Queen Cecia's Shorts
Read ch 42 as of 05/02/21
Finding Camellia
Ch 21 as of 20/03/22 ** this story is uncomfortable to read. DROPPED - FL is Camellia (Lia) 12yo / Camellius (Lius) Bale - Kieran Bale 15yo is frail with a secret, incurable disease. - Marquis Gilliard Bale and Anastasia Bale - Claude Ihar, 15yo heir to the Grand duchy of the north - FL was born in the slums and is the illegitimate child of the Marquis and Laura, a servant. Her mother was forced to become a prostitute to support themselves. The pregnant Laura was told to leave by the Marquis after being falsely accused of harming Kieran, who was found naked and unconscious in the snow. - 12yo FL is kidnapped by Anastasia. FL is forced to live as the younger brother of Kieran, to help bolster the standing of House Bale. Both Kieran and the Marquis are affectionate to FL. - Anastasia is in charge of FL’s education. - Marquis Bale secretly tries to find Laura. - FL is slapped hard by Anastasia after Claude burns his hand while showing FL (as a boy) how to use a musket. She thinks FL covets Kieran’s position as heir, and is trying to seduce Claude and Prince Wade. FL is under pressure by Anastasia to be a perfect and invisible child (doll) of House Bale. - Anastasia is overheard secretly by Claude. Later outside Claude puts snow on the crying FL’s cheeks, just like FL put snow on his slightly burnt hand. Marquis Bale chastises Anastasia for her harsh punishment of FL. - Lewin Sergio, King of the northern Gaior kingdom (a villain?) - A diamond mine was discovered in a northern neutral territory. Grand Duke Ihar couldn’t obtain possession of the mine after the Emperor interfered (?) and a war over the mine is imminent (?) - The medicine Kieran takes is no longer effective and his condition worsens. Claude offers to take Kieran to see Schmidt, a renowned physician who owes a favour to House Ihar. Schmidt is the royal physician to House Sergio in Gaior. Anastasia is desperate to save her son and makes Marquis Bale accept the offer. - Prince Wade von Weiz 20yo - Princess Rosina, fiancé of Kieran - Marilyn Selby, daughter of a Marquis, fiancé-to-be of Claude - 4yrs later, 16yo FL is finally allowed to attend the Academy in the capital after years of private lessons. FL will commute to the Academy from a private residence. FL sees this as a chance to find her mother, as Laura and the slums are in the capital. - Kieran is still away in Gaior after King Lewin proposed he remain to study during his recovery, essentially taking Kieran as a hostage. - FL meets Wade and Claude in the capital. - While being measured for the Academy uniform, FL reveals her true gender to Frank the imperial tailor who remains discreet. - FL visits the imperial palace for the 1st time. - That night FL is excused from attending the imperial banquet due to indigestion. Claude discovers FL is staying at the palace and visits FL’s room. Claude warns FL about how the Prince likes shiny and pretty things. - Ian Sergio, 3rd Prince of the Gaior kingdom - Kieran ask Ian to help deliver a letter to FL. Anastasia has blocked all communication between Kieran and FL. - FL and Pipi the maid go shopping in the capital. - Someone is attacking noblewomen in the capital. Marilyn is one of the victims. The suspect is a member of the revolutionary faction that wants to get rid of the monarchy. - Ian surprises FL in the capital and gives FL the letter from Kieran. Ian asks FL to accept his invitation to visit Gaior. - FL visits the Bale estate to wait for Kieran’s return. - FL knows she’ll be abandoned and thrown away once Kieran has made a full recovery. She plans to reclaim her life as a woman and search for Laura in earnest. - Kieran returns for the engagement ceremony with Princess Rosina. He plans to return to Gaior afterwards to continue his studies. - Anastasia offers to hold a funeral for “Camellius Bale” as a reward to FL for fulfilling her role so well. FL wanted to earn Anastasia’s forgiveness for herself and her mother, but Anastasia refuses to forgive them.
