《Darling》Concord town road January 1862
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The four girls are walking, bundled against the cold. The streets are more bustling, the atmosphere cozier. It is how childhood always is in memory - - brighter and better. They are back to the daily task of making a living. Meg was the first to speak " It's so hard to go back to work after such good times." Beth felt sad " I wish it was Christmas every day." Amy piped in " or New Year's, wouldn't that be exciting?" Jo scoffed " We're a bunch of ungrateful minxes!" Meg looked at Jo " Don't use such dreadful expressions!" Jo looked back at Meg " I like good strong words that mean something." Amy just looked at the older girls " Well I have to go to school and I don't have any limes." Jo looked at Amy questionably "Limes?" Amy looked at Jo " the other girls are all trading pickled limes. I'm in debt. I owe ever so many limes." Meg hands Amy a quarter " will that do?" Jo looks disapprovingly at Meg " what did you do that for?" Meg looked to Jo " I know what it is to want little things and feel less than other girls." Amy smiles at her sisters "Between this and the drawings I should wipe out my debt." Jo looked at Amy questionably "What drawings?" Amy turned to Jo all defensive" Nothing!" Beth shudders " I'm just glad that mother doesn't make me go to that school with all those girls....." Jo turns to Beth " Beth, after your shopping, I need you to work your way through the new sums and spelling and I'll check it all when I get home." Meg looks at the sun, and speeds up. " Hurry! I'll be late!" They break apart from each other at the fork in the road Beth and Meg going one direction and Amy and Jo in another.
Jo hopes over a fence and runs toward Aunt March's house. As Aunt March dozes, poodle in her lap, while Jo stands by the bookcase and surreptitiously reads her own book. She turns the page, trying to be as quiet as possible, but Aunt March wakes up. "JOSYPHINE!" Jo tries to hide the book " yes!" Aunt March glares slightly at her " Is there a reason you stopped reading Belsham?" Jo quickly " I'm sorry, I'll continue l." Aunt March examined her " you mind yourself, dearie, one day you'll need me and you'll wish you had behaved better." Jo carefully answered her Aunt " Thank you, Aunt March, for you employment and many kindnesses, but I intend to make my own way in the world." Aunt March scoffs " No one makes their own way, not really, least of all a woman. You'll need to marry well." Jo looked up at her Aunt " you are not married, Aunt March." Aunt March snapped back at her " because I was rich and made sure to keep my money." Aunt March looks at Jo softly " I know you don't care much about marriage now. I can't say I blame you, but I intend to go to Europe one more time, and i need a companion. How would you like to the person I take?" Jo was surprised " I'd like that more than anything!" Aunt March smirks at her " Then read and don't sneak around. I don't like sneaks."
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During a break, one of the school girls whispers to Amy " President Lincoln." Amy turns to her "No! Father is fighting for him." Another girl turns to her " My father says the war is a waste, we should just let them keep their labour." Amy turned shocked " It is immoral!" The same girls continued on " Everyone benefitted from the system, including you Marches - why should only the south be punished?" Amy looked at all of them " Perhaps we should all be punished." The first girl turns to the other girl " The Marches love a cause." Another girl pokes her head in " Fine, Just do Mr. Davis." Amy had a worried expression on her face " I don't know if I should." The first girl turns to Amy " I'll wipe out your debt and give you five more limes besides."
Amy is seduced, and instantly starts drawing the caricature. The girls giggle. Amy gets carried away, drawing a conversation bubble with words " My eye is upon you, young ladies." More laughter. Suddenly, a shadow falls over them, and all the girls look up, scared, and move away. Amy however, is too wrapped up in her drawing to notice. When she does, Mr Davis looks down sternly at her.
