《The Red Snowman》The Monster with a Hundred Arms and a Rat who Played Piano
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Standing ovation. Loud applause.
It was another successful day for the monster with hundred arms.
He played piano excellently.
The prices of tickets to attend his concerts skyrocketed, so only a few chosen ones were allowed to hear his heavenly music.
Those few chosen ones never worked for the tickets themselves though, they were entrepreneurs in the city of light who utilized the work of the struggling class of the gray cities at the outskirts.
It seemed like the monster with hundred arms had a bright future.
He returned to his giant glass castle on top of the highest hill in the city, and began to compose another wonderful melody, as usually, in perfect solitude. While his initial success lasted a few months, he noticed that fewer and fewer people continued to attend his concerts or were willing to pay high prices, then began to wonder why.
The monster thought to himself – maybe I wasn't perfect enough! I will go beyond any of the musical concepts of the light city!
His next piece of art was astounding and he noticed a spike in his fortune again, but this time, it lasted even shorter.
The monster was going crazy – No! What's happening? Was the excellence of my masterpiece beyond their comprehension? Those simpletons! I'll show them! I'll not release anything for thousand years until I perfect my song to the point when everyone will be elated!
Thousand years have passed. The release of his millennium art piece was a great event... but still, not many people came afterwards.
The monster was unhappy.
He had to leave his castle and learn why.
Were the people just bored with music?
The monster left and wandered the streets, citizens looked at his big silhouette with fear and awe. Bored that he couldn't comprehend what's happening on his own, the monster approached one of the purple blobs who roamed around the market and asked:
"Would you please tell me, why nobody is coming to my concerts?"
The blob trembled, like a jelly, then uttered in low voice.
"Everyone is watching a piano rat."
"Piano rat?" - Shocked, the monster replied. Was there finally a better player than him? An opponent? Perhaps, a new master.
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"Where can I meet that 'piano rat'?" - The monster asked, once again.
"He lives in the outskirts... but you can watch him on the TV."
"That won't be necessary. Thank you for assistance." - The monster moved one of his many hands to his suit and the blob froze in terror, but to his surprise, the monster only pulled out some money. - "Here, have this, for the help."
Hesitating, blob slowly moved his arms, grabbed the cash, then crawled away.
As the monster reached the outskirts, he could spot more and more filth on the streets. Citizens lived on the streets in wooden shacks without basic tools, such as washing machines or computers. Some smelled like they didn't even know what soap is.
The monster pinched his nose and trod forward, struggling to break through the crowd, all until he reached the piano rat.
To him, the piano rat... was just a rat.
Sure, it knew how to play a small piano with only seven keys and produce nice melodies, but that was it.
Yet, all the people were smiling. The kids were cheering and the crowd would stay with a rat until late at night. They requested sad songs, happy songs, rapid melodies and slow ones, melodies that would soothe the soul... and the ones that would cause many to burn with passion.
The rat would play it all, just on seven keys, but it was nothing compared to what the monster could achieve.
"People. These songs are trivial and uninspired." - The monster sighed and removed a large piano that was hanging strapped to his back. - "Let me show you what a true master is capable of."
The monster started playing and the rat stopped, then listened in awe.
People approached the monster, listened, and nodded their heads. The monster surely had skill.
As the rat listened, he felt inspired and started accompanying the monster's melody with his own.
People started to cheer for the rat and many left the monster's concert.
"What? What do I hear!?" - The monster replied in a disgusted tone. - "Why are you soiling my sacred song!?"
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The rat retracted its head, fearing the loud voice, but he switched his melody to one that portrayed oncoming doom, even in face of the large adversary.
People laughed, they liked the bravery of the rat.
"What is this nonsense?" - The monster howled. - "Why are more of you listening to him, than to me?"
An old, slightly tipsy man approached the monster.
"Friend, you aren't bad, but you are not a rat. You've one hundred hands and a monstrous brain, everyone could play well with your supreme body, but look... it's just a rat and it can even help your songs with just seven keys!"
"You utter fool! His seven keys help nobody, he ruins what's already perfect... and do you dare to disregard thousands of years of dedication that I've put into my songs? Be gone or I shall smash you down." - The monster rebuked.
The old man hunched, terrified, and backed away.
