[Western Crossover] Dreams and the Investigator’s Code

[Eldritch horror + superhero comics, with extensive alterations and an alternate timeline.]

"I have no name. I am only two days old."

William Blake, Songs of Innocence and of Experience

Luo Xi Carter's life is an abrupt cross-section. Specifically, he woke up knowing nothing, with amnesia and multiple personalities, nearly got sent to a psychiatric hospital, and then his second personality, Randolph, landed him in the deep pit that is working as an investigator. From then on, Luo Xi's tragic life as an overworked corporate drone began: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, he goes out to contain anomalies; Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, he writes to make ends meet; and on Sunday, he might even make a guest appearance on a superhero movie set to save the world.

Fine, at least he can occasionally stay home and pet the cat.

But that doesn't mean he should have to battle an evil god, too.

Luo: "So you're saying the world will be destroyed in the future, and the Dream God sent me back to figure out why, and I also have to drive the evil god out of the country?"

Randolph: "For the future of this world."

Luo: "I want to clock out."

Reader's Guide:

1. Written in third person. The protagonist is an overworked writer with a nonhuman quality and multiple personalities, and also works as an investigator.

2. A Western Crossover, but please forgive the author's limited reading. It has classic eldritch horror elements and may include a few British and American TV shows. Sanity-draining descriptions included.

3. A writing exercise and a bit of madness, but I promise it will be completed.

4. Don't trust ■■■■■■■■.

5. An investigator's hope is the rules.

, , ,

Coming soon: [Western Crossover] A Chaotic Neutral Gotham Citizen's Survival Guide

This book is also known as A Guide to Visiting Gotham's Landmarks, The CoC Player Who Absolutely Doesn't Want to Play CoJ vs. The Keeper Who Always Wants to Turn It into CoJ, and How to Survive in a Wildly Mixed-Together World.

Evans, a folklore scholar and professional troublemaker with 40 APP, 90 STR, 90 INT, and only 40 POW, accidentally arrives in Gotham, a place that produces extraordinary people, and discovers he is in Arkham Asylum.

Evans: What's going on?

Keeper: Think about what you just did during character creation.

So Evans remembers that he just rolled a critical failure on Luck and a critical success on Idea from the start, and heroically went temporarily insane right in front of Batman.

Evans: ...So what did I do?

Keeper: You yelled, "Long live the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster!" and rushed over to preach to him.

The Keeper soon realizes that he may already be the most wholesome character in the group.

As everyone knows, tabletop role-playing games usually have more than one player. Evans's session (which he bailed on) had four absolute lunatics, including himself.

Player One: Evans Edgar, a folklore scholar and party-wipe engine, but with 90 Luck, he survives long enough to become a legendary investigator.

Player Two: Vincent, a 99-size, 99-strength human bear, child of nature, a classic high-combat character who can become a god of war if things go well.

Player Three: Christine, who knows the dramatic plots of famous playwrights like Shakespeare and Ibsen by heart, the undisputed queen of drama.

Player Four: Simon. He seems like an ordinary human-machine hacker, but, unfortunately, we're playing a secret campaign.

Keeper: ...

Keeper: Removes disguise.jpg

Keeper: Actually, I'm running CoJ! (innocent) Which one of you wants to be your cat? I want to watch a melodrama! (rubs hands together)

Everyone: ...?

Before long, they stop worrying about that.

Because this world is just as absurd.

Vampires on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays; Dionysus Factor on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. And Sundays? Sundays are for parallel universe invasions.

Everyone: Is this world really still salvageable?

Even more surprising, this shattered world still contains a handful of normal people.

[The Keeper has joined the game.]

[Beginning the recording of correct history.]

Terminology: CoJ means Call of Japan. Traditional CoC focuses on deduction and investigation, while CoJ focuses on emotional stories. "Cats" are the romantic interests assigned to the different player roles.

(Don't worry, I won't write romance, so in the end everyone will be buddies, haha.)

Reader's Guide:

1. Written in third person. Evans, the main viewpoint character, really is a good person, but he really is a troublemaker ( ).

2. No guarantees that the other players are good people.

3. Primarily eldritch horror + DC, with lots of tabletop gaming settings and memes. It's comedic, chaotic, and has all kinds of random stuff. Basically, it's completely unhinged.

4. Contains lots of unsubstantiated claims made for fun, ships, and crack pairings, but aside from explicitly canon couples (does DC even have those? ( )), none are actual romantic pairings.

Theme: The hymn of humanity is the hymn of courage.