Erik is your run-of-the-mill gamer, the type of gamer that you would often refer to as neckbeards—spending most of his life gaming, working, gaming, sleeping, and gaming, with just a little time for eating and bathing somewhere in between. With such a lifestyle he didn't have all that many friends aside from gaming groups or those from the occasional conventions he would go to. However recently, Dream Engine a brand-new Full Dive Virtual gaming system was debut! Hundreds of thousands of people applied for the beta testing application, yet Erik was one of the lucky ones and managed to get in! The Dream Engine was a full all in one system, it had the game, the link, and the entire adventure all in one package! Set it up on your bed, couch, floor, or Whatever. Lay down and play the game! Dozens of different stories were available, From the 90's to the 2000s, from fiction to reality, anything is possible! Erik was granted access to a predetermined world, Follow Erik on his journey through the unpredictable world of D.C. Comics!
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This novel is over a year old, I still have a lot to write. But I've been informed by my readers that I should update the synopsis. This is a FIRST draft, it is RAW, and it is UNEDITED. For the first 50 or so chapters, I as the Author wasn't entirely sure what direction I wanted to take the novel. So it is really convoluted at the start. Why haven't I changed it? FIRST draft.
Polyamory: the practice of engaging in multiple romantic (and typically sexual) relationships, with the consent of all the people involved.
You will see a lot of this in this novel. The MC and a majority of their lovers are not human. They do not have the same taboos and hang-ups.
This is my FIRST attempt at a story. There will be mistakes. The first 50 or so chapters are very messed up. Just work your way through them, it gets better.
- Chapter 146: Grand MarshalOct 10, 2023
- Chapter 145: BOSSJul 30, 2023
- Chapter 144: Let’s Flip the Table!Nov 16, 2022
- Chapter 143: The Great Ones AcolytesOct 31, 2022
- Chapter 142: House of Cards.Oct 22, 2022
- Chapter 141: Too Many Hats!Jun 4, 2022
- Chapter 140: Tiyulong Rum, Year 369Apr 23, 2022
- Chapter 139: ExpectationsMar 24, 2022
- Chapter 138: The Little Things.Feb 28, 2022
- Chapter 137: ArchivesJan 21, 2022
- Chapter 136: Proving a Point.Dec 29, 2021
- Chapter 135: General Ripper.Dec 24, 2021
- Chapter 134: Lord Enfarious.Dec 19, 2021
- Chapter 133: Force Martial ArtDec 14, 2021
- Chapter 132: Force-Super.Dec 8, 2021
- Content Warning
Creative Commons-
Hiatus - Updated Oct 10, 2023
Last updated 7 months ago
- 1950 reading
- 237 plan to read
- 43 completed
- 53 paused
- 99 dropped
It sucks. I can tell you put a lot of effort and passion into this work, but you gave this story all the wrong types of limits. This is wish fulfillment not buts or ands. This isn't even the good type, but the one of a cuck. He does all this crap to help others, yet he doesn't get anything in return except more responsibility, and when he gets women he purposely gives them away.
Also this is a vr world nothing changes, you could kill all the characters and just start a new run of the game with benefits. No consequences all reward. So pathetic for any person.
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Do you like reading about an MC who helps everyone and is rewarded with more responsibility?, an MC who gives away the women who are attracted to him to other men?, an MC who is content being a side d*ck that women go to release stress?
Well believe it or not you just found the right novel!
Currently at chapter 38 the MC is in relationships with 3 women who whore themselves for political favors and a prostitute who is in a relationship with another man.
You don't believe me? Read it. I swear what I wrote above is true.
Ps. Don't get fooled by the other reviews.
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This story is a wonder. It takes characters that we all know and love, and creates tell a story from an angle few have seen before! A look at the magical underbelly of the world of DC is something to see. 5/5 ?!
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the short version: it's a f**king masterpiece, read it!
you want an actual explanation why it's so great... well it's your time you could already be using to read the first chapter.
Here you go, the long Version:
Dream Engine: Beta Tester... D.C. Comics is about your average office worker, named Erik, who is lucky enough to get into the beta of a new gaming system called "Dream Engine. This system allows the user to play a game while sleeping, featuring full immersion similar to dive-mmorpgs we know from other novels like SAO or the Matrix.
Erik is chosen as a beta tester for the DC Comics universe, for which he is a huge fan, allowing him to literally start a new life as a hero.
Assisted by an amazing AI that evolves with every chapter, named Dawn, becoming more and more like-able with every chapter, he creates his new self with a rather unique, handwritten, cringe-worthy background story. Surprisingly that background is accepted by the system giving him massive benefits at first only to reveal the drawbacks later in the story, causing massive changes, forcing him into situations that can easily cause a GAME OVER if not handled right.
Now to the points that make this story, at least for me, so outstanding:
Worldbuilding:
As Erik enters the world, he immediately realises the realism the generated world brings along, including that his avatar actually has his own personality with which he can talk and which will continue to live in the world when Erik is logged out, continuing along the path they have established together.
