#and well with the comics that was fine because I could change the image but these are PRINTS?? ON PAPER??? A PRODUCT EVEN

[intotheelliwoods]

STICKERS ARE HERE.

Anyways now it is just a waiting game for the keychains to arrive before I can sell stuff! Everyone send your best wishes over in hopes the keychains do not get lost in overseas transit haha

[petew21-blog]

Friends for life

This Zack, my best childhood friend. When we were kids, we were basically inspereable. We spent so much time together. We slept over each tohers houses. Even better was the fact that our moms were best frinds. So not only they spend so much time together, but so did we. But that was 6 years ago. Everything changed when my dad died. Zack was there for me, but over time we grew apart. I had to help out my mum with my two sisters and she had to get another job to get enough money for us. Zack's mom on the other hand got divorced and found a new boyfriend. Who I heard didn't really get on well with Zack.

Me and Zack talked from time to time, but it was mainly superficial. Zack was now a very well respected guy in the school. He was always into sports. But now he was a swimmer, basketball and a football player as well. I don't know where he got all that time and energy. Even if we saw each other in the classroom we just smiled or waved at each other. Maybe even this very tiny friendship was the reason why no bullies dared to touch me. Not that Zack would every bully anyone, but if he knew that the other guys bullied someone, he always stood up for that person and ended it. And the bullies even apologized sometimes. That's how respected he was.

So yeah Zack's a jock and I am a classic nerd. Or maybe not classic. I don't really have much time to play games on the computer because of my job, but when I have some spare time I read comic books. So yeah, that makes me a nerd I suppose. And I do quite well at school too. Maybe not the PE, I kinda suck at that, but I get by.

Present time

Me and several other classmates were assigned to start decorating the halls for upcoming prom. Most of my classmates were really excited for that, but not me. I didn't have anyone to go with. Not anyone I wanted to atleast. Ok, I'll say it. I am gay, which complicates things a bit. And the person I would really like to go to prom with is Zack. But that will never happen. Zack is 100% striaght and it would totally ruin his reputation in the school.

But that doesn't stop me from obssessing about him. I saw him a few times in the locker rooms which gave me a pretty consistent image of how he changed over the years. He was pretty much the same Zack I grew up with, but I bet that his junk is much bigger than I remember. Truth be told, Zack was the first (and only) person who I had any sexual experience with. I know it sounds sus, but he only wanted to experiment jerking each other off as most boys do at their younger years. Back then I was really puzzled and didn't know what to do. Now I just wish I could go back to that moment once again.

I was one of the few remaining students. The rest headed to the shops to get their dresses and suits. I told them to leave and that I would finish it by myself, cause I wasn't planning on going anyway.

I entered the gym to get a ladder, to help me set up the last few letters over the door. And there he was, on the other side of the room. Zack was lifting some weights I didn't even know how to name. He noticed me battling with the ladder nd hurried up to help me. I mean... wouldn't you crush about him too?

Zack:"Hey, man. Nobody came to help you with this? It's pretty heavy."

Me:"Hey, no. They all left to get their suits and all. So it's just me now."

Zack:"Oh, that's sad. You need help with something?"

Me:"No, it's fine. It's just final touches. But thanks"

Zack:"All right, man. But if you need, don't hesitate to ask ok?"

He smiled and went back to finish his set.

I was basically drooling, As I was climbing the ladder and trying to reach the letters, I stumbled and grabbed onto a light. I must have been shocked or something cause then I found myself on the floor. But I wasn't on the ground, I was standing. And on the ground was my body, unconcious.

I looked at my hands and they were barely visible. I tried to reach my body but it wouldn't accept my soul. Fuck, am I dying? I tried to call out for Zack but he didn't hear me. I ran to him and saw him lifting his weights. I tried to reach for him, but before I did I felt a force pulling me towards him. And as I was pulled away I felt something being ejected out of his body.

I opened my eyes, looking in front of me. But Zack was gone now. I turned around but he wasn't anywhere. As I looked down, I noticed I was now wearing bright red shorts, and on top of that a very sweaty torso, which definitely wasn't mine. I reached out my hands. Fuck, is this really happening? I searched the pockets and found a phone. In its reflection I saw Zack's face. Oh my god. Did I really just possess Zack's body? And where is he?

The responsible flow of thoughts was now interrupted by the two huge sweaty biceps now in the way where I usually didn't mind them. I flexed and oh my god, the tightness, the strength. I felt amazing.

I knew it was bad, but I just had to give it a try. What if I might never have a chance to do this ever again, I stuck out my new tongue and licked my new shoulder all the way to my biceps. Which also allowed me now to inhale the scent of my sweaty armpit. "This is so amazing!"

I then proceeded to touch my new belly full off abs. "How the hell did he get these?"

"Lot of working out and calorie deficit" a voice called out from the other side of the room, where I was before. And there was my body. Standing.

"Zack? Is that you?"

"Yeah. Would you mind telling me how this happened?"

I wanted to be completely honest, I swear, but I think that he doesn't need to know the part where my soul travelled to his body and was pulled by it.

"So, are we gonna try to reverse it the same way? Cause your body is really hurting from the fall and my body needs to be ready for a game tommorow. So I'm not really sure about that"

"I'm really sorry about that Zack. I mean, you're right that maybe it was my near deth experience that caused this, but I don't know if endangering our lives would allow to swap us back. What if the other one dies and the remaining one will have to keep on living the other ones life?"

"Yeah, you're onto something. Well, we're gonna have to figure out how to pass on as each other."

We spoke some more about how we were gonna live our lives without anyone thinking we have gone crazy.

"Ok, Zack. Just one question. How about... you know. Private stuff?"

"You mean my personal things at home or phone? Well that shouldn't be so bad I think. I don't have many secrets to tell or something, haha"

"No, I mean. Eventually we're gonna have to take a shower or go to a toilet."

"Oh, right. I haven't thought of that. Well, than my body is your body? I mean, I don't really like to think about somebody else using my body like that, but I know you're a good person and all, so I know you'll treat my body well. Maybe just... no sex? Could you do that for me please?"

"Zach, I haven't had sex yet even in my body. I mean, your body is attractive and all so, I know I could get a date in your body or smth, but that's not something I would do."

"Ok, thanks man. Just making sure. And also another thing. I..."

"What is i Zack?"

"Give me a second, it's kind off embarasing for me. I have to jerk off in the evening everyday. If I don't I sometimes have wet dreams the next morning"

"Dude, that's nothing to be ashamed of. That happens, Zack"

"Thanks. I know you mean well, but I just know my body. So I know you'll have to take care of that now or you'll have a very unpleasant morning including the washing of the clothes and bed linens."

I felt Zack dick in my new shorts getting hard just by hearing about this. Not only am I in the body of my crush, but he himself gave me permission to jerk off his dick. How crazy is that?

"Ok, Zack. If that's what needs to be done, I'll do it." I said it in a way to make it sound like I wasn't thrilled to jerk off his dick

"And in exchange I'll get to jerk off your dick. Do you have any other secrets I should know about?"

OH FUCK NO I am not telling him "Well... not really. I think."

"Good, then let's get to it. In case you won't know what to do, just text me and I'll help you"

I was approaching Zack's house. The one where I basically grew up secondary to mine. I knew where all the rooms were. What stuff was placed where. But that was before the death of my dad and before the divorce. Who knows what's different

I entered the house anticipating horrible things. And then a strange man left the restroom. "Hey, dipshit. Back from school already? Jesus fuck. The kids these days. Why don't you get a job kid" he left for the kitchen to grab himself a cold beer and left for the living room.

Now I understand why Zack spent so much time at school doing sports. He didn't want to stay at home longer than necessary.

Anyway, up to Zack's room. His room was not filthy, it was kind of clean, but at the same time it was a but disorganized. Some of his used clothes were lying on the ground. I grabbed one of his boxers and grabbed it to my face. This is my smell now. The smell of my dick. I inhaled and held it to my nose.

