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Viracroix refers to Kass as "him," as he views Kass as his man on the inside, so to speak; a man of Ivenmoth playing a necessary role, which just happens to be female as a consequence. Vizlet uses "she," as Kass was already female by the time they first met.
(High-res version available for free over on my Patreon!)
Colorists
oniontrain & 
koofins & 
Raptie !
https://unitedhelpukraine.org/ https://www.comebackalive.in.ua/
Viracroix refers to Kass as "him," as he views Kass as his man on the inside, so to speak; a man of Ivenmoth playing a necessary role, which just happens to be female as a consequence. Vizlet uses "she," as Kass was already female by the time they first met.
(High-res version available for free over on my Patreon!)
Colorists
oniontrain & koofins & 
Raptie !https://unitedhelpukraine.org/ https://www.comebackalive.in.ua/
Category Artwork (Digital) / Comics
Species Yinglet
Size 900 x 1679px
File Size 1.47 MB
Listed in Folders
its amazing how much kinder it is to refer to difficult circumstances with an honest unabated opinion. leaves less room for things like doubt and delusions to take over and cripple future growth as a person. its wonderful to see this portrayed this way because it shows that the two people with the most power over the situation are not unaware of its consequences.
as a "brutally honest" person i can relate to having such discussions among friends, and that if kass was there for this they would have not just choice words but smacks for both, cute as it would be!
as a "brutally honest" person i can relate to having such discussions among friends, and that if kass was there for this they would have not just choice words but smacks for both, cute as it would be!
A realistic appraisal is a position check by someone with another perspective. And if it's wrong, then one must work on presentation. Kass has to make a lot of things work to have a life. I think we're all rooting for her and the Yinglets to get to a good place. This is a very clear-eyed conversation between two shrewd and decent sentients.
I legit hate this (paraphrased) line of the Joker's; most people are surprisingly resilient and can bounce back, given time and support. The focus on "everyone" being just A Bad Day away from permanently breaking paves over the years of suffering, trauma, and abuse that it usually takes to push someone to that point, real systemic issues that should and can be addressed, but by painting it as "One sufficiently bad day will break anyone forever" you downplay those issues' importance and make it easier to ignore them, continue doing nothing about them, dismiss people suffering from them.
It's like seeing people having heart attacks and taking away the lesson that "We're all one really stressful day from having a heart attack" when the focus should be that heart health is important.
Mental health is health; same thing.
Sorry for the tangent.
It's like seeing people having heart attacks and taking away the lesson that "We're all one really stressful day from having a heart attack" when the focus should be that heart health is important.
Mental health is health; same thing.
Sorry for the tangent.
No, no apology necessary there. An entirely valid point well made.
Reminds me of the way that many people who get caught up in the "Justice" and carceral system have been condemned for what was likely one particularly bad decision or action or something they've done, without considering the whole life that was behind that and what might actually have led them there. You can rarely judge someone based on their worst day.
Reducing such things to a simple incident at one point in time, or even more than one incident, ignores the whole complicated story of somebody's life that actually lies behind it.
This sort of reductionism doesn't lead to actual solutions to issues.
Reminds me of the way that many people who get caught up in the "Justice" and carceral system have been condemned for what was likely one particularly bad decision or action or something they've done, without considering the whole life that was behind that and what might actually have led them there. You can rarely judge someone based on their worst day.
Reducing such things to a simple incident at one point in time, or even more than one incident, ignores the whole complicated story of somebody's life that actually lies behind it.
This sort of reductionism doesn't lead to actual solutions to issues.
My understanding (and I haven't read the actual comic, just seen endless recountings and interpretations and everything) is that the Joker was completely wrong about his "one bad day" theory, and the story shows it. He isn't able to inflict that "one bad day", it isn't enough.
My belief is that in Joker's case, it was all sorts of internalized abuse, endured for so long that he stopped seeing it as abuse and started to consider it normal enough to not even be commented on or noticed as unusual. (Who points out the sky is blue without being asked? The sky is always blue. If the sky was something other than blue, that'd be something to remark on.) He wants to believe people are "one bad day" away, because then that means he's not flawed, he's broken by circumstance. He wants to believe everyone else is just like him, just wearing a thin shell they use to hide the Joker inside, so he seeks to strip that shell away as proof. Especially Batman, because everyone views them as polar opposites but Joker sees what they have in common.
There's also a flip side to what Viracroix says, and he might already believe it or he might not, but one could argue that by his logic, a clam-gorging recluse angry at the world is only a few good days away from breaking free of that and becoming a better person. I like to believe there's always hope of recovery from mental health problems, even if the scars will always be there.
I have to believe that, or else I'm doomed to be alone after the abuse I suffered from an ex ruining my ability to trust a partner.
My belief is that in Joker's case, it was all sorts of internalized abuse, endured for so long that he stopped seeing it as abuse and started to consider it normal enough to not even be commented on or noticed as unusual. (Who points out the sky is blue without being asked? The sky is always blue. If the sky was something other than blue, that'd be something to remark on.) He wants to believe people are "one bad day" away, because then that means he's not flawed, he's broken by circumstance. He wants to believe everyone else is just like him, just wearing a thin shell they use to hide the Joker inside, so he seeks to strip that shell away as proof. Especially Batman, because everyone views them as polar opposites but Joker sees what they have in common.
There's also a flip side to what Viracroix says, and he might already believe it or he might not, but one could argue that by his logic, a clam-gorging recluse angry at the world is only a few good days away from breaking free of that and becoming a better person. I like to believe there's always hope of recovery from mental health problems, even if the scars will always be there.
I have to believe that, or else I'm doomed to be alone after the abuse I suffered from an ex ruining my ability to trust a partner.
Ya that's sort of the point. People tend to focus on Joker's speech because... Well Joker is really popular and people love to focus on him as this super cool, super smart edgy nihilist who 'gets it, man!' But in the comic... He fails. He tries to break Gordon with a living nightmare and Gordon comes out of it not only still sane, but specifically wanting Joker brought in by the book, no vengeance, no retaliation. Arguably Batman (depending on interpretation) at the end of the comic actually DOES break, but the implication their isn't that Joker was right about 'one bad day being all that's needed to break even the best and strongest people' and more that both Batman and Joker are both just... Profoundly broken people who just express their trauma in diametrically opposed ways.
Arguably it could be read as 'one bad day won't just break someone... But one bad day can be the tipping point that finally pushes someone already hiding allot of pain over the edge.' But... Even then the writer of the comic, Allen Moore has basically come out and said that he doesn't really think the comic reflects all that well on real people since Batman and Joker are such ludicrously over the top characters they kinda don't match 1 to 1 with normal folks. You, a real person, can grow and heal and become better, Batman and Joke cannot because then their wouldn't be any more comics.
Basically... Don't stress about a super hero comic making sweeping statements about human nature and psychology, even the best ones are still written and illustrated as commercial products, not psychology textbooks.
And for your last bit, as someone who grew up in an abusive house hold and was taken advantage of by allot of people to the point of becoming deeply depressed and incapable of truly trusting other people for a long, long time... It can get better. It won't just on its own, you do have to open up when you find people who are worth opening up to, but you can find folks who will genuinely treat you right and give you the space you need to drop your defenses. Their are allot of shitty people in this world, but there are just as many if not more good ones who are worth taking risk to let in. You can and will survive and thrive IF you take the risk of getting hurt again and allow yourself to come back out of your shell.
Just be aware of the kind of person who hurt you before. Unfortunately allot of people make the mistake of jumping from abuser to abuser because they learn to associate red flags with love. Figure out the signs and then ignore your gut when it tells you, "Oooh! They remind me of the GOOD times with my previous abusive ex! That means they MUST be good! This is the GOOD version of that previously toxic relationship!"
Bad, no! That means that person is NOT worth taking a risk on, look for someone else who is JUST nice, no red flags. If that means taking a break from dating, GOOD! Take time after a bad relationship to fully detox and then only when your ACTUALLY ready and not just really lonely and desperate, then go try and meet some nice guy/gal/NB pal.
Arguably it could be read as 'one bad day won't just break someone... But one bad day can be the tipping point that finally pushes someone already hiding allot of pain over the edge.' But... Even then the writer of the comic, Allen Moore has basically come out and said that he doesn't really think the comic reflects all that well on real people since Batman and Joker are such ludicrously over the top characters they kinda don't match 1 to 1 with normal folks. You, a real person, can grow and heal and become better, Batman and Joke cannot because then their wouldn't be any more comics.
Basically... Don't stress about a super hero comic making sweeping statements about human nature and psychology, even the best ones are still written and illustrated as commercial products, not psychology textbooks.
And for your last bit, as someone who grew up in an abusive house hold and was taken advantage of by allot of people to the point of becoming deeply depressed and incapable of truly trusting other people for a long, long time... It can get better. It won't just on its own, you do have to open up when you find people who are worth opening up to, but you can find folks who will genuinely treat you right and give you the space you need to drop your defenses. Their are allot of shitty people in this world, but there are just as many if not more good ones who are worth taking risk to let in. You can and will survive and thrive IF you take the risk of getting hurt again and allow yourself to come back out of your shell.
