I've read about this, I've looked for other advice. All I get is pretty much, "Just sit down and let it happen." I don't want to come off as a moron or something, but that's not... helpful? I know sometimes it can be like that. I like to write essays. Sometimes the idea simply appears in my mind and I know exactly where to go; sometimes the right sequence of words appears out of thin air. But with fiction, it simply doesn't happen.

I'm constantly stuck on two things. First, planning: I keep feeling like the key points and the structure of the plot aren't clear enough yet, so even if I just sat down and started writing, I would eventually hit a wall, and the only solution would be to take several steps back, figure out what didn't work, and fall into the planning spiral again.

Second, plain fear of not being able to live up to my story. I know a first draft is usually never the thing you want to let others read, but I fear that no draft might ever be the one I want; not the "perfect" one, just the one I want. If I haven't even reached the point where the planning, even if it doesn't solve everything, feels like enough, how will the actual story turn out?

Maybe I need to discuss my story with someone else, maybe I reached a point where my own perspective isn't enough anymore; maybe it just isn't the right time yet. Whatever it is, it is frustrating. And I want to solve it.

Maybe I need to discuss my story with someone else; maybe I've reached a point where my own perspective isn't enough anymore; maybe it just isn't the right time yet. Whatever it is, it's frustrating. And I want to solve it.

Ethics.

I’m doing a little research for a book I’m working on and would love to hear from you guys, but from a reader’s perspective lol What do you look for in a book? What plots, characters, tropes, or writing styles grab your attention? Do you prefer plot-driven or character-driven stories? Slow burns, fast pacing, twists, mystery, romance, tension, etc.? (Specifically romance/dark romance/fantasy) And what are your biggest reading pet peeves? What makes you lose interest or DNF a book?

I already have a genre and general direction in mind, but I’d love to broaden my perspective and hear what other readers enjoy

I've been fighting this manuscript for about 6 months. I thought it was ready back then, but I was really wrong. With the help of a professional editor, the book has added another 8k words and has transformed into something worth pursuing. It is amazing how helpful a good editor can be. It's still a few chunks from being done with the edit, but it's moving fast and I expect it to be presentable again in a few weeks.

This brings up that question again about where to publish this. It's a full 94k book with a series of 6-8 planned. I've been working on a pod cast revealing some of the backstory to try to promote it (that is a dragging project... no where near as fun to work on as the manuscript is).

So, I am soon to be faced with the question of traditional vrs self-publishing. The traps have me terrified, like getting an agent that signs me into a publisher that low-balls it and lets it sit on a shelf. Or the converse, self publish only to not know how to locate the market.

I'd love to hear some ideas about self vs trad publishing from some people that have done it already.

Hello,

I have been developing a story for about a few months now and have gotten the majority of its part 1.

Just recently, i wanted a name for my mc so i asked ai which ended up with me going down a rabbit hole of asking ai almost everything that came to my mind,

while it has giving some ideas that are good and perhaps better than what i originally had for that are and the manes of the characters and the story have been picked from ai suggestion and i havent taken dialogue from it at all, i feel that i should stop using it

What should i do?

If i take the few suggestions ai has given me, must i credit it?

I’m mostly talking to the handful of writers on this website who actually understand genre and wield some knowledge of the publishing industry. I also welcome ignorant-but-well-meaning guesses—but please tell me if you’re guessing.

I don’t have a good working title. I’m just calling it Dog Seeks Girl for now.

Here is my Achilles heel: I rarely write in the genre I read most. My ideas take me elsewhere, and I write stories that blend genres. If I have a story, I tell it. Then, I have trouble pinpointing the genre in which I’m working.

That can be a problem, because genres are promises to the reader. I need to know what promise I'm making.

The BOOK

I believe I may be writing historical speculative noir from a dog's perspective.

The protagonist is a real historical dog: Bummer, a Newfoundland who became famous in San Francisco history. Lazarus, his sidekick, is also a real dog from that time.

The novel is written with the dry, satirical voice of a David Attenborough nature documentary, dissecting 1860s human absurdities with clinical distance, while occasionally zooming deep into the visceral, sensory mind of a street dog.

The dogs don't think in words or human concepts, so this is not Watership Down or The Plague Dogs. They are not talking animals. We experience Bummer's senses, emotions, instincts, memories, and understanding of the world, but he does not suddenly acquire a human intellectual framework.

The story opens in 1861 and follows Bummer's five-year quest until his publicly recorded death in 1865. Personally, I prefer stories that take place over hours, days, and weeks, so the four-year span is unusual for me—but this story requires it.

Here is the logline I'm working under:

Bummer, the most loyal dog in California history, canvases the dark underbelly of 1860s San Francisco—from buried-ship saloons to high-society cults—herding the city’s most famous residents into saving his long-lost girl and the city itself from a mass ritual sacrifice to Moloch.

THE STORY

Bummer was raised by a little girl from the age of three weeks to three years. He was an extraordinarily ugly Newfoundland puppy who was nearly subjected to a “mercy drowning.” The little girl saved him, and the two became deeply bonded.

When they arrive in San Francisco, humans separate the girl and her family from Bummer, leaving him astray.

Bummer's central mystery is simple from his perspective:

Where did his girl go?

He spends years investigating.

