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lumagen · 4 months

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side order theorypost #87

Splatoon's campaigns are (mostly) quite distinct, but each is led by a villain that opposes the world that the Inklings have made. They each believe that their vision for the world is best - one based on history and a refusal to accept the change that the world has made.

Octavio rejects the Great Turf War and spent a century building up his forces and weaponry in an attempt to reverse the result of the war.

Tartar rejects Inklings as the new dominant species on planet Earth, looking to create a "new" world with his own variant of species largely inspired by humans (and the best the new world has to offer) to take over.

Mr. Grizz rejects aquatic life taking over in the place of mammals, and seeks to return the world to a state where mammals are once again the dominant species on planet Earth.

Each of these villains, consciously or not, have taken their trauma over past events and transformed them into a state where they only believe that a world based in the past in the best way to move forward, as paradoxical as that sounds. Of course, all three of them have been thwarted by their campaign's respective protagonist, a plucky young teenager with above-average skill who has saved the world.

But with Side Order, it's not about saving the world, and it's not about toppling some big bad with some grandiose desire of controlling it.

It's about showing Marina that she, too, has to wake up and face the changing world as well.

Just so we're absolutely clear, I believe that Marina is 100% without a doubt the main villain of Side Order. If I'm wrong I'll like, eat my shorts or something. However, based on the trend that former Splatoon villains have set, it just makes too much sense.

It may seem a bit strange to suggest that Marina fits in with those three - after all, she's not some conniving supervillain, she has seen firsthand that change can have a positive effect on someone's life - hell, she's not even a dude! However, I am suggesting that she has also fallen into the same trap of protecting history instead of moving forward.

And it all started with Damp Socks.

For those unaware, shortly before the events of Splatoon 3, Pearl mysteriously disappeared after a "musical clash" with Marina (<- please read this interview), going no contact until she found something fresh and different. She eventually returned with Damp Socks, offering to lend OTH's musical prowess to their band, and the rest is history.

It was good for Pearl, who always wanted to play rock music, but what about Marina?

On the surface, it seemed like she took it well enough after Pearl finally resurfaced, but by her own admission, Marina would have been fine playing anything as long as it was with Pearl. Protecting the bond and band they've shared the better part of a decade together was more important than anything else.

Pearl, knowingly or not, threatened that bond with one careless action.

And now Marina (thinks she) knows that Pearl could walk out on her whenever she feels, free to chase whatever fling catches her fancy next.

After working so hard to leave the domes, leaving behind everything she once knew, and making a whole life around her "best friend" for like, 7-8 years, it could all be left behind on a whim?

...

In that same interview I linked earlier, Marina leaves an eerie message about seeking a world of order beyond the world of chaos she had become accustomed to. Inspired by such an idea, she said that she wishes to "construct a new frontier" inspired by one such world of order.

One where every little thing can be meticulously chosen and perfected. One where all the important things can be protected, forever.

One where her and Pearl can always be together.

tl;dr as the first non-teenager protagonist in the series, u are teaming up with the loud [short one] to free her girlfriend from the mental prison she has purposefully trapped herself in and also Dedf1sh is there and i dont know why but please god save her

#splatoon #splatoon 3 #side order #can you tell i'm excited for side order #luma.txt

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neonscandal · 2 months

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jjk having queer-coded villains seems to be an intentional choice. what are your thoughts on this

Anon comin in hot today! I feel like this doesn't really need a spoiler warning though it does detail info about characters yet to be animated so read at your own risk.

To be honest, I wouldn't even say that it's coding, JJK has an assortment of characters with varied identities from our protagonists to our antagonists which includes:

Megumi - a lot of fans interpret his non-gendered answer to what his type is, focusing instead on personality, to mean that he's pansexual.

Mahito - genderless ✨ and/or physically lacking reproductive organs that would typically define gender binary

Tengen - presumably assigned female at birth, has since transcended gender or is more non-binary

Kenjaku - another character who's just.. lived so long that they're just kind of gender fluid? Though, considering their history, intersex may be more appropriate? We know that, as Noritoshi Kamo, he mixed his blood with what would become the cursed womb paintings but she actually consummated with Jin for some extra razzle dazzle

Uraume - canonically they/them

Kirara - assigned male at birth (though I believe canonically referred to as they/them) with an androgynous gender expression

Please note: I don't consider myself an expert on the matter as gender identity, expression and sexual orientation exist on spectrums. Subsequently, if you think any of the above characters belong elsewhere based on canon or headcanon, I get it. If, based on canon, I'm outright incorrect, feel free to drop a comment and I'll edit accordingly.