Just be aware of the kind of person who hurt you before. Unfortunately allot of people make the mistake of jumping from abuser to abuser because they learn to associate red flags with love. Figure out the signs and then ignore your gut when it tells you, "Oooh! They remind me of the GOOD times with my previous abusive ex! That means they MUST be good! This is the GOOD version of that previously toxic relationship!"
Bad, no! That means that person is NOT worth taking a risk on, look for someone else who is JUST nice, no red flags. If that means taking a break from dating, GOOD! Take time after a bad relationship to fully detox and then only when your ACTUALLY ready and not just really lonely and desperate, then go try and meet some nice guy/gal/NB pal.
I actually am in a relationship now, after something like 5 years after I broke up with my ex. And I had to be the one to break up, she wouldn't even acknowledge to herself that she had dumped me and replaced me, and I let her string me along because I was so desperate to believe her lies. I just know that I often get into a loop of "They SAY everything's fine, but it is really? What if they're just saying that, and they secretly actually hate me? Okay, they said it again, maybe it's really fine... But what if by asking, I've annoyed them too much, and now they really do hate me and are just too nice to say it? ...Okay, they said it's fine again, but what if...?"
Speaking of superhero comics and the need for therapy, I'm actually writing a story that's basically "superhero comic in text form". Flopsy is a Construct from a world of magic, trapped on Earth. By day, she disguises herself as (mostly) human. By night, she fights crime, using her natural form (a rabbit/horse hybrid called a "hoofbun") as a disguise so they won't cause trouble for her at work. But when word begins to spread, she becomes the town's local cryptid/superhero, "The Superbunny" (and she haaaaates that name). But she also has to learn that she's a person, come to see herself as one, and learn that it's okay to have desires and to stand up for herself. She also is going to experience some pretty severe trauma and will even be going to therapy for it afterwards.
She's super-strong, tough, regenerates, all the good physical stuff, since her body was created with "all the bells and whistles", so to speak. She's the prototype of an entirely new type of golem, a "Living Construct", one that can actually think and react to unexpected situations, instead of a lump of rock that mindlessly does whatever its told. Forget to tell it to go around a wall? Then it walks right into it and possibly through it. Flopsy, however, is able to actually feel and reason and think. She doesn't realize she actually has a soul, one drawn in by accident during her creation, or that it's the reason she's the only one that was successfully "activated". She'll discover that, and it'll be another existential crisis happening at the same time as the rest.
She's going to have One Bad Day, kind of, but she'll emerge a better and stronger person for it. Eventually. It's gonna take her a while, though. ^_^;;
She's the embodiment of my hangup of "I have to be useful to be liked/tolerated/allowed to exist", and her story is partially a way for me to basically explore that and give myself therapy about it. Thankfully, I can do that without having to go through the stuff she does, but then her situation is also a lot more extreme than mine. ^_^;;
I've written 7 chapters so far, will be posting chapter 5 to my FA gallery in a minute, and have already started planning Book 2. Her Bad Day is due for roughly chapter 11 or 12 or so (I recently changed some things so that's throwing off the outline), and Book 2 is going to see her face an even more dangerous opponent: Herself. I can't wait to write it. ^_^
Speaking of superhero comics and the need for therapy, I'm actually writing a story that's basically "superhero comic in text form". Flopsy is a Construct from a world of magic, trapped on Earth. By day, she disguises herself as (mostly) human. By night, she fights crime, using her natural form (a rabbit/horse hybrid called a "hoofbun") as a disguise so they won't cause trouble for her at work. But when word begins to spread, she becomes the town's local cryptid/superhero, "The Superbunny" (and she haaaaates that name). But she also has to learn that she's a person, come to see herself as one, and learn that it's okay to have desires and to stand up for herself. She also is going to experience some pretty severe trauma and will even be going to therapy for it afterwards.
She's super-strong, tough, regenerates, all the good physical stuff, since her body was created with "all the bells and whistles", so to speak. She's the prototype of an entirely new type of golem, a "Living Construct", one that can actually think and react to unexpected situations, instead of a lump of rock that mindlessly does whatever its told. Forget to tell it to go around a wall? Then it walks right into it and possibly through it. Flopsy, however, is able to actually feel and reason and think. She doesn't realize she actually has a soul, one drawn in by accident during her creation, or that it's the reason she's the only one that was successfully "activated". She'll discover that, and it'll be another existential crisis happening at the same time as the rest.
She's going to have One Bad Day, kind of, but she'll emerge a better and stronger person for it. Eventually. It's gonna take her a while, though. ^_^;;
She's the embodiment of my hangup of "I have to be useful to be liked/tolerated/allowed to exist", and her story is partially a way for me to basically explore that and give myself therapy about it. Thankfully, I can do that without having to go through the stuff she does, but then her situation is also a lot more extreme than mine. ^_^;;
I've written 7 chapters so far, will be posting chapter 5 to my FA gallery in a minute, and have already started planning Book 2. Her Bad Day is due for roughly chapter 11 or 12 or so (I recently changed some things so that's throwing off the outline), and Book 2 is going to see her face an even more dangerous opponent: Herself. I can't wait to write it. ^_^
Glad your in a good place, but ya do try and be aware of yourself when you do that kinda thing. I know from personal experience it CAN get on peoples nerves if you constantly question them about weather or not they are lying to you about actually caring.
Just try and think to yourself, "If I ask, what are they going to say? And do I trust them enough to believe it when they say they don't hate me?" That should take care of allot of the minor questioning since I have to assume the answer is, "Of coarse they will say they don't hate me and of coarse I trust them."
"I have to be useful to be liked/tolerated/allowed to exist" - OOOOFF I joked about 'mood' before, but legit, BIG MOOD! I know that feeling and it SUCKS! Trust me, people care about you and you don't need to do anything to 'earn' that, hard as it is to internalize. Your worthy of love, respect and friendship just because of who you are.
And damn congrats! That's really impressive!
Just try and think to yourself, "If I ask, what are they going to say? And do I trust them enough to believe it when they say they don't hate me?" That should take care of allot of the minor questioning since I have to assume the answer is, "Of coarse they will say they don't hate me and of coarse I trust them."
"I have to be useful to be liked/tolerated/allowed to exist" - OOOOFF I joked about 'mood' before, but legit, BIG MOOD! I know that feeling and it SUCKS! Trust me, people care about you and you don't need to do anything to 'earn' that, hard as it is to internalize. Your worthy of love, respect and friendship just because of who you are.
And damn congrats! That's really impressive!
My main story, "Princess Tells Her Story" (starring the dragon in my profile pic) is currently at 28 chapters, or about 196k words. I generally do around 5000-6000 words per chapter (I allow Flopsy to be a bit shorter, so she's usually 5000-5500 where Princess is usually 6500-7000). I had a long storyline I wanted to do, but I needed to do other chapters to get the characters "into position", and I knew it'd be "as long as what I've written so far". Then I noticed that I'd written about 100k words so far, and then looked up and saw that a novel is usually 80k-110k words. So I started calling everything before the storyline "Book 1" and the storyline is "Book 2". I'm almost done with Book 2, and have some ideas for Book 3 but don't have it planned out yet.
Last year was pretty productive for me, right until a stressbomb happened in September that killed my ability to write for a while.
Last year was pretty productive for me, right until a stressbomb happened in September that killed my ability to write for a while.
Well that is VERY impressive! I recently finished a 12k word novella over the coarse of two weeks and that really took it out of me so I have nothing, but respect for you managing to get 200k words and still keep going into book two! Well done!
(If I kept going for the 4 + months needed to write that much at the pace I was going I would have ACTUALLY died! Hell even just at half that speed I'd still probably have burnt out WELL before the point your at now so like, NOTHING, but respect! That's HARD work your doing and you seem to be just blazing along!)
(If I kept going for the 4 + months needed to write that much at the pace I was going I would have ACTUALLY died! Hell even just at half that speed I'd still probably have burnt out WELL before the point your at now so like, NOTHING, but respect! That's HARD work your doing and you seem to be just blazing along!)
Haha, I appreciate the kind words. I just have a lot of practice typing, so it's a lot easier for me than for some others. I didn't have internet access until I'd been typing regularly for 5+ years for school assignments, in fact. When ideas are flowing, I generally can do a chapter in about two sessions, or one if I spend 5-6 hours on it, and take an average of 3-5 days between finishing chapters.
