Love in Dark Settings

Основное правило его жизни – не раскрывать ничего о себе.

English-language blurb for the novel:

White Rose has lived a double life for too long. For too many years, he has struggled alone to determine how he should handle an ethical dilemma he never wanted to face. Now, finally, he has found help online. But is it the right help?

Twenty Thousand Gold Stars describes an online world where anonymity is all-important, and where a knock on the door can spell disaster. Yet behind the masks that are unwillingly donned, men and women seek answers to imperative questions that will determine, not only their own futures, but the futures of those they meet in real life.

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I'll link to this eventually from my website, but I wanted everyone to have a chance to see the fruition of months and months of work by Rose Red and her beta reader. Unfortunately, I can't read Russian, but I can testify to the dedication of this team, from the number of inquiries about words that were sent to me during the translation process. (English-language readers can have fun by going to the ends of the posted chapters and seeing which English words had to be explained to Russian readers in footnotes. Impressively lengthy footnotes.)

Two guards. Two prisoners. A multitude of problems.

Parental supervision is strongly suggested for this story.

He knew what his prisoner's expression would be before he saw it: a mixture of apprehension, wary hope, and the expression he had come to fear most of all – determination.

This is my 2010 holiday gift story, posted in celebration of Midwinter's Eve, marking the beginning of Hell's Fast. (I trust that you've all had your merrymaking in preparation for the long winter deprivation.) The story is in response to this prompt by shadowsonthesun (though your name really should be shadowonthemoon tonight, you know).

Death lurks everywhere in the Eternal Dungeon . . . even in a Seeker's bedroom.

He had awoken, on that day after, to find himself lying alone in bed.

Feel free to start a story discussion in the comments below. Spoilers may occur in the discussion.

Vovim was renowned for its strong monarchy, for its love of the theater, and for its skill in the art of torture. In other words, it had all the qualities needed to become a civilized nation. But would anyone be willing to defy Vovim's tyrannical king? And if they did, would they survive?

"Crawl," said Master Toler.

Feel free to start a story discussion in the comments below. Spoilers may occur in the discussion.

(You guys have been awfully quiet about The Eternal Dungeon. Are these particular stories not stirring any thoughts? Or am I posting too fast? Or are you simply more enthralled by my medical drama?)

He has come from the Eternal Dungeon to offer his services to another prison's head torturer. The only trouble is that the head torturer likes him too much.

"Right," the record-keeper said, fishing into his drawer. "The prisoner is in Cell 43,516. You'll be assigned your living quarters later. Your shift runs from midnight to dusk."

Note that the novel has a historical note. The discussion thread for the story is here.

Only the loyal presence of one man has kept him alive. Now that man's loyalty is about to be tested.

Every man in this room knew that it would be a sentence of death to take that from him. Yet, as always, the best interests of the prisoners came first.

Discussion thread is here.

The prince was told that he must find himself. But what if finding oneself means losing one's love?

Parental supervision is strongly suggested for this story.

"I thought that he would return once his wounds were healed. I would never have left him if I had known this would happen."

This is flash fiction for my upcoming Prison City retrofuture series, which is partly set in a 1960s world that has Jetsons-like devices. It was written in response to this prompt by Lothy at the slavefics LJ community.

Depositing money in the bank was always the worst problem.

Here.

This is the text that inspired Edward Burne-Jones's illustration for William Morris's The Kelmscott Chaucer (1896), which appears in the main image on my home page.

"Rebirth 1: The Breaking" has been revised, but since most of the revision is stylistic, you aren't likely to notice any of the changes.

It had seemed for a while that the plan would work: a bold conspiracy by a group of idealistic prisoners and sympathetic guards to stop abuse at Mercy Prison. Then betrayal occurs, and Tyrrell finds himself in a new life prison, with new rules to be learned. No longer is he in a position of leadership; now he is surrounded by men who question his most fundamental values.

He has new allies as well: fellow prisoners who like what they see in him, a healer who refuses to accept current conditions, and guards who may or may not provide the help that the prisoners desperately need. But Hell's messenger, Death, visits Compassion Prison, keeping his face hidden until it is almost too late for Tyrrell to recognize his touch.

Parental supervision is strongly suggested for this story.

"'Sentenced to sixty lashes of the leaded whip. Sentence commuted to a transfer to Compassion Life Prison.'" Keeper raised his eyebrows. "That's the first time I've ever heard a transfer to this prison described as a commutation. We'll assume that that particular phrasing was meant as a joke."