Serval and Kaban are the most wholesome and adorable couple in the history of Crypto-Lesbian Subtext.

--G.
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It did, indeed, still happen. Shepard was kind of a law unto herself in those days. :)

--G.
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From my viewpoint, it looks like the WDF in general, and veterans of Eight-Ball Squadron in particular, had a leaning towards that approach to life.

Peter Eng
--
Insert humorous comment here.

And now you see why certain portions of the galactic public were more easily convinced of the WDF "Excesses" by GENOM's PR campaign during and after Sonfall...

--- Philip

	Philip J. Moyer Contributing Writer, Editor and Artist (and Moderator) -- Eyrie Productions, Unlimited CEO of MTS, High Poobah Of Artwork, and High Priest Of the Church Of Aerianne -- Magnetic Terrapin Studios "Insert Pithy Comment Here" Fandoms -- Fanart -- Fan Meta Discussions

Well, what? It was an animal preserve. She was preserving an animal.

--G.
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Brown Rat is wise. (And not joking.)

--G.
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And I'm wondering, was the kinda creepy phrasing around the sample bun description and the stuff Goji and Kaban picked up in the brochure inspired by anything in the original work? Because there were some things Lucky Beast said now and then that really made me go "Wow, the people who came up with this were not really tracking that Friends were people."

-IA.

(received information not interpretable)

Not directly, but like you say, there is a reasonably sinister undercurrent to some of the backstory, particularly late in the (first) series. (And also in the official manga, which is set while the Park was still operational.) Much like the stuff lurking just out of view in the World Witches setting, it's at odds with the overt tone of the franchise, but there's enough of it that I'm reasonably sure I didn't imagine it.

--G.
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Hmmm. I'm not sure. It doesn't feel like an unnatural development to me, but then with it's being backstory, a lot of my criteria for that don't even make sense. Still, I feel like having some suggestions that the people behind the park were at least as varied as any other similarly large enterprise works. Which... isn't quite what I'd say about some things in World Witches.

-IA.

(But that's a subject for another thread.)

oh... dear.

dbrandon

A fun read so far. Presumably that plant extract is some local form of catnip? I don't recognise the names given.

Definitely looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Edit: whups, now I've read the new Annotations posts.

--
Unable to save the day: File is read-only.

Yeah, silver vine is sort of the East Asian equivalent of catnip. I gather that anytime you see a reference to catnip in Japanese media that's been localized for North America, they're probably really talking about silver vine in the original.

--G.
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> "Hey, Kaban. Have you noticed how quiet it is?"
>
> Kaban climbed up beside her, settling her elbows on the roof
> of the bus, and replied, "My hearing isn't as sharp as
> yours... but yes, I had. It's strange."
> <...>
> For the rest of the trip, though there was nothing obviously
> wrong, both travelers felt vaguely uneasy; but nothing
> happened, and they entered the remains of Renraku City
> without incident.

I feel like there's a setup there that was never realized. I mean, I'm not jonesing for a jumpscare here, but with the whole "it's too quiet..." schtick I was expecting something to happen.

Maybe I'm just jonesing for cliches.

> "Somebody's following us," Serval murmured. "Whoever it is,
> they're almost silent, but I'd swear we're being stalked."

Okay, never mind, clearly I'm just impatient!

> "The name's Brown Rat," the brown-clad Friend went on.
> "Norway to my friends. I don't know if you two qualify yet.
> Who are you and what's your business in my little empire of
> ashes?"

Oooh, she's snarky, I like her!

Also, curious: is Norway original or was she in the source? (Her name is both blindingly obvious and subtly clever and if she's original I wish to congratulate you, sir.)

> Brown Rat looked her over with obvious distaste. "Great.
> A cat of some kind. My day is complete."

Instinctual dislike, or...? Because, I mean, you said that the Friends don't actually hunt and eat each other, so...

Maybe Norway just doesn't like the hunter-and-prey game. (Or maybe I'm overthinking things.)

> Kaban shook her head. "I'm not from outside. I was born
> in the Savannah from a Sandstar eruption. I'm a Friend.
> I just... happen to be a Friend whose animal side is
> also human."
>
> "... That's confusing," Brown Rat declared.

Don't feel bad, Norway. Self-referential objects can be a bitch to debug.

