#i wish i didnt have to feel like an imposter just because i cannot get a diagnosis

[andro-studiesmed]

I wish someone listened. Like really listened. I never really feel heard ever. It's difficult.

It began with the suspicion of adhd in the year 2020 actually. Recently I read so many experiences of people with autism and felt like that was me. So another suspicion stems up.

I read through my copy of DSM 5 and matched the criteria for combined adhd and level one autism. Ofcourse I'm not a professional so I cannot diagnose myself.

But it's painful not knowing and it's more painful existing.

[beepbananabus]

Alr you gotta say the first thoughts in your head about Vanoss and Delirious GO!

it drives me insane how they are each other's exceptions (or at least, jon is to evan)

for example, evan has built up this asshole repertoire where he bullies everyone ceaselessly EXCEPT for jon. he will apologize to him (GTA when he destroyed the bear memorial (and in that same video, he killed moo by accident but didn't apologize), small GMod mistakes like misplacing props, skits gone wrong, and several other instances). he will try and amend his mistakes with him. evan will straight up ditch a whole bit just so that he can let jon join in (minecraft; the nether star fiasco (even brian who started the bit was like WTF evan)), jon will run away from the others and let only evan tag along with him (also in minecraft. they even state outright how pissed the others will be LMAO.) and share items with him for no reason (minecraft. again. chick-fil-a scene (focus on evan's inventory)), and evan will just laugh the hardest and the softest (genuinely for no reason other than jon's laugh. the joke was already over by that point) around him?? and there IS a noticeable difference. btw. im not losing my mind over this.

evan's mood will do a complete fucking 180 when it comes to jon (a little bit of a longer clip because it needs to be established what their mood was PRIOR to this and how SHARPLY it changes once jon is in the picture), even for stuff that he should JUSTIFIABLY be upset about**

(i was also so tempted to also mention all of their friend's feelings ABOUT them but this is about THEM. however, i wouldn't mind spilling about that either)

** this is a way longer tangent so ill put it under a cut (SPOILERS FOR ONE OF EVAN'S AMONG US VIDEOS INCLUDED)

video here, (starts at the timestamp, also time stamping this one bc this segment is longer than what youtube clips allows for.)

for context, jon and evan are playing among us with other people. evan is an imposter and fools around with jon (this is not an exaggeration) before locking him into storage. his imposter crewmate sneaks in, kills jon and runs off, but in the meeting that follows afterwards, jon accidentally exposes evan by not muting his mic, getting evan killed.

INSTEAD of being angry at him (yes. this is a video game but they've been pissed over lesser things), or even a SMIDGE of being upset, evan instead goes over and COMFORTS him.

LIKE. i can VERIFY to you that that has accidentally happened before and all other times, people in this game have been LIVID. they've been PISSED. these are gamer bros that are easy to launch into a cursing fit. yet he doesnt.

(yes, evan does have a rep for not exploding into anger but he shows himself being upset in other ways. none of those are present in that video.)

Notes:

6.06 - 8:40 is one of those scenes that makes me?? lose it?? /affectionately

because its a MIX of things.

evan is playing with jon here. and im not talking about like. playing as in playing the game. he's doing a bit with jon and jon only and it reminds me of like, stereotypical girls when they get a guy to chase them while giggling, like they're PLAYING TAG right now. just the two of them.

evan didnt even kill jon. evan probably WASNT PLANNING TO. he was just messing around with jon probably and was going to leave him alone after this, like i kinda wish jon didn't die to see what evan WOULD've done

just??? their fucking BANTER in general, then their soft comfort at the end?? like that is INCREDIBLY out of their gamer persona, like i cannot state this enough. they have their moments together and GODDDD YEAH.

when they're dead, prox chat is off. they didn't NEED to be that close to each other to talk and yet they are (also. grizzy is nowhere near them and yet hes engaging in the convo, meaning that presence is not mandatory)

[motherfuckingbrad]

AHHAHSJSHSHSBSHHS

ok.

just watched episode one. here are my thoughts: (lots and lots of mythic quest season three spoilers ahead! don’t read if u haven’t watched)

1- so good to see dana again. missed her!

2- POPPY MY BELOVED. can already see the beginnings of like a whole self doubt imposter syndrome arc, super excited for what they do w that, especially as a fellow woman in like a stem field that sometimes feels like they don’t belong/don’t deserve what they’ve achieved!

