Giant Doujin of 108 Altrias 1

Master! Do you remember my name!?

You do? Oh, I'm so glad. I don't think I've ever been happier in my life...

In fact, I'm so elated that I might keep riding this wave all the way to heaven...

Hehe... That's okay. I know I'm a boring, worthless Servant, after all.

But, as your adoring Servant Huyan Zhuo, I hope you won't forget me when I'm gone...

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I'm only joking. Of course.

It's me. Your friendly neighborhood Huyan Zhuo.

Also your cool, cute, beautiful, stylish, noble, and exceedingly technically adept Huyan Zhuo.

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Then, does this mean...you need me?

I have returned!

That's right. It's me, Master! Huyan Zhuo!

Now, please allow me, Huyan Zhuo, to recap everything that's transpired thus far.

Hmm...

What are we going to do?

Good question.

Okay, this is Yoroshiku Mount Liang's room; the headquarters for one of the biggest clubs around, with 108 members.

Over a hundred members, you say? That sounds most promising.

I expect they will be our greatest ally among the Anti-ServantFes Alliance then.

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Big Brother Fujimaru? Is something wrong?

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Hello? Is everyone here?

Oh, hey. If it isn't Master and company.

Leader?

Yay, it's Leader! Are you here to hang out with us!?

Ooh, I see you brought your friends, too! Welcome!

Thank you, Elisa. It's good to see you doing well.

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We just stopped by to make sure everything was okay.

I'm sure you're probably still just working out the plot and drawing rough drafts, but if there's anything we can do to help, we're glad to do it.

Hey, that's really nice of you. No wonder everyone's been saying you're such an awesome editor.

As a matter of fact, there is something we could use your help with. Come on in.

That's right! Yoroshiku Mount Liang is in huge trouble! It's the greatest crisis we've ever faced!

It's not THAT bad.

Oh, I guess it's not that bad! We're just in a little trouble then! A little!

Hehehe. Any good editor knows that artists tend to downplay their problems.

So when you say "little," you really mean "big," right? What's going on exactly?

It's our main artist, Huyan Zhuo. She's, well

How do I draw thiiis!?

In a bit of a slump.

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Gaah! Master!? You saw that!? Nooo, the embarrassment is going to kill me...

Calm down! You're not leaving us just yet!

Eep! Waaah! Ellyyy!

There, there.

So yeah, as you can see, Elly's been having to console Huyan Zhuo like this pretty much every hour.

(Sniff...) (Sob...) Ahh, I feel comforted already...

What the heck!? She's so pretty, but so...pathetic!

True, you don't usually see a grown woman crying on a child's shoulder...

You've gotta understand, she still only has the mental fortitude of a five-year-old. Actually, maybe it's more like a three-year-old's?

The point is, even though she's anything but dainty, she's still as fragile as a cicada husk, so...

We wanted to make a doujin to help the rebellion, but we can't seem to make any progress!

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Hm? I only see the three of you here. Where's the rest of your club?

I wouldn't expect all 108 of you to be in this room all the time, but with so many members, I would've thought your HQ would be a little more crowded than this.

Oh, that's 'cause most of our other members are just ghost members.

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I mean, it would've been too sad to call ourselves Mount Liang with just a few of us, so...

...I got a bunch of people to sign up in name only...

I get how you feel!

Well, we do have some members who are part of other clubs too, but even counting them, we still have fewer than ten people altogether.

Oh, there's an expression for this sort of thing, isn't there? "Smoke and mirrors"?

Hahaha, you've got us there!

Phew... Okay, I feel calmer now.

There, there. There, there.

Can't help but notice you're still getting your head stroked...

It helps me mentally relax.

I don't know if I'd say you look "relaxed" so much as "deflated"... But, I guess that's fine.

So, where exactly are you getting hung up?

Oh, right.

Yoroshiku Mount Liang has never been focused on any one particular genre.

We've mostly just drawn whatever we felt like drawing.

Thanks to that, we were able to come up with some ideas for an Altria-genre doujin too, and...um...

...we ultimately decided to go with a romantic comedy.

I don't know anything about romance OR comedy!

Me neither, to be honest.

Oh, Master! I didn't know you were here!

I've been doing my best to help with the doujin, but I'm afraid I haven't been of much use.

I know it's partly my fault for barreling ahead with a genre we're all unfamiliar with, but still...

Hmm, I see. So where are you getting stuck? The story? The characters?

Romantic comedies are all about the emotions in each scene.

Even if the plot drags a bit, or your story structure's unconventional, you should be fine as long as the main characters end up smooching at the end.

