Oh Rotto :P

Ooooooooh what a cheap shot. x3 I guess it had to be done, though..

Well they were just hanging there.

Yayz for her adding him to her body ^^

I still think this tournament was a bad idea... :/

Why? Everyone's enjoying themselves :D

...*Looks back at the previous page*

Yeah. I'm real sure everyone's enjoying themselves. I've completely lost respect for three artists I used to like thanks to this.

So you hate the game, you hate the players? I'm pretty sure none of them went into this with the intent of causing drama.

Whatever happens on here is forgotten next week anyway.

Uhh... no. I lost respect for Roco and Muirne for the 'raffle' for the purpose of gathering votes. That's pathetic. Really pathetic.

And Stank is the third for doing something like this. I know he was in the VOCT and we all know how well that finished; why do something like it that'd just wind up causing the same issue?

And you say that last sentence, but just look at the comments below me. I don't think that's the case, really.

It's not been a week silly. Besides, I don't see anyone butthurt over past or possible drama here other than you.

You don't have to like it, that's fine. Sure there's issues, but you're hardly involved, so why is it sucha big deal to you?

Well if you're going to lose respect for anybody it should be Mewtwo and I. As far as I'm aware Roco never did one.

But, given that this is a competition where you can just whip out your wallet and buy votes, I don't really see why a 'raffle' (I assume the scare quotes are to imply that for some reason you don't think it actually qualified as a raffle?) is so bad. On my part it was a bit defensive, and I certainly wouldn't have done it if nobody else had, but honestly I didn't have any problem with the idea.

So, hey, y'know, just take a step back, clear your mind of the assumption that people on the internet are incapable of dealing with any level of competitiveness without blowing a gasket, and see a bit of fun that everybody participating is enjoying, that so far has had no sore losers (and given how likely it is I'll lose the next and final round, isn't likely to have any), is helping Stank out financially, has produced a lot of really nice art of these characters, and-in my case at least- has led to me talking to some great people I wouldn't have otherwise.

If we're all suddenly at each other's throats by the end of next round, you can be the first to say "I told you so", okay?

Roco did do one, I think. At the least, I know he did a journal about it same as you. I don't know why I used the quotes, my brain hasn't been cooperating today.

I guess I'm just sick of seeing all the competitions around here.

I was the one that came up with the idea of doing a raffle journal. I clearly overestimated my own popularity - I thought with several hundred watchers that would have ended up garnering at least 50 natural votes. If you're going to blame anyone blame me for that.

...Haah. Thanks for being honest.

Honestly if I knew Gami better I would have offered to pay him $50-100 to put up a journal like that himself knowing that with his following it most likely would have spawned several hundred votes. Would have been worth the ROI.

Now you know how I feel.

Well I am sorry to hear that you've lost respect for anybody, especially -in a selfish way- for myself, but I suppose it can't be helped. If you want to discredit me for holding a competition with the primary purpose of earning some money (which I'll be honest was the main reason I did this, although I also enjoyed it/the content/the competition/drawing characters for other people/etc) than I can understand that. It may not be unscrupulous, but it is a little manipulative.

However I think it is important to note that some people do enjoy competition. Myself included. The thrill of success, the agony of defeat, these things are very appealing to some people. To others they can be upsetting, or even painful and cruel. I never intended to involve those people in the -VST-. It's a competition for people who enjoy competition. Like any other sporting event, if that's not your thing you can choose to not watch or participate. I know that's a bit difficult when people's characters and friends are involved (and lately vote raffles), but the -VST- is a self-contained entity, so if you don't look then what happens in it won't matter at all. Nobody or their characters are REALLY being affected here. It's all just harmless fun for those that want to enjoy it.

Which leads me to drama (thankfully there has not been much). Did I know something like this would likely cause drama? Yeah. But is that ever a reason to not do something? Not at all. Any piece of art I post could potentially offend somebody. I'm aware of what posts may be more offensive compared to other posts, but still anything could trigger a drama llama stampede. While some responsibility lies with me, the rest lies with you guys. I can't let the possibility of drama influence what I post because then I wouldn't post ANYTHING. So yes, I knew drama would be stirred, but I believed that it would be a minor nuisance in comparison to the fun and benefits of this project. And I also believed I could manage it, as unlike with the VOCT, I alone am responsible for this. I don't think the FA audience wants a small handful of people to determine what can and can't be posted; to let the drama-makers keep them from enjoying competitions and controversial artwork. I not only knew there would be drama, but I anticipated it because I believe by overcoming it here we can better the content and community of FA as a whole.

So call me stubborn, call me foolish, call me manipulative, and call me an opportunist... if any of those come with a loss of respect, I'll take that too. But hopefully at least you can understand why I've done what I did now.

