History VisualNovel / AsterAsks

* BleachedUnderpants: {{Inverted}}. As discussed [[https://twitter.com/drool_cutie/status/1171310378501849088 here]], several characters from ''Aster Asks!'' originated or are inspired by characters from one of the author's previous works, ''Portside Stories'', which was, in the author's own words, "extremely non-fuck-related."

''Aster Asks!'' is a series of queer erotic {{Kinetic Novel}}s writen and illustrated by Valerie Halla, author of ''Webcomic/GoodbyeToHalos''. Each page contains an illustration, followed by some text below describing the action and containing dialogue.

Charming[[note]]Originally Charmside, before getting its name changed to avoid similarities with another franchise[[/note]] is a strange, isolated coastal city where magic permeates everything, and a mysterious Curse affects those who chose to live in it: stay too long within the walls of the city, and you will eventually become a monster. Despite how scary this might sound at first, the city's population keeps growing, as the outside world is seemingly full of people who are very eager to cast away their old form.

Aster, a blogger, just moved to Charming with the intention of interviewing the monstrous inhabitants and understanding who they are and what drove them to move there and start over. As they venture outside their apartment they learn about the way the city works and end up becoming ''very'' friendly with its rather uninhibited dwellers

The first issue, ''Aster Asks! #1: "Softness"'', deals with Aster’s meeting with a cow monster called Drippy, and was released on March 31, 2019. The second issue is currently in development.

* AlliterativeTitle:

* BackgroundMagicField: There’s one surrounding Charming that slowly transforms its inhabitants into monsters.
* BigBeautifulWoman: Drippy is very large and portrayed as very pretty.

* BuxomBeautyStandard: Drippy's large bust often gets a reaction from people and it causes it's share of BoobBasedGag.

* CuteMonsterGirl: Drippy is this, as is any female character who has lived on Charming long enough.

* ExcitedShowTitle

* HalfDressedCartoonAnimal: Drippy's usual attire includes a shirt but no pants. The author has joked on her Twitter page that the inhabitants of Charming assume bottomlessness to be a natural symptom of being friends with her.
* MonstrousHumanoid: All the Charming inhabitants are beautiful or adorable humanoid monsters.

* {{Retcon}}: The city was originally named ''Charmside'', but Vallerie changed the name to Charming between installments 1 and 2 of ''Aster Asks!'' [[https://twitter.com/drool_cutie/status/1303807217255104512 to avoid similarities with]] WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse's Hexside.

* {{Utopia}}: Charming is more or less a perfect city for queer people, who willingly move there en masse. Not only does the Curse turn people into who they truly desire to be, the city itself is portrayed as sunny and idyllic.

* GagBoobs: Drippy’s bust and the reaction it causes is used to humorous effect.

* {{Gainaxing}}: Drippy does this, naturally.

* BreastExpansion: [[spoiler:Drippy's hair flowers]] have this effect, as Aster discovers at the end of issue 1.]]

* NoAntagonist: The story has ''some'' conflict, but it's driven entirely by Aster's awkwardness and insecurity.

''Aster Asks!'' is a series of queer erotic [[KineticNovel Kinetic Novels]] writen and ilustrated by Valerie Halla, author of Webcomic/GoodbyeToHalos. Each page contains an ilustration, followed by some text below describing the action and containing dialogue.

Charming[[note]]Originally Charmside, before getting its name changed to avoid similarities with another franchise[[/note]] is a strange, isolated costal city where magic permeates everything, and a mysterious Curse affects those who chose to live in it: stay too long within the walls of the city, and you will eventually become a monster. Despite how scary this might sound at first, the city's population keeps growing, as the outside world is seemingly full of people who are very eager to cast away their old form.

* {{alllowercaseletters}}: The text is written by Aster, who is writing a blog in-universe. While most of it uses proper capitalization and punctuation, they often devolve into this when flustered or embarrassed, or when being deadpan.

* BreastExpansion: [[spoiler: Drippy's hair flowers have this effect, as Aster discovers at the end of issue 1.]]

