Forum › Posts by Omega Deuse

Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

Oh wow, I wasn't expecting to get more of this (notwithstanding the serialized version on mangadex, which I haven't kept up with very well.) Wholesome

Huh. It's interesting that the serialized manga already had a chapter that mentioned the teacher being able to sign, but it hasn't had an equivalent to this yet.

Omega Deuse
Image Comments 14 Feb 19:12
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011
Et1m3hcwqay3xtf-orig

That really is a weird combination of fingers to have claws on.

Omega Deuse
Image Comments 13 Feb 00:02
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011
Tumblr_12de8da41b8c85b6a7eaafe127e523af_d0cbd4e8_1280

That's the problem. They both tried to top at the same time and rebounded.

Omega Deuse
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

Yeah. The extra "as a cat" versions of the images are making me worry that this is all in her head and Nora isn't actually a bakenko

In my humble opinion, it's transparently obvious that the author has recently gotten herself a pet cat -- and is adamantly decided to turn every little detail of her interactions with her cute kitty into a yuri fantasy manga story.

By that logic, we'd have to assume she also got herself a hamster at around the same time. Which would be a pretty risky combination, if you ask me.

No. No. She fallen in love with a hamster, at the pet store, while getting her cat.

Omega Deuse
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

Really, the only reason we might not come to that conclusion

Since blonde is blushing on the very last image, in contrast to the image presented by brown hair narration (holding hands, where only she blushes), I think it's implied that it was mutual.

I originally interpreted that as just a result of high emotions, due to losing her best friend, but I could see it your way too. I didn't notice at first, but the person she's crying too seems to be wearing pajamas (or at least that's what I normally associate that sort of blue and white pinstripe with). Not sure what to make of that choice.

You could just as easily say it was the blonde's fault

I don't think there is any point in blaming anyone. Blonde was asking about boys, brown hair was replaying about boys. They were faking each other out. The issue is that neither had the guts to take the first step, and that's the cautionary tale of the story. And by the time blonde made a decision, it was too late - brown hair decided to move on and cut ties to not get hurt more. Another cautionary tale I suppose - hail mary at the last minute won't always work, for one reason or another.

Agreed. I was trying to push back against the idea that that Brown Hair was being dense or that the drama was forced, rather than this being a reasonable result from two inexperienced teens trying to feel each other out and missing their opportunity.

I don't understand a lot of stuff. I don't get blonde girl, was she supposed to be in love with the other? The talk about boys, it was a smokescreen? Was she waiting to last page of the diary to write her confession?
I don't understand either who's that other woman with glasses, in page 4, consoling blonde girl who cries: a new character? a future lover? Is she listening to the same story from the blonde's pov?
Too little info, too much guessing to do.

The answer to the first question is somewhat ambiguous. It's implied that might have been the case, but it could just as easily have been entirely platonic on her end. Similarly, the talk about the boys could have been legitimate interest on the blonde's part, an attempt to feel out the brown haired girl, or an attempt to stay in the closet until she was ready.

We don't know what was on the last page of the diary, which is sort-of the point of this story. The Brown haired girl refused to read it, out of fear of getting hurt, but the question of "What if" has haunted her ever since, to the point where she's telling her girlfriend about it years later.

The other girl on page 4 seems to be Glasses Friend from page 2, though we don't know anything else about what was going on and even that much is a guess. Again, all of these unanswered questions are part of what this story is trying to show us. The main character is struggling with them too and envisioning different ways it could have gone with no real answer. Showing us more, as readers, would lessen the impact of that message.

Omega Deuse
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

So let me get this straight brown hair girl was in love with blonde hair girl but thought it was one sided so she just abruptly stops the diary before letting blonde girl finish and just leaves destroying the friendship in the process as well. This is the kind of forced angst I hate because all brown haired girl had to do was let her friend finish the darn diary to realize it was mutual. Brown hair is a special kind of dense and blondie deserved better anyway

That's possible, but we also got a bunch of lines talking about guys and the brown hair girl saying those entries cut her deeply. It's pretty reasonable for her to come to the conclusion that the blonde-haired girl was straight. Really, the only reason we might not come to that conclusion is it would be anti-climactic and we got a few shots of the blonde crying after she rejected the last page.

You could just as easily say it was the blonde's fault for not confessing sooner or being more upfront, or just saying it when the book was rejected at the end, but there are also plenty of reasons why she might not have done that. This story might rest on a failure to communicate, but the truth is people fail to communicate all the time and there's nothing forced about it.

Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

Euphie: Huh. That style doesn't look like it's meant for fighting humans.

Anise: Welp. Time to go hunt a dragon.

Yeah. That about checks out. So, is her "dagger" going to be a Moonlight Greatsword?

Omega Deuse
A Cute Guy discussion 31 Jan 21:27
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

I don't really see why this has the delinquent tag unless it is for the bullies?

I think it's kinda like Futari Monologue, in which the gyaru is considered a delinquent despite being a softie, she did say she skips class and all.

Ah she does, missed that bit. That is 100% delinquency going by Japan (manga).

But this doesn't even feel like the delinquent trope where they are really nice and pure when you get to know them, she is just nice.

She also beat up a couple of people who were both larger than her. Even if they arguably deserved that, it would still take quite a bit of skill on her part and that implies she gets into fights, or at least practices fighting, fairly regularly.

She's definitely a delinquent, but that doesn't mean she's necessarily a bad person.

Omega Deuse
A Cute Guy discussion 28 Jan 09:45
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

Tatsubon says trans rights....To soon? Wholesome tag is appropriate. Especially compared to the fuckfest that is "Todorako-san"

I'm nervous about future develops, considering the shit in Todorako that made me go from loving it to hating it in the span of a chapter. But I'm willing to give this one the benefit of the doubt.

Huh? What happened in Todorako?

Omega Deuse
A Cute Guy discussion 28 Jan 06:31
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

Huh. The girl reminds me of the class pres from Fight Class 3. I wonder if she was an inspiration. I could certainly see Tatsubon being a fan of that series.

Also, do people still have physical porn stashes? I feel like someone needs to hear a song from Avenue Q.

Omega Deuse
Image Comments 27 Jan 17:54
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011
D47xllyuyaetq8d-orig

They are literally man with skirts, no discrimanation here

They're more obviously women in the original, though I suspect the issue is more due to their poses and clothing than anything else.

Omega Deuse
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

@gwennie-chan,
Yep, but don't worry, I'm not using Script-chan.

Btw the "Reverse Page Title". It works only on one page - the page where I'm activate this option.
At least I'm experiencing such a behaviour on firefox.
I haven't looked for cause of it, though. Just saying.

Yes it's in very early development. I'm developing it in Firefox as well. I appreciate the bug testing.

I know it's early in development, but do you want feedback or bug reports for the items you've marked as implemented and, if so , would you want them on GitHub's issue tracker?

Omega Deuse
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

I'm not sure if it would be appropriate to suggest some of Potluck Soup's work for upload and I'm also not sure how I could best go about figuring that out.

They're a western artist with a not quite manga style that seems in line with some of the other western images I've seen uploaded. The two main things that make me hesitant are the fact that they're on the more porn-y end of the spectrum and their art tends to be accompanied with a lot of text, but I also know Dynasty has some stuff in both of those categories. Beyond that they focus on BDSM with a happier and more colorful take than you normally see. I think some of the people on here would find their lesbian works, at the very least, fun.

Omega Deuse
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

We're getting into "How do you kill Dracula" territory here, but that is absolutely not how species work.

I understand how actual existing species work. That's irrelevant here. I'm talking in the realms of fiction and mythology, where titans and vampires have been shown to be able to interbreed with humans, and only the author has the final say.

Hence "How do you kill Dracula."

Omega Deuse
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

The "they're a different species from humans, they might not even be able to successfully mate with them" thing really doesn't apply here. These are humanoid cryptid species that are so close to humans that interbreeding is 99.9% on the table unless the author decides to rule it out themselves.

We're getting into "How do you kill Dracula" territory here, but that is absolutely not how species work. Critically, the ability (or, more accurately, inability) to produce viable offspring is a key factor in determining if to animals are of a different species. It's perfectly possible, and even likely, for two similar looking species to be completely incompatible or for them to produce only sterile offspring.

That said, the author could just as easily choose to ignore that fact, as most fantasy series do.

More importantly, it doesn't seem like this new guy is actually the only other titan left, so much as there was a large drop in their population, but a lot of them are still left. As such, this is closer to the whole race traitor, it's your duty to wed a nice -white-titan boy and pump out as many titan babies as you can. Otherwise you're not doing your part and need to be learned a lesson.

Omega Deuse
Image Comments 20 Jan 13:19
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011
D47xllyuyaetq8d-orig

I'm only part way through it, but the cast seems surprisingly diverse, which is both unexpected and nice.