As I felt my dick hardening, I didn't waste no time and started undressing myself. Zack's small mirror didn't do the trick for me so I left to the bathroom.

"Ok, modern shower. That's new. Gonna have to give it a go"

I took off all my remaining clothes. I left his necklace on and then just stared at my new reflection in the mirror. How amazing is this?

I touched his jawline, his already growing beard, scratching my hand. His lips, shivering underneath my touch. His beautiful nose. His eyes, that now contained my soul and not his looked a bit different, but same too. I took my right hand and place it on my neck while my left hand was already enjoying the hairtrail blow my stomach.

"Oh Zack, I think you'd be the type to shave. Might do that for you to fully embrace this massive beast" and with that I lowered my right hand that was before resting on my vibrating throat and now started jerking my new dick.

"Just doing what I had been told. Haha"

I jerked faster. I was slightly moaning but not loud enough to cause suspicion with Zack's step dad. I was observing the tense muscles just working hard to get me into the state of pure euphoria.

I was getting close. I couldn't stop myself from moaning. I jerked so hard that the cum flew out of my dick right to the mirror in front of me. Is I stood there, smiling with my semi-hard dick in my hand I just saw the door swung open.

I quickly covered my dick and whole self with a towel, but even the partial view could give the viewer enough information. His step dad was furious

"What the hell you fucker?!? You're jerking off here while you could do some usefull job instead? I will have a very long talk with your mother when she gets here!"

What the hell just happened. Why is he so mad at Zack all the time. He's a student and a busy one at that. I don't know what this guy's problem is

I cleaned up the bathroom and got ready for the next time. Just the fact that I got the privilege to smell Zack's scent all the time and sleep in his bed. But having his body was a whole new level. I never even dreamed of this

The next day was horrible. I started the day with PE at school and let me tell you, that having a great body full of muscles is one thing. But having a weak will to actually do it is another. I was exhausted. I felt like I wouldn't be able to get up again after finishing

I saw Zack aproaching me in my body with a concerned look. I was beggining to worry what was on his mind

Zack:"Hey... umm how was your first night as me?"

Me:"Gotta say that the stepdad you got there is an another level of douchebag. I can't believe how you can live with that"

Zack:"Yeah, he is like that all the time. I don't know what mom sees in him. He's actually super nice to her, but seems to hate me just for breathing"

Me:"Yeah. I'll tell you later. There has been a bit of embarassing encounter"

Zack:"Actually I might ask you about something else first. Last night as I was in the bed I was trying to jerk off your dick, very nice by the way"

Me:"Jesus, don't make it more awkward than it is"

Zack:"Sorry. We'll I was trying to jerk off as I normally would, watching porn and stuff, but I couldn't. Then my mind wandered over to the guy on the video... I have to ask you and don't be afraid to answer. Are you gay?"

Me:"Yeah... I've been meaning to tell you for a long time. Well... since we're already saying everything to each other. I'll just admit it right now. I... I have a crush on you Zack"

Zack:"That was my another question. I have my head filled with thoughts. Very naughty thoughts including my body, so I am happy that you cleared this up and I am not just another self centered weirdo. But the question is. Would you let me suck my dick?"

Oh man

Another story from the inbox: Can you do a classic swap story between a nerd and a straight jock? I always find those to be super hot

Hey guys. Sorry for the great break. I was finishing my exams (I passed them all, yay) and now I am in a different country on an externship trying to figure shit out. But I do have some free time during the day and I get to write a bit about my drafts and the stories in your inbox. And thanks to everyone who texted me all the supportive and kind words :) really appreciate it

[canisvesperus]

I’ve seen some discussion on this, so allow me to explain something.

Some people do not seem to grasp why artists like me draw so much fashionable Eridan. He’s not fashionable at all, just look at his canon outfit, they say. Well, it is simple. Eridan is one of the few trolls actually experimenting with fashion at a young age in the comic. Look me in the eye and tell me you too weren’t a hot mess trying to dress “fashionable” in middle school. Yet, chances are that if you had that awareness and drive early on, you will also develop a sense of style and grasp on aesthetics earlier in life compared to your peers. This was my experience. I was well known for being very stylish as a kid, but this didn’t happen overnight. Indeed, if you were one of these kids you most definitely started off with some odd or disharmonious clothing combinations that you threw together in an attempt to express yourself aesthetically despite inexperience in that type of self-expression. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I usually draw young adult Eridan. Obviously given some time, his tastes would develop and mature into something derived from those original aesthetic visions, but far more cohesive.

It’s clear he’s trying to assert his individualism and status in his clothing choices, and most of y’all shrug him off as having bad taste while not also foreseeing the intent and vision behind those choices. I see it, and so do other artists. We differ in how we portray this derivation because there are frankly a dozen different directions he could take it depending on the circumstances of the post-canon/fix it scenario. This is why you may see me refer to the Eridan in my depictions as “my Eridan”. I don’t presume to depict something identical to Homestuck proper, nor am I particularly interested in doing so. If you’re the type of person who is married to the events of canon and cannot consider a scenario involving an older Eridan who was allowed to grow and change, this is why we are not seeing eye to eye— and I’m certain this is the root cause of various other discourses as they pertain to portraying the character in post-canon fanworks. That’s fine. That’s your choice. My choice is different.

Eridan consistently demonstrates concern (an excess, really, which backfired for him in the cruelest of ways poor thing) with respect to how he is perceived, hence the consciously thought out image-crafting and classic Eridan façades that his own peers call him out on for being poorly executed, transparent, and otherwise not believable. They were kids. This is normal. Of course he doesn’t have himself figured out yet. It’s a process. Some people in this fandom believe his façade in the most literal and uncritical of ways but this is all a story for another day. Is his drip game shit though, without regards for fan interpretations? If you’re asking me, I don’t think it’s really that bad considering his age. I really don’t think it’s that bad. That kind of scarf with the cape is a bit much to wear around the neck. Maybe he’ll swap the big scarf for something similar in function and category but less top heavy— a cravat, jabot, bandana, or lavallière? If the cape is too overwhelming for the rest of the outfit, a smaller caplet, shawl, or a coat will work. To accommodate some of the alternative neckwear, a shirt with a collar would be preferable. What many people perceive as a turtleneck sweater, need not be entirely sacrificed. Put a sweater vest on that boy. I see lots of complaints about the shoes and pants. More discreet pinstripes and more formal shoes (field boots, paddock boots, oxfords) will work. Of course he can go in the opposite direction, less formal, in that case the cape can go and the long scarf can stay, get some cool sneakers, consider denim bottoms or casual slacks in a single color, accents welcome. However this isn’t the derivation I pursue so I feel less qualified to speculate. He could ditch all of it even. Start new and fresh especially if he were to go through a markedly subversive reclamation of identity and character redemption sort of process. In any case, he can work with it!!! You just have to believe in him.

I believe Eridan had a lot of narrative potential that was wasted, possibly out of disinterest for the character. It’s only predictable that artists like me simply want to devise a world in which these characters had a chance to actually live their lives. I truly do not understand why there has to be so much confusion over this. That‘s all.

[fandomfaeofveryfewf4cks]

Things I noticed the nth time watching Nimona:

Knight armour can get sliced through like nobody's business (Balister's arm), but can take a laser hit without serious, body-altering consequences (Director hitting Ambrosius with a laser made from the same one that apparently has the power to wipe out half the realm, or kill an Immortal being who doesn't feel severe pain from an arrow wound)?

...is this because Ambrosius' armour was made to be more protective than Balister's?

"She manipulated BOTH of us." Ambrosius says this about Nimona, who he had very few interactions with aside from her very blatantly fucking shit up for the institute. How did she manipulate HIM?

