Comics Collection Melissa N. Collection [2024-06-13] [Melissa N.]

[LadyBoyJay]

You're absolutely right, but (and I'll think you'll agree with this based on our past discussions) there have been plot points and dialogue that are very hard to reconcile. An explanation is certainly possible, especially if supernatural aspects do get introduced, but it's just as easily possible to be mistakes in writing due to how long this has gone on. After all, it's not like Melissa's other works haven't ever suffered light/poor characterization/character motivations, etc.

It is difficult to really review Aphrodite's Mirror because it is in the video game equivalent of early access. I think it is fair to make criticisms based on the current information available. However, it is also fair to call those criticisms premature. I think moving forward, we can all just mentally place an imaginary asterisk after every stated opinion. For example, from the recent update, I'm surprised that Marina was willing to risk putting an innocent and seemingly heroic person like James into danger. I had higher expectations of her. *Opinion is based on the current story, subject to change with future updates (insert more boilerplate legal disclaimers)...

I like the premise of how Angel ended, and the individual parts were great. Illyria's "Would you like me to lie to you now" and "I wish to do more violence", and Lindsey's end was poetic. But for as much as it tried to wrap up story lines, it was basically never going to succeed since Whedon hadn't expected the show to be canceled, leaving a lot of the potential story arcs unfinished. Although, obviously I'm biased as a huge Fred/Amy Acker fan and was particularly put off that such an interesting character arc that started in Season 5 was cut short of a true payoff.

What an acting performance from Amy Acker! From Fred to Illyria, simply amazing! That is precisely why I rank season 5 of Angel as one of the best seasons in TV history. Lots of great, unforgettable moments! Could it have been even better? Yes! My ideas would have totally been better! Would I have loved to have seen several more seasons? Absolutely! Still, I'm very thankful for what we were able to get.

What doesn't help is we're getting flashbacks, inside of flashbacks, inside of a dream sequence. Don't forget, that even after this flashback between Elena and Marina is over, we still need to go back and wrap up the conversation and see how Elena/Andrew reacts to "Aphrodite" "returning" this memory. I mean, there's a real strong chance with this last bit of dialogue, we're going back into a flash back to see what Filip did.

If I'm being uncharitable, I'd argue this is padding to draw out the story for Patreon. If I'm more charitable, I think Melissa HAD to do this because she's basically written herself into a situation where no one is trustworthy so the readers are second guessing every little thing. All of this could have been super simplified into a few lines of dialogue where Marina just explained everything in the first level of the flashbacks. But the audience can't trust her, so we're having to go deeper and actually see it play out in the second layer of flashbacks so that we can "trust" that what she says is true.

Of course, that'll go all out the window if we're later told that the flashbacks were only how Marina were describing them and not necessarily how things actually played out. Or if Aphrodite does the same to Andrew/Elena about this hospital trip. At which point I think the vein in my forehead would burst,

For me, the biggest takeaway from this latest part (taking Marina at her word, and also interpreting all this clarification as Melissa trying to nail down and refute certain theories): I think Marina is telling the truth and she/Melissa are justifying and trying to demonstrate that Marina is loyal to Andrew/Elena, and that she's using James, not conspiring with him (this doesn't rule out James using Marina for his own plot).

I'll generally agree that we're not really advancing the actual plot though. It's quite a bit of padding, and there's a lot of redundant panels and dialogue. And I sense that whatever the actual twist is will be revealed in the present, rather than the past. We're getting a bit more motivations for some of these players, although conspicuously absent is Nikos.

Personally, I'm questioning how accurate all of this new information is. We are seeing things that Andrew/Elena was not present for so it is reasonable to doubt some of it. Even if I give Marina my full trust (I do trust her), I don't even know if I'm getting her story. Whose projected memories am I looking at? Andrew's? Elena's? Andrew/Elena's? Aphrodite's?

Also, I've got another story recommendation for MTF AP fans. Make me your big tit housewife just got a brand new update today, check it out!

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Hit the previous chapter to start at the beginning and then progress forward through chapters until the most recent update of chapter 15. Give Azrieal some encouragement if you like the recent update.

 

[Stevedore100]

For me, the biggest takeaway from this latest part (taking Marina at her word, and also interpreting all this clarification as Melissa trying to nail down and refute certain theories): I think Marina is telling the truth and she/Melissa are justifying and trying to demonstrate that Marina is loyal to Andrew/Elena, and that she's using James, not conspiring with him (this doesn't rule out James using Marina for his own plot).