3- brad. that’s it.

4- no jk. ok so the brad and david reunion had me reeling a little, not gonna lie. brad just looks so deeply sad, like the humble little nod he gives carol after she says he’s the new janitor…. ouch. i feel like after all the stressful shit that happened for him last season (and i’m choosing to believe there was an offscreen breakdown that happened that caused him to impulsively report himself to the police for something he DIDNT EVEN DO), prison finally gave him like. a break. and now he’s just trying to live normal again, trying to piece himself back together and restart his life and maybe learn a few things. and i just. it hurts so much. (i’m getting this all from like the three seconds he’s been on screen so far, so yes i’m insane). anyway very excited to see the rest of him in the episode

5- also david’s reaction was just so fucking funny. like the super villain way brad was already in his office and the way david turned and was like what the fuck.? LMAO. i love them so much. i’m also reading into this way more than i should. but happy their dynamic is back. and the way david is like looking for the worst scenario but it’s just brad being brad!

6- also the “what’s your angle? you have to have an angle. look at your body, it’s all angles!” ?????? like they are fucking with us. they addressed braddavid on questie besties and now they are fucking with us (and it’s working)

7- the brad jo tension makes me very sad. i hope they get to heal together.

8- also just occurred to me that david definitely does not know that jo is actually the one who did the insider trading. hope that maybe gets addressed and david can see brad in a new light kinda

9- i love you carol

10- “well your gut fucking sucks!” funniest line

11- “do not weep for me for i go to my rest as so few men do: content.” ouch.

12- the cw death hit me a little harder than i expected because he was never my favorite character but it’s still sad. i��ll be interested to see how it affects ian, as well as brad maybe since he’s trying to reform and i think for him that should mean getting closer to people, since he obviously never prioritized friendships before.

13- wish they had more of the like catch-up reunion scene. but apparently poppy and ian’s office is in the same building as mq lmaoo (if that’s what they were saying, i was a little confused but i’m also very tired) so i’m excited for antics!

overall good episode. i’m so fucking happy to see them again, i physically cannot wait until the rest comes out. andhjsbsbsb

[the-ginger-is-loose-again]

Just finished rereading the Uglies series (from Uglies to Extras, I just saw today that Imposter and its sequels are in the same world, will get on those next) and I'm so glad I did

I remember reading them as they were coming out, my last two are hardcovers cause the soft wasnt even out yet, so I had to have been around 12 or 13, and there was a lot in there that had obviously stuck with me over the years. I didnt remember everything, or even a lot of things, but the themes of being too hard on your "ugliness" because of what society told you, trying to fit into the little boxes and always be perfect, always trying to be right and wanting to run away when you're proven wrong, they stuck deep within me.

Uglies has what I will always think is the most memorable book opening I have ever read, its actually why I reread it. My coworker and I were doing something in a biological safety cabinet at work (let's just say, brains can kinda look the color of cat vomit) and I said as much. We laughed as I explained the book to her, how it had my favorite opening line, all the tech I could remember, and she immediately went home and bought them. She's been ahead of me the whole time, but we have both finished now and have been talking about it.

I had remembered the cat vomit, the hoverboards, the counterclockwise time telling eye jewels, the brain eating nanos, etc, but I almost wish I could remember more of what I had thought about Tally and Shay. This time around, I think I was a lot more sympathetic to Shay. I had always been on Tally side, understanding that she wasn't perfect and had made bad decisions, but was genuinely trying her best, and couldn't quite understand why Shay couldnt look past her own problems to see Tally's.

Shay and Tally were almost destined to be together, they clicked so well in just a few weeks, yet they never got fully on the same page. Once one would come to an understanding of the other, something would change, something would be done or said and they'd be off kilter again. Shay believed so heartily in the paradise of Smoke, she couldn't see why Tally would come to "rescue" her. She had been told about it for months and had already been there for days, once Tally saw Smoke, she agreed that it was important and not something to be rescued from. But Tally had made her choice from a small room in an unknown building surrounded by people engineered to be predators, how do you explain that to someone when you are so far removed from that fear? How do you get someone who is already mad at you about something you didnt start (read the room david) to listen to you longer than the initial "hey I WAS a spy, but now I'm not I promise"? She is 16 and has never been taught the social skills required to get through an ugly conversation because they are told that that's not going to matter after you've turned, why develop the skills?

