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."

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.

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

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.

*"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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

This is an interesting one, to be sure. Secret romances are nothing new, but it's interesting how both characters are from privileged positions in society, and yet deal with their statuses in entirely different ways. I like the minimalist approach to dialogue and the dark, cramped posturing- it's intimate as heck, but also suffocating.

What makes you say they're both coming from privileged positions? Chayama seems anything but privileged, to the point where people, allegedly, avoid a bathroom just to make sure no one thinks they associate with her.

How to subtly signal that you want to use the strap-on tonight.

Lol- Why tf does she have that on her bag? Is it a play on DCK?

In this page you can see two more letters, which only causes more confusion

Maybe she's really into sports?

I'd say this is stupid, but this is Gensokyo. The stork is probably real, and also a cute girl.

It'd certainly explain how they get by with their gender ratio.

We all know the next panel would be her wearing the collar with an added leash.

Good lord, will she ever stop whining? Oh hello there, sweetcheeks!

I think she might have a point on this one. ...

Also, definitely should've stuck with the souls armor and maybe tried for some more upgrades.

I'm liking this series more with each chapter. Underneath the gag comedy veneer, it makes some surprisingly clever points about the tropes and conventions of the genre and how people might rationally react to them. Now that I think about it, creating a system where middle-schoolers have to run around town in embarrassing outfits and tying any changes to their on-field productivity is a pretty scummy practice. Then again, they've also hired a tentacle hentai monster as one of their familiars, so maybe Azurite's just working for the mahou shoujo equivalent of a black company. Ruby, as with most senior employees, gives no actual shits about any of this and is just here to peer at the new intern's ass. Depressingly realistic, I'd say.

Slander! That's not a tentacle monster. That's clearly one of Dusa's descendents, by way of Cyclops. Just look at his cute snakes.

not forgetting her birthday :'(

I think Wanko did :( sad

My money's on that being an intentional red herring. The whole sequence with the launch party was just Sakuma's imagination and there was a bit too much set up for them to play it straight.

Am I the only one who thinks what I'm saying before/while saying it? That doesn't seem like an unusual thing.

... I may be overthinking a gag manga.

I'm pretty sure the sempi's still alive. She just graduated.

A lot of the lines don't really make sense if she died, particularly the ones about rejection and "didn't you want to see me."

I'm wondering if Mei said something similar to what she said to Rinna about her trauma but more explicit about it, like how love never lasts or something which is why Sayo became afraid of it and settles for friendship because that's supposed to last "forever" /cynical
It does feel like the protagonist is knowingly hurting Sayo and I really don't know how I feel about that.
(still gonna read this though lmao)

Very curious as to why Rinna even likes Mei, the theory about the idol thing sounds really plausible.

How is she intentionally hurting Sayo? She she saw Sayo was out of sorts, so she went out of her way to do something she thought would make her happy, despite it being something she is deeply uncomfortable with.

last edited at Dec 8, 2020 10:11PM

The series is pretty strongly setting up Euphie as the next ruler, so she might just engineer a coup with a Anise's help and become an 'ideal' ruler who wins the trust of the people and gradually democratizes the administration.

Remember the previous chapters, Anise is already heading towards being the Crown Princess again, she doesnt need a coup unless her Little brother makes one first

Right. Both the King and the Duke have said they'd much prefer Anise on the throne and the main thing stopping them is the fact that she explicitly doesn't want to rule.

Not even that, her Main objection is a political marriage

The fact that the King says she's the one who would hate her ascension to the throne the most makes me think there's more to it than just the marriage thing.

The series is pretty strongly setting up Euphie as the next ruler, so she might just engineer a coup with a Anise's help and become an 'ideal' ruler who wins the trust of the people and gradually democratizes the administration.

Remember the previous chapters, Anise is already heading towards being the Crown Princess again, she doesnt need a coup unless her Little brother makes one first

Right. Both the King and the Duke have said they'd much prefer Anise on the throne and the main thing stopping them is the fact that she explicitly doesn't want to rule. In fact, after the Crown Prince's latest stunt, they're no longer comfortable with leaving him as the heir apparent, in accordance with Anise's wishes.

Similarly, the Duke said that he wants to see the future she's working for become a reality, and the king agreed, so I doubt there'll be much friction vis-à-vis class loyalty on that front. (Though the lesser nobles still might object.)

As for whether Euphie or Anise ultimately gets the crown, I suspect the only way that turns into a fight is if they're fighting to give it to their opposite. Anise wants Euphie at her side, seems to trust her capabilities, and doesn't want to rule. So, if Euphie decides she's the best girl for the job I'd expect Anise to happily agree. At the same time, Anise seems to respect Orphan and her father's judgement, so I'd expect her to be A-OK with following Anise if they pusher her onto the throne, especially with her growing feelings for the princess.

Is there any chance of the forum software getting upgraded to something more robust, like Xenforo, mostly for things like notifications, PMs, and post histories?

^ Yup- I think I know all the big subtext magical girl yuri ships out there- and dont get me wrong I love them :) I really love 'The demon girl next door' and really hope s2 will be great :)

But I meant a magical girl show with blatent yuri like in strawberry panic or sakura trick, with kissing and romance and dating etc!

I would kill for a season of precure where 2 of the girls actually became a couple!

The closest I can think of is nanoha, where the two mains are effectively married, sharing a house, a bed and a child. However you never get to see them DO anything,

Edit: of course nanoha is s mech anime in magical girl clothing so it may not count :p

In Sailor Moon the "cousins" are a couple in the Japanese version too

Ohh an Mako is overtly attracted to Ryuko in Kill la Kill

The late 80's early 90's were weird. Both Sailor Moon and Ghost in the Shell did a lot of stuff that wouldn't be acceptable for quite a while afterwards. In fact, I don't think we've seen any leads in a lesbian poly relationship like the Major's since, well, the Major.

Also, yeah, Ryoko and Mako were pretty canonically gay in Kill la Kill. The semi-questionable couple would be Satsuki and Nonon. That said, I don't think it quite qualifies as a magical girl show, simply because secret identities aren't a thing and they don't transform so much as gain a power up.

Aside from Nanoha and Madoka, isn't there yuri in Yuki Yuna? Also, does Flip Flappers count? They're magical (I think), they transform (sometimes), they fight an evil secret organization, and they have a mascot.

->Doesn't count Symphogear

I haven't actually watched it yet. Is it actually any good?