Omega Deuse
Image Comments 19 Jan 00:43
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011
66940669_p0-2

Yeah. I really liked the anime and the manga started off great, but I just couldn't keep with it after a certain face-heal turn.

Omega Deuse
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

*"Vivi your siblings are spoiler pricks who just took q's from your parents, they dont even know why they feel like they do so their Words are Worth as much as grilled ice cream"

Not to be confused with fried icecream, which is both real and good, but still nonsense.

She should have swatted those 2 out of the sky like the bugs they are. I wonder why her presence would effect the behavior of bats?

Doriya did say something along the lines of "Will you stay with her for reasons other than just staying with a vampire?" So Titans may have some sort of power leach or anti-vampire thing going on.

Omega Deuse
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

On a slightly different topic, I wonder if that comment about there being a lot of rattling is foreshadowing anything and, if so, what.

Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

Have surprise birthday parties ever not been a terrible idea, both in fiction and real life?

I've seen them done well. I think the key is to have them wrapped in a smaller celebration, so the person who's getting surprised thinks they're getting something good, but they actually get something better.

As not-actually-recent example, for my uncles birthday his his wife and daughter told him they booked dinner at a restaurant he really likes. In truth, they booked the bottom floor and a whole bunch of friends and family, including his son who'd flown in from the other side of the country, were waiting for him.

Omega Deuse
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

I think the premise is on some level alright, but to me the problem is actually in the execution. I read the manga as the mistress commanding the maid to give her a real answer to her next approach, and then bringing the top energy. But I think the flow of the conversation and the specific words used made it seem like she was commanding the maid to go out with her, which is... eh.

On the one hand, I agree with Kirin (as usual) that without the support to keep everything in the realm of fantasy, you run the risk of your scenario resonating with real abuses of power that makes it feel like oppression, rather than sexy fantasy ones á la a BDSM scene. My interpretation--that she was only, "commanding" the maid to give her a direct answer--might be wrong, but if it's right, I think we have less of a case of abuse of power and more of the author/TL team (I can't read JP so I wouldn't know) possibly flubbing the delivery into squick territory.

With that in mind, I think it becomes a question of execution.

I suspect that's a large part of the problem. I've seen another piece, with a similar dynamic and less obviously appreciative maid, that somehow felt less abusive and I think I can point to a few key differences.

One is definitely context. The other piece is strait up hentai, which gives it a different feel, but neither piece is meant to be taken particularly seriously, so I'm not sure how much that actually matters in this case.

The next obvious difference is the length. The other piece is short, but it's still a bit longer at 12 pages, which gives the dynamic more room to breathe; there's room for byplay, as well as an ebb and flow of control. Conversely, this work spends it's first page on a strong rejection, it's second on an even stronger reason for that rejection, and it's third page is a threat based off the reason from the second page. There are only two positive panels and they come at the very end. Put another way, three quarters of the work is progressively more negative and the last 6th is trying to reverse that.

The final, and probably biggest, difference is the lack of nuance. (Yes, that does mean I'm saying literal porn has more nuance in its presentation than this.) That's not necessarily a bad thing, on it's own, it just causes some problems here.

Because of its brevity, each panel needs to do a lot and part of how the author tried to accomplish this was an emphasis on somewhat exaggerated reactions. This works great for conveying strong, pure, emotions, but it doesn't really have the bandwidth for underlying feelings or gradual changes.

Again, exaggerated reactions and a focus on one emotion at a time can work really well, when used correctly. However, in this case, it undercuts the Maids acceptance, because it feels so disconnected from her earlier reactions and we don't see a gradual shift to bring her to that point.What's more, the very final panel undercuts her change of heart by partially breaking from the prior trend. Sure, she's still blushing and eating ice-cream on a date, but she's also confused about how she got there and clearly frowning. It's a fairly classic gag, but it's also one of the only panels with mixed emotions.

Earlier, when I said there were only two positive panels? That was only partially true, because there's only one fully positive panel and it's sandwiched between a strongly negative one and an ambivalent one, which removes most of it's impact.

[Complaints about moralizing.]

Given what I just said, I feel like I should clarify:

I'm perfectly aware this isn't a serious story. I'm not saying it should be taken as one, nor am I saying people who enjoy it are bad or wrong; I'm not even saying the author is bad or wrong. Mainly, what I'm saying is I didn't like the story and I'm trying to analyze why and where it went wrong, because I enjoy analyzing literature and figuring out how its pieces work together. Even short, non-serious, pieces can exhibit craftsmanship and teach us about writing and how we view the world we live in.