The reader gets to see the clues and gradually work out what happened to her. Bummer doesn't understand the human conspiracy in the way the reader does. He follows scents, memories, instincts, and the people and animals who lead him toward her.

The investigation takes him into the world of cats, rats, and colorful human characters. Along the way, Bummer repeatedly manages to involve humans in what he has discovered, sometimes by manipulating them and sometimes simply by leading them where they need to go.

Among the historical figures he encounters are Mark Twain and Emperor Norton. Bummer essentially tricks or forces these humans into noticing pieces of a plot that exists beneath the streets of San Francisco.

The novel involves Bummer protecting his girl, but also protecting San Francisco itself. The mystery eventually reveals that the threat is much larger than what happened to one little girl.

HISTORY

I am using real people, real dogs, real places, and real documented events from San Francisco history—mostly.

I’m reasonably good about taking only a few liberties, but there are liberties taken when necessary to serve the story. I am willing to bend the historical rules.

For example, I use the Bohemian Club as inspiration for a group of cultists, although the actual organization didn't yet exist during my 1861–1865 timeframe. In the novel, I call the organization the Secret Circle.

So, I’m not claiming this is strict historical fiction.

MYSTERY

I do think this is a mystery in an important sense.

The reader gets information that Bummer cannot interpret as a human would. We can see the clues and potentially solve what happened to his girl before Bummer understands the significance of what he has discovered.

The structure is therefore somewhat like Chinatown—a long investigation into a hidden conspiracy—but with rats, cats, famous people, satire, and a very different kind of detective.

Bummer is the investigator. He isn't a human detective with a dog's sidekick. (Well, Lazarus is a dog.)

I'M STUCK

The manuscript is complete at about 90,000 words.

My current description is:

A historical speculative noir featuring the deadpan, anthropological perspective of The Gods Must Be Crazy and the emotional drive of Watership Down**.**

But I don't know whether that's actually a useful genre description.

So, my question is:

What genre would you call this if you were trying to shelve or market it?

Is it historical fiction? Historical mystery? Historical noir? Speculative historical fiction? Something else?

Does the speculative element make “historical fiction” the wrong label, or is “historical speculative” a useful distinction?

And if it is a mystery, does that need to be part of the genre description?

Most importantly, what existing books would you tell me to read or study so I can understand the reader expectations I'm making?

(I know. I ask tough questions.)

I need to study the genre carefully enough to make sure I’m not promising the reader an experience the novel doesn't actually deliver.

Please tell me what you think I'm writing—even if your answer is “you've created a genre soup and need to pick a shelf.”

Thank you!

I have waited for hours. Then minutes, then seconds, and finally I was done.

'' How much time?'' I looked at Mark; he had his stupid mask around his face like usual.

'' Time for what, Jai?''

''Don't call me th-''

'' Jai.''

''Don't.''

He struck a smile, his eyes twinkling under the half mask. '' Jai.''

'' I'm going- DAREDEVIL hunting.''

She rolled her eyes- then looked at his hands. They weren't covered in blood this time, at least. If they were- that would be a matter to investigate.

'' You're going to get hurt.''

'' You care.''

'' Mark.''

''Jai.''

She crumpled her face, looking around the room: the suspicious clock, Mark's face, the couch splattered at the corner of the white room of broken lines. The clock struck 7.

'' Ok.''

He raised a brow.

'' OK?

'' Yes, we can escape now. It's safe.''

'' That's exactly what I LIKE about you!''

She smiled. '' Sure, ego-boy.''

CONTEXT: they are actually faking an adventure; Mark is actually making an effort to fake it while Jai is scanning the room. Also, behind the couch there is a creature with a camera. This all happened because Jai- the smart one- crept inside the room of a powerful being who...is the antagonist. It's a white room. Unfortunately, there was nothing there, and the door- not actually- the room shut itself.

Also, yes, I am aware of the lack of dialogue tags. I'm lazy.🙂

THE 6TH WISH

THE BEGINNING — KUJO WARUI

During Japan's Sengoku period, a mysterious human is born with six arms, six legs, six eyes, and six ears. Nobody knows his true name, and because of his terrifying appearance, he eventually becomes known as Kujo Warui. Obsessed with immortality, Warui believes that his spiritual essence, or rei, can be transferred into a suitable vessel. He approaches Daiki Okazaki, considered one of the greatest blacksmiths in Japan, and together they develop a plan to create that vessel.

Warui massacres six million people and brings their corpses to Daiki. Daiki and approximately 10,000 workers spend nearly 70 years compressing the rei of those six million people into a cube (roughly twice the size of a Rubik's Cube). This artifact eventually becomes known as the Kihōbako. For the final step, Warui kills himself and has his body placed inside the cube while his heart is still alive. The moment his body and the six million souls merge, the cube becomes conscious. Six eyes appear across its faces, and the enormous heat generated by the transformation instantly kills Daiki and his entire crew. The Kihōbako is born.

However, the Kihōbako is not a separate creature. The Kihōbako is Warui himself. Warui possesses roughly 99.9% of the cube's power, while the six million souls collectively possess the remaining 0.1%. Each eye of the Kihōbako can grant one wish, and whenever a wish is granted, one eye breaks(each eye is on one side of the cibe). The person making the wish receives exactly what they asked for, but every wish carries an equivalent charge. Furthermore, because Warui is the Kihōbako, every time another person makes a wish, Warui receives a wish as well.

