The Great Unmoving Library

A sample of the librarian's many literary works...

On the Subject...

A collection of opinions and ramblings. Keep in mind that I am in no way endorsing any kind of illegal behavior and that my words are simply my own two cents on the matter.Read at your own discretion....

On the Subject of... Creative Writing

Haven't written one of these in a while. Forgive me if I'm a bit rusty in putting my thoughts into words. I might repeat myself, maybe even meander a bit, but rest assured, however, that I'll be doing my best at this, if only for my own amusement and satisfaction.On the subject of writing... It might be conceited of me to write something like this, but I at least value some of my own opinions despite how bad or wrong they might seem to some. Then again, writing is subjective like that, yes? Everyone's entitled to their own style, and there will always never be one correct style of writing unless you really want to appeal to a specific audience. So as a preface, my style heavily relies on the fact that I don't care about what others think; only that I convey my scenes and dialogue in a way that makes sense. As a whole, my writing style has been influenced solely by reading fanfiction of a particular kind in a forum that I won't name. Even down to the style of sorting my chapters and way of presentation, all of these things stemmed from a single fandom (Which is Worm btw) which would probably explain why it's such an amalgamation in the first place. Just to be clear, I haven't read original works in both Webnovel, Wattpad, or GoodNovel for that matter. I also haven't written something that actually took off in terms of readership, so take my opinions with a grain of salt moving forward.Let's get started, shall we?⬛⬛⬛First up: the subject of covers, titles, and synopses. Personally, my lack of artistic flavor makes me ineligible to have an opinion on covers. I usually just photo bash some pictures together and hope for the best. In that case, I have no opinion on the matter beyond don't make it look stupid.⬛⬛⬛On titles... The meta of making your titles as long and concise as possible has irked me to the core on some occasions. As with my own titles, I have the true title and the commercial title; the latter of which is what you might be seeing on the site right now. On that note, why do you think it's become such a pervasive practice that it turned meta? Simple. It's because of competition.In an oversaturated market such as the isekai/transmigration genre, the premise is what would usually sell the book to readers. And with the current reader audience's piss-poor attention span(I'm sometimes guilty of this,) combined with the vast amounts of work available on the market, the necessity of being able to catch a reader's attention from the title alone becomes even more paramount. When looking through a browse section, some readers don't even bother with reading synopses anymore; relying only on the title if a book is worth their time. And thus, the meta of writing out the premise of your story as a title became such a widespread phenomenon that it's just ridiculous how long some of these titles are. I mean, have you seen some of this stuff? Some are paragraphs-long, even. All in the name of maybe catching a reader's attention with a semi-original premise.Now, do we subscribe to this kind of thinking? Probably. Maybe. I know I don't, but I still have two sets of titles depending on who asks. Writing in a non-meta genre can probably let you afford sticking to the cool titles, but in oversaturated genres, you might have to make concessions that you might not like. Hilariously, as an anecdote, as soon as I changed my titles on Webnovel to just outright tell the premise of the story, my views jumped by a substantial amount. Popular keywords such as 'CEO' and 'X is a Y' actually work despite how bad they might sound in your ears. So do keep that in mind, I guess.TLDR: Readers are lazy. If your title tells them what to expect, you have a higher chance of grabbing their attention than hoping they read the synopsis.⬛⬛⬛On synopses... Kind of also suck at these. I have a tendency of writing long ones simply due to my own OCD to make over-complicated stories that necessitate the number of words required to explain just what the hell is going on in my story. I do subscribe to the usual tenants of decent synopsis-writing that shorter is better. After all, if you're already having trouble with the title conventions of today, then your synopsis- writing skills would probably be just as bad as mine. Making it short and concise is always good. Making sure that it properly conveys your premise, or whatever the focal point of your story is, will always be the top priority in my opinion. Is your story character-centric? Focus on describing your protagonist. Is your story reliant on this one plot point? Make that the focus of your summary. Etcetera, etcetera.Basically, just sell your story with a short and sweet sales pitch. It wouldn't hurt for you to write a long one, but it will make a difference if your target audience only cares for that sweet dopamine release.TLDR: Readers are lazy. Anything longer than necessary can risk killing whatever interest your title might've sparked in your prospective audience.⬛⬛⬛Okay, that's the first three topics done. I'll move on to the more fun stuff like word selection, scene-making, and pacing. Once again, I reiterate that these are my own opinion on the matter. If it clashes against your style or beliefs, then that's fine by me. To each, their own is the name of the game in a medium as subjective as writing. And if you disagree with me, do direct the flames to the proper authorities(which would be myself, in this case)⬛⬛⬛Word selection. Now, as someone that used to religiously use a thesaurus whenever I write, (I still do, btw) it's imperative that whatever words you may choose will still make sense and read naturally both from a flow and dialogue standpoint. I subscribe to the idea that flow is the most important thing to a story. Grammar doesn't matter. Repetition doesn't matter...What matters most is that it sounds natural in both the reader's minds and ears.Now, how would that work, you might ask? Well, ask yourself this whenever you choose some obscure word from the thesaurus just to avoid repetition: Would your character use this in casual conversation? Would they naturally think of using that word in passing? If not, then you should probably consider using something else. Of course, the same doesn't really apply in prose and descriptive writing especially if you're writing from an omniscient 3rd-person perspective. If you write in unreliable 3rd-person, or in first person for that matter, then you should take into account your character's own thought processes when writing for it. Make it sound natural. Nobody speaks or thinks with perfect grammar taken into account. And nobody sure as hell speaks like a robot that won't use contractions like a normal person. So do keep that in mind, I guess.Also, depending on your audience, they might not even be able to understand whatever you might be writing if you use something a tad too verbose for the common folk. Unless you don't care, stick to the common words. After all, what good would non-repetition be if nobody could understand it without a dictionary? Not everybody is walking mass of English words.TLDR: Readers are lazy and not as much of a poet as you might be. Don't go over the top just for the sake of non-repetition of words(How hypocritical of me.)⬛⬛⬛Ooh boy. Writing a scene from scratch is always hard, especially for someone that has a ridiculous fixation on making everything flow seamlessly from one scene to another. Currently, my style dictates that I adequately set the scene first before anything else happens in the area. You wouldn't want your characters to interact without the readers knowing where they are, right? Of course, there will always be some exceptions to this.For example, if your work or chapter focuses on a subject-matter rather than action, it might be better to establish the premise or philosophy of your character before seamlessly cutting to a dialogue scene or whatever. This is prevalent on 1st-person writing the most, especially since internal dialogue makes up more than half of those stories' word count. Perhaps the scene won't work without context from the protagonist's point of view, and thus necessitates some form of internal monologue. Or perhaps your chapter is more character-centric at the moment, etcetera etcetera... The point is that not everything has to stick to a structured path of set-up, play scene, everybody dances and has fun. Of course, it's still the most effective way of doing things, but it's not the only path available.TLDR: Scenes are subjective. You know your own tastes and preferences. Write what's best for your own conscience.⬛⬛⬛Pacing. What to write and what to skip. It's the same thing in my eyes. As writers, we might be tempted to write everything our minds might throw at us. Be it the most inane detail on that one bouquet, to the nitty-gritty detail of your male protagonist's handsome face, it's always a fun prospect to be able to describe whatever it is that you're seeing to your readers. The question then, in this scenario, is how much is enough? Depending on your genre and set-up, it can range from none at all to painstakingly-detailed.If you're writing something character-centric, you might not need to describe how the room looks like or what type of wood the coffee table in the middle of the room is made of. You can get away with focusing on the moment between the characters while just saying they're in a room. If a scene focuses on character interactions, focus on the dialogue and body language. If the scene is about a steamy romantic altercation, portray your characters' senses up to eleven. Anything other than focusing on your characters is a sin to your readers' eyes; the tunnel vision on your characters' actions being the only thing important for them. So don't fret if you didn't set-up a scene beforehand. If it's steamy enough, they won't care if a vase would suddenly materialize on your protagonist's hands. (Still, I do not recommend doing this.)If you focus on the world, that's when you have to crank the descriptive writing to eleven. Setting up the scene would usually only take a sentence or two depending on the complexity of the setting. But if it's something that requires some heavy atmosphere, take as much time as you need to set that up. Don't skimp out in fear of slow pacing. Tension thrives on hyper-detailed settings. Every drop, every creak of that century-old, oak door, each and every agonizing step that your character makes, describe them all to your heart's content. (Don't overdo it though.) Make your readers feel the cold chill of that wind. Depending on your audience, they'll either love it or get bored.Pacing on action scenes requires that your flow is immaculate and understandable despite using as few words as possible to portray it. Fight scenes will always be hard and slow in a written medium, and thus detail needs to be short and sweet. An elbow drop, a dropkick, don't make your reader wait for the next action describing the sweat coming off of your protagonist's armpits or something. Action scenes will always be quick, read slow, and worst of all, cumbersome to write. Unless you're a genius of fight scenes, then I suggest avoiding them altogether unless you're confident in your skills as a writer. (Or, you know, practice for it.)TLDR: Different genres require different nuance. Readers are lazy, and depending on your audience, don't write bloat in places that don't require it.⬛⬛⬛Yikes. I'm learning more about myself the more I write this thing. Last up on this piece; audience retention, gore, taboo scenes, and how to not be boring. Truth be told, these topics are even more subjective than the earlier topics. I won't say that I'm decent enough to talk about it, but I'll try nonetheless.⬛⬛⬛Audience retention. Writing chapter per chapter requires you to write a cliffhanger at every end of the chapter at the cost of proper pacing, in my opinion. As an author, I don't care. The chapter's overall cohesion is more important to me than trying to shoehorn in a cliffhanger every chapter. Granted, that's my personal preference as a reader overriding my choices, but I still think that writing with a cliffhanger in mind makes your story take on a more episodic format as opposed to a solid, cohesive story. Back to the audience retention, I honestly don't know enough for that. A compelling enough story and characters will assuredly make you retain your audience, but not knowing when and how to end a chapter can and will affect this. Withholding the pay-off for too long will frustrate your readers, and giving them that sweet release too early will make them leave satisfied and not wanting for more. It's a delicate balance like that, in my opinion.TLDR: Give your readers the dopamine they want and they'll stay. Hook, line, and sinker.⬛⬛⬛Gore and taboo. It's all in a manner of taste, in my perspective. There is absolutely no way that you can write such a scene without offending someone. Perhaps you used a distasteful word, maybe described it in a way that just screams cringe at anybody who reads it. At the end of the day, you will never satisfy everyone(story of being a content creator.) If you're uncomfortable with writing stuff like this, then don't bother trying. Just imply the scene and move on. But if you really want to write this, the question would then be: How far is too far?In my opinion, it's a line that you'll have to straddle with nuance and finesse. If you're going for full impact, then make it as graphic as it needs to. And since writing gore and taboo is pretty much universally used for shock value, that's usually the way to go at it. Don't go in half-cocked. Go at it guns-blazing, but at the same time, accurately portray the appropriate reaction and consequence for such a scene. Don't glorify the action; do your research, at the very least. At worst, write your smut and gore with the same care as you do to your preferred scenes. If you think it's too far, then don't go overboard.TLDR: It's your call. Shock value can be created in better ways. But if you have no choice, then do your research and cautiously move forward.⬛⬛⬛Last up: How to not be boring. Once again, it's all subjective. I, for one, love that political and character interaction stuff. I love world-building that connects to said character interactions and everything having an impact on the world around them. To most, that's as boring as it can't get. Inversely, I find needless fluff boring unless I already like the characters enough to care about them. I have no care about protagonists that surrender themselves to a stronger, cooler love interest because they're 'morally grey.' I don't care about power fantasies and wish fulfillment. Instead, I like the boring political stuff.So why try to answer this question for your writing?Are you boring? To some, you always will be. There will always be a set of readers out there that will bash your story to oblivion because it's not to their taste. What's important is that you're proud or satisfied with what you're writing. Why bother writing if you hate it? Don't write for others, write for yourself. And if your happiness as a writer entails having big numbers to accompany your writing, then go ahead and improve yourself towards that goal. Just that don't let the numbers define you.TLDR: Be yourself. The ability to not care is a godsend.⬛⬛⬛That's it, I guess. You may agree with me, you may not. These are my views and you have the right to bash or try to correct me. Unfortunately, I'm pretty set on my ways in terms of my style. Criticize my plot, my characters, but my writing style will never change. Or maybe it will. Pointing out habits or mistakes can have that effect on people, after all.Thanks for reading my spiel if you're still reading this. Sorry for the rant-like style, but that's just how I pen my thoughts out. Once again, my opinion mine alone, and if you think it's trash, then I won't blame you.⬛⬛⬛BONUS:On the subject of 'grey morality.' Oh, how I love mocking this concept. There's true grey morality, then there's 'morally grey.' If you don't understand, grey morality refers to evil actions justified by good intentions and vice versa. Toeing the line, neutral actions, that's morally grey. Instead,