Although the game is a single player experience, it doesn't revolve around the player alone. Events continue to happen, no matter if the player is present or not, although he can trigger them early. This gives the whole story a very dynamic feel.
Furthermore, most novels throw their MC into close proximity to their favorite hero, making them a relative, side-kick or even antagonist, to start the juicy bits right off the bat. This is not the case here.
"Erick Lash", mostly simply called Lash, was created with a magical background, which gave the author a chance to let us experience a Gotham not seen before, filled with the mystical from start to end... and hell he delivered.
Given only low powers, well, like in every game at the beginning, Erick and Lash work together to get a feel for this new world they found themselves in, getting familiar with their own abilities and start forming connections with the people around them... only to be thrown into the maelstrom of the magical society due to their "background story" playing tricks on them... Fun!
Personality and character building:
As I have praised the world building above greatly, there is something that cannot be missed to make the world complete, side-character.
In this mystical Gotham, Lash comes across countless people and beings he interacts with, befriends or antagonises. All of them are very well described and truly feel alive. I mean, if after 70 chapters you still remember that one door guard of Lash's apartment then the author did something really really right.
As a male "hero" in this new world he, of course, also gets a lot of attention from the opposite gender, and once more the author does a fabulous job in describing both their appearance and giving them enough time to open up and show their true personalities. It is nice to see how they change after meeting with Lash.
Note: this is not a harem story per se, although Lash gets into a relationship with multiple women throughout the story.
Erik and Lash's interactions themselves are quite amusing in the beginning but as they progress in the story they meld into each other more and more, until they become pretty much on. Only occasionally are there mentions of Erik sharing his information about the DC Comics stories with Lash arming them with knowledge of what could be coming. To balance this out we get to know more and more about their morality, be it on the battlefield where he is willing to get his hands dirty to protect others or in the bedroom where he is unwilling to take advantage of women in their times of weakness.
Lash stands out as a paragon of justice, judging others not by their race, gender, s*xual orientation or religion but solely by their actions on a case by case basis... something I know I would never be able to do no matter how much I were to try.
Pacing and writing:
From what I have seen, the pacing of the story is very good. The further down the story you get, the more Lash will be involved in events almost back to back, but the author never forgets to grant brief pauses in between where interactions with his close ones happen and we get to see their interactions and reactions to whatever happened.
DC-Heroes:
As already described above, Lash is living his life in Gotham but doesn't get in contact with Batman or other DC heroes for quite a while. It is built mainly on his own achievements and growth in strength, at least in the beginning.
Once he does create connections to them, it is done in a very believable circumstance often giving us a glimpse of their personality. Superman's kindness, Batman's caution, The Flash's giddiness... I just love how they are depicted.
Note: once more, this story mainly focuses on Lash and his own achievements and not the DC heroes. Although he is, later on, often working together with them, the focus will always be on him and feature mostly interactions with them.
S*xuality:
I had to single this one out as it's a topic that may or may not be a criteria for some reader to straight out say NO to reading this novel.
In this novel s*xuality is handled very openly, although Lash is straight himself, several character in his friend circle are shown as bi or gay, mainly women.
If you are not good with something like that this novel may strike you the wrong way.
As mentioned above, Lash will not create a harem per se, but be in a poly-amorous relationship with several women. This means he has several lovers and all of them are aware of that fact and each other, of course they too may have several lovers themselves. All based on open acknowledgment.
The depiction of actual s*x scenes, not just mentioning the deed, is also present when Lash finally gets it on with one of his Lovers.
Personally I don't like s*x scenes being described in novels that don't have a focus on this topic since it diverts attention from the story. Luckily they are not occurring that frequently to do so, but actually help showing Lash's morality and firmness in declining invitation.
One again, if you are uncomfortable with this or are actually looking for this to be in the focus, this novel is not for you.
Fazit:
I guess this has already become far longer than I originally planned, therefore, firstly, thank you in case you actually managed to read through this whole review.
I love this story because the world and its character seem to be truly alive, they have a lot of variance and actively grow together as the story progresses. I especially love the scenes that happen because of the butterfly effect of Lash's involvement with the other heroes and villains.
I am looking forward to many more future chapter of "Dream Engine"
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The story is great, but there is a single aspect of the story that the author ruin for me.
The relationship, the relationships on this story is such a clusterf**k that it ruined the whole story for me.
There is seemingly no loyal person in the MC ingame love life, and the poly relationship is just so poisonous for this story.
Its not like the relationship are just things you can brush off, but its a core part of the story.
So if you hate unloyal female leads and poly stuff then this is definitely not for you, and people who hates ntr will probably be turned off by it
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I've read up to chapter 74.
I do not like the MC, he's not human enough, like what kind of guy mentions consistently that it doesn't matter to him if his lover has other d*cks in their life? (There's been two s*x scenes at this point, but a ton of s*xual tension. - I'm not into the abstinence/edging play that's happening here.)
Outside of this, and the matter that less than a week has passed IRL (which irks me) : I really thing the author has a good handle on DC and the world in the VRMMO feels realistic and badass at times.
