Boilerplate warning for all my stories + my rating system. Stories that are entirely new this year are marked [new]. The others were previously issued but are new to AO3. You can find all my stories at my website. I announce my fic at ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
duskpeterson and at my e-mail list.
Turn-of-the Century Toughs
A cycle of alternate history series about adults and youths on the margins of society, and the people who love them. Set in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the novels and stories take place in an alternative version of America that was settled by inhabitants of the Old World in ancient times. As a result, the New World retains certain classical and medieval customs.
M/M, gen, a bit of F/M, a bit of nonbinary, a bit of asexual. Rated Teen or Mature (depending on the story). All the stories in the cycle, plus resources.
Rebirth (The Eternal Dungeon novel). Elsdon Taylor, a prisoner accused of committing a terrible murder. Layle Smith, a torturer with a terrible past. Their meeting in the Eternal Dungeon appears certain to bring out the worst in both men. ¶ Yet neither man is quite what he appears. As the prisoner and his torturer begin to be drawn toward each other, the ripple effects of their meeting will have a powerful impact on other inhabitants of the Eternal Dungeon: Layle's faithful guard, struggling to contain his doubts. A younger guard determined to take any shortcuts necessary to ensure that his life follows the path he has already chosen. An old love from Layle's past, still sorrowing. And most of all, a prisoner who has not yet arrived at the Eternal Dungeon, but whose fate will depend on how Layle handles Elsdon Taylor . . . and on how Elsdon handles Layle Smith.
Transformation (The Eternal Dungeon novel). The Eternal Dungeon, a royal prison where criminals are transformed, has lost its leadership. The duty of returning the dungeon to normal falls on two Seekers (torturers) who are already burdened with their own problems. One Seeker is struggling to understand why an old love affair continues to gnaw at him. The other Seeker is faced with his greatest challenge: whether to risk the man who is most precious to him in order to save his own abuser.
The Balance (The Eternal Dungeon novel). The Seekers (torturers) in the Eternal Dungeon have always expressed contempt toward the Hidden Dungeon in the neighboring kingdom of Vovim, whose torturers abuse prisoners without restraint. But the balance between mercy and hell is not so clear as might be thought in either dungeon, and now that balance is about to tip. Only the strength of love and integrity will determine the paths of two Seekers whose fortunes are bound together.
[new] Patience (The Eternal Dungeon flash fiction). There are patients, and then there are patients who require patience. The world's most famous dungeon-keeper has a cold.
[new] The Awakening (Dungeon Guards novel). Barrett Boyd has awakened from death to a new and baffling life. He knows that he is a guard in the queendom's royal prison, the Eternal Dungeon. But why do the prisoners matters so much to him? Who are these other guards who appear to have claims over him? And how will he survive while he finds his new place in this world? ¶ As Barrett seeks to make sense of his surroundings, he must contend with a would-be love-mate, a grumbling rebel, deadly enemies, and the challenge of how to wield his expanded skills.
[new] Lockdown (Life Prison short story). Having other folks flaunt their winter festival celebrations is bad enough, when you're a prisoner locked down for the rest of your life. ¶ The only thing worse is having a cell-mate who is determined to join the celebrations.
Whipster (Michael's House novel). Michael is an ex-prostitute, which means that nobody in polite society wants anything to do with him. He believes that the only way to help other male prostitutes is to make their working conditions bearable. His friend Janus is an upper-class gentleman who believes that his duty to the gods requires him to fight against sexual immorality. Now Michael wants Janus to help him run a house of prostitution.
Master and Servant (Waterman novel; crossover with Maculategiraffe's The Slave Breakers). Born into a society with a strictly ranked system of masters and servants, Carr has sought to tread his way delicately between the clashing values of the parents who raised him and the uncle whose household Carr will one day live in. Yet when he and other students at his boarding school become the latest participants in an ongoing battle between the oystermen of their Bay, Carr finds that his position of power may bring danger, not only to himself, but also to a schoolfellow he is drawn toward.
[new] Runaway (Waterman short story). Bat is in trouble. Again. ¶ The only way out of the trap this time is to take a leap into the future, into a world of wonders that his mind can scarcely grasp. ¶ But trouble awaits him at the border to his refuge. How Bat handles that trouble will determine his own future . . . and the future of what he is leaving behind.