On the Subject of... Language Styles

Heya, it's me. Back at it again with an exciting new edition of On the Subject. Prior discussions have left me... filled with rants and opinions about matters that I probably don't have enough credentials to even talk about. Nevertheless, my dumb brain wants me to put it in writing just to get it out. So here we are with another essay filled with random meanderings and opinions that ultimately don't matter in a topic so subjective you can ask anyone the same question to different people only to get a different answer every time. I'll write this with zero preparation and research, so once again, take my garbage with a grain of salt and direct all flames to yours truly.So enough about my own dumb thoughts. Let's get to the topics I want to talk about in a semi-pedantic manner.⬛⬛⬛First up, the differences between the language styles. It might apply to other languages, but I'll focus on the magically inconsistent lingua franca of the world which is English due to obvious reasons.Based on my own anemic knowledge on the subject, there are three styles of speaking or writing in a given language: Formal, Informal and Conversational. I think we all know what each style means, but to reiterate for some that might not: Formal is used for legal documents, research papers, news articles, and the like. Informal is used for the more creative arts such as storytelling, feature writing, editorials, and  opinion pieces for those that do it professionally. Lastly, Conversational is used by everyday folk on the streets for casual communication. So, these are the three (in my opinion) styles of language in terms of communication. They might be called different in an educated setting, but these are still my observations in the years I've spent dabbling in this form of art. They are ever present, ever used, and will always have any writer's back for any kind of occasion.Let's talk about it in detail then for a bit.Formal Writing, as I've said, is used primarily in the professional setting. Ever read those boring research articles and news reports about stock and business? Maybe even your country's constitution? Yeah. That's as formal as it gets when using this style.Characterized by the heavy use of specific terminologies and fancy words, Formal Writing usually means that you're presenting your stuff to a board or a panel of judges that will scrutinize your work with a fine-toothed comb. No meandering, humor, lollygagging, or personality allowed in this style. Just a perfect, clinical, and detached way of writing could even hope to pierce through the hefty restrictions of Formal Writing. Unless you're a masochist or just find enjoyment in writing like a robot, I don't see anyone trying to tell a story like this.Informal Writing is a style that injects some personality to your writing, but still retains some of the credibility afforded by its more serious  older sister. Used in opinion pieces, feature writing, and other forms of entertainment, Informal Writing is a more casual style that can connect to a wider audience. No self-respecting professional would write like this for a paper, but an editor might do so for an editorial piece. I think you already know where I'm going with this so I won't expound on it more than necessary. Essentially, use this for your general writing needs if you're writing in any official capacity.Last on the styles: Conversational Writing. It's the common folk's way of talking in that anything goes so long as it's understandable. In terms of relatability, nothing will ever trump the way the masses speak. Writing like this, however, makes you look crude and uneducated simply because you want your stuff to be understood by the lowest common denominator. I beg to differ, but if you're a professional, you'll never use this unless the situation calls for it.Okay... Now, where do these relate to in terms of writing stories and such? Didn't I just say that Informal Writing is the way to go for storytelling? Why even talk about it more when I already outlined what little I know about them?Well, just because you subscribe to one style doesn't mean you can't use all of them interchangeably.While ideally, a story written in third person will stick to an Informal style, simultaneously dabbling in the other two types whenever necessary will add some variety in your storytelling capabilities. Perhaps you're writing an in-world article for worldbuilding... Never write it like you're telling it to someone yourself. Write that thing with as little bias and emotion as possible. Fleshing out a scene? An Informal style will let you use words that would be too flowery for a professional setting. Two characters talking about their lives? Unleash yourself from the shackles of professional grammar and use a Conversational style.The English language is a cesspool of inconsistencies and phonetical confusion. Even native speakers don't know all the rules, so as a writer that primarily writes for entertainment, why restrain yourself to rules that the common folk might not even know about? Always remember that nobody talks or thinks like a robot, no matter how smart they may be.TLDR: Don't restrain yourself chasing after machine perfection. Humanity is riddled with mistakes, so don't write like you're presenting something to a research panel.AN: The next topic will be on Perspectives. I'm done for the day. This edition of On the Subject will come in three parts, I guess. Next part will come when I feel like writing again. It won't be long though, seeing as the next part is already halfway done by the time I'm writing this notice.Thanks for reading.