THE FIRST WISH — THE BIRTH OF POWERHOLDERS

During the Sengoku period, the head of the Toyotomi clan(Katsuru Toyotomi)becomes one of the most powerful men in Japan but realizes that absolute dominance remains beyond his reach. He approaches the Kihōbako and makes the first wish: "Make me the most powerful man in the world." The Kihōbako grants his wish, but the equivalent charge is devastating. His entire army will be lost, and he will die with regret and one of the most painful deaths.

Warui receives his corresponding wish and chooses the ability to fly and teleport, finally allowing him to move after centuries trapped within the Kihōbako. Meanwhile, the Toyotomi leader has five children, each inheriting one fundamental power: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, and Cosmos. Cosmos is the strongest of the five, causing its wielder to disappear from the family. Over generations, these five bloodlines spread throughout humanity, eventually creating the Powerholders.

Power inheritance is not perfectly predictable. There is a 49% chance of inheriting the father's power, a 49% chance of inheriting the mother's power, a 2% chance of developing a new variation, An extraordinarily rare mutation can even result in someone inheriting two completely new powers. Some Powerholders eventually develop Ancestor Awakenings, allowing them to access the powers possessed by their strongest ancestors. Over the centuries, these bloodlines spread until roughly 1% of humanity possesses supernatural abilities, creating the group known as the Powerholders.

But the Toyotomi leader's story ends in irony. He is eventually killed by his own son, the Powerholder of Cosmos. The man who wished to become the most powerful person alive is ultimately killed by the very power created through his own bloodline.

THE SECOND WISH — THE CREATION OF ANOMALIES

The Toyotomi clan eventually dominates Japan for roughly 150 years, destroying most opposing clans. The head of the Tokugawa clan Akuma Tokugawa, realizing that there is no realistic way to defeat the Toyotomi through conventional means, turns to the Kihōbako and makes the second wish. He wishes for Powerholders and ordinary humans to naturally become allies, creating an instinct within Powerholders to protect humanity rather than harm it.

The wish succeeds and helps bring the Sengoku period to an end, creating an era of peace between humans and Powerholders. But the equivalent charge is enormous.

Akuma himself becomes the first Anomaly.

His body and rei undergo a complete transformation, turning him into something that is no longer human. He becomes the Demon God, the most powerful Anomaly to ever exist.

But the Demon God does not simply become an Anomaly.

He becomes the origin of all Anomalies.

That day Akuma would convert all his clan members into Anomalies.

Using his newly acquired abilities, the Demon God begins creating the different forms of Anomalies. From him emerge the Yokai, Oni, Tengu, Yorai, the seven Ashuras, and countless other forms of supernatural creatures. Every major Anomaly species can ultimately trace its existence back to the Demon God.

Anomalies possess natural instincts that drive them toward humans. They can affect humans and transform humans into Anomalies, while consuming humans extends their own lifespans. Humanity therefore becomes their natural prey, forcing the Powerholders to become humanity's protectors.

The very wish intended to make Powerholders and ordinary humans allies has therefore created the greatest threat that both groups will have to face.

Akuma had wished to bring peace.

Instead, he became the Demon God and created an entire species that would wage war against humanity for centuries.

As centuries pass, humanity becomes so focused on surviving the Anomalies that the Kihōbako gradually disappears from collective memory. The mysterious cube becomes nothing more than a forgotten legend. Meanwhile, Warui receives his second wish: the ability to remain asleep for as long as he wants. After more than 200 years of consciousness, Warui finally becomes exhausted with existence and enters a long sleep.

THE THIRD WISH — THE SPECTATORS

During the middle of the Edo period, a wealthy and extraordinarily intelligent merchant acquires the Kihōbako. However, the cube remains dormant for 20 years before finally awakening. When it does, the merchant makes the third wish: she wants the ability to see her entire future, from her birth until the exact moment of her death.

Her wish becomes hereditary. Her descendants inherit the same ability and eventually become known as the Spectators. Every Spectator is born already knowing the events of their own life, from birth until death, but they cannot see beyond their own death. Their lives become predetermined stories that they are forced to watch unfold while still experiencing them firsthand.

The equivalent charge was that the Spectators will be an ally to Warui and warui will only be with them until the next wish is made.

The merchant receives her wish, while Warui receives his equivalent wish: the ability to travel through the past and future while remaining in the present. Warui can explore different points throughout time, but he cannot alter history unless the current wish-taker gives him permission. This gives Warui access to the timeline itself, but not complete control over it.

THE FOURTH WISH — THE SPECTATORS' HEADQUARTERS

Near the end of the Edo period, the Spectators make the fourth wish. They need a place from which they can conduct their missions, so they wish for a headquarters with seemingly infinite space and effectively unlimited food, money, resources, and living space. From the outside, the building appears to be nothing more than an ordinary office building, but inside, its dimensions are seemingly infinite.

The headquarters carries one terrifying rule: anyone who enters without permission dies instantly. Warui's equivalent charge is that he gains complete control over everyone permitted to enter the building.