Laurie tries very hard to study with his sister and tutor, Mr. Brooke, but it is hopeless, Laurie keeps jumping up and distracting both himself and Lottie with something in the room. His most recent position is standing like a statute, perched on a Chair with Lottie beside him on another. Mr Brooke is getting frustrated with the pair " Sit down. Sit down, Laurie, Lottie . Latin is a privilege. Please, you have to learn this. I can't afford to lose this position. Just return to Cicero." But Laurie is looking out the window and Lottie is on her tippy toes trying to see what he is looking at. Laurie looks at Mr Brooke " There's a girl out there." Mr Brooke refuses to believe him " No, there is not." But Laurie is persistent "YES! Mr Brooke, there is a girl!" Laurie throws open the window and pulls Lottie with him. He looks at her as if to tell her to talk " Hello there! Are you hurt?" Amy March looks up at the window sniffling " I'm Amy." Lottie smiles at her " Hello Amy, I'm Lottie and this is my older brother Laurie!" Amy sniffles again " I know. You brought my sister back from the dance - I would have never sprained my ankle, I have lovely small feet. Best in my family. But I can never go home again, I'm in such trouble. Look." Amy holds up her hand, which is red and bleeding a little. "Mr Davis hit me." This upset Lottie who could possibly think to hurt such a lovely young girl.
Amy, sat on the couch as Lottie took her hand in hers and bandaged it up for her, Amy couldn't take her eyes off of the youngest Laurence " Your very good at that." Lottie just smiles at her " Thank you I have had practice with Laurie as an older brother! Your all done." Lottie patted her hand gently. Amy sat looking at an art book, pretending to be a very fine lady and putting on a voice " Tell the servants that I want this painting purchased for me! IMMEDIATELY!" Lottie laughs at this confident girl looking at her brother. Amy likes making her laugh. Mr Brooke shakes his head, frustrated. A servant enters, followed by Jo and Meg. The servant points at Amy " She's in here...." Meg goes instantly to Amy, while Jo gets distracted by all the books. Laurie stands when Jo enters making Leigh laugh at his reaction " Jo!" Jo turns to Laurie " What richness! Theodore Laurence you ought to be the happiest boy in the world!" Laurie just looks at her smiling " A fellow can't live on books alone." Jo just stares at him " I could." Meg is tending to Amy, and Mr Brooke can't help but stare at Meg, completely flummoxed by her beauty and goodness: Meg looks at Amy " what happened little lamb?" Jo looked suspiciously at Any " What did you do?" Amy plays innocent " Just a drawing and then.... Mr Davis hit me." Amy starts to cry again and Lottie makes her way over to her but stops when she realises she has Meg. Amy holds up her hand again as Meg takes off her gloves and put them on a side table while she examines her sister's outstretched hand. Mr Brooke eyes the gloves, he's drawn to the items so recently worn by Meg. Jo, who has been roaming the room, stops in front of a portrait of Mr. Laurence. Laurie follows her gaze. " Christopher Columbus, look at that." Lottie laughs at her use of words making a tearful Amy smile slightly. Laurie walks up to Jo " That's my grandfather. Are you scared of him?" Jo didn't take her eyes off of the painting " I'm not scared of anyone! He looks stern, but my grandfather was much more handsome." Unfortunately, during this speech, Me Laurence has entered with Mrs March, unseen by Jo " Jo! We do not compare grandfathers!" Jo spins around and sees Mr.Laurence and her mother " You think he's mores handsome,hey?" Jo looks at him surprised " Oh, no. You are very handsome. I didn't mean..." Mr Laurence cracks Jo half a smile " I knew your mother's father. You've got his spirit." Jo smiles at Amy " thank you, sir." Marmee tends to Amy. " you are not to attend that school any more." Jo walks over to them " Good, that man has always been an idiot." Marmee looks at Jo then to Amy " Jo will teach you." Jo was shocked "Me?! I already teach Beth!" Meg looked at Jo " You're a good teacher." Mr Brooke was trying to start a conversation with Meg " Yes, women being taught at home is much more proper, take Lottie for example." Meg turns to him " Only because the schools for women are so poor." Mr Brooke agrees with her " indeed, quite right." Amy turned to her mother " I wish all the girls would leave his horrible school and that he would die." Marmee looks at her youngest daughter " You did wrong, Amy and there will be consequences." Marmee turns to Lottie and Laurie " Thank you so much for taking care of Amy. My girls do have a way of getting into mischief." Lottie smiles at her " So do we!" Marmee smiles at her " Then you should run over and we'll take care of you." Lottie smiles again " And please come here whenever you'd like. And tell Beth to come too." Jo looked at her " YES! Beth would adore the piano!" Mr Laurence looks at her " Is she the quiet one?" Meg smiles " That's our Beth." "Tell the little girl to use our piano." Laurie turned to Jo " And Jo, borrow any book you'd like!" Lottie looks at Amy as Amy looks at her " And may I come look at the paintings?" Lottie smiles nodding her head at her causing Amy to smile to. Mr Brooke looks at Meg " There is also a lovely greenhouse...." Marmee looked at her daughters "we must be going. Girls?" Jo turned to the Laurence family " Thank you." Amy looked at Lottie hopefully " Please come over." Meg looks at them all " Many thanks, Our apologies." The women leave and Mr. Brooke notices Meg has left her glove behind. " Oh, Miss Meg! You forgot your glove!" The men and Lottie are left standing in the silence of their absence. Mr Laurence breaks the spell " Well, back to work, back to work."