> "I've been feeling like something's out of place about
> this city since we got here," Kaban said, as much to
> think it out aloud as to explain it to the others. "It's
> not just that it's empty, I knew that. And looking at
> this," she went on, gesturing to the mostly-ruined block
> ahead of them, "I've realized what it is. There's too
> much damage."
> <...>
> "This city wasn't just abandoned," Kaban insisted.
> "It's been destroyed."

I mean, we already knew it wasn't a peaceful exodus? But the sort of damage described here (and the vagueness of the descriptions) makes me think...

... well, I've already mentioned Fallout, though I doubt you're heading anywhere near that territory. But still.

Oh! I know! Twilight Zone, "Two". That's what's been running through my head this whole time. The whole deserted, bombed-out city thing going on.

Never mind, I'll shut up and get back to the story how.

> "Maybe," said Kaban, but she sounded unconvinced. "I
> admit I don't really know what humans are like, even
> though I'm one myself. I'm the only one I've ever seen.
> But I know I wouldn't ruin a place just because I was
> leaving it. I'd try to leave it in as good a shape as I
> could, as a favor to whoever came along after me."

Wouldn't THAT be nice. For a trait that humanity had, I mean.

> "The Mark Two represents a revolutionary new application
> of the power of the mysterious substance we call
> 'Sandstar'," said Lucky Beast as if they hadn't spoken.
> "By leveraging Sandstar's strange power along with the
> most advanced matter manipulation technologies available,
> it can generate consumables literally from thin air. It
> is genuine magic, in the Clarkeian sense of the word."

I am suddenly getting a REAL bad feeling about this.

I mean, not like 'Cthulhuian monstrosities are going to grab all the Friends in their tentacles' bad feeling, but more the 'that sounds like something lots of folks would cheerfully level this place to get' sort of bad feeling.

> "What does that mean?" Brown Rat wondered.
> "No idea. Doesn't matter," Serval said. "Did you hear
> what he said? It makes food out of nothing!"

Y'know, I'm amused by the realization that either of them could have said either sentence and it would still have worked just as well.

> ... and then sprang forward and hugged her with all four
> limbs, arms around her neck, long legs locked around her
> waist, crying joyfully, "Kaaaaaban-chan!"

*snorfle*

I'm callin' it now: catnip-infused Scooby Snax.

> "Well, by the looks of it, play your cards right..."
> Brown Rat muttered, but she stopped when Kaban shot
> her a moment's you're not helping! glare mixed with
> an incandescent blush.

Brown Rat, I love you.

You owe me a new keyboard, but, I love you.

> "The sample I provided was formulation 72-549,
> recreational supplement for felids," Lucky Beast
> explained. "Its active ingredient is a concentrated
> extract of Actinida polygama, also known as matatabi
> or silver vine. This elicits feelings of euphoria and
> intensely amplified affection in feline users."

Called it!

So I had to look that up. I've never heard of silver vine before. Today I Learned and all that.

> "Now she's biting me. Or... sort of chewing. And
> drooling on me," Kaban said uncomfortably.
>
> "lvvvymmm," Serval declared around an increasingly
> sodden mouthful of Kaban's shirt and shoulder.
>
> "Also, biting and drooling," Lucky Beast confirmed.
>
> "I don't suppose they've got something like that for
> murids," Brown Rat wondered aloud, then shook her head.
> "Nah, on second thought, forget it. Need to stay
> focused."

I stand corrected. There is nothing crypto, nor even sub, about the lesbian text here.

Norway is bestest Friend. Fact.

(Yes, I'm stealin' yo lines.)

> "We'll have to," Kaban said, nodding. "It's way too
> heavy for any bird Friends we know to fly it back—even
> all of them working together. I hope we can find a boat."

If there wasn't at least *discussion* backstage about quoting Monty Python here, I shall be very disappointed.

> "What the hell?!" Norway interrupted, pointing into
> the southward sky.

Clearly it's neither a bird nor a plane! It appears to be... a CLIFFHANGER!

Dammit. :D

I'm liking this. I'm really liking this. Something nice and light and ... I dunno, *innocent*, somehow. It's not the usual UF fare and I'm still waiting to see how it ties in, but even though I'm cocking my head quizzically at the screen in that regard, I'm also finding myself grinning from ear to ear.

Thanks for dropping this on us! I'll tackle part 3 this weekend sometime, soon as I can.