The act of writing is honestly "fun" for me, I just imagine the scenario and write what happens, and sometimes the characters really surprise me. (One chapter had Princess be triggered by a phrase Tola used and end up having a huge breakdown on the spot, and it was just, "Welp, this is happening, there's no way she wouldn't react to that this way". Had a page or so of them talking about it, talking through it, Tola comforting Princess after accidentally striking a massive worry she hadn't been voicing.) Planning is almost more like "directing actors" except I don't have a set script, I set the characters up in a situation and let them react. Sometimes I'll stop things, rewind, and kind of "nudge" things along a different path, like when a conversation is getting derailed or someone accidentally reveals something I don't want revealed yet. ^_^;;
I guess what I'm getting at is, it's not as hard for me as it is for some, but that's just because my strengths are arranged differently from others. There's plenty of stuff that's incredibly easy for people but it's impossible for me, like drawing, or fixing cars (my go-to example), or probably even different kinds of writing. All my stories are first-person because I'm using them to explore and/or communicate sensations I've had or want. Princess had an early couple chapters devoted to the sensations of body dysphoria and phantom limb, and is peppered with the inner narration describing sensations like padding along on all fours, and her body language is mostly focused on her tail and wings. Flopsy clops with every step, has body language that includes "drawing a hooftip along the floor sheepishly", casually jumps from ground floor to rooftops, and has trouble remembering that not everyone can lift the things she can. (She's also still not used to the idea that humans around her see her as a person, though she tries to hide her origins better now. The first couple chapters, she didn't understand why people reacted funny when she said things like, "No, I don't have parents, I was created in Master's workshop." or "How dare you accuse Master of being a slave-owner! A slave is a person who is treated as property. I am not a person, I am a Construct. See?") And Vayryn's story is absolutely devoted to exploring the sensations of a yinglet body and the difference in social interactions that result from it.
...As you can see, I'm talkative. Typeative? Whatever, you know what I mean. ^_^;;
The act of writing is honestly "fun" for me, I just imagine the scenario and write what happens, and sometimes the characters really surprise me. (One chapter had Princess be triggered by a phrase Tola used and end up having a huge breakdown on the spot, and it was just, "Welp, this is happening, there's no way she wouldn't react to that this way". Had a page or so of them talking about it, talking through it, Tola comforting Princess after accidentally striking a massive worry she hadn't been voicing.) Planning is almost more like "directing actors" except I don't have a set script, I set the characters up in a situation and let them react. Sometimes I'll stop things, rewind, and kind of "nudge" things along a different path, like when a conversation is getting derailed or someone accidentally reveals something I don't want revealed yet. ^_^;;
I guess what I'm getting at is, it's not as hard for me as it is for some, but that's just because my strengths are arranged differently from others. There's plenty of stuff that's incredibly easy for people but it's impossible for me, like drawing, or fixing cars (my go-to example), or probably even different kinds of writing. All my stories are first-person because I'm using them to explore and/or communicate sensations I've had or want. Princess had an early couple chapters devoted to the sensations of body dysphoria and phantom limb, and is peppered with the inner narration describing sensations like padding along on all fours, and her body language is mostly focused on her tail and wings. Flopsy clops with every step, has body language that includes "drawing a hooftip along the floor sheepishly", casually jumps from ground floor to rooftops, and has trouble remembering that not everyone can lift the things she can. (She's also still not used to the idea that humans around her see her as a person, though she tries to hide her origins better now. The first couple chapters, she didn't understand why people reacted funny when she said things like, "No, I don't have parents, I was created in Master's workshop." or "How dare you accuse Master of being a slave-owner! A slave is a person who is treated as property. I am not a person, I am a Construct. See?") And Vayryn's story is absolutely devoted to exploring the sensations of a yinglet body and the difference in social interactions that result from it.
...As you can see, I'm talkative. Typeative? Whatever, you know what I mean. ^_^;;
Heh sounds familiar.
Though I mostly focus on smaller stories and/or game writing which tends to be... Long, but also broken up allot since your not writing a clean A to B to C story, your writing A and then A.1, A.2, A.3 est based on reaction and... Its just draining. I love writing, I do 1-2k words a day just for fun, but god it can be a drag when your stuck in on an idea and you lose passion for it and suddenly you go from blazing through 4-6k words in an evening (or an all nigher driven by a manic period of unhealthy obsession) to struggling to hit 1k and hating every second of it.
Its why I tend to normally stick to lots and lots of shorter 2-5k stories rather then trying to do BIG novels. (I had someone offer me a book deal once and it was a good deal, but like... It was causing me to lose sleep just considering it cus I just could not think of an idea that would not burn me out after 50K words and leave me on contract to finish something I was now slogging through. Actual nightmare scenario for me, given my issues with focus.)
But you seem to be really all in on this one story and that's amazing! That's really good and again, happy for you.
Anyway I think this whole thing has gone WILDLY off topic so lets end it here with a simple, "Hell ya, keep writing you fucking word wizard! I want to see how far your story goes!" Heheh
Though I mostly focus on smaller stories and/or game writing which tends to be... Long, but also broken up allot since your not writing a clean A to B to C story, your writing A and then A.1, A.2, A.3 est based on reaction and... Its just draining. I love writing, I do 1-2k words a day just for fun, but god it can be a drag when your stuck in on an idea and you lose passion for it and suddenly you go from blazing through 4-6k words in an evening (or an all nigher driven by a manic period of unhealthy obsession) to struggling to hit 1k and hating every second of it.
Its why I tend to normally stick to lots and lots of shorter 2-5k stories rather then trying to do BIG novels. (I had someone offer me a book deal once and it was a good deal, but like... It was causing me to lose sleep just considering it cus I just could not think of an idea that would not burn me out after 50K words and leave me on contract to finish something I was now slogging through. Actual nightmare scenario for me, given my issues with focus.)
But you seem to be really all in on this one story and that's amazing! That's really good and again, happy for you.
Anyway I think this whole thing has gone WILDLY off topic so lets end it here with a simple, "Hell ya, keep writing you fucking word wizard! I want to see how far your story goes!" Heheh
Hehe, I'd love a book deal, but I don't know if I could write something that isn't so niche that it'd never sell. I never intended to make books with Princess, it just sorta happened. It was originally going to be something like a "textual reference sheet", explaining her world and the style of dragons in it, and then I decided to make it more interesting by making it a short story, and then I started putting them in new situations... Book 1 is very "episodic" because I didn't know if each chapter would be the last one I ever posted. It wasn't until near the end that I trusted myself to do multi-chapter storylines.
Flopsy, however, has a clear outline. Something about her story makes it so much easier to structure. I had a good 12 chapters' worth of stuff outlined before I even started writing, I was just writing down notes of "Story beats I want to hit" and they were so clearly lined up with chapters that I just started breaking it up first. (Though, in the downtime between September to now, I came up with some changes to how I want to progress things, which is good because there really was a big hole of "I dunno, something else happens here?" ^_^;; )
I also worry about a book deal because of deadlines. I had a massive stressbomb hit in September, and it led to me creating Vayryn to deal with the emotional feeling of "Tiny creature kicked around by uncaring giants", but I still wasn't able to write until I got out a couple chapters in December, and then none in January. I'm disabled, so I've got issues with energy and life stress and focus that can be really unpredictable.
Anyway, yeah, kinda off topic. If you want, feel free to note me, or we can exchange contact info for other places, or whatever. ^_^
Flopsy, however, has a clear outline. Something about her story makes it so much easier to structure. I had a good 12 chapters' worth of stuff outlined before I even started writing, I was just writing down notes of "Story beats I want to hit" and they were so clearly lined up with chapters that I just started breaking it up first. (Though, in the downtime between September to now, I came up with some changes to how I want to progress things, which is good because there really was a big hole of "I dunno, something else happens here?" ^_^;; )
I also worry about a book deal because of deadlines. I had a massive stressbomb hit in September, and it led to me creating Vayryn to deal with the emotional feeling of "Tiny creature kicked around by uncaring giants", but I still wasn't able to write until I got out a couple chapters in December, and then none in January. I'm disabled, so I've got issues with energy and life stress and focus that can be really unpredictable.
Anyway, yeah, kinda off topic. If you want, feel free to note me, or we can exchange contact info for other places, or whatever. ^_^
The Joker doesn't have an origin story. He has many. He's made up so many that he doesn't even know any more, and that's how it likes it.
The Joker's motivation in the movie comes from a one-shot comic, The Killing Joke. In that story Joker's motivation is quite philosophical: He knows he's insane, but he accepts his insanity as a form of liberation from the bounds of social pressure that allows him to accept a fully nihilistic morality: He understands the truth that nothing really matters. Right and wrong are just lies people tell themselves so they can feel better and not face up to their own unimportance in the face of an uncaring universe. Joker's aim is to prove this point: He wants to show that even a supposed paragon of virtue like Gordon will break if confronted with a personal injustice so harsh that no caring universe would allow it. If he can only make Gordon understand the futility of trying to impose meaning on a meaningless world, then Gordon will "get the joke." He will understand that all of existence is the joke - the greatest joke of all.