I guess it probably makes sense when you consider he was going to arrest the director, implying that he believed Bal AND Nimona, but I dunno. The little rat in my head started running on its brain-powering wheel at all the possible fanfic plots this could lead to.

Nimona as Ambrosius grabbed the Gloreth statue when they fell to the ground.

On the one hand, this could just be actor!Nimona putting dramatic emphasis on how even in death, the leaders of the realm will cling to their hopes and beliefs, or the golden boy finally getting to join his ancestor.

On the other hand, we could make it deliciously angsty (yum yum) and say it is Nimona's personal desire to grab the statue of Gloreth for reasons such as: taking down the monster-killer image of her former friend out of anger and sadness because she never wanted that image to be so true in representing one of the few people who ever cared about her even briefly;

OR, While trying to think about how she would act if she were actually dying, she reaches for the closest thing to a friend that she has, but this is her staging a false death, as that particular friendship was false so this is just fitting, isn't it?;

OR, They wanted it to spread a message that with the fall of the director, would come the fall of the corrupt system they live in, as well as the fall of this narrow-minded view of both Nimona and Gloreth's story as well as Gloreth and Nimona themselves.

Nimona freaking out about the arrow in their leg in the comic vs Nimona treating it like a little scrape not to be worried about in the movie.

This is really interesting to me. In the comic, it's played up for humor like Nimona is almost overreacting, then having Bal take care of her because he does care about her. This shows it as a bit silly, but so very meaningful.

Then you have the movie where Balister is freaking out and it's kind of funny because clearly Nimona is relatively fine about it, so he doesn't really need to make a big deal out of it. Then he helps her and is still very careful about it like with anyone else's arrow wound, and asks her questions so he can better understand them. Again so very important.

I love both versions of these scenes, I just am so curious about why they made such a drastic change.

I love this movie so freaking much. (I knew that already, but it bears saying for the thousandth time. It's just so fucking good.)

For this last one:

TW: mention of police brutality (discussed as a theme in the movie, nothing specific outside of the Nimona movie)

"He's got a weapon." It's not a weapon. It's a phone. But Todd (and who knows how many of the other knights) didn't choose to see it as anything other than what the director told him it was, and destroyed it as he was trained to do. This screams messaging about the stupid, dangerous, and harmful actions of too many police officers who don't check the situation for themselves before acting on "information" they gathered from insufficient data and/or unreliable sources, and combine that with profiling to make decisions that so often end up being harmful and even fatal to others.

[lilblucat]

I just saw the ask by slushysblog. In response you sent a gif that blew me away:

You see, I'm just getting into digital art, and my PC can only handle about 5 or 6 layers before my graphics environment crashes. (Ofc this forces me to restart my PC and lose anything not saved.)

I've learned to work around this, my art isn't nearly so complex as yours, but I know if I want to continue I'll have to get a better computer at some point.

I was hoping you could tell me a bit about the technical side of your work. What are your PC specs? What software do you use? That sort of thing.

Thanks in advance! I love your art!

My set-up is complete overkill for art. It's a heavy gaming-ready desktop PC I got a few years back that I've upgraded the RAM and storage on over the years. I was doing fine with 16GB of RAM but I always have open a lot in CSP and other stuff so upgrading was definitely something I needed to do. 16GB should be fine for most people though.

You can also see that I run Arch Linux and uh yeahhhhhh it's a long story. The short of it is that my old laptop broke its Windows install during an update and I was completely unable to fix it so I just.... switched to Linux lol. I started out on Ubuntu and switched to Arch after a while. I don't rec using Arch unless you know what you're doing, Ubuntu is way easier.

What you might find more interesting is my away from home set up on my laptop since it's an older gaming laptop.

The graphics card is actually a NVIDIA Geforce 850 or something. It's so old that you can't play some games on it. However, I have no issues with it for art. I can open my comic project files in CSP fine on it. It's also running on Linux Mint, which isn't showing up on the little image for some reason. Both of my devices run Linux, but that's a me preference/need thing and I don't rec messing with your operating system if you don't know much about computers. It gives me a bit of an edge since the system doesn't use as much RAM as Windows but yeah don't touch unless you're committed to learn. Windows will serve you fine. Or MacOS even.

As for my program, I use Clip Studio Paint EX. I bought Pro a long time ago and upgraded to EX because of the extra tools for comics and animation (I've heard animators don't like CSP though, it's the BEST program for comics however). It's a really solid program but the recent changes to pricing and updates is really stupid. Fun fact: I use only default brushes and materials because getting it to run on Linux breaks the store. I also use an older version of it because of how I got it working on this system.

For my tablet I use an XP-Pen Artist 12 Pro. It's a pretty solid screen tablet on a budget (I bought it on a sale) and I have no issues with it. I actually partly got it because I thought it was cool that XP-Pen carries official drivers for Linux too, and this helped a bit since this was before Windows bricked on me and I switched to that. It was kinda weird how it played out lol. I would heavily not rec a Wacom tablet unless it's an older one for cheap. Wacom is stupidly expensive and you can get a better bang for your buck at other companies. My first tablet is a Wacom and it's still holding up pretty well but their quality on their new tablets isn't great. Check out XP-Pen, Gaomon, and Huion for better tablet options.

[minas-linkverse]

Oh just all the Zonai stuff and how it changes things. Also the fact Zelda and Link are definitely more truanatized by this event and well... Link was a literal amputee throughout the game

Oh, the comic is set before totk, so that's for future Link and Zelda to worry about.

Aand, I don't see the Zonai changing things at all, really... 🤔 Sure they're a very sudden addition but they're fine, they fit, they're chilling.

This series contradicts itself all the time, I like to just assume the characters speak of what they know, and not the ultimate truthsTM Whoever founded Hyrule is whoever says they did at any given time. The place gets destroyed and rebuilt often enough that I bet theres like 20 people who've claimed the title.

Maybe the Zonai founded Hyrule, maybe not, who knows! I dont know if Hylia knows either! Nobody in this godforsaken fictional universe knows how to keep a hecking history book

The entire series is an unreliable narrator and that's wonderful because it leaves endless possibilities for the games to try new things and for us fans to make up our own! Theorising and lore stuff is super fun but it's important to recognise that there is no hidden truth where suddenly everything makes sense. I doubt Nintendo knows where in the timeline botw and totk are.

So uuh... I guess my point is that the totk lore could be read as a contradiction to what I have established, but it also could not be, so...

(Image descrption: A screenshot of a 4chan post with a low resolution screenshot of Kyoko Sakura from Puella Magi Madoka Magica, with the text "my city now" next to it.)

[frootbyethefoot]

this has been sitting in my head since i finished my gravity falls rewatch. something about the spiral and master manipulators idk! (text is from the magnus archives episode 187 "checking out" btw!)

[ID: a digital comic containing five images drawn in a simplistic, lineless style. the first image is of stanford pines from gravity falls sitting in a small, purple chair. bill cipher is standing, and in between him and ford is a bright blue chess board. fords text, in a dark greenish/yellow reads, "No. You’re dangerous because for all the torture and cruelty, you still somehow got us to think you’re our friend." bills text, in a bright yellow and slightly warped reads, "I am your friend." the next image is of a large piano with a pink martini sitting on top of it. fords text reads, "No. You’re not. That’s just what you distort. It’s why you spin, but you never quite lie. The corridors, the warped body, it’s all just set dressing, isn’t it? It’s not the reality of what you actually are." the third image shows bill in front of a tear in the universe. he has his hands out, as though gesturing or emphasizing something or someone. fords text reads, "Even I didn’t see it properly, not at first. Not until the tunnels, when you wouldn’t help. When you laughed." bills text, directly underneath, reads, "Oh, come on. That wasn’t a deception, that was barely a betrayal!" the second to last image shows a simplified interdimensional portal in bright blue, with fords text saying, "You worked to hurt us and help us, all with the same smile, until we can barely tell one from the other. Keeping us off-balance, constantly second-guessing our own opinions of you. Never quite crossing a line we could never forgive, but never putting yourself on the line either. And when one face finally stopped smiling, you just changed the face." the final image shows gravity falls forest during weirdmageddon, heavily tinted in red. bills text reads, "Fine. So if that’s all true… why? Why would I do any of that? What’s my actual motive?" while fords says, "I don’t think you even have one. It’s just what you are." finally, bills text ends with "Oh, well done. Very poetic."]

