(1st night in)

After a long time searching the Interweb, I found an amazing story. But to read it, it told me I had to log in. A small white box popped up in front of me, and I looked around the small room that appeared around me, the inky darkness swirling around. Through the door behind me laid rooms like mine, but a lot of them were bursting with lights and colors. Something my room was missing. In the room was a desk with a lit-up computer screen that hadn't been there a second before and a chair, along with a few small shelves. On the desk, next to the computer, was a single pencil with a cap eraser on the end. Curious, I sat down at the computer and stared at the screen. The cursor for words to be typed blinked rhythmically, and that was the only thing showing.

I grabbed the pencil and began chewing on the end - a bad habit for many years - when a small idea came to mind. The idea was small, very small, but it was a good one. I stopped chewing and pointed the mutilated eraser at my ear to think better, only for the idea to leave my mind. Shocked, I covered my mouth and pulled the pencil away to see a small colorful being encased in a blue glow.

The tiny being was a rainbow of lights and features, it's skin color and other distinct features changing at every millisecond to create a rainbow of multi-colored spectrum. It was beautiful. I called it "Reader," slowly lowering the pencil onto the desk to let it wander around. The blue glow disappeared once the creature's feet touched the desk, and I stared in awe as it fell on its rear. It stood about five inches tall, the same length from my wrist to the tip if my middle finger.

I reached a finger out to gently poke the being, only for it to wrap it's miniature arms around it. The being's ever-changing skin sent pins and needles across the surface it touched me, giving me a tickling feeling in my chest. I was proud of this beautiful creature, proud that it had come from my own mind. I wanted to give this creature a friend, wanting it to not be so lonely. I picked up the pencil in my free hand, for Reader was still clinging onto my finger, and began to think of another character. The only thing coming to mind was Bloody Painter, a recent person I had learned about. I shrugged, slowly pulling that idea from my head to see a five-inch, chibi-styled Bloody Painter sitting next to Reader. Reader finally let go of my finger, walking over to where Bloody Painter sat. The two of them began to communicate for a while, and I watched them closely. They were adorable together.

I turned to my computer, allowing my fingers to fly across the keyboard as Reader and Painter gathered together next to a small model of a neighborhood block that had just appeared there. They were going about their business as if I wasn't there, and I couldn't help but smile at what I had done. They were miraculous. This was what I wanted to do.

(2 months in)

Leaning back in my chair, I let out a huge yawn and cracked my knuckles. Three non-stop hours of typing my story update, but it was worth it. Deep in the back of my mind I wondered how much larger my kingdom would grow with this update, but at the moment the only thing that mattered to me was how happy my ten readers were. They all seemed very pleased with my first few posts of my Bloody Painter x Reader story, so I decided to update more.

With a shaky hand, I nervously clicked "publish", watching in terror as the story published; my sixth update for my Bloody Painter story was finally posted. I clicked refresh so I was able to see the new update, nearly screaming in joy when I saw how many reads the book itself had. 200 reads! I can't believe it! I thought to myself, a huge grin on my face. A full 200 reads, I'm so happy!

A small thought poked at the back of my mind, and I unfocused from my joy of 200 reads to see a new story idea forming in the back of my head. Some few stray characters, one or two small ideas carried with them, huddled together in the back of my mind; as if they didn't know what they were doing there.

I let out a yelp of happiness, turning my attention to the dim light of the computer monitor to start a new book. Ignoring the cramps in both of my hands, I frantically began typing up my new story before the characters wandered too far from their gathering point. As my fingers slammed into the keys at an unsteady and unnatural pace, I saw a plot of land forming in the corner of my eyes. It was barren for now, a few houses and a street or two covering it. It needed.....people....

Grabbing my pencil from the pencil bowl to my left, I brought the eraser up to my lips and began to chew on it frantically. People......people..... Designing characters to fit the story was always the hardest part for me, but it seemed even more so tonight. I continued to chew on the eraser in an absent-minded mood, only being shaken from my trance when graphite dust rained onto my tongue. Pulling the pencil away from my mouth, I began to examine the splintered end, a small smile growing onto my face. The color of my pencil, it was the same color as someone's jacket I knew very well. Masky's jacket. That's who I needed, that's who this story was about. I raised the pencil again and pointed it at my ear. Breaking the sharpened graphite at the other end with my pinkie, I closed my eyes as my head filled with a soft hum. I always loved this part, but sadly didn't have a mirror with me to watch it.

I pulled the pencil away once more, seeing the sharpened end encased in an iridescent blue glow, along with a few confused looking people each about five inches tall. Pointing the pencil at the plot of land, the confused people flew through the air and landed with a thud on the streets. This was it, this was the start of my new story.