I'll generally agree that we're not really advancing the actual plot though. It's quite a bit of padding, and there's a lot of redundant panels and dialogue. And I sense that whatever the actual twist is will be revealed in the present, rather than the past. We're getting a bit more motivations for some of these players, although conspicuously absent is Nikos.

That's exactly what I got out of this - Marina seems truthful. James, I dint know, is he just a useful prop, or is he in on it some way (recall Filip didn't like him and we are going to get some Filip gossip next time).

The story has lagged - even the 1st aphrodite/Andrew thing was a bit long. I'm all in on a complicated plot, but and a nice reunion if Andrew and Marina to clear stuff up, but get to the point and be done!

Can anyone else hear Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien playing faintly in the distance?

Absolutely! This is the most apt comparison. We should start comparing how many levels dwn each has gone

 

[rebirth095]

However, it is also fair to call those criticisms premature.

I'm gonna be a bit pedantic and hopefully not come off as too much of an ass here, but I've never been ok with "it'll get patched" as an excuse for games in early access, and I equally don't think it's fair to consider criticisms "premature" for an ongoing release. Criticisms may or may not be addressed, either due to the author's original intentions or because upon seeing feedback, the author added scenes to address those criticisms. But the author chooses what and how much they release. It is absolutely fair to criticize what they have released.

Like for instance, back in Chapter 13 (PG420), Marina keeps stuttering when trying to refer to Andrew as Andrew. This is before the more extensive surgery, and she's already thinking that she can't recognize her husband anymore. Next chapter, PG465 onwards, Marina (as Andrew suggested) refers to Andrew as Aunt Elena. Andrew questions this, asking why she's calling him Elena even when they're alone. Marina suggests that she needs to keep up appearances, since she's not sure they're ever truly alone.

Yet now in our current flashback within a dream sequence, Marina openly uses the name Andrew without hesitation or any stuttering, despite Elena now having gone through extensive surgery and looking even less like Andrew than before.

This isn't some "plot is broken, story is irredeemable" critique. And I'm sure there can be a justification made. Melissa could add another three flashbacks where Marina clarifies that she really misses her husband and is only calling Elena Andrew, not because she recognizes him, but because she's desperate to remind him of his real identity.

But there's all sorts of these things where characters don't preserve emotional continuity as we jump forward and backwards in time. As it currently stands, characters are extremely underdeveloped. Melissa could make them more interesting in the future, but that doesn't change the fact that in the first thousand or so pages, we've basically got a bunch of planks of wood with loads of exposition. In most TF fiction, I wouldn't mind that, because we usually get the trade off of some hot feminization or sex scenes. But instead we're given nesting dolls of mystery boxes.

Even if I give Marina my full trust (I do trust her), I don't even know if I'm getting her story. Whose projected memories am I looking at? Andrew's? Elena's? Andrew/Elena's? Aphrodite's?

I think in terms of maintaining useful discourse, we have to assume that the scenes we're seeing playing out are the real way things happened, and Marina is describing them in full to Elena. Just like a flashback in a movie or other story, the audience is privy to the third party camera that sees all. Doesn't mean any dialogue she says is truthful, but as far as I can recall, Melissa has written Aphrodite's Mirror where there's no "unreliable narrator", in that whatever is shown that's "on screen" is what actually happened. Otherwise, if "not real" stuff starts being on the table as part of the analysis... whoo boy... that opens a whole can of worms.

Absolutely! This is the most apt comparison. We should start comparing how many levels dwn each has gone

Sure, we've got the nested storytelling, but we've also got a lot of nonlinear storytelling, like Memento, Pulp Fiction, or the Prestige. There's no telling whether after this dream sequence, maybe we jump forward in time again, and have more flash backs to fill in some blanks.

 

[chalana.56]

It is no coincidence that I'm one of the Battlestar Galatica fans that absolutely loved how it ended. Some people hated it, so it was a very divisive ending.

Also, if anyone would like to check out a new story (not comic) similar to Aphrodite's Mirror, check out Turning into my Girlfriend's Mom!

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oh this is something i was waiting to show up in foxface's kemono page. thnx.