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Ok another update.
I am going to go see it again today can't wait.
Word Count 1825
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Delve
Summary – Level 1: Delve is an isekai litrpg that follows an average guy who just happened to wake up in a forest one day. He wasn’t summoned to defeat the demon lord or to save the world or anything like that, at least as far as he can tell. The only creature there to greet him was a regular old squirrel. Soon enough, he meets other people, only to discover that he can’t speak the language, and that not everybody immediately trusts random pajama-wearing strangers they met in the middle of the wilderness. Things generally go downhill from there, at least until the blue boxes start appearing. Delve is a story about finding your way in a new, strange, and dangerous world. It’s about avoiding death, figuring out what the heck is going on, and trying to make some friends along the way. It’s not about getting home, so much as finding a new one. Did I mention that there will be math? Summary – Level 2: Okay, but what are you in for, really? Well, this story is supposed to be realistic, or at least, as realistic as a fantasy litrpg can be. The main character doesn’t instantly become an all-powerful god and murder-hobo his way across the universe. Delve is, at its heart, a progression fantasy, but that progression is meant to feel earned. The numbers in this story actually mean something. Everything is calculated, and if you find a rounding error, I expect you to tell me about it. That said, if math isn’t your cup of tea, there is plenty more that the story has to offer. Characters are meant to feel real, and progression isn’t only about personal power; it’s also about allies, connections, and above all, knowledge. Figuring out how the system works is a significant theme. ... What, you want more details? Okay, fine, but this is going to get a bit spoiler-y. Are you sure? Yes! Really sure? I mean, this summary is practically half as long as the first chap– Now! Okay, okay! The main character becomes a magic user, but he takes a route that is not very popular in adventurer culture, namely that of a support. There is a full magic system with various spells, skills, and abilities, but our MC decides that aura magic is the way to go, and that the only stat worth investing in is mana regeneration. Most people at the Adventurer’s Guild think that this makes him a bit of a dumbass, but he’s playing the long game. We’ll see how that works out for him, won’t we? Because of his build, the MC levels up fast, at least compared to normal people. There are no cheats, though, and he is limited in other ways. There are some clear and pretty obvious downsides to his build. That’s what makes it fun, no? Morals? Our MC has them. Again, we’ll see how that works out for him. Realism, remember? Would you be okay with killing someone and looting their body? I sure hope not. POV? The focus is on the main character, but there will be occasional varying perspectives from people around him, or involved in the events related to the main plot. It isn’t going to jump all over the place. Tech is standard medieval stasis. No smartphones, but the MC does have a technical background. Computers and their programming might be involved. There might even be a bit of uplifting down the road, who knows? Anyway, it isn’t the focus. He isn’t going to invent the gun in chapter 1 and change the face of warfare. Romance is not a major focus. Friendships are more the name of the game, though there will be some characters in romantic relationships. There is exploration, though not as much of the geographical nature as you might expect. It is more about exploration of the system and the culture. The pace is slow and detailed, sometimes verging on slice-of-life. The action is meant to be realistic and grounded in the numbers, and it is intended to have meaning beyond simply punching things until they stop moving. The general tone of the story is grey, and some parts can get quite dark. People die. Sometimes, people with names, but not anywhere near GoT level. There is plenty of light, too, though, to balance the darkness. The world is dangerous, but overcoming that danger is why we’re all here, isn’t it? Anyway, if you’ve made it this far through the summary, you clearly like words. I hope you enjoy the story! Cover by Miha Brumec Summary Updated: 2020-06-14
8 822Moonlight Demon (GL LITRPG)
Ash had spent the last six years on the streets of the Jewel Empire's capital, Jade. In that time, she learned that she could only trust herself and that relying on humans was something she simply could not afford to do. That changes though when she is chosen by the goddess Magia to become a Savior. Now, along with Keiko, a girl who has mastered everything except what her family wished she would, and Kaori, another Savior who is Ash's polar opposite, Ash has to figure out how to make this new life work. But, with escalating demon attacks, her own confusing nature, and an entire religion that cannot stand her existence, she may not be able to do so. --- This story is also on Webnovel and Scribblehub.