[new] Duties of a Second-Ranked Master (Waterman short story). Studying at boarding school is hard enough. Balancing the needs of your liege-master and liegeman is impossible. ¶ As Davenham struggles to be both loyal and protective, he finds that he must consult the most despised student at school. But what use is it to seek advice on duties from a boy who seems incapable of mastering his own duties?
[new] Liegeman's Service (Waterman novelette). Bereft of his liegeman, Pembroke is forced to cut short his education in order to serve his liege-master at the Third Landstead University. War upon the waters seems imminent in their bayside landstead. But Master Rudd, who will soon rule over their landstead, is interested in nothing but food, games, and his most recent passion, women. ¶ With his own bed now cold, Pembroke must decide how far his loyalty extends to his liege-master. The answer may lie in long-remembered tales from Pembroke's boyhood.
Chronicles of the Great Peninsula
This is historicalfic only in the loose sense that it's inspired by history. But I'm including it here for the sake of anyone who likes this particular era.
A cycle of mythic fantasy series about an epic battle between cultures, set at a time when a centuries-old civilization is in danger of being destroyed. The cycle is inspired by conflicts between nations during Late Antiquity.
Gen (mainly in the form of romantic friendship), F/M, a bit of M/M, major nonbinary/trans character, celibate/asexual characters. Rated Teen. All the stories in the cycle, plus resources.
Blood Vow (The Three Lands novel). He has taken a blood vow to the Jackal God to bring freedom to his land by killing Koretia's greatest enemy. But what will he do when the enemy becomes his friend? ¶ Thrust into exile and pain, young Andrew has no choice but to accept the friendship of the very person he had vowed to kill. When he returns with his friend to his homeland fifteen years later, though, he finds himself in a land of conflicting loyalties . . . where a vengeful god awaits him.
Law of Vengeance (The Three Lands novel). For over twenty years, Lord Carle has told the heir to the Emorian throne that vengeance is only the other side of mercy, and that disobedience and treachery should never be forgiven. Finally it seems that his message has been received. Which makes it all the more unfortunate that Carle should have chosen this moment to break the law. ¶ As war threatens and the foundations of his life crumble, his only hope for rescue lies with a man who has every reason to hate Carle.
Breached Boundaries (The Three Lands novel). The boundaries of rank declare that Serva can be a princess or she can be a slave. But for the bastard daughter of the King of Daxis, life is not that simple. ¶ Forced to be a tool in a battle waged by her land's unstable King and his dangerously devious heir, Serva cannot even find refuge among her fellow slaves. Instead, she secretly explores the hidden portions of the palace. In this way, she meets an imprisoned spy who is scheduled for execution. ¶ But when a simmering war bubbles to the surface, Serva must choose where her loyalties lie. She must also solve the mystery of the spy's past, and of her own future.
[new] The Fire Before (The Three Lands novella). The god's fire is fierce, but not as fierce as the god's wrath if you turn away. ¶ Tristan is the King's heir, destined to rule the Kingdom of Koretia. His nephew Robin has taken Tristan's place as baron of their town. Now both men are about to face the worst crisis their land has ever known. And neither of them understands what the true crisis is. ¶ As Tristan struggles to find the courage to follow his god's command, and Robin tries to find a middle ground between piety and disloyalty to his uncle, the two noblemen will be forced to confront the consequences of war . . . and the consequences of their own inaction.
[new] Hidden Blade (The Three Lands novella; posted at the end of 2019). His father is a dull farmer. His mother is a dull farmer's wife. He seems destined for a similarly dull life. ¶ But then a stranger appears in their village, and suddenly the talk is of soldiers and spies and secrets and gods. Will he be able to break free of his father's legacy and make a bold dash to a life of his own?
Free-man's Blade (The Three Lands short story). Free-men are the backbone of Emor: the men who run and protect the empire. But when a young servant finds himself unexpectedly vaulted into manhood, he must decide how he will use his power, and who will pay the price of his decision.
Mystery (The Three Lands novella). Three days ago he faced death by fire. Now he faces a bigger challenge. ¶ Made a priest at age thirteen and then elevated to the high rank of City Priest when he was twenty, Prosper has long held a position of tremendous power. But a terrible misstep causes him to break the God's Law which governs the Northern Peninsula. Now he is in exile from the God's Law: any man who meets Prosper is free to murder him. ¶ A friend has sent Prosper to a protector . . . but can that protector shield Prosper, not only from potential killers, but from the consequences of the exiled priest's unacknowledged demons?
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