A good morning to you child! We’re back together for another conversation, and maybe an adventure!

For this chapter, we cannot overuse the “A/N” so let us just have your thoughts written in “[ ].” Let’s get to it!

[It’s a gloomy day! Some folk wouldn’t call this a good morning!]

And that’s not the end of the world now, is it? Also, I was not aware that you were not your own person yet. One who knows themself and has taken control of their life and destiny works with the conditions thrown at them. Furthermore, they work to find or make the goodness of the circumstances. So the weather no longer prevents them from having a good morning. It will play a factor in what they do or ponder to find that “good morning,” but it is otherwise irrelevant to their morning.

[What if I roll over in bed and pop a shoulder out of joint? What if I lose my house? What about the people who wake up in a prison cell?]

A person who has found themselves understands that serious matters deserve the appropriate attention. If something real happened, then they know that their day is deservingly not going to start with a “good morning.” The most relevant example is the passing of someone close to them, or changes in conditions like housing, employment, or health. When these circumstances take place, it is more than fair to not have a good morning.

Also, there is nothing good about waking up in a prison cell. Unfortunately, for self’s sake. The one who wakes up there will still have to make the best of those terrible circumstances. They could make the worst of it, but as we all know. Making the best of times is how we improve our chances of coping.

Time to return to your introduction young [Author pen name - Jack The Ripper]. No getting out of it this time. I will not start another topic until we have introduced you. I will withhold my feedback until we are done with your introduction too -

[. . That's not normal. . .You usually share your life lessons as soon as you see the opportunity! Are you . . . .are you somehow ill?]

Not quite possible. And you do not know me that well just yet child. So there are many ways for me to surprise you yet! But you are right. Instead of feedback, I will prod you with questions to answer if I consider you to be running away from your introduction to an easy way out.

[Man. . . this is gonna be annoying. . .Do I have to?]

Yup! Gonna make it happen. You are old enough to know how to start. Go on now.

[Well fellas, you heard the living fossil. You will get to know me as [Author pen name - Jack The Ripper]. You should have gathered that I am a man by this point. Cis is not a thing, I was born a male, and my genes make me a man. And whether I show male or female traits, I work to be the best I can to handle all one can foresee life sending at men in this day and age.]

You’re going to have to say more than the fact that you are a man-child.

[Hey now! I know all of us are children to you but man-child? C’mon man!

Anyways. I am just about in my mid-twenties. I have traveled a fair bit around the world. I come from an Asian nation that I am not mentioning as I, unfortunately, do not speak their language as I should. Also because I plan to hopefully be supported for a good novel rather than another Author from the nation. Nothing against my country though, as I will need to clarify. I love the food! I just do not want to give myself that temporary safety net to cushion myself in this journey.

My origins are from more than just the country I belong to. I have at this point spent most of my life in the western world. So unfortunately I speak more of their languages than the languages I should based on my origin.]

Let us move on from languages.

[Okay then. I could narrow things down by mentioning that my favorite physical activities are wrestling, playing tennis, and playing cricket even though that was over a decade ago at this point. I strive to work out more as I have sadly felt a physical need for better physical condition. Working out allows me to roll over in my sleep and not wake up with new injuries. Working out has pretty much prevented me from getting sick in the past three years. And working out has played a huge role in finding myself, and becoming secure in the man I am. This is TMI but I suppose the geezer wants me to share-]

Actually, they do not need to hear the thing you were about to mention! You can keep that for author-to-fan interactions, but that is not needed here.

[. . . Phew! Back to earth and that is not shared with the world.. . What else do they need to know?]

We will not be getting to your actual name or what makes you you. Let’s see. Your pen name, your biological gender, your age, and your preferences in physical activity and some of why. That is quite good. But let us approach this from another perspective. You do not want to overshare as you value your privacy. You also do not want too much personal information shared. So let us look for a little more of what makes you as an individual, your education is not exactly necessary but it might factor into your release schedule so think about these.

[What makes me? I’m going to lose readers here you know!]

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Are you writing this for them? Or are these our interactions?

[Fellas, don’t run away. I’m not going to tell you how or what to be. Just a little of who I am and a bit of my background. I’ll leave it to the Undead to tell you to do things. He already started in the other two chapters if you remember.]

[And neither of the two of us are chasing you away! From what I have gathered in our interactions, while he will be telling us what to do on occasion he still wants you to come back for more storytime. Irregardless - ]

You know that’s not a real word!

[They know what I’m talking about! But fine!

Regardless of whether or not these are for our good, just like life, we will be moving on. This novel will continue, and we will hope to have your company. We would be delighted if somehow our presence in your leisure time will lead to actual self-improvement. But he will not be a parent.

Personally, he has given me new motivation for working out, studying, and socializing. I never said it is more effective, but the motivation is new. Might work better for some of us than for others.

Anywho, I was supposed to share some of what makes me me.

You might’ve imagined that I believe in some form of creationism with what you have seen so far. Maybe even imagined that I am a Catholic, Christian, Jew, or Muslim as the Undead has only mentioned a Creator thus far.]

Unfortunately for both of us, you are not creating me. Or maybe you are.

Hang on. . . .

. . . .

. . . . . .

YOU ARE!!!

I am not an independent being! I don’t need another damn cult!