(3 months in)

After a full month of working on my first Masky book post, I had nearly given up. I actually would have, had it not been for the small and innocent baby character sleeping in a ball on my shoulder. Jinx, the tiny three-inch character, stretched and yawned, her tiny limbs shaking a bit as she did so. I let out a smile, running my finger over her head and between her tiny black cat ears to hear a soft and almost inaudible purr exit her throat.

I sighed inwardly, staring at the computer screen with a numbed expression. I wasn't going to give up. I had killed Jinx a while back, only for her to come back again as one of the characters I based my account over. The other character was Illusion, her four-inch self teetering along the mouse wire like a tight-rope walker. I laughed slightly, causing her to look up at me with her vibrant purple eyes. She smiled at me with miniature fanged teeth, and I smiled back. Illusion was another character to come back after I had killed her.

I have killed many characters, and had given life to so many more. My kingdom, thanks to my Bloody Painter story, had grown triple in size. It was nearing 700 reads, actually. I was very proud of it. It had grown so well.

(6 months in)

I fumbled around with the office supplies in front of me, Jinx's teeny hands clasping onto my shirt as I jerked around to find what I was looking for. After a good ten minutes of searching, I finally found it. My pencil, its splintered end in as bad condition as I'd left it. I attached it to a wooden beam, which I taped sloppily to a broken set of headphones. I scrambled to put the headphones on, the ideas, characters, and stories cramming in my skull. I could feel the pressure release immediately as I put the headphones on, the pencil pulling them out of my mind and placing them down in their own plots of story land. I straightened my posture, helping little Jinx back up onto my shoulder as I started my new pattern. Type a bit, drags and click the mouse....type a bit, drag and click the mouse. Illusion was riding on the back of my wrist, squealing in triumph. These two, Jinx and Illusion, they were my pride and joy. I might not have started the kingdom with them, but I was going to make for sure that they were with me when my kingdom fell.

I looked up from my computer, staring above me at the thousands of new characters as they tried to find where they fit into my kingdom. Glancing at the wall behind me, I realized the problem: every inch of space was stuffed with story lands, and there wasn't any room left for the new characters to settle. I waved my hand out, watching as the walls flew back a good ten feet. Grinning in victory, I watched the characters create their own story lands and settle in nicely. This was going to be a longer ride than I imagined.

(8 months in)

My kingdom was thriving, new characters and new ideas flooding in at every second. To keep myself safe from a migraine, I kept the pencil contraption on at all times. Jinx is cuddled up in the folds of my scarf, laying on top of Illusion. Their small bodies gave off a small circle of heat, warming a quarter-sized circle on my collarbone. I couldn't keep the smile from my face, my Masky book by far being the biggest accomplishment so far with 20,000 reads.

I dazed off to a simpler time, when I would be excited over a mere 10 reads at a time. Did I miss that time? Sometimes, yes. But most of the time I was happy with what I had. With how my kingdom had become.

(10.5 months in)

They all just stopped. All of the characters stopped what they were doing, sitting down in their story-lands and staring at me with expectant eyes. A few still struggled to continue what they were doing, struggling to keep the story going. It hurt me, seeing my precious characters struggle like that. Putting themselves through so much just to keep everything together.

Ideas had stopped coming into my mind, so it was safe for me to take the contraption off of my head. I wasn't used to so much silence in such a crowded area. And to make matters worse, I haven't seen Jinx or Illusion at all in the past month.

(11 months in)

I stared up at the calendar, wanting for some excuse if any to get myself out of the predicament. It was dreadful to see everything here turning dark and gloomy. I believed that my kingdom had reached its peak, and that it was finally shutting down. It would have been a full year from my first story next month. Too bad my kingdom wouldn't be here to see it. I closed my eyes and let out an exasperated sigh, getting ready for what was to come. But as the time struck when I was sure it would end, it didn't. In fact, it picked itself up once again. All the characters simultaneously stood up and grinned at me, suddenly returning to their stories. I watched them intently, my fingers flying across the keyboard as I worked on an update for every single story I owned.

"I am an author. I create and destroy worlds; I give birth to many, and kill just the same. I am the god of my own personal kingdom. And nothing can stop the thoughts from flowing through my mind, into the pencil, and out into my kingdom. It was unstoppable. This was who I was. We all start from nothing; however, it is up to us to make something out of the empty space. I built my kingdom. But what about you?"

(((((This is an example of my new story idea, "All the Little Ones". The idea for the italicized part came from a picture I saw on social media explaining what it meant to be an author. I hope you all enjoy!)))))