Alternate History - Stories

The siege is over. The city is theirs. But for Darien Haskal and his feral Vanguard, the real war has just begun. Raymond of Toulouse has seized the Holy Lance and declared himself God's chosen commander. Baldwin of Edessa plots from the north, hungry for revenge. And somewhere in the Sultan's tent, a prince's back is being carved open to pay for Antioch's fall. The Vanguard marches south alone—extorting coastal cities, hunting spies in the hills, and building a sanctuary for outcasts. Jerusalem waits. But the road is paved with fanatics, betrayal, and the corpses of kings.

Every town has a history. Every town has stories that have been handed down through the ages . . . stories that tell of people or events that may, or may not, be real. Thompsonville is no different. In fact, this town probably has more than most. Here’s another one of them!

Shawn slips, falls, and dies, but his mind is transferred to himself in an alternative universe. The humans in this universe are far in advance of what he knew. Merged with an AI system, Shawn must explore this seemingly utopian world as he goes off to college only to discover a dystopian reality and military dictatorship. He was given a system that allows him certain skills or abilities and lets him improve those the more he uses the system, similar to a video game; some involve sex. Will he be able to level up fast enough to save himself, his new friends, and potentially the human race? Or, could the stakes be even higher than that?

If you've ever wondered how Santa Claus can do everything he's purported to do at Christmas, well, you're about to find out. Or at least a theory.

Summerabbacat likes to call my tamer stories Lee Wilson Light. Well, this one is going to be Lee Wilson Light as a snowflake. But I hope you all can still enjoy it with the spirit of the season in mind. There are no gay characters. There is no sex. There is no nasty antagonist. Anyway, here goes.

Jessy is someone you have to believe—quite literally. That's his superpower. Without uttering a single word, he can make anyone believe absolutely anything.

In a world where everyone with even the slightest superpower is labeled an "Aberrant" and forced to live on a so-called reservation, Jessy is left with a choice: He can do what the law requires, or he can be a supervillain. There are no other options.

He and his boyfriend choose supervillainy.

In the shadow of a crumbling empire, Constantine XI Palaiologos stands as the last hope of Constantinople, a city teetering on the edge of oblivion. As the Ottoman army, sixty thousand strong, masses beyond the walls with cannons poised to shatter the city’s ancient defenses, he grapples with a faltering faith in the God and the weight of a two-thousand-year legacy. Will Constantine’s resolve to fight for the souls of Rome, noble and commoner alike, defy the inevitable, or will history remember him only as The Last Of The Romans, will The Purple Phoenix rise once more, or will it remain a pile of lingering ashes.

When a divine being of glamour accidentally inspires a Roman emperor, history gets high heels. This hilariously fabulous short story reveals the true (and very sparkly) origin of drag — or rather, D’reg.

In a neopagan theocratic society where gay boys are classified as Dominant or submissive at eighteen, Ivar and Lars are sent to a midsummer initiation on the island of Mandø after being caught together. But as the days unfold, it is Ivar, rebellious, proud, and secretly aching to surrender, who takes center stage. Amid leather, rituals, and strict mentors, he discovers that submission may not mean weakness, and love may come in unexpected forms.

Wanted criminal Hong Shen finally meets his end after being stabbed in the back by a comrade. As he makes his final resting place under a dead plum tree, he submits to death.

Instead, he receives two choices: die, or be given a second chance.

To take the second chance means he must complete a trial in the past in order to return to the present. But what he doesn't know is that the trial isn't only difficult for him, but even more difficult for the person he must be to fulfill it.