With the distribution of the above in mind, I don't think it's unilaterally something focused just among the antagonists. Though, ironically, some of my color coding is also debatable at this point, I suppose. I think the more interesting observation is that, with enough time, such labels aren't as binding or lack the need for definition. Like, Tengen has all the time in the world to be whatever they want to be and they simply become. In fact, unrelated but kinda related, you see a similar idea in Hell's Paradise with the mercurial gender fluidity of the Tensens, too. Honestly, that's another show to watch with a curious lens.

All that to say, I think the varied representation is more interesting due to the conversation around the mangaka's own identity. Gege Akutami's anonymity has been shielded by their pen name but, also, I don't believe they have confirmed pronouns. While people argue that they went to an all boys' school previously, they also, during a stint as an assistant on another manga, unveiled themselves with a femme presenting avatar. Seemingly to avoid being defined by visual perception (or to pre-emptively avoid recognition by devastated fans..), they appeared in a video interview dressed as Mechamaru. Couple that with the fact that there is a notable lack of romantic pairings within the story, especially those that would be typical of a shonen story. Arguably, that could leave a lot of Aro and/or Ace characters that I'm too obtuse to have picked up on. In fact, one could interpret Akutami's previous comments about Gojo accordingly.

Subsequently, I don't think the intention is to vilify queerness just because some of the antagonists fit the bill. I think, if anything, there's just representation that isn't necessarily cultivated around "othering" queer characters or using their diversity as a plot line, if that makes any sense? Which isn't just concentrated on the "bad guys". For the most part, these are just subtle realities of the characters... okay, Kenjaku's identity can definitely be charged to the plot though. 👀 Seemingly contrary to what I just said about diversity as a plot device, I'm now having mixed feelings specifically with Kenjaku because their identity does inform the plot but also intrinsically brings nuance to them as a character. The more I think about it, this diversity is actually what humanizes them which, connotatively, still seems like a positive thing. Hm. Maybe I'm a hypocrite? Not sure but I'm curious as to your thoughts so feel free to leave them below 👇🏾

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arainmorn-art · 5 months

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Just binged the whole thing

Omigosh. "My Adventures with Superman" was super ADORABLE.

Never understood the apeal of a 100% Lawful Good overpowered invincible protagonist before, but now I do. I haven't even watched anything Superman-related before. Clark is such a good boy. A gentle giant struggling with his non-human strength, he went to the chess club to minimize any chances he would hurt anyone by accident. A shy polite clumsy and nerdy good boy from a good loving family wanting to protect other people and a nice girl he loves. Oh gosh, can I keep him?

The way he's animated, the detailes of his whole body language, gosh, animators did wonders with Clark's character. I adore the first part of the show before the drama, because cheeses, I haven't seen such a cute romance progression in a long time, when they both obviously like each other and they also can see it in each other. Loved it! Giggled through their romance like a schoolgirl.

I liked Lois, how both tomboyish and very feminine she is. This was so friggin' refreshing to see an energetic independant girl who is also sweet, soft, vulnerable and contradicting herself, not girlbossing relatability and feelings the hell out of any interaction these characters might have. In one moment I was displeased with her decisions, when she was hurt that Clark didn't tell her he was a Superman and told him there won't be any relationship between them because of that, it was a big "COME ON" for me, but I liked that actualy it was a product of a very girly tangled way of thinking, "You lied to me! Does it mean you were pretending to have feelings for me too?!" while crying. Yes. Yes, thank you, it was a very brief moment, but as a regular girl I felt itXD I love when emotional girls are depicted rightly: saying one thing, implying another, thinking the third, crying inside and outside how hurt she is on several levels over an idiot who hasn't thought about her feelings properly. Great stuff, approve wholeheartedly. Maybe the battle against brick-faced toxic masculinity in a female wig, oh, excuse me, Holliwood feminist never-wrong-doing girlbosses will be won someday with smart writing and kind-hearted life observations. We have a great soldier here. She also reminded me a lot of Roxana from Megamind, and I loved that girl a lot.

I'm also surprised how there were little to no of Twitter SJW-ness. Very nice. I also joked on the phone with my friend, that it felt very ironic, how there are more female villains (haven't count, but it seems like that), than male, and those angry bitches are fighting against the sweetest himbo on Earth, who is saving kittens, infants and grannies all day long. I don't think it was intentional, but in a current climate of English-speaking media - very nice.

Pacing wise, hm, with a purely comedic first part a really fast pacing was great, but on the second half with drama... eh. It felt very rushed. Also, well, as I don't know the lore behind Superman deeper than it is dispersed in the current pop-culture, I was confused with his alien origin, as it felt a lot like Invincible. I thought the whole schtick of Invincible was about, you know, the main twist, buuuuuuuuuut what's about Superman? I know it's kinda backwards to first watch Invincible then watch anything about Superman, but I had a big deja vu. Maybe I'll read some wiki about Clark, I was hella confused.