Fight Like a Girl
Ch 85 as of 13/03/22 - Rumble High School: ruled by the top martial arts fighting clubs. - 9 major clubs: Sambo, Judo, Boxing, Karate, Taekwondo, Sanda, Muay Thai, Kendo, Ko-ryu. - “No.1 at Rumble High means No.1 in the world” - New MMA club formed by Sunny Yan, huge fan of Troy Qi - Troy Qi 20yo, professional MMA fighter - He promised his mother to become strong, heroic, and manly. “A real man,” “the greatest man in the world,” and the world’s best fighter. - Tori He, 2nd yr high school student. - She was quiet, weak, and hated violence and pain. - She was an honours student. - Tori as Troy has amnesia (retains none of Tori’s memories) and her breasts got bigger for some reason. Tori’s family: - Frank He, a wealthy and caring stepfather - Kane He, older stepbrother (CEO of his own company) - Her mother died Tori’s posse: - Julia, karate club - Winnie, boxing club - Alice, going home club Cast of characters: - Ox, vice captain of the judo club - Bear, Captain of the Judo club (childhood friends w/ Rain) - Jun Kim, Captain of the Taekwondo club - Rain Murong, 1st female Captain of the Ko-ryu (Traditional Martial Arts) club. Helps Tori out when she has her 1st period (after being possessed by Troy). Teaches Tori about Qi. - Yves Liu, Captain of the Boxing club - Jonas Gui, Captain of the Karate club - Dragon Yi, Captain of the Sanda club - Theo Pah, Captain of the Muay Thai club - Mariko Yagyu, Captain of the Kendo club (female) - Flynn Duan, Captain of the Sambo club - Tori and Troy switched bodies when he saved her after she fell from a building rooftop. Troy’s body (with Tori’s soul) died. Tori become infamous as the girl who killed a world fighting champion. - Tori first met Sunny when he was getting beaten up by Ox. - Jun Kim left a love letter in Tori’s desk but she ignored it. - Sunny, Tori and her posse go to the judo club to face off against Ox. He made the match 5 vs 5. Winnie defeated 3. Sunny won against the 4th with direction from Tori (who he’s now calling Master’s wife). Sunny loses against Ox but Tori steps in as the new captain of the MMA club. She knocks Ox out with a spin kick to his chin. It’s caught on video and goes viral. - Kane saw Tori fight Ox and takes her to see a psychiatrist after she tells him Troy Qi possessed her body. - At the airport to see Kane off as he heads back to the US for business, Tori goes into the lift and becomes panic stricken with claustrophia. In the lift with her is Bear, the disciple of Joseph Nakano the judo expert that Troy Qi defeated in his last fight. - Tori sees a vision of herself as Troy watching a small scared girl in a dark, wet and cramped space before large closed doors and a monstrous bear emerges. Troy defends the girl and lashes out but hits Bear in real life. He continues to fight this ‘judo bear’ until he wakes up as Tori again when an incoming car shines its headlights. - Troy as Tori starts getting flashbacks to traumatic memories of hers. She has claustrophobia due to child abuse and sexual assault by Kane’s friends (and possibly her birth father?) in the past. - Kane signed a business deal with Mr Tracy that was pushed by his partner Peter and the board of Kane’s company (who were intimidated and bribed). Mr Tracy heads a group of ruthless gangsters and wants to take over Kane’s company, so he uses Peter to betray Kane. Tori is invited over to the US by Michelle, Kane’s secretary to attend an event. Tori is drugged and kidnapped by Peter to use against Kane. - While drugged, Tori remembers more of her past. During a video call to show she’s alive, Tori confirms with Kane that her mother died when she was hit by a car while running after the bikers who’d taken Tori, then in junior high. Her mum had just been at Kane’s school for complaints about his delinquency, including hanging around those bikers. Kane had made an offer to Tori’s mum to leave his father in exchange for his good behaviour. - Kane was contacted by the bikers, recognised Tori’s voice and rescued her. Kane took Tori to the hospital where he saw his distraught father by the bedside of Tori’s mum. The last words Tori’s mum mouthed to Kane were “I left him. Don’t forget.” Kane went to prison for a year