This is also why Joker feels such a rivalry towards Batman: Batman /almost/ gets the joke. He has embraced his own form of insanity in answer to it. In a sense, Batman is the answer to that great joke: A man who will fight with everything he has for what he believes in, trying to impose his own meaning upon a world that does not care for it.
Joker really just wants someone else who can get the joke and laugh with him.
The Joker's motivation in the movie comes from a one-shot comic, The Killing Joke. In that story Joker's motivation is quite philosophical: He knows he's insane, but he accepts his insanity as a form of liberation from the bounds of social pressure that allows him to accept a fully nihilistic morality: He understands the truth that nothing really matters. Right and wrong are just lies people tell themselves so they can feel better and not face up to their own unimportance in the face of an uncaring universe. Joker's aim is to prove this point: He wants to show that even a supposed paragon of virtue like Gordon will break if confronted with a personal injustice so harsh that no caring universe would allow it. If he can only make Gordon understand the futility of trying to impose meaning on a meaningless world, then Gordon will "get the joke." He will understand that all of existence is the joke - the greatest joke of all.
This is also why Joker feels such a rivalry towards Batman: Batman /almost/ gets the joke. He has embraced his own form of insanity in answer to it. In a sense, Batman is the answer to that great joke: A man who will fight with everything he has for what he believes in, trying to impose his own meaning upon a world that does not care for it.
Joker really just wants someone else who can get the joke and laugh with him.
There is some legitimacy to it if that One Bad Day is an epiphany about how society works (or something the one having it perceives as an epiphany). Your point is entirely legitimate but people have also been 'broken' by perspective shifts - some find or lose religion, some come to the conclusion that murder would indeed solve all their current problems (so long as they do not get caught, and there is suicide for that). Granted, the Joker is a bad example for that (but then again he also got his brain fried by chemicals, depending on the origin story, which adds a neurological dimension past the psychological trauma) but there are some serial killers that would fit the pattern
I do not know, some people manage to weather those kinds of bad periods way better than others, even coming out of the bad times stronger. Others do indeed sink or fall becoming bitter angry people. Kass seems to be one of those who in the end, may come out stronger. Even if he has low moments where he is tempted to just throw in the towel, he eventually reaches a point where his determination kicks in and he bulls through the low points of the low period.
Asked to be called "Sir" a few pages ago, remember?
Regardless, it could still go both ways. Despite the front that he puts, it seems more or less everyone close to him notice he's far from having lived that down just yet and I think this webcomic won't let him reach to that resolution until we get an epilogue, or right before the final arc.
Regardless, it could still go both ways. Despite the front that he puts, it seems more or less everyone close to him notice he's far from having lived that down just yet and I think this webcomic won't let him reach to that resolution until we get an epilogue, or right before the final arc.
In Kass's Journal V, Kass mentions that his friends still call him "he" and he seems to be saying he prefers that. He also requested a guard call him "Sir". In public, he prefers people use "she" but purely to avoid raising suspicion, since he is still trying to keep the entire "transformation" thing a secret.
Since Kass seems to prefer male pronouns, I've been using them myself. It'd be hypocritical of me to refuse to respect someone's desired pronouns, just because I prefer different ones. ^_^;;
Since Kass seems to prefer male pronouns, I've been using them myself. It'd be hypocritical of me to refuse to respect someone's desired pronouns, just because I prefer different ones. ^_^;;
So if we go with the assumption that he still identifies as a dude, which seems reasonable, here's the real head-scratcher: Does that make him a cis man or a trans man? Presumably his AGAB was male, so that suggests he's technically cis. But on the other hand he's got a genotypically/phenotypically/biologically female-sexed body, presents as female, and is presumably legally female, which suggests he's become a closeted trans man.
It would seem that the analogy of cis or trans are not applicable in this situation, because in the end it boils down to a choice that has to be made. In that example, one can keep on going with the body one was born with, or make the life altering decision to remake it into that in which one feels is most like that which they inwardly believe is their true self which they should have been born with all along. Now that being said, in nonconcentual transformation stories, of course there is no choice in the situation. The character is dealing with what was done to them and with its aftermath.
To go on ahead and pull the classic transformation trope found in both scifi and fantasy, whether by science or magic gone awry, the person in question had no choice in the matter, it was foisted upon them as they were transformed or transferred into the body that is radically not their own, and so must adapt to it. but the longer that they remain in that form, the more of their former self begins to erode away as they become comfortable in this new form and they begin to change mentally in doing so, losing what was once themselves and the reality and rules which govern this new body take over supplanting what was and creating someone new.
Like if say a stalwart knight gets a curse cast upon them by an evil wizard, which transforms them into a wolf. At first the knight may try their best to retain who they were and try as best as possible, but that lupine body has its own feral, hardwired drives and instincts that will not let up, so the knight would be at eternal war with these to retain who they once were until that day when figuratively speaking the dam breaks and the resulting deluge washes away the former self entirely and all that is left is the feral wolf.
That is just one particular example. In a scifi story they could be have their mind transferred into an alien, or perhaps they were captured by enemies and made into a cyborg, or somesuch, the examples are myriad. But the one thing remains... The lack of choice in the matter. This is far different than say the brave hero that steps forward and says "I do this for the good of my people." then undergoes whatever to transform them into said vastly different form, whatever it is.
To go on ahead and pull the classic transformation trope found in both scifi and fantasy, whether by science or magic gone awry, the person in question had no choice in the matter, it was foisted upon them as they were transformed or transferred into the body that is radically not their own, and so must adapt to it. but the longer that they remain in that form, the more of their former self begins to erode away as they become comfortable in this new form and they begin to change mentally in doing so, losing what was once themselves and the reality and rules which govern this new body take over supplanting what was and creating someone new.
Like if say a stalwart knight gets a curse cast upon them by an evil wizard, which transforms them into a wolf. At first the knight may try their best to retain who they were and try as best as possible, but that lupine body has its own feral, hardwired drives and instincts that will not let up, so the knight would be at eternal war with these to retain who they once were until that day when figuratively speaking the dam breaks and the resulting deluge washes away the former self entirely and all that is left is the feral wolf.
That is just one particular example. In a scifi story they could be have their mind transferred into an alien, or perhaps they were captured by enemies and made into a cyborg, or somesuch, the examples are myriad. But the one thing remains... The lack of choice in the matter. This is far different than say the brave hero that steps forward and says "I do this for the good of my people." then undergoes whatever to transform them into said vastly different form, whatever it is.
Yeahhh it's kind of the reverse situation for which we have actual terms like cis and trans, so it really doesn't fit cleanly into any definition. *And* it's a change into a species with three genders so it definitely doesn't get simpler from there! Solid analysis overall here.
TG stories always blur the line in regards to transgenderism, usually you can hand wave it away as magic making sure there’s no serious side effects, but Kass is obviously not comfortable with it but is it just due to the shock of the change or do they have actual dysphoria?
Honestly it’s a fascinating thing to ponder but well above my pay grade.
Honestly it’s a fascinating thing to ponder but well above my pay grade.
I consider him "trans man", yes. Regardless of how he got there, he is internally male and physically female, exactly as an AFAB trans man would be. He's closeted, because this seems to be a world that would not understand the concept of transgender, and the potential dangers/consequences of making it publicly knowledgeable that "This can happen" (and the implication of "This could happen TO YOU") is something they want to avoid, since it could include uninformed people acting negatively towards yinglets or the House, depending on what they come up with to fill the gaps in their knowledge.
If you have a world like this, and suddenly a moderately handsome man is a female yinglet against their will, seemingly at random, some people are gonna assume that yinglets are somehow responsible and are planning to mass-transform humans to "bring them down to the same level". (Which might very well be exactly what Narklet's plan is...) Thus, they start viewing yinglets as less "acceptable annoyance, can be amusing" and more "EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO ALL HUMANITY! EXTERMINATE AT ALL COSTS!" You know, the way transphobes view trans people today.
If you have a world like this, and suddenly a moderately handsome man is a female yinglet against their will, seemingly at random, some people are gonna assume that yinglets are somehow responsible and are planning to mass-transform humans to "bring them down to the same level". (Which might very well be exactly what Narklet's plan is...) Thus, they start viewing yinglets as less "acceptable annoyance, can be amusing" and more "EXISTENTIAL THREAT TO ALL HUMANITY! EXTERMINATE AT ALL COSTS!" You know, the way transphobes view trans people today.
I would classify him, for want of a better term, as antitrans. Not as in being against it, but like how antipope was used when there was a schism in the catholic church, meaning "not the pope". The distinction here is that he was a cis male to begin with, but was changed against his will. Like if someone kidnapped a person and forced sex reassignment surgery on them. To my knowledge, this hasn't happened before, at least not enough to receive a distinct term.