Overall great show, loved it. The strange, um, mad genius gay couple was something I wasn't expecting to laugh at so much today. And admiring anime Superman. Wow.

#I repeat #i love himbos #especially nerdy shy ones #with messy hair and adorable clumsiness #Arain reviews #my post #my adventures with superman #superman #clark kent #lois lane #lois and clark

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alovelyburn · 11 months

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Hi! Do you know any media - either western or eastern - with a character like Griffith in it? Thanks

That's a tough one. There are tons of characters who evoke similar tropes or are directly inspired by Griffith, but it depends on which parts of Griffith you're looking for. So... I'll give names and then just kind of expand on how they are Griffith-esque.

Giorno Giovanna from JoJo's always struck me as a bit of a Griffith Lite. He's idealistic but ruthless, a strategic thinker, has big dreams and does a lot of sus things in pursuit of more positive goals. He's also given to poetic proclamations.

The classic is Ryo Asuka from Devilman, who is a direct inspiration for Griffith and has a very similar role/dynamic with Akira (the protagonist... you probably know this already but you know) to Griffith's and Guts'... emotionally, but not behaviorally. Like Ryo and Griffith don't act anything alike but they have similar functions. Yeah.

Laurent from the Captive Prince is partially inspired by Griffith - I haven't gotten very far in that book, but Griffith is a stated inspiration.

Chrollo Lucilfer from Hunter x Hunter is kind of a hybrid Griffith/Femto type figure to me. He hits a lot of the same buttons as Griffith but is much more overtly malevolent. Still, the intelligence, strategic thinking, his way of going from adorable to terrifying, and something about the way he... talks... Always reminds me of Griffith. And like Griffith he's quite difficult to read and can instill existential dread in orders without doing very much. Also, books.

Blade of the Phantom Master (Shin Angyo Onshi) has a ... lot of things in it that remind me of Berserk, but when it comes to Griffith, they have two different characters that kind of ring the bells. For Griffith the human, the main one is Hae Mo Su, who is the main character's deceased best friend who appears only in flashbacks once you're past the middle of the series. The other oen is Aji Tae, the main villain - a lot of people compare him to Griffith, but he's more of a Femto, although he sometimes pretends to be a Griffith. Also because of plot things, it's... an interesting comparison.

Artorius from Tales of Berseria has a lot in common with him - mind you I've never actually played the game so take it with a grain of salt. But he's a silver haired idealist who becomes unemotional due to a severe loss and then proceeds to do awful things in the name of benefiting humanity so, there you are.

If you want something MUCH MUCH MORE LIGHTHEARTED than anything else on this list, I'm Stanning the Prince is a romance manhwa webcomic that simultaneously strongly evokes Berserk and turns it into like... a lighthearted romance comic. The younger/crown prince is physically identical to Griffith and has a Griffithy vibe... also his sigil is a blue and white wolf whereas his brother's sigil is a red and black bird, so like.... anyway but again this is romance comic so don't expect it to go too heavy.

Le'Garde from Fear & Hunger (dark RPG) is perhaps the most 1-for-1 comparison I've seen in terms of role and story, though he has some non-Griffith twists to him. He is directly based on Griffith, though. I saw a review call this game "Undertale, but it's Berserk."

All that said, the closest I've ever come to being like, this guy may as well just be Griffith was... Canute from Vinland Saga. When he first appears, this comparison will seem pretty shallow but just hang in there. By the time I paused in my reading (which I need to get back to) I was like, oh this is what Griffith would be like as King, cool cool.

#ask #anonymous #ariel talks about berserk #also #about tales from berseria...#...IT'S CALLED TALES FROM BERSERIA #so.

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trans-corvo · 11 months

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I need book recs (especially audiobooks). I've listened to like 13 Discworld books and I love them but I need something different to keep me going during my night shifts.

I'll read anything if it's interesting enough, my only hard no is YA. I'm especially interested in genre fiction that actually gets creative with its world (fantasy that isn't medieval Europe with dragons, sci-fi that's more than just spaceships and robots, etc.) Queer stuff is also good, but it's so hard finding anything that isn't YA and/or about two generically pretty twenty-somethings. Actually, bonus points for anything with a protagonist who is 30+, fat, unattractive, trans-masc, or non-human.

