Playing a Popular Character

[Original work, not a derivative; female lead has no romance]

[Cross-dressing as a man, comic forums, layers of secret identities, readers imagining things and treating the protagonist as a tragic, beautiful, powerful figure]

[The comments contain lots of spoilers. On your first read, you can stick to the long reviews and topics, which have tons of great fanworks and memes~]

[80% anti-piracy protection, 10% paragraph comments]

[Illustrations are now available. Gacha can be addictive, so spend responsibly!]

[The related comic-themed novel, Don't Take Comics Seriously, I Told You!, is currently being serialized~]

If you had a second life in a fictional world, what would you do?

After Li Li died suddenly, she acquired a System. It gave her the chance to come back to life, letting her enter a comic-book world in her dreams and return to reality by day, traveling between the two worlds. But if her popularity stayed too low, Li Li would still die.

Li Li thought it over, nodded, and asked the System, “Hey, do you support seamless face-swapping?”

She wanted a handsome face!

In a world of supernatural abilities where might makes right, a “ghost” with no past suddenly appears.

“He” is a comic-book avenger consumed by hatred, a stubborn and obsessive madman.

“He” wears a smile as a disguise, using falsehood to conceal the truth.

“He” seems brazen and flamboyant, yet no one sees the lonely island within “his” heart.

Comic readers weep buckets for him, write stories and draw fan art, and wish the whole world would pity him and shed tears for him.

But in the eyes of the comic's inhabitants, this powerful madman is the very definition of evil.

Comic character: “Him? A tragic figure? Don't make me laugh!”

“Waaah, my favorite character has suffered so much!” her roommate wailed as she read the latest update.

Li Li, the “favorite character” herself, looked from her tearful roommate to her own blissful self and said sympathetically, “Sweetie, want me to bring you some milk tea?”

Her roommate sobbed between hiccups, “Yes!”

Note: The protagonist disguises herself as a man.

The female lead has no romantic pairing. The character she plays has lots of secret identities, but the female lead herself plays only one character.

Her identities as a woman never get exposed. The character's secret identities do get exposed, but the character's powerful true identity stays hidden.

Leans toward a progression story. The female lead will become truly powerful.

Includes a fake-death plot.

Includes forum users shipping the character's secret identities with each other (not much).

Recommending a friend's upcoming novel~ A male-lead story with a similar theme!

My Comic Protagonist Became Beautiful, Tragic, and Powerful by Jiu Ju Xie Xie

Lin Ge is a hardworking workaholic comic artist. One day, after staying up too late too many times, he gets hit by a car and dies. When he opens his eyes, he finds himself bound to a System.

System: Based on our assessment, you need to draw a hit comic. You can only truly survive once your comic's ranking popularity reaches 100 percent.

Lin Ge: Okay, I get it. Then what?

System: Then you'll transmigrate into your comic as the protagonist and draw everything you experience.

Lin Ge: ??? Wait, did I miss a step somewhere?

System: Sweetie, are you ready? Grab your beautiful, tragic, powerful protagonist script and let's go!!

·

In a futuristic city of supernatural abilities called [City of Love], a black shadow is reflected in a silent, dark alley.

When he sets foot on land he has never touched before and raises the banner of rebellion, the people in the dark alley can finally glimpse a ray of light in the darkness.

He is a revolutionary who rises up to fight back. Even when crushed into the dirt, he remains contemptuous and scornful.

He is an evil spirit wandering through hell. Countless rebels die beneath his blade, leaving only flames that consume everything.

He is decisive, ruthless, lonely, and powerful. His eyes have never been fixed on himself, only on the greater good.

“I will use my spine as a pillar and my hands as beams to hold up this corrupt, shattered world.”

The black-haired young man nodded. A pale, cold smile curved his lips, and black flames flickered in his eyes.

[He rose up in rebellion from the darkness, but never belonged to this world of light.]

·

Lin Ge's new comic, Future City: A Wasteland Dirge, was released. Within a few months, it swiftly climbed to the top of the rankings and became a huge hit on the forums.

[The art style in this comic is absolutely incredible! Help! The tension in this opening!! I'm literally exploding right here!]

[Waaah, the male lead is so handsome!! His spirit rising up to fight back in the darkness is just amazing!!]

[I can't take it! I want to bang my head against the wall for the male lead! The latest chapter, with him covered in wounds, pierced straight through my heart!!]

[Damn it, waaah... this is way too cruel!! Please treat the male lead well, author!! He's practically your own son!!]

The comic artist and protagonist himself sat in his chair, closed the comic, and fell into thought as he surveyed the forum's chorus of wails and tears.

Let him think carefully about the best way to make the next chapter hurt.

[Before You Read]

· No romance. The male lead shines on his own and will have plenty of supportive friends. It will probably lean toward an ensemble cast.

· The male lead is beautiful, tragic, and powerful in the comic (his comic identity). In real life, he's a laid-back, work-worn office worker who loves life.

· [He rose up in rebellion from the darkness, but never belonged to this world of light.] Quoted from The Revolutionary.

A friend's upcoming novel~

I Accidentally Became the Creator by Dan Shou Tian Huang

Ye Diqiu is struck by a seed falling from the sky, and discovers that a new world is about to be born inside it.

And so

On a barren land, the first signs of life emerge in his palm, ushering in the miracle of evolution.

In the ancient age, the earliest humans struggle through hardship beneath his gaze, opening the pages of history.

In a fantastical forest, the first elves offer him delicious fruit, praying for the favor of the God of Life.

On a ruined wasteland, desperate creatures crawl for thousands of miles, seeking the spark that will rekindle civilization.

Across the vast starry sky, a fleet sails ever onward in pursuit of the world's ultimate mysteries.

Countless living beings are born at his fingertips, and countless civilizations are created because of him.

Many years later, Ye Diqiu realizes that he has accidentally become the Creator.

*About this story: Mastermind behind the scenes / secret identities / multiple worlds / determined never to reveal his identity.

*The main world is an alternate Earth, with modern-day elements and some elements of a disaster-survival game.

*The protagonist has no romantic pairing.

*Although it's very likely there won't be any, there may be other secondary pairings. I'm also fine with writing any orientation, so proceed with caution if that's not your thing.

Theme: Goodness, truth, and beauty exist in the human world