[thewebcomicsreview]

See, this is a good submission, because the comic's only five pages and I can read and review it quickly.

So, two things immediately jump out at me

I'm not at all a fan of a giant "The Rusty Owl" logo in the middle of a tense execution scene. Not only is it distracting, it's not even useful as a watermark. Just put the URL at the bottom of the page, or even the gutter between panels. Or, if it's meant to be a title drop, have the dad's blood spell it out or something.

I'm also not a big fan of these Ninja Info Cards on every page. This stuff should be on the cast page (also, you should have a cast page). These profile panels seem to be a bit of a trend now in some comics, but they're just an extremely weak way of doing exposition. "Show, don't tell", as they say. This is especially true of your first few pages, which are so critical for hooking the reader. It's like I'm reading about your comic instead of reading your comic.

Compare and contrast the first page of Saffron and Sage. We know Saffron's the one with the axe, and Sage is the Fox. We know what Saffron' is trying to do, we know how she plans to achieve that goal, we know her personality, we know this other girl's personality and role, and we have a joke. Bing-bang-boom, no need for a card explaining anything. This is an in media res opening, but there are other ways of showing personality even in quieter waking up scenes.

Also, hiatus announcements should be under the comic, not in it. You can add a second image if you have to (I think? I don't know ComicFury), and then remove it later so archive readers don't see the 4th-wall breaking hiatus announcement months or years after it's needed. It just makes the comic look unprofessional. I guess in this case the "Crash" panel is just a sound effect on a black border so you just edit the page to extend black border, but...bluh.

Anyway, let's look at the comic proper, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to stop nitpicking!

First off, "Neb Honey" should probably be "Neb, honey?", and "Well, I mean, my plan was to find the bad guy, and shoot" doesn't need that comma after "bad guy". Secondly, the serif font looks kind of MS Word-y, which is even more notable because the text is left-justified instead of centered. Thirdly, you've shaded the tail of the word balloon in the first panel, as if it's a physical object. Fourthly, the tail is separated from the balloon itself by a line. Fifthly, the tail is ginormous wide compared to the balloon itself.

It's a little hard to explain what I mean by that in text, but google "Shouting word balloon" and look at the tails and you'll see what I'm trying to say.

Finally, the actual words are generic enough that it requires a another panel on the next page to explain it.

Like, this lettering is still not great, I did it in literally three minutes on MS paint using the free Anime Ace font, but the slight dialogue change goes a long way here at increasing the information density of the page. You don't need that extra panel in the next page, and can find a better use for that precious space. Also, this page is now more specific and thus more likely to grab the audience's attention. It's not "an excursion" with no plan, they're trying to stop a Portian who can teleport and they intend to shoot him. That's more exciting! Lead with that!

The good news here is that most of these things I'm picking on are relatively easy to fix (which is why I'm picking on them!). My recommendations are

Find a nicer font. I linked Anime Ace above, which is the font Saffron and Sage uses, but there's a ton out there better suited for comics.

Center your text when adding it to the comic

Add the text, then draw the balloon around it

Try and get a bit more information into those text boxes (while still keeping it natural). Getting a personality off and then expositing is fine and good, but can you do both in one panel? In one line? Could Neb have gone "Hey, Doc" in panel 1 there, greeting Stella while letting us know she was the Doctor? Or, could she have gone "Hello, Doctor Luna" while rolling her eyes, which would establish a relationship between them (probably not the one they're meant to have, but as as example). Asking yourself "Can I do more with this line" a lot will make you a better writer, and also save you a lot of unnecessary drawing.

[themarginalthinker]

Muzzle Flare

(These aren't a couple of comic-obsessed teenagers with garden stakes and water pistols. But then, these aren't vampires who are fucking around, either. Michael is put somewhere safe.)

(an: YCCM canon technically. tw: guns, past stalking, bodily harm)

-

Michael couldn't hear anything through the concrete walls, but he could feel it.

Every time a gun went off, it was like a concussive blast, right through him, through the walls of the cellar. The nest.

The safest place the pack knew to stash their most precious possession.

They'd been found. Dwayne had miscalculated how much information the hunter cell had, Paul's senses hadn't been keen enough to track the one stalking him in the crowd just the week prior, and David...David had tried to stay in the most stable nest they'd been able to build in a year.

Another shot. Across the bond, Dwayne's senses light with surprise and anger, and then it's just a blur of feelings and images, mashed together in a nauseating smear. Michael can't stay in it - he can't let himself. His own body feels like a string on a guitar, a snare wire.

Any more twisting, and he'll snap.

Marko slashes across the bond, intrusive in his sudden pain. One of the hunters, a bo-staff made of wood, wild ash, and Marko was in pain from a direct bash to his head-

Michael is frantic in his hiding spot. His hands claw at the walls, trying to keep still, trying to be quiet. Trying to be hidden and safe. The cellar was buried, only the old, beaten doors visible from the outside.

"They're just a bunch of humans with pea-shooters, stumbling around in the dark. This is our territory. It'll be fine."

Michael bit down on his lip and whimpered as another gunshot, though more distant, rocked across his ears. He wondered what the humans saw as they took those shots. Fangs, gleaming in the dark? Eyes catching green in the reflection of the pupils? Something old, something dangerous.

Something above bangs at the doors of the cellar.

Michael's breathing stops. Just like David taught him.

Another bang - and they're swinging down, swinging open. A body drops down the shaft with a plaintive cry.

Michael feels heat, hears the wild rabbit heartbeat.

A face he's seen before staggers upwards. Early middle aged, the black, unkempt beard shot through with frizzy silver, and the wide, washed-out green eyes behind dark glasses casting about, terrified.

The wire snaps.

"You!" Michael hisses, standing from his tense crouch.

He must have been well-hidden, behind the bikes they'd stashed here, the small collection of odds and ends and the nest itself the pack had been growing, because the human cries out. High and screaming and painful to even Michael's ears with how trained they'd been on picking up the sounds of his pack being fucking shot at.

He's done. He's not taking this anymore, sitting like a duck. He advances, face hard, hands curling-

The man's face changes as he sees Michael, though. Frightened shifts to shock, to something. Like relief.

"Oh thank God-" he huffs, stumbling forward. Towards. Michael.

All at once, Michael is unfooted again, hands going slack, and he's taking a step back as the man comes close.

He smells of grass crushed under heavy boots, like old gas-station food and stale, canned air, like what they had to help clean computers. It seeps into the space between them, around them. The familiar scents of the nest - of pack and blood and safety is suddenly overlayed with this. Human, and too-warm and sweat and unclean earth-

"I found you!" The human gasps. "I knew it, I knew I was right. Don't worry, son, we'll get you out!"

Out. Out there, out of the nest, where they were attempting to kill his pack-

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Michael growls, backing up another step, but this time the human comes with him. A step in stride, and it only makes Michael want to retreat more.

The man looks at him like he's crazy. "Away, boy! Away from them! They're plenty distracted, you can come with us! You'll be right as rain come morning."

He knew. He knew Michael was only a fledgling, and he knew how turning a fledgling back to human worked. There was...something in those eyes. Human though he may have been, the studious hunter's mind broiled with ideas Michael could only guess, and in the midst of all this, almost. Enjoyed seeing become reality. A man tossed into a lion's den, and finding only a maddened joy.

"No-!" Michael says, shaking his head, but the human's hand is already reaching out.