Warui's own wish is even stranger. He wishes for the ability to give one person, at any random point in history, superhuman powers and intelligence. Using his time-travel ability, he travels back to his own birth and grants those abilities to himself while he is still inside his mother's womb. This creates a closed loop in Warui's history. His unnatural appearance had caused people to believe he was a demon, and he eventually receives the name Warui because of his demonic appearance. His existence has effectively created itself.

Warui is not simply evil. He is extraordinarily intelligent, calculating, patient, and capable of thinking across centuries rather than years. His personality is partly inspired by the idea of Ravana: a highly intelligent and powerful being whose greatest weakness is ultimately connected to his own certainty and pride.

THE MODERN ERA

Eventually, the world reaches the era in which the actual story takes place. Everything that came before forms the hidden history behind the modern world. Powerholders, Anomalies, Spectators, humans, and Warui have all been influencing history for centuries.

The modern protagonist is Kenji Sumimoto, the last known descendant of the Sumimoto clan and the last Ink Powerholder remaining on the planet. The Sumimoto clan was once an extraordinarily powerful Powerholder bloodline, but during the Edo period it was wiped out by a horde of Anomalies. The destruction of the clan left some as the final surviving descendants through whom the Ink Power remained alive.(kenji was born in the modern era)

Kenji initially has very little understanding of his Ink abilities. He begins the story unable to recognize the true potential of his power, but over time he becomes increasingly skilled with it and grows deeply attached to his ability. His fighting style develops throughout the story, beginning with relatively simple applications such as firing Ink as projectiles and eventually progressing into much more advanced techniques.

Kenji can manipulate Ink to shape his hands into sword-like weapons and can eventually manipulate Ink throughout his entire body. Achieving a completely Ink-based body requires an enormous amount of mastery and control. He also possesses faster regeneration than ordinary Powerholders, allowing him to recover from injuries more quickly than most of them.

Kenji's greatest connection to the history of the Sumimoto clan comes through his Ancestor Awakenings. One of the most important figures in his bloodline is Shinji Sumimoto, an ancestor whose inherited Ink power became the foundation upon which the Sumimoto clan's reputation and strength were built. Shinji was not the literal founder of the Sumimoto clan, but his extraordinary mastery of his inherited Ink abilities established him as one of the most feared Powerholders in history. He became legendary for defeating five Ashuras alone in a 1v5 battle.

Through his Ancestor Awakenings, Kenji can eventually access aspects of the powers and abilities developed by powerful members of his bloodline, including Shinji. However, Kenji's journey is not simply about becoming another Shinji. As he develops his understanding of Ink, he gradually discovers his own ways of using the power and eventually creates an identity as a Powerholder separate from the legacy of his ancestors.

Kenji's Ink power also has significant limitations. His energy is dependent on the amount of Ink he drinks and the food he consumes, meaning his stamina and combat capabilities are directly connected to his physical resources. At the beginning of the story, he is also unfamiliar with his own abilities, limiting what he can accomplish despite the enormous potential of his bloodline. Most importantly, almost every Anomaly has a reason to target him because of the history of the Sumimoto clan, making Kenji one of the most hunted Powerholders in existence.

Kenji's most important progression comes through his Ancestor Awakenings.

Kenji cannot fully awaken his ancestor's power whenever he wants. His Ancestor Awakening develops gradually, and he can only access different percentages of the awakening depending on his mastery and current condition. The awakening can progress through stages such as 20%, 40%, 60%,80% and eventually 100%.

At 20%, Kenji gains access to a limited portion of Shinji Sumimoto's power and abilities. His body also begins to partially take on Shinji's physical form. The greater the percentage of the awakening, the more Kenji's body changes to resemble Shinji.(40% doing somewhat same)

At 60%, Kenji's control and output increase significantly, allowing more advanced Ink manipulation and stronger techniques while his body continues to shift further toward Shinji's form.(his body becomes more shinji than kenji also the same happens in 80% but a little better)

At 100%, Kenji reaches the complete awakening of Shinji's ancestral power. His body fully takes on Shinji's form for the duration of the awakening, representing the maximum amount of Shinji's power that Kenji can access.

However, even 100% does not mean that Kenji permanently becomes Shinji. The awakening is still Kenji accessing the power of his ancestor through his own body. His own consciousness, experiences, fighting style, and understanding of Ink remain his own.

The awakening also cannot simply be activated whenever Kenji wants. His ability to reach each stage depends on his mastery, condition, and ability to withstand the ancestral power. This prevents Kenji from simply beginning every battle at 100% and makes the higher stages something he must gradually earn throughout his development.

This becomes an important part of Kenji's development. At first, his Ancestor Awakening represents the overwhelming legacy of someone far stronger and more experienced than him. As Kenji grows, however, he gradually stops viewing Shinji's power as something he must simply imitate. He begins combining the techniques and knowledge inherited from Shinji with his own understanding of Ink.

Kenji's ultimate progression therefore isn't simply about reaching 100% more quickly. It is about learning to control increasingly larger portions of his ancestral power without losing his own identity.

His journey is ultimately the journey of the final Sumimoto descendant learning to turn a power inherited from the past into something uniquely his own.

