《Hustling Through the Dark》Vlog #30
Advertisement
"Well, hello, world. I'm still the me on Titan. The me aboard Pumpkin is still a little busy right now.
"I, uh, kind of violated some spacecraft safety regs when I altered Pumpkin outside of normal maintenance, when I re-mounted the drive. They're not going to yank her spaceworthiness certificate, given that there's enough publicity being shone on this whole thing that they're willing to accept 'I did it to avoid dying' as an excuse... but they want me to inspect every last thing you can imagine, and then some, repeatedly, for the rest of the trip, and then do their own inspections once I finally get back to the Solar System and dock.
"Unrelatedly, one detail that may be of interest to our viewers is about Val's state-of-mind. According to our highly-paid analysts, the odds are very high that she's an upload... and that she took a canon. Specifically, she had an unchanging, fixed belief something along the lines of 'Singularities are bad'... and she'd had that part of her mind set to be read-only for years. Maybe since the em-pocalypse itself. But human brains didn't evolve to have neurons act that way, and even we uploads still rely on regular neural architecture. Over time, her canon... leaked. Or something. Without a copy of her handy to directly analyze, we're dipping deeper into guesswork for any details."
"Dee, now that all the excitement is over, there's still one thing I want you to tell me."
"... Yyyyeeess?"
"What secret did the me in the Kawaiikoma keep from this me?"
"Ah. That. Well... it's about those Titanian body-suits, the black ones."
"What about them?"
"We are live-vlogging, you know."
"I don't care. Lie to me if you want. Just tell me something."
"... Alright. The suits are black because their colour-code is zero-zero, zero-zero, zero-zero. That is, they reflect no red light, no green light, and no blue light."
"... And?
"... Oh. Oooh. So the me in the fully biologically accurate dik-dik and griffon-"
"Yep."
"But the me in the Kawaiikoma-"
"Yep."
"So, wait, is that how you knew-"
"Yep."
"And they all just... don't talk about it?"
"Well, not to non-Titanians, anyway. Mostly. I think we're at least half Titanian by acclaim, by now."
Advertisement
- In Serial92 Chapters
Synergy
Dear Inspector, Please accept this letter as my formal resignation from being a Player. Hey! Laugh all you want, but I had to try. With no rules down here, who's to say that I can't resign? Anyway, my reasons are simple: I'm neither a gamer nor a hero. You got the wrong person for the job. Sure, the pay is decent and I could pretty much live like a king if, you know, I wasn't so busy trying to survive. I have major concerns about the demonic dagger bound to my soul too. Come to think of it, I've never asked to be transported to this fantasy land either and would like you to return me home, thank you very much. I don't want supernatural powers, I don't want to complete quests after quests, and I don't want to be your test subject anymore. What? I'm not whining, you're whining. Stop making excuses and let me leave already. Thank you for your understanding, and I hope you'll find a better replacement after I'm gone for good. Sincerely,Randel, the Mad Painter What to expect from Synergy: --> Some GameLit elements are presented subversively. If you want the protagonist to “play the game” properly, this might not be the story for you.--> No filler chapters; the story's structure is already plotted out. It's going to have six story arcs.--> Character development happens slowly, over many chapters. Don't expect a perfect protagonist right off the bat.--> Some romance, but it will never be the main focus.--> Humor and dark elements in equal measure, but not to the extent that I’d label this story as “Comedy” or “Grimdark”. ... and lots and lots of Author's Notes. See you on the other side of the portal!
8 107 - In Serial6 Chapters
Be a Steam Player
They didn't move for a thousand years... "Admiral Grant," the King suddenly shouted. The soldier's head snapped up in surprise. "Yes, Your Majesty?" "Wake the Giant." The rust peeled off like dead skin, falling into the ocean and revealing the shining metal body beneath. The ground shook as the gears began to turn, their grinding heard for miles. Story based in the same universe as my other story, Gamer's Guide to Waking up as a Dinosaur.
