In SerialPaternum: A Superhero Story Action Adventure Drama
When Quinn finds an experimental superpower-granting costume in their parents’ attic, they didn’t expect to be drawn into a web of superhuman intrigue, but their discovery serves as the catalyst for that conspiracy to slowly unravel.
At it’s heart, Paternum is an extended coming-of-age story for the main character as they become a superhero, in a world with more reasonable stakes and less powerful heroes than many superheroic worlds. Themes include what art means to different people, and what it means to be a patron, whether as a sponsor, a parent, or a supporter.
I consider Paternum‘s primary influences to be the various versions of Spider-Man, J. C. McCrae’s own superhero story Worm, and Drew Hayes’ story SuperPowereds. I hope that fans of such stories can find something to enjoy in mine as well.
Paternum is primarily hosted on my website (thevoidwrites.com) where it updates weekly in groups of scenes totalling approximately 2000 words. Here on Royal Road, it will update once daily with one scene at a time, but only after each act is completed on the home site - the next batch of updates is scheduled to begin on February 5th. There is a discord channel for discussion (discordapp.com/invite/QFMM6yA), and you can vote for Paternum on topwebfiction (topwebfiction.com/vote.php?for=paternum) as well. Finally, you can buy the first book of Paternum, The Swift Uplifting Rush, in a couple different ways - as an ebook through Amazon, or directly from me for a discounted price, or as a physical paperback from Amazon. Buying the book will give you access to Drawing Hands, an exclusive arc that won't ever be published on either my site or Royal Road.
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1. Arc 1 - The Swift Uplifting Rush, Act 1 - The Morning's Hush, Scene 1
2. 1. 1. Scene 2
3. 1. 1. Scene 3
4. 1. 1. Scene 4
5. 1. 1. Scene 5
6. 1. 1. Scene 6
7. 1. 1. Scene 7
8. 1. 1. Scene 8
9. 1. 1. Scene 9
10. 1. 1. Scene 10
11. 1. 1. Scene 11
12. 1. 1. Scene 12
13. 1. 1. Scene 13
14. 1. 1. Scene 14
15. 1. 1. Scene 15
16. 1. 1. Scene 16
17. 1. 1. Scene 17
18. 1. 1. Scene 18
19. 1. 1. Scene 19
20. 1. 1. Scene 20
21. 1. 1. Scene 21
22. 1. 1. Scene 22
23. 1. 1. Scene 23
24. 1. 1. Intermission
25. 1. Act 2 - In Circling Flight, Scene 1
26. 1. 2. Scene 2
27. 1. 2. Scene 3
28. 1. 2. Scene 4
- In Serial30 Chapters
MANTIS: On Hiatus
Two young adults who were childhood friends are killed amidst a pandemic worse than our own. After many years apart, Rihelah was on her way to see Michael, hoping to rekindle their friendship on the day they would both lose their lives. The pair are unwittingly selected to represent Earth in a test set forth by godlike beings who are intrigued that our world gave rise to complex life without having been intentionally seeded by their kind. Michael and Rihelah are reincarnated as predatory insects upon a distant planet called Edon. Elves, Dwarves, Dragons and their kin, Goblins, Ogres, Humans, Lizardfolk, Orcs, and sapient arthropods known as Enkelyn all inhabit this beautiful world touched by magic. The tiny mantids must survive terrified and very much alone upon arrival, while neither is aware that the other has also been reincarnated upon the same island. Naked in their new chitinous exoskeletons, they must now brave the terrors of an alien world's food chain. Each will benefit from their years of experience on Earth, but they must somehow find a balance between old lives and new. Moderate mindsets and peaceful values from a mostly safe and privileged life on Earth must now contend and somehow coexist with the strange physiology of a new and unfamiliar body as well as the violent aggressiveness of a predator's mind. To top things off, the pair are about to find themselves struggling with their inner turmoil while swept up by terrible conflicts they know nothing about. Both endure the hardships of their new lives while attempting to understand and make proper use of a mysterious and terse video-game-like System that pops status notifications into their vision from time to time, but initially has no useful interface. Some of the options they are presented with sound enticing, but as with everything else in life, each choice has benefits and drawbacks... Author's Note: This story makes many changes to the original version, and readers of Mantid will find that many things in Mantis are new and different; especially after the first few chapters. I've learned a ton from writing like a madman, and also from the RR community. I appreciate you guys! :)
8 211 - In Serial19 Chapters
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Lanna knows to avoid the cities. Armed to the teeth with robots, weapons, and advanced machinery, they promised death to someone like her. But the backwater hamlets and towns that still ran on wind and water mills and horse-drawn wagons still pose their own risks when you're hiding a terrible truth. Shackled by a past she can't escape and a history built on blood and lies, a young woman with a dark secret lurking within works herself to the bone to barter passage across the sea to a home she's all but forgotten. But time is running out to find that safe haven before her truth is discovered and she's slaughtered for it.
8 150 - In Serial6 Chapters
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8 233 - In Serial65 Chapters
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Benedict Blake always wanted to be a vampire. Then he became one. After years of obsession, Benedict finally found a vampire, but she refused to turn him. So, he took her blood and turned himself. But he did not become an ordinary vampire. Benedict was reborn as the first of his kind; the progenitor of a whole new vampire bloodline. The vampire community, however, is not fond of new things. Ancient vampires hunt him, some to eradicate him, and others to use him as a pawn in their own nefarious schemes. Alone beyond the veil of the paranormal, Benedict must master his new abilities and figure out who he can trust before being undead turns into being just plain dead. New chapters will be posted every Saturday.
8 238 - In Serial126 Chapters
Luster
Growing up with her recently deceased mother’s addiction and her own struggles with gender identity, June Fujiwara was not a nice person. Gaining powers from nearly being murdered didn’t change that, and neither did becoming a mercenary to fund her transition. It took horrific manipulation, the resulting trauma, and the family that helped her through it all. Luster is a derivative work based on Worm by Wildbow (John C. McCrae) that begins prior to Worm and although it doesn't show straight away, the story is very AU.
8 83 - In Serial19 Chapters
Madagascar and OC! REWRITE!
Join five zoo animals - Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe, Gloria the hippo, and Ayana the Leopard - who have spent their whole lives in blissful captivity. Unexpectedly, two animals escape following Marty's dream to go to the wild. The rest follow suit for a rescue mission, and after a series of events, find themselves washed ashore on the eponymous island: Madagascar.NOTE: This is a rewrite of the original story!
8 178
Boy
Girl
