This is Vita, the main character of my book Vigor Mortis! She likes to eat souls and Does Not Vibe with the concept of humanity. Big thanks to my pal Rachel for making the meme :D

"I'm not autistic! I'm not autistic!" I continue to insist as I wait for the assassins to kill their mark so I can eat the soul of their victim like a masked shrew.

It's kinda weird to me that the thing I've been reading isn't discussed much on here.

Vigor Mortis, a web novel I discovered a few months ago, has had me hooked for a while. I didn't expect it as I wasn't sure on some of the prose at first, but it really grew on me.

I can't say it is for everyone, it deals with a lot of themes around trauma, it gets pretty graphic, the protagonists are morally complex leaning on outright evil. There are a lot of uncomfortable moments, including things done by the main characters to each other.

But I feel like there's a lot to love.

It's set in a weird fantasy world. Like, clay city on a floating islands with weird tech like Morrowind-esque chitin armour type weird, and it has a fun materialist magic system.

The plot hook of "starving orphan discovers she's a natural necromancer", then escalates from there. There's a lot of queer narratives and some honestly bold choices for character relationships to explore.

I'm somewhere between halfway and three quarters through it and I'm really enjoying it. Obviously that could change but so far it's been a blast.

So yeah, idk, I must stress it gets really dark and weird, sometimes gross, but if you're cool with that sort of thing check it out!

Vita: physically, mentally, and spiritually incapable of misgendering someone.

From Vigor Mortis by Natalie Maher

Vigor Mortis Vol 1 - Thundamoo / Natalie Maher

It took me 6 months to get through 17 chapters of this, nothing gripped me at all with this intro but I kept coming back and trying because of being told how good it is later on. But there's several factors that just make it feel like trudging through mud. The tone shifts between being slice of life and then dark but not in a way that seems intentional, like it would if it were for irony or shock value. It's like the author's default tone is happy go lucky and then remembers at some moments that it's supposed to be dark. Basically a lot of setup and training and "yeehaw I'm not homeless anymore" and then the slime arc hits. This arc seems like something that an random plot generator website would spit out, something just thrown in to create conflict in a formulaic way without thinking about it. A slime takes over Penelope's body, making her its prisoner, and Vita decides to just take it in as a body roommate? Vita claims constantly that the slime is her friend, its a person, it has feelings, its so important to her... while also holding her deathtouch at the slime's throat. "Omg bestie ilysm but also if you do anything I don't like you might possibly die and if you try to leave you'll probably die so don't step out of line or I will kill you!" ehh. I really don’t know if I can even keep reading this series. 

A Renewed Sense of Vitality: My Experience with Emperor's Vigor Tonic

Men's health, particularly in the realm of sexual performance, is a topic that often carries a stigma. However, acknowledging these aspects of well-being is crucial for overall health and happiness. Recently, I had the opportunity to try Emperor's Vigor Tonic, a natural supplement designed to enhance male vitality. Here's my experience with this product:

A Potent Blend of Natural Ingredients

Emperor's Vigor Tonic boasts a unique blend of twelve natural ingredients, each known for its potential health benefits. Some of the key components include Dodder Seed, Wild Yam, Cistanche, Poria Cocos, and Schisandra. These ingredients are believed to work synergistically to support various aspects of male health, including:

Enhanced Stamina and Energy Levels: The tonic's formula is designed to boost metabolism and optimize nutrient absorption, potentially leading to increased energy throughout the day.

Improved Blood Flow: Certain ingredients may support healthy blood circulation, potentially leading to better performance and overall well-being.

Hormonal Support: Some of the included herbs are known for their potential to support healthy testosterone levels, which can positively impact energy, mood, and sexual function.

While the exact mechanisms of action for each ingredient may require further scientific exploration, the combination presents a compelling approach to holistic male health improvement.

A Noticeable Difference in Performance

After incorporating Emperor's Vigor Tonic into my daily routine, I observed positive changes in my overall well-being. Most notably, I experienced a noticeable improvement in energy levels and stamina. This translated to increased endurance during physical activities and a general feeling of vitality throughout the day. Additionally, I felt a sense of heightened focus and mental clarity, which positively impacted my daily productivity.

A Discreet and Convenient Solution

Emperor's Vigor Tonic comes packaged in convenient, easy-to-swallow capsules. The recommended dosage is one capsule daily, making it a simple and discreet way to incorporate this supplement into your routine. The capsules are also free of any harsh chemicals or artificial ingredients, providing peace of mind when using the product.

A Positive Addition to My Wellness Regimen

Overall, my experience with Emperor's Vigor Tonic has been positive. The natural blend of ingredients, coupled with the noticeable improvements in my energy levels and performance, has made it a valuable addition to my wellness regimen. While individual results may vary, I believe this supplement offers a promising approach to supporting men's health in a natural and holistic way.