I suppose, but I'm biologically male against my will, and I had no choice in being trans either. If anything, his experience in his preferred sex has heightened his dysphoria. If pressed to come up with a new term, I might come up with something like "inflicted trans man" vs "natural trans man", borrowing from D&D's "Inflicted Lycanthropy". "Antitrans" has too much potential for confusion and negative connotations, so I wouldn't come up with it myself. I don't even like "natural trans" as it carries an implication of being dismissive/negative towards a situation like Kass's, similar to how "natural male" is being discouraged in favor of "cisgender male". So perhaps I'd say "endogenous trans man" vs "exogenous/inflicted trans man"?
The usage of "trans" isn't so much "wants to swap physical sex" (though that is a desire), it's "has a gender opposite/other than their sex" which does apply to Kass. He just wasn't born that way.
The usage of "trans" isn't so much "wants to swap physical sex" (though that is a desire), it's "has a gender opposite/other than their sex" which does apply to Kass. He just wasn't born that way.
Terminology is weird as TECHNICALLY CIS vs Trans normally refers to weather or not someone's identified gender matches with there birth sex or not. In this case, Kass would be considered CIS gender by virtue of the fact that he was born male and is male identifying... Its just complicated by the fact that magic swapped his sex... Also his species. This would, in theory mean that, if/when he starts actively working to reverse the change, he'd be de-transitioning, though I don't think that terminology is really applicable as it would imply he's reversing a process that he agreed to under go after reevaluating his identity. That's not really what happened here. If anything, he's like... Someone who's body was badly disfigured trying to restore a previous version of himself to reverse an involuntary alteration.
Also according to Val, his current view on his gender/identity is, *SCREAMING INTERNALLY* so I am sure if he was given a say in this, he'd probably just tear his hair out and start howling in unending mental anguish. Which... Mood.
Also according to Val, his current view on his gender/identity is, *SCREAMING INTERNALLY* so I am sure if he was given a say in this, he'd probably just tear his hair out and start howling in unending mental anguish. Which... Mood.
Yeah, I figure he'd have lasted about 30 seconds into hearing this debate about him before screaming and clawing at faces to make us stop. I don't usually try to apply terminology, I just figure "He likes 'he', I'll use 'he'."
Thankfully, my yinglet Vayryn was trans before she was transformed, so now her gender and sex are aligned. ...Even if her species isn't. (She never had a desire to become a yinglet, she just enjoyed the comic and thought it was neat, and envied Kass a bit for getting to be biologically female. It doesn't help that she's on modern-day Earth and thus is the only yinglet in existence, as far as she knows. The expectations and jokes get old fast, poor girl.)
Because my brain is terminally unable to focus on one single project, I also recently started a third story series, "Modern Major Yinglet", starring her adventures on Earth. I've only posted two chapters so far, in Chapter 3 I plan for her to make friends with a cosplay creator and get some custom-made clothes. ^_^
Thankfully, my yinglet Vayryn was trans before she was transformed, so now her gender and sex are aligned. ...Even if her species isn't. (She never had a desire to become a yinglet, she just enjoyed the comic and thought it was neat, and envied Kass a bit for getting to be biologically female. It doesn't help that she's on modern-day Earth and thus is the only yinglet in existence, as far as she knows. The expectations and jokes get old fast, poor girl.)
Because my brain is terminally unable to focus on one single project, I also recently started a third story series, "Modern Major Yinglet", starring her adventures on Earth. I've only posted two chapters so far, in Chapter 3 I plan for her to make friends with a cosplay creator and get some custom-made clothes. ^_^
Indeed. I am rather reminded of a short story that I read in an anthology book of werewolf stories called 'Werewolf: A Connoisseur's Collection of Werewolfiana' Edited by Bill Pronzini. The story is called 'Wolves Don't Cry' by Bruce Elliot.
As I recall, in the tale, a male wolf who lived in a zoo with his mate through unknown means wakes up and finds himself in a strange body. His alarm is added to when the zookeeper who was in charge of caring for the wolves approaches the enclosure and finds a strange naked man in there. So he chases off this to him, obviously deranged person that somehow got in and did something to get rid of one of their prized wolves.
The transformed alpha wolf wanders about through the streets and I forget how, but he somehow meets a young woman, things click, and they have a one night stand. As time goes on he gains mastery of his new body and learns to live in human society, but inwardly he knows what he is. He is a wolf, not a human, every fiber of his being tells him this, that this body is wrong, this is not him, and he desperately want to find some way to transform himself back again. Having learned to read he finds a written account in a tome of an ancient ritual that will allow him to do this. So he gathers the components needed and enacts it, and ALAKAZAM! It works! He is back as being a wolf again and is soon found and back in his enclosure again.
Then one day as he is sitting in there, a familiar scent comes to him and he sees the young woman with whom he had a night of fun with way back when he was transformed, and she has a baby carriage, he could tell that the child is his and that somehow she realizes that this is him. Inwardly he mourns for the future of his little half wolf child, knowing that although human in appearance it will probably find no peace with its human and wolf halves at odds with each other.
It was a good short story, with the other stories by well known authors including Bram Stoker! This is what it looks like if you should want to look for a copy.
Front cover.
https://i819.photobucket.com/albums.....c/Werewolf.jpg
Back cover.
https://i819.photobucket.com/albums.....Werewolfbc.jpg
As I recall, in the tale, a male wolf who lived in a zoo with his mate through unknown means wakes up and finds himself in a strange body. His alarm is added to when the zookeeper who was in charge of caring for the wolves approaches the enclosure and finds a strange naked man in there. So he chases off this to him, obviously deranged person that somehow got in and did something to get rid of one of their prized wolves.
The transformed alpha wolf wanders about through the streets and I forget how, but he somehow meets a young woman, things click, and they have a one night stand. As time goes on he gains mastery of his new body and learns to live in human society, but inwardly he knows what he is. He is a wolf, not a human, every fiber of his being tells him this, that this body is wrong, this is not him, and he desperately want to find some way to transform himself back again. Having learned to read he finds a written account in a tome of an ancient ritual that will allow him to do this. So he gathers the components needed and enacts it, and ALAKAZAM! It works! He is back as being a wolf again and is soon found and back in his enclosure again.
Then one day as he is sitting in there, a familiar scent comes to him and he sees the young woman with whom he had a night of fun with way back when he was transformed, and she has a baby carriage, he could tell that the child is his and that somehow she realizes that this is him. Inwardly he mourns for the future of his little half wolf child, knowing that although human in appearance it will probably find no peace with its human and wolf halves at odds with each other.
It was a good short story, with the other stories by well known authors including Bram Stoker! This is what it looks like if you should want to look for a copy.
Front cover.
https://i819.photobucket.com/albums.....c/Werewolf.jpg
Back cover.
https://i819.photobucket.com/albums.....Werewolfbc.jpg
Hanging onto the He pronoun is one of the few ways he has to hang onto his past self and who he believes himself to be. It's one of the few ways he has to mentally fight against the transformation of the body. In his own head, he still thinks mostly like a male in how he looks at situations and processes information.
My read is that Kass currently prefers male pronouns, personally, when he feels safe and secure, and clearly identifies as male, but in public prefers female because that's what's expected and it avoids drawing attention to sensitive personal matters that he is very insecure about.
Basically Kass is a transgender person who knows they're trans but isn't publicly out, presenting as the gender they are physically because it's easier and less stressful to pay lip service to expectations and they don't want to deal with all the social issues/drama/awkward conversations/etc that they worry will result from coming out (and have stress and anxiety and general aversion to the prospect of them) - those are problems for future-Kass.
If his gender identity will transition to female in time remains to be seen, but AFAICT it's firmly male at the moment
Basically Kass is a transgender person who knows they're trans but isn't publicly out, presenting as the gender they are physically because it's easier and less stressful to pay lip service to expectations and they don't want to deal with all the social issues/drama/awkward conversations/etc that they worry will result from coming out (and have stress and anxiety and general aversion to the prospect of them) - those are problems for future-Kass.
If his gender identity will transition to female in time remains to be seen, but AFAICT it's firmly male at the moment
Kass's transformation, in regard to sex as well as species, is also something that he, as well as Viracroix and others, are at least trying to keep under wraps as they seek to understand and deal with it and it's causes and ramifications at this point.
The time elapsed since the event is still pretty short, and the actual explanation behind it is still mysterious as far as we know, (particularly considering that this is a world where magic is apparently not a factor, so we can't justify it by that handwave) and still being reckoned with by everyone with knowledge of it, Kass not being the least of those.
The time elapsed since the event is still pretty short, and the actual explanation behind it is still mysterious as far as we know, (particularly considering that this is a world where magic is apparently not a factor, so we can't justify it by that handwave) and still being reckoned with by everyone with knowledge of it, Kass not being the least of those.
I actually looked it up after this comment, and found the page where it says greater Yinglets were first encountered like 130-something years ago. Not a long time, admittedly, but that's from the human perspective- maybe the Yinglets themselves know something the humans don't. Or, just as likely, they're scatterbrained enough they don't even have an oral history.
Still wondering what the deal is with those lesser Yinglets, and more importantly, when they'll finally discover Val Salia's fabled vagina as touted on page five.