God, when they are pretties and they start getting bubbly enough to fight, it just didnt feel like a fair fight, they are both trying to deal with partially remembered fights that were never resolved while piling on a new one, and nothing ever gets fully explained! And we the reader get to sit there knowing none of this is truly Tally's fault, but Shay is as justified in her anger as any of them. Shay was the first to be forced under the knife, she had her rightful feelings dragged from her, made to be pretty friends with the girl she still felt had betrayed her. Tally should have pulled Shay in much earlier, she says they didnt because they couldnt count on the others stay bubbly, but if she hadnt been attached to Zane she might have noticed that she already was. And if that was a real concern, her and Zane should have been split up and divided amongst them anyways. Again, I get it, 16, even if they arent pretty headed, they're still stupid. That being said, I wish the books had a longer timeline, the first 3 should have been more than a year long.

Shay introduced Tally into everything they did, and then had to watch as Tally surpassed her and saw that Tally was always given and surrounded by these special circumstances (pun intended). The only time she is consistently ahead is when she is engineered to be so, and even then they are so messed up they can't have single conversation! Their brains get so scrambled that Tally still just focuses right on Zane cause it was the only time she could remember being stable, however vague the memories are, when Shay wants her to focus on her. She didn't have David treating her seriously or Zane treating her bubbly, she had Tally, who listened to her, who talked with her, who trusted her and was trusted in return. Tally who was her friend, until the next thing happens and the next problem occurs before the last one has even ended, and the next time their brains got scrambled and fixed and changed.

I just realized how valid Shay's feelings were this time around. Her reactions may not have always been, but she was wrestling control of her life back inch by inch in the only ways she knew how. They were purposely not taught how to function and I just cannot express enough how very much their brains were fucked with before they had even fully developed, not to mention the lack of support prior to the surgeries that meant they weren't developing healthily anyways! She just needed someone, anyone, looking out for her, where were the adults, oh right, performing these atrocities! These were children!!! Every choice was made for them and then they were manipulated until they were forced through a hole in a way that made them feel like it was their idea or their only option.

[im-a-fading-star]

i fucking hate this envy i hold against you. its really not your fault, you never did anything wrong. and i dont think you’ll ever do anything out of bad intentions because all you’ve ever wanted to do was share love and be loved. you’re getting what you want from the right person, and i wish i was that right person too. you’re surrounded by so many people who love you and i am too.

the difference is, people like you have no reason to adore me. people like you have no legitimate reason to want me. im thoroughly convinced i’ve fooled you for years and even gaslit you to stay my friend, and even my girlfriend. ive been nothing but selfish from the beginning, and i’ll be selfish until the end. im stuck inbetween wanting you to stay, and wanting you to split up with me because i just want you to have better in your life. i want that to make you happy, even if it makes me miserable, because i dont deserve you, or our other gf in our polyamory.

i feel like im just making excuses to mope around from day to day now. im told time and time again to mend these relationships, just to be happy for you and the others. that sticking together is worth it. we can grow up together. i can talk to everyone every single day, even just for a few minutes, right? or every other week? maybe every other month?

i can’t do that, though.

i’m not like you. i’m not like anyone you know at all. i’ve tried to be for so long, believe me. i’ve played so long into the neurotypical role, i’ve never had any real reason to be miserable unlike everyone else around me. everyone had actual problems, all ive ever wanted to do (and still do) is help in every way i can. i know youre the same way. at least, you and the others succeed with that.

you succeed in so many things, even if you dont think you do. you succeed in being a great friend, a great partner. a great artist, a great sister and daughter to your family, even if they dont respect you for it in the slightest. an excited learner, a willful experimenter, one of the most fun conversationalist with the brightest and creative ideas ive ever known. youre so indulgent in so much. how could anyone not want to be around you or be your friend?

when i look at you though, i cant see any of those things in me. i cant see a single reason why anyone would still even try to stick with me. everyone should know full well that i cant keep up a conversation for more than a day before shutting down completely because i get so fucking exhausted after breathing a single word, after dreading being a complete idiot. not seeing any way how i can improve, or put in the effort for anything like i used to. or to see a reason why anyone would be humored by my interests when i ramble about them. i never shut up back then, isnt it doing anyone a favor that im shutting up now? how is it still hurting everyone? i wish it wasnt. i wish it was never hurting you. i wish you didnt feel anything for me, or mail me anything, not because i dont want to spend time with you but because itd spare you of all the extra effort.