 

[LadyBoyJay]

I'm gonna be a bit pedantic and hopefully not come off as too much of an ass here, but I've never been ok with "it'll get patched" as an excuse for games in early access, and I equally don't think it's fair to consider criticisms "premature" for an ongoing release. Criticisms may or may not be addressed, either due to the author's original intentions or because upon seeing feedback, the author added scenes to address those criticisms. But the author chooses what and how much they release. It is absolutely fair to criticize what they have released.

Like for instance, back in Chapter 13 (PG420), Marina keeps stuttering when trying to refer to Andrew as Andrew. This is before the more extensive surgery, and she's already thinking that she can't recognize her husband anymore. Next chapter, PG465 onwards, Marina (as Andrew suggested) refers to Andrew as Aunt Elena. Andrew questions this, asking why she's calling him Elena even when they're alone. Marina suggests that she needs to keep up appearances, since she's not sure they're ever truly alone.

Yet now in our current flashback within a dream sequence, Marina openly uses the name Andrew without hesitation or any stuttering, despite Elena now having gone through extensive surgery and looking even less like Andrew than before.

This isn't some "plot is broken, story is irredeemable" critique. And I'm sure there can be a justification made. Melissa could add another three flashbacks where Marina clarifies that she really misses her husband and is only calling Elena Andrew, not because she recognizes him, but because she's desperate to remind him of his real identity.

But there's all sorts of these things where characters don't preserve emotional continuity as we jump forward and backwards in time. As it currently stands, characters are extremely underdeveloped. Melissa could make them more interesting in the future, but that doesn't change the fact that in the first thousand or so pages, we've basically got a bunch of planks of wood with loads of exposition. In most TF fiction, I wouldn't mind that, because we usually get the trade off of some hot feminization or sex scenes. But instead we're given nesting dolls of mystery boxes.

I personally agree with you. I'm obviously willing to criticize things in early access. However, I do understand the opposite point of view and I do personally think it is valid. I also agree with you on Marina's inconsistent behavior with the asterisk of my opinion being based on the information currently available. Back on 8muses, I think in April/May, I criticized the story for not having enough character development. I would love to know so much more about all of the other characters! I've previously called Nikos an empty suit. I still feel that way and it is unfortunate. I (through the eyes of the protagonist) want to feel something for Nikos. Love or hate, just let me feel something. Sure, I want to see sex scenes but they would be so much more impactful if I had good or bad feelings towards Nikos. I also talked about how detrimental that I felt it was that we didn't have a true villain to focus our hate on. This was, in my opinion, one of the reasons that we started becoming suspicious of everyone. I also said that at the time, the only person we were being told to hate was Mr. Toska, and I really couldn't hate him. Everyone knew of his reputation, yet still wanted to try and con him. It feels like being mad at a bear for biting you after you poked it.

oh this is something i was waiting to show up in foxface's kemono page. thnx.

Great story! It really felt like a fan of Aphrodite's Mirror commissioned it.

 

[Thalantyr]

I'm gonna be a bit pedantic and hopefully not come off as too much of an ass here, but I've never been ok with "it'll get patched" as an excuse for games in early access, and I equally don't think it's fair to consider criticisms "premature" for an ongoing release. Criticisms may or may not be addressed, either due to the author's original intentions or because upon seeing feedback, the author added scenes to address those criticisms. But the author chooses what and how much they release. It is absolutely fair to criticize what they have released.

Like for instance, back in Chapter 13 (PG420), Marina keeps stuttering when trying to refer to Andrew as Andrew. This is before the more extensive surgery, and she's already thinking that she can't recognize her husband anymore. Next chapter, PG465 onwards, Marina (as Andrew suggested) refers to Andrew as Aunt Elena. Andrew questions this, asking why she's calling him Elena even when they're alone. Marina suggests that she needs to keep up appearances, since she's not sure they're ever truly alone.

Yet now in our current flashback within a dream sequence, Marina openly uses the name Andrew without hesitation or any stuttering, despite Elena now having gone through extensive surgery and looking even less like Andrew than before.

This isn't some "plot is broken, story is irredeemable" critique. And I'm sure there can be a justification made. Melissa could add another three flashbacks where Marina clarifies that she really misses her husband and is only calling Elena Andrew, not because she recognizes him, but because she's desperate to remind him of his real identity.