Still wondering what the deal is with those lesser Yinglets, and more importantly, when they'll finally discover Val Salia's fabled vagina as touted on page five.
It's been said in the Ran's guide, that lesser yinglets are hunted and killed by greater yinglets, for some reason, with great zeal.
Nobody knows why.
And 130 years is like babies to other civilisations.
The whole point of dispute in the comic is that Yinglets don't have much of their own legacy, they barely make or create anything, and Vizlet wants to change that by learning from the Human race.
The Elders of other Anclaves are against it, wanting to preserve their barely existent culture.
So no, I doubt that Yinglets were ever "on better terms" with humans prior to that.
Vizlet is hoping it will change to better in the future.
Nobody knows why.
And 130 years is like babies to other civilisations.
The whole point of dispute in the comic is that Yinglets don't have much of their own legacy, they barely make or create anything, and Vizlet wants to change that by learning from the Human race.
The Elders of other Anclaves are against it, wanting to preserve their barely existent culture.
So no, I doubt that Yinglets were ever "on better terms" with humans prior to that.
Vizlet is hoping it will change to better in the future.
"Ate meal without table" is a common mood debuff in the game Rimworld, a colony sim where you have to manage colonists. If their mood gets low, they start rolling a chance for minor/major mental breaks, causing them to do things like start fires or go catatonic or wander in a daze or gorge themselves on (possibly clam-based) food or go on an insulting spree or break stuff or pick fights. Colonists will usually carry a meal with them during the day, and when it's time to eat, they'll pick a spot and chow down. But they're also incredibly stupid and will often decide "That table right on the other side of that door is just too far, I'm gonna eat standing in place", which makes them upset and knocks a few points off their mood for a day or so.
Being in pain also causes mood penalties, more severe penalties for more severe pain. When someone has a mental break, the notification will also include "Last straw: (debuff)". So it's not unusual to see someone start a fight that erupts into a tantrum spiral because someone had "minor pain" as their last straw, injuring or even killing half the colony and splattering blood everywhere.
(The music and reply could be a reference to the practice many players have of taking a pawn with some chronic minor pain, hacking off their limbs, and encasing them in a "Warcasket" from the popular "Vanilla Factions Expanded - Pirates" mod. Warcaskets disable pain, as well as rendering them incapable of doing anything but fight, and look very similar to Warhammer troops. It also prevents them from having breaks and causing problems. And a common Rimworld joke is "'Geneva Conventions'? Did you mean, 'Geneva Checklist'?")
Being in pain also causes mood penalties, more severe penalties for more severe pain. When someone has a mental break, the notification will also include "Last straw: (debuff)". So it's not unusual to see someone start a fight that erupts into a tantrum spiral because someone had "minor pain" as their last straw, injuring or even killing half the colony and splattering blood everywhere.
(The music and reply could be a reference to the practice many players have of taking a pawn with some chronic minor pain, hacking off their limbs, and encasing them in a "Warcasket" from the popular "Vanilla Factions Expanded - Pirates" mod. Warcaskets disable pain, as well as rendering them incapable of doing anything but fight, and look very similar to Warhammer troops. It also prevents them from having breaks and causing problems. And a common Rimworld joke is "'Geneva Conventions'? Did you mean, 'Geneva Checklist'?")
I'm not really a gamer, and I'm an outlier here for that, so the ref was lost on me, other than it being a game ref. I have at least some understanding of games, but it's mostly from the standpoint of an observer as opposed to a participant.
Interesting that there's a 40k reference below as well.
Thanks for the context.
Interesting that there's a 40k reference below as well.
Thanks for the context.
Glad I could help. ^_^
There's a fair bit of overlap between Rimworld and Warhammer 40K. Rimworld takes place in a futuristic sci-fi setting, though colonists are usually plunked down with whatever scrap rained from the destroyed ship your escape pods launched from and often start having to cut trees for wooden shacks. There's an all-spanning Empire, but you're on a planet out near the Rim, the edges of civilization, so rescue isn't really happening and you don't have access to the sparkly fancy "Glitterworld" technology for the most part (though sometimes bits make their way out, like bionic limbs or medicine). When it comes to advanced machinery, you're usually digging up or trading for "Components" or "Advanced Components", though you can eventually make them yourself. Colonists "Research" in order to recover/re-develop technology they know about but don't intimately know, allowing you to start off Gilligan's Isle style and eventually start having all sorts of things. One of the ways you can "win" is to build a spaceship and take off, though something that big and impressive is going to attract a lot of attention from raiders eager to steal all your shiny stuff while you're doing the extensive process of constructing, fueling, preparing, etc.
With the callous disregard for human life or common decency, it overlaps a lot with the grimdark Warhammer series. Players are always coming up with new warcrimes and atrocities to commit (whether it's something the game actually provides, or it's just an abuse of multiple game mechanics in ways never intended), partially because it's a creative exercise, partially because suicide bomber child solders is a frighteningly effective tactic if you have a ton of kids, little food, and lots of enemies. Colonists are referred to as "Pawns" by the game, and life is harsh on the Rim. Death is a common fact of life, so getting attached to pawns isn't recommended.
It's like Dwarf Fortress In Space, if you're familiar with that. It can be fun to watch the stories that develop (and the game calls itself a "Story Generator" rather than a "game"), either by playing it yourself or watching a streamer/youtuber. I heartily recommend it if you like colony management games.
There's a fair bit of overlap between Rimworld and Warhammer 40K. Rimworld takes place in a futuristic sci-fi setting, though colonists are usually plunked down with whatever scrap rained from the destroyed ship your escape pods launched from and often start having to cut trees for wooden shacks. There's an all-spanning Empire, but you're on a planet out near the Rim, the edges of civilization, so rescue isn't really happening and you don't have access to the sparkly fancy "Glitterworld" technology for the most part (though sometimes bits make their way out, like bionic limbs or medicine). When it comes to advanced machinery, you're usually digging up or trading for "Components" or "Advanced Components", though you can eventually make them yourself. Colonists "Research" in order to recover/re-develop technology they know about but don't intimately know, allowing you to start off Gilligan's Isle style and eventually start having all sorts of things. One of the ways you can "win" is to build a spaceship and take off, though something that big and impressive is going to attract a lot of attention from raiders eager to steal all your shiny stuff while you're doing the extensive process of constructing, fueling, preparing, etc.
With the callous disregard for human life or common decency, it overlaps a lot with the grimdark Warhammer series. Players are always coming up with new warcrimes and atrocities to commit (whether it's something the game actually provides, or it's just an abuse of multiple game mechanics in ways never intended), partially because it's a creative exercise, partially because suicide bomber child solders is a frighteningly effective tactic if you have a ton of kids, little food, and lots of enemies. Colonists are referred to as "Pawns" by the game, and life is harsh on the Rim. Death is a common fact of life, so getting attached to pawns isn't recommended.
It's like Dwarf Fortress In Space, if you're familiar with that. It can be fun to watch the stories that develop (and the game calls itself a "Story Generator" rather than a "game"), either by playing it yourself or watching a streamer/youtuber. I heartily recommend it if you like colony management games.
Thanks again.
The closest thing to those that I've actually been involved with was DnD and such, although I like the concept of at least somewhat open ended games as opposed to so many of them, where it seems mostly based on jumping through some sort of a hoop or another.
I'm assuming that the Rimworld game stuff is at least somewhat based on the books?
The closest thing to those that I've actually been involved with was DnD and such, although I like the concept of at least somewhat open ended games as opposed to so many of them, where it seems mostly based on jumping through some sort of a hoop or another.
I'm assuming that the Rimworld game stuff is at least somewhat based on the books?
It's a bit of a mix between Warhammer 40K, Starship Troopers, and Firefly. There are no aliens (unless you mod them in), but there are mechanoids directed by AIs that have transcended the limits of science and produce objects capable of resurrecting the dead and generating infinite power, as well as insectoids made to fight mechanoids that inevitably went rogue and will now burrow into your base and try to eat you if you build under mountains
The same thing happens in a lot of management sims, like Dwarf Fortress, or Oxygen not Included, that have a moral mechanic. The "tantrum spiral" is an emergent effect, and on that can spell the end of a play-through. When moral in general is low, events can quickly spiral out of hand. One character has a bad day and triggers their flip-out, so they run around and make trouble. In a healthy community they would sulk for a bit - but when a lot of other characters are on the verge too, that can push them over, and they in turn anger others.
Eventually you reach the point where the cupboards are empty but everyone is too angry or depressed to harvest food, and going hungry just makes them all the more depressed. The colony dies to a sort of collective suicide, having grown so miserable that they just have no more will to live.
Eventually you reach the point where the cupboards are empty but everyone is too angry or depressed to harvest food, and going hungry just makes them all the more depressed. The colony dies to a sort of collective suicide, having grown so miserable that they just have no more will to live.