i really dont know if this can be maintained. you’re both trying so fucking hard to maintain it. maybe im not trying at all, maybe i am, but at the very least, i know i’ve been having so much trouble with trying to feel something for the group we’ve shared for years. and if i drop it, theres no potential left. no future left. and yet that doesnt scare me. yet i dont feel anything for that. i dont feel anything for a lot nowadays, but even just thinking about any of this right now makes me feel numb and depressed.

but lets face it, i dont think i’ll ever be as interesting of a person as you guys, no matter how much i try. in reality, im just empty space that you guys are trying to fill. and im sorry. i keep wondering if splitting up will just make anything better or worse, but im genuinely scared that i just cannot maintain relationships anymore. im scared of feeling only envy for you and not love like i used to, because im so fucking attached to one single person now who was influenced my life to change more than anyone else. you’re not unequal to her. youre not unequal to anyone, please god never take it that way after everything i just wrote.

its just how ive always felt. and i feel like being apart should be tearing apart that mindset but its just made me bitter and tired of everyone and makes me dread coming back even more. im just a fucking imposter and a faker, i always have been. ive never had anything interesting going on, all i do is just fucking wallow to myself and you dont deserve that, no one does. but what am i supposed to do? i have no fucking identity and i break apart whenever theres any sort of emotional turmoil now. i hide when people are upset now. not because ive been abused, because my mind just convinces me my shitty little brain is my only safe space in case something really awful happens. and if something really awful does happen im stuck in my own fucking head being selfish as i always am and youre hurt and its all my fault again and even though its my fault i just cant fucking CHANGE the fact its my fault because i dont take RESPONSIBILITY anymore AND YOU’D JUST BE BETTER OFF WITHOUT ME OKAY? YOU’D SUSTAIN SO MUCH MORE OF YOUR WELLBEING! you’d have less anxiety rather than fretting over my stupid fucking ass, even if the depression sinks in i hope you’d eventually get over me even though i wouldnt over you because youre so worthwhile of everyones time and youve been like a part of me for years, the BEST part of me, the person ive always wanted to be, the person ive always wanted to swap shoes with even if it meant i got your terrible family i’d ESPECIALLY take it in a heartbeat if it meant that! but god id give you everything id ever have just to see you improve because i never will! i’ll never be anything like you, i literally never will!!! i cant make friends, i cant keep friends, i cant be a good friend, nor a good girlfriend, or even a wife, i cant be ANYTHING good, i cant be anything like you and i HATE being envious over you, even the slightest bit jealous that you and everyone else can at least keep it together for someone else!!! I FUCKING CANT!!!!!!! I WISH I WAS LIKE YOU BECAUSE YOU HOLD SO MUCH MORE LOVE THAN I EVER COULD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

anyways, if anything happens, i love you so much to death, and. i just... hope that your future will turn out as bright as it ever could be. i hope you get the career you want, and save up enough money to move out. i hope youre surrounded by so much more people who love you and convince you that youre worth all the time in the world and that your family writhes in their own dirt for treating you so terribly. i hope you realize your own strengths and your ability to shape the future. i hope youre as healthy as can be. i hope you’re still with her if i cant be there for either of you. i hope you eventually realize that maybe im not really good enough for you, and never was in the first place. im happy my ex at least got that benefit. i’ll be happy if you realize whats best for you, too.

[comicteaparty]

July 6th, 2017 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on July 6th, 2017, from 5PM - 7PM PST.  The chat focused on Oops Comic Adventure by Cyndi Foster and Jeramy Hobz.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

Good day everyone~! This week’s Comic Tea Party is now officially beginning. Today we are discussing Oops Comic Adventure by Cyndi Foster and Jeramy Hobz ~! (https://tapas.io/series/Oops-Comic-Adventure-3) For those new to CTP, discussions about the comic are freeform, so please feel free to bring up whatever you wish. However, every 30 minutes I will be dropping in a discussion question to help those who would like a prompt. These questions are totally OPTIONAL to answer so pay them no mind if you wish~! Remember, constructive criticism is allowed, but the primary focus here is to have fun and appreciate the amazing comics that the community makes~! Each chat a top comment will be picked and featured on an ad for this chat, so let’s have a great discussion~! With that said, let us begin with this first question~!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