On the Subject of... Perspectives

In an individualistic society, perspectives can be obscured, twisted, even manipulated to suit the views of the few. In terms of writing, the same rings true in how we choose to reveal information to the reader. And while I could go into the semantics of giving out limited and false information, I don't want to get into that right now. So let's go to the two main types of perspectives.First up, the all-too ubiquitous third-person perspective. Telling the story through a narrator, this type of perspective allows the writer to expound more detail in a scene's surroundings and actions at the cost of being in a detached perspective away from your characters. It favors stories that require a ton of detail to work as in fantasy and the like. But I'm not telling that you should only use this style on those types of stories, however. While the detachment issue is a prevalent problem, there is a way to circumvent this through the use of an unreliable narrator.In my opinion, there are two subtypes of writing in third-person: the Omniscient, and the Unreliable. As Omniscient implies in its name, the writer tells the story from a perspective of an all-knowing God. They give out all of the necessary information to understand a scene, and might even show a character's thought just so the reader can glean at them from a distance. Meanwhile, the Unreliable does the same thing, except the writer will restrain themselves to writing from the perspective of a single character while still writing in a detached manner. The information they give out will be limited. Even if there are two or more characters in the room, the writer can only reveal the thoughts of one person, essentially giving them more personality at the cost of information.Now, I for one subscribe to writing in Unreliable third-person simply because I get the best of both worlds through using it. Having the excuse to withhold information is perfect for writers that love to meander and foreshadow events. It'll be a pain to write in a way that makes sense for the inattentive audience, but it rewards those that truly pay attention and read between the lines. I'm not discounting the Omniscient style, of course, but the amount of information and skill to make it not boring is simply too much for my feeble brain to make work.To each their own, I guess.Okay... We all know the deal in first-person writing. You're writing from the perspective of a single character; a wholly unreliable narrator complete with their thought processes, minor quips, and every notable observation in between. While similar to the Unreliable third-person style, writing in first-person drastically reduces your ability to portray information in part of accommodating to your chosen character's thought processes.We, as individuals, never really pay attention to everything we see on a daily basis. Would we think about how your shower looks all of a sudden? Would you even bother paying attention to something you've eaten every day of your life? Taking into account how your character thinks drastically shapes how information is shared to the reader. Perhaps your character is partially insane? Maybe your MC thinks in a unique way that causes him to consider people as objects? The first-person narrative gives the reader a deep dive into your character at the cost of an objective view of the scene. It'll be an intimate reading experience. Information might be lost, but the connection you can make with your characters will be worth it depending on your story.Now, I am of the opinion that Conversational Writing should be the dominant type while mixing in some Informal every once in a while to make it somewhat credible to read. While I'm not an expert on first-person writing, the balance between personalized thought processes while doing objective world building is probably the hardest part of writing in this style. Every time you enter a new scene, would your character muse to themselves about the place so vividly? Is your character capable of thinking up your words to describe the scene? How would your character inwardly react to being mugged or attack? Our own perspectives shrink and expand on a whim depending on the situation. There's no use in knowing what your environment looks like when the guy in front of you is trying to stab you to death after all.As a writer, the flow of information is vital to proper pacing and presentation. Giving out too much or too little will shape the reader's interpretation of the scene in your head, and in turn you must take care not to accidentally portray your cute and bubbly main character as an airheaded sadist that has fun torturing people.TLDR: Depending on how much information you want to share, picking the right style to write can and will make or break your premise. Choose carefully.⬛⬛⬛Ooh boy... Due to pressing ceremonial reasons, I'll be cutting this article out here. The next topic's gonna be a doozy, so I'll need all my brain cells for that project. Like always, all of these are only my opinions with only my personal experience backing them up. You may or may not believe or subscribe to them, and that's fine with me.Once again, thank you for reading.

Story Excerpts...

A brief sample of the librarian's many fictional works...

The Runaway is a Politician's Daughter
AKA: Tales from Midas: The Runaway

MAIN TAGS: ROMANCE, COMEDY, DEPRESSED FEMALE LEAD, HANDSOME MALE LEAD, RUNAWAY, MODERN, DUAL PROTAGONISTSStruggling novelist Athena Morrison once thought life had nothing left to offer her. Living a reclusive lifestyle and trying to make ends meet while trying to make a name for herself as an author, she certainly had it hard enough. Coupled with extreme bouts of depression and constant threats with running from her dark past however, one can only go so far before something snaps. So in one stormy evening, plagued by the demons of her own making, she planned on ending it all.Before she was stopped by some unsuspecting maintenance crew.A fateful encounter, if she were to describe it. Change was coming to her life. Perhaps it was time to stop running, to try and take hold of her own destiny.A lot of things were happening in this city, money changing hands, deals being made; politics were being played and power constantly in flux. And while change is something to be feared, it was also something to be excited about. Athena only hoped that it was for the better.

