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.faq.
A. Trashed.
......
...okay, now that I've given you a minor heart attack: they're here.
But only for as long as I see fit; eventually this will be taken down. If
you want to archive them for your own reading purposes, feel free. Just
don't claim them as your own; and don't publish them to another website
without my express permission first.
Q. But....why? What's this new doohickey?
A. Basically, I've restarted the comic from
scratch. Done a lot of overhaul work, got into a set style, etc.
Q. Why restart it? It's taken you years to get this far!
A. Because it shouldn't have taken me years.
Not to mention it just really needed it. The story needed tightening up,
as did the method of telling it; plus the irregularities are horrible, with
the changes in font, drawing style, the switches from black-and-white to
color, the varying page sizes. I'd have had to do this anyway if I ever
took Nihilism to print, and now it's print-ready as I go. Not to
mention with fixed page sizes, I can update on a consistent schedule and
stop tormenting dial-up users so terribly.
A lot of it is a style issue, though. There's an enormous jump in the quality
of art from the first comic to the quality of art in these new comics. I'd
like to maintain that quality rather than leave the first drecks of my attempts
to find a "quick fix" style lying around.
Q. So are the characters changing?
A. Somewhat. Some base principles are remaining, but I'm
adding in new things, removing others, revamping a few personalities (Vex...is
creepy.) and giving some people a new look. Most of it's an upgrade, though,
and I think it adds more realism and depth to their personalities.
Q. ...what about the story? Is it changing?
A. Again, somewhat. Some things are going
in new directions, some things are adjusting. Don't assume that everything
is staying exactly the same, as you may find some of the things that you
took for granted in the old comic have made a complete reversal. But don't
throw everything out, either. The general idea is still there, many of the
details are still there. There are just some things that I'm choosing to
do differently.
Q. The rants, though--no more ranting? No more vitriol and cursing?
A. Nope. You'll be able to read the rants for as long
as that link to the old comic exists, but I'm not doing anymore on this
site. It's not the place for it, and frankly, I got tired of it. We all
have to grow up sometime, and while I do have a temper and find much in
the world rather frustrating/angering, I'm not some foul-mouthed, immature
brat, and I'm not behaving like one for others' entertainment. Especially
not in a venue for a comic that I hope to professionally publish one day.
...besides, that's what Livejournal is for.
Fear not, though. A new site is coming (I'm working on building
up an archive before it starts in full) with an entirely separate focus, mainly
for me to write daily op-ed articles snarking on things. It will be an attempt
at semi-professional sardonic journalism, so if you're looking for repeated
use of foul language and dizzying, spastic tirades, you'll be sorely disappointed.
But there'll still be plenty of mockery and irritation to go around.
Q. So...now that there's a new comic, I can tell you how I want you
to do it, right? Since it's restarted and you haven't gotten far yet.
A. Ah...no. This is still a very rude, obnoxious
thing to do, regardless of where you apply it. No matter your enthusiasm for
a subject/work, telling someone else how you want them to direct their brainchild
to please you is offensive, arrogant, and selfish. Please don't do it. Not
to me, not to anyone. You'd be highly offended if I did the same to you regarding
any of your projects.
Q. Will Nihilism still be appearing in print in Diorama
Comics anthologies?
A. For as long as they'll have me, yes.
Q. You mentioned Nihilism in print format, though. You'll
be publishing your own books of it?
A. Mmhm. Every couple of chapters or so,
through Lulu (CafePress is more expensive, I'd prefer to avoid that). There'll
be one full-color version of each book, and one black-and-white version with
a color cover. Based on Lulu base prices the color one will be more expensive,
which is why I'll be making the black-and-white version for those who want
to buy the books but don't want to spend the extra for color. (That's...assuming
that anyone will want to buy them.)
Q. So...I can e-mail you now, right? You won't get mad?
A. Just stick to the
nihilism@danseibi.net address for the most part, and try not to be obnoxious.
If I have the time I'll respond--answer questions, thank you for your comments,
etc. If I don't, or if you manage to tick me off, I won't. That's about it.
Just don't get offended if I don't answer quickly or often; there's only one
of me, and many of you, and I have my own life to deal with. I have time for
the occasional friendly communication, but what I don't have is time to be
everyone's friend--and odds are, I still won't like a large number of the
people that contact me, though I'll be too polite to say so. Personalities
clash. It happens; it's a basis of human interaction, not particularly anyone's
fault. And it's not possible for me to like everyone; it is, however, possible
for me to bite my tongue long enough for civil interaction, as long as you
don't try to force yourself on me. I'm not your best friend, and I'm not interested
in the position, either.
A. This is a well-known fact. I can also be a nice guy.
Just don't step on my toes and I won't step on yours.