DracoPlato

hmmmm

I liked when Oops used the magic to escape the library, and when the wood elves let us hear his thoughts

RebelVampire

i wonder if hell learn to be a telepath from the wood elves. laugh in the face of his sacrifice cause he found a loophole to get around it

DracoPlato

I think it'll go that way since they introduced it as something he needs to learn. Either that or he'll break the seal on him and be able to talk again. Although the convenience of the wood elves knowing thought magic and wanting to teach it to him leads me to think that'll be pursued despite his current failure of their test

RebelVampire

i assumed tbh that he hadnt failed the test and everything thats happening at current is actually still part of the dream

and its part of the test so he can let go of his issues or whatever

clear the mind and all that

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

my favorite scene is the scene where they first meet the forest guardian XD

the "it could be the tree you kicked in the face" line was hilarious

DracoPlato

yeah i'd wondered that too rebel, if it was still just part of the dream

that was a good one too AE~! XD

I like that the forest guardian can transfer conciousness through various vegetation(edited)

RebelVampire

i liked that the forest guardian is a troll and put faces on the flowers just to freak oops out XD

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

yeah though the trick he played on oops with the flowers was genius but dirty too

lol!

rebel and i think alike

DracoPlato

hahaha, I liked that scene too XD where the flower he tries to replant with the face facepalms into the dirt XD

RebelVampire

granted to be fair i dont think i wouldve liked the scene if talon hadnt of shown up and scolded the forest guardian. told him to stop playing shenanigans with the flowers

mathtans

I kinda liked the rat being beat up by trees...

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

yeah true

lol maths!

mathtans

I didn't get all the way through again this week though. ^.^

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

i love plague XD

DracoPlato

that's okay Maths~!

I like Plague too, but I also really like rodents, lol

mathtans

I find plague really annoying actually. x.x That's why I like when things kinda remind him he should be grateful for being alive by smacking him around.

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

the creator did great facial expressions on him

RebelVampire

i dont actually care for plague either but that in large has to do hes too energetic for rebel. rebel cannot fathom having that much energy

DracoPlato

yeah! I like Plague more later on than in the beginning, when he was playing pranks in the city i wanted to punch him XD

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

lol

i wanted to duct tape his lips

mathtans

Yeah, for me it was like, you've been brought back from the dead! Given the ability to speak! Amazing magic, what will you do with it! "Imma gonna bug people." .... ... Though I gather the idea is Oops' tendency for shenanigans was given to him with the voice.

Also, I'm a cat person.

DracoPlato

yeah that was my assumption too, was that Plague took on traits from Oops, since Oops became much more low key after that as well

RebelVampire

another thing i really didnt get about plague in the beginning is his constant desire to beat Oops up XD

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

and i dont think oops ever got to eat XD

mathtans

He got to eat charades.

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

lol

RebelVampire

at least he can eat plague if he gets desperate. unless plague really has the plague. which might be the case.

DracoPlato

but plague is his one true friend, gosh

mathtans

Rebel: Guess Oops had something of a self-depreciating piece that he passed on?

DracoPlato

oh that is true tho

cause of the thoughts we hear later in his head

RebelVampire

well id assume anyway cause i mean oops is an orphan living on the streets. that is not the most self esteem building of positions to be in

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

yeah

mathtans

Guy talks to rats, after all.

DracoPlato

i dunno, it could be

be like i'm so awesome, don't need a job, just steal what i need. No entanglements to tie me down

mathtans

Like Aladin?

DracoPlato

actually i would have liked to of spent more time with Oops before him losing his voice, I feel like the time we got wasn't very fulfilling

yus

mathtans

It was a bit hard to get his character when he had nothing he could say. I'm not sure about delaying the voice loss and magic, but maybe if he'd been able to think out loud more?

DracoPlato

yeah, for me he in general seems super flat and uninteresting. Before and after losing his voice

mathtans

Like, his character as established was kind of carefree from how he acted and cared about animals but tortured in terms of having no friends and living on stolen food.

DracoPlato

since we're never in his headspace that much

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

yeah i had to go back and make sure he had a voice at first

mathtans

I wasn't sure which way to feel about him.