It's been a day since the events of the rooftop. Yesterday was spent just sleeping the afternoon away and to her surprise, life has been treating her well.Beyond the chapter that your editor needs to get before the 9th.Beyond the chapter that her editor needs this coming Friday.
And thus here she was, staring blankly at the monitor. The blinking line at the start of the clearly empty word document taunting her as she tried to come up with story ideas."This shouldn't be this hard," Athena states as her fingers tapped on the desk. "I had the plot for this in my head weeks ago."Why aren't you writing anything then?"Aaahh!"She screamed at her ceiling as the frustration started getting into her. This wasn't working. She's getting antsy and her mind wasn't cooperating.I resent that statement. I do cooperate.Only sometimes. And usually to her detriment.I appreciate your gratitude~The novelist sighed as she stood up from her desk and prepared to get dressed. Perhaps a change in scenery might give her some inspiration. Athena glanced at the clock and saw that the time was just past twelve noon. She put on a loose red hoodie and jeans and left her room for the elevator.Where to go though.. was the question in her mind. Laze around the cafe lounge? Maybe later. Riverside Park? Nahh.. Too far.Her train of thought paused as she found herself in front of the elevator. Going down, huh? She pressed the button and put a hand up to her chin in thought, muttering to herself as she weighed her options."Hmm.. No, that's too cliche. Maybe if-"DingA soft chime took her out of her musings as the elevator doors opened. Wordlessly, Athena boarded the elevator and went back to her own literary world, noting but ultimately ignoring the presence of other passengers that may be accompanying her."Where to, Athena?""Ground floor." She answered nonchalantly.Wait.. that sounded familiar. The novelist turned to the source of her curiosity, her eyebrows raising in subtle surprise as she took in the appearance of the person standing in front of the elevator panel. Giving her a soft smile as he pushed buttons to their benefit, Eremes had once again crossed paths with her. How many times were they going to meet like this? This seems too much to be a coincidence.Hah, your paranoia is showing."You again?" She questioned, rather accusingly."Don't look at me, I just work here." The man replied in jest.She can't exactly refute that statement. But still... "Are you stalking me?""Where did that come from?" Eremes asked as he turned to face her, his face in slight bewilderment."Well, ever since 'that' night, we've met at least once every single day."Once again, she couldn't refute his statement. Granted, she did like the company."Athena relax." He replied with amusement in his tone. "It's been like what? Two days? I'm sure those are just coincidences. Besides, as I've said, I work here."His reasoning was solid and she can't deny it. She shook her head briefly, trying to rid herself of her paranoia. She was being irrational again.They're always watching..."Sorry. You're right." She chuckled. "I don't think you're that much of a creep.""Seriously?" He retorted in an annoyed tone, though his smile betrayed the fun the man was having with the exchange. "Since when am I a creep?""Ever since yesterday at the cafe lounge.""I'm sorry, okay? I admit I was curious, but I left when you told me to right?" he replied in slight embarrassment.An awkward silence permeated the elevator walls as the novelist digested the flustered man's reply. Did he just- Wait.. Athena felt herself smiling.She could use this.⬛⬛⬛Eremes stood abashed as his conversation with Athena took a turn for the worse, with worse being him subjected to the woman's verbal teasing. He saw a devious smirk slowly adorn her face with each passing second. Why did it always end up like this?"You... You just basically admitted that you were creeping on me," she accused with faux disbelief."I was not creeping on you," he retorted as he turned to face the elevator LED, noting that only now did they finally reach the ground floor, unaware of the spectacle behind him. Why was the elevator so damn slow?"And at that time when you carried me down..." Athena mirthfully started to slowly cover herself up with her arms, eyes closed as if being afraid as she continued with her verbal onslaught. "Were- Were you-"DingA soft chime signaled their arrival on the ground floor. The metal doors folded as it made way for its unruly passengers."Finally," Eremes sighed as he turned to face his companion, blood slowly rushing to his face as he saw her mimicking someone in a very compromising position."-copping a feel? Oh, I feel so violated!" She exclaimed, completely enraptured in her own performance."Uhh.. Athena?" He asked as he tried to get her attention, with some onlookers now noticing her theatrics.This was not good."And now, inside this firm, gray walls.. I fear that my-""Athena," he said forcefully as he shook her by the shoulder. "We're already on the ground floor."Eremes watched as befuddlement made itself apparent on her face, then realization as she dreadfully turned to see the crowd in front of the elevator. He stifled a laugh as he saw his faux tormenter slowly realize that her performance was in plain view for everyone who was about to board the elevator."I- I-" she stuttered, now clearly red-faced and flustered.He held his laughter as he watched the embarrassed woman try to explain herself out of the situation, her rigid movements portraying her attempts at trying to make herself scarce.Eremes mentally fist-pumped at the karma currently in full display. But as much as it was entertaining..."Uhh, sorry about that folks. She's just hungry," he explained away as he whisked her away from the inquisitive crowd towards the hotel entrance, all the while still hearing his charge muttering excuses to a now non-existent audience.⬛⬛⬛"So, on a scale of one to ten, how embarrassing was it?""Don't. Test me."Eremes was trying his hardest not to laugh out loud at his now charge's predicament. How could he not? Even now she's still blushing from embarrassment. Praise karma for finally giving him a bone."Doesn't feel good to be on the receiving end now does it?" He teased, giddy at the thought of being on the offensive side for once."I can't really tell, Eremes. Perhaps you should enlighten me."Even when flustered, she could still think on her feet. However.."A-are you.. coppi-""S-Stop it! I-I can't!" Her reactions were really making his day right now. "I-I don't w-want to hear it!"It was so worth it being almost humiliated back at the elevator. Why, if Athena succeeded back there, he might have to defend against lawsuits filed by the other tenants for her faux outburst! But still..."Oh, I feel so violated!""Aaaaaahhhhg! Staaahp!" She screamed as she covered her ears while shaking her head in frustration.Very much worth it.

The CEO's Son is a Serial Killer
AKA: Tales from Midas: Heartstrings

MAIN TAGS: MODERN, ROMANCE, MYSTERY, HANDSOME MALE LEAD, BEAUTIFUL FEMALE LEAD, DUAL PROTAGONISTS, SERIAL KILLERAlice Heather Littman was just an average elementary school teacher, well, as average as one can get under the demanding expectations of the average Midasean citizen. Having taught in the Nancaan Elementary School for over a year now, Heather counted her stars for each day that her life went by peacefully, sorely grateful at getting away from her former.. turbulent lifestyle during a dark time in her college years. Ahh yes.. a peaceful life surrounded by her precious students.. Surely this was the blessing that her life sorely needed..Cue in, during the 25th Founding anniversary of the school she's teaching in, the meek and silent teacher suddenly being propositioned in broad daylight by one of the richest and most powerful men in the city. Heather felt her heart hammer in embarrassment as the dashingly handsome Dio Panagopolous asked her out on a date..In front of her students no less!Outwardly, the woman smiled shyly, unable to say anything presumably due to the fact that she's being asked out by one of the most desirable bachelors in the city. Inwardly however...She knew in her heart that she was staring straight at the face of a bonafide psychopath.⬛⬛⬛In the year 2016 on the month of January, a mysterious string of murders plagued the Nancaan district of Midas. At least a dozen women in their 20s were claimed by the incident, all with their hearts physically removed from their chests. Fearing a resurgence of another prolific serial killer along with placating the fears for the start of another slaving ring incident, the authorities launched an investigation about the murders, dubbing it the 'Kardia' incident with the potential suspects being dubbed the same name. Unfortunately, the investigations ubruptly came to a halt due to budget cuts, the upcoming mayoral elections and other external issues.The city of Midas was at the cusp of a major upheaval, even the smallest of actions can irrevocably change the future in unforeseeable ways. With an active element openly disrupting the city's ability to function, the changes can become more and more unpredictable. Heather knew all to well, just how volatile her city can be. With a certain incident still fresh in her mind, the stalwart teacher went on about her daily life, hoping by the gods that another incident won't affect her already miraculous second chance at living a normal life.