Then, a small kid tossed a stone at the monster. - "You! You don't scare me! We like the rat more because he is one of us!"
The monster laughed loudly. - "Ahh, so it's not about the music. What a tragedy, your infantile hearts are drawn to beautify your own incapacity and lack of effort."
The kid puffed his cheeks and tossed another stone, but didn't understand what monster meant. - "What do you mean!!? Ugly monster!"
"You see yourself in the rat... your struggles, your work... your desperation and dreams... and do you really think that the ugly melody of your slums even compares to what that small animal creates?"
The crowd fell silent.
"You desperately want to be him, but you're not. Multiple fingers and arms, yet you continue your rhythmical existence engraved in one key melody. You don't strive for greatn..."
At this point, the monster overheard a slow, soft melody that silently played in the background. Small kids and elders began humming to the melody, more and more people joined and started holding their hands together.
"...ess, that's why your city is still gray". - The monster spoke, but his words were drowned out. - "You disgraceful beings! Listen to me!" - Monster declared loudly, but because more citizens joined, his words still couldn't be heard.
The monster couldn't stand it. He sat next to his piano and started playing an intensive, powerful song, one that would tear down the rat's delicate wish, but the rat craftily switched to higher notes and interweaved them into a dark melody.
Rat's song never could be heard more clearly.
The monster would not give up, he also switched to higher notes and played rapidly, it was like a storm came and demolished his castle of glass.
The rat couldn't win. The humming of the gray city stopped.
The monster was satisfied, he slowed down and stopped playing.
The rat, however, kept playing. Rhythmically. Just one note.
The monster couldn't stand it.
"I WANT TO HELP YOU." - He screamed with all his strength. - "DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!!?"
Citizens of the grey city were too scared to speak to the monster and voice their doubts and the monster knew no language other than music, but his music couldn't speak to these people. There was no dialogue.
The monster looked at the inept crowd. - "Pointless." - He exhaled in an exhausted voice.
He packed his piano and prepared to depart, but a squealing voice stopped him.
It was the rat, it followed the monster.
The monster leaned, a shadow of his large head hovered over the tiny rat. - "You, young master, want to follow my footsteps? There is not much that I can teach you." - The monster lowered his arm to gently touch the rat's snout with his finger.
The rat sniffed a finger, then climbed it, then ran all the way up to the monster's shoulder.
The village kids started crying. - "Piano rat, please don't go!"
The rat turned its head, squeaked a few times, then moved to the monster's piano and started playing a farewell song.
It was a goodbye and a promise.
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Swindle
—A Celebration of all things chess... Shounen Sports–manga Style. Anasthese is the current reigning World Champion for the Junior Chess Female Division. For years, she's wanted nothing more than to beat the Male Division Champion, Rei. These two are considered prodigies way ahead of their age; none of their peers even come close to holding a candle against them. But be that as it may, Anasthese too, cannot hold a candle to Rei... She's never beaten Rei once he's serious. Anasthese has always considered Rei the best of her generation. It's her lifelong goal to beat and surpass him. That's why, when Rei's cancer had become fatal after their 3rd year running, Anasthese took it hard. Rei will die, with her never having beaten him, not even once. Things take an unexpected turn when Rei reveals that he is far from the "invincible" player Anasthese envisions him to be. Even he has someome he could never beat, not even if his life depended on it... a fellow apprentice who studied with him under GM Amane. A guy so-called "Net". This enrages Anasthese. A person stronger than Rei should not exist. Because if he did, then what has all her efforts for the past years been for? And if this Net "does" exist, why doesn't he challenge Rei for the title? Rei tells her it's not that simple... Net's playstyle is void. It's an enigma. It's chess that should not exist, and should physically not be possible to play. It goes against all logic, and it's power is not something that can be measured in numbers. It's something that would "absolutely not work" in a professional setting. Anasthese attends Rei's funeral as a last rite before setting off for Japan, bound towards the disintegrating Futenma Shintenkan Highschool chessclub, of which there are only two members left: Mukuro and Net. She has to see it with her own eyes, a playstyle that Rei lost to... And as Anasthese stays for the long-term, various misadventures are started at Futenma High, including rebuildung the club, Anasthese's "Royal Guards" (four girls dedicated to serving Anasthese and helping challenge Rei) coming to take her back to America, and unexpected guests gracing the local Sports Meet chess scene. From a guy who can only play well everytime money's involved, to a girl who plays on a weird "Magical Girls vs Orcs" chess set, get introduced to the quirky playstyles that make chess wonderful. (Disclaimer: I am not a chess pro, I'm only 1400. Expect me to have no idea what I'm talking about at certain times...)