But there's all sorts of these things where characters don't preserve emotional continuity as we jump forward and backwards in time. As it currently stands, characters are extremely underdeveloped. Melissa could make them more interesting in the future, but that doesn't change the fact that in the first thousand or so pages, we've basically got a bunch of planks of wood with loads of exposition. In most TF fiction, I wouldn't mind that, because we usually get the trade off of some hot feminization or sex scenes. But instead we're given nesting dolls of mystery boxes.



I think in terms of maintaining useful discourse, we have to assume that the scenes we're seeing playing out are the real way things happened, and Marina is describing them in full to Elena. Just like a flashback in a movie or other story, the audience is privy to the third party camera that sees all. Doesn't mean any dialogue she says is truthful, but as far as I can recall, Melissa has written Aphrodite's Mirror where there's no "unreliable narrator", in that whatever is shown that's "on screen" is what actually happened. Otherwise, if "not real" stuff starts being on the table as part of the analysis... whoo boy... that opens a whole can of worms.



Sure, we've got the nested storytelling, but we've also got a lot of nonlinear storytelling, like Memento, Pulp Fiction, or the Prestige. There's no telling whether after this dream sequence, maybe we jump forward in time again, and have more flash backs to fill in some blanks.

I think all your criticisms are valid, and no, you're not coming off as an ass. You may be nitpicking slightly more than I would (yes she stutters on "Andrew", but she also stutters on "But" so I'm not reading anything specific into that other than that she's just shocked in general), but your overall point about her attitude in chapter 13 vs. chapter 21 is solid. Though perhaps the shock of seeing his transformation in 13 blunted the additional shock of seeing him in 21. Who knows. I also agree with both you and LadyBoyJay that more character development certainly couldn't hurt.

 

[hornee1]

Anyone has something from TGLulu?

 

[Elaine.]

Anyone has something from TGLulu?

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[Marschall1]

A Kpop Idol (Chapter 9 Part 1):

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[Thalantyr]

I'm not sure how I feel about Kpop. The story hasn't really grabbed me yet, and I feel like I'm just waiting around for the porn to get started. I'd love it if it turns out that Minji has some actual depth to her, but so far she just seems like a generic sociopathic forced femme villain à la Sara from Temporary Roommate.

 

[Elaine.]

I just read the latest part and it was basically a regurgitation of what had gone on already. the hero only vows in the last frame to do something about his situation but only after he goes to see a doctor.

 

[Marschall1]

I like it a lot so far - my only criticism is that (like with all recent Melissa stories) the main character goes from looking like a crossdressing man to 100% beautiful biological female 'off-screen', between panels. In Kpop Idol this happens between the end of Chapter 4 and the start of Chapter 5.

It was the same with Mirror, Andrew gets all these science fiction surgeries off-screen so that when we see him afterwards he just looks like a different person.

 

[rebirth095]

I'm not sure how I feel about Kpop. The story hasn't really grabbed me yet, and I feel like I'm just waiting around for the porn to get started. I'd love it if it turns out that Minji has some actual depth to her, but so far she just seems like a generic sociopathic forced femme villain à la Sara from Temporary Roommate.

For me:

The Good: Some great variety of outfits. So many of these feminization stories jump straight to and stick exclusively with lowcut dresses with tiny skirts, and have no real variety of shoes and accessories. I'm glad we've been getting workout outfits, thigh high stockings, chokers, and different types of high heels.

I like the attempt at adding feminization "mechanisms". The earpiece stuff could be used creatively (I do like in the latest chapter of selectively allowing Nick to only listen to certain things. This could lead to creative conditioning, like aversion to certain sounds and maybe even adding in loss of English comprehension). The "Bed Heels" in the feminization tfgame The Company were really hot to me, and we kind of have something similar here with the forced heels. I can also get onboard with "temporary, but takes time to wear off" things like the voice spray. That can add plot tension if done properly. Hopefully we get more creative mechanisms, outside of magic hormones/surgery.

Considering how attractive kpop idols can be, I'm hopeful that the end result will be quite pleasing to the eyes. That, and some particularly stunning/sexy outfits.

Race change can be hit or miss for me, but so far, I'm liking some of the details being included. They're not particularly deep, but as long as we don't have that godawful repeat from Journey Into the Unknown where the story can't seem to decide what it wants, I could be on board.