Q. So...on to the other questions. Why is the
comic called Nihilism?
A. Because it is. If you have a problem with it, I'm not
interested in hearing it. I've got my reasons and you can speculate on them
all you want, but dealing with your philosophical sneering and attempts
to inflate your own ego by jumping to conclusions in order to build an attack
is not something that I'm going to waste my time on. I've yet to figure
out what people are hoping to accomplish when they do this, especially when
the juvenile attempts to insult my intelligence (and parentage, and sexual
preferences, and...) begin. It's not going to affect me; I know what I'm
doing, and your overinflated opinion isn't going to change that or make
me doubt my own intelligence. Yes, I read Nietzsche. Yes, there is a connection.
You can figure it out for yourself or you can find something better to do
with your life than pitching a fit over a webcomic.
Q. What is shounen ai?
A. Shounen ai is a Japanese term
that literally translates into "boy love". If that isn't clear enough
for you, the term represents manga/anime/comics/any genre that contains milder
homosexual implications/situations/storylines, but tend to focus more on plot
than the thrill and taboo of the still-present gay sex.
Q. Oh, so Nihilism's yaoi? Why didn't you just
say so?
A. Nihilism is not yaoi. Yaoi
is an acronym standing for the phrase "yama nashi, ochi nashi, imi nashi",
meaning "no climax, no point, no meaning". Yaoi is generally
used to refer not to original works, but to fanwork/doujinshi/etc. that place
the key characters of a storyline in adult/XXX homosexual situations rather
pointlessly(in other words, just to have them screw for no good reason). Nihilism
is 1. an original work, and 2. hopefully possessed of a plotline, so it doesn't
exactly classify as general yaoi. (By the way, pet peeve: "yaoi"
is not a synonym for "gay". It's not even an adjective; it's a genre,
represented by an acronym. You are not a genre. That boy is not a genre. Please
stop using this term incorrectly.)
Q. Then...what's this june thing I've seen you mention?
A. June is another term for male/male
storylines with actual plots involved, generally original character stories
by both amateurs and professionals; the term is taken from the name of a Japanese
magazine, "June Magazine"(I believe they were the ones to first
run stories like Ai no Kusabi).
Q. Why are so many Japanese deities present in reincarnation, but
only random smatterings of other cultures?
A. Because I'm obsessed with ancient faiths of my ancestors?
Well...not really. In truth, it makes logical sense; many cultures have,
in a modern age, failed to preserve shrines and temples to their old gods--but
Japan still maintains a rather reverent care towards the old sacred houses,
and so it would make sense that DNA from a greater number of deities would
be gathered from that particular pantheon. Also, it's a matter of just who
was more lax in destroying the children, or who was more clever in helping
them escape death. In the original conception of each brood of children,
dozens were created, with many representatives from many pantheons. However,
not all survived. It just happens that the Japan facility (where Shinji,
Eloi, and Ryougi were all kept because they were created from spliced DNA
of Japanese gods) was either terribly lax in security with then fateful
day came, or else those adults who rescued them were particularly crafty.
As the story progresses, you'll find evidence of multiple representatives
from pantheons of other cultures. The cast has yet to grow and expand.
Q. What language are they all speaking? This is set
in Tokyo, but we've got Japanese, African, Russian, all kinds of people running
around, how are they understanding each other?
A. For the most part they move back and forth between
English and Japanese, except for Mai. To explain with some little-known
facts about their pasts: Shinji has had some shady international dealings
before his incarnation ever manifested, and he speaks a multitude of languages,
but English was always the most universal. Ryougi is half-American, or at
least raised in a half-American household in Japan. Cheru is American and
speaks both English and Japanese--she speaks Japanese better than her parents,
actually, with their clumsy otaku-ish attempts at picking it up through
manga and anime without studying and with little cultural exposure, as they're
a bit dense.
Eloi spent many of his childhood and teen years in a boarding school in
England before seeking a home in Tanzania, and thus speaks English with
an English accent(if I say British accent a few inhabitants of the UK with
a pet peeve in that area might kick me). How's that screw your mental perception
of his voice? Though as he awakened to his incarnation as well as certain
other inherent special gifts(he's a tribal shaman in his own right) Japanese
would come naturally to him because despite his nationality, he was altered
with the genes of a Japanese goddess (most of the Children have incarnations
of the same "race" as their own, but where there was a scarcity
of genetic materials in the homelands of participating nations in the Pandora
Project, other nations with an excess donated genetic material).
Petrov was once a widely-known(in his own circles of interest) celebrity
and spent a short period of time in the Americas as part of a performance
troupe, and picked up English there.
Mai has only spoken in Japanese, but she's only spoken to Shinji and Ryougi,
so naturally they would speak Japanese to her.