DracoPlato

same

i'm still not sure how to feel

it didn't nail me enough to be empathetic before making him mute

and then when he was mute it was hard to be attached since most of our time is spent through plague

mathtans

Though we also had the Knight early on! He was nice.

DracoPlato

yeah! I'm much more empathetic towards him

RebelVampire

i actually wish we couldve learned more about the city over oops. cause at this point i have to wonder if oops lives on the street by choice or if the evil king said "nope no orphanages" and i feel like a lot of the king's evil is said more than its shown. so i feel like the story tries to mix in a heavier conflict early on without giving us a lot to get attached by

DracoPlato

yeah, i agree with that too

since they mention saving the city but we don't really know what's wrong with the city well enough to care

mathtans

Well, there was the apple cart vendor who couldn't afford taxes. Seems like the king's taking the money, then the knights are taking everything else because they're his instruments.

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

yeah i dont know how to feel about that knight

he wants to be kind to the civilians but really hates oops

mathtans

Yeah, I'm a bit conflicted about that too AE.

He's also nice to animals.

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

yeah feeding them rotten apples XD

RebelVampire

to be fair to the knight i dont think he hates oops. he just doesnt think disrespect should go unpunished cause as far as he knows it was oops who assaulted him. and then oops kindve resisted arrest which is also a crime XD

DracoPlato

taxes are such a common city trope issue though that it's hard to feel like oh no that's a serious evil that needs magical powers to address

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

well to be fair the entire beginning of the story is a trope XD

DracoPlato

whispers the whole story is a trope

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

i kept thinking of aladin

XD

DracoPlato

nah aladdin was more awesome

he had floofy pants

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

LOL

DracoPlato

and uh no shirt, just that tiny vest

mathtans

I actually didn't think of Aladin at all until the street thing was brought up here. ^^

Oops has a hat.

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

he has a link hat

XDDD

RebelVampire

i thought of aladdin when they started calling him street rat

mathtans

He's the missing link?

RebelVampire

was waiting for them to be like "hes the diamond in the rough"

DracoPlato

looooool

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

though once plague happened it made a nice original twist

and oops failing the test says a lot since normally the 'hero' gets through everything perfectly

RebelVampire

QUESTION 2. In Chapter 5 of the comic, it’s implied that the evil King Hectric Tepper may have once been a great king whom had the trust of the Rapio Clan. What do you think happened to turn him evil? Is this an imposter king? Did something terrible happen?

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

probably a thirst for power once he got the talisman

DracoPlato

I dunno, heroes struggle in tropes a lot too(edited)

2. Oh I dunno, I honestly didn't care enough to think about it

since he seemed like generic bad guy to me

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

so im thinking he's oops' father

DracoPlato

Ooooh

mathtans

I only got to starting Chapter 5. ^^ But I like theorizing. Maybe he went evil when Oops was born, a prophecy or something.

RebelVampire

if i wanna be really cliche about it, i assume oops is his kid and he went crazy after he thought oops was killed

mathtans

Like "magic will be your downfall" and the King's all "screw that, ban all the magics".

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

lol

DracoPlato

maybe the king was power hungry and wanted to be the most powerful person so he forbid magic for everyone else

and oops could still be his son, just the king lost himself in his quest for power

mathtans

Maybe the Queen died and he was real sad about it.

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

true we dont hear anything about oops mom

DracoPlato

oh that could be

i'm so used to stories glossing over a missing parent I tend not to think about it anymore

RebelVampire

granted this is assuming the king is for sure oops' father. it may not be

DracoPlato

granted at the heart of the story is him trying to find his family

mathtans

Maybe the Queen was killed by magic, so the King banned all the magic and the magic is what was making him good.

RebelVampire

maybe we have a batman and robin thing going on where his wife got sick and now shes suspended in a stasis until she can get better

mathtans

Maybe the Knight is Oops' father?

DracoPlato

oh i like that theory

RebelVampire

now thatd be a twist

DracoPlato

that'd explain the story's focus on him too

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

hey i said that already =p

DracoPlato

oh no

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

oh wait no

i read that wrong

DracoPlato

it must have been when i was yelling at my dogs to stop using the litter box as a sandbox

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

I do think the knight has some kind of past

DracoPlato

i think he has to have some connection to Oops for him to be treated with such importance in story

RebelVampire

maybe he's oops brother

DracoPlato

that could be

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

all the family!

mathtans

But he doesn't recognize Oops because of the pale skin now.