#i'm just tired of generically pretty twenty somethings tbh #cant relate #also my favourite discworld protagonists have been brutha. vimes. and the witches #so a middle aged alcoholic. a fat guy. and two old ladies #book recommendations

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leifkncries · 2 years

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MAMMON'S HUMAN AU 3

i completed this a while before, but i was hesitant to post it since it didn't have much. (if anyone wants to write their own version of this, you're free to do so! just add some credit hehe)

finally, motivation- *it gets snatched*

also i tried to make levi more smug in this chapter? idk why

also marco/mammon's love language is definitely giving/receiving gifts you cannot tell me anything other than that

also should i joke about how i removed most of the drama and actually good plot from the game to just create some 'them being brothers' moments L M F A O

Marco yelped as his younger brother glided across the hallway, into his room. 'Man, what the fuck is goin' on?!' Marco mentally sobbed in his mind, widened blue eyes showing panic and uneasiness. "I just wanna talk about anime, you know?" Leviathan had a smile on his face. 'I.. somehow don't believe that.' He thought, a drip of sweat falling from his forehead.

It wasn't like it was hot, it was just anime logic.

"Why do ya wanna talk to someone about anime, eh?" Marco asked, troubled. "Uh, I'm an otaku, duh." Levi rolled his eyes and scoffed, and finally they reached the room. "I have the coolest room here, so you better be fawning over the room! You should be proud that I would let a human in here! The only reason you're here is because you aren't a normie!" Levi rambled, huffing his chest in pride.

"Eh? Understood, I guess." Marco shook his own hand, furrowing his brows at the tight grip of the purple haired demon. "Well," Levi held a smug look. "You better appreciate it. It's been too long since you've been here, after all." His gaze softened, and He muttered the last part to make sure Marco didn't hear it.

Leviathan slammed-opened the door, revealing the bright lights. He grinned brightly, it did look good for his brother! "I'm gonna tell you the lore of every anime!" Levi exclaimed, excited. "Uhhhhh." Marco felt like He was about to die. His eyes darted across the room, observing the furniture placed in the room.

"Is that a goldfish?" Marco asked, looking at the happily swimming creature in the fishbowl. "That's Henry 2.0! He's named after my favourite protagonist! He's from TSL or The Tale Of The Seven Lords!" Leviathan gushed, starry eyed. '2.0? What the hell happened to the first one?' Marco shivered, the possibilities endless. (most of them are associated with murder)

"Oh right, TSL!" Levi's eyes widened, and blush coated his cheeks (passion for TSL). "Do you know TSL?" He inquired. "No, I was close to reading it, though." Marco answered truthfully. "You've been wasting your time… Oh well, I'll tell you all about it, consider it an honor! TSL is about.." Leviathan began his storytelling. Marco scrunched his nose. This'll be a long day.

||timeskip to the next damn day||

Two students were currently whispering and talking to each other. "Hey, dude. Look at him, He's the human everyone's been talking about. Doesn't He kind of look like Lord Mammon?" A pursed their lips, staring at Marco. "Oh Diavolo, He really does. If we eat him, will we get punished?" B joked, a sly smirk on his face.

Marco froze. 'Demons n humans.. Demons kill humans.. Fuck!' Sweat dripped down from his forehead as He took a run for it. 'I forgot about the relationship between humans and demons cause they weren't acting hostile to me! I searched up on Demon Chrome about Mammon. He… didn't have the best reputation.' He narrowed his eyes, scoffing. 'Wonder why it makes me sour..' He sighed.

"Hey, you there." A light voice interrupted his train of thought. "That's right, I'm talking to you, the human with that frightened, tormented look on your face that demons love sooo much." He curtly smiled. 'Damn, who hurt 'em? Whatever, this guy looks like a medicine dealer.' Marco insulted in his thoughts.

i give up on trying to do the actual storyline. fuck it, i'm gonna do things the non sensible way

"Do you want demons to come and eat you? Take it easy, won't you?" The white haired man chuckled. "I'm guessing you're the human 'Marco', hm? Your DDD fell out and I have it." His lips curled into a smile. 'I didn't feel my DDD fall out. Are you sure you ain't a mercury dealer or a thief?' Marco huffed. "Thanks or whatever, yeah I'm Marco." The other white haired man replied.

(mercury is a reference to mercury drug, a store in my area)

"Anyways, who're you and how d'ya know my name? Am I famous or somethin?" Marco joked a bit, but still held his ground. The other white haired man's lips parted, but He recovered his sly smile pretty quickly. "Don't you know? Anyone could be a celebrity at RAD if they're a human exchange student. You have Leviathan as your guardian, and people say that you have already gained the favour of all the Demon Lords. Seeing as you look like him, I guess I believe it now." He chuckled lightly, amused.

