《My Life is Not a Manga, or maybe...》Harem Scarem: 022
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Harem Scarem: 022
Sunday morning found me feeling much more like my old self again, in more ways than one. I was still hacking up half a lung when I got up in the morning, but after a cup of tea and an hour upright I could barely tell I was still in the final stage of recuperating. I had a tentative plan for accelerating my way out of this damn manga without sacrificing parts of my life or being a total jerk, and Dad thought it would work which made me hopeful for the first time in a while.
The question was how to kick things off. Rachel was out of bounds. I was still pretty sure she was the Main Girl, so any action I took with her was either headed for a relationship or externally-induced complications. I was leery to experiment with Jill, since the childhood friend was a common fallback so she might present the same issues as Rachel. Paula was a solid choice, but I wasn't wholly confident in my ability to handle her if things went sideways. Ms. Cariño damn well better not be in the harem, so I'd decided it was best to just pretend Wednesday evening never happened and hope for the best.
Which left Samantha. Oddly enough, I had zero problems with using her as a guinea pig to test the viability of this approach. The question was how best to approach her.
Then again, perhaps I could enlist the help of an insider.
It took some searching, but I eventually found Vickie stretched out behind the couch on her stomach, reading a manga.
I've probably mentioned this, but Vickie is kind of weird. For as long as I can remember, she has loved lurking underneath tables and behind furniture. Most kids will play wherever the toys are, but in my family we were constantly stubbing our toes on playthings that she'd stashed under the dining room table. These days that wasn't such a problem, but if I wanted to have a private conversation anywhere other than my room, I always had to check a few odd places for Vickie.
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I knelt on the couch and looked down at Vickie over the back. "Hey, Vickie."
She glanced up then returned to her book, clearly disinterested. "What?"
How to put this? Oh well, this was Vickie, after all. She probably wouldn't care. "What's the deal with Samantha?"
That earned me a suspicious look. "What do you mean?"
"You two are friendly, right? Is she always so…tsundere with you, too?"
"Oh, that. Ask her yourself."
Ah, so my hunch was right! She did act differently around Vickie. I had wondered why Vickie would put up with that brand of absurdity. Usually if something annoyed her, she was not shy about pointing it out. She'd had some pretty epic fights with friends when she was younger thanks to that, if memory served.
This was valuable intel, but perhaps if I pressed a little more… "Aha! So it's an act! What's she really like, then?"
Vickie gave me a look. Why is it siblings are so good at communicating "you are the scum of the earth" with nothing more than their eyes? "Ask her. Yourself. Now go away; Kyoko is about to stick it to this know-it-all producer."
Well heaven forbid I get in the way of important work like that. "Fine, I'll leave you to it if you tell me something that Samantha likes."
"I'm not doing your dirty work for you, Xavier." Ooh, someone was still angry about the onii-chan incident, if I didn't miss my guess. Well, whatever. I had enough to work with.
If Samantha was intentionally acting like a tsundere, then that meant she was very likely aware of manga, anime, or light novels. I couldn't be sure which, and I had no idea why she had adopted that persona, but that info gave me an idea how to proceed.
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I sat down on the couch and scooted it back a bit.
"Hey!" shouted Vickie.
"Oops, forgot you were there."
Now, to make this work I was going to need to do a little planning. I got out my phone and booted up the Maps app. Hm, good; I'd have to get someone to drop us off, but everything I needed was within walking distance after that.
Operation Not-Quite-A-Date was a go.
Dad's little pep talk had reminded me that although harem protagonists are largely victims of happenstance, I didn't have to be. Knowing the popular tropes meant that I had a reasonably good chance of encouraging a specific outcome if I set things up properly. In this case, my goal was to get a little closer to Samantha without triggering too many romance flags, and the method I'd lit upon was the not-quite-a-date shopping trip. Although I didn't know anything about Samantha's likes and dislikes—thanks for being so helpful, Vickie—getting her to agree to go shopping with me should offer a predictable framework in which to try a few things out. I checked with Dad, and sure enough he was free to drive us next Saturday.
First things first, though: I needed an excuse. This wouldn't have worked very well with Jill or Paula, but Samantha's budding friendship with Vickie offered me a great opportunity; and fortunately, I had Samantha's contact information from the first day of school.
Hey, Vickie's b-day is coming up in a couple months, I texted. Need to get her a present, but unsure what. You available next Saturday to help shop?
Resist that, if you can! Sure enough, a couple minutes later…
You don't even know what to get your own sister? You're a terrible brother. But I suppose I'm free. What time?
Was planning on Barnes & Novel south of Outlet mall around 10:30. Meet me there, or you need a ride?
A little while later: I'll meet you there.
Hook, line, and sinker. Now I just had to survive another week and hope for a lack of harem hijinks until I could start put my nascent plan into motion.
