Starting as a Newbie God

Civ 6, Banished, Frostpunk, Timberborn & The Wandering Village, excluding the first one, all of these games are survival town-builders. Playing these games is probably the closest I've come to playing god. When your every decision can decide the fate of an entire town or civilization... That's some responsibility alright. Now, imagine if you were to become an actual god, can you handle it?

Webtoon | When a Blue-Collar/White-Collar Worker Gets the Cheat of a Lifetime

Whether you're a white collar or a blue-collar, having a boss that constantly hounds you for whatever reason is just infuriating. You wanna slap them, but you can't unless you want to be between jobs. So, you just have to grit your teeth and take it. It's not uncommon, but many of the protagonists below beg to differ. Well, they have it easier because they have special abilities.

Webtoon | Your Regular Overpowered Necromancers

The earliest written mention of necromancy is in Homer's Odyssey where Odysseus sought the help of the dead to give him foresight about his trip back home. Yup, necromancy in the ancient world was mostly used for divination and even blessings. Today, particularly in fantasy stories, necromancy which is often used synonymously with death magic tends to focus more on undeads & curses. In the past, necromancers are villains, but now, authors have turned them into protagonists—well, to annoying extent. But, I'm easy to please. If I enjoy reading it, then that's a good story.

Novels | The Protagonist Hunts Down Other Protagonists

Doesn't die easily and the world seems to move for them, not every protagonist is like that but that's a protagonist alright. Nevertheless, many of them are a little, no, too holier-than-thou. Someone has to put them in their place, but they have a cheat, so that's easier said than done. Enter the hero-killers, built with smarts and the ability to one-up any protagonist, they're what we need.

The Protagonist Is a Boss Monster

In every role-playing game, there's always the boss monster. A unit that's a cut above the rest of the mobs. More often than not, it takes a party and lot of strategizing to whittle down their humongous HP bar. They're hard to defeat, but the rewards make up for the effort and expenses. From the perspective of a boss monster, how does it feel to be challenged time and again? I bet it's probably annoying and mildly infuriating. You're stuck in the boss room, so you can't really do much unless you can do more than just wait.

A Story Manifests in Reality

The story within a story becomes real. I have been searching high and low (in google) for these stories, but all I found are the following below. Don't get me wrong. There are certainly others that fit the bill. However, they aren't exactly what I want to read or watch, at the very least, not right now. I've posted about stories where games become real. This time, let's go with stories where a novel, manga or anime manifests in reality.

Novels | World-Hopping Fantasy: Isekai to Many Worlds

I used to only listen to edutainment and scary stories podcast, but then this year I decided to expand my podcast library by a shelf or two. Lately, I've been listening to "Midnight Burger" a scifi audio drama about a time-traveling, world-hopping diner. It's quite a fun listen. This podcast reminded me of a draft of a world-hopping list I made a year ago. Although what counts as a "world" in world-hopping is arguable, I think it includes planets, other dimensions and alternate realities. World-hopping even has offshoots like unlimited flow and quick transmigration. So, here are some stories where the protagonist travels to multiple worlds.

Webtoon | Martial Artist/Cultivator Transported to a Modern World (Earth)

I know it's another Murim entry. But, hear me out. It's reverse isekai. Now, aren't you interested in what happens when someone from the world of martial arts and cultivation winds up in modern Earth or earth-like world?

Webtoon | Murim Martial Artist Regresses For Revenge & To Change the Future

Regression is probably the next Isekai. Well, maybe after "hunter" fantasy like Solo Leveling. There are many reimagining of this trope with the most popular one likely being Re:Zero. Unpopular opinion: I did not like the novel or the anime. I'm not fond of stories that just repeatedly tortures the main character. Luckily, webtoons, except …

Growing Stronger by Streaming

This is a new trope that has been very popular recently. With the popularity of streaming and video sharing platforms, it was only really a matter of time until litRPG/fantasy writers found a way to incorporate them in their power systems. A character is basically the streamer/content creator regardless of their will, and the viewers—gods, deities , humans or other races—can donate "coins", items and techniques or become a patron. While there are other variations that uses the likes or view counts, it's generally done this way. Furthermore, although the main character's power growth isn't entirely reliant on streaming, it does play a significant role.