I do understand. Do I like it? Hell no.

At the least, I appreciate your thought-out statement; you'll not hear any more from me.

I guess I've just gotten sick of all the competitions... well, pretty much everywhere. I suppose I don't see the point why folks always have to try and see who's better at something; it just seems like base behavior to me.

To a degree it is. So are lots of our human indulgences. The sooner you recognize that competition is a very real and driving force for a lot of people, though, the sooner you'll understand why a lot of things are the way they are in the world. If you ask me competitions like these, where people can participate in a harmless arena with equally harmless results, are important to sating those primal desires. Otherwise they end up manifesting elsewhere and causing serious problems in a variety of influential places where you don't want to see competition dictating action... politics, the workplace, etc. People are animals, and we have animal desires. We have to acknowledge them and deal with them if we want to move passed them. If we ignore them they don't go away, we just lose the ability to recognize them when they do influence us. I suppose you should be thankful competition isn't one of those primal desires you have to concern yourself with.

I don't want you to go away. I just want you to come to terms with whatever problems you may be having. All you have to do is look at things like this like they're sporting events. That's all they are, really. You can think they're silly and irrelevant, and you can hate that they appear to bother so many people, but you can't let any of it get to you. It's okay that you did so that you could recognize your issue. Now make sure that it's never an issue again. We improve the world one person at a time, and we have to start with ourselves.

Y'know what? Never mind. I just did some thinking and I'm going to point out, bit by bit, why that is rubbish to me. See, I'm not wired like the normal person. I have an Autism Spectrum Disorder and that affects my logic. I just can't comprehend why people feel like they have to be better than others. That kind of base desire is absolutely disgusting to me and if it were possible, I would gladly rip that away from everyone. It's shit like that that's the reason we can't have nice things, e.g. peace like how the world should be. I feel very few of those 'animal desires' as you stated.

So, no, I can't just 'come to terms' with the 'problems', so called that I have. Sporting events are disgusting to me, and looking at things like that doesn't help in the slightest.

Well you're going to have to find a way to overcome that reaction, or at least control it, because these things aren't going away. People are different, they have different interests, and you have to respect that. There are a lot of problems in this world, no one 'element' of humanity can be blamed for all things. Even though you're lacking a competitive nature you're still the only one here getting angry and upset. There may have been some drama, but it was minor and it's all been settled. There will be drama when you get any group of people together about anything. That it was settled so easily and without conflict is a reason to be proud. I'm sorry that you see what's happened as negative, but I see the resolution of minor disputes and the entertainment of many to be a reason to celebrate and be proud of our community.

Sorry for breaking what I said but there was one more thing I wish to clarify that I can't in the original reply due to a lack of a comment edit system. It isn't so much the idea of a competition itself as opposed to those who are typically involved in said competitions.

Competitions tend to draw out the worst in people; at least, my observations showed that. Quite frankly, I find sore losers annoying and sore winners (like I saw on the previous page, not naming names) anger me to the point of wanting to kick someone in the throat.

Perhaps it's possible to better the 'content and community as a whole' as you said, but how when folks like that get the most recognition/facetime? The Furry community is already in a pretty bad light thanks to outside media. I just don't want to see it get worse and in my personal experience, this kind of thing sets a breeding ground for just that kind of behavior.

To be honest, I would call you all four of those things you mentioned, since you said as such. I do give you kudos as an artist since that is an ability I lack.

Now then. That should be

*That should be all. Farewell.

Uh, what was the VOCT and where can I find it?

There'll be bad blood for years.

...It's kinda hard to pick out tone through text, was that sarcasm?

No.

If Mune beats Muirne in the finals, then I consider Roco "avenged" and thus the bad blood ends.

If Muirne wins VST then that does leave the idea that there's "unfinished business" (meaning someone nommed one of my friends and there hasn't been a flipping of the scenario) and there's going to be lingering drama from that, that'll carry over into TDVA, and any other vore-related contests or group things that may arise in which Muirne, Roco, and/or myself are in. (Though I do realize that if Roco wants to do something regarding getting those roles to flip that's on him, not me.) Still completely turned me off of mousepreds though.

Ah, thanks for clarifying. It's just hard to tell, sometimes... and quite frankly, I've never liked these kinds of things. Ego-stroking competitions that mean absolute jack shit besides establishing 'top dog' (which is kinda pathetic, anyway), and causes unnecessary drama. I don't even care if what happened on the previous page was 'tame for FA', it shouldn't be happening at all. It's just giving grown people a chance to act like children.

As long as you keep things civil and friendly. It's okay to carry a sportsman's grudge, but don't let it cross over into anything beyond the proverbial field of play okay.