Not to mention referring to useless or nearly useless pawns as "hats", in reference to their eventual fate. I'm personally too soft-hearted to do such nasty things - with one exception. Raider killed a timberwolf that had just bonded with one of my colonists, so I harvested his organs and dumped his corpse in a pond far from the colony to rot.
Oh, as always the Matriarch as observant and sharp as ever. I feel that her concern for Kazz is legitimate but I also remember that she wants our protagonist for her enclave, and being a very intelligent average female Yinglett whose eggs could spawn a new generation of intelligent Yingletts. And on top of that, she is a very valuable trading token for political and diplomatic favors both with humans and with other Enclaves.
It's not only Kazz's internal storm that matters, but also the one that comes outside, being in the middle of an interspecies power game.
I really liked that the Matriarch read Kazz so easily, it shows that she has worked with females of the same species all her life and there is little that escapes her.
It's not only Kazz's internal storm that matters, but also the one that comes outside, being in the middle of an interspecies power game.
I really liked that the Matriarch read Kazz so easily, it shows that she has worked with females of the same species all her life and there is little that escapes her.
Well as a former Human, he can provide insight and knowledge to her enclave, knowledge which might be better received if seen to be coming from a fellow Yinglet than if presented by a human. Plus she might be able to use that to sneak in the knowledge and information that the elders are resistant to accept.
This exchange actually hurt my impression of the Matriarch and improved my impression of the Trade Master
The Trade Master is respecting Kazz's expressed gender preference, whereas the Matriarch apparently just sees him as a potential new breeder for the enclave. And admittedly this is more personal sensitivity, but the contemptuous "tomboy in their youth" remark makes my skin crawl a because it comes across as a "this is just a phase" dismissal of Kazz's emotional validity.
The Trade Master is respecting Kazz's expressed gender preference, whereas the Matriarch apparently just sees him as a potential new breeder for the enclave. And admittedly this is more personal sensitivity, but the contemptuous "tomboy in their youth" remark makes my skin crawl a because it comes across as a "this is just a phase" dismissal of Kazz's emotional validity.
That's a good point. It seems that the Matriarch among her plans is to indoctrinate Kass to reject her human past and become another of her "her girls". But she doesn't do it with bad intentions, but rather as part of her duty as Matriarch, whose job it is to educate all the females in the enclave correctly and fulfill her purpose as part of the species.
Although she herself is not bad if she is Machiavellian and she will do everything in her power to have Kass and integrate her into her enclave. Before other enclaves find out about it and try to do it, and I'm afraid that some won't do it by resorting to diplomacy precisely.
Although she herself is not bad if she is Machiavellian and she will do everything in her power to have Kass and integrate her into her enclave. Before other enclaves find out about it and try to do it, and I'm afraid that some won't do it by resorting to diplomacy precisely.
I mean, he Did just write a new Observation Journal page where he says he feels most like "himself", when he is around his friends, and they refer to him as "he", as well as stating how he has to brush off instances of people referring to him as "ma'am" because of secrecy, as well as it would be tedious to explain his predicament every single time, and how he DESPISES how Yinglets refer to him as "Lady".
So, in modern terms, maybe respect what He wants to be called, rather than calling him what You want to call him.
So, in modern terms, maybe respect what He wants to be called, rather than calling him what You want to call him.
Aaaah I adore perspective sharing conversations like this so much. I am so happy you give us this. And the different sexes they refer to Kass as makes perfect sense with their perspectives! One knew the full Kass before the transformation, while the other only met Kass after, and thus only knows a female yinglet! Wonderful context at play
I think Trademaster Viracroix didn't know Kass before the change, just knew of Kass, as well as being introduced to him as "The man who transformed". It's still enough for him to perceive him as male first, body second. I doubt he'd have made him an Officer if he viewed Kass as "a yinglet". Then again, his familiarity (and that's just the portion we've seen) with Matriarch Vizlet could enable him to see past the stereotypes, and be willing to Officiate a yinglet that proved themselves capable and intelligent.
Matriarch Vizlet, on the other hand, took quite some time to even be willing to entertain the concept that Kass could've been anything other than a female yinglet, and by that time, her mental model of Kass had been pretty solidified on "she". If requested, she could probably adjust to using "he" in private, but she's rarely ever truly in private, so I doubt Kass has even brought it up.
Matriarch Vizlet, on the other hand, took quite some time to even be willing to entertain the concept that Kass could've been anything other than a female yinglet, and by that time, her mental model of Kass had been pretty solidified on "she". If requested, she could probably adjust to using "he" in private, but she's rarely ever truly in private, so I doubt Kass has even brought it up.
*Always be a bit suspicious of seafoods consumed any significant distance from their place of origin.
Of course, it may also not be a good idea to listen to me, since I once consumed a preposterous number of scallops from a buffet at a dinner theater in Colorado Springs. -Didn't even get sick.
It may have just been temporary insanity. I'm not generally particularly fond of seafood, although I don't hate it all or anything.
Of course, it may also not be a good idea to listen to me, since I once consumed a preposterous number of scallops from a buffet at a dinner theater in Colorado Springs. -Didn't even get sick.
It may have just been temporary insanity. I'm not generally particularly fond of seafood, although I don't hate it all or anything.
Ooohhh, I have been wanting these two to talk more for ages! I want so badly to know more about what they know, what they plan, what they think... Whether there's any truth at all to that rumor that Trademaster Viracroix has any romantic plans involving the Matriarch, if she's the one he referred to being in a "delicate position" with plans to propose to...
I mean, it still seems pretty farfetched, but that look in panel 4...! Granted, it could be read as sly hopefulness on the "at least in our times" comment, but ooooh... (The fact that they're framed with a ship between them in the final panel. You are such a tease. ^_~ )
I mean, it still seems pretty farfetched, but that look in panel 4...! Granted, it could be read as sly hopefulness on the "at least in our times" comment, but ooooh... (The fact that they're framed with a ship between them in the final panel. You are such a tease. ^_~ )
It really doesn't seem that likely to me either. I can think of a number of reasons that it wouldn't be.
Also note the pair of Ivenmoths in the first panel, though. A tease indeed. But knowing the way this has tended to go, yet another expectation to be toyed with and confounded.
Also note the pair of Ivenmoths in the first panel, though. A tease indeed. But knowing the way this has tended to go, yet another expectation to be toyed with and confounded.
Oh, honestly, it's highly unlikely to me as well. It's just fun to play with. In Page 49, he specifically mentions "and bear the next generation", after all. That almost assuredly rules out Vizlet (and Kass, as I've seen some speculate), without some kind of major twist that Viracroix is either an idiot who thinks yinglets and humans can interbreed, or thinks he can somehow turn her human.
And is it a pair, or just one with back wings behind the front? Or is there one I'm missing? I like how it has Vizlet's hood's colors. Can easily see it thinking, "Ooh, friend?"
And is it a pair, or just one with back wings behind the front? Or is there one I'm missing? I like how it has Vizlet's hood's colors. Can easily see it thinking, "Ooh, friend?"
"as he views Kass as his man on the inside"
I feel like Viracroix was far more likely referring to Vizlet than Kass regarding his marriage interests (assuming it's *either* of them), and darnit this only keep heightening the suspense and anticipation. Who he considers Kass to be and how he has to refer to Kass when speaking to others not in the know during this unstable time are very different things.
I feel like Viracroix was far more likely referring to Vizlet than Kass regarding his marriage interests (assuming it's *either* of them), and darnit this only keep heightening the suspense and anticipation. Who he considers Kass to be and how he has to refer to Kass when speaking to others not in the know during this unstable time are very different things.
I am reminded of the graffiti excavated from the walls of Pompeii, preserved under the ash which buried the city for nearly 2,000 years. The wall scribbles are nearly identical in terms of content and conduct which one would find in a gas station restroom. The medium may have changed, but humans most certainly have not. Even humans from back then were just one bad day away from a bad end.
First thumbnail impression:
"Oh no... look at that wall of speech bubbles..."
Upon burning through the delightful bird's-eye-view commentary on the story's main arc:
"Oh no... there are no more speech bubbles! There HAS to be more! I NEED more!!!"
"Ohoho", indeed. Stellar work as always, in world-building, social-engineering and personality-parsing!
"Oh no... look at that wall of speech bubbles..."
Upon burning through the delightful bird's-eye-view commentary on the story's main arc:
"Oh no... there are no more speech bubbles! There HAS to be more! I NEED more!!!"
"Ohoho", indeed. Stellar work as always, in world-building, social-engineering and personality-parsing!
Hi gang! I'm back again to remind you that there's a place called "Top Web Comics" https://www.topwebcomics.com/?home=3 that compiles comics from various places. There's a bunch of cool stuff there. They have monthly votes, so you can support OOPs there. You can vote once a day per device, so your PC, laptop, tablet, phone, etc.
I've noticed that you can sometimes even get in extra votes from different IP addresses, or if you're disconnected from your IP and open up again later.
