The web serial Worm (Parahumans) has an excellent take on this.
The unwritten rules. Heros have to limit property damage, and not go lethal unless absolutely required. Villains, in turn, don’t go lethal on heros or civilians.
Both groups also respect each other’s secret identities, unless they out themselves. Heros because villains can get nasty if backed into a corner too badly. Villains because going after a cape’s family is a good way to get a kill order, and a heavy hitter involved.
In story there are also world ending threats. When one turns up, villains that are willing to help are out of bounds for retaliation. If they are willing to help, they are treated like any other cape.
End result, all the weird rules of heros and villains suddenly make logical sense. No-one wants to break the status quo.
It also leads to some funny encounters out of costume, or with new costumes.
I keep seeing people hype it up and the fan fiction around it but gods its so damn dry. I read like 20 chapters and it didn’t get better but all the hype and discussions makes me want to read it more
i mean different people love different things out of their fiction. some people need pretty images, some people need good worldbuilding, some people need compelling stories, some people need clever wordplay (go read P G Wodehouse i don’t care that it’s 100 years old he’s the best), some people need I’m going to stop making a list now but you get the idea. The fact that it didn’t grab you is not a flaw in the art itself, nor in you, it just means it didn’t grab you.
If you want, come back to it in five, ten years and try again. Maybe not twenty chapters try again, maybe five. That’s a deep dive and some serious dedication for something that didn’t grab you, so bravo. Sometimes we need new experiences to appreciate art better. I have a few favorite novels i read every few years and appreciate new and different things out of. Sometimes the same things differently.
It takes the author a while to find their groove and start establishing the storylines, rather than just the world building. I understand what you mean though. I think a lot of people like it for the world building aspects rather than the writing style.
I can’t remember how it breaks down chapter wise, but If you made it to the first endbringer fight, and don’t like it, it’s not your style.
It’s a dark gritty type sorry, before that became fashionable, with a lot of world building and explanation. You either love it or just can’t get into it.
In-story it’s the difference between a family bickering and fighting, Vs them suddenly fending off the text chain saw massacre.
Thanks I enjoy dark and gritty much of the time, sounds good.
I’m not sure if you can it find it but there is what would now be a podcast from the early aughts, called Tales From the Afternow by Sean Kennedy. I don’t know if anyone really knows about it outside of my area and it might be impossible to find, but it’s great at worldbuiiding too and the author is the one who narrates it.
There was comic a fan did for a single episode that you might be able to find. I think it was originally broadcast on RantRadio
The web serial Worm (Parahumans) has an excellent take on this.
The unwritten rules. Heros have to limit property damage, and not go lethal unless absolutely required. Villains, in turn, don’t go lethal on heros or civilians.
Both groups also respect each other’s secret identities, unless they out themselves. Heros because villains can get nasty if backed into a corner too badly. Villains because going after a cape’s family is a good way to get a kill order, and a heavy hitter involved.
In story there are also world ending threats. When one turns up, villains that are willing to help are out of bounds for retaliation. If they are willing to help, they are treated like any other cape.
End result, all the weird rules of heros and villains suddenly make logical sense. No-one wants to break the status quo.
It also leads to some funny encounters out of costume, or with new costumes.
I love webcomics. Your description of this sounds delightful. I am going to take some time to read the whole damn thing when i get a minute. For anyone who doesn’t want to do a websearch, this is what i found (please correct me if there’s a better link)
That’s the correct one.
There’s also an audiobook version. Though it’s fan read, so a bit less consistent than most listeners would expect.
does the fan Do The Voices?
It’s read by multiple fans, doing a chapter each. It’s been years since I listened to it however, so the details are now quite hazy.
I keep seeing people hype it up and the fan fiction around it but gods its so damn dry. I read like 20 chapters and it didn’t get better but all the hype and discussions makes me want to read it more
i mean different people love different things out of their fiction. some people need pretty images, some people need good worldbuilding, some people need compelling stories, some people need clever wordplay (go read P G Wodehouse i don’t care that it’s 100 years old he’s the best), some people need I’m going to stop making a list now but you get the idea. The fact that it didn’t grab you is not a flaw in the art itself, nor in you, it just means it didn’t grab you.
If you want, come back to it in five, ten years and try again. Maybe not twenty chapters try again, maybe five. That’s a deep dive and some serious dedication for something that didn’t grab you, so bravo. Sometimes we need new experiences to appreciate art better. I have a few favorite novels i read every few years and appreciate new and different things out of. Sometimes the same things differently.
It takes the author a while to find their groove and start establishing the storylines, rather than just the world building. I understand what you mean though. I think a lot of people like it for the world building aspects rather than the writing style.
I can’t remember how it breaks down chapter wise, but If you made it to the first endbringer fight, and don’t like it, it’s not your style.
Sounds like a different version whatever rules the Epstein class would have had to put in place.
I’m excited to check out that web serial though, it sounds excellent
It’s a dark gritty type sorry, before that became fashionable, with a lot of world building and explanation. You either love it or just can’t get into it.
In-story it’s the difference between a family bickering and fighting, Vs them suddenly fending off the text chain saw massacre.
Thanks I enjoy dark and gritty much of the time, sounds good.
I’m not sure if you can it find it but there is what would now be a podcast from the early aughts, called Tales From the Afternow by Sean Kennedy. I don’t know if anyone really knows about it outside of my area and it might be impossible to find, but it’s great at worldbuiiding too and the author is the one who narrates it.
There was comic a fan did for a single episode that you might be able to find. I think it was originally broadcast on RantRadio
Edit ooh found something!
Little Rocks