"Oh, right. Here's your phone." The man pursed his lips and gave Marco his phone. "I'm Solomon, 'also' a human." Solomon introduced himself politely, waving his hand. 'Wait… heh?!' Marco's jaw dropped, stilling. "Oh? Did I not seem to be a human like you? Well, that's a little offensive." Solomon sighed, a dismissive expression on his face.

"Whatever, most people don't believe I'm a human as well. I've secured a pact with… a certain amount of demons." Solomon's smile wavered as He whispered that last part. The bell suddenly rang, indicating that you should probably head over to class. "Oh, it seems our meeting was cut short." Solomon perked up at the sound.

"Well, I wish you the best, Mammon Morningstar." He smirked, leaving Marco alone, confused. "Weird ass mother fucker.." Marco shivered. 'Whateva', I need to go to class.' He tutted and sighed, but started to walk to class. If He's honest, Marco felt as if He never went to actual human school. He has vague memories, but it's as if He.. just wasn't that person.

It's like this body was possessed by another soul, before it was handed over to him.

Like magic, twirling around his brain trying its best to take over the conscious state of mind, trying to make him believe He was crazy for thinking that way.

But well, magic can't overpower a demon lord.

The spell didn't work, but there were still bits of magic that managed to come in and succeed with little parts of his brain.

It was…. unnecessarily weird. And confusing.

"Ah.. Marco?" A ravenette interrupted the short monologue. "Eh?" Marco perked up, looking at the black haired demon. "Ah it's…. me, Lucifer." He pursed his lips as He stared at the white haired man. "I see, you were talking with Solomon?" His gaze hardened. A shiver went up Marco's spine. Jeez, the devildom is terrifying.

"You.. shouldn't talk with him. He may seem harmless at first, but He has a ring that's imbued with magic. He has secured a pact with many demons. He's dangerous. Don't interact with him. I'm sure that Lord Diavolo would think it's pleasant that you survived the first day, I suppose." Lucifer coughed and looked away, narrowing his eyes.

'He reminds me of a tsundere…' Marco grimaced, but scoffed as He registered what the demon said. "The only reason I survived was 'cause Levi wouldn't let me escape his damned room. He even brought dinner up to his room! He nearly forced me t'a sleep in his room as well!" He let a groan escape his mouth. It was tiring.

Lucifer glanced at Marco, and a sigh was let out of his throat. "Leviathan.. That idiot." A tic mark appeared on his forehead. "I apologize for his behavior. He's.. excited, that's all." He narrowed his eyes as He uttered that sentence. He was clearly annoyed.

"Eh?" He blinked in surprise. 'Wasn't He the Avatar of Pride? He shouldn't be givin' up his pride like this..' He raised a brow. "Uh.. sure, all's good I guess." He sweatdropped, walking away from the demon lord. "Ah..!" Lucifer's eyes widened, as if noticing something. "Hm?" Marco hummed. "N-nevermind, Get to class." Lucifer commanded.

"Aye aye." He mimicked a pirate and walked away, confused with what the fuck was going on here.

Lucifer sighed, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a black credit card. "I wonder… Would He like it?" He asked himself, before putting it back into his pocket. He should go head over to Lord Diavolo, there were some reports He had to deliver to him.

'Would He really like it? It seems like his Greed has been wiped from him. In fact, it seems as if his virtue (charity) has come back. But I can't judge immediately, as we've just met each other once again. Wait, why am I even thinking that this human is Mammon? The chances of him being here would be.. nearly impossible. Unless someone is pulling the strings, It couldn't happen.' Lucifer thought in his mind.

How troubling. Does this idiot not know that Lord Diavolo and Barbatos have planned this ever since the beginning? After Mammon got transmigrated into a shut-in called Marco… Oh wait, I can't just spoil what happened. Go read the old planning for the Mammon Human AU (on tumblr. this is here because i posted this on ao3 as well) if you wanna theorize.

goes into hibernation

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typhin-hoofbun · 3 months

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A Milestone

I kinda forgot Tumblr existed for a few weeks, so I forgot to post here to celebrate, but on January 16th, I hit a milestone. Two years of writing.

In that two years, I wrote over half a million words. In 73 chapters across three series. It's been a wild ride. My first story is still going, I haven't finished "Princess Tells Her Story" yet. (I probably will with Book 3, I can't think of anything I can really throw at the duo to challenge them after they've defeated a broken, insane god.)