I write books in which Extremely Bad Things sometimes happen because of the main characters. And this is an absolutely terrifying thing to do because like... what if somebody thinks that means I support Extremely Bad Thing? So like. Y'know. Just in case, here's a non-comprehensive list of Things I Do Not Support: 1. Genocide 2. Torture 3. Eating The Planet Earth 4. Genocide (again) 5. War crimes (such as genocide) 6. Nonconsensual body modification 7. GENOCIDE IS BAD, OKAY? Don't do genocide! It's in my books because it is a BAD THING, you SHOULD NOT DO IT, everyone PLEASE WHY IS THIS SO DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTA—

"I'm not autistic, I'm not autistic!" I continue to insist as I forcefem a mobster into looking like a sexified clone of my girlfriend (She was arrested and I miss her dearly, and am currently experiencing a moment of weakness because of it.).

are you still reading Vigor Mortis? how far in are you?

vm on hiatus while lucid catches up with mfd - she's hoping to be caught up before hazo dies, whenever that is (only 20 more pages of story-only thread to read through)

we got to... the end of the nawra village arc, iirc?

Currently reading "Vigor Mortis" and it's hilarious! 🥲

Fucking love Vita

Help I am once again thinking about Vigor Mortis.

I'm only familiar with Vrothzo via your Worm crossover - early Vigor Mortis reads better in the original Quest format, which is just slightly harder to pull up - but I want your opinion on what would happen if a Vrothzo ate an X-Parasite. Does it copy the flying, shapeshifting, tech-copying, and splitting abilities? If it eats an SA-X, does it get to copy the seemingly-inorganic bits of the powersuit form? If so, is that just because all Chozo tech is crazy parabiology all the way down, while Federation tech is cruder cyborgs? I realize I am presuming familiarity with Metroid Fusion on your part, but to be fair, you seem like the sort of person who would be a huge fan of it.

I am flattered by your entirely correct assumption! I'm a huge Metroid nerd. The short answer is that a vrothizo would struggle to actually eat an X-Parasite before the X-Parasite suffuses and copies the vrothizo. X-parasites are way crazier than vrothizo, and vrothizo lack most of the even more crazy properties that let Metroids deal with them. But if enough X-parasites just kind of sat around and let a vrothizo ingest them, you would get something absolutely terrifying. The exact nature of what that is would depend on exactly how you want to handle the crossover between the wildly fantastical Metroid lore and your preferred flavor of vrothizo lore, but the basic guideline is that Vrothizo can acquire any physical, biological property of what they consume. This can include magical effects, but only if those magical effects are caused by the target's biology; i.e., if somebody is born with magic because they have some kind of lightning gland or whatever, a vrothizo can copy that. If they have magic because they're just cool, a vrothizo can't develop that ability. The degree to which you want to consider anything the X-parasites do as "biological" would be up to the fanfic writer, but I'd probably say yes to shapeshifting and splitting, no to tech-copying and powersuit forms. Oh, and finally, to encourage you to check out my original story that vrothizo come from, here's some fanart of Lark from Vigor Mortis, drawn by the incredibly talented n16r4!

Jinx: I do not love you. I am not sure that I can. We brought out the worst in each other, Flashlight. We enabled each other to drop deeper into the pit from which our worst sins crawled out.

Lux: And we cuddled the bottom

I've been reading Katalepsis for almost three months now and my ereader app says that I'm 90% of the way through 1.9 million words, and I don't know what I'm gonna do with myself once I'm all caught up 😩 it has been so long since a book captured my attention so thoroughly

Once again reminded of just how baffling it is when people criticize the woobification of characters by saying it’s something that fans disproportionately do with men. Just…huh?

Call it whatever you want. Babygirlification (where do you think that word comes from?). Poor little meow meow-ism (remember that the most literal and canonical poor little meow meow is Catra from She-Ra). The practice of looking at a character who is mean/evil/villainous and going “aww, cute little person just needs some love” is ABSOLUTELY done more with FEMALE characters.

Look up the TVTropes page for “High Heel Face Turn” or “Females are more Innocent”. The idea that women can’t be villains without some kind of trauma that excuses their actions is SOOO common. As is the idea that they can be fixed if they get a love interest.

Look at the concepts of “tsundere” and “kuudere”. These are some of the most common archetypes in anime—the girl that is mean or cold to others, but who is soft and sweet on the inside, just unable to express affection properly.

Part of OFMD’s entire premise is that the idea of looking at a scary guy in a villainous profession and going “he’s a sweetheart deep down” is *unusual* in our culture. Now, Tumblr is a specific slice of culture, and there are certainly no shortage of male characters here who get the poor little meow meow treatment. But it’s definitely not a male-specific or even male-leaning phenomenon.