4.3 KiB
Demon: The now completed story of a semi-rational psychopath [C]
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Author: u/gabbalis *
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URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/rational/comments/4gj5nx/demon_the_now_completed_story_of_a_semirational/
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Score: 34
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Created: 2016-04-26T14:52:26
Post:
First Page: http://www.shigabooks.com/index.php?page=001
Last Page: http://www.shigabooks.com/index.php?page=720
This has been posted here before, but it seems like it should be posted one last time now that it's finished.
The author, Jason Shiga is also the author of the oft-praised rational short comic, Fleep. As for this story... well it certainly starts out pretty rational, but quite a few dubious occurrences and decisions happen before the end.
In any case, the author intends to take the story offline this summer, so if you want to read it for free, you have a time limit now.
Comments:
u/alexanderwales [+19] Time flies like an arrow (49 minutes later)
I really enjoyed the first part of Demon, but there comes a point (hard to identify when) that it just jumps over to being something else that's more disappointing. I still stuck through it at a rate of a page a day, and think it would probably read better if binged, but there are some real problems in terms of character motivations, world-building, and physics. The first few sections are great though, which meant that where it winds up left me feeling cold.
u/Sparkwitch [+12] (2 hours later)
I'm going to pretend nobody's already made name for it and coin a term for my experience: Scope Exhaustion.
When it's one insane man on the run and there are a few genuine risks, it's easy to stay invested. When it's a massive global conspiracy of immortals... who cares?
Engaging stories have something at stake that I can comprehend.
(Luckily now the whole thing is complete and it's a comic so it can be consumed in a few hours. Less time to stop and think and get distracted.)
u/Kuratius [+2] (3 hours later)
In addition, I thought being a demon wasn't heritable if made artificially? Else they wouldn't have needed the blood. If so, that means that all the children born from now on will be mortal again.
u/Chronophilia [+11] sci-fi ≠ futurology (7 hours later)
In retrospect, I put the high point at Chapter 12. The timeskip is at the end of that chapter, so it's a good place to stop.
It actually felt like an ending to me. The OSS is beheaded, the main
villainantagonist is presumed dead, and the only people who even know that demons exist are the protagonists. Jimmy wins.And he's left in a position to munchkin his way to whatever he wants. At first he was limited by not understanding his powers; then he was limited because he had to fight a smart enemy with more resources than him; but now, for the first time, he has no limits (he does not).
u/FuguofAnotherWorld [+6] Roll the Dice on Fate (an hour later)
My experience pretty much mirrored yours. I think I finally lost hope during the 4000 storey fall/fight scene.
A shame, it had potential.
u/Empiricist_or_not [+1] Aspiring polite Hegemonizing swarm (11 hours later)
I think the real shame is the un-explored ending.
u/DaystarEld [+6] Pokémon Professor (11 hours later)
Just read the whole thing start to finish. Enjoyed it for the most part, but yeah, for me the moment it jumped the shark was the Spoiler. It seemed kind of gimmicky and contrived in a way that broke what remained of the suspension of disbelief left over from the strong, central premise of the comic, and all the little bits of random absurdity that made up some of the entertaining shenanigans of the rest of it.
u/Nevereatcars [+1] The Greatest Is Behind (3 days later)
Were you in the comments section with us? What was your username?
u/dantebunny [+2] (3 days later)
...Huh. When I read #720 a few days ago, it did not register at all that that was the last page.
So that's the ending, huh.
u/TennisMaster2 [+1] (a day later)
Stop when chapter 12 ends. It's much better that way. I wish I had.
u/Nevereatcars [+1] The Greatest Is Behind (3 days later)
I was Fire Hazard in the comments section there. I know some of the others are r/rational subscribers too. Come say hello.