8 202 - In Serial24 Chapters
Seven
Amongst the whole continent of Eteros, one name throughout the legend of the old has been etched deeply into their minds even if it was from a long time ago. Seven with her destructive power and overall prowess in battle, with her tendencies of destroying everything she walks into thus. She was subdued by the heroes that gained strength by the help of the divine relics created by the gods. Thus 1000 years later a young boy who goes the name of Charles will stumble upon the most feared harbinger of destruction, “The Glorious Lady Seven”. Note: It’s my first time posting here and also this is my first novel so I would be happy for your reviews. Im mostly posting these on scribblehub, so you can see more if you go there.
8 244 - In Serial7 Chapters
Toothpick
“Hello! My humble audience! I, the Bard of the North, am going to tell you a tale. Nothing new, nothing old. A story of a hero, some may say, others a poor boy who was hated by the world.” The storyteller paused as he waited, right timing was everything when telling a story. Pacing… Too slow and the audience became bored then left without tossing even the smallest of coins. If he spoke too fast and rushed the story. It would leave the audience confused and having no reason to be impressed. So like any good storyteller, the Bard has to do a balancing act of sorts. Not too slow, not too fast. Just perfectly in the middle. “In a shattered country in the south, a novice princeling has the ambition to mend a torn tapestry that is his birthplace. Struggling to fend off those who would usurp the throne in an unending civil war spanning centuries. A mercenary that left only death in his wake, unable to stave off the monotony and peace of life. He looks back at the path laden with bodies, wondering if it was all worth it. Wandering souls summoned by a madman, travel away from a wasteland in a foreign land, the first alone, the others as companions. A deity, ancient in her years, waiting to be freed from a duty she no longer enjoys. For all these people and their stories, none are the hero of this tale. No, the hero is not grand, not wise, not ready.. he was punished for nothing of his doing, who was an outcast that was unloved by many, including his father.” This was always the big reveal novices use to jump off into their story. He did not start here, instead, like any good fishermen, he set the bait and waited until the fish bit before pulling. As he saw the audience's eyes focus, he then started the backstory. The harness, that stopped the listeners from having metaphorical whiplash. The foreshadowing. “But that is not where the story starts. No, not even the hero's birth. Where the story begins, is the boredom of the deity, a deity many know of. She who hunts for the impossible, the guide for those who have lost the path, the Huntress of Mallon--” A small pause, a short breath. “--All old names for a single powerful being that has roamed the grounds of this continent longer than any line of kings or queens, lords or ladies. A being of worship for many an individual…” One last breath. And he began singing the first verse.
8 289 - In Serial16 Chapters
Overseer (Dwarf Fortress x Worm)
A young woman gains the power to make elements of a saved game real. She must then survive the assault of a coordinated attack by some of the deadliest parahumans on the planet - he same group of murderhobos that caused her the mental trauma that resulted in her gaining her powers to begin with.This is a crossover fiction between the most complicated game ever created, 'Dwarf Fortress' by Toady One, and an extensive grimdark superpower genre serial fiction called 'Worm' by Wildbow. It is violent and there are some references to sex in it, so it's probably not fit for young children to read, and persons not familiar with Dwarf Fortress or Worm might be confused by some elements, but I feel confident that it stands reasonably well on it's own.This crossover is complete. I posted it here in it's entirety all at once. I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
8 58 - In Serial17 Chapters
Summer School In Another World
Josh and his friends, Bobby, Pepe, Manuel, and Erin had just graduated middle school and the summer was just starting. The plan was that they would have sleep overs, go camping, fishing, play video games and just not worry about going high school. Elementary and Middle School over it was time to have fun before that new stage in life called high school. All was going well, video games check, sleep over at Pepe's house check, camping and fishing was next on the list. Erin backyard had some woods behind it and that was where they would be camping. The night was filled with stories, games, marshmallow smores and some pop that Manuel had brought with him. They fell asleep thinking tomorrow would be as great as today, but tomorrow would change them forever. Now they are in a different world, a world they had not fallen asleep to. They and others are now stuck here, where they are slotted into roles like in a game. And they have to level and fight who knows what. And all they wanted was to have fun before starting high school. But the kind of fun in this new place includes getting hurt or possibility of sort of dying.
8 196