8 291Dreadnought - A Superhero Novel
Damsels in distress in need of saving from villains that only the hero can fight off. A single protagonist that will save the universe from its fated doom. Despite the odds all of the heroes survive a battle they shouldn’t. They win a war that can’t be won. Those are fairy tales. And fairy tales are no good entertainment. The world as we knew ended not with an explosion or the apocalypse, but a cry of an infant. That was the birth of Dawn, the world’s first gifted with the ability to warp reality itself. 153 years have passed and all manners of conventional weaponry have disappeared from the face of the planet and textbooks. Only a vague idea of what it did remains. In such a world, gifted roam with little to no competitions aside from other gifted. Thankfully, however, the decently strong ones live on the front lines fighting the other factions all thorough the year in a not-so-cold war for another continent. In such a world where two factions battle for supremacy on the mainland, Damian Edison plans to make a living as a soldier of the Empire before he discovers a much better path to wealth and fame all the while helping the world. Things seem too good to be true, but maybe the old man is telling the truth. What other choice did he have? After all, he’d be living out his life in a dungeon if he didn’t accept the offer. Our newest hero tries to make a living as a public figure in search of fame and glory, yet the stakes rise to the skies in a manner of months and he finds himself fighting for the fate of the entire world against a terrorist organization that seems to have brought back conventional weaponry into the fray. Can the gifted around the world hope to defend their nations from weapons of mass destruction, or will they bend the knee? ------------------------------------- This is the first book, already finished and undergoing editing before it hits the markets. And what better way to advertise myself as well as have free beta readers than RoyalRoadl!!!
8 207Untouched (Untouched #1)(Old Work)
{COMPLETED!} A story of twists and turns, and an epic struggle. He was there. And then he was gone; vanished. Ellen's attacker was killed in broad daylight under unusual circumstances. One minute he was behind her; the next, caught between the hoods of two cars. That's when she questioned how normal she truly was. But when she becomes exposed to an unknown world, she quickly learns that there is more to life than meets the eye. Necromancers, sleight of hands, illusions, and trickery are amongst the many tools used by others to hunt her kind. The struggle becomes real as she fights to remain untouched; all whilst in the middle of an epic blood battle between good versus evil. "Through all of the countless crap stories and recycled tales, Untouched is a rare diamond in the rough. With tantalizing descriptions and characters with incredible depth, T.K. Kotkoda paints a unique tale that is a much-need change from the stereotypical Paranormal story. It has been my pleasure to read it." - JDGRIMM - Highest Paranormal Rank: #28 [5 May 2017] -
8 86The ABDL transformation
dont.
8 175Debut or Die [fan translation]
(This is not machine translated!)A student preparing for the Civil Service examination for the 4th year suddenly found himself in an unfamiliar body from 3 years ago.As well as a status window displaying a threat in front of his eyes![Outbreak!] [Status Abnormality: 'Debut or Death' Occurs!] A diary about the transformation of the main character, who was suddenly challenged to be an idol even though he has never been in the industry before due to sudden threat of death.※Speciality: He used to take and sell idols' data.// This is a fan translation. Do not post this on social media. // All credits go to the author Baek Deok Su.
8 133GF AUs (Billdip/Willdip/Killdip/Philldip/Kay)
Bem vindos a futura EXPLOSÃO DE ONESHOTS DE BILLDIP, WILLDIP E KILLDIP, E VAI TER PHILLDIP, ENTENDORES ENTENDERÃO (se lerem, muahahahah) E COM UM POUCO DE KAY PRA TEMPERAR Ah, pra quem não sabe o que é Kay: LEIA AS MINHAS OUTRAS FICS (recomendo a Amnésia principalmente, a Amnésia ficou muito massa, ó)A capa da fic não foi feita por mim
8 194