I've had a pretty small following, but a loyal and supportive one, and I am eternally grateful for that. I can't wait to see where I'll be next year, or the year after that, or the year after that, and so on. ^_^

After Princess Book 3 is done, my next project is probably going to be rewriting Princess Book 1 to be better. It's a little bit of a mess, since each chapter, I didn't know if it would be the last thing I ever posted. So I tried to end it in a way that didn't leave active hanging threads, sort of a "We'll be okay" vibe, in case I couldn't continue. That made it very episodic in nature, since I didn't want to end on a cliffhanger, just in case. I also started a lot of threads that I never properly followed up on (looking at you, Brotherhood of Shadows) because I got distracted. I was very much winging it without any plan. Well, a little bit of a plan, there was quite a bit of "laying groundwork for things planned in Book 2" going on... ^_~ But still, I want to do it better, make it more cohesive, strip the "recap" bits, etc. Handle Princess's backstory better, too. Without properly planning it, it just sorta feels rough around the edges. But it'll be a while yet, I'm barely a third of the way through Book 3.

One of those readers sent me a gift for my anniversary. A box of oranges, from an orchard in Florida. They are absolutely delicious and wonderful and I love them. That reader is none other than my own mother, so of course she knows I love oranges. (You just can't get oranges that good elsewhere.) I just wanted to gush because I'm still giddy about it.

I do still kind of want to publish my work some day. It'd be nice to be able to bring in some extra income, but it'd also just be amazing to see my books on store shelves. To know someone is gonna wander those aisles like I did, look through all the covers, and a stack of paper printed with words is gonna be one filled with words I put together. Of course, anyone who picks up my stuff is probably gonna be doing the same thing I did: grabbing anything with a non-human protagonist on the cover, hoping desperately someone can put words to the feeling of "This human body is Not Me" so they feel less like they're going insane. Even if they aren't conscious of it, like I wasn't. While internet publishing like an e-book via Amazon lacks that feeling of awe, I might still do it anyway. (Would have to get together money to commission cover art, though. I'd love to get "Cover Art" stuff for each book anyway, even if I don't publish, because it'd be cool. ^_^ )

Really, I'm happy with anyone who enjoys my stuff, regardless of their reason. It's just the scenario I come up with in my head, Kid Me surrounded by endless books and trying to find one that lets me see someone else Being Different, and lets me feel it. ^_^;;

I should probably try to post on sites other than FurAffinity. I started to post to Royal Road, but I dunno, something about it just kinda grates on me, I guess. Don't know what. If people have suggestions for sites I should post to, I'd love to hear it. It's been a while since I posted a link to my stuff, so in case anyone reading this hasn't taken a look, here you go.

It's always interesting to see how some people will only follow one story, and some people will follow all three. Vayryn gets the most attention, people love yinglets. Princess gets almost as much as Vayryn, people love dragons but there's so many dragons that it's easy to get lost in the flood. Flopsy doesn't get much attention, she doesn't have people that go looking specifically for hoofbuns. I love writing all three, though. (In the latest Vayryn chapter, she attends a convention and runs into Valsalia himself. The real-life Valsalia said I did "a pretty spot-on impression", which I think is awesome. I tried to capture his friendly, approachable vibe, and I'm glad it came across. ^_^ )

Anyway, I'm going to end this here, because it's already insanely long. Love you all, I'm going to bed! (It's 5:19 AM now...)

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ghostbiographer · 2 years

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Book Review #12

OSAMU DAZAI - NO LONGER HUMAN

Reading period: 26 May 2022 - 13 Jun 2022

2.5/5

Complex and intelligent in that unique way of depressives. I admit there were parts I was lost, especially when too many names came into the picture; there were times I was disgusted, especially when addiction rendered the protagonist weak. I switched between relating to him in those moments he was confused and overly analytical of why humans are the way we are and being put off by them, and wanting desperately to connect and be happy. I reckon it's something a lot of depressed people feel.

"I didn't cry. I kept thinking that when human beings get that way, they're no good for anything."

This deeply appropriate line at the end summed up my fears about relating to and simultaneously being disgusted by the protagonist. I'd like to add the correction that those of us who get like that, and completely fall through the cracks instead of rising back up, we become no good for anything. But then again, what if once you get like this, there's just no way back up and we never hear of cases like this because they just dissolve into non-existence or of being 'disqualified' from consideration altogether?

I look forward to reading this again when my position isn't so similar to that of the protagonist's. Perhaps I'll understand the intellect better without reading in fear that it foretold my own downfall. On the other hand, I'm not sure what would connect people to this book and make them praise it unless they too related in some ways, and perhaps all of us do relate to the fall into being an outlier at least a little. And perhaps, that ironically makes the protagonist more human than he had ever realised.

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rays-animorphs · 2 years

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Book 10 afterthoughts

(More spoilers than usual.)

Dunno why I keep thinking I'll have something I want to say after I finish reading the book. Generally more thoughts come within an hour or so of finishing, or I'm just on to the next thing.