--sofaspud
--gotta pace myself, I can only handle so much innocent glee per dose. my old and cynical heartstrings aren't used to this kind of plucking.

Brown Rat and Black Rat are both originals.

>> Brown Rat looked her over with obvious distaste. "Great.
>> A cat of some kind. My day is complete."
>
>Instinctual dislike, or...? Because, I mean, you said that the
>Friends don't actually hunt and eat each other, so...

No, but many of them have instinctive prejudices left over from their wilder days. These can be, and often are, overcome, but they're still there, especially if it's funny. :)

>I mean, not like 'Cthulhuian monstrosities are going to grab all the
>Friends in their tentacles' bad feeling, but more the 'that sounds
>like something lots of folks would cheerfully level this place to get'
>sort of bad feeling.

The funny thing is that it would have been, in 2340, but by the time we're seeing it, that's fairly commonplace technology (albeit usually powered by a ginormous fusion power plant rather than an Energon tesseract).

>I stand corrected. There is nothing crypto, nor even sub, about the
>lesbian text here.

The fun thing about Serval and Kaban's relationship is that they don't have any preconceived baggage about it; they live in a society that doesn't have "norms" as we would understand them IRL. They don't have to think about it, they just are what they are.

>> "We'll have to," Kaban said, nodding. "It's way too
>> heavy for any bird Friends we know to fly it back—even
>> all of them working together. I hope we can find a boat."
>
>If there wasn't at least *discussion* backstage about quoting Monty
>Python here, I shall be very disappointed.

I have to admit I mostly had that joke from the old Yogscast Whale Lords series in my head at that moment. "See if you can find a boat."

Glad you're enjoying it! I have been unexpectedly busy the last couple of days, but the finale is fully plotted and about half-written, and I should have tomorrow mostly clear to work on it.

--G.
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... Strangely enough, that may be less of a type mismatch than what you'll see on Sunday. :)

--G.
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Now that I've posted Part IV, I am free to say that you are not alone in this. :)

--G.
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I didn't quite get from the text her appearance that they were the classic godzilla plates, I'd assumed they were more like an armadillo's at first. I also assumed she wasn't that much taller than any other friend, so I kind of saw her growing to Rampage's size in the process. However, that's not supported by the text but does seem to be supported by the included artwork.

Its also good to hear you have at least two more parts to this, as there are still a lot of threads here that need tying up...

No, that's thanks to forced perspective. :) A good idea of her height relative to other Friends can be seen here and here You also can't really see her plates thanks to her position in the image.

--- Philip

	Philip J. Moyer Contributing Writer, Editor and Artist (and Moderator) -- Eyrie Productions, Unlimited CEO of MTS, High Poobah Of Artwork, and High Priest Of the Church Of Aerianne -- Magnetic Terrapin Studios "Insert Pithy Comment Here" Fandoms -- Fanart -- Fan Meta Discussions

You would think it would be a walrus-based Friend instead...

-- Bob
-------------------
My race is pacifist and does not believe in war. We kill only out of personal spite.

You absolute goddamn madman. I should have known you'd do it.

-----
Iä! Iä! Moe fthagn!

Not that I have any objection to Goji-chan! (One of the delights of UF is, as always, how well unfamiliar source materials are introduced and integrated.)

But I have to say, this title, combined with your recent postings over on the Games Conference, led me to expect a different sort of fighting monsters.

Heh. Pokémon do exist in the UF universe, but they are native to a different (and much less obscure) planet.

--G.
Goji used Atomic Beam! It's super effective! The opposing Rampage fainted!
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I would like to state for the record that this exchange still makes me chortle, several weeks after the initial positing.

(also, when I posted my art of Goji and Rampage's final confrontation on Tumblr, it got a reblog from somebody who put in the reblog "Finally another picture involving Kemono Friends x Beast Wars!", which is NOT the sort of response I was expecting - though apparently they had taken the tack of the Friends already existing and the Beast Warriors crashing there instead. Unfortunately, their fanfic of the idea appears to be removed on A3O, so no idea on how it turned out.)

	Philip J. Moyer Contributing Writer, Editor and Artist (and Moderator) -- Eyrie Productions, Unlimited CEO of MTS, High Poobah Of Artwork, and High Priest Of the Church Of Aerianne -- Magnetic Terrapin Studios "Insert Pithy Comment Here" Fandoms -- Fanart -- Fan Meta Discussions

Your the daughter of TWO Kaiji who can assume human form. It kind of scares me to wonder what the 'normal' mission might entail.

