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Clout, master of Genzu.

Started by: Najenda | Replies: 21 | Views: 1,765

Shock.WAV
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Nov 26, 2017 12:09 AM #1485932
I have to say, I don't like how Alph and Pitch go about their reviews - It's really hard to take a critique seriously when most of it is profanity and sarcastic put-downs. ('Take your scarf and shove it up a goat's arse' gets a special mention for being so uncalled for it was actually funny.)

So I think I'm going to give one.

(I took too long to write this and you've updated a few times since. Keep this in mind if I talk about something that's already been altered - some feedback might be obsolete, some could still be applicable.)

Name(s) & Personal Information - Usually on profiles, there's nothing to comment on. However, I do think the likes and dislikes are a nice little personal touch. You just don't see it anymore, it's a quick little look into what kind of person they are before you get to the Personality section. Age is a slight concern for reasons we shall come back to later on, but if you insist on keeping it as such, I've no issue with that.
Only thing I would ask here is, could we have a little more information about Galairia? This is a brand new world we're learning about, but it's only mentioned in passing both here and in the Story, as if we should already know about it. Perhaps the Orkana section could include everything we need to know about Galair and Muves, and the two inhabitant races?

Appearance - A nice and straightforward description of a person who dresses comparatively plainly and minimalist - this goes well with his speed and invisibility to give Clout a nice ninja-like vibe. And also I like the scarf. If someone's going into a fight wearing an item of clothing they know could be used against them, then more power to them.

The Orkana - I always like reading about new fictional species, even when all that's said is rumors and legends. Very nice touch on the name, too - I'm under the impression it's an amalgam of 'Ork' and 'arcane', brilliantly fitting for a warrior race known by so few in-story. Clever!

Story - Here's where things start slowing down, but can be easily fixed. Lots of terms and titles are thrown around, and the story just sort of happens, but nothing's really explained. Is Galairia a place on the planet, or the star around which the planet orbits? Who were the Yellow Eyes? How did Tekashi Nine reincarnate into Clout, and why did it take so long? You know everything about your story, the worlds you've created and how they work - it's just a matter of communicating to the reader what they need to know. Even if you want to keep the reader in the dark about things until you surprise them one reveal at a time, you still need to give them enough to start with to keep them interested in your story, or you risk losing them.
You say that Clout lived for ten years before being frozen 'on an unknown planet close to Earth' - this leads me to believe he's been travelling through space and between planets since his reincarnation, which further leads me to believe he was never a child, but reincarnated as a full-grown man. This is fine, I can believe that if it's true, but if it isn't, then how does a child of any species travel through space? There's only one rule to things like reincarnation in fiction - the reader needs to know how it works, even if it's just the basics.

Personality - Intelligence isn't really a personality trait, but it does relate to what is, vis a vis his calculative approach to things. The second part seems a little confusing, and takes a few reads to understand what's being explained - The way I'm reading it is, Clout is well-spoken and socially competent, but prefers to keep to himself rather than mix with a group. Is that correct? Perhaps this needs rewording a little, in the interest of clarity.