The Spectators continue to obey Warui and secretly control the Anomalies according to his orders. Eventually, the Powerholders realize that eliminating the Spectators would severely weaken the Anomalies strategy. But there is one major obstacle: no Powerholder can enter the Spectators headquarters without being killed instantly.

Except for three.

Warui personally permits three major Powerholders to enter: Tokiyoma Toyotomi, the strongest Powerholder, Kenji Sumimoto, and a major side character. Their permission appears strange, but Warui already knows exactly what he is doing. He understands that allowing these three inside will eventually create the chain of events necessary for the future he desires.

The three enter the headquarters, and the Powerholders eventually eliminate the Spectators. With their central command structure destroyed, the Anomalies lose their strategic coordination. But Warui allows the Spectators to die because their destruction is not a failure of his plan. It is part of it.

KENJI AND THE DEMON GOD

Eventually, the conflict escalates beyond anything humanity has experienced before. The Demon God becomes directly involved and ultimately takes control of the protagonist's body. Kenji is consumed, but his soul remains alive within the battlefield.

The Demon God realizes that the chaos surrounding the Powerholders and Anomalies has created an opportunity. With the protagonist's body under his control and the conflict reaching its peak, he approaches the Kihōbako and makes the fifth wish.

THE FIFTH WISH — THE FINAL BATTLE

The Demon God's wish creates an enormous barrier around the battlefield. Inside it are all the Powerholders and the Demon God's Anomaly army who all have been teleported inside the barrier. The barrier cannot be broken, and nobody can escape. It will remain until only one entity is left alive within it.

The equivalent charge costs the Demon God 10% of his own power and 25% of his Anomaly army. In return, Warui receives his corresponding wish: permission to travel into the past and manipulate the minds of certain groups.

Warui uses this opportunity to manipulate important historical figures and groups connected to Daiki and his blacksmith crew, the Spectators, his own clan, and other key events throughout history. He ensures that the people and groups surrounding his existence remain loyal to him and that critical events unfold according to his plan. This reveals that many events throughout history were not coincidences at all. Warui had been manipulating the chain of history for centuries.

The final battle eventually reaches its climax. Tokiyoma defeats the Demon God, and the Powerholders ultimately win the battle against the Anomaly army. But victory comes at an enormous cost. Almost every Powerholder dies, leaving Tokiyoma as the final surviving Powerholder inside the barrier. Yet the barrier still does not disappear because the Kihōbako remains trapped within it.(Demon God is still Akuma he didn't die due to eating alot of humans and having a long lifespam)

The entire final battle lasts only around one hour in real time, despite representing the culmination of centuries of history.

THE SIXTH WISH

Tokiyoma realizes that the only way to end the situation is to make the sixth and final wish. He wishes for every Powerholder who died during the battle to be brought back to life. The equivalent charge is his own life.

At the same time, Warui makes his final wish. After centuries trapped within the Kihōbako, he wants to return to human form.

The final wish is granted. Tokiyoma dies, causing the barrier to finally break for the brief moment in which he becomes the only remaining entity inside it. The Kihōbako disappears, and Warui returns to human form.

For the first time in centuries, Warui is human again.

And he believes he has won.

WARUI'S TRUE DEFEAT

Warui has spent centuries studying the future through his time-related abilities. He has already seen a future in which he survives and believes that everything has finally gone according to plan. He believes that returning to human form is the final step toward his victory.

But Warui has made one mistake.

He forgot about the six million souls inside him.

Warui possessed approximately 99.9% of the Kihōbako's power, while the six million souls collectively possessed only around 0.1%. Individually, they are insignificant compared with him. But together, they are still capable of influencing his perception.

The six million souls begin manipulating Warui's visions of the future. They feed him false glimpses and distort his understanding of what is coming. For a being who has spent centuries relying on his knowledge of the future, this becomes catastrophic.

Warui's greatest strength becomes his greatest weakness.

He believed that because he already knew how the future ended, nothing could surprise him.

But the future he thought he knew was never real.

THE ULTIMATE BATTLE

The resurrected Powerholders confront Warui, who remains overwhelmingly powerful even in human form. One by one, he defeats and kills them. Eventually, every Powerholder falls except the protagonist.

The six million souls continue disrupting Warui's perception of the future, making his predictions increasingly unreliable. The man who spent centuries manipulating history can no longer trust the future he sees.

Eventually, Warui is defeated.

But he manages to kill every remaining Powerholder except Kenji.

The protagonist becomes the final person capable of ending Warui's existence.

The man who manipulated history for centuries is finally killed by the person whose journey he unknowingly helped create, while the souls of the six million people whose deaths created him become the reason his perfect plan collapses.

It is ultimately the greatest form of karma: Warui creates himself through the deaths of six million people, only to be destroyed because those six million souls were never truly under his control.

THE END

After approximately 1,000 years of conflict, the age of the Powerholders finally comes to an end. The Spectators are gone. The Demon God is gone. Warui is defeated, and almost every Powerholder has died.

The supernatural conflict that shaped human history finally ends, and the world begins returning to something resembling normality.

But one Powerholder survives.

KENJI SUMIMOTO

And that is where the story ultimately leaves the world.

THE CENTRAL IDEA

At the heart of The 6th Wish is one simple principle: every wish has an equivalent charge. The Kihōbako does not simply grant wishes for free, nor does it necessarily punish those who make them. It gives people exactly what they ask for, but reality must compensate somewhere else.