I just wish the MC wasn't a cuck. This would be right up there next to Super Detective in the Fictional World imo if the MC wasn't a monk (it's okay to be Primal, want your lovers to be yours.. The worrying about 100% consent thing is super weird too - she's decided it's okay to bed you, why care about ulterior motives that don't harm you?).
edit: I've made peace with what it is, like I can see it being the MC being high on love/empathy, so I'm not going to be upset about it and review 1 star like I thought to.
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With a great but truly great regret I drop this novel... And I can say that this, if you came for the same reasons as me, is not for you. I was coming for a badly written harem story but! I found that what is mentioned below is very true, things that do not make much sense or logic... They are 3 protagonists who fight in a world where... sadly I can't relate to myself as any human, I have my defects and my virtues... But I can't allow certain things that this novel allows, free s*x outside the harem... You know If there was another man in the harem I wouldn't like it but I would let it go... But s*x for political favors? I'm sorry but they seem disgusting to me, that attitude is only forgiven if he puts bread in his mouth and water. Because at the end of the day we are all subject to the same needs... But lowering oneself through lust is one of the lowest attitudes that I can at least believe... At the end of the day what makes us human is that control we have over our flesh not that we sedate its weakness
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I have been reading this series for a while now.
It's amazing in terms of taking the characters we all know and love and adding them like flavoring to the story. Make no mistake; this story is indeed set primarily in the DC universe of characters. Our hero interacts with the likes of Superman, Wonder Woman and all the rest. Yet, the story isn't about them. It's about our hero, of course.
The story starts off slow, in the sense he is not immediately rubbing elbows with the usual DC cast of characters. Yet, the chapters are entertaining, enthralling and keep you eager to read more. The story portrays very well what it might be like to enter into a virtual reality game in the DC universe.
Our hero quickly becomes absorbed with his new "life". It's a real pleasure to read how he gets his feet wet in a world filled with mystery, magic and costumed vigilantes. Everything is consistent, and builds up from what has come before.
He's not a copy of Superman, or Batman or any other hero. He is definitely a unique character that becomes more unique as time goes on. I've always been attracted to stories of self-discovery; people that become more than they were as the story develops. This story has that in heaps and heaps.
The chapters aren't short either. When a new chapter is available, I set everything else aside so I can sit down and dedicate a lot of time to reading. I don't want to get interrupted or distracted so I can fully immerse myself in the story.
It's so amazing. In fact, I love this story so much that it's one of the reasons why I decided to finally break down and create an account here on Scribble Hub. There are other amazing stories on here I enjoy, and I've finally reached the point where I just had to make an account here.
I'd love to see this story formally published, but since this is a fan-fic I know that is pretty unlikely due to copyright laws. Still, once I'm done with this review I'd love to make a donation so the author can be motivated to keep up their good work. Is there there a way to make a one-time donation that I missed? I can't see a link to a site like that.
I'm trying to think of something I can say negatively about the story, but it's difficult to do. There are the occasional grammar or spelling mistakes but they are so minor and so infrequent I can't point to anything. The same goes for knowledge of the DC Universe.
The interactions with the standard DC Universe cast of characters are consistent and believable, with a few quibbles here and there. I keep in mind though that there are reasons why people may be drawn to or set against our hero that have been explained previously in the story.
If there is one thing that seems odd, it's that our hero seems to be holding his heart back a bit. I feel that there is a story behind him not fully committing to some interactions that we have yet to understand.
I look forward to reading much, much more. Author, please keep up the good work! Again, your story is one of the reasons why I finally broke down and created an account here on the web site. I just enjoy your story so much. =)
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The MC is a cuck... I honestly shouldnt have to say more but I will.
The writing for sure gets better as you read but starts bad.
The main character is willing to kill but he is a goody two shoe, ie doesnt ever take anything for himself.
He is willing to let all the girls hes attracted to, and they are attracted to him, sleep with anyone they want. I hate harems as they are never done correctly but this is by far the worst ive ever seen.
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ok I will tell the truth, the auth has a good history, a good idea, sound development, likable protagonist, but he has a giant flaw, the way he portrays the relationships is unnatural, mechanic, and distorted, he says that's because they aren't human, but man the stranger person in the relationships in this novel is the MC (he can incorporate another species, but his core is human), he is like an NTR protag, who thinks he is in the command, but the only thing is he doesn't f**k (he can, but he is a "gentleman") but already say to the girl that's an open relationship and she can f**k around (that's it, I'm not kidding, he don't develop, that happens very quickly).
girl - I like you
MC -i like you to
girl -lets f**k
MC -nope you aren't at your best (he is right don't f**k her while she isn't sane)
MC (right after being a gentleman) - but instead of it I want an open relationship and go away now and find a boy or girlfriend for you, and f**k him before I f**k you.
you can develop slowly the relationship but, holy lord you are premature in the polyamory (the way that looks in your novel, seems like a marriage) and slow to have s*x, have some consistency, please.
You can make an open relationship or polyamory, but you need to make it logical.
I removed it from my library because I liked and I tried to read 4 times, but the way you portray a relationship is horrendous.
I add again to write this review.
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