I'm honestly shocked that you'd do something that's just about pleasant for all involved. I can't lie, it's my favorite sort of content and you've done an incredible job of it. Great work as always.
Ah, fair enough :-). Creature vore is not my favourite either, but it's a big part of the setting, and it fits the character. Worth it to draw sharks anyway.
I could be reading way to far into this. But here goes nothing. From my understanding, its a band with friends.
The first comic is them in thier late teens early twenties. The two friends get into an arguement, and one eats the other.
Later in the second comic, the chick that was eaten reforms and mellows out personality wise.
Then in the third comic we see the lady that was eaten in the first comic, bonding with the dude, only for her to get eaten again by the same chick. Which looks to upset the dude.
All in all it could be referencing how some friendships are toxic but people dont realize it. Everyone has grotten older now, we see it mentioned that the dude seems to travel every now and again, which must mean he has a decent music career. Meanwhile the two chicks look like to be washed up musicians that arent doing anything with thier lives, stuck in thier home town. Also the prey chick seems to be sticking around with the pred chick, which could be like an anaolgy towards abuse. The dude is upset, but like maybe he wanted to eat her idk.
Oh, no not quite. I think the original story must be necessary for context.
They're all kind of washed up, Tom is using looking after Chalchi (who has become a bit codependent and borderline disabled as the downside of the healing powers she gained from the events of the first series) as an excuse not to pursue his dreams, and to just channel them into a project that gets longer and longer and never materialises.
Titania is still friends with them, we see her hanging out with Chalchi in 5: Resolutions, but she isn't the most supportive friend, we see that she likes being eaten now but isn't really there for Chalchi's less fun needs in the way Tom is.
When Titania tells Tom that he doesn't need to put his dreams on hold for Chalchi because she can always look after her, he gets pissy because he knows she's sort of wrong but also sort of right, except he's grown codependent too and doesn't want to give up his special supportive role.
That's why he snaps at Chalchi when he goes to bring her groceries and she's just lounging there like a fat blob. It's not that she ate Titania (which she hasn't in that scene), it's more that he feels in that moment like she ate his dreams.
So on top of this sequence being an excellent showcase for just how accomplished you are as an artist (too many details to note: the nurse's pose, Chalchi's arms crossed over her head in the festival), this is metres-deep in symbolism. I enjoyed mulling over Tom and Ch's codependencies, the selfishness of the band members, and the unexpected warmth of the sister. Have the feeling that there's so much I haven't yet got; but also get the feeling it's the kind of piece that will reveal more when I reread it in six months, kind of thing.
I love the way scene transitions are basically vestigial. We flit from place to place according to what the story needs. Gives those sections that practise this a dreamlike quality, and those sections that are more casual a concreteness that makes them stand out (generally these correspond to consumptions, IIRC!).
Nobody else can do what you can do. It's really quite something.
Yeah, the dream-like nature is sort of meant to be a reverberation (the title of the episode where it all goes off the rails) of taking an unexpected heroic dose of experimental hallucinogens, the trauma of which is also kind of the core of their relationship, to the extent it's co-dependent.
They were friends before the event, and bonded over music, Tolkien, drugs, and Chalchi's appetite; all of which become grand and numinous due to the role they play in the trip, and so all of which turn dark and terrifying as the unhealthy status quo created by the trip falls apart.
Hence the finale being Silmarillion-themed, which I'm guessing is the main reason why it seems to have flopped compared to the rest of the series, especially on deviantart (nobody's read that shit).
On the final point, and related to a point you've made separately about marketing the dream destroying the dream: I wonder if it's possible to make a work using some default vore-fashionable IP that convinces people to become comfortable with exploring things they're not already comfortable with. Have no idea what this might look like, but it would be at least amusing to take Sailor Moon or Teen Titans (or whatever the cool kids are stuffing inside itself these days) and turn it into a training manual for general awareness/perversion.
Such an attempt is only worth it if it's fun to do and doesn't cheapen the dream. Think the latter condition has been met before, though: consider how HPMoR did something amazingly cool (and furthered the author's agenda) based on a pre-existing, slightly silly IP.