8 255Boss
Riley Grey is your average hard-working college student. Average meaning he does just enough to get by. Despite his lack of dedication to all things educational he still strives to work hard on one thing at least, kicking butt in his favorite virtual reality game: Dreamscape Online. Still, he isn't great at that either, until he gets caught up in a freak accident while playing. All of the players now have their eyes set on a tempting target. Unfortunately, that target is now our hero turned villain. He must struggle through everything that life throws at him in order to reach the simple goal he set for himself. To explore this new world he finds himself in.This story is Discontinued. Due to personal reasons, I had been pulled away from writing for an extended period of time. Now that I have my time back, It's just no longer fun to write this story. I won't remove any content for those still curious (a lot of my readers had told me I was doing a good job), but it's not likely I am going to add anything either. Thank you for the adventure that writing this story for you has become. I have read every comment and review and still come back to them. It has been wonderful to see all of you supporting me on this journey.
8 148Illusory
There was a girl whose feelings changed the world around her, and with every step little smoke clouds emanated from her feet. Her soul pulled right out of her chest like a long, blue comet with a tail, and swirled around her body like a protective blue flame. When she walked in a tight space the very metal itself around her melted and shifted so that she was walking in a cage of blue light, a cage of her own devising. Please read the original Tapas version for the best experience! Updates every day.
8 226The Wild Touch
The world of Delmathar has many conflicts and plots that span over the whole world and even into the war torn oceans. That’s not even taking into account that the world is a candidate in the Realm wars… but that’s a story for another day. Instead we will follow the story of how a goddess’s botched attempt of using a weak earth soul to make powerful Grafter for her mother, ends up empowering an unsuspecting little boy. The boy who is called Nosal Brownwhisker, who happens to be a peaceful little buttonless-shirt loving little Capyban. And as the Brownwhisker family tries to juggle their everyday lives on their monster ranch and hiding little Nosal’s secret, more and more developments keep popping up in the village of Pancreedy that makes life more.. interesting. Author’s notes:This is my first fiction and I understand it will suck. Hopefully you will find it to be enjoyable enough to hang around. There’s not going to be any epic world-ending fights or any stuff like that, just some shenanigans generally with the story progressing very slowly as it changes from many viewpoints. The world of Delmathar may seem funky for now so I will promise a glossary every 15 chapters. The wild touch will be updated at least twice a week, with me having no backlog of chapters. So if I get mobbed at work or get sick I will let you know in my notes on a short chapter. I hope you enjoy, and thank you for the people who support me, give me encouragement and pointers.
8 170BLUE | ᴛᴀᴇᴊɪɴ ✔
Where Kim Taehyung sits by the sea, devoid of reasons to be happy or enjoy life until he meets a stranger who is happy without reason, follows his heart's call and lives every moment of life.Inspired by Blue Side and Blue and Grey. ( Maybe it is related to the song, maybe not)
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