Norman Patterson believes that the world is against him. Why wouldn't he, when his brother's demeaning and abusive comments keep him awake at night, ravaging his mind? With his unique, hardly appropriate survival skills and damaged self-esteem, the largely self-absorbed, sometimes clueless man, sets on a mission to prove to the world that he can find love, no matter the cost. It appears there's no one more suitable for the job than the woman he simply cannot stop thinking about. NB 'Beneath The Surface' explores the effects of child abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, and low self-worth. While I might throw in some form of humor to lighten the mood, none of these issues should be taken lightly. 🚫 Trigger warning; Some scenes portray abuse, violence, and self-harm. ❗❗❗ If you are not comfortable with dark themes or have any triggers at all, please do not read this story!

Being a programmer, one of my dreams has always been to create an original video game, something that nobody in the industry has done before. After seeing Spore, I became intrigued. Here was an attempt at putting people in control over a universe. After looking at what made videogames popular, I realized the main aspect was control. People in their daily lives have no control over their environment. They are told what to do, where to go, and how to live. Their jobs consist of standing or sitting somewhere until it's 5 PM and they're allowed to head back home. It's no mystery they're unhappy. For many people videogames are an escape to a world where they are in control, or live exciting fake lives filled with adventure. The aspect of control is found in strategy games, the adventure in role playing games generally. I looked at games like the Sims, and noticed what made them so popular is not just the illusion of control, but the degree of control. You have complete control over people's lives. Before the Sims, there was Sim Earth. A game in which you do not control individual people, but an entire Earth! I came to the conclusion that I had to develop a game similar to Spore, in which the player subtly "guides" evolution. What caused Spore to be such a failure is the lack of realistic control people had. It hardly resembled evolution. To do this, I began by generating a physics system. I know little of physics but decided to study it, and try to create a simplified version in which certain particles can interact, in specific manners. When it comes down to it, physics is simply complex mathematics. I simulated energy, and matter, and created a simple system, with a sun emitting energy, circled by a planet catching said energy.

Hey guys! I got a request for this pasta! Not mine sadly... Psychosis is a very interesting read, and those interested in Psychology, how the mind works, should find this intriguing! Have fun reading! Enjoy! Message me for requests!

High school senior Jess Smith meets Ace of Spades, an online friend who helps her question her mask of celibacy and recognize her true asexuality. Except that their friendship begins to develop into something more. [Featured April and May 2020 under Love and Heartbreak and June 2020 under #PrideatWattpad] ___ It's the last year of high school. Everything's in full swing for academic awards, prom, and graduation. Everyone knows their place. Everyone fits in their neat little boxes. Everyone except for Jess Smith. Join Jess as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery. In 1999, asexuality isn't widely known--even to her--or accepted as an orientation. With the help of Ace of Spades, she explores what asexuality means through her blog and conversations with family and friends. Can she embrace her true self, or will she keep wearing the mask of celibacy? ___ Status: completed Highest tag: #1 in blog | #1 in asexual Cover created using CANVA PRO June 1, 2023

A short horror story.

Cara Lee is cold, awkward, highly OCD and she is defininly not a people person. She spends most of her days in her luxury apartment away from any social interaction. After having two successful stories published, she has hit a writing block. Not only that, but she's losing money and the only way to keep her apartment is to get a roommate. Hannah Bailey has traveled the world and has never found a place to call home. Tired of living at her agency's model apartments, she decides to settle down in one place. She finds a beautiful apartment and the only issue with it is an unhappy roommate. Cara and Hannah come from two different worlds. Hannah represents everything Cara disliked about people. Hannah who is used to being well liked can't help, but become intrigued by Cara's indifference to her. Can she melt her new roommate's cold exterior and show her that maybe she can like at least one person?

[COMPLETED] [Selected for @ProjectBadboys official reading list: Knights] Carlton Hargrave is arrogant and utterly rebellious. Being the youngest son of the most reputed billionaire of the decade, his problematic ego makes him incapable to love anyone or anything. After the true colours of his Father's inside business are revealed, he's looking for a new beginning, away from this city. Little does he know that amidst the chaos, the mafia scandals, the expensive parties and million dollar tours, his life was about to change forever. When he runs into the girl he's been trying to run away from, he finds himself falling for her all over again. But she is hiding her consequential past, that involves dangerous outlaws, and she needs help. Carlton knows that, for this girl, he was ready to give up anything and everything to keep her safe, even if it meant firing a bullet. [FIRST place in The Typer's Awards] [Book trailer by @ChristinaAnnRiley : https://youtu.be/dQDPFz9gk_8 ] [Best: #9 in Action; #37 in ProjectGiggle; #54 in ProjectBadboys] [Previously known as: The Badboy's Bullets] [Cover: @TheEuphoricWriter]

Stay-at-home mom Harriet has just about had it. As her husband puts in more and more hours at the office, she's stuck with six-year-old Sam and the looming insanity of the holiday season. Along with the usual event planning panic, fall brings constant reminders of her father's failing health and the limited time they have left together. When her friend and renowned caterer Carol invites her over for a baking session, Harriet jumps at the opportunity to destress and learns Carol's secret ingredient to her stress-free lifestyle: venting her negative emotions into everything she bakes. As Harriet's love for baking warps into an addiction to the comforting warmth of the oven, her new coping mechanism starts to look more and more like a recipe for disaster. Cover by @meha-k

"The Masque of the Red Death", originally published as "The Mask of the Red Death: A Fantasy" (1842), is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague, known as the Red Death, by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, hosts a masquerade ball within seven rooms of the abbey, each decorated with a different color. In the midst of their revelry, a mysterious figure disguised as a Red Death victim enters and makes his way through each of the rooms. Prospero dies after confronting this stranger, whose "costume" proves to contain nothing tangible inside it; the guests also die in turn. Cover by the lovely @CaffeinatedKiwi