It grasps Michael's wrist, where he'd raised his hands to shove the man away, and as fingers close on it, Michael wants to vomit.

STOP OFF GO AWAY STOP STOP STOP STOP NOT PACK YOU'RE NOT PACK STOP DAVID DAVID DAVIDDAVIDDAVID-

Michael isn't sure what happens first.

He's not sure of a lot of things, really.

The human's hand is grabbing him, leaving his scent there, the touch of blood-warmed skin too hot and crawling against Michael's own.

Michael feels the feral snarl break across his face, lips pulling back to show his fledgling fangs, curls his hands so his small claws are still out and visible and ready to strike like a an angry rattler.

His bond is lashing out, panicked, screeching for his pack, that he's been found, that there is an intruder in their nest, and that he wants them, he wants his mate-

And though unimpressive to a vampire his small teeth may be, to a human, it's staring into the jaws of something perfectly willing to make an end of you.

Across the bond, David sings. He's coming.

He's coming.

Michael's arm whips out.

The human hunter screams, drawing back, hand reaching into his overcoat.

Michael follows him to the ground, ready. He's ready. He will protect his family, and finally join them.

Something is clawing through the busted cellar doors, wild and furious and blotting out the light of the moon as it stands before it, casting shadow across the pair on the ground. Michael feels like his fucking soul is singing as pale blue eyes find his in the night, the bond making it as though he's seeing himself through David's eyes as he takes in the scene of Michael having bested the hunter.

The night is split with gunfire.

Muzzle flare blinds Michael's eyes, red and white and searing into his skull.

The shot cracks across his ears, sending them ringing, reeling, dizzy and falling back as they pop and send waves of stabbing torture across his head.

The handgun bullet rips through the left side of Michael's ribs. Point blank range.

Hearing David's scream echoing silently in his heart hurts most.

-

@ria-coolgirl

[salarta]

Polaris and addressing past mistreatment

This post will be more text-heavy than image heavy.

Polaris/Lorna Dane has a long history in comics, having been created in 1968. Culturally, attitudes toward women and what they "can" and "can't" do shifted over time. Creatively, comics is a medium where you have multiple people influencing a single issue (writer, editor, artists, later execs) and changing hands across decades. These things affect all characters, and it's essential to consider this when assessing past treatment and what might be respectful for her in the future.

Who the character was meant to be at her core when originally created can be very different from how she's changed due to certain corporate decisions, certain cultural shifts, certain creator attitudes, etc.

This post is here to talk about this matter more in depth and ways to address it.

There are at least 3 ways to deal with past poor treatment of a character. I say "at least" because these are ways I can think of, but perhaps there are more I haven't.

Accept the poor treatment as "canon" and insist it be adhered to regardless of intent or how far off the mark it is from the character's real potential and who they were meant to be.

Ignore the poor treatment, acting like it never happened at all, skipping years to decades to focus exclusively on potential.

Rewrite the poor treatment in a manner that is more respectful, acknowledging it happened but excising the bad bits while salvaging the good bits.

My opinion is that Lorna needs a mix of 2 and 3. In the vein of #2, she has some specific horrendous depictions that are best left forgotten within the narrative. They can certainly be acknowledged outside the comics as reason to do better for her and pursue her actual potential instead of judging her off bad depictions, but adhering to them holds her back.

However, there are certain cases of poor treatment with elements that can be transformed into something good, or at the very least doesn't suck complete ass, if rewritten.

I try not to make specific suggestions about exactly how these things can be rewritten. I don't want to undermine the possibility of a good, talented, well-meaning writer doing good work with her that involves the rewriting approach. Suggesting something that they later come up with leads to comparisons. It might cause a writer to not want to try doing it. Or they might do something completely different, but a fan having a specific idea in mind (whether me or others) could devalue appreciation for a perfectly fine approach they take.

But in some cases, I think it's necessary to make specific suggestions to give an idea of the possibilities.

One example case is how Lorna left the X-Men the first time. Some people that insist on following option 1 of accepting everything no matter how bad it is will follow the "oh it was her choice all along she just really really wanted to get away from all that awful fighting and be with her man" framing it put her in back then.

What this fails horribly at doing for Lorna is reckoning with the actual reasons for why she was written as having that viewpoint.

At the creator and editor level, the decision was made that literally everyone in the X-Men except Cyclops had to leave the team so Storm, Wolverine, etc could take over. You have to give a reason for why these characters aren't going to be around anymore.

For Lorna, the reason they decided on to get rid of her was sending her packing into the desert with Havok. This decision followed a series of issues over time in which Lorna devolved from being a more feminist woman than Jean, to defined mainly as Havok's supporting character girlfriend. When she was introduced, before Havok was even created, Lorna wanted to be with the X-Men and fight alongside them. By Claremont, her personal identity and agency had been so degraded that the decision was made to make wherever Havok went into where she would go without question.

Ann Nocenti later took a stab at fleshing this out with "So Good It Hurts" in 1989, an add-on story in Classic X-Men 33 written to accompany a reprint of X-Men #127.

This is two things. One, it IS a rewrite of what happened back when Lorna left the team. Before this story, it was simply "oh Lorna doesn't wanna be in the X-Men, she wants a civilian life." This presents more meat to the bones of what happened. But two, it's also a meta statement on Lorna's treatment within the comics.

With this story, what we see is a tad more accurate to the behind-the-scenes thinking for Lorna's "decision": it's where Havok's going, therefore it's automatically where Lorna goes too, no thought whatsoever about if it's something she would actually want for herself. Havok's ranting, demanding both of them (not just Havok) leave the X-Men, shouting at Lorna that she needs to go with him and not really letting her get any words in or considering what she would want at all.

This story tends not to get talked about much, I think, because it directly confronts how Lorna's been poorly treated in a very relentless way. It strips away the sexist falsehoods and excuses used to paint a rosy picture and exposes her past treatment for what it really was. Cuts past nostalgia and the layers of cultural and creative dickery to put the truth of things in your face.

It's not the sort of thing someone with a deep love for their nostalgia of the relationship or of Havok would want people to think about.

And here we also see a wrinkle in taking angle 1 in how to handle past poor treatment. If you're someone who insists on accepting everything is canon, how do you reconcile two very different takes put forth in official comics: one where Lorna "wanted" to leave the X-Men, and another where she was bullied and verbally abused into doing it?

The truth is you can't truly reconcile them. You might be able to contort yourself into pretzels trying to make both things work, but all you're really going to get is a very transparent attempt that sucks people out of the story and places a lot of emphasis on making excuses for shitty depictions.

At the same time, there's another wrinkle to this story by Ann Nocenti. It does an excellent job of laying bare all the bullshit, but from a character depiction standpoint, it robs Lorna of agency. It sacrifices Lorna the character as part of its work toward making clear what was done to her. A deep enough read should lead to seeing it as a call for better treatment going forward, but a dull, unthinking read would instead simply say that's who Lorna is and leave it at that.

As such, I think why Lorna leaving the X-Men is one area that badly needs another rewrite. One that gives her more agency and provides a real reason of her own (not "cause Havok wants to leave") while respecting her original interest of genuinely wanting to be part of the X-Men.

I think the X-Men comics have started a process of rewriting this for her but they've failed to fully weigh the issue on Lorna's own needs and follow through.

While I have many complaints about 2020's X-Factor, of which I place nearly all the blame on Jordan White, one rare positive thing I credit Leah Williams for out of it is saying Lorna now has a PhD. Until then, she had a Masters degree but it was the same level of education as Havok. By saying Lorna now has a PhD, while Havok is still at a Masters, it suggests Lorna actually did want to study geophysics out of her own personal interest.

But then there's the "Polaris infinity comic" by Alex Seguro. I put that in quotes because it's moreso an excuse to paint a rosy picture of 80s nostalgia and of Havolaris than anything that actually considers and respects Lorna for herself. It's closer to a comic made out of a fanfic than anything else. Within that comic, it spins Lorna being out in the desert with Havok as "the best years of her life."