after beating up the biker gang that held Tori captive. He studied finance and became successful. - Filled with guilt and remorse, Kane vowed to protect Tori. - Tori beats up the room full of thugs with Peter. She finds herself in an undergound fight ring owned by Mr Tracy. She recognises Neo Torres, an ex-MMA fighter who lost to Troy before and now works as hired muscle for Mr Tracy. Neo threw the match with Troy, was banned for life and his wife left him with their son. This rematch fight is a close call, but Tori still wins in the end after mastering her Qi. Tori suddenly has another past memory resurface of a young, terrified Tori facing her monstrous birth father. - Kane and Michelle saw Tori fighting Neo. They try to fend off Mr Tracy and his men who have guns. In the end, an overpowered Tori surging with energy takes out the bad guys before fainting. The police later arrive at the hospital to arrest and charge those involved with illegal gambling, fighting, kidnapping, etc. - Tori visits the Legends Sports Club where Troy used to train under his master. She’s shocked to learn all of the members actually hated Troy and believed he rigged the world championship fight. - Zed Zhao, the “eldest brother” who was Troy’s training partner, interrupts Tori fighting the members for badmouthing Troy. He gives her an old photo of Troy as a boy with his mother. - Michelle takes Tori back home while Kane remains in the US to sort out the company. Rumble Apex Competition: - Fight to determine who is the strongest at Rumble High and then go on to the national tournament. - Group A is made up of the top 8 club captains (exclude Ko-ryu). - Group B is made up of all the remaining invitees. - The start of the competition for Group B quickly devolves into an all-out brawl in the gymnasium. - Tori covers her entire body with Qi that acts as protective armour to absorb the attacks from the intense fighting. - Towards the end, Tori loses her will to fight. She’s not sure who she is or what she’s fighting for anymore. - Mary, student council president. She’s the rumble events coordinator and was the MC for the Rumble Apex competition. - Mary loves chaos and has turned the female student body against FL who think she’s seduced all the boys. She gets bullied and her uniform is ruined, including her underwear. She only has a karate uniform to wear and she’s chased around the school so they can forcefully take lewd photos of her. - FL’s friends Sunny, Julia and Winnie rush to her aid. Over 40+ students (male and female) are fighting against FL and her 3 friends. - FL’s subconscious takes over and the attackers look like monsters. She fights back as Troy Qi with superhuman abilities. Only when Zed Zhao shows up does FL regain her senses then faints. Rain protects FL and takes her to a safe place. - FL sees her stepfather demonstrate what a real man is during the parents conference over the brawl. He shows guts and wits, stating FL as the true victim who acted in self defense against mob mentality bullying. - Zed Zhao has been hired to monitor full time the students’ behaviour at Rumble High. Mr Talon Gu the guidance counselor secretly wants to use Zed to get rid of the fighting clubs and Principal Dante Wang. - Tori makes lunch for Zed and they have lunch together each day until Zed is reported to the Principal and told to stop. Tori is confused by her feelings for Zed. - Mary arranged a fake gang hold-up. Tori comes to Mary’s rescue and beats up the leader and former boxing club captain Hyena. When someone uses a knife, it triggers mental trauma for Tori and she blanks out. - Zed Zhao goes to check on the fighting clubs and is challenged by Yves at the boxing club. Zed defeats Yves after seeing him as Troy. - Zed is then challenged by Jonas Gui and they agree to meet off school grounds for their fight. Zed again shows his true fighting colours by picturing Troy to defeat Jonas. - Mary keeps testing Tori by having herself appear kidnapped by her own staff so Tori will give chase. Tori realises it’s all fake. - Kane returns and wants to take Tori to Japan to see a scientist called Professor Tim Saito about returning her consciousness. - Tori secretly meets Zed one night