As I already discussed with Muirne - she is not a Nuzlocker - she is not someone who has deliberately attacked the Mewtwo species - what beef I have with what happened here will remain within the realm of furry and not cross over into real life. If Roco wants to do something where he seeks direct vengeance that is on him. It is not my fight in that regard.

(The blocks, however, will still stand.)

Well... I mean I guess that's your decision.

Only if you want there to be.

You kidding? This kind of thing always causes drama, especially on this site.

Drama is a choice, dude. Maybe not the initial feeling of disappointment, but how you deal with that and if you hold onto it is entirely up to you. Perhaps those people you described above as "acting like children" aren't worth paying attention to, y'know?
Stank made this VERY clear that this is a popularity contest with monetary influence, nothing more, so anyone who attributes more to it is inventing that problem for themselves. Hell, even though I made a journal asking people to vote for Muirne and paid $10 to buy votes for her, it was just because I wanted to see her in the final round. That isn't a personal vendetta against Rotto; it's a liking of the character. If she loses, the only thing that's going to bug me is that I don't think Mune is as fun a character as her.

The reason I told you my outlook on this is because it's an example of someone who's invested time, social capital, and money into this, but isn't allowing his initial reactions to carry on longer than a couple days. If people want to hold a vendetta, that's their choice, not the tournament's, and not Stank's.

Thank you Samantha.

Your butt is hot.

I'm aware of this. Been told frequently.

Yay Muirne!
I'll vote for her every time; cute, predatory mouse girl. :)

Did she use her tail to... do a colonoscopy?

I think she kneed him in the groin, but your idea might've happened instead.

The wonder of IMAGINATION 8D

And suggestive silhouettes!

Oh my, that pose

*reaches to give her belly rub* must touch* ^^

Love to see the underdog win.

Pity it caused such drama on the previous page. :/

Enough of that already, who cares. You're the one instigating drama right now with all your comments.

Phew, Mousie won ^^; *sweatdrops* G... Good, now I'm not food...

For now.

Hehe. Funny trip down. Really nice comic work ~

'Stank you!

This ^

Just be glad it's not Lillan vs. Muirne.

/I created Lillan in a total vacuum. I have no idea how they came out looking simillar, but with totally opposite personalities. XD

And there's another character, belonging to Soffix I think, who is also a mousegirl nerd predator. I think she's named Liz or Lizzy or something.

True, but she is, if I recall, at least not a chubby grey mouse with blue hair. =)

She's chubby, but I've never seen her color scheme.

The way any encounter with Muirne should be. *Nods.*

I dunno. Nothing went in through the out door.

Not so intimidating when you have a tail go up your butt

Not sure why everybody is thinking this, but sure why not?

I have pants on?! Shinanigans! I call a foul here!

(Hehe nice page stank! Good luck murine and Mune :3 )

Fowl noted *watches her eat chu* in my opinion this entire round made me giggle, you both are awesome :3

I'm sure they won't last too much longer.

Well that ended unepicly XD still nice though

Sorry. I'm a fan of the anti-climax in vore.

Rotto should have won :/.

Maybe next time.

There's going to be another VST? o.o;

Probably not. XD

Not for awhile at least.

You know what I heard about?

Drama.

You know what I don't care about?

Drama!

Yay Murine! ^_^

I know. It's like TNT up in here.

Because they know drama, right?

... is that network even still on the air anymore?

yup its still on air lol

Mr. Stank,

I should like to compliment you on the suspense of this whole operation. Your comic series quite literally puts me on the edge of my seat. I make it a rule of mine never to see the scores for the contestants before viewing the next page, in order that it might be a surprise. In fact, whenever I see the thumbnail for a page of this series, I deliberately attempt to avoid looking at it, lest I ruin the surprise for myself.

Sadly, the contestants I was rooting for, Mssrs. Jitters and Rotto, have both been outvoted. Alas! My love of cute squirrels and otters causes me to be biased. But I was very glad that Mr. Jitters got an alternate ending with him victorious. I fear it might be presumptuous and forward of me to suggest a similar alternate ending for Mr. Rotto, but if the thought had occured to you, it would have the most enthusiastic encouragement from me.

Once again, my compliments to you and your artistic abilities. I look forward to seeing your future endeavours.

I'm glad to hear that this works as a 'normal' comic series! I always intended for it to at least be approachable without knowledge of the competition that spawned and influences it. I couldn't have asked for a better independence test than what you've apparently been doing, so thank you for the comment.

Sadly I don't have the time to do an alternate page for this round. Hopefully you can still find some enjoyment in the final round. After all, Jitters and Rotto are both still TECHNICALLY competing, albeit in a severely limited (and bouncier) fashion.

Love this vore tourney :D

And it loves you in turn.