The Bad: We're hundreds of pages in and no one has any real motivations. Once again, we've got a bunch of planks of wood, doing whatever the plot needs. I wouldn't mind Minji feminizing Nick "for the lulz" if she actually had some personality to it. Like, does she find it to be a turn on? And of course, some more concrete motivations would be great. It's not like there's supposed to be a mystery here... so why are we hiding her motivations?

The pacing of the feminization is all over the place. In the crucial chapter where it's relevant (Chapter 5 and onwards), Nick still has a fairly masculine face, and not particularly asian looking features. But what's even sillier to me is that without makeup, Nick looks more feminine than with makeup (comparing Ch5 with Ch6). Given how we're slowly moving through the feminization steps, it sure would be nice to seeing Nick actually "absorb" those lessons into his routine. Nick changes nail polish in almost every chapter, but considering how much infor dumping we get, we could easily see him reflecting on his feminization while also doing feminine tasks. It would really help sell the idea that he's internalizing his feminization. Instead, half these chapters start with a monologue with him thinking to himself while posing on the bed. Could easily incorporate his feminization training (makeup, shaving, exercises, etc).

I praised the diverse outfits before, but we once again have a story where there's a huge jump in feminine attire. As in a previous post I made, where are the leggings? The skinny jeans? Tight pair of shorts? Hell, it doesn't even have to be tight, since early Nick doesn't have the figure yet. So why not high-waisted female shorts that give the illusion of wider hips and a narrower waist while showing off more legs? In terms of nightwear, why tank tops and slips and not feminine shorts and tees? Why is Nick wearing a sports bra rather than starting with say, a racerback tank top? Considering how slow the progression is, seems like having more granularity would add to the progression. Because we're gonna get plenty of night scenes in nightwear, plenty of "outfits" for performing in, and plenty of workout outfits, presumably. So why are we jumping to some of the most feminine ones before Nick even has the body to work with them?

The Ugly: Going back to plot... why are there all these "ticking clock" plot points introduced that don't do anything? Roy says he's coming back tomorrow. But he doesn't show up for 17 days. Even assuming he needed some time to track down the girls Nick was with... that's an awful long time if he's really after Nick? The voice spray lasts two weeks. And it's made a big deal to the plot... and then just kind of is forgotten about (and based on text color, Nick isn't even trying to sound feminine...?) Nick gets put into chastity, and outside of a single page where he monologues his displeasure, it's lost as a plot point. I'm not saying Forever Summer by mymoonlly is perfect, but that's a story where the individual steps actively plays a role in how the feminized character is feeling and progressing.

 

[Thalantyr]

I like the attempt at adding feminization "mechanisms". The earpiece stuff could be used creatively (I do like in the latest chapter of selectively allowing Nick to only listen to certain things. This could lead to creative conditioning, like aversion to certain sounds and maybe even adding in loss of English comprehension).

It's certainly unique- not something I've ever seen in a feminization story before, but I think this particular device would be more at home in a much darker truly forced feminization story where the victim is physically imprisoned. Because if one of my "friends" tricked me into wearing something that took away my hearing and couldn't be removed, I would freak. the fuck. out. As would most people, I believe. That would be terrifying, and it would be abundantly clear that the situation had gotten completely out of control and my friend is not looking out for my best interests. As long as I wasn't being physically restrained I'd be bolting for the door and straight to a doctor to have them removed. At the very least I'd expect Nick to be much more upset than he is.

 

[rebirth095]

It's certainly unique- not something I've ever seen in a feminization story before, but I think this particular device would be more at home in a much darker truly forced feminization story where the victim is physically imprisoned. Because if one of my "friends" tricked me into wearing something that took away my hearing and couldn't be removed, I would freak. the fuck. out. As would most people, I believe. That would be terrifying, and it would be abundantly clear that the situation had gotten completely out of control and my friend is not looking out for my best interests. As long as I wasn't being physically restrained I'd be bolting for the door and straight to a doctor to have them removed. At the very least I'd expect Nick to be much more upset than he is.

That would require these characters to behave like human beings though . After all, this is the same series where one of the girls is told that this white guy they just met wants to transition into a Korean woman, and that is met with response weaker than a light fart.

You're right on the money though: it's really jarring that the tone of the story (and level of response) is so at odds with the actual plot. That's given me some ideas though. It would have been really interesting if it was actually an implant much deeper in the ear, so that Nick didn't realize it was there. There could have been this gradual messing with the senses. Or seeding an "inner voice".