I've watched the Matrix movies recently, so I'm going to talk about that. Neo gets to the point where he can do anything. He can fly like Superman. He can stop bullets in mid-air. Most of the story is still taken up with fighting. Because that's the point, it's a story about cool fighting. I get that. It's fine. People like what they like. I'm about to play a game about a pandemics while we're in the middle of one, doesn't mean I want anyone I know (or anyone at all, for that matter) actually getting sick. People can like stories about fighting without it meaning anything in particular about their attitudes towards violence, their personal capacity for violence, or their political position on the hawk/dove spectrum. I personally tend to like action scenes less than most, and am more wholesale opposed to violence than most, but as far as I can tell that's just coincidence.

Anyways, if I had Neo-like superpowers, I wouldn't be using them to do gravity-defying kung fu.

I do think I would honestly prefer the morality of warfare to not come into my ridiculous goofy kids' alien invasion story. I mean, I like "is war a bad idea?" in general, and I think it works in Star Trek TOS when it comes up, because even though Starfleet is a military organization, they're not actually engaged in war for most of the series. (The original series, on TV. I realize Star Trek as a whole keeps going back to conventional good guys vs bad guys war stories.) Their mission is exploration, not fighting, so anti-war messages work. They're not being constantly contradicted by the text. But, "this is a story about fighting, because fighting is fun to read about"...that doesn't necessarily go well with discussions of the ethics of fighting. It would be like if a James Bond movie had a dialogue between Bond and whatever woman he's trying to seduce this time about internet privacy. It's messing with different levels of engaging with the topic, swirling them together. In a way that leave both levels -- the fun escapism level and the serious ideas level -- worse for the blending.

It's kind of like how Kushiel's Dart gives the protagonist an in-universe safeword, but then she keeps refraining from using it as a point of pride, like...ok, 5 points for introducing the concept, -10 points for the "real subs/masochists/whatever don't use safewords" BS. If you're going to write a non-con fantasy, you can just write the fantasy, sometimes nods to reality make it worse. I keep going back to this because I still haven't figured out what exactly my issue is, how best to phrase/understand it, and my brain is set up in a way such that it doesn't want to let go until I understand it. I do not like that the story is set up so that the Chee are basically written out of the story once Erek decides he's unwilling to kill. I do not like that the non-human Controllers are treated like faceless mooks whose deaths are categorically different from human deaths, and that this largely goes unchallenged. I don't like the overall message of "war is terrible and requires incredible sacrifice and is also good and necessary" -- I'm not thrilled with war stories in general, but I'm really not thrilled with "yes, war is horrible, and this fictional war is going to have horrors and PTSD just like real life war, and it is still necessary." In stories that straight-up glorify war, like the Narnia Chronicles and Lord of the Rings, it's fairytale-like, I can suspend disbelief and go "this is fiction, people get that fiction isn't reality", but going closer to reality (while still writing the war as absolutely necessary) draws it into this uncanny valley that is a lot more unpleasant for me that a more, you know, Redwall-like or Three Musketeers-like story would be. And I can't let go that this is a book set in America published by an American author not long before the Iraq War and using the exact same rhetoric about fighting the Yeerks that Bush used to justify the Iraq war. It's about freedom, the enemy hates our freedom, they can't be reasoned with they just hate us, they have powerful weapons, they want to destroy who we are. We're fighting for our freedom, for their freedom, for our survival. Anyways: book 10 was one of the more serious/dark ones, it was great for showing Marco's thing where this stuff really genuinely terrifies him but he does it anyways, the android thing was cool, we got alien trees which was amazing, we got a sense that the Animorphs universe is truly vast. Plus, bats. So, good story, again, me going off about the pacifism stuff doesn't mean I didn't like it, it just means I have opinions. Also, the thing where Erek is never going to forget is genuinely horrifying.

#animorphs read-through #animorphs book 10 #animorphs the android

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drimareuniverse · 3 years

Text

Looking for a creative writer/storyteller

Hello! I'm Jay, I'm a non-binary artist and I'm looking for a creative writer that can help me write stories for my pet project Drimare Universe! Particularly my Webcomic and Visual Novel.

More details below, all help and sharing is appreciated!

The Drimare Universe is a world located within the dreams of humans, and the Drimare are its main inhabitants spread through various different regions.

It's composed of smaller stories focused on specific groups of characters (Like how Marvel has Spider-man stories, Iron-man stories, etc.) The general tone is a fun modern fantasy slice of life type.

I've been working on the project on my own for the past 10 years, and although I have a lot of lore and character info written down, when it comes to writing stories themselves, my skills are lacklustre. I finally accepted that I need someone that could help me with that, so here I am!