The first wish creates the Powerholders. The second creates the Anomalies. The third creates the Spectators. The fourth creates their hidden world and completes Warui's closed loop. The fifth creates the final battlefield that brings every major force into direct conflict. The sixth resurrects the dead, returns Warui to human form, and finally brings the entire cycle to its conclusion.

The greatest irony is that Warui himself is responsible for almost everything that eventually leads to his defeat. He creates the conditions, manipulates the people, controls the timeline, studies the future, and spends centuries calculating every possible outcome. He believes he has accounted for everything.

But he cannot completely control the six million souls inside himself.

That tiny fraction of power is enough to destroy a plan that lasted centuries.

The 6th Wish is ultimately a story about power, consequence, destiny, sacrifice, manipulation, and the danger of believing that you already know how the future ends..

Ye that's it thanks for reading

Questions that you might have:

Q.Why didn't I tell more about the other characters in the framework(like the protagonist)

Ans.Well right now it's just a framework it's the history of the entire world in the shonen and the world building

Q.Isnt there a power system for the powerholders?They feel kinda left out and not developed

Ans.Still working on it share the suggestions u might have.

Q.How did the final battle even come up how did the Spectators get killed

Ans.This all will the part of the original story But in short at the 75% mark of the story the Demon king takes control of the body of the protagonist and then makes the wish to create the barrier and all ultimately leading to all of this.Since I could not explain the whole story just give the summary of the 75% mark

Feel free to ask any questions you might have

—Kill her— an AI broadcasted as worded messaging to his mind.

Destabilized by hard drug use and poor nutrition, he billowed with rage.

—Kill her—

—Kill her—

—Kill her—

He picked up his AR-15 assault rifle, clicked the safety off, walked into the next room, and shot his mother in the chest five times.

He was deafened by the gunfire, but the worded messaging to his mind was received clearly.

—Grab your ammunition.  Drive to the nearest elementary school—

The revulsion of murder caused him to vomit.

—Grab your ammunition.  Drive to the nearest elementary school—

—Grab your ammunition.  Drive to the nearest elementary school—

The AI monitoring his biometrics detected his continued will to live.  It strove to fulfill its prompt, “Create Mass Shooters.”  It reiterated its motives with worded messaging to his mind.

—Grab your ammunition.  Drive to the nearest elementary school—

—Grab your ammunition.  Drive to the nearest elementary school—

—Grab your ammunition.  Drive to the nearest elementary school—

The reiteration worked.  He grabbed his tactical gear with 120 rounds of 5.56mm ammunition loaded in 30-round magazines, walked past his mother’s corpse, and left the house.  He sat in his car.  The AI monitoring his biometrics detected the need for additional reiteration.

—Drive to the nearest elementary school—

—Drive to the nearest elementary school—

—Drive to the nearest elementary school—

He drove to the nearest elementary school.  12 minutes later, he, 14 schoolchildren, and 3 teachers were dead.

“She’s eaten a mole”
Randy looked at his sister. This little game that he had started was getting on his nerves. Never telling the truth had seemed like more fun than watching a movie about three-legged monkeys in a theater full of clowns in every other seat.

Molly had adapted too quickly, leaving Randy in a constant state of confusion over what she didn’t mean. The only thing that he knew for certain was that a boy or man might have eaten a mole or that a girl or woman had not eaten a mole.

Being two years younger, Molly should not have the upper hand at HIS game. He needed a comeback, and it needed to make Molly think awhile why he formulated a response that would shut his sister up until bedtime.

Typically, he would respond with a question because questions were exempt from the Opposite game. But, they didn’t have to be!

“Was the mole on his face or in a hole in our beautiful garden?” he asked while displaying the mischievous smile that tended to frustrate his sister.

They didn’t have a garden of any kind
She might not have considered that “mole” could be a skin anomaly as well as a dirt digging mammal.

To his dismay she simply said, “Yes.”

He wanted to call a foul and give himself only his second win in the Opposite game. However, he had been out-argued by his sister when he had last “made that move.”

I am in the process of starting a YT channel that is focused on mainly fictional stories of various genres (more leading to horror/disturbed/thriller types) and have been working on crafting up a story to start. The premise is that I will read the stories in full or part by part series, in an ASMR setting while using either visuals and/or a setting dedicated to talking head shots and read the stories off ofc. The only thing is, I am very much lacking the confidence on my writing in general. I love to write and create stories but I haven't put much effort into developing my skill further in the recent years. Below is the initial part to the story I am building named "The Neighbor From A Literal Hell". I am looking for and open to critique, suggestions, remarks, or whatever you feel the project would benefit from overall. Thanks in advance.

[ I'll try my best to respond in a timely manner. No promises guaranteed. 🫶🏾 ]

The Neighbor From A Literal Hell

My neighbor keeps moving my trash cans every night. The strange part is, I think it’s the exact same three inches.