So you are creating me, The Undead! A Completely FICTIONAL Character! Yup! That’s what we’re going to do! I have no idea how your world has cults around Shrek or the Inu. Sure some folk joke about it. But the ones who are completely into it only share their faith among like-minded people and those who will not jeopardize their operation. What in the infernos! The impaling mosquito is fetishized?!!!

. . . .boy. . .I now fear for the integrity of my name, my reputation, and my Brand!

Whatever. . . such is life. And this might only alleviate my boredom for a century. More if I am lucky.

Back to some readers thinking that you believe in the Creator, or that you hate Him and that might be why He is here.

[Right. . . .Let’s face it. I am certain every author has or will at some point, regret writing. If we get there, fellas, please work on making me regret this later rather than sooner.

About my religious convictions. Since I have no interest in inviting woke shaming. I will not clarify the doubts you have.

I know the woke love to hate the religion that claims to love while having a standard for what is right and wrong, while they fear the one that has a reputation for doing something to those who blaspheme their religion. If that saves me from having to ban a few more spamming haters, I can live with that.

Regardless of which one you think I am, I am unfortunately a poor representative of it.

Also, I am not going to evangelize here. As the Undead said - ]

No no NO! You remember what I said!! You are writing this story! I don’t need an Undead dildo or a new version of one if it already exists!

[Ah right!

I am just writing a story whose direction I have no control over. I do not know what adventures we will have with our fearless and intrepid MC. But I hope you will enjoy them!]

Well then, you have backed religion out of your origin. Let us touch on your education and some of what to expect for chapter releases. And then how our adventure came to be.

[Sounds good!

So . . . . I wish I could boast about it or have truly taken something awesome out of it. But it does not feel that way.

I am close to completing a master’s level education. Bachelor is completed.

I am looking for employment as the next development step in my life. So I do not know how stable I can make chapter releases.

So far, we have had no more than one interaction/chapter per day. The last chapter even took two days to complete. . . . a certain fossil exposed me.]

Just so you know, I am old enough that your insults will add color to this conversation, but they really will not bother me.

[. . . pity. . .

Though on a related note. Expect the Undead to expose me every-now-and-then or all the time. I remember that he has done this more than once. Some are in the previous chapters. Like “arriving at a place where I understand that I NEED connection and affection.”

Unfortunately. He is not wrong. We are social. So I do need a connection. I need friends for chaotic good times. Fellowship in meals, games, and more.

Ladies? Skip the next paragraph! It is just for men.

Unfortunately, no matter how much of an alpha any of us could be (I do not care if you decide that I am not one), every alpha male needs his match/Luna. We’re only human. And we need at least one fortress of safety and care in the world. As children, this was supposed to be our parents. As adults, intimacy is where we find a place to let go. So for the sake of intimate safety, men do crave a safe and personal fortress. That is where we will recharge and get all we need to go back to working on being a cool badass that the rest of the world will know us to be. I understand that many of us have already had our fortress/sanctuaries desecrated and that is why many will choose to actively work to desecrate those of someone else. A personal request from me to you-]

Let me participate in this appeal.

Children, please grow instead of balling up in a suit of “porcupine quills.” To be fair, you are right that letting the wrong person into your sanctuary will be self-harming. But playing with your sanctuary to desecrate another does you no real favors other than an immature and temporary sense of gratification of having evaded the desecration of your own once again. All of you have the strength to protect your sanctuaries. Do not let “ambassadors” into those sanctuaries to tempt them and then send them back to their own. Value yourselves!

Value yourselves and work on yourself! Life will not wait for you to desecrate your sanctuary or another’s. So work on yourself. And let someone else start working for access to your sanctuary. Never take the fast way into another’s sanctuary. Take the scenic route to it. And work for it. The first allows you to better understand the “luxuries” you will gain access to in said sanctuary and you will similarly have more time to decide whether or not those are the luxuries you seek or ones that you do not know or would want away from your vulnerable self. Working for it similarly makes you value it. Just like you want someone else to value your sanctuary, you must value theirs. Thus when both of you work for it, it should prove more valuable than if you took shortcuts.

[Right. . . .

The last bit to this is how our adventure came to be. Basically, I became bored.

I’ve read all the novels that entertain me. I tried some others shortly after, however, I kept finding disappointment again and again. My leisure time became disappointing. So I started thinking of how I would change some details in stories I read, or how I would do something completely different. Hopefully more logical, but let it be its own thing.

Then. . . the prologue happened. I and the Undead found each other. . . . I have to apologize when I tell you that He will not be logical. He mentioned that he is plot armor? You will learn just how much that applies in the chapters to come.

I do hope you follow my work and give me constructive criticism/feedback. I am a human so depending on how you give the feedback, I may run away or decide to limit your exposure to my work.

Things to look forward to.

My main focus will be on the stories the Undead will share.

He has mentioned that there could be alternate world versions of the most cliched novels we have read so a system MC, a reincarnated mc, or a transmigrated mc, are all a possibility for the future if you are somehow interested in a rinse repeat + "is it any different from all the others?"

Thank you so much for your time today and I hope to see you soon!]

Take care, young ones. I wish you a productive day to each and every one of you. Do something constructive with your day and work towards developing a better you!

Keep all stupidity and foolishness away from you so I may see you again.

Until next time young one and the young ones reading!