I keep most of the character info and lore archived on its wiki here if you're curious to learn more about it.

My current two projects that I'm looking for help on are a Webcomic and a Visual Novel, both of which are on hiatus because of my difficulty and general dissatisfaction with my own writing :(

I basically have loose plot points, certain scenarios, conversations and ideas, and I need someone that can tie those things together in a satisfying narrative way.

You don't have to work on the comic AND visual novel, but I am looking for help in at least one of those projects.

General requirements

Be over 18 years old. I'm 23 and not comfortable working with minors.

Be LGBTQ+ friendly! A LOT of the cast is LGBTQ in some way and certain characters focus a lot on topics of gender and sexuality so the more you know about the topic, the better :)

Have the patience to learn about my characters and world's quirks and lore lol! I'll try to explain things as best as I can! Bonus points if you have weird ideas yourself.

Basically, you write, I give my input, and then we use the finished script for the comic and/or visual novel.

You will be credited!

As for rates, my budget is small so let me know how much you charge! I'm somewhat of a writer myself and I don't feel comfortable having someone work for free, but I also have no idea what people usually charge for stuff like this. I can also offer my art in exchange if the person is interested/comfortable with that! Examples are on my DeviantArt as well as other links found on my profile.

I'm looking for someone I can work with for the long term so expect me to be a returning client if I enjoy your work! :) Ideally, I'd like to make a team eventually, but a writer is the priority atm.

I don't really have a set deadline so don't worry about having to finish things by specific dates.

It's my first time trying to commission someone for writing so I apologize if my etiquette is off, I'm only experienced in art commissions. I have no idea how I'm supposed to commission writing so I'll just describe what I'm looking to get below.

For the webcomic

Drimare Universe is the first official webcomic series based around the world of Drimare Universe, focusing on the origin story of the two siblings Zelly and Blade, as well as other characters they meet throughout their journey. It's set roughly around 10 years before the current timeline.

Available to read on Tapas here

It's an origin story for two siblings, followed by episodic stories of them meeting other characters from the cast and learning about the world around them. It's sort of built like a cartoon show, with more serious episodes, others more light-hearted, some important one, etc.

There are only 13 pages in the first episode so far, but I'm unhappy with the current script for the rest of the story and need help with it.

I'd like for someone who is actually good at writing and having better ideas to give it a look and either suggest things that could work better or straight-up rewrite it from scratch but better

The other episodes only have the general main plot points written down, with further episodes still being in a draft phase (I got so caught up with my writer's block with trying to figure the first two episodes, that I haven't been able to focus on the following ones)

***

For the visual novel

Drimare Universe Friendsim, is an ongoing Visual Novel project that will feature various characters from the Drimare Universe series, it is currently being developed on Ren'Py and free to download on the DU Friendsim itch.io page.

It is heavily inspired by games like Hiveswap Friendship Simulator as it follows a similar concept of a Human protagonist meeting various cast characters in order to form friendships with them.

The series will be released in various volumes, each one focusing on a specific character, with the events changing depending on the player's choices.

Available to download for free on Itch.io

It's about a human dreamer character who wakes up in the dream world and meets respective Drimare characters.

If you've played Hiveswap Friendsim or Pesterquest, it's the exact same concept. YCH protag meets characters in a very Isekai inspired scenario. It's like a dating sim, but friendship focused instead.

Unlike the webcomic, which takes place in the past, this visual novel takes place in the current timeline. Also unlike the comic, the visual novel is not canon.

Each volume is focused on MC (Who is referred to as "Dreamer") meeting a specific character, with other secondary characters making appearances as well.

There are two volumes available so far, each composed of one short story.

The tone is playful and comedic, I guess "quirky" could be a word to describe it. But still capable of having its serious moments,

Each volume has three endings. A short bad ending, a neutral ending, and a good/true ending. (The length and amount of endings can be flexible)

You don't have to know how to program visual novels or anything like that, I just need help with the stories. I'll be in charge of adding the writing to the game, animating the sprites accordingly, etc etc.

Apologies for the long text, I just want to be sure people understand exactly what I'm looking for! Ideally, I'd love to find someone that could share my passion for creating content for this project, but for now, I'll just settle for just finding someone at all lol

You can contact me through PMs here, though I also accept messages through Twitter DMs or Discord!

Twitter - https://twitter.com/NE0Nbandit

Discord - Jay 🌸🌊#9625

Thank you for taking the time to read this! <3

#commissions #comic #webcomic #visual novel #vn #writing #creative writing #storytelling #how many more annoying tags can I think of #Drimare Universe Webcomic #DU Friendsim #Announcement

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