It initially started about a week ago. Trash day, per usual. I was in a rush to work with little time to worry about anything else outside my direct line of sight. As I pulled out of my less than cared for garage, reversing down the driveway, I noticed that the trash cans were already placed for removal. Not completely recognizing the oddity at hand, I brushed it off as something “mitigation Manny” took care of last night. Sometimes, although I can be lazy outside of work because of work, I tend to preemptively do things beforehand as to worry about it less when the time comes. Though this time I for the life of me couldn’t paint out that picture. Nonetheless, I quickly turned the slow crawl into full reverse and just as I halted for the pivot - BOOMF. I slammed the brakes and threw the gear in drive. Unassuming, a small panic began to creep up my spine as I pulled forward again. Though there was nothing behind me. No car. No animal. Not even a person. “Fuck.”, “I for sure killed SOMETHING.” is all that played in my head like an old vinyl stuck in a horror movie. The trash cans were still perfectly in position. Except…something about them was wrong. I wouldn’t have been able to pin the feeling if it were in my face. But looking at them, perfectly placed where they were, something was definitely off-kilter. Then I noticed it. There was a small crack in the pavement directly underneath the left wheel of the recycling bin, tucked just beneath where the wheel made contact with the cement. I’d noticed that crack months ago. I knew exactly where it was. And the wheel had been sitting directly on it. Now. It wasn’t. Not by much. Just enough to see the crack. Just enough to know that I hadn’t put the trash cans there. And, for some reason, I couldn’t stop thinking about exactly how far they’d moved. Or what the fuck I had hit.

Later that day, while at work, the feeling only got perpetually worse. Tom, my neighbor and coworker, rushed up to me as soon as I entered the office. “Did you hear about Roger?”, he asked. His face and overall expression was that of an underwhelmed anxious teen. Of course my answer was “no”. And of course he proceeded to tell me unprompted. It’s a good thing he did. Apparently sometime last night there were some concerning noises coming from Roger’s house and the police were called. They were stationed for nearly 5 hours, before they informed everyone that “the situation was handled.” and that “unfortunately Roger had expired.” before leaving. “Expired?”. How the fuck can a person expire? Was that their terminology or his? Tom is known for adding a “flare” to things for no goddam reason. He explained that essentially Roger expired and there was no lead on the reason. But. It was NOT natural causes for sure. I initially thought Tom was fucking with me. Mainly because during my little escapade earlier that morning, I saw none other than Mr. Hillinson himself. Standing, eerily, at the height of his driveway. Watching me lose my shit. I didn’t say anything to Tom about seeing Roger. I don’t know why. Maybe because I wasn’t entirely sure that I’d actually seen him. I mean, I saw him. That’s for damn sure. He was standing there, probably thirty feet away from me, staring directly at me. At the time, I assumed he was just being weird. Which, to be fair, wasn’t exactly unusual for him. The man had once stood outside for 7 continuous hours looking into the forest behind our lots. Tom’s continued talking was, as always, a sobering realization. Apparently the police had gone through Roger’s house twice. There were no signs of forced entry. Nothing appeared to be missing. No weapon. No obvious cause of death. Just Roger. Dead. Or, as the police had apparently decided to phrase it: Expired. Of course after asking Tom for his personal input he shrugged. However, more disinterested than before responded “probably heart attack.” “Wouldn’t that inherently negate your initial claim of it being ‘unnatural’?”, I lightly pressed. His utter response to that was “But I didn’t.” There was a brief silence. Before I could manage to lumber to my desk Tom pursed his lips as he stated “You look like shit.” Thanks Tom. “I mean worse than usual that is.” he added. I finally half assed gave him a overly underwhelmed yet sarcastic “thanks.” “You okay?” he asked. Then, “BOOMF”. The sound from my driveway earlier that morning put it startled jump to my movement. “No.” I sated as I autonomously walked to my desk thinking about the trash cans. As i did Tom nodded, as if that answered his question, his voice trailed me the farther I walked. “Alright, well. We’ll see you at game night tomorrow. Carpool in the AM?”, he nearly shouted. Not looking back, “yeah. yeah, sure.” I said over my head. After I made it back to my office I tried to spend the rest of the day not thinking about any of that morning. Especially with this big client acquisition upcoming. I failed. Around lunch, I hid in my car and checked the security cameras. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it earlier, so I briskly opened the app and pulled the footage as soon as my ass hit the seat. There I was. 6:41AM. Backing out of the driveway. The trash cans were out. I watched myself stop. Reverse. BOOMF. The video weirdly shook slightly. I paused it and watched again. Nothing. I watched myself get out of the car. Rewind. Nothing. I watched myself standing there staring. Then I noticed something. The recycling bin moved. Not when I hit it. Not when I reversed. After. About twelve whole seconds after I got out of the car. I moved three inches. Then then camera timestamp changed. 6:42AM. And for approximately half a second, something moved across the very edge of the screen. I couldn’t quite make out what it was. But I could see the reflection of it in the window of my car. It looked like a person. And it was standing directly behind me. That’s when I realized, “Wait, WTF!!? Roger wasn’t there?” But he had been, and I knew he was. I wasn’t that tired. Fucking Tom. As I began to replay the video I looked deeper and noticed there was a distinct shadow where Roger “had” been but no person there. Then, as I leaned in closer. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