Which does two things. First, in trying to force the Havolaris stuff again, it once again devalues her personal interests in favor of building up the idea of her past relationship with Havok (which for anyone who actually looks at most depictions of it as shown up higher, it's historically been toxic as hell). Second, once again adds the suggestion that she wanted to leave the X-Men specifically to have a civilian life, directly undermining future use that would present her as the firebrand Queen of Mutants type she was introduced as.

In short, through the Seguro "comic," her potential for bigger and better things was presented as something she "wouldn't want" because such a view fits nostalgia of her as a nobody character who doesn't really want to be involved in any pesky mutant affairs.

So back to rewriting. I've now noted a case where I think a rewrite is warranted and would greatly benefit the character. I've noted not one but two specific rewrites of this case. That tells us rewrites are not exactly off limits, and past treatment is not so sacrosanct that even poor depictions must remain forever enshrined as canon.

Here's my take on what would work best here. And I'm putting it under a new header so it can be ignored if desired.

My Take

Here's a brief rundown of what we have so far.

Lorna left the X-Men. When she did, it was to pursue a Masters in Geophysics. Even while doing this work, she would come back to the X-Men action if called up by Xavier because there was a need for her. At some later date, she decided to go all the way and earned a PhD in Geophysics.

Now, Lorna's power set is electromagnetism. Electromagnetism is considered a subset of geophysics. Lorna also, unlike her father Magneto, didn't have conscious awareness and access to her powers until her teens when the X-Men ran across her. Though she might have subconsciously known she had them, what with having manifested them as a child and getting them and her memories sealed away by Mastermind.

Combine these things, and my take for a rewrite is that Lorna left the X-Men because she wanted to get a better grasp on her powers and what she could do with them. Rather than Lorna "wanting to leave the X-Men for a civilian life," the decision to leave could have been rooted in wanting to improve herself so she would be more effective in the field and in manifesting her dreams. Her education would open her up to alternate uses of her powers, approaches Magneto would never have considered. That way, when she returned to the fray full-time, she could cut loose with power uses nobody would have considered and accounted for.

Wrap-Up

Whatever direction a writer at Marvel takes, the bottom line is that Lorna needs to move forward, not get dragged backward into nostalgia land. You can't get yesterday back. You may get your jollies from reminiscing and having old feelings conjured back up, but it will never be the same, and obsessing over that nostalgia robs you and everyone else of the potential to get so much more out of real and meaningful progress.

The "you must adhere to everything written before as canon no matter what" angle is one that doesn't actually work when you look at how various official stories contradict each other. What it tends to truly mean is that someone liked a specific treatment and wants to ensure that treatment is what the character sticks with for all eternity. In my view, that's not a feasible or appropriate take. It fails to consider how society changes and what new knowledge brings to the table.

Does it really make sense for Lorna, as a character with control over electromagnetism, to be limited exclusively to things like flinging cars around in a world of computers and WiFi signals? Does it make sense to hold back Lorna's potential in today's world based on what her potential looked like to people in 1968, or people in the 80s or 90s?

Some things to think about.

[hxllo-nana]

So, like I said in my previous Ask, I wanted to talk about some of ur other stuff (non-Dead Ringer) in another Ask/other Asks.  At least for the most part, and that is this Ask.

Copy and pasting from posts on ur hxllo nana YT again:

“Inkubator’s Arc: A villain Ink Sans story featuring lots of other aus (not just sanses), this and Deadringer are the two things im currently putting my time on

“Bonnytale: A flower infested story with a current focus on one original au, this will story will be posted on youtube after Deadringer”

I just wanted to say the “Inkubator’s Arc has been interesting so far (though, I do need to catch up on it some), and I am really happy u are posting it elsewhere (Tumblr), besides TikTok.  Maybe u could even post it on YouTube someday, like u do w/ Dead Ringer, Bonnytale in the future, etc.  But it is fine if u don’t.  Inkubator’s Arc seems to be done in quite the different format than Dead Ringer is and Bonnytale is being done is, which is also interesting.

I like the cast of Inkubator’s Arc so far, or at least, what we know and/or have seen it of so far.

Ok, done with talking about Inkubator’s Arc (for now at least, maybe), gonna talk about Bonnytale some now.

Bonnytale remains an awesome, interesting, and gorgeous AU to me, and I am really excited to see ur own AU’s story and stuff play out.

(This is the one Dead Ringer thing I am going to mention.  And I am mentioning it in connection to Bonnytale.  Or well, it was the one Dead Ringer thing I was going to mention in this Ask, but I had something else(s) after this).  

I remember seeing u decided to wait until u finished the pilot, instead of posting just the intro.  So you could post both the intro and pilot, and that it would maybe be early 2024 then/now?  But I can’t remember, but if u are going to be posting it after Dead Ringer, does that mean after all 7 (I think) episodes are done?  Including the intro and pilot?  If so, that is cool, just wanted to clarify.  And I am excited for then and stuff.

Also, forgot to mention this in my Dead Ringer Ask, and/or it just came to my mind now to say about ur Dead Ringer AU.  I just wanted to say, I really love and find it funny that Dead Ringer, who is the alive one, looks like the dark, kind of tired-looking “demon” child, while Chara (the dead one) looks so much happier and brighter and/or lighter.  Lmao.  Ok, that all of the other (I think) Dead Ringer stuff I wanted to mention in this Ask.  I want to talk about one other AU, but I am going to save that for the last (for now) Ask of mine, because once again, this getting long, and content-wise, I think splitting them like this makes sense.  2/3.

- NEXT ONE LET’S GO

- Inkubator’s arc is more of a comic style and requires less effort than deadringer and bonnytale, not only would this be good for me and my schedule (and sanity), but it allows me to work on bonnytale without burning myself. I would probably animate or give visual editing on a few things(chapter parts)in Inkubator and post it on youtube maybe so let’s see!

- Bonnytale will come after all episodes of Deadringer are done. (or atleast when ep 6 is posted). There is a few things about this au I would like to tweak (in terms of plot and a few design changes) and I need all the time I can get before I release anything in case I want to make some changes. For what time in the year it would come I think it’s best I don’t say anything incase I curse myself…again

- The entire cast of deadringer has been emofied by 1000 and the only fact is…that everyone is completely aware of it lol. Chara mostly but their image is more leaning into, “i’m cute so I won’t get hurt”, but they still have the same headspace as original Chara :b

- hehehehe, i love asks *CRUNCH*

[tathrin]

since you're a huge LOTR fan, I wonder if you've heard about the new LOTR MTG set and if so what you think of it. As an MTG fan who never got into the books or movies, I love it

Oh my gods HAVE I?!!! (The answer is extremely yes.) I work at a comic book store, and we carry Magic cards, so it's going to be quite a struggle for me to be surrounded by them and not purchase any, despite the fact that I've never played MTG and have absolutely no prospects of playing it either. (Although I did play the knock-off LotR Magic-ish card game that came out back when the movies did and loved it, tbf.)

My thoughts are: I freaking LOVE the parts of it that are awesome, such as of course the most awesome of all:

AHHHHH that's so good I want it as a painting ahhhhhhhh!

Look at him, look at his sword, he's amazing it's immaculate:

AMAZING I SAY!!!

But the problem with the amazing parts? Is that they make the lackluster parts stand-out all the more.

And unfortunately a lot of it is lackluster. Not bad; just...mediocre. Admittedly perhaps my expectations got WAY too high when I saw the wedding card first, but...well, what can I say? That's the first thing I saw, and it was FUCKING AMAZING, so my expectations were raised way too high for most of the rest of the perfectly-serviceable-but-not-novel-or-exciting images to measure up to.

And then there are a few that are downright bad.