"What's taking her so long..."Heather paced the small confines of her living room, her phone on one hand as she anxiously waited for Alexa to respond to her message. It was already past eight and the brunette still hadn't come knocking on her door. Granted, she knew that Alexa had some level of street-smarts on her, but the redhead just couldn't help but worry anyway.It was bad enough that she had left the school on a sour note, it would be made worse if something happened to Alexa just because her fellow teacher decided that it would be a good time to go drinking in her apartment."Why did I agree to this..."The redhead sighed as her legs got tired of pacing, electing to sit her blue pajama-wearing self on the couch as her TV gave some much-needed background noise to distract her with. As much as the English teacher in her didn't need the drink, she allowed Alexa to do what she pleased against better judgment, deciding that she'd let her friend get her drunk in the middle of a school week.How. Oh, how would she fix her mistakes come tomorrow...The spectacled teacher tugged at her soft, long-sleeved cotton as her mind went back to her class for what seemed to be the fifth time that night. Having had some time to herself to retrospect, her rational mind had pretty much concluded that she was justified for her outburst; that her children needed a much-needed reality check sooner or later.And quite frankly, she agreed.Her class was getting too comfortable with escalating pranks beyond being innocent little inconveniences to their victims. What she experienced a few hours ago was downright malicious, though a part of her realized that her class didn't have the context that the man they were paring their teacher with almost assaulted said teacher in the middle of the night."Never again..."Heather found herself repeating the same mantra she told herself all those years ago. Her hands unconsciously drifted across her fully-clothed body, memories of times passed prickling at her touch."Never again... Not when I'm still alive..."With another sigh, Heather shook off her musings in favor of glancing at the time on the small corner of the news program showing on her TV.And on other news, the Mollucan Presidential polls..."Eight, eighteen," the teacher read as she tuned out the ongoing news coverage of the upcoming national elections. "Seriously, where is she?"While Alexa was a known sloth when it came to getting somewhere on time, Heather knew that the brunette at least informed people if she was going to be late. Glancing back at her phone, Heather eyed her fellow teacher's last message, timed all the way back at 7:50 PM:'Jst got da wine~ Be there in abt 30 mins'Having another look at the TV, Heather timed her current wait to be just about thirty minutes."Where the hell was she..."She knew in herself that she was worrying too much again. It hadn't even been thirty minutes yet and she was already this riled up. Hell, she was already riled up when it hadn't even been fifteen minutes! The redhead could already see it: Alexa arriving just before nine with a bottle of wine, not even apologizing for why she was so late. That was just how the brunette worked.The spectacled redhead chuckled in her seat as she simply elected to wait for her friend to arrive. Maybe she'd call the school tomorrow while she was at it, tell them that she'll be absent tomorrow due to medical reasons. And she was sure that Alexa would do exactly the same once she got to her place.⬛⬛⬛It was eight thirty-five, and Alexa had yet to arrive safe and sound.Heather almost cursed under her breath as her worry started multiplying with each passing minute. Did she get lost on the way to her apartment? It was possible. The redhead did live in what was considered to be a seedier part of the district. Or maybe she miscalculated her travel time? Alexa did say that her car was busted. Maybe?"Calm down, Heather.." the redhead whispered to herself as she started fidgeting on her seat. "Alexa's a smart woman..."Surely the P.E. teacher won't get involved in some form of accident on the way to a place she already knew how to get to. It was simply her nerves taking over her again; an unfounded worry that would just make her mind run in circles attempting to find an explanation for something that was probably just caused by an inane side trip."Haha..." a nervous chuckle escaped the anxious redhead's lips as mismatched eyes kept glancing at her unlit phone, as if willing for a notification to suddenly appear. "Alexa'll laugh at me if she ever sees me like this..."Not to mention that the brunette would probably give her a bigger share of the wine if she ever caught wind that Heather worried her socks off waiting for her to arrive. She was just that kind of friend, in her opinion.Now back to our top story, the MPD is still unsure of what to make of the 'Kardia' case-CLICK!With a speed that was almost inhuman, Heather found herself almost crushing the remote in her hand as she quickly turned off the TV. The stress of remembering that that... thing.. was still out there would only add more fuel to the fire. She was already trying to stop herself from going out into the night to search for her missing friend. It wouldn't do for her to also go missing, especially if her worries were for nothing and Alexa was greeted by an empty apartment."Stay calm... Stay calm..."Heather felt her fingers curl up around her arms as she tried her best to sit still and wait for her friend. It'll all be over in a few minutes when Alexa knocks on her door.Her instincts had been wrong once... Surely it was wrong this time as well..⬛⬛⬛"C'mon, Alexa..." Heather whispered to herself as she stared at her smartphone with an intensity of a spotlight. "Just give me a message or something..."It was almost nine in the evening, and Alexa was nowhere to be seen.Every fiber in her body was screaming at her that something was wrong, that her friend's lateness was caused by something malicious, and that she needed to get out there and help her.Heather paced her apartment once more, worry and anxiety in every step as she contemplated calling the brunette for the umpteenth time that evening. The redhead was never one to call someone on the phone, having been used to simple text messages due to her long-time friendship with the mute detective. It was only within the past few months that she managed to have the courage to call someone, specifically Alexa, whenever she needed teaching advice back when she was still new to the job.The worried English teacher found herself staring out of her apartment balcony, the pitch-black night of the Nancaan district dotted by the minimalistic night lights of the numerous factories around her neighborhood. It was possible that Alexa actually managed to get lost in the labyrinth of alleyways that was Nancaan's residential area. The poor lighting could have obscured what landmarks the brunette used to get to her apartment, and right now, she was possibly walking around in circles, lost in the middle of Nancaan's gigantic industrial complex.Just imagining her friend getting lost in a place like this... It sent shivers down the redhead's spine. Wordlessly, mismatched eyes wandered towards her door, already contemplating going out in the middle of the night in search of her quite possibly lost friend."Fuck this..."With a curse, the redhead dashed towards her apartment door, her current state of dress wholly forgotten as the distressed teacher climbed down the stairs of her apartment in nothing but her pajamas. Her crimson-red hair fluttered against the chilly January night as she stomped barefoot on the cold-hard pavement; intent on finding her late-no.. missing friend."Alexa!"With her phone as her only light source and possible mode of communication, Heather braved the deep, inter-webbed alleyways of her neighborhood. Calling the police won't do any good anymore, seeing that it was already way past their peak operating hours. Not that they could help anyway. If anyone would ever have a chance at finding her quickly in the darkness of the Nacaan night, it would be Heather.Nobody knew the dimly-lit streets of her neighborhood as well as the one that used to stalk it.

Smith and Wesen: A Modern Blacksmith's Magical Reincarnation

"You're just a Nenner! A glorified blacksmith! You can't possibly stand up against a Zahler's elemental power!""As if that'll stop me! A Zahler might have the elements under their control, but that won't matter if I have a Seigel-riddled weapon for every occasion!"⬛⬛⬛Wesen... the innate power within that allows a person to manipulate the world around them. While it sounded straightforward enough, Rouge still has a lot to learn if he wanted to harness it for his own benefit. Thankfully, being a standard guy with blacksmithing as a hobby had given him a headstart in this new pseudo-medieval world that he now found himself in after his untimely death. In fact, blacksmithing in general seemed to be an integral part of his new life and the Wesen-filled wonders that now entail it.It was a good thing too, especially since it would be the one thing he had to get out of the servitude of the Empire that insisted on grinding him under its heel.With his newfound power of rune-like Seigels at his disposal, Rouge will take on the Matheman Empire by storm as he builds his rebellion into a force to be reckoned with. He will ensure that his fellow Nenners will be free from the Empire's oppressive practices, and he sure as hell will do it if it was the last thing he did...Well, that, and he refused to live in a backwater medieval world for longer than he could manage it. His modern sensibilities demanded proper technology, and he was sure that even his rudimentary knowledge will give him the edge he needs to take on a literal continent-spanning Empire.