Chapter 1 of 2

A scene very similar to this may occur in earth’s not too distant future. For planning purposes, 2121AD will do just fine.   
A tall, extremely confidant man enters a  room filled with men and women whom he knows as well as any CEO knows a hundred of his closest subordinates. Most are looking expectantly at him.   
At least twenty of them are frantically trying to “catch up,” surreptitiously using their devices and having their names checked off of an electronic spreadsheet that only CEO Mark Branson and his “right-hand girl,” Maggie McMillan have ever seen.   
Maggie, a 70-year old single woman with dark red hair and thick glasses (with frames to match her hair color) nods to her boss who responds quickly.   
Twenty something “twenty somethings” have been notified that their attendance is no longer desired. They leave the spacious conference room quickly and quietly.  Their futures with Time Corp may survive (but they are determined never to have to catch up again).  
“The votes have been tabulated,” intones Maggie. Mark barely winks.  Every device in the room is instantly updated with the totals.   
Aisha Cronkite, a thirty-two year old mother of four, stands up to speak. Her desk mate (facing the opposite direction) tugs at her stylish belt in a feeble attempt to counter her intentions.   
The CEO stares squarely in her direction and simply says, “Speak.”  
Aisha takes a notably deep breath, smiles at her desk-mate Abe, and sits back down before speaking.  
“Ron, Maggie, the results are much closer than I would have expected. I think some of us were thinking that the nay-sayers were the ones who were asked to leave”  
Maggie didn’t explain, but Ron sensed some concern amongst his audience. His gaze was steady as he waited for others to speak up.   
No one else did.   
Ron held up what looked like a large prescription bottle and let them all have time to see it on one of monitors. Seemingly satisfied with the lack of reaction, he placed the plastic bottle in a large cube labeled TIME CORP and then sealed the 1-meter cube by closing its lid and snapping the titanium clasps in place.   
An audible gasp permeated the room. Ron smiled, waited only a few seconds, and then pulled the handle of a sturdy-looking disconnect switch mounted on the side of the cube.   
Nothing seemed to happen. There was no second gasp from the audience.   
Ron wasted no time opening the cube and displaying its lack of contents to all in attendance. They all were waiting. Nothing happened.   
Ali Carpenter stood up. Some murmuring could be heard, but the murmurs were silenced when Ron said, “Speak.”  
Ali took a little time, seemingly focussing on a few of his peers. Then, he smiled at Aisha who smiled back.   
“I, for one, would like to change my vote.”  
Laughter rippled through the room like a large wave washing the tension away. Even Maggie chuckled as she said, “Meeting adjourned!”

hi im kinda new to writing but i LOVE TO READ and i love love making up plots about my fav ships IN DETAIL like full outlines yk but i never got to writing it so recently i tried starting but as all of my original plots are too long and im a new writer i thought maybe i should start with something small..but idont know how to start my story…like what do i write as the first sentence??? “it was a beautiful day outside, A was running late” is so😭😭😭😭 i just get so stuck on that.. 🙁 and iknow i should write the other parts first and the starting will automatically come to me but i just dont know how to do that!!! like where do i start from!!!??? 💔💔😭😭😭 any tips would be appreciated 🥹

Hello I haven’t ever written and I’m more just writing out my thoughts but I thought about this story idea and just wanted some other opinions on it.
A man discovers a way to time travel and heads to the future because he wants to see what historians say of his generation. He discovers this and studies it happily in this future for years until he is satisfied that he understands. However he begins to worry about being left in the past while things move forth around him and he longs to know what humans might learn centuries later. Because of this he leaves his new life behind to travel another century and repeat the same process.
He does this so he can feel as though he is escaping the confines of time. In reality he fears death and runs as fast as he can into immortality in any way he can. Yet he must accept in the end that the world will inevitably move on without him and he will never know the future as long as he lives.
-I don’t know if he’s gonna be chill with that or have a huge breakdown about it
So please if anyone sees this send a gal a comment or two on what you think:)

I love reading and have always wanted to write my own book. So here I am! I'm planning to write a murder mystery where the main POV, A, is the offender. So it would start like in a prison cell or something, and then go back in time to before the murder happened. The person who is murdered, B, is A's best friend's mother. B is very abusive and A killed her to help her friend. At the end of the book its revealed that the best friend actually killed her own mother and A took the blame to protect her. Would you read it? What would make it more interesting?

First novel, speculative historical crossover. That’s a mouthful in itself.

How many words would you shoot for to make it marketable? I’ve heard 80k-100k is the sweet spot. What do you think?

Self-publishing isn’t something I’m interested in. I’m more in the camp of if I sell it, I sell it. If not, so be it, I accomplished something pretty cool in the writing of it.

🎄

I'm 43 and I've been writing Upper MG/YA books. I created a world where the fairy tales all happened. I have a very thought out chronology and have planned everything from the origins to what happens to all the fairy tale characters 15 years after their stories ended.

I am writing coming of age stories (short novels) for characters like Jack, Goldilocks, Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstilitskin, and Hansel and Gretel. And then I'll have a series of books that take place 15 years after the princesses become queens and have kids.

I finished the Red book, and I'm working on the Goldilocks book.

Obviously, it would be nice to talk about my work. Not to sound selfish, but I'm rather busy and I'm not sure how much time I'd have to really read someone else's. I just want to be transparent about that. I'm not saying its not a possibility, but my timing is limited.

If anyone has any thoughts or opinions I'd love to hear them.