Like Legolas, who is inexplicably wearing Last Alliance-ish plate armor? Despite being explicitly described as not wearing armor, except for when he borrows mail from the Rohirrim?

Yeah. That's not a Wood-elf from Mirkwood, buddy, that's just a Generic High Fantasy Elf. At best he could be Elladan or Elrohir I guess, but Legolas? Legolas of Mirkwood? Yeah, no.

(Also if we're going for diverse LotR designs, why is it that all the elves still seem to be white? *All the elves I've seen so far. Hopefully this will change as more cards get revealed. I'm perfectly happy with Arwen the way she is in the above image, for the record; she's described as being pale and dark-haired and she looks exquisite up there. 10/10 on the Wedding Card, no notes! But I'm hoping that this isn't going to end up being a case where the "immortal, wisest, and fairest of all beings" species remains wholly white because that's...not great.)

Anyway most of the other cards I've seen look fine, but no better than fine; very much Standard Generic Designs. Less disappointing than the bizarre design for Legolas up there, but nowhere near even half as awesome as Aragorn and Arwen.

And then...well. What is this supposed to be?

Jaskier and Daenerys, maybe? wtf? I genuinely didn't even know who they were until I saw the caption with their names, that's how bad this design is. Why have they turned Faramir into some little bland doofus boy? How the fuck is their hair supposed to mingle in the wind when his is so short? He looks like a child, and there is not a single muscle in her arm, she looks like an airbrushed barbie. For that matter, where is the splint and bandage on her arm? Her left arm? That arm is broken what are you doing? Did you miss that bit with the Witch King??? Was this one even painted by someone who read the book, or is it maybe an image that was done for something totally different that they just went "ehh good enough" and slapped it into this deck instead of making something new and specific for these two? I am SO disgruntled.

That's the worst of them that I've seen so far, thankfully. But you have to admit that it is pretty bad, I think.

So, in summation: I'm still overall excited (admittedly this is bolstered in part just because racists are hella mad about it, and that always makes me happy) but I really wish that they had put the same level of care and attention into the design of all of it that they did in a few of the more stand-out pieces.

Because I probably won't end up buying any of it, unless as more cards get revealed the ratio between awesome-and-blah changes significantly. Because the ones that are good are very very good but the rest of them are just...meh.

And that's so disappointing when they could all be awesome.

[hee-blee-art]

“vulnerability” ft. sandman and b.g. (part 1) 

[link to part 2] [link to full comic]

[image ID: a comic sketched in blue featuring sandman (he/him), a short fat humanoid creature with long tail, a large wizard hat, and a star design on his chest; and b.g. (any pronouns), a tall buff humanoid shapeshifter with a skeletal face, dark hair, and black sclera.

transcription:

sandman: [looking shocked] b.g.! b.g.: [from out of frame] what? sandman: where are your clothes?! b.g.: I’m changing them. sandman: right here?? b.g.: you literally never wear clothes, sugarplum. sandman: [looking away and hiding in his face in his hat] not true! my cloak is my clothes, plus my hat. [a dark garment is tossed on the floor beside sandman] b.g.: [as she changes her clothes] are you serious? sandman: yes! b.g.: tsh. well that hardly seems fair. sandman: what are you talking about? b.g. you’ve seen me naked plenty of times; I’ve never seen you naked. sandman: [stammering] it-it’s not like that’s my fault! b.g.: [buttoning up a new shirt] really? ‘cause it seems like you could even this all out by just getting naked right now. sandman: [yelling] absolutely not! sandman: [still hiding, blushing] ...why do you care so much, anyway? b.g.: well you and I are supposed to be all about balancing each other, right? sandman: oh, spare me. you’re just pulling my strings because you like to see me squirm, aren’t you? b.g.: [now fully dressed, looming over a startled sandman with her face morphed into a scary smile] hm, perhaps, heh heh heh.

[scene break]

b.g.: [from out of frame] you’ve got to be more careful, you idiot. sandman: [inspecting a scratch on his arm that reveals some sand underneath his form-fitted burlap clothes] I’m fine, it’s just a scratch. it takes a lot more than that to really hurt me.  b.g.: you got lucky, sugarplum.  [b.g., whose hair is now longer and in a ponytail, pulls a loose string from his ripped t-shirt and bites it loose with his teeth] b.g.: [crouching down to sandman’s level and holding out his hand] give me your stupid arm. sandman: [looking confused] what? why? b.g.: [annoyed] so I can sew you up, sand-for-brains. sandman: [reaching to pull a wand out from his hat] you know I can just fix it with magic, right? b.g.: [yelling, losing some of his form’s composure and becoming slightly more monstrous] what, you think I can’t handle a simple bit of stitching?! sandman: I wish you’d quit being so dramatic. it’s really not a big deal. [sandman uses his wand to control some of the sand from his wound and uses the sand as thread to patch up his scratch, as if sewing. b.g. sits down next to sandman on the ground] b.g.: so sandman is pretty literal then, huh? you’re all sand under there? sandman: [slightly annoyed] for moon’s sake, sigh, if you must know, yes. b.g.: is it the same sand you cast with? sandman: er, no, not exactly. the sand I cast with doesn’t have feeling. b.g.: and the burlap isn’t actually a part of you? sandman: my cloak? not quite. it’s more like... enchanted armour. b.g.: and you don’t ever take it off? sandman: [clicking his tongue] tsk, this again? I can, I just usually don’t have any reason to. b.g.: what about for... well, you know. sandman: [distracting by his magic sewing] know what? b.g.: [glancing away and blushing slightly] ehh... nevermind.

end transcription and end ID.]

[rabbitindisguise]

The lamp clicked on and she gave a startled jump at the total stranger sitting in her good reading chair. "Hello, Cloud Girl."

"Eep!" She paused, pretending the noise that came out of her didn't just happen. "Who *are* you?"

"I'm here to kill you," the assassin said, steepling their fingers like a bad hollywood movie villain. "With your permission, of course."

"Of course," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm. Covertly she tried to look for any blunt objects or perhaps super-proof handcuffs. Surely she still had some laying around? If she didn't she was going to make sure to change that habit.

*If* she made it out of this. Anyone who was brave enough to waltz in surely had enough power to take down her second tier storm powers. It wasn't like a drizzle on the roof was going to do anything. She felt helpless and more than a little freaked out, wondering why she wasn't already captured or worse.

"No, no, really!" The figure cleared their throat awkwardly and flicked on the room light, causing Vanessa to squint irritably up at the ceiling on reflex. When she glanced back down the image of the ominous half-shadowed stranger was replaced with a gawky intern type. They looked like it was their destiny to staple papers together.

"Wha-"

"The disreputable league of dangerous and underhan-"

"I'm familiar," Vanessa said dryly, hoping to skip the obnoxiously long name.

Dr. Intern grimaced. "Well. As we've understood it, there's been a hit taken out on you."

"By the villains?"

An awkward pause. "No."

"By . . . civilians?" Did they even know she existed?

". . . no." They waited in silence for what they were saying to sink in.

"By the indep-"

They sighed loudly. "The *heroes,* ma'am."

"You can't be serious," she said, crossing her arms.

"Believe me or not, yes." They pushed up their glasses and got to work typing on a tablet rapidly. They brought up files and video, the half muffled voice of "-the expansion of service sector B-" overlaid on the haunting image of a map she recognized from her work. There was a list of "expenditures" and "recouped assets" that made her nauseous as she recognized the names and faces of other "assets."

"Oh god," Vanessa whispered, collapsing into the couch as she watched. She wanted to believe it was doctored, but a sinking feeling in her gut said it definitely wasn't. She recognized the board room. The squeaky chair on the right. Vanessa bit a knuckle as her mind whirred, overwhelmed.

"And so it is how you see." She was grateful for the stiff, procedural demeanor all of a sudden. It made things somehow less overwhelming. Maybe because of how stiff and uncomfortable they seemed to be, distracting her from her discomfort.