I yelped as a piece of the roof suddenly collapsed in front of me, the smoldering piece of hay and cobblestone kicking up some of the burning embers into my face."Fath- cough -er?!"I furiously waved the embers off my face with my katana, my left hand still covering my mouth as I exited the burning workshop and out to our backyard. It was there that I saw the one thing I didn't want to see happen.SHLLLICK!A sword...SCHLLICK!A woman...SQUELCH!A body..."HAHAHAHA!! THAT'S WHAT YOU GET FOR DEFILING YOUR BETTERS!"A bitter taste rose to my mouth as nausea and disgust filled my very being, my grief intensifying the boiling emotions inside me as I couldn't help but vomit out what little I still had in my stomach.Father..."Huh," the woman turned to me as I struggled to process the sight before me; my knees threatening to give out on me. "Didn't know Dame Flamme had a kid with this trash."I couldn't even begin to understand what she just said as my eyes fixated on the one sight that I hoped hadn't come to pass. My knuckles whitened on the grip of my katana as grief and rage quickly replaced the horrified disgust in me. My focus constantly flitted between my father's brutalized corpse and the blue-haired bvtch that just did the deed."Awww~ Is the little boy scawed?" the bvtch taunted as she raised the tip of her bloody rapier to her lip, her eyes glinting as she stared at me. "Is Mommy not coming to save you?"I grit my teeth as I slowly assumed the stance Mother drilled into my head for years. I put my left foot forward as I lowered my body closer to the ground. With my right arm outstretched and my katana pointed edge-forward, I readied myself to slash with all my might should I charge forward. A primal part of me wanted to just throw all caution to the wind and go in on the woman sword-forward. It was all too easy; to run in like a madman possessed while waving my sword around in hopes of landing a hit.Then again, if it didn't work in games, it sure as hell wouldn't work in real life. I really wanted my sword to slash this bvtch down for what she had done, and me running in sword blazing wouldn't do me any favors in accomplishing it."Oh? Trained, are we?" the woman chuckled as she put a hand behind her back while pointing her rapier towards me. "I guess I'll humor you~ You're Dame Flamme's son, after all"That name again... Flamme... A moniker?"Show me your Mother's fire, cutie!"My eyes widened as a ball of liquid condensed on the tip of her rapier, the dark-red color of blood coalescing before moving to coat the rest of her blade. Another Zahler then, one that could control water?Whatever. I breathed deeply as stood my ground, prepared for whichever attack this bvtch had to throw at me...Calm down, Rouge... Remember your training...I'm wasn't gonna die here. I still had to find Mother.GUSH!!I felt something pierce my stomach as the wind was knocked out of my lungs. A numbing pain radiating from my stomach as I felt blood rise up to my mouth....Huh?"T-That's it? No fighting back? Not even a wild slash my way?"My legs gave out I put a hand on the gaping hole on my stomach. I felt the blood pour out of me as my vision started to fail me.What just happened?"Rouge-URK!!!"My head hit the dirt as I heard a familiar voice call out to me... Mother?"How the mighty have fallen..." the bvtch remarked, her footsteps leading away from me and going towards where I heard Mother's voice. "Never thought it'd be this easy, considering that it's Dame Flamme that we're talking about.""I'm kinda disappointed actually," a familiar voice added. It was from the one that attacked us out on the open field. "I mean, this is what the Flamme's been reduced to?"I tried to force myself to move, but to no avail. I couldn't even lift my head to see what they were doing anymore."You traitor..." Mother spat. "After everything we've-""Still have some fight left in ya, Flamme?" the man taunted. "Let me fix that then."SCHLIIICK!A sickening sound of metal rending flesh... Mother...ThudA fire burned inside me as what I assumed to be Mother unceremoniously hit the ground. These fvcks..."There. That takes care of that," the man chuckled.I'll make them pay. If I didn't die here, I'll make sure they regretted this."G-Good thing I never got pregnant If this is what having a kid meant, I refuse to even think about it!"I strained my ears to get at least some information out of the two, my consciousness still with me as I silently bled out on the ground."Not even for that one special someone you always talked about?""No... N-Not anymore, I think"A brief pause went between the two, my home's burning crackles filling the silence as I fought to remain conscious. White spots appeared in my eyelids, my body feeling colder by the second as I suddenly felt myself being lifted by my waist."S-So... what about this cutie?" the woman asked. So she was the one that picked me up."Take 'im to the capital. He's bound to be either a Zahler or a Nenner."Cut the crap. Talk about why my parents needed to die, freaks!"I don't think he's going to be a Zahler, Jay""Does it matter? He's bound to be as soft as her mother anyway, Aria."Jay and Aria... Names I was far from familiar with. I could only mentally file everything I could remember about these two fvcks into my head before my body could fail on me. I just hope they talked some more."But still, he's Dame Flamme's son! I can't-""Can't what, Aria?"A disagreement? Was there something here that I could use?"I can't make her hate me more than she already does..." I heard the woman sigh, her tone almost inaudible before her voice perked up again. "Never mind~"From there, I heard the howling winds pass through me as I felt my body move for a little bit. Judging from the sound of it, the speed that we were going was almost the same as Mother's back on the plains."Time to go back then?""Lead the way, Brother."Siblings, huh...It was then that I felt my consciousness fade, the last sensation I had being the wind fluttering through my blood-spattered hair. In my mind, I had but one final thought before I truly and utterly passed out; a feeling so intense that there was only one word adequate enough to describe this utterly despicable feeling...Revenge.

This is a Beta Test?! - A Literally Broken System

"Why ship a game that isn't even complete!?"I don't know! Why don't you at least tell me what to fix so that we won't die?!⬛⬛⬛Moriya didn't even think getting sucked into a different world was possible. Whether out of being a realist or being a straight-up pessimist, he never believed that the day when he'd be warped into a world entirely unlike his own would even happen. After all, why should it, right?But then... It actually happened.Finding himself inside the setting of an upcoming game, Moriya swooned at the sight of strange environments, the various state powers vying for supremacy over the vast expanse of the seas. Hell, even infinite worlds and stars, [The Seams] seemingly had it all. Unfortunately, there was just one problem: the game was literally broken right from the start.Joined by a colorfully dysfunctional cast and the game world's actual developer, watch as Moriya struggles with bugs and glitches as he navigates this new world. Witness our valiant hero deal with the most infuriating and rage-inducing aspects of gaming in real life. And who knows? Maybe he'll actually change his mind and try to find a way to escape to the world he once wanted out of.

"Okay."With crossed arms, I waited for Shizu to activate her ability. Watching her take a deep breath, the princess went through her usual motions before she opened her special eyes."[Code Watcher]...""What're you up to, Moriya?"Hearing Guidance suddenly chime in, I gave her a passing glance before I shrugged. "There's something I want to confirm before we go in.""With Shizu's sight?" she raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "One would think that you'd confirm it with me before we both default to Shizu.""Well, this is something different, okay?" I let out a hollow chuckle. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not one to shoulder my burdens alone if I know I can't handle it."Turning my gaze back to Shizu, the princess was looking out into the distance with a pensive look on her face. I just knew that she was seeing something weird happening right now, and I could only hope that-"W-what am I looking at?"Bingo."Shizu?" Guidance promptly turned her attention to our resident princess. "What is it?""W-Well... the numbers... They're... repeating?" Shizu hesitantly reported out. "I mean, they always repeated, but not like this.""What? That can't be right..." the dev mumbled out in worry, her hands already setting up her keyboard  "Can you tell me what you're seeing?"Shizu quickly nodded. "Of course."I could only watch as the two then fell into their usual routine of sharing information with one another. Maruki and I were relegated to the sidelines, the tank clearly curious as to what was happening while I myself really didn't give a damn as I leaned on the nearest wall."Are they about to make yet another change to the world, Sir Moriya?!""Probably not," I chuckled. "And will you stop shouting already?""Ah! But that is simply my nature!" Maruki unapologetically apologized. "While I am sorry for my loudness, my duty demands that I complete every task with utmost gusto!"I scoffed at the rare word selection the guy just used. Gusto was a word so rarely used that I've only heard of it in movies. I don't even see it in books that often."Still, can you at least try to-""W-what the hell.... That's impossible..."I promptly shut the hell up as I heard Guidance mumble something intelligible to the common masses under her breath. Her fingers had been flying through her [Manifest] nonstop ever since they began, but now they were clearly shaking, her hands clamming up as she repeatedly flexed them."Why? W-What's wrong?" Shizu nervously asked, her eyes still glowing black and green with her power. "Are... Are we stuck here?"Instead of answering the poor princess, Guidance turned her attention to me, her eyes glaring daggers as she squinted. "You... Why didn't you say anything?""I just did," I let off a small chuckle. "Why do you think I asked Shizu to check it out?""You still should've told us that we've already died!" Guidance accused. "Twice!".......The silence that followed was both awkward and tense. Shizu was shaken by the revelation, and while Maruki didn't show anything, the way his shield glowed brighter was the best indication that the news also affected him."I-We're already dead?" Shizu fearfully asked, her voice starting to break as tears began welling up in her eyes. "W-What're we-""We're not dead, Shizu," Guidance quickly corrected, her eyes still accusing me of our current predicament. "The fact that we're still here means that we're far from being in the grave.""T-That is correct!" Maruki declared, his own tone slightly wavering as he laughed. "We still have an enemy to vanquish right in front of us! Meaning, we are still alive!""Still, why the hell didn't you say anything?" the dev asked me once again, clearly trying to pin the fact that Shizu was crying onto me. "We could've at least told us how we all died so we can prevent it."All eyes were on me now as they all waited for an answer. Letting out a sigh, I hung my head down as I crossed my arms over my chest again. "Look, even if I told you all, it wouldn't have made a difference. We all died trying to fight that thing. Twice, I might add.""Yes, and how did we die?"I gave Guidance a look as I replied, "The damn thing exploded while we're hitting it. It was something called [Self Destruct!], and I still don't know how to stop it.""I-I see," Guidance shrank back down, her accusing tone evaporating in favor of an inquisitive one. "And if what Shizu's seeing is true, the world just reset itself to back before we entered the boss room.""That's right," I nodded. "And with all of you not remembering a thing too."The flurry of emotions that ran through Guidance's face as she went through the current problem was one for the ages. The confusion, followed by the seething anger and rage as her fingers went back to her keyboard was something that was more than fitting to describe as nerd rage."Well, I'm fixing that right now!" the dev angrily declared. "The system is clearly working as intended if it respawns us back to before the fight, but us losing our memories of the damn thing just defeats the purpose of it!""I completely agree," I sagely nodded. "Solving mechanics on my own sucks. And I can't do it without a topdown perspective of the whole fight anyway.""Shizu, I'm going to do this really fast," Guidance turned to Shizu with a determined smirk. "Think you can keep up?""I'll do my best," Shizu nodded.Once more, the sound of her keyboard clacking against the background filled the air as we all waited for Guidance to finish her fix. Taking a glance back at the boss, the way it just stood there kind of made for a ridiculous contrast as it just waited for us to engage it. It looked fine in games, but being down here for real kind of showed just how ridiculous it was for the enemy to wait for the heroes to attack him even if they were literally just a few feet away from them."Okay, I think I got it."Hearing Guidance's announcement, I stood up straight as I waited for the inevitable nausea that was about to happen. "Let's hit it then."The dev nodded at my words. Looking at Shizu, she asked, "Ready?"I took a glance at the princess, her eyes still glowing black and green as she visibly braced herself for impact. "Ready.""Okay. I'm hitting enter... now."........."Did the world change yet?!"

