Storyworlds — The Modern Raconteur

A red-haired woman in a fitted metallic cybernetic suit stands in a dark futuristic industrial interior lit by blue screens.

Hardwear The future was supposed to make us more efficient. It neglected to mention the tailoring.

Two women in rugged post-apocalyptic clothing stand together in a dusty market settlement of patched metal and stone.

Three Tuesdays After Civilization had ended three Tuesdays ago. They were already tired of hearing about it.

A regal woman in an ornate black-and-gold gown holds a staff amid the ruins of a vast futuristic city at sunset.

Rarely Ceremonial Every empire eventually discovers that ornate ceremonial staffs are rarely ceremonial.

A woman in a white futuristic suit walks beside a small green alien through a crowded neon market street.

First Contact, With Snacks First contact went considerably better once someone remembered snacks.

A woman in a fitted black leather outfit and decorated top hat poses in a rain-darkened futuristic industrial corridor.

Terms of Admittance There are places where a sidearm is considered unfashionable. This was not one of them.

A warrior woman with a glowing sword stands on a ruined beach beneath two moons, with small armored companions at her feet.

Salt Protocol The sea glowed blue at night. Sensible people admired it from indoors.

A warrior woman holding a coiled whip stands in a dusty futuristic settlement beneath monumental structures.

Competent Opposition The arena promised glory, gold, and immortality. She would have settled for competent opposition.

Two women in weathered futuristic clothing smile together in a dusty settlement of towering ruins.

Familiar Company The apocalypse had improved neither the weather nor the quality of small talk.

A steampunk-styled woman in a long dark dress and top hat stands beside a mechanical horse in a moonlit futuristic city.

Brass Reins She trusted the horse completely. The horse, being mechanical, had read the terms and conditions.

A blonde woman with a cybernetic arm smiles in a dusty post-apocalyptic market wearing layered leather clothing.

Repairs and Relationships She could repair an arm, a reactor, or a relationship. The first two were easier.

A woman in a pale windblown dress walks along an alien shoreline beneath a huge planet at sunset.

Landfall The brochure had promised an unspoiled beach. Technically, it had delivered.

A dark-haired woman in sleek black armor looks over her shoulder inside a blue-lit futuristic industrial space.

Metal Weather Black armor was traditional, flattering, and remarkably forgiving about laser burns.

A woman with cybernetic eyewear and a glowing blue pendant smiles in a dark high-tech interior.

Seventeen Thousand Alibis The eyepiece could identify seventeen thousand mechanical failures. It still could not detect bad ideas before breakfast.

A blonde woman in a cream classical gown sits confidently in an ornate golden interior.

Regard Queens are rarely born looking like queens. The useful ones learn the posture early.

A tattooed woman in rugged steampunk clothing stands in a dusty futuristic city holding a glowing display.

After the Oracle Omens improve with calibration.

A blonde armored woman rides a heavily equipped horse through a dusty futuristic settlement.

Other Arrangements Public transit had become unreliable, so she made other arrangements.

A woman in dark steampunk clothing holds a glowing blue orb above a table of intricate mechanical instruments.

Three Kinds of Future She sold charms, maps, and three kinds of future. Refunds were not part of the magic.

A woman aims a large futuristic pistol glowing cyan while standing high above a ruined city.

Range She had been told not to touch the ancient weapon. In her defense, it had a trigger.

An older bearded man in goggles and a heavy coat sits at a table in a crowded steampunk market or tavern.

Mostly Strategy He claimed the game was mostly strategy. The others suspected the cards were marked.

A crouching woman in goggles and rugged steampunk clothing poses beside exposed gears and machinery in a dusty city.

Repairable The machine had been dead for a century. She disliked being told what could not be repaired.

A woman in a hat and rugged frontier clothing stands beside an open equipment case in a dusty futuristic settlement.

Trust Is Optional The town had one law, two saloons, and no compelling reason to stay after sunset.

A woman in rugged futuristic gear performs a glowing handheld procedure on a seated man's head in a desert workshop.

Second Opinion Field medicine had improved dramatically. Bedside manner remained a separate upgrade.