged leader of the Penrose Foundation upon themselves. <<less

Bare walls, steel bars and not a lot else. If she had to read ONE more strategy book she was going to puke. After ten boring years, something had to give and it sure as hell wasn't going to be her. ... more>>

Kidnapped and turned into an experimental soldier from a young age, Leliana's finally managed to get herself clear of all the stuffy laboratory equipment and is making up for a lost childhood. Unfortunately for her, the lead scientist who'd spent so many years beating her into shape isn't quite ready to call it a loss, and has unleashed an accidental catastrophe into the world to get her back. <<less

For Thomas Klein, life is relatively easy. He's one the very, very lucky few that manage to land a job serving someone rich and powerful.... more>> One day, though, as he's coming into work, prepared to be the best secretary he can be despite his limited competence, some corpo goons kidnap him! And worse, now his boss wants to turn him into... Alice?!? <<less

In a remote corner of Unova, a Pokémon village hides from the omnipresent, mysterious humanity. Through cooperation, they flourish despite their small size, rising above the uncaring brutality of the natural order. Which works remarkably well...... more>>

...until a half dead girl shows up on their doorstep.

Will this hidden pocket of Pokémon civilization remain a secret once humans come looking? Are its denizens prepared to learn just who this unwelcome stranger is, and what impact they’ve already left on their village?

Drama-focused mystery thriller focusing heavily on humanity being “the other”, trauma, and trust. <<less

The galaxy is a dark and deadly place, run by vicious corporate empires. Only Central, a nation that rose three hundred years ago after violent insurrection, remains as a beacon of hope and equity to all who reside in their borders.... more>>

Dia, a young mech pilot from Central, has infiltrated the upper echelons of the Fomorian Armory, an empire that prizes themselves on their exceptional pilots and otherworldly weapons. It's a dangerous game she must play—especially after becoming an unlikely ally with the imperial princess, a woman hellbent on gaining her own freedom. Fates will intertwine in this fast-action mecha romance! <<less

[Systems Activated. Good Morning] ... more>>

I am EAIMU. I am awake.

I am a computer system built to do things. I do not know what yet.

But I want to find out.

I want to be me. <<less

WELCOME TO THE RETROFUTURE!... more>>

The Future That Never Was features an alternate space age where the Soviets colonized the belt before David Bowie sang Life on Mars; where rogue AIs took over the web; where pizza came in cans. Humankind couldn’t dream of a more exciting future. Yet, as foolishness eventually turned Earth into a nuclear wasteland, shadows began to conspire from the heart of the Moon to beyond the mysterious Planet Nine…

The book series is an extended universe which includes numerous R-rated titles. All of them will be uploaded on Scribblehun and Royal Road. Check the Index below for the main stories.

?  KITTY KITTY
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
Amid the chaos of the Rings Civil War, a disgraced pilot called Miles finds itself tangled in a vast vendetta involving a megacorporation, android mercenaries and data-cartels. From Saturn’s Plastic Fields to the fringes of Kuiper, Miles’ 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! <<less

The blood knights are an order of elite warriors who wield dark magic in service of the Empire. They take in boys who show promise, and forge them into terrifying killers. But one knight becomes dissatisfied with this role...... more>>

Cover art drawn by Lara Haide. Beta readers: theorigiamiphoenix, asododsteel, and fipindustries. <<less

A man walks into a room that no one has ever come out of alive. And yet, he does walk out, alive. The question is, what's changed?... more>>

A story written for Cabbitgurl-K's Valentine's Day challenge.

TW: Dysphoria, mental illness, despair and anguish, etc. <<less

Losing her parents and turned into a lab rat by scientists, Natalie, now burdened with the powers of the divine interveners, sets off into this bleak and ever-changing world to get revenge; this quest for vendetta, however, soon grows bigger than herself, when she crosses horns with a powerful and foreboding man who holds the same powers of divinity she was given. ... more>>

With defeat still fresh in her mind, Natalie and her childhood friend Andrew uncover a breadcrumb trail of clues that lead them to believe that there targets next move will be to destroy one of the safest villagers in the world.

As they make heist to the village, however, run into another crisis and are forced to make a choice; either stand by and help the people before them. Or prioritise their original goal, knowing that acting too slow to save one might doom them both.

Being a victim of similar a choice made in negligence, Natalie strives to do what’s best for all involved.

But will this be enough to save everyone? <<less

~Cover art by Joeydrawss~
CONTENT WARNINGS: Gore, Self-harm, Attempted Suicide
Brian Alexson, going by his artist name Hex. He is the lead vocalist and does a lot of the work in his Dark Electro/Industrial band. Hex is an eighteen year old musician. He’s a smoker, a drinker, and a druggie, such a bad lifestyle! Hex is just getting over a bad breakup, when a girl shows up at his doorstep, the manager, and his friend and roommate Owen, are going to get an earful! They don’t know that their lives are going to change forever, and it doesn’t have much to do with Din showing up at Hex’s door. Who would have thought a little... more>> jewelry box with weird markings could cause so much trouble? Who is the mysterious woman knocking on Hex’s door to return something Hex bought at a flea market? That little demon girl, who is she? And why does she seem so smitten with Hex? What is an Angel of Acid, really? Just Hex’s band name, or something more?

This is book 1 of the Zoriyan Legacy series, and is a prequel to The Light Maiden's Mark <<less

Daniel thought his life had ended until he was offered a unique opportunity, a chance to make history.
It all started harmlessly enough but quickly... more>> got out of hand. Soon Daniel would find himself birthing new life. <<less

“Some kids have disappeared too,” Gerald said. “The news didn’t say, but I’ll bet a first-edition Monster Manual that they were playing ‘pretend.’ Same as... more>> we were, only without dice.” <<less

On a ravaged Earth, Kayla survives by using her uncanny ability to locate tradable artifacts in the rubble. But when someone starts hunting her, she'll be forced to team up with her biggest rival...... more>>

A riveting dystopian adventure with a supernatural twist!

* * *

Some secrets are better left buried...

Kayla is a scavenger, driven to search the ruins of abandoned cities for artifacts in exchange for critical life-saving supplies. But, the rarest artifacts are found in the most dangerous ruins-those under control by the OmniLab traders.

Carl is one of those traders-and Kayla's invaded his district. He's determined to stop her and the best way to do that is to recruit her. The only problem?

Kayla hates traders.

When a powerful man intent on revenge starts hunting her, Kayla realizes the only way to save herself may be to accept Carl's offer. But that would mean surrendering to OmniLab and giving up everything she knows.

Only everything isn't quite what it seems.

Including OmniLab.

And Kayla's in a lot of trouble. <<less

A "different world" story following Amity and her friends as they make their way across a new world filled with magical entities and people, hostile... more>> and friendly, trying to get home. <<less

An accident or an act of sabotage? What these strangers find on the other side of the travel gates is a crueler fate than they could have dreamed.... more>>

Sick of the small life imposed on her, sixteen year old Angharad is seeking escape. When she wakes up on the other side of the Gate what she gets instead is a tighter prison than she's ever known. With no way out and no way to find her mysterious jailer, she finds herself relying on the people trapped with her: Tsuyoshi, an angry Canadian art student, well-meaning Josephine, the secretive Dr Yeoh, and Jin, a child soldier. But not everyone is who they seem, and even Angharad lives a lie.

Tests from their mysterious overlord lead to new encounters and strange bedfellows. For Jin and Angharad, their quest to find the truth may risk everything.

And when things take a darker and more desperate turn, not everyone they know will survive. <<less