Not like the girl has any actual power here you know - the maid's employers are her parents not her, and what with being a minor and all she as-such has no say in the matter. Tellingly the maid's objections revolve entirely around sensible worries over getting sacked for any funny business with the young lady; said lady's possible disappointment and/or ire do not appear to be a concern.

Nominally, you are correct: On paper, the girl probably does not have the authority to fire the maid. However, in practice, the reverse is true: Parents that raise a child to be as entitled as this one (at least in some interpretations), are also likely to side with their child over the help, either because they don't care about the later or because they're two worried about pleasing the former. What's more, even if the parents are more reasonable, the girl could still cause the maid quite a bit of trouble. At a minimum, she could lie and say the maid was flirting with her, which would be very inappropriate behavior for any employee, let alone an adult employee (remember, the rich girl isn't an adult). They wouldn't even need to fully believe the lie, just that their daughter felt like the maid was flirting with her.

That might not fit if your interpretation of the girl is less malicious and entitled, but if that's the case you also don't need "she technically doesn't have the authority" as a defense. It's the kind of argument that only works when you don't need it.

If you were to ignore the context and feelings of the M partner, and say that only the actions of the S partner matter, then the S partner tying her partner up would be criminal. But, if the M partner wants to be tied up, the action of tying her up goes from creepy and awful to kinky and fun. Context is everything.

The maid is super into the mistress being assertive, and that's what makes it okay. It's not - by definition, can't be - coercion if she wants it, and the visual cues indicate that she very much does want it.

That's only partially true. Consent is definitely a major factor, but it's not the only factor and there are certain scenarios where it can be overridden. Most notably, a child can't consent to an adult, nor can an inebriated person fully consent to someone who's sober*. One thing that can cause that sort of situation is an inherent and enduring power difference, where one party is largely dependent or at the mercy of the other.

That type of power imbalance is a stark contrast to a normal S/M relationship, where the sub has a significant say in what's acceptable and what's not.

*: Those examples are, perhaps, a bit extreme for what we're discussing, but my other go to example would be a manager sexually harassing a subordinate that finds them attractive, which is a bit too close to the manga to be helpful.

last edited at Jan 2, 2021 4:01AM

Omega Deuse
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

Are we finally gonna get more hate sex :D

Don't get your hopes up. I suspect that even if it does happen, it'll be over in three panels and we won't see any of the good parts in any case. But I'll be delighted if the author proves me wrong...

Eh. If I wanted extended sex scenes, I'd go look up some hentai. This is more for the narrative and artwork, both of which include sexual elements, rather than just focusing on the sex itself.

Omega Deuse
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

Here I thought a lot of people would find this funny and cute, but Dynasty justice warriors strike again and ruin the party for everyone. Thank you to the translator and editor this one shot was great.

You say that but it seems like the people who didn't mind were a lot angrier about others disagreeing with them.

Omega Deuse
Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

Hmm. Mr. Manager seems to be playing a tricksy game. I suspect he knows more about their interactions than he's letting on and he's intentionally playing them against each other to either push them into accomplishing more or figuring out how to work together, because they'd never manage either on their own.

Also, it looks like it's time for Hate Sex: Round 2. There also seems to be some jealousy over the new girl.

Book%20and%20cloakhbq1
joined Aug 1, 2011

Yup- even tho there seems to be more of it than in the WN, I do get what she is going through- since she was small she has been raised to be the queen and focused all her energy and skill on that. When that is suddenly taken away- who is she now and what is she to strive for? Its like she suddenly lost the meaning of her life.

It's worth noting that, even though she was raised to be the queen, she wasn't meant to be the same sort of Queen that Anise would be. She was, essentially, meant to be a tool for royalty: a supremely loyal servant who can be trusted to execute on the actual ruler's desires and continue their line. To a certain extent, a lack of personal ambition and personal direction was ideal.

All of her many talents were meant for someone else's use, but that person no longer has need of her and the only person who could fill their role is telling her to find her own path. That's why we see her internally beginning Anise for a command and despairing at being commanded to freedom.

You say that her talents should assert themselves, but how could they? Perhaps if she was less talented, capable in fewer fields, her strengths might suggest a path forward, but the ability to do anything does not elucidate what you should do.