before she leaves. They spar and Zed finally realises that she’s Troy. - In Japan, after some initial tests Tori undergoes hypnosis and relives a memory of her abusive father. - Kane listens to the recording and confirms he heard Tori’s mother left her father who was a gambling addict that was often violent with them. - Saito thinks Tori might have dissociative identity disorder but emphasises that’s not for certain. It’s the closest scientific explanation at this point. - Tori as Troy starts to question his own existence. - Tori undergoes hypnotherapy again. Troy sees what really happened on the rooftop the day Tori committed suicide. She was meeting her birth father to give him money. He pretended to apologise for everything then left. Tori had sawn through the barrier and intended to push him off but couldn’t do it. In the end she saw the only way out was to jump herself. - Tori’s spirit tells Troy that as a girl, she’s been nothing but a burden to everyone around her, even to him. It’s because she was born a girl that her mother was treated badly by her grandmother and aunt, and why her father turned to gambling. Troy rejects her body but would’ve had no issues if she was a boy. She says sorry to Troy and disappears. - Tori as Troy is now convinced he’s real and will continue living through Tori’s body. He wants Kane to give up on bringing Tori back and to stay out of his way. - Tori as Troy, Kane and Michelle return home. - Bear challenged Zed to a match. While Zed also defeats him, Zed is impressed with Bear’s skills. - The next phase of the Rumble Apex begins with a series of elimination matches. The top 8 clubs and the Bokh (Mongolian wrestling), Koppojutsu, Sumo, and MMA clubs already qualify for the 3rd final round. - Zed, Rain and Mr Gu are the match judges. - In a shock win, Muay Thai defeats Boxing. - To motivate Jun Kim, Tori makes a bet that she’ll go out with him if he wins. After over 13mins of Tori dodging Jun’s intentionally missed kicks, words from Zed motivate Tori to unconsciously activate her Qi at last. They fight properly and Jun concedes before Tori can land the final blow. - Tori tests herself to confirm Troy has completely taken control over her body. She stays inside a closed locker and has no reaction. - Zed sees Tori and Jun at the school rooftop. After Tori rejects Jun’s confession, Zed interrupts to say she’s already got him. - The match between Kendo and Koppojutsu ends in a tie. Both are badly injured and can’t proceed to the next round. - Bokh vs Karate match also ended with a double defeat. - Bear won after he threw the Sumo Captain out of the ring. - Mr Gu announced the Sanda captain left school to fight professionally. He proposes Zed step in the ring instead against the Sambo Captain. - Later it’s reported a brawl started after outside fighters entered the school. They were called in by the Sambo Captain after he lost to Zed. He accused Mr Gu of sabotaging his chances to win. The Principal resigned because of this incident. - Tori goes with Zed to a ring where they spar. She agrees to accept his offer to be with him if he can beat her, and she activates her Qi. (Needs an epilogue: what about the asshole gambling father? What about Kane and Michelle? What about Alice’s back story?)
The Empire's Hidden Hope
Ch 08 as of 11/05/22 ** so far it’s a bit cliched and boring … - Set in the Han Empire during the Joseon period. - FL is Han Wol 20yo, Junior Officer of the Palace Guard - She started as a trainee 5yrs ago - Hyeok Dong Hyeong 23yo, Junior Officer - Seo Yul 26yo, Captain - Hwan, Martial Guard of the Emperor’s Palace - He’s the personal guard of the Emperor - became the 17th Emperor 10yrs ago - more interested in women and alcohol than politics - Chief State Councillor Shin runs the country. - The ministers have control of the imperial court. - Preliminary hunting competition - test FL’s skills by releasing wolves - Councillor Shin’s illegal funds - FL takes down 4 men by herself - She’s promoted to the Martial Guard. - 10yrs ago the Emperor was assassinated. - Cho Hanwoong, a close aide to the Emperor, was framed as the murderer. The entire Cho family were sentenced to death but the daughter was the sole survivor.