> "You wouldn't be able to yet," Goji told her. "I have... kind of a sense for
> flying things.

Having read the appropriate source, I am once again reminded why one does NOT drink anything one doesn't want to snort out one's nose while reading.

> "Laws of physics? I threw those away for you," she muttered. "It's like being > back in the Spirit World."

Aha! Confirmation that it really is THAT Republic City. And more than a few possible questions that are probably investigating too closely until the Muse tells G you've GOT to tell this particular story. Also, I don't think its JUST authorial fiat that there is another. Sounds like there is more here to be covered in part 5 over and above JUST recovering the 'power source' and getting the food supply back running

Just for the record, while her father can assume human size (and spends most of his time that way, for practicality's sake), he doesn't assume human form. When out and about town, he looks like he always does, only smaller. And usually wearing an aloha shirt and geta.

>> "You wouldn't be able to yet," Goji told her. "I have... kind of a sense for
>> flying things.
>
>Having read the appropriate source, I am once again reminded why one
>does NOT drink anything one doesn't want to snort out one's nose while
>reading.

Which source is that? I was basing it on the fact that Godzilla has an affinity for birds in a number of the movies (and the one in Shin Godzilla in particular seems to have some kind of radar—he can sense aircraft well enough to shoot down stealth bombers with his atomic beams without looking at them).

>> "Laws of physics? I threw those away for you," she muttered. "It's like being > back in the Spirit World."
>
>Aha! Confirmation that it really is THAT Republic City.

Well, yeah. Unlike in some of the movies, there's only one Mothra. :)

>Also, I don't think its JUST authorial fiat that there is
>another.

Another what? You've lost me.

--G.
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>>> "You wouldn't be able to yet," Goji told her. "I have... kind of a sense for
>>> flying things.
>>
>>Having read the appropriate source, I am once again reminded why one
>>does NOT drink anything one doesn't want to snort out one's nose while
>>reading.
>
>Which source is that?

In this case, the Doshinoji. She breathed at several bird friends before Brown Bear got it through her head it was a bad thing.

>
>Another what? You've lost me.
>
Hypercube/Tessaract/ McGuffin.

Oh. Duh, right. I'm slow today.

I think that also comes from Shin Godzilla's "antiaircraft radar" scene (and she's leery of birds in general because airplanes kept dropping bombs on her).

--G.
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Getting back to my thoughts of having to be thrown back into the briar patch... err... do research... err... just re reading all Gojira Nakajima's appearances in general... do we have a list of stories? cause my search foo seems to be weak and only yielded the HHGG post about him.

He hasn't had very much actual screen time at all. He gets mentioned from time to time, but the only story appearances I can think of offhand are the "cold open" in Weapon of Choice and the "Spectres" Mini-Story.

--G.
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-Droken

The NakaJima Defense, though... does make it clear that Gojira was Gojira all along, even if the other appearances could have been misinterpreted. I have to think I was thinking of all the others (including G refering to him as "The Movie Star" which I assumed to mean human... which ALSO means I made an arse out of you and *ME!!!*) as far as building my mental image of Gojira Nakajima as human, rather than an initially human sized Kaiju who.. ahem... Grew into his role

-----
Iä! Iä! Moe fthagn!

Do you know how much we paid for that HTTPS cert? We have to get a lot of use out of it to amortize it for the taxes.

--
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Haberdasher to Androids, Dark Lord of Sith Tech Support.
"And Remember! Google is your Friend!!"

So always remember to use the lttps:// protocol, instead of the insecure lttp://!

-- Bob
-------------------
My race is pacifist and does not believe in war. We kill only out of personal spite.

Well, I mean, there are no male sophonts in Japari Park? So, uh, there's gonna be quite a bit of that, since any Friend who pair bonds is going to be doing so with another Friend. Although...

>--why is it always crypto-lesbian subtext? can't we have just plain
>ol' lesbian subtext once in a while? crypto is so last decade.

... a lot of the time it's not particularly cryptic, except arguably to the participants themselves. (Looking at you, Lion and Moose.)

>Wait.
>
>Did Kaban... did Kaban just get promoted to supergroup lead because
>nobody else logged in for too long?

Yes. Yes she did. :)

--G.
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