Or on the flipside, rather than be a punishment, it might have been less "imprisoning" if it were treated like a tool that "malfunctioned". Like, if Minji and the other girls all had one inserted, and it was meant for keeping a beat, but then Nick's "malfunctioned", or maybe the device was set for Korean and Minji "forgot", which is why Nick gets stuck having to communicate/listen only in Korean.

Goes back to the general problem: The story can't seem to commit to a theme. If it's a forced feminization, why doesn't Nick resist more when there's all these red flags? If Minji is trying to be subtle, why introduce so many unsubtle and unjustifiable feminization steps? Or conversely, if she's not being subtle, why is she even using any pretense of trying to "help" Nick? As you say, it's almost like the story could have just been a more direct forced feminization:

Minji first uses the threat of Roy to get Nick under her roof. Next she seduces and locks his cock. She could have then insisted that she wouldn't free his cock unless he continued to obey, which gets the sound blockers, leaving Nick even more at her mercy.

 

[misseva88]

(...)
The Bad: We're hundreds of pages in and no one has any real motivations. Once again, we've got a bunch of planks of wood, doing whatever the plot needs. I wouldn't mind Minji feminizing Nick "for the lulz" if she actually had some personality to it. Like, does she find it to be a turn on? And of course, some more concrete motivations would be great. It's not like there's supposed to be a mystery here... so why are we hiding her motivations?
(...)

Captain Marvel made a billion dollar with a plank of wood in the title role. Sadly modern entertainment isn't about anything anymore. It's only self-referential without realising what story they're trying to tell. If Melissa is influenced by modern entertainment she may not know any better.

 

[rebirth095]

Captain Marvel made a billion dollar with a plank of wood in the title role. Sadly modern entertainment isn't about anything anymore. It's only self-referential without realising what story they're trying to tell. If Melissa is influenced by modern entertainment she may not know any better.

As a huge Carol Danvers/Ms Marvel fan (one that was a fan BEFORE the Captain Marvel rebranding and subsequent stories were focused on being tumblr bait), the movie was always going to have issues because Carol's actual personality would be seen as "problematic". Carol is tough as nails, sure, but she's also weird, nerdy, and most unpalatable to certain groups: is hot and knows it. Her original backstory would have similarly been viewed as "problematic", considering it involved no fewer than two mind rapes and being impregnated and brainwashed into marrying her supernatural spawn.

So yeah: the movie had to strip her of all personality, because heaven forbid you have a female lead that is confident in her looks and also has some flaws. Can't leave our main character open to criticisms /s!

Seriously: we're talking about a character that in comics: after having her powers stolen and mind fucked, became an alcoholic, kicked the habit to hang out with the x-men for a while, got kidnapped by aliens, experimented and triggered her latent powers, had space pirate adventures, and then came back to Earth and wrote about her space adventures to publish a series of best selling sci-fi novels.

Also, she's a goddamn Major in comics. Demoting her to Captain just to have the branding is so freaking dumb.

There are some absolute hacks writing nowadays, absolutely. Doctor Who during the Chibnall era was a complete joke. Matt Reeves and Zack Snyder have no fucking clue how to write Batman as a character/person. Alex Kurtzman should never have been allowed to screw up Star Trek in over half a dozen tv shows and movies. The list goes on.

But before blaming them, I'll blame the infantile, surface level, shallow "analysis" that has plagued social media and youtube. Because having shallow media is one thing, but if the analysis that's popularized is also of poor quality, then there's no room to grow. Instead, you've got an entire generation of kids that grew up thinking that "deep lore" in the form of mystery boxes is the same as "good writing" (fuck you especially, JJ Abrams). Don't get me wrong, before youtube, there was plenty of ship-to-ship fanfic wars, but social media has made that all encompassing when it comes to character discussion. FFS, one of the prevailing talking points after the latst Spider-Man animated movie was whether or not Ghost Spider/Spider-Gwen was trans because of the color theming during a scene. Like... WHAT?! People have lost all sense of the idea that characters and stories can be meant to resonate with a variety of groups, and not have to be so on the nose that they only represent one thing!

It wouldn't matter if all of our movies, tv, comics, and fiction were all exemplary in character writing and thematic quality if all the public is being trained to do is look at surface level traits. But it's not that surprising when you consider that apparently a large percent of young readers are more preoccupied with which two characters secretly wanna bang each other over the actual plot.

