WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE!
Hello! MAGNUMsLAW here! Nice to meet you, my dear reader. This intro might be TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read) so I understand if you choose to skip to the next chapter.
I decided to use this space to introduce myself and the DSM series, as well as give a little bit of background / Behind-The-Scenes (aka. B.T.S.), and some Q&A before jumping into the series.
First, a little bit about myself: I have an unhealthy relationship with alliteration, and things divisible by the number five give me inner-peace. I have two canine chaos companions, who I spoil waaaaay too much. My Creator name is derived from "Magnum, Private Investigator" aka. the Magnum P.I. tv show, and Murphy's Law (essentially a phrase in the USA that means "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong"). No, it is not a reference to ice cream...or anything else for that matter. Just wanted to clear that up, since I had a few comments asking (on Webtoon). 😳
I currently reside within the United States of America, and have always held a special place in my heart for manga since a young age. It basically combines the two things I love: reading and art! Not long after that, I also discovered anime, manhwa, webtoons, etc and soon my spiral into the otaku life was past the point of no return. 😏
When I was younger I came up with several different ideas for a manga series. Yes, some may have died a righteous death due to being the odd imaginations of a young weird teen me...
... or not aging well
... or not having enough plot
... or having too much plot
... or some combination of the above.
It is to be expected after almost 20 years; times have changed and I'm not the same person I was then, and have since experienced more of the world, outside of my hometown.
One of the series that has made it through the trials of time is <Dark Side of the Moon>, and although it has changed a lot over the years, some of it still holds true to the original scripting I came up with back in 2005.
Similarly, <Scion of the Sea> was originally titled "The Colors of Music", and <The Haunting of Yuu> was originally titled "Untitled Ghost Story". All are stories from back then, and I have decided I will publish them once I am able to do so. I also have plans for a few DSM side stories as well, namingly <Colores del Corazon>, and <Young Kimber>. Maybe I will publish more of my works after those? Who knows? We will have to wait and see.
I tried in my younger years to publish my work, particularly DSM. I figured that even if I was unable to make it as a mangaka, I would still be content if I published DSM as a novel, but sadly I had no such luck in either department.
As time went on, I became more focused on my day job as an actual career path, and my stories all took a backseat in my priorities (depressing how our dreams sometimes die as an adult, am I right?)
My youngest sister has viewed many of my drafts and artwork, and she always hoped I would publish someday. She has been my main support and my rock when it comes to my artistic dreams, so this series is dedicated to her (@OrJuNo) ♥️
I decided about 7 years ago that I would try to publish again. Sadly, it was worse than before. I was ridiculed for being "an adult trying to write a silly little rom-com cartoon, filled with tropes, in an oversaturated genre". Unfortunately, word of my publishing attempts eventually found its way to my professional workplace, where I suffered even more ridicule and judgment, but on a more personal level.
Safe to say, I was greatly discouraged. I could not understand why something that gave me such joy, was being turned against me in such a painful way. I went through many different stages of embarrassment and shame. I was also dealing with an undiagnosed mental illness (unknowingly) at the time, as well as going through a particularly dark patch in my life, so this was essentially the "straw on the camel's back", if you will.
I eventually ended up leaving my job at that location because the environment became so toxic (due to more than just that event, that was just the "tip of the iceberg" and a lot of people also chose to transfer around that time as well).
Once I relocated to a new branch in a different city, I was treated much better, allowed a fresh-start, able to work on my mental health issues, as well as regrow my self-confidence. All with a team of coworkers who later became a second family of sorts. It was exactly what I needed at the time. I was also able to get professionally diagnosed, so I could finally get the help I didn't know I needed, along with gaining a better understanding of my diagnosis and learning to live with it. But I am rambling a bit now, so all of that is a story for another time!
I have always been fascinated with the world, whether it be different cultures, laws, sports, food, etc. I love to travel and thankfully I get to do that as part of my current job. I have been to countries all over the world and I am continuously fascinated by all that I discover and experience.
However, sometimes I need to travel to places where cell phone service reception is not reliable, even with a local SIM card, so my schedule can be a bit unpredictable as a content creator. I also work on average of 18 hours per day, 6 days per week, clocking over 100 hours weekly (yes, you read that correctly), so time and energy are also an issue.
So! I am currently attempting to release chapters of the DSM Novel monthly, but it is by no means a promised schedule from me, just a goal. Please understand that I don't get paid for my content, and I have all sorts of time constraints in my daily life, so I can't always make chapters ready as a buffer and schedule them for release. Plus, self-care and mental health are important!
Now, in 2024, almost 20 years since it all started, I finally feel comfortable again to put my work out there. And yes, there will be tropes (part of the fun), and yes, DSM is a supernatural romance, but I hope you will give it a chance. 🙏🏼
Mainly, I am publishing so my sister can finally read it, and so that I can have fun bringing it to life. But even if just one other person reads it, I will be happy to have shared it with them. I am grateful to any and all readers and subscribers, and each one gives me joy knowing that they read my work, even if they didn't care for it (let's be honest, we all have different tastes and that's perfectly ok!). Hopefully, you like this series though!