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

oops and talon get married and the knight brother and the evil king dad XDDD

DracoPlato

we found your family for you Oops

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

lol

though there was one other part

RebelVampire

maybe none of those ppl are his family. but oops marries talon and learns family is what you make it.

DracoPlato

a bunch of bird cats

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

when the elder talked about the spell gone wrong and oops being bonded with plague

mathtans

Bonded. James bonded.

DracoPlato

loooooool

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

what if the spell the elder put on the talisman for the king was also done wrong

and the elder has a bond too

RebelVampire

that would explain maybe why the elder seems to feel so obligated to fix everything.

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

lol maybe the elder is oops dad and the spell turned him into a griffin

mathtans

Or just traded minds with.

DracoPlato

that'd be intriguing

altho since it's an all ages story i doubt it'll do too many complex twists

RebelVampire

shhh draco

shhh

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

lol

mathtans

The King is really Oops who travelled back in time and went evil from not being around Plague!

DracoPlato

man i would love that

mathtans

That's a bit complex.

DracoPlato

being your own enemy

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

that would be cool

DracoPlato

there's no way it's going that route

RebelVampire

for some reason that scene where the elder talks about plague and oops being bonded made me feel like he was subtly telling plague that plague has to die at some point for oops to succeed

DracoPlato

I could see that

since plague is really just part of Oops

mathtans

Die again, basically.

DracoPlato

I think at best Plague could live as a normal rat, but it seems like he'd have to give up his Oops traits for Oops to be whole

RebelVampire

"his Oops traits" XD

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

lol

DracoPlato

I'm hoping Oops has a real name XD

and that his parents weren't just complete jerks

RebelVampire

his name is hectric jr.

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

lol!!

DracoPlato

oops hectic jr.

mathtans

It's Oolong Ortega Percival the Sixth. OOPS for short.

RebelVampire

my apologies. should be more formal. Prince Hectric Tepper II

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

hahahaha

mathtans

Though I don't mind it as a name.

RebelVampire

i feel like were making his name worse, not better

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

hahaha

DracoPlato

lolol

Orvil Octavis Phineas Susan

mathtans

A boy named Sue?

RebelVampire

i have mixed feelings about his name. like, i dont mind it persay. but at the same time feel like its just asking ppl to say "so oops huh so are you an accident because you were unplanned or an accident cause your parents didnt want you or were you so clumsy you somehow fell as a newborn"

mathtans

What are the names of other people in the world? Maybe it's fantasy normal.

DracoPlato

so far it is fantasy normal it seems

RebelVampire

we only really know hectric tepper and talon but talon probably named herself

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

lol i thought tepper was weirder than oops

DracoPlato

I've watched too much anime, nothing is that weird to me now

mathtans

What was the name of the girl?

RebelVampire

tepper rhymes with pepper which goes with salt. its how you know the king is salty

DracoPlato

Talon

so deep

mathtans

Right.

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

i like that rebel XD

RebelVampire

so i remember talon said she named all the gryphons. so does that mean she named malice O_O and in that case that seems like a mean name to give someone

DracoPlato

I thought that was a pretty mean name too XD

like geezus talon, what did he do to you

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. Much like Oops, Talon is an orphan. However, Talon had the fortune of being raised by the gryphons. Do you think Talon’s past will come into play during the story? What do you think of Talon and what will Talon’s fate be?

mathtans

Nice segue.

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

I didnt really get the feeling that Talon's past was important... it was just like yeah im an orphan then the story moved on

it didn't focus on her like it did say...the knight

DracoPlato

yeah i agree with AE

so far we haven't been lead to believe that her side of the story is that important

mathtans

Maybe Oops used to be a gryphon.

DracoPlato

yeah i was wondering that too Math

RebelVampire

so far O_O but always room for doubt

DracoPlato

cause he has wings and stuff, an important gryphon

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

She just seems to have been put there to be the love interest XD

DracoPlato

yeah, which kind of bugged me tbh

with him falling in love with her at first sight, i wish the story hadn't done that since it kind of jaded my feelings for her

mathtans

Like, it informs his character more than hers?

DracoPlato

or that she's just there to be a love