OOPs closed out last month at I think 39th place and around 975 votes, I believe the highest ranking it's reached yet. It's currently at 350 votes and 41st place. The top vote getters seem to end up with something close to 20,000 votes.
Vote early, vote often! Help OOPs get noticed!
I've noticed that you can sometimes even get in extra votes from different IP addresses, or if you're disconnected from your IP and open up again later.
OOPs closed out last month at I think 39th place and around 975 votes, I believe the highest ranking it's reached yet. It's currently at 350 votes and 41st place. The top vote getters seem to end up with something close to 20,000 votes.
Vote early, vote often! Help OOPs get noticed!
This site is utimately probably not a huge deal in itself, but of course I think it's great if more people have a chance to discover it. And it's been fun watching it rise in the rankings. Spamming might be a tad much, I suppose... Probably worth trying to pick good times and places to bring it up.
"Gorging the clAaams."
"No! No gorging the clAaams!"
"Gorge the clams!"
"NO! NO GORGING THE CLAMS!"
https://youtu.be/_tXf9Rbp-A4
"No! No gorging the clAaams!"
"Gorge the clams!"
"NO! NO GORGING THE CLAMS!"
https://youtu.be/_tXf9Rbp-A4
An extra element the trademaster isn't remarking - though he may or may not be aware of it - is because of the sex and species transformation, Kass has improved in one way; class. Male and human though he was, he was a drafted soldier turned deserter, refugee, managing a working class life before the change in a charity bunkhouse. Now he and his friends have private rooms in the center of the community, doing important research work that is providing them numerous benefits they'd never have had access to without the change, and among yinglets she's considered extremely valuable and destined for a comfortable life by her mere sex.
It certainly doesn't discount the blow of getting shoved down the hierarchy in many other ways, but it does add a complexity to the situation that we've already seen Kass use as a self-comfort/mellowing tool - she got down to business making more thorough reports when she remembered she was given a job to do and was getting her friends more resources through it. She's already enjoyed seeing some of the general rank referring to her as an officer, as well. An equal amount not really believing she is a real officer, but still. tis complicated. and is making for a lovely story!
It certainly doesn't discount the blow of getting shoved down the hierarchy in many other ways, but it does add a complexity to the situation that we've already seen Kass use as a self-comfort/mellowing tool - she got down to business making more thorough reports when she remembered she was given a job to do and was getting her friends more resources through it. She's already enjoyed seeing some of the general rank referring to her as an officer, as well. An equal amount not really believing she is a real officer, but still. tis complicated. and is making for a lovely story!
"I suppose he may discover what really defines him, outside of those previous definitions of species and sex."
That nails down something I've been enjoying in the recent strips. I've been thinking of it as "Kas finally getting his/her shit together," but this line expresses it far better.
As EmberDreaming noted above, the transformation to Yinglet also provided a transformation to OFFICER, and Kas (who has always been in an unofficial leadership role in his group of friends) is stepping up to embrace that responsibility.
That nails down something I've been enjoying in the recent strips. I've been thinking of it as "Kas finally getting his/her shit together," but this line expresses it far better.
As EmberDreaming noted above, the transformation to Yinglet also provided a transformation to OFFICER, and Kas (who has always been in an unofficial leadership role in his group of friends) is stepping up to embrace that responsibility.
Honestly, Kas’s intelligence could let them lead an enclave of their own. And females are a higher status then males for them. Though I think the matriarch is more than a little smarter than him. Makes me wonder if she used to be human too. Also a curious question. Will Kas have a normal yinglet lifespan or maintain a human one? If I understand correct, they should already be an old woman by yinglet standards, unless the change also changed the age.
Kass grumbling and muttering and stomping (as well as little yinglet feet can stop, so more like "slapping") through the hall, and someone like Isher sweetly chimes in with, "Looks like someone's got a case of the Mondays!"
What would be the Val Salian equivalent of a printer with "PC LOAD LETTER" for them all to smash? Probably some piece of Ran's alchemical equipment.
What would be the Val Salian equivalent of a printer with "PC LOAD LETTER" for them all to smash? Probably some piece of Ran's alchemical equipment.
You preach that I am mentally damaged and confused. You spread the same untruths that lead to people like me being murdered at several times the rate of cisgender people, the bullying that drive people like me to suicide, the bullying that nearly caused me to take my own life. You actively encourage violence against people like me. You champion the cause to systematically remove every right I have.
You do not treat me as a person. And you manage to disgust me even further by thinking that "not discussing pronouns" is enough to claim you "do not hate". I am ashamed to share a degree with you, most people in computer science get past the blindness you show.
You do not treat me as a person. And you manage to disgust me even further by thinking that "not discussing pronouns" is enough to claim you "do not hate". I am ashamed to share a degree with you, most people in computer science get past the blindness you show.
Big fan of the comic, but sorry to say I thought this page was a miss. When a page is more text boxes than art, it's a sign that you've violated the rule to "show don't tell". This is forgivable if there's critical exposition or a dialog scene you really couldn't figure out how to have any other way, but this page doesn't say anything we didn't already know. With every page it should feel like the story is moving forward in some way, this feels like unnecessary filler.
This is a very wordy comic, but it touches on the ideas of what Kass is, what they are becoming, and their pathways/decisions that they have done to lead up to their attitudes.
I really appreciate how Kass isn't even in this one, it's just two folks discussing their opinions of Kass. It's water-cooler talk, but it's a great 'visualization' of trying to understand what Kassen actually is and the progress they have been making, given their new body and, perhaps, new mindset.
If I trust the opinions of anyone in this story, it would be that of Viz. Well done
I really appreciate how Kass isn't even in this one, it's just two folks discussing their opinions of Kass. It's water-cooler talk, but it's a great 'visualization' of trying to understand what Kassen actually is and the progress they have been making, given their new body and, perhaps, new mindset.
If I trust the opinions of anyone in this story, it would be that of Viz. Well done
Well, the first thing Viracroix says in the last panel sure is a positive way to look at Kass’s transformation. Although, I don’t know how much he can define himself without the nagging thoughts of what could’ve altered his personality due to the transformation. Hasn’t he’d been shown to have found dumb things funny or was overly emotional at least one time? “Intrusive scav thoughts” as Kass has referred to them as.
What’s also sad is Kass once wrote in a journal about what he may have lost in terms of his mind. I just hope he can find what he’s gained from this alteration in species identification.
What’s also sad is Kass once wrote in a journal about what he may have lost in terms of his mind. I just hope he can find what he’s gained from this alteration in species identification.
The conflicting pronoun usage by Via and Viz is only fueling the meta tension.
Genre convention for TG fiction is that body overrides identity and your protests are just a phase. The idea of someone being brainwashed into a stereotype is in fact considered sexually appealing.
And that's fine; we don't ban GTA because it let's you be a mass-murdering criminal psychopath. You're allowed to have dicey fictional tastes.
But there's no tension in the typical TG comic, because you know how it ends.
OOP? Lots of tension. Are Kass current beliefs right, or is Vizlet's observation right? Are the non-canon extras (e.g. Kass shipped with a patriarch) signs of where the comic is heading, or are they indulgences because the main comic won't go that way?
My read so far is that Kass' identifies as male, and my current guess is that Kass will maintain a male identity while accepting his physical sex, e.g. like a no-surgery transman.
Genre convention for TG fiction is that body overrides identity and your protests are just a phase. The idea of someone being brainwashed into a stereotype is in fact considered sexually appealing.
And that's fine; we don't ban GTA because it let's you be a mass-murdering criminal psychopath. You're allowed to have dicey fictional tastes.
But there's no tension in the typical TG comic, because you know how it ends.
OOP? Lots of tension. Are Kass current beliefs right, or is Vizlet's observation right? Are the non-canon extras (e.g. Kass shipped with a patriarch) signs of where the comic is heading, or are they indulgences because the main comic won't go that way?
My read so far is that Kass' identifies as male, and my current guess is that Kass will maintain a male identity while accepting his physical sex, e.g. like a no-surgery transman.
tbh I much prefer this way of telling the story. As you said, the dramatic tension is maintained. But not only that, it feels more "real" somehow. Since we know that people can and do have conflicting gender identity, it makes more sense that there would be an enormous amount of mental inertia against the person accepting their new physical body. It's entirely plausible that Kass might never identify as female, even if he does end up accepting his transformation. Which I think would make for a far more interesting character than one who starts identifying as female "just because" his body is.
It's kind of the same hope I have for Natani of Twokinds, though I'm not sure I'll still be alive to see the end of his character arc.
It's kind of the same hope I have for Natani of Twokinds, though I'm not sure I'll still be alive to see the end of his character arc.
I find myself quite liking those two heh. I don't know whole lot about them, but basing on what I know so far, I do. Guildmaster may be a liiiittle... savage, but it comes with a territory, on such position you sometimes have to be, especially when people are doing selfish moves behind your back. Gonna do what you gonna do, fair's fair.
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