All I ask is for readers to not judge too harshly please, since this is my first series and I am not a professional author / artist. Constructive criticism is always welcome, but please no outright bashing / bullying (this includes in the comments too). 😓
Due to my busy schedule, I just want to say that I do read each and every comment, but I don't always have the time to reply right away (but I will eventually!). Just know that I like hearing your thoughts, and every positive thing helps reinforce my confidence to continue doing what I love: making comics!
Now for a bit of Q&A before we get to the series!
Q: Why supernatural romance?
A: I have always had a weird fascination with things we don't understand, such as vampires, ghosts, chupacabra, mothman, among other cryptids. Something about myths and the unknown has always piqued my interests.
Q: What kind of changes has this series gone through over the years?
A: Well, it used to be more of a dark comedy with a "love square" 😅 but I felt that the comedy portion grew kind of weak with time as the series grew more serious and I decided to cut out a lot of that, and make it into what it is now. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of jokes, but I no longer wanted to make comedy the main theme. Also, a lot of character dynamics and personalities have changed over the years, especially Hatori and Satori, but hopefully it's for the better. I don't want to spoil anything, so I plan to delve deeper into this question at a later point.
Q: What is your planned schedule for your series?
A: Currently it looks something like this, but please keep in mind these dates are subject to change:
DSM S01-E02 (Novel): October 31st, 2024
DSM S01-E00 (Webtoon): TBD
HOY COVER: April 2025
HOY S01-E00: October 31st, 2025
SOS COVER: April 2025
SOS S01-E00: September 2025
Translated TAPAS Chapters: Hopefully started by March 2025
PATREON: $1 currently available
$2+ Hopefully by July 2025
TWITCH/YOUTUBE: TBD
Q: Who is your favorite DSM character?
A: A mother doesn't choose favorites among her children 😈
Q: Why do some chapters have comments locked?
A: Those are chapters that are mainly for my practice, drafting, doodling, etc. Basically chapters that are not considered released and final. The reason I lock them is I don't want people thinking this is actual chapter content, and also I would like to keep the comments on topic as much as possible. Don't worry, they eventually get fixed and unlocked! I also like to add the bat emoji 🦇 in DSM (Webtoon) chapter titles once they are live and ready. Thank you for your patience and understanding!
Q: What age / audience is the DSM series meant for?
A: There are a number of different, and sometimes difficult, themes and topics that are discussed throughout this series, so I'd recommend that readers be 16+. DSM is my longest series and it will span across multiple seasons and character generations, so I'd say my target audience is probably ages 20 to 30, but don't let that discourage you if you are outside that range. Please give DSM a chance! Also, I try to do my best to list any possible triggers at the beginning of each chapter, if I think it has any. If for some reason I miss one, please kindly let me know in that chapter's comment section so that I can fix it. If at any time, I believe a chapter to be more on the 18+ rather than the 16+ spectrum, I will list that in the warning and check the "mature content" box.
*** With Webtoon and Tapas changing many of their guidelines, I may just mark the entire series as Mature just so I don't have to worry about any problems. Obviously, I don't want to have to do this, but if things get too complicated, sadly it might just be easier then reformatting my comics / novels.
Q: How do I find out about any changes / updates?
A: The latest and greatest information can be found on my Webtoon Creator profile page!
https://www.webtoons.com/creator/magnumslaw
It can all be accessed for free. There I talk about all sorts of things, such as in progress reports, to what food I am craving that day, or my chaos companion shenanigans, and everything else in between. I do try to keep it free of "hype" topics such as religious and government beliefs as much as possible though, so I would appreciate it if you did so too. Thank you!
Q: Wait...is there music for each chapter??
A: Yes! At least as long as I'm able to do so. When I learned that only Webtoon Originals have a way to add music and .gif files, I was a bit sad, but I figured I could just share the song info instead so you can listen along with me if you want. But please understand some things:
1) Any featured song may contain explicit content! Please listen at your own discretion!
2) I do not, in any way, shape, or form own or have rights to any song, album, band, etc. And I do not make any profit or gain any promotional commissions from featuring them. I'm simply just a lover of music and wanted to create a playlist for all of my series. All rights go to their rightful owners, producers, and artists. I did not make any of these songs, only my Webtoon series and novels. These artists,/bands/producers beliefs, personalities, or what they promote, do not reflect my own.
3) How to listen: if you have Spotify, simply scan the album Spotify coded icon (if available) at the top of each chapter, or follow the link. You might have to type it into the address bar, since Webtoon and Tapas sometimes prevent copy/paste/click in comments to prevent scams, viruses, etc. You can also just search the song, title and artist in your browser search bar or app. I usually give all three options, but sometimes a URL is too long to fit in a comment. I also have series themed playlists I am building on Spotify, that will become accessible at a later date.
If you're still here, thank you for taking the time out of your day to read this far! ♥️
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