《Time And Thoughts》Tools or Instruments?
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Strings are being plucked,
Music is being made,
Emotions are being portrayed,
And I was being played.
Was it my heart or the harp?
Both are instruments of love,
and are complicated to understand,
but when learnt, makes such beautiful music,
and when broken, is expensive to replace.
Was it my vocal cords or the violin?
Both are instruments of importance,
known to deliver messages of significance,
but depending on how the body of the instrument is handled,
the sound could be violent or tranquil.
Was it my hair or the guitar?
Both are instruments of popularity,
loved and tried by everyone,
but is so easily destroyed by the release of frustration.
We are both used by humans,
So what's our difference.
I can't help but wonder,
Are we tools or instruments?
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- In Serial64 Chapters
Wildling
Blurb: Silas--a scavenger living off the ruins of humanity--has spent his entire life fighting tooth and nail to provide for himself and his crew. But when a scavenging run goes awry and he's snatched up by an android patrol, he finds himself thrown into a cage and priced to sell as a pet. And when a suitor comes calling, he fears the worst: that he'll be turned into a Domestic, a human lapdog brainwashed into total obedience. Instead, he discovers an equally disturbing truth: that the creatures who stole his world have created a videogame the likes of which Earth has never seen; a sprawling, game-like theme park where humans are the Avatars and androids are the players who control them. And to make matters worse, his android guide is as hopeless as they come, having gotten all of her previous Avatars killed in record time. So if Silas wants to regain his freedom, he'll not only have to fight his way through a world that was specifically designed to murder him in brutal fashion--he'll also have to convince his android guide that he should be the one calling the shots. FAQS: Q: Who are you, handsome stranger? A: I'm Kyle Kirrin, the author of Shadeslinger, book 1 of The Ripple System, published by Portal Books, and I write crunchy LitRPG. Q: What is Wildling? And is it complete? A: Wildling is a crunchy LitRPG mash up of Fantasy and Science Fiction. And yup, Wildling is already complete at 64 chapters, or about 120,000 thousand words. You're looking at something like a third draft here--it's fairly polished, but it hasn't been picked over by a copy editor yet nor has my developmental editor seen it. Q: Upload schedule? A: 5 initial chapters today (2/15/2021) and one chapter a day for the next month. After that I'll probably slow down to 2 or 3 chapters a week until the story is complete. Q: How crunchy is it? A: It's pretty crunchy. I'd put it on the same tier as Ascend/The Land/RSSG, but it might be a bit crunchier than those three? Q: Is this the first book in a series or a web novel or what? And what are your plans for it? A: It's currently a standalone with series potential. Full disclosure: this story may head the way of my publisher eventually, but will be available on RR for quite a while no matter what. Likely several months after it's complete with plenty of warning before/if it's taken down. Q: What kind of build does the MC create? A: Sword and board! Q: Crafting? A: Plenty! Crafting isn't as center stage as it is in The Way of the Shaman, but it's close. Q: Base building? A: Two fully separate, distinct bases, both of which play a major role in the story. Q: VRMMO? Portal? Reincarnation or what? A: This one's a bit tricky. Basically an advanced race has created a game-like world that closely resembles a theme park. Think Westworld but with copious amounts of loot. And the MC has to fight his way through that to earn his freedom. Q: Permadeath? A: Nope! The MC gets 3 lives to play through the entirety of the game world, and death is extremely punishing, but not fatal. Q: Harem? Or romance? A: No and no. Q: Cursing? Blood? A: Quite a bit of cursing, yeah. There's blood, too, but it's not a gory book by any means. Q: How can I support? A: Instead of a Patreon/donations etc, I'd ask that you consider giving my debut LitRPG Shadeslinger a chance. It's free on Kindle Unlimited and the audio is already out narrated by Travis Baldree. It's an epic fantasy VRMMO where the main character gets 3 days of exclusive access to a new game plus a snarky, talking axe to guide him through it in exchange for agreeing to become the target of a serverwide manhunt once the Head Start period ends. Q: How's it similar to Wildling? And how's it different? A. The crunch level is very similar, but Shadeslinger is a much lighter, epic fantasy take on the genre. It's also VRMMO, but without any real world components aside from the first chapter. The MC is very different--he comes off as a bit of a jerk early on and can take a bit to warm up to, especially before his backstory is revealed--but he's also got a talking axe that constantly puts him in his place. Shadeslinger's a much more humorous story in general, and it's a great deal more polished as well. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy Wildling!
8 346 - In Serial8 Chapters
The First Shadow Assassin
In a world where citizens' gain a blessing from one of 5 gods, they gain the ability to learn magic and use powerful skills with all sorts of weapons. This story follows the perilous journey of a young street rat named Ethan Shadowmark to rescue his family, however along the way he discovers the truth of his real family and the horrible destiny that has befallen him. Filled with rage and hatred towards the adventurers of the nation known as Valen, a god long since forgotten grants Ethan his own blessing leading Ethan to decide if he wants to use his power to destroy the corruption at the heart of Valen and make everyone free and safe or to seek vengeance and lead the nation into chaos. Only time will tell if Ethan is powerful enough to lead a nation to prosperity for all or be the herald of chaos and bring doom to all.
8 96 - In Serial56 Chapters
Other West: Diablero
What if the life you want is taken from you? After surviving the brutal slaughter of his naval squadron, Van Bran believed he could escape the world of empires, war, and magic by forging a new life on the American frontier. As a rancher, Van's life was simple, quiet, and far more peaceful. But when Van and his drovers come face to face with an ancient evil vying for control of the New World, a life of peace may be forever outside his grasp. Unless Van can take up arms once more and face the terrors of his past, he and his friends will serve as spiritual hosts to demonic skinwalkers. Enter the Other West... Follow, read, and comment today! Thank you for reading.
8 116 - In Serial33 Chapters
Star Wars: The Twisted Force
(A re-imagining of The Force Awakens. Major differences include: Male-Rey, AU Knights of Ren, lots of Stormtroopers, and old-school EU/Legends-inspired lore.) Raey, a scavenger nobody, finds himself unexpectedly flung into the crosshairs of the mysterious, and terrifying, Knights of Ren. After saving a Resistance pilot - a pilot carrying Jedi secrets - and with the help of a First Order deserter, Raey must now survive being caught in the machinations of the Resistance, the New Jedi, and the sinister, lightsaber-wielding killers who hunt them all...
8 180 - In Serial17 Chapters
Velteria: The Thief
(Indefinite Hiatus) Life was fine, if a little harsh, for Liliei, a young thief living in one of the biggest city on the continent. That is, until she stole an old ring, and everything went wrong. One of my goal in writing this is to improve my writing skills, so do tell if you have constructive criticism.
8 173 - In Serial23 Chapters
The Novel's Unifier
Demons and humans are meant to fight each other, until one side perishes completely. Everyone thought that quote was correct, until one day, where a child of human and demon blood was made. His life was hell. While growing up, he belonged on neither side of humans or demons. But, along with his friends, he saved the world. That was just a story Danny read, once, a long time ago. So why the hell is he in it!? Slow updates, if I even update it at all.
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