 

[Tjssss]

As a huge Carol Danvers/Ms Marvel fan (one that was a fan BEFORE the Captain Marvel rebranding and subsequent stories were focused on being tumblr bait), the movie was always going to have issues because Carol's actual personality would be seen as "problematic". Carol is tough as nails, sure, but she's also weird, nerdy, and most unpalatable to certain groups: is hot and knows it. Her original backstory would have similarly been viewed as "problematic", considering it involved no fewer than two mind rapes and being impregnated and brainwashed into marrying her supernatural spawn.

So yeah: the movie had to strip her of all personality, because heaven forbid you have a female lead that is confident in her looks and also has some flaws. Can't leave our main character open to criticisms /s!

Seriously: we're talking about a character that in comics: after having her powers stolen and mind fucked, became an alcoholic, kicked the habit to hang out with the x-men for a while, got kidnapped by aliens, experimented and triggered her latent powers, had space pirate adventures, and then came back to Earth and wrote about her space adventures to publish a series of best selling sci-fi novels.

Also, she's a goddamn Major in comics. Demoting her to Captain just to have the branding is so freaking dumb.

There are some absolute hacks writing nowadays, absolutely. Doctor Who during the Chibnall era was a complete joke. Matt Reeves and Zack Snyder have no fucking clue how to write Batman as a character/person. Alex Kurtzman should never have been allowed to screw up Star Trek in over half a dozen tv shows and movies. The list goes on.

But before blaming them, I'll blame the infantile, surface level, shallow "analysis" that has plagued social media and youtube. Because having shallow media is one thing, but if the analysis that's popularized is also of poor quality, then there's no room to grow. Instead, you've got an entire generation of kids that grew up thinking that "deep lore" in the form of mystery boxes is the same as "good writing" (fuck you especially, JJ Abrams). Don't get me wrong, before youtube, there was plenty of ship-to-ship fanfic wars, but social media has made that all encompassing when it comes to character discussion. FFS, one of the prevailing talking points after the latst Spider-Man animated movie was whether or not Ghost Spider/Spider-Gwen was trans because of the color theming during a scene. Like... WHAT?! People have lost all sense of the idea that characters and stories can be meant to resonate with a variety of groups, and not have to be so on the nose that they only represent one thing!

It wouldn't matter if all of our movies, tv, comics, and fiction were all exemplary in character writing and thematic quality if all the public is being trained to do is look at surface level traits. But it's not that surprising when you consider that apparently a large percent of young readers are more preoccupied with which two characters secretly wanna bang each other over the actual plot.

Yeah that's why I masturbate to feminization stories too.

 

[rebirth095]

Yeah that's why I masturbate to feminization stories too.

lol, fair. Honestly though, while I've been enjoying some aspects, I just haven't found Kpop Idol particularly fap worthy. Nick isn't particularly sexy yet, and he puts up so little resistance it doesn't really satisfy my forced feminization kinks. Kinda in a bit of a holding pattern waiting for Kpop to get sexy (either in the images or in the story), since Elena's design isn't doing it for me in Aphrodite's Mirror.

 

[Tjssss]

lol, fair. Honestly though, while I've been enjoying some aspects, I just haven't found Kpop Idol particularly fap worthy. Nick isn't particularly sexy yet, and he puts up so little resistance it doesn't really satisfy my forced feminization kinks. Kinda in a bit of a holding pattern waiting for Kpop to get sexy (either in the images or in the story), since Elena's design isn't doing it for me in Aphrodite's Mirror.

I'm only taking the piss. I don't mind these digressions in a forum chat. That's what it's for, no?

Kpop just never grabbed me as a story to start with for whatever reason so I don't pay much attention to it. I keep an eye on the discussion about it in case I see something that interests me.

Mirror I find inexplicably sexy. I think it's something about the power dynamic of going from a young guy to a submissive milf. It's the first time I really engaged with an age progression tg thing, and the embracing of having a lack of agency gets me going.

That said, I get frustrated at the pacing and flashback-within-flashback structure of it. After it's finished, I'd like a remix of Mirror just laying everything out in chronological order. I don't mind a bit of twisty turny stuff in my porn comics, but my knob loses interest a bit when it can't keep track of the present.