I have absolutely no idea where to begin with such a project :p
Strangely enough I think the Garfield online fandom has the closest vibe to what I'm going for, using Garfield as an eldritch monster to explore the existential horror of Jim Davis's existence, through the torment of his self insert character Jon.
I feel like that narrative has run its course though- people already get it.
I've been considering doing something with the vore community's unhealthy obsession with pokemon, but telling that story properly would mean researching pokemon, which I really don't want to do, because it's absolutely endless. It wouldn't be sincere anyway, because I haven't been a genuine member of the pokemon fandom so it would just seem like an outside excoriating their hobbies.
I've done derivative works of His Dark Materials and The Three Body Problem before, but only small one-shots, and nobody really engaged with them.
The one thing that I am both a genuine fan of, and that's full of recognisable brands that vore audiences seem to have an appetite for (for good reason, it's a perfectly vorny series), is One Piece. But One Piece needs no derivative works- it tells its own story flawlessly.
Posted by Gcreep 3 years ago Report
I'm honestly shocked that you'd do something that's just about pleasant for all involved. I can't lie, it's my favorite sort of content and you've done an incredible job of it. Great work as always.
Posted by EmilyNidhoggr 3 years ago Report
Well, San Joven's a setting with reformation. The Marella comic was set there too, and that's pretty happy.
Glad you like it.
Posted by Gcreep 3 years ago Report
True that, forgive me being thoughtless. I let my feelings on creature vore get in the way of the actual events of the comic in my memory.
Posted by EmilyNidhoggr 3 years ago Report
Ah, fair enough :-). Creature vore is not my favourite either, but it's a big part of the setting, and it fits the character. Worth it to draw sharks anyway.
Posted by Gcreep 3 years ago Report
Hah, it's always worth it if it's something you think is worth doing, and doing well.
Posted by Quakiest 3 years ago Report
May i ask what just happened? Im kinda confuses from the first part?
Posted by EmilyNidhoggr 3 years ago Report
Can you be more specific? Several things happened.
What do you think happened?
Posted by epicprivate 2 years ago Report
I could be reading way to far into this. But here goes nothing. From my understanding, its a band with friends.
The first comic is them in thier late teens early twenties. The two friends get into an arguement, and one eats the other.
Later in the second comic, the chick that was eaten reforms and mellows out personality wise.
Then in the third comic we see the lady that was eaten in the first comic, bonding with the dude, only for her to get eaten again by the same chick. Which looks to upset the dude.
All in all it could be referencing how some friendships are toxic but people dont realize it. Everyone has grotten older now, we see it mentioned that the dude seems to travel every now and again, which must mean he has a decent music career. Meanwhile the two chicks look like to be washed up musicians that arent doing anything with thier lives, stuck in thier home town. Also the prey chick seems to be sticking around with the pred chick, which could be like an anaolgy towards abuse. The dude is upset, but like maybe he wanted to eat her idk.
Posted by epicprivate 2 years ago Report
I should clarify this is for the origin trilogy. Totally forgot about the ones prior to this
Posted by EmilyNidhoggr 2 years ago Report
Oh, no not quite. I think the original story must be necessary for context.
They're all kind of washed up, Tom is using looking after Chalchi (who has become a bit codependent and borderline disabled as the downside of the healing powers she gained from the events of the first series) as an excuse not to pursue his dreams, and to just channel them into a project that gets longer and longer and never materialises.
Titania is still friends with them, we see her hanging out with Chalchi in 5: Resolutions, but she isn't the most supportive friend, we see that she likes being eaten now but isn't really there for Chalchi's less fun needs in the way Tom is.
When Titania tells Tom that he doesn't need to put his dreams on hold for Chalchi because she can always look after her, he gets pissy because he knows she's sort of wrong but also sort of right, except he's grown codependent too and doesn't want to give up his special supportive role.
That's why he snaps at Chalchi when he goes to bring her groceries and she's just lounging there like a fat blob. It's not that she ate Titania (which she hasn't in that scene), it's more that he feels in that moment like she ate his dreams.
