"The Honorary Oni"

[Jackass McAwesome]

"The Honorary Oni"

Crunch.

The sound of thunderous footsteps from the mountain spurred the villagers into their homes. No wanted wanted to be around when the Oni came to the town.

The Oni liked to take humans from the town to compete in their games. The games usually resulted in the deaths of the kidnapped. Humans can't compare to Oni in any aspect- be it competitions of strength or drinking contests.

Crunch.

The Oni was closer now, and the streets were nearly empty, save for a strangely-clad passerby that had strolled into town that very day. This particular stranger was playing a guitar, and the Oni rumbling through the town made his way to the sound.

This particular Oni had expected an adult. He's was completely thrown off-guard when he saw a child- a human child- playing a guitar, sans fear of the approaching Oni. Bewildered, and cautious, he approached. Humans were murdering the Oni off out of fear. This one may've been a trap.

The child, wearing a red-collar buttoned up shirt, black pants, and only house-shoes on his feet, stopped playing his guitar. He tipped the white hat on his head and said, "Hello," in a breathy voice.

The gravelly voice of the Oni came out, "Hello, child. Why do you not fear me?"

"Humans are really foolish sometimes, Oni. I've heard of the murder stories and of your people dying out." The child shook his head. "We humans are one of many peoples that are self-aware. We, using this self-awareness, consider ourselves a perfect race. We are perfectly capable of deciding to protect and destroy other beings and we choose to destroy."

"What does this have to do with you fearing me?" The Oni said. There was a crunch as he sat down. "What does humans thinking themselves superior to all others have to do with fearing Oni?"

"Humans consider Oni monsters, that's why. Because they can't understand you, because you kidnap them never to be seen again, they see you as nothing more than monsters that want to kill and maim."

Enraged, the Oni roared, "We Oni believe the same of humans. You kill us for kidnapping your friends, but those are merely bets, gambles!"

"That's right. To be bested by an Oni is to be defeated by a monster. Humans are arrogant. They think they're the best sapient beings. Anything that defeats them isn't sapient, it's monstrous."

"You. You say 'they' as though you aren't one of them. Are you a demon in human skin?"

The child laughed a breezy laugh, "No, Oni. I'm as human in body as they come. You could flick me like a human flicks a fly and shatter all my bones." He began to lightly strum a rhythm on his guitar and said, "I'm not human in the instinctual or intellectual sense."

"What does that mean, human?" the Oni rumbled.

"I'm probably a collection of beings, intellectually. I've lived amongst vampires, ghosts, half-breeds of all sorts, and even a few Oni. I've learned from all of them. Humans aren't the best." the child explained. He spoke without saying anything, thought the Oni.

"Yes, they are by far the worst."

The child stopped strumming, and looked at the Oni with jade-colored eyes. "Dear Oni, I would've thought that your people wouldn't be so barbaric. I would save that title for the humans."

"Barbaric!?" roared the Oni. "Why shouldn't I think them monsters for what they've done to us!?"

"Because it's the exact same as them." pointed out the child. With that, the Oni sat back down with another crunch, finding himself standing over the child poised to smash him. The child hadn't flinched.

"Of course... of course." the Oni shook his head. "You are very intellegent, for a human. No human has ever spoken of such things or talked to an Oni without fear for centuries. You could truly compare to an Oni."

The Oni stood up and began to roar, "Humans of this village! We Oni will terrorize you no more, and in return we ask that you look at us without fear." He lowered his voice. "I dub you, child, an honorary Oni. You are clearly not human in the mind."

He waved his hands and mumbled a menacing-sounding incantation, and a pair of horns sprouted on the child's head. His jade eyes had also turned a crimson color, to match the skin of the Oni he had been speaking to.

A faint smile- the first the Oni had seen- had spread on the child's face, "How did you know? my eyes were always bothering me."

A gravelly chuckle was his only reply. Everyone in the town heard more crunches, and then there were none.

[Jackass McAwesome]

I got bored, so I illustrated the characters. I've actually decided that this will be a series of short stories and illustrations, and possibly a few games (there's that word again..) to this, which I've dubbed OTHER EARTH.


This character is actually named Glass Stain. Shortly after this story, he and the rest of the Oni on the mountain are killed by the humans in the village. Glass is the last to die, but moments before the event, the carnage gave him split personalities. They are reincarnated into Other Earth, though. Perhaps I'll write about thoe events next.


This Oni is named Leos, and he's the one that talked to Glass in the story. When he, or any other Oni stands, they are easily three times the size of humans, which means they could stand at a frightening seventeen or eighteen feet tall. The Oni are very subjective and care little for gods and dieties. Rather, they focus on living life to the fullest.

Both of these pictures on my DeviantART.

[Double]

Cool story. I really like the illustrations.. are you using a sketchboard to draw them?

What sort of games are you planning on making?

[Vatman]

I believe there was a far more charming tale of a mouse who plucked a thorn from a lions paw that had the same thematic device as this.

Yet you display proper sentence structure, good usage of literary devices and on top of it you throw in the all elusive aspect of a plot. Bravo my honorary Oni!

If I had a comment, it would be that its to bulky and becomes boring to read. The boy is simply to "all knowing", it makes the character unrelate-able.....I call it...The Edward Cullen effect. The perfection of the character creates a divide between its audience and thus loses our interest. Unless, well...your character is a super hot vampire......then you get a best selling novel...but surely not literature.

[Jackass McAwesome]

SNAEK Wrote:Cool story. I really like the illustrations.. are you using a sketchboard to draw them?

Graphics tablet and lack of will to color or correct minor mistakes :D

SNAEK Wrote:What sort of games are you planning on making?

*itches head*

Probably a hybrid of a fighting game and a platformer. Brawl did that pretty well with the Subspace Emissary.