I mean, really, if it doesn't end that way, then it's not really a romantic comedy at all, right?

And done right, that kind of ending can provide just as much catharsis as the classic "blow up the enemy base" scene in a Hollywood action movie.

Hmm, you're skeptical, aren't you? All right then, why don't we have a big smooch and see for yourself?

Please don't. We're trying to provide good role models for Elly, and I'm also pretty sure it would make Huyan Zhuo implode.

...I see. Okay, I've got a good handle on your artists' particular traits now.

(The more awkward someone is with love, the more they care about romantic comedies... Once they get past this block, I have a feeling they might just end up with a masterpiece!)

Oh really? Then how about we try it out and see for ourselves?

Eee! A romance master!

That's no good. She's having a seizure.

Talk about high-maintenance...

...Hmm, I see. Okay, I've got a good handle on your artists' particular traits now.

(The more awkward someone is with love, the more they care about romantic comedies... Once they get past this block, I have a feeling they might just end up with a masterpiece!)

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I guess the biggest thing we're stuck on is the characters.

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The heroine... What should we do with the heroine...?

In an action story, you need to focus on making the battles tense and exciting.

In a thriller, you need to focus on the riddles and mystery.

Of course, the characters are important in those kinds of stories as well, but

Yeah. If you just focus on those aspects, it'll end up as an entirely different genre.

But a romantic comedy is all about the heroine. If she isn't cute, the whole thing will fall apart.

And I don't just mean outwardly. Cuteness of personality is just as important, if not more so.

Basically, she has to be cute enough in all regards that the reader themself falls for her... Ghh, I thought this would be easy, but thinking about it more, it's actually fiendishly difficult!

Hmmm... That IS really tough. I can't think of a single idea.

I, um, think you may still be too young for this sort of thing, Elisa.

Hmm. Well, just wringing our hands isn't going to get us anywhere. Do you have anything you can show me?

Well, we do have this very rough draft...

Hmm, hmm... This looks pretty good to me.

Yay! Thank you!

But, this is all we have so far. It just feels like it's missing something...

Hey, I want to see it, too. Hmm... Hmm, hmm...

What do you think? Anything you like about it?

From what we've got here, I think I have to go with...her.

The most beautiful girl in the class who's genuinely nice to everyone, excels at sports and athletics alike, and gets asked out more than anyone.

And she doesn't have to work hard behind the scenes to achieve her success either, since she's a natural.

And then you have a beautiful, elegant, refined girl like that dating the unremarkable protagonist in a wonderfully wholesome fashion...

I love it. It's exactly what you'd want for an Altria-genre story.

Wow! Her self-affirmation is off the charts!

Oh, that's the version we discarded.

Huh!?

Someone like that might be unstoppable in real life, but she would be a complete turnoff in a romantic comedy.

I can say that for certain, since I'm a complete turnoff myself. Hehe.

Yes... I definitely speak from experience there...

Now she's bumming herself out...

Well, anyway, I agree that was the right call, Huyan Zhuo. A story like this wouldn't have enough drama, nor does it really bring out your strengths.

Tch.

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Huh? You want to know what I think!? Hmm. Well...

Maybe it could be an Altria who adores the protagonist and goes about seducing him with pure sex appeal?

Seduce!? Sex appeal!?

What do you think, Master?

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Mmm... Ahhh♡

Hey! What's so funny!?

And just what's that supposed to mean? Think carefully before you answer, or this could mean war.

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M-maybe we can come back to that topic later! What do you think, Yan Qing!?

A good heroine, huh... Maybe a yandere type who kidnaps the protagonist so she can keep him all to herself?

So, you're going in that direction, huh...

I'm not a big fan of yanderes that go too far, but a half-assed yandere tends to be pretty boring...

It's all about striking the right balance!

Let's table that idea for now, too. What about you, Huang Feihu? Any ideas?

None! Sorry!

Yeah, I'm not surprised...

Well, some other classic heroine tropes that come to mind are the old-fashioned charming tsundere, and the unpredictable kuudere.

I've got it! What about a heroine like Lord Song Jiang!?

Lord Song Jiang, huh.

They were perfect as a leader, but as a heroine...I'm not so sure.

Yeah. A heroine who's equally nice to everyone is also a heroine who doesn't give anyone special treatment, including the protagonist.

Still, it's not every day Elly comes up with ideas, so there may be something there if we explore it.

Let's table that idea for now, too!

Yaaay!

I have an idea, if I may.

I do, too.

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