Abilities -
'Gate Breaker' - Boosts Clout's abilities to four times their usual strength. Straightforward, no nonsense boost. Brilliant. But there's all this we have to read through first; It changes Clout's eye colour and damages his clothing, and he's used it twice before. It's a state of which can be entered at will, but also activates when he's in danger. It was passed down to him from his past life as Tekashi, of whom took fifty-five years learning and mastering it. There's all this before you finally tell us what it actually does, and that's a bad arrangement of priorities.
On a side note, everything from Clout's experience with it to Tekashi's 'unlocking' of the state - you clearly want us to know this much, but shouldn't it have been in the Story section rather than here?
Invisibility - Plain and simple, nothing to really fault. Good work. Just some questions to the mechanics of it - how long can Clout keep it up? Is it total invisibility, or is there a giveaway were someone to look hard enough, like a faint outline?
Genzu - Seems to work in a similar fashion to chi or aura. My only complaint here would be, don't compare your work to something else - that's just lazy. People will make the comparison regardless, but if even you're saying 'it's just a Kamehameha', of course people are going to claim unoriginality, because you did it first.
Eyes - Interesting trivia, but not really an ability. I would suggest moving this to his Appearance.
Speed - I see that after Pitch's feedback you're considering lowering his speed to something more fair, but still want him to be 'really fast'. If Gate Breaker boosts his power fourfold, you still need to take into account that limit atop his usual. Speaking in averages here, 200mph (322kmh) is more than enough to qualify for 'really fast', making 50mph (80kmh) the unpowered usual, and still enough to vastly outspeed and outmanoeuvre his opponent.
Regeneration - Again, the strength of it seems a little extreme when we factor in the Gate Breaker boost, but rather than toning it down, I have an alternate suggestion, a sort of halfway meet. As you mention that this power is 'sped up' by his Genzu, perhaps it could be fully tied in with it instead, so that the power slows down as he uses more of its fuel up? It makes for excellent balance, and it allows Clout's intellect to be really put to the test, which would make for some brilliant moments in your writing.


Weaknesses - In the interest of balance, it's a good idea to list around as many weaknesses as abilities, give or take. Clout has five abilities (not including eyes), but only two weaknesses - and these two would usually be implied, so really, you've not given us anything we couldn't assume. He's weak against sharp weapons - so is everyone else. He can only take so much of a beating before he's in trouble - so can everyone else. This would be the best place to tell us the limitations of Clout's powers - like how he hasn't mastered Gate Breaker.
A slight critisism though; I do take issue with the fact that you basically outright say that his first weakness is nullified. To summarise, he can be stabbed and wounded, but he heals super fast and moves too quick for anything to hit him anyway, so it doesn't matter. Please take a moment to consider why that might not be fair.

Demo #1 - Looks like you listed your weaknesses again by mistake. Always proofread your work.
EDIT: Nevermind. Still always proofread your work, though.

Demo #2 - I have to be blunt here; for what there is, the story seems quite short. Clout uses one of each of his abilities for but a moment and dispatches of the Aresax with no real effort or conflict. It all just sort of happens, and again, nothing that does happen is explained. Very rarely in a written story can there be such a thing as too much information.

I'm terrible at getting my point across, so If I may, allow me to give an example using one of the paragraphs from your demo.

"The Aresax screaming, Clout clearly classified what type of Aresax this particular one was with the Aresax’s voice. “So it’s an adult… This will take a while” he thought to himself. Running towards the Aresax, Clout jumped on top of it’s massive, dark red thigh’s and proceeded to plunge himself further into the beast. The Aresax started to forge it’s own weapons out of it’s skin and that’s when Clout knew he needed to pick up speed to end this in one blow."

The Aresax screeched, the sound alone rumbling the ground beneath Clout's feet. Only a full-grown had that kind of volume, that kind of power in their cries. This wasn't going to be easy, Clout thought. Still, he couldn't let this beast run wild - who knew who could get hurt, how many lives were at risk? He sprang into action, a plan quickly concocted to best the foe. With as fast a run-up he could muster in such a short space, he leapt into the air, colliding with the beast's left thigh, and waited for his chance. The Aresax had this trick, they could forge weaponry out of their own flesh. As soon as they pulled the skin from their bodies, it would set to be tougher than steel. That wound it left behind would be an excellent point to strike, but it healed remarkably fast. So when the moment came, Clout would have to strike fast, and strike hard. This monster needed to be stopped.
Just as planned, the beast reached for his prey, the claws digging through carmine flesh. Quickly, nimbly, Clout made his move. As the epidermis before him peeled away, he jumped upward, gripping the exposed tissue and tearing the wound deeper. The Aresax roared once more as the bothersome Orkan forced his way down to the muscle.