Malache and Vex are fairly well-traveled from hunting down their own kind
and also picked up English abroad rather than their natural languages, and
would educate any other First Children in English if necessary if only so
they could understand when Malache bossed them around.
Q. Do those odd little [ ] brackets have something to do with
the language being spoken?
A. Yes. I've seen other comic artists do this and
it seemed like a good idea, so anything outside of brackets is spoken
in English unless otherwise specified, while anything depicted inside
brackets [like this] is generally spoken in Japanese, though of course
written as an "English translation" for an English-speaking
audience. Once you get used to it it makes the transition a bit easier.
Q. If you're going to use that standard, why is it that
sometimes you use the actual Japanese romanizations of certain words
now and then?
A. Just for ambience. Sometimes it sounds better
to leave it in the original, just romanizing it for the sake of
those who can't read hiragana, katakana, or kanji.
Q. How did you come up with the idea for Nihilism?
A. Lord, you know, I don't really know? ~laughs~ It
just kind of....happened, I guess. It started off with Shinji; I made
him as an RP character in 1998, and he was human then.....a lot of his
RP backstory is his current backstory before he discovered what he was.
Some time after our RP group went sour--isn't it always OOC that kills
an RP?--I still had him in my veins, so I started writing little vignettes
here and there about his life after the RP, and...well...Nihilism
happened, or its vague concept, though it didn't solidify until I was
stuck at a wedding in 2000 and doodling on the program, and next thing
I know I've got little headshots of Shinji, Eloi, Petrov, Orlando, and
Gavin, and a basic idea that's evolved a lot since then as I started writing
scripts. A lot of the rest of it is just....mechanics. I can't really
say exactly what inspired it other than being infected with Shinji and
a personal affinity for the Shinto deity of Susa-no-wo, which somehow
merged in the base concept and grew.
Back to Top
Q. If Cheru and her parents are both American,
why is her name Japanese?
A. Cheru's parents are the reason that
the term otaku is generally an insult. Rabid Japanophiles that
grew up on Americanized anime and had a child far too soon out of high school,
they originally named their daughter "Cheryl Robinson." Before
they managed to save the funds to move to Japan, however, they had their
names changed(and yes, they both took their first names from anime), but
rather than make it difficult for their infant child to adjust to a new
name when she was already getting used to "Cheryl", they simply
altered it to the Japanese translation of the name, "Cheru".
Q. What about the others? Are their names at all significant?
A. Depends, really. Shinji's name is just random off-the-cuff.
Petrov, I just like the name Petrov; his last name I looked up in a Russian
names database, and chose because I liked the way it sounded with "Petrov"
and it was one of the few I could spell without using Russian character
sets. Malache is named after Lusiphur Malache, who used to be one of my
favorite comic book characters (Drew Hayes, Poison Elves, the
man is a sick genius with no spelling ability, but he's great conversation
over a cup of coffee), but he bears no resemblance at all to the psychotic,
violent, pistol-toting, cursing, womanizing, too-short-for-an-elf Elf
with his sorceress bitch of an ex-wife and barely-controlled version of
drunken Tourette's syndrome.
Ryougi was the result of an argument where an ex and I were trying to
conceptualize an RP character and he kept being wishy-washy about names,
so I looked up the kanji for the ones I'd found for him, picked "Ryougi"
for the alternate kanji readings ("complete honor" was the meaning
I settled on, I think), then snagged the title of my Japanese instruction
book in college (Nakama, also a family name), shoved the two together
and said "His name's Ryougi Nakama, now go make the SN."
Vex...um. I don't know. I really don't. He just appeared in my head one
day and said "Hi, I'm Vexx." (Yes, with two X's. I took the
second one off later because I didn't like it.)
Mai, I had around for a long time when Shinji was just an RP character,
and I just chose "Mai" because it seemed to suit someone like
her; she didn't have a last name for a long time, because she was just
kind of....around as an NPC now and then, to be a pain (like she is now?).
When I needed a last name, I snagged the name of my old sensei;
he was a very nice man, but despite his several doctorates, he could be
one hell of a ditz sometimes.
Orlando was originally Devon, named after someone in my history by the
same name, with very similar appearances but different ethnic backgrounds
and a personality that combines Devon's with someone else that I used
to know. I don't really feel like....explaining Devon or that someone
else, but recently I went on a Shakespeare kick and renamed the Devon
character to Orlando, and I think it's for the best.
Q. Vex's face is bugging me. Is that make-up, or some
kind of genetic part of his mutation....?