Chaotic System: A Former Assassin in the Game of the Gods

For too long, Riku was content with the simple life of a sushi chef. Having left behind the hectic life of an assassin, his knife now only knows the flesh of fish and food as he hones his craft with both the poor and rich alike. His skills translated well into running his restaurant, his professionalism and dedication to having a perfect record refusing to leave him even in such a low stakes job as what he had now.But then, just as he was cleaning up, he was whisked away to participate in a game that would determine the new god of all existence.While lacking in knowledge about his new surroundings, Riku is still a professional through and through. Offered with the bounty of having his unconditional wishes granted, the Goddess that summoned him wishes for him to win her this game. Well, then he'll just have to make sure that their victory will be as complete as he could possibly make it... Against fantastical beasts and opponent Champions, his skills as an assassin and a combatant will be put to the test. He'll just have to make this Chaotic System actually work to his favor instead of it randomly spitting out nonsensical situational powers that he couldn't use.***The Deep Blue... The home of the Gods... For eons, the Thirteen Gods have lived together in harmony together with the God Father within the Deep Blue's calm waters. Together, they watched over the universe, content with simply observing as they all worked in tandem with their respective aspects to exact their Father's will.That was, until the God Father died without explanation, and His power locked away until a successor was chosen among His children.Left with an ultimatum, the Thirteen Gods argued on who should inherit their Father's power. Eventually, the arguments became clashes, and the gods eventually realized that them fighting to the death would spell the end of the world. Thus, an agreement was formed. Each of the Thirteen Gods would choose a champion from the sea of souls to fight on their behalf. These champions would brave the Deep Blue's dangers to reach the very bottom of its depths, and whoever gets there first would grant their patron god the right to inherit the God Father's power.Or at least, that was the original agreement. One goddess chose to defy her siblings, deciding to take matters into her own hands by choosing a former assassin-turned-sushi chef as her Champion. Granting him a power well beyond the rules of the game, she is certain that Riku would be the one to end her siblings' endless debates.After all, a goddess of chaos need not to follow the rules...

There was something here... Something that Riku knew that he could still draw from within him. Repeatedly, he kept banging at the proverbial door of his power, forcing it to come to his will.[BOONS OF CHAOS: CHAOTIC SYSTEM TRUMP NOT AVAILABLE][BOONS OF CHAOS: CHAOTIC SYSTEM TRUMP NOT AVAILABLE][BOONS OF CHAOS: CHAOTIC SYSTEM TRUMP NOT AVAILABLE]On and on, he banged at the thin wall stopping him from accessing more of Nyx's Chaotic power. Somewhere deep inside, he knew that what he was doing was dangerous. A primal instinct within him roared against his attempts; a singular urge telling him that what he was doing could get him killed. However, he was on the verge of dying right now. On the verge of failing a mission that he put upon himself.He refused to die so stupidly like this. Not when he knew he still had more tools at his disposal.[BOONS OF CHAOS: CHAOTIC SYSTEM TRUMP NOT AVAILABLE][BOONS OF CHAOS: CHAOTIC SYSTEM TRUMP NOT AVAILABLE][BOONS OF CHAOS: CHAOTIC SYSTEM TRUMP NOT AVAILABLE]For a full agonizing minute, Riku kept bashing his head against the barrier, the light from above now barely but a twinkle as the dim shine of the undersea stars around him barely gave him any light. Some fish were starting to investigate him, probably thinking that he was their next meal as he remained unmoving, focused on the task at hand.'Come on...' he grumbled, his consciousness starting to fade. 'Break, damn you...'[BOONS OF CHAOS: CHAOTIC SYSTEM TRUMP NOT AVAILABLE][BOONS OF CHAOS: CHAOTIC SYSTEM TRUMP NOT AVAILABLE][BOONS OF CHAOS: CHAOTIC SYSTEM TRUMP- TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP]His eyes widened as Nyx's telltale voice suddenly started to repeat itself, its clarity becoming muddled as if he was listening more to a poor radio recording instead of a proper one. At the same time, a dull pain bloom in his chest as he felt the barrier stopping him from accessing more of Nyx's power began to break, a small metaphorical crack breaching and allowing a small sliver of his goddess's power to flow through him.Seeing a breakthrough, Riku kept at it, bracing himself as he repeatedly banged at the barrier separating him from his goddess's power. More and more, he felt a newfound power flowing through him, his strength returning as the lack of oxygen suddenly didn't seem like an immediate concern anymore.[TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP]For just a little more, he knew that he was close to a breaking point. He was onto something, something that Nyx clearly didn't want him to know. He could feel the dull pain in his chest starting to grow the more he let her power flow through him, and he just knew that if he kept doing this, there was a chance that he'd just black out from the all of the pain.And still, he refused to stop.[TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP ERROR ERROR ERROR]Despite the clear warnings, he continued. Honestly, he was surprised that-/M-My Champion?! What in the world are you doing?! Stop this immediately!/***{NYX POV}Still fully in her nap, Nyx was more than ready to simply let things roll and see where they settled. She was pretty sure that Riku would be fine on his own. And with how Shizu was pushing herself, she was certain that her friend would find her way back to them as well. As such, all she had to do now was sit back, relax, and-thump...Nyx grumbled in her sleep as she felt a faint throb coming from within her chest. Not that it was alarming, but it wasn't enough to rouse her from her sleep. Besides, it probably wasn't important-thump thump thump...The goddess's heart skipped in her sleep, causing Nyx to slowly stir awake even unconsciously. Her hand placed over her chest, she rubbed the drowsiness out of her eyes as she squinted at the still-ruined battlefield around her."W-Wha... It's not over yet?"Nyx squinted as a pang of confusion washed over her. She wasn't one to wake up from a scheduled nap. Shizu's barrier was still holding, so it wasn't like the boat needed her to repair it. And her two companions weren't back yet, so why did she...thump thump THUMP"N-Ngh... W-what was that?"The goddess's eyes widened in both confusion as she felt her heart beat erratically. In her head, a faint banging sound could be heard as she felt something trying to access her power. Then a few more thuds echoed from within her chest, causing her to clutch at her breast with a hiss."Is this... pain?" she wondered to herself. "That was.... I'm feeling pain?"Nyx's eyes narrowed in suspicion at her conclusion. Even the very concept of such a feeling was foreign to her. After all, the only reason a god would ever feel pain was if their domain and very Aspect was at risk of damage, or if someone was trying to... tap into their own wells of power without permission...Immediately, her eyes widened in alarm./M-My Champion?! What in the world are you doing?! Stop this immediately!/Contacting Riku, her Champion didn't even bother to stop as his constant attempts to breach her defense refused to stop. The pain wasn't so much that she was in agony. In fact, it was more like an annoying hiccup that refused to leave. But still, her Champion was playing with power that he was far from being able to contain./You're going to die!/ she insisted. /There's a reason I didn't-/But before she could finish her thought, she felt something within her snap as she lurched over. Her heart began beating faster at the sudden intrusion, the conduit where her power flowed to Riku now surging with unchecked pressure as Nyx could only frown at the breach of her very being./Don't say I didn't warn you.../Disappointed, Nyx could only sigh as she sank back into her lounge chair, her hand rubbing the dull throb on her chest as she allowed her Champion to do as he pleased."You too, huh..."Well, if her companions wanted to play with powers far beyond their capabilities, then who was she to stop them?