"Now what?" she asked, mostly to herself. What was she going to do, run? Fat chance.

"That's where the proposal from the-" they paused. "Uh, anyway, the people who sent me wanted me to offer my . . . services."

"What services?"

"I'm able to erase any supers powers, letting you lead a free life unafraid of sensors or programs. With a decent new identity you could go completely undetected and reintegrate into society."

"I'm sensing a catch," Vanessa said, wrapping her arms around herself and glancing out the window every so often as if she'd see heroes pouring into the building to . . . she wasn't going to keep thinking about that. Had she ever- no, best not go there. Not right during this conversation at least. She renewed her focus on the stranger, noticing for the first time how comical their broad shoulders looked in the comparatively tiny chair.

"We have a standard contract for these sorts of things. We help you, and in exchange *you* help *us.*"

"And if I don't?"

"I kill you of course," they said awkwardly. They at least looked uncomfortable with the idea. "Apologies. If word gets out about this . . ."

Figures.

"Okay. I accept."

"You didn't even hear the contract-"

"I'm sure it's fine," Vanessa said, standing and pulling her hair into a ponytail. She stuck out her hand. "Well?"

They grinned shyly and shook on it.

---

"Oh, just assassinate some heroes, should be *easy* I said, like a liar," Vanessa grumbled under her breath. "I don't even have powers anymore," she huffed. Maybe that's why it was effective. No one suspected the would-be victims would turn up killers seeking revenge with petty weapons like poisons. She carefully tipped the solution into the starbucks coffee cup like she had practiced hundreds of times, trying to conceal it from any camera angle.

Thankfully cameras don't have audio.

The next day a check came in the mail with the simple note: congrats on your first commission!

She whistled at the number of zeros. Maybe bad deeds *do* get rewarded after all.

And hey, at least the assassins division had a union.

You are an assassin that hunts superheroes. You haven no powers yourself.

[goddamnwebcomics]

Okay, let’s revisit what I had to say earlier, because boy oh boy do I have I been thinking about this a lot. I guess my opinion depends on how (un)charitable I’m feeling.

As a furry myself, I can confirm that yes, [the designs] are in fact ugly.

This varies from page to page. Sometimes they look good, sometimes they don’t. Django is obviously meant to be ugly, but I guess Duran is fine. I was definitely too harsh on his design. I guess it also depends on your tolerance for “yassified” werewolves, I personally don’t really mind them.

I can even forgive this being out-of-character for [Misty], the comic does give a sufficiently good explanation for it.

And the actual plot it devolved to is good too, so far.

This is not a character arc, it’s just another excuse to shit on capitalism. It’s “housing market” again with a fresh coat of paint.

Let’s re-think this from Misty’s point-of-view. They’re upset that they’re never getting a promotion… and that’s literally it. That’s their entire reason for hating their job. Considering how much veterinarians make, I don’t think money is the issue; if Duran and B.B. can live well in this dystopia, so can Misty. So I suppose them wanting the promotion is about validation? Would’ve worked better if we’d actually seen them being taken for granted by the boss/clients/etc. That’s the most charitable read I can give this, and I feel like it’s a stretch. What do you think? Does what I just said hold any water?

Or is this meant to be an allegory for suicide?

It’s not.

Now that we’re on the last chapter, what even is the general plot to this comic?

Considering that the next chapter will conclude this story arc, probably fighting Django? It’s the most interesting of all the conflicts so far, I’ll admit.

So overall, is this comic getting better? Well, we still have to deal with images like vomiting, sex scenes and busted genitals, so it’s not good yet. But I’m liking this narrative better now. In particular, I really liked Misty’s reaction to becoming a werewolf, like I said in the previous reply, it’s one of my favorite tropes.

I’ll leave off with one more question. If B.B. had bitten Misty, how different would the plot have been?

(Also, only four pages today. Did Tumblr’s filters eat one, or was it just a scheduling error?)

Nothing wrong with changing your opinion, it has happened with me too, and oops, that always happens when I am riffing at the same time as pages are going up, the missing page is up now.

Yeah Duran ranges definitely depending on how he is drawn, he looks pretty dumb on the page where he is going “BUH” though. B.B. still looks awful. That’s why Misty’s design being so good came across as such a shock to me.

I think it’s still commentary on modern american society, it’s so out of place and it’s never brought up again. It just serves as a purpose to show Misty hates their current life and to act as somewhat blatant mouthpiece for authors opinions, similar to Abe here. Again, this would have worked better if Misty worked in retail or some other shitty job.

I def think the comic is getting better now that there is some focus given to Misty’s transformation. I still feel like it could have been achieved without Misty throwing that embarrassing temper tantrum.

Also, to answer your question, the only change it would have done is that Django would still be imprisoned, and thus they have no reason to go to Abe’s. It’s one of those damning “because plot demands it” situations, but still didn’t make B.B. look any less of a hypocrite.

[doughcatball]

are there more liquid skies pages than what's on tapas? there's a bunch of art of the characters in your gallery but very little lore information and i have questions

do the purple cats (are they cats?) have some sort of nanobot fungus tool? the stuff they use seems to be part of them in patches.

what's up with petrikoro? (and do they smell like fresh rain?) are they a green puffball that can shapeshift into a knife and posses people? or is "petrikoro" a species name and not the name of a character? (it always occurs with another name and when at least one of the characters has dark grey primary coloration, green accents, and (except in 1 case with chroma and bailey) antlers, so, probably.)

also, what's the rune-like thing above bailey's head in petrikoro.png?

can chroma hue-shift or like shapeshift to a limited extent? is chroma faceless in that image and drew one on themself in order to confuse bailey? (my initial impression was that "petrikoro" was the name of a shapeshifting being made of nanobots that could imitate people's general shapes but not fine details like faces and that they couldn't change their green and grey coloration (and that the gun, knife, and scarf were actually part of them) and that they were messing with the other character (who i'm now reasonably certain is bailey) in some manner similar to "oh, you think i should have a face? no problem!" *carves drawing of face into head with knife*, but evidence does not point to this interpretation)

its so awesome that youre interested!!!!! i always want to work more on the comic but i never find the motivation (although i have the whole thing planned out, it is tedious) i intentionally dont reveal information because i want to show people the lore through stories and games rather than just telling them, and that motivates me to get things done :3 the purple guys (Vaporyl) do have some sort of mysterious weapon that spreads in patches, and the name petrikoro is inspired by petrichor so im glad you picked up on that :3 petrikoro (and vaporyl) is neither a species nor a single character, it is a whole faction of people with similar goals and abilities, although they do have a lot of species traits in common to make it obvious that they are related!

sorry for the confusion, but bailey and chroma arent my characters lol, chroma is the sona of my friend chroma, and bailey is a character from my friend lenix, that image is a part of a series of drawings where i put my friends' characters into the style of the corresponding color faction for liquid skies, just as a random spinoff thing, it doesnt say much about the actual story. chroma can hue shift, and likes military stuff like knives and guns (so i used him as a wild card because i couldnt find any green characters lol) and youd have to ask len about the design of bailey

if you want a little bit more lore, you can play my games on my site! (or itch.io because theyll load faster) liquid skies zero shows the combat abilities of four of my characters, and sneaks befriending simulator shows some personality traits of sneaks (although isnt really canon and more of a parody game) we are just starting a new game focused on petrikoro though! we are still planning things out, but hopefully we will have some sort of demo out by the fall :3 the gameplay will involve action sequences like liquid skies zero, and visual novel elements like the sneaks game, but with a more serious and well thought out story. im really excited to work on it and share the story! the game will be called liquid skies infected, and focus on the aftermath of the comics (which have not been made yet lol) so i guess that makes the comic a prequel technically

ill be sure to post more updates on my projects as we work on them! i appreciate the interest :3