A. The three extra "eyes" in
the center of Vex's forehead are genetic anomalies and part of his particular
oddness, and yes, he can see through them. The rest is makeup, grease paint--it's
a psychological thing, warrior's markings of a sort. He's a bit crazed and
has all these odd ideas about honor and tribal fierceness even though he's
Swedish and not from any sort of tribal nation, so he kind of paints himself
up like a psycho tribal warrior.
Q. Why are all of the Children gay boys?
A. Because the scientists deliberately triggered their
GXD chromosomes, and everyone knows that GXD makes the gay.
Do you know, someone actually believed me when I told her that? Poor
child.
Petrov already explained why they're all boys, in the Enormous
Novel That's Pretending to Be a Comic. Had to do with developmental hormones
being too unstable in women, and for the love of gods, girls, don't jump down
my throat about that; you like shounen ai, you want shounen ai,
you deal with my justifications for making a mostly-male cast of characters
and trying to make it legitimate.
As for their sexuality: they're not all gay, actually. There are one
or two characters slated in later who'll be completely straight; the rest,
their sexuality is affected by various factors, not the least of which
is their incarnation. Sometimes if one of the Children incarnates a female
deity, the female side's sexual preferences will affect them, making them
prefer men wholly or partially, resulting in homosexual or bisexual tendencies.
This is the case with Eloi, for instance. In cases like Ryougi's, he would
be straight if left to his own devices, but his incarnation was bisexual--or
really, just normal for his time, in the primeval days when gods didn't
need to define their sexuality, they slept with anything with two or more
legs--and so it affects his sexuality and makes him bisexual. Petrov and
Shinji and others just naturally lean that way, though of course not without
the expected experimentation, confusion, frustration, and the long struggle
to come to terms with it. I won't waste more space going through a list
of each character's sexuality and why.
That explanation applies mostly to the Second Children, though. The First
Children, because they don't possess the reincarnated souls, wouldn't
be as strongly affected by the preferences inherent in the spliced genes;
their sexual preferences are more evolved than natural, stemming from
a desire to "stick with their own kind" for repeated sexual
play/liasons, only turning to humans--male, female, whatever suits their
fancy--when they want a little bloodsport, as their human lovers often
die, not always on purpose. Because the First Children are, like the Second
Children, all male, they ended up making like the Greeks, where homosexuality
was more a common social institution--if you could call their small, isolated,
fiercely hierarchial clan a society--than anything else. Of course, variation
is expected; there are those who will only indulge with women, and don't
care who dies, or those whose preferences would lean towards homosexuality
even without their small-circle social influences, and those who would
swing either way.
So there you go. Shounen ai for a reason instead
of "oh, they coincidentally all happen to be gay, it just...fell together
that way....you know...um...gaydar or something like that....yeah. It's
the gaydar magnet."
Back to Top
Q. Do you do local events or go to
cons, etc? Can I meet you?
A. .....you know, normally...I'd never have
even added this question to the FAQ....I mean...seriously. I may have a big
mouth at times, but I'm not vain enough to think people would be clambering
to meet me. And yet....er....a few people are, apparently....I get this question
all the time, so....guess I should add it here. Local events....er....no.
Odds are if I'm going to be somewhere in Houston I'm not going to announce
it here, as I doubt the kinds of events that I would attend would be interesting
enough for any of my reader base to want to show up there just to sprog around
and say hi. As for cons....maybe in late 2006. I won't try to rent out a booth
or anything, but I might show up and wander around for a while, check out
other people's stuff, and if I do go to any cons, I will let you know. It's
a matter of time and money, though....maybe if it's a weekend thing.
As for the "can I meet you" question...uh....no.
Okay, maybe. I've had a couple of local area readers talk me
into meeting up for coffee, etc.; mostly because they wanted to start their
own webcomic and wanted to talk to me about how I do things, basically get
a little feedback. I might be persuaded to hang out now and then...but only
if you're not too freaky-stalkerish and not frighteningly underage. (What?
I'm a 25-year-old man; it would just look wrong for me to be bumming around
with 14-year-old girls. I could go to jail for that and police wouldn't even
want to believe how truly innocent it was.) Usually I really don't have time;
between everything that I do for income, I work 60+ hours a week, plus spend
time working on this comic. Plus there's taking care of my apartment, working
on my novel, the occasional gaming binge, taking in a movie now and then....it's
hard for me to keep appointments, but I can try.
Show up at my apartment, though, and I answer the door with
a double-barrelled shotgun.
Have a question that you think belongs here? E-mail
nihilism@danseibi.net. (Keep in mind that I won't answer all character questions,
not if the answers will come out in due time; I'll just remind you to be patient.
Character questions are more for little things like Cheru's name--things that
won't be explained in the course of the storyline, little odd facts here and
there. Though more questions are often covered in the regular discussions of
the individual comics on the forum
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