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Sorcery in Boston
The timid daughter of some of the greatest spellcasters ever to have lived has found herself in another world, courtesy of magic gone awry. In Boston, Massachusetts, in the year 1935, she finds some kind souls in a hard era. In the heart of the Great Depression, as war looms around the corner, she seeks to find her place, and must come to terms with both who she is and what she truly desires. Author's Notes: Release Note: I recently realized what the hold up is. My current mental state is not compatible with the planned ending. If I wrote the ending according to what currently feels right, it will be a wretched, cruel ending that feels monstrously unfair and invalidates the work of the various characters... because that's how my life feels at the moment. The planned ending is coming out hollow and awkward, no matter how I write it, and so I've been bashing my head. I will finish it, once I manage to either brute force something decent out, or once my head gets screwed on straight. Audience: This story is not for young children - it contains some profanity, sexual content, violence, gore, and significant adult themes. Most of these are handled delicately enough not to upset teens or adults (hopefully), hence the lack of relevant tags, but it is nonetheless unsuitable for youth. It's fairly slow paced, and focused on the development of very human, very flawed individuals. Length / Completion Estimates: The outline currently involves two books. Book 1 is expected to be done with Chapter 43. It'll probably be completely finished by sometime in March of this year. I expect to move on to the far-more-lighthearted Of Gods and Dungeons (currently in progress / on hiatus). Afterwards, I may decide to redo Book 1, or write Book 2, or actually start sharing the story most dear to me, that I've been working on for several years now. Draft 1: Please be aware that this is first draft material. I do intend to come back to do a second draft after the story is complete. If anyone notices any issues whatsoever with the story, please let me know (pm, etc) so that I can improve the second draft. Writer's Pledge: I've taken the Writer's Pledge, meaning I'm commiting to completing this story. I'm a proud member of WriTE, a group dedicated to finishing stories. It will be done! Behind the Scenes notes: This picture was commissioned from an inked artist by the name of DanP. Up until the time of the protagonist's arrival, history has proceeded as before. Some places and characters have been borrowed from wikipedia entries of interesting figures from the time. I will make note in the chapter comments when such things come up. Naturally, I've taken a great deal of liberty with them. In interest of respecting individuals, I've either attempted to portray them as accurately as possible, or modified them sufficiently enough that they're simply an inspiration, instead of a real portrayal. I've attempted to be as accurate to the era as possible, but I'm not a historian. If you're aware of inaccuracies, please, bring them to my attention so that I can correct them.
8 115Kingdom of Tyr (Original)
This fiction has been concluded as of the end of Book 1, the portion of the story posted here. There will be a complete rewrite as a separate fiction in the future to make the system more consistent and add more to the world while expanding on the events within this fiction. This rewrite will begin eventually, posted as a separate story. Colt, twelve, is walking home from school when he's approached by another boy dressed oddly, who asks him - theoretically - about living in another world. After asking some information about the theoretical other world, Colt says he'd probably prefer to live there, to get away from the problems he has on Earth. Once Colt confirms that, he finds himself in an abandoned city, the other boy revealing himself to be a god, who then offers to train Colt until he can stand on his own and live by himself. After a couple of months, the god sends Colt off for greater training, to learn to use both Aura and Mana, with his only instructions being to return every now and then to visit, and to make friends and have lots of fun. This story follows Colt, a boy named Tyler he meets in the new city, and their journey to growing stronger, having fun, and striving to beat each other. Note: this story is not intended to be professional-quality, and it does draw inspiration from many sources. That said, it is its own story, in its own world. It has never been and never will be edited. It will also have multiple PoV's, starting somewhere after Chapter 8.
8 141The Ghost's Girl
"I know who I was. I was Aevlin, raised by Callily, wife of Alaric, son of the mad king," she said the words as if they belonged to someone else. Not her name, not her story. "I was a woodcrafter's apprentice, a strict woman's daughter, a selfish girl's sister. But you know that already. And she's dead." the girl's eyes glistened with tears that would not fall. She would not let them. "Does it matter?"The descendants of the last king have lived in hiding since before his death, but through a series of premeditated coincidences, Aevlin Saliz finds herself in her cousin's palace. There she faces the trials of mental labor, the allure of magic, and the stirrings of rebellion, all while doing her best to hide her identity as both royal and mage. But the desire to belong puts her independence to the test when a plot to overthrow the king in her name is uncovered. Aevlin must choose between quiet submission and taking control of her own destiny. [cover photo by Alice Alinari on Unsplash]
8 127Powerless
Eighteen-year-old Carson Adachi has lived his entire life believing he was the only powerless person in a world of superhumans. However, when an unfamiliar power begins to manifest, he quickly learns there are worse things than being powerless. The leaders of the known world – the Council – take an interest in Carson and his unique power. As his strength continues to grow, the Council’s stance on his usage of it shifts, and Carson finds himself fighting to keep his right to keep his power. Questioning his leaders, Carson finds his finds himself not only battling for not only his rights – but for his very life itself.
8 88Space Apes (AKA Spapes)
For as long as there has been faith, there have been the unfaithful. Persecuted for nothing but her doubts (and reading the wrong books) one girl has a chance to start a new life on a new planet. But wherever there are cities, there is the presence of the Novoastrian Church. Unable to even go to school without the watchful eye of the Inquest searching for non-believers, how long can an apostate maintain their sanity when surrounded by faith?
8 117Friends With Benefits (SouDam)
:DD
8 71