The Second Male Lead is Actually a Girl
Ch 33 as of 30/01/23 ** art style is a bit odd, not sure if story is worth it ** story is kind of annoying… might drop - FL died in an accident. She is reborn into the world of a novel she read as Rosa Veronica 10yo, an orphan commoner who works at an inn. Her mother Jane Veronica died from an illness. - Her father is Duke Calygo Estella who had a one night stand with Jane. He later becomes sterile and is looking for his illegitimate children when he finds FL. She is his only living offspring. He gives FL a magic polymorph ring to wear that turns her into a boy. - FL becomes Rozenta Estella, the Duke’s heir. Rozenta was the supporting male lead in the novel. - Crown Prince Theodore 15yo is the male protagonist. - Vivian Marigold 10yo is the villainess and daughter of a Marquis. - FL becomes friends with Vivian to stop her stalking behaviour. - FL becomes close friends with Vivian and Theodore. - The Helios Empire: - The 4 duchies have unique skills that are inherited by each generation. The Estellas have the power to curse. - The founder of the Estellas was a necromancer. - FL receives magical artifacts to help control her power. - When FL is 20yo, Calygo dies in a carriage accident from a landslide. Then Emperor Alexander falls into a coma and dies. - Theodore is the new Emperor and FL is the new Duke. - Near the desert city of Terian, a great sandstorm that occurs every 200yrs has formed on the outskirts of the Empire. - FL goes with Vivian who was invited by the Grey duchy to visit them in Terian. - In the novel, the “dark crusader” was a genius black mage. - He was subjected to cruel experiments as a child under his mentor and master, a sage of the magic tower. In the end he killed his master and ran away. - FL hires the black mage nicknamed Wolf to help stop the sandstorm. Wolf is disguised as a butler. After Wolf stops the sandstorm, they borrow griffins to return home. (The Grey duchy have the power to tame magic beasts?) - FL met Wolf when they were children and she named him Enok. He was sent away from the Estella estate after recognising FL’s true gender because he's sensitive to magic. - Han Yoora, a Korean high school student, is the Saintess in the novel. At the palace she falls from the sky like a comet. - Konitel the high priest arrives to take Yoora to the holy land. - Yoora can’t decide whether to stay in the Empire or go to the holy land yet. Konitel remains at the palace for now to tutor her. - Theodore feels like he’s being manipulated or controlled. In the novel he was a tyrant who was reformed by Yoora. - Yoora’s behaviour is very suspicious. Vivian doesn’t trust Yoora and warns FL that Yoora is dangerous. - Enok Wolf is hired as FL’s new butler. - FL enters a secret room in the estate where her father developed his powers. It includes books and a lab. - Duchess Nikke Cardia has the power to control plants. - The Cardia family own the Silva region. - FL’s mother Jane was Nikke's maid. - Duke Elef Snow has territory in the north. - The palace holds a banquet for the Saintess. - curse of bewilderment
Lady Crystal is a Man
Ch 05 as of 23/04/23 - Crystal / Chris Rotary 22yo was born a boy, raised as a girl. - Her mother was a concubine who kept Crystal’s true gender a secret to protect him from the succession battle. - Ilian Pentrine 25yo was born a girl, but raised as a boy. - After her older brother died, her father went insane and insisted she was a boy. When her father died, she inherited the title of Grand Duke. - Crystal sent a marriage proposal to Illian in a desperate attempt to avoid the arranged marriage set up by his father. - Marianne, Crystal’s nanny - Hans, a Rotary coachman - Julia is Marianne’s niece and Crystal’s only friend. - Including Ilian, only 5 people live at the Pentrine estate: - Demian the butler - Jenny the cook - Mel - Mille - King Avery - House Pentrine is in the north. - House Rotary is in the south. - Crystal has been taking a growth inhibiting drug for a long time. One of the side effects is he gets overcome with fatigue and a purple mark appears on the back of the neck. - Ilian sees the mark and realises Crystal is a man.
I Choose the Emperor Ending