Posted by NagaRelic 3 years ago Report
that was honestly kinda wholesome and made sense how much it hurt her to see someone 'vanish'
Posted by MianQ 3 years ago Report
AAA I love how you portayed her!!
Posted by LizardWizard444 3 years ago Report
god this is wholesome I love it
Posted by Whereaminow27 2 years ago Report
That guy is a dick. And she feels bad :?
Posted by EmilyNidhoggr 2 years ago Report
Yeah, she feels bad because he was a dick.
Posted by doomed 2 years ago Report
Oooh this kinda makes me wonder if reforming is a blessing or a curse
Posted by doomed 1 year ago Report
This is wonderful
Posted by Bright 1 year ago Report
Singleflusher is a surprising apt insult
Posted by doomed 1 year ago Report
Wow
Posted by Sehnsucht 1 year ago Report
So on top of this sequence being an excellent showcase for just how accomplished you are as an artist (too many details to note: the nurse's pose, Chalchi's arms crossed over her head in the festival), this is metres-deep in symbolism. I enjoyed mulling over Tom and Ch's codependencies, the selfishness of the band members, and the unexpected warmth of the sister. Have the feeling that there's so much I haven't yet got; but also get the feeling it's the kind of piece that will reveal more when I reread it in six months, kind of thing.
I love the way scene transitions are basically vestigial. We flit from place to place according to what the story needs. Gives those sections that practise this a dreamlike quality, and those sections that are more casual a concreteness that makes them stand out (generally these correspond to consumptions, IIRC!).
Nobody else can do what you can do. It's really quite something.
Posted by EmilyNidhoggr 1 year ago Report
Ayyy thanks boo.
This guy gets it.
Yeah, the dream-like nature is sort of meant to be a reverberation (the title of the episode where it all goes off the rails) of taking an unexpected heroic dose of experimental hallucinogens, the trauma of which is also kind of the core of their relationship, to the extent it's co-dependent.
They were friends before the event, and bonded over music, Tolkien, drugs, and Chalchi's appetite; all of which become grand and numinous due to the role they play in the trip, and so all of which turn dark and terrifying as the unhealthy status quo created by the trip falls apart.
Hence the finale being Silmarillion-themed, which I'm guessing is the main reason why it seems to have flopped compared to the rest of the series, especially on deviantart (nobody's read that shit).
Posted by Sehnsucht 1 year ago Report
On the final point, and related to a point you've made separately about marketing the dream destroying the dream: I wonder if it's possible to make a work using some default vore-fashionable IP that convinces people to become comfortable with exploring things they're not already comfortable with. Have no idea what this might look like, but it would be at least amusing to take Sailor Moon or Teen Titans (or whatever the cool kids are stuffing inside itself these days) and turn it into a training manual for general awareness/perversion.
Such an attempt is only worth it if it's fun to do and doesn't cheapen the dream. Think the latter condition has been met before, though: consider how HPMoR did something amazingly cool (and furthered the author's agenda) based on a pre-existing, slightly silly IP.
I have absolutely no idea where to begin with such a project :p
Posted by EmilyNidhoggr 1 year ago Report
True, HPMOR was lightning in a bottle though.
Strangely enough I think the Garfield online fandom has the closest vibe to what I'm going for, using Garfield as an eldritch monster to explore the existential horror of Jim Davis's existence, through the torment of his self insert character Jon.
I feel like that narrative has run its course though- people already get it.
I've been considering doing something with the vore community's unhealthy obsession with pokemon, but telling that story properly would mean researching pokemon, which I really don't want to do, because it's absolutely endless. It wouldn't be sincere anyway, because I haven't been a genuine member of the pokemon fandom so it would just seem like an outside excoriating their hobbies.
I've done derivative works of His Dark Materials and The Three Body Problem before, but only small one-shots, and nobody really engaged with them.
The one thing that I am both a genuine fan of, and that's full of recognisable brands that vore audiences seem to have an appetite for (for good reason, it's a perfectly vorny series), is One Piece. But One Piece needs no derivative works- it tells its own story flawlessly.