Vatman Wrote:If I had a comment, it would be that its to bulky and becomes boring to read. The boy is simply to "all knowing", it makes the character unrelate-able.....I call it...The Edward Cullen effect. The perfection of the character creates a divide between its audience and thus loses our interest. Unless, well...your character is a super hot vampire......then you get a best selling novel...but surely not literature.

Ah, but I plan to make the series span a long time. So, while in this part of the story he's an "all knowing" guy, earlier parts would show him as a wide-eyed curious guy who gets himself into shiiiit. Furthermore, like I said, he's going to end up having split personalities, which should be interesting.

It's interest depends on the guy; if you like all-knowing pricks, then this particular event and chapter, if you will, is perfect for you. If you like seeing characters develop into completely different things, then future chapters on Glass's past might be more interesting to you. I'm thankful for the criticism though, because I'm certain no one wants to read about humans getting bashed. :D

[Jackass McAwesome]

Kinda came up with another chapter about a completely different character, but before I get into that, I'm going to adress something that Sefam pointed out. It involves the story of Metal Gear Solid.

Now, we were chatting a while back, as I had just finished watching a video walkthrough with commentary of MGS4. Now, we were discussing the cracked up nature of the story. Now, we were looking at the story, and there's a fuckload of plotholes that MGS4 tried to fill. And the filling wasn't yummy and delicious. The filling was bricks. The fuck? Big Boss did NOT need to pop up from fucking nowhere at the end.

I'd like to assure the folks who actually care about my stupid shit that I'm going to actually not bother with plot holes. The fun part about doing a series is letting your audience speculate, you know? Some plot holes are never explained in games, and no one gives a shit, or they like to discuss what the phenomena could be. It seems Mr. Kojima forgot that. =(

tl;dr version is if there's a plot hole, I'm not going to ass myself to fill it up unless it's very severe, and even then the hole filling will be subtle. Now let's get on with my shit.

---

"King's Creation"

"Solaf Redrigez, you are charged with six counts of arson, seven hundred counts of murder in the first degree, and numerous counts of theft and piracy," a proclaimer called out, reading from documents summarizing the so-called crimes of an innocent man, "You've been found guilty and are set to be executed by hanging.

"That date is today."

The proclaimer paused, giving a nasty sneer toward Redrigez, and letting the cheers and whoops of the crowd fill the proclaimer's silence. He walked around the gallows that the convicted man was set to be hung from. The only thing keeping Redrigez from Death was a stool- the gallows themselves were higher up than most.

Redrigez himself was unrecognizable even to himself. Over the past week, prior to his execution, he was subject to another punishment- torture. One week of torture done in shifts. The recognizability of him didn't matter since no one had seen his face before. Today, prior to his death, he was a mess of scars and bruises. Even smears of blood had persisted to cling to him.

"However, the convicted shall be given a chance to speak- if to apologize- ," racous laughter interrupted, the proclaimer, a fact that he had smiled at. "If to apologize for his crimes or not. He shall be given his last word. Speak," he said, with a sharp jab to Redrigez's broken ribs.

A strangled grunt was uttered from because of the jab. Struggling to regain what little composure he could muster, he said, "There isn't... anything to apologize for. Not- ," a gasp for air, "Not from me, anyway.

"The ones who need to apologize are your government and politicians. You've all been decieved." He gasped for more air, the noose nearly strangling him, and he was met by laughter.

A woman boldly called out, "Why should we believe you? You're the murderer and pirate on the gallows, and your charges are enough to make us not believe you!" Her outburst was met by shouts of agreement.

"You're right. I should stop right now, but I've been gi- given the chance to speak. I'm going to take it." Redrigez replied. "Your government has convicted an innocent man with its own crimes. Seven hundred people murdered. Six homes and mansions set ablaze. Goods stolen, and acts of piracy on this port.

"Before now- none of you even realized I existed, I bet. All you know is that someone was killing people, that someone was burning your homes down, and that someone was shooting cans at your docks. Your government has chalked it all up to me. The only rea- ," Redrigez broke off because he'd been struck by the executor.

The resulting shock kicked the stool from beneath Redrigez and his corpse had been hung. The abrupt hanging caused an uproar. There was glee that the greatest and most inhuman criminal in the world had been executed. Not a damned one of them stopped to think about what he had said.

In death, things were not so simple as a decision made by a higher being. He rejected those very theologies, deciding his own fate after death.

In his sorrow at his unjust execution, he created another earth. In this earth, he deemed the creation of a utopia based on each induvidual's dreams. He would govern death and allow them to choose if they came to his world or drifted to whatever god they thought governed them and their fates.

He was the omnipotent diety of his other Earth. In this earth, he would be the only judge and only government. He would not manipulate the fates of his children, for he demanded they define their own fates.

The Strange but Grand King, Solaf, had been born from his death.

And Other Earth was born from his sorrow.

[Jackass McAwesome]

Triple post lolwut

So, I'm looking at "Creation of the King" and I'm getting pissed off. Not because the story sucks, but because the actual "sit down with it as a book and read it" level is fucking negative-two. You guys can look at my art and tell me, "Well holy fuck, Chiisu, you're damn good." Now, here's where stuff takes an epic turn:

I'm going to do a comic of this shit. Just to see what'll happen. So, In the next couple of days, I'm going to upload a comic edition of "The Honorary Oni." It might help it be interesting.

That's all~

EDIT - I just finished the first comic page of "The Honorary Oni." All I have to say is, "Holy fuck, that took a goddamned long time." The reason that is is because I tried to make it proper- I did the talking bubbles properly, the borders of the panels look decent, and added the "Effects" like CRACKS and shit.

Hoo, boy, I got my work cut out.

[Jackass McAwesome]

And now for something completely different.