Miscellaneous...A showcase of talents in other areas...

# Residential vs Datacenter Proxies for TwitterIn the realm of social media platforms, Twitter has become one of the biggest of them all in terms of sheer user count and global reach with over 500 million users worldwide. Boasting a robust base of active users, it is no wonder then that advertisers both private and corporate flock to the platform armed with advertisements aimed to promote their products. Backed by data and massive algorithms, they scrape your online activity for data to best determine what kind of product would be best suited for you. Of course, that would mean your privacy was being violated… That is unless you’re using either Residential or Datacenter Proxies for Twitter.Yes, the good news is that if you don’t want your data being used without your permission, proxy servers allow you to mask your activity with but a single press of a button. That is, once you already know what kind of proxy server would work best for you. Currently, the most common types used are either Residential or Datacenter-centric, so let’s dive into them both to see how exactly they differ from one another.## Residential ProxiesResidential Proxies are as straightforward as its name suggests. By using one, you connect to Twitter using a real residential IP provided by an Internet Service Provider. But while that might sound bad at first, what’s actually happening is that your connection is being run through multiple residential IPs in a given area, masking your presence and making it difficult for any potential data scrapers to even know who you are with how many IPs are blocking your true address.### Advantages of Residential ProxiesUnlike using Datacenter Proxies for Twitter, Residential Proxies are both organic and genuine, making it hard for the site’s algorithms or moderation tools to just try and ban you if it ever even manages to detect you. It makes your address look clean and real since, well, you’re using real IP addresses to hide your location. You could be using Twitter in the comfort of your own home and the algorithms would think you’re located in a small remote suburb in Asia, completely unaware that you’re simply running your connection through the genuine residential IP addresses located in that area and getting all the good data with little to no blemishes.In addition, any and all data you receive from Twitter would be as close to accurate as possible since the site won’t tag you for being a potential bad actor. After all, you’re using a genuine IP address, so there’s no need to hide anything from you should you want to access things. This will aid you should you be looking for accurate data for some online research or market studies using one of the most ubiquitous social media platforms available in the world.### Disadvantage of Residential ProxiesWhile using Residential Proxies for Twitter almost sounds like a surefire way to protect yourself, that doesn’t mean that it’s completely foolproof. While your IP address might have dozens to hundreds of organic IP addresses to hide behind, a diligent investigation into your connection could still lead to your location and data being discovered. Using a Residential Proxy could also lead to slower data transfers with the need to constantly move your connection from one IP to another to keep yourself hidden, and that’s on top of the higher costs that your service would ask of you if you didn’t find a cheaper and more reliable proxy provider.In addition, powerful data scrapers might just be able to punch through a Residential Proxy’s defenses if it’s not set up properly. While this kind of proxy server provides you with better access to content and reliable security assuming your settings and provider are up to snuff, it also means its ability to defend against determined algorithms that could parse through each and every Residential IP thrown against it is wholly dependent on your ability to finetune your defenses. In the end, if you ever make a glaring mistake during your setup, you would end up just making the algorithms do a few extra steps to find you.## Datacenter ProxiesDatacenter Proxies use, you guessed it, massive data centers to hide your IP address from any would-be snoopers. By connecting to one, your IP address is hidden outright and instead replaced by the data center’s own IP address, thus limiting any risk of your data being discovered by Twitter. It’s both a quick and elegant solution, doing away with the risk of your IP address being found through the use of sheer volume and computational power.### Advantages of Datacenter ProxiesDifferent from Residential Proxies, using Datacenter Proxies for Twitter would be both cheaper and more accessible with how many providers are out there competing for your business. It’s also far quicker than trying to set up a Residential Proxy with your chosen ISP should you choose to go for such a choice, especially if you’re short on time and just want something that would work with just one click of your mouse. From there, you can browse Twitter from anywhere from the Bahamas to the Himalayas in the comfort of your own home assuming that a data center is located in those locations. Not to mention the sheer speed that a Datacenter Proxy could provide. If all you want is all the protection and the freedom to browse at speeds not compromised by looping your connections through random channels, then this kind of proxy is the one for you.In addition, your anonymity is fully secured since any kind of investigation into your potential connection would simply lead to the data center’s location. A Datacenter Proxy is like a big wall of computation and defense, preventing any and all access by bad actors to find your IP address and data no matter how much they try. And even on the off-chance that your data center gets compromised, the only IP address that’s ever going to be leaked would be the data center proxy’s address, leaving you free to do it all over again with little to no risk provided you’ve chosen a reliable source of proxies for your needs.### Disadvantages of Datacenter ProxiesThat’s not to say that it’s all sunshine and rainbows when using a Datacenter Proxy for Twitter access. While your IP address would be completely hidden by using one, it’s also a lot more obvious that you’re hiding behind the shadow of a much larger IP address, one that Twitter’s algorithms and moderation tools could easily determine with how large of a footprint it could leave just from accessing the site for you.In addition, using one might muddle the accuracy of the data you’re receiving from the site since your IP address doesn’t look like it’s coming from a genuine residence. This would prevent you from doing proper studies and observations should you be looking to use Twitter for business purposes. There’s also a chance that while the prices might be low and affordable, not all providers are created equal. Quick and easy access also means knowing how to make an informed decision and choosing the right one for your needs might need a lot more time studying than you might have at the moment.## What to Choose?Knowing these differences between using Residential or Datacenter Proxies for Twitter, what exactly would be the criteria to choose which one you’d need for your needs? In the end, it would all depend on what kind of protection you need during your Twitter browsing escapades. Do you want speed above all else to quickly load all the tweets and videos that you’d ever want? Then perhaps a Datacenter Proxy would best suit your needs. Do you want to be sure of the tweets that you’re receiving along with being fine with a bit of targeted advertisement, then a Residential Proxy might be best for your social media browsing needs. Proper setup and provider choice would give you all the tools you need for the job whichever you choose. What’s important is that you are protected from bad actors who want to get away with your data.## ConclusionIn summary, using either Residential or Datacenter Proxies for Twitter would add another formidable layer of protection between you and any would-be data scraper looking to get away with your private location and data. As for what choice you might want to make between the two of them, being aware of both your own needs and preferences before deciding would be the deciding factor on whether or not your proxy would work best in your circumstances.While there are dozens upon dozens of proxy providers out there in the market, it’s still best that you inform yourself of at least five factors you need to consider before making the leap to protect yourself while browsing your favorite social media app. After all, it wouldn’t feel great to get banned out of tweets and information just because you made a hasty choice while trying to keep yourself safe from online bad actors trying to infringe on your privacy.