Look at how with just a little spice here and there, I've more than doubled the size of the excerpt without slowing it down all that much (hopefully). The Aresax's weapon ability is still only mentioned, but it's done so to explain Clout's plan, and how he aims to exploit a strength. His train of thought is extended to allow for exposition, but it's presented in a different manner to his speech, becoming part of the written narration - this prevents confusion, and it allows for exposition to come across as less awkward and clunky.

Summary - We're off to a good start, and with each edit we get just that little bit better, I'm sure. Just one last thing I would say to watch out for; it's quite obvious where your inspirations from, to the point where it becomes concerning. It's alright to pay homage to the odd thing you like about your favourite programmes, but subtlety is key. Keep tweaking things here and there to further differentiate Clout's world from the Dragonball one. Otherwise, keep up the good work, and good to see you back!
Najenda
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Nov 26, 2017 1:44 AM #1485933
Quote from Shock.WAV
Summary - We're off to a good start, and with each edit we get just that little bit better, I'm sure. Just one last thing I would say to watch out for; it's quite obvious where your inspirations from, to the point where it becomes concerning. It's alright to pay homage to the odd thing you like about your favourite programmes, but subtlety is key. Keep tweaking things here and there to further differentiate Clout's world from the Dragonball one. Otherwise, keep up the good work, and good to see you back!


Since quoting all of this would be too massive, I'm just gonna leave it off with the summary. I've read everything, thank you. I don't really know what else to say that I haven't said to all of the others who cnc'ed me. You've put the most effort into yours, and it's crazy that you actually rewrote one of my paragraphs. I emplore you.
Crank
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Nov 26, 2017 6:20 AM #1485940
If no one's asked yet, how powerful are the Genzu blasts. Been a bit since I watched Dragon Ball Z, and the abilities I'm reading span from could be fair to DEAR GOD, depending on definition. If a blast can stagger me, I can run with that, but if I'll turn to ash, I'm not so sure. Similarly, if it's quick as a bullet, back to dicey, but if I'm looking at a baseball, it's avoidable. Does it require a charge?

Personally, I like looking at character's strength in terms of other characters. If neither character held back, could you write a compelling story against a guy who can walk on walls and throw stones with string?

That's about the weakest you'll run into.

Shock's is a bit stronger. How about a machete, throwing knives, tactics and regeneration?

Check out a few other characters and see what you need those answers to be

Invisibility is another one you'll want to put under the microscope with 20 questions
Najenda
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Nov 26, 2017 2:58 PM #1485944
Quote from Crank
If no one's asked yet, how powerful are the Genzu blasts. Been a bit since I watched Dragon Ball Z, and the abilities I'm reading span from could be fair to DEAR GOD, depending on definition. If a blast can stagger me, I can run with that, but if I'll turn to ash, I'm not so sure. Similarly, if it's quick as a bullet, back to dicey, but if I'm looking at a baseball, it's avoidable. Does it require a charge?

Personally, I like looking at character's strength in terms of other characters. If neither character held back, could you write a compelling story against a guy who can walk on walls and throw stones with string?

That's about the weakest you'll run into.

Shock's is a bit stronger. How about a machete, throwing knives, tactics and regeneration?

Check out a few other characters and see what you need those answers to be

Invisibility is another one you'll want to put under the microscope with 20 questions


Uhh ok ._. Gotchu. I'll be trying and updating less frequently now, I just had a lot of time on my hands the past few days.
Azarel CS.777
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Nov 28, 2017 2:02 AM #1485974
And one more thing, is his name just Clout? Or is his middle and last name unknown?
Najenda
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Nov 28, 2017 10:38 PM #1485987
Quote from Azarel CS.777
And one more thing, is his name just Clout? Or is his middle and last name unknown?


His name is just Clout.
Najenda
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Dec 17, 2017 10:18 PM #1486428
Double post from a while ago but Update:

Muverian Orbit (In the Abilities section)
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