* FictionalCounterpart: ''Softness'' starts with a note from Aster saying readers who enjoy their interviews can give them a tip at ''teatime.charm/asterasks'', which is a fictional version of the real life service Ko-fi.

* WalkingSwimsuitScene: Drippy's usual wardrobe consists of a bikini and a T-shirt, which she spends most of ''Softness'' without.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Most characters have unusual hair colors. For example, Aster’s is turquoise.

* {{Asexual}}: Valerie has confirmed Drippy is asexual.

Charming[[note]]Originally Charmside, before getting its named changed to avoid similarities with another franchise[[/note]] is a strange, isolated costal city where magic permeates everything, and a mysterious Curse affects those who chose to live in it: stay too long within the walls of the city, and you will eventually become a monster. Despite how scary this might sound at first, the city's population keeps growing, as the outside world is seemingly full of people who are very eager to cast away their old form.

* {{Transgender}}: On several levels; not only is Aster nonbinary, but Valerie Halla has been very open about the fact that the Curse is a thinly veiled allegory for being transgender, as it transforms the city dwellers’ bodies into their ideal version of them. Valerie herself is trans and is drawing from her experiences.

* {{Retcon}}: The city was originally named ''Charmside'', but Vallerie changed the name to Charming between installments 1 and 2 of ''Aster Asks!'' [[https://twitter.com/drool_cutie/status/1303807217255104512 to avoid similaritis with]] WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse's Hexside.

Charming is a strange, isolated costal city where magic permeates everything, and a mysterious Curse affects those who chose to live in it: stay too long within the walls of the city, and you will eventually become a monster. Despite how scary this might sound at first, the city's population keeps growing, as the outside world is seemingly full of people who are very eager to cast away their old form.

Charmside is a strange, isolated costal city where magic permeates everything, and a mysterious Curse affects those who chose to live in it: stay too long within the walls of the city, and you will eventually become a monster. Despite how scary this might sound at first, the city's population keeps growing, as the outside world is seemingly full of people who are very eager to cast away their old form.

Aster, a blogger, just moved to Charmside with the intention of interviewing the monstrous inhabitants and understanding who they are and what drove them to move there and start over. As they venture outside their apartment they learn about the way the city works and end up becoming ''very'' friendly with its rather uninhibited dwellers

* BackgroundMagicField: There’s one surrounding Charmside that slowly transforms its inhabitants into monsters.

* CuteMonsterGirl: Drippy is this, as is any female character who has lived on Charmside long enough.

* HalfDressedCartoonAnimal: Drippy's usual attire includes a shirt but no pants. The author has joked on her Twitter page that the inhabitants of Charmside assume bottomlessness to be a natural symptom of being friends with her.

* MonstrousHumanoid: All the Charmsiders are beautiful or adorable humanoid monsters.
* SliceOfLife: The story centers around Aster's day-to-day interactions with the Charmsiders.
* {{Transgender}}: On several levels; not only is Aster nonbinary, but Valerie Halla has been very open about the fact that the Curse is a thinly veiled allegory for being transgender, as it transforms the Charmsiders’ bodies into their ideal version of them. Valerie herself is trans and is drawing from her experiences.

* {{Utopia}}: Charmside is more or less a perfect city for queer people, who willingly move there en masse. Not only does the Curse turn people into who they truly desire to be, the city itself is portrayed as sunny and idyllic.

* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: Charmside is presumably somewhere on the United States’s coast, or a fictional equivalent of it. Anything more specific is simply not relevant to the story.

* WalkingSwimsuitScene: Drippy's usual wardrove consists of a bikini and a T-shirt, which she spends most of ''Softness'' without.

* {{Expy}}: Valerie has confirmed several characters to be this, mostly coming from an old webcomic of hers. In her own words:

''Aster Asks!'' is a queer erotic KineticNovel writen and ilustrated by Valerie Halla, author of Webcomic/GoodbyeToHalos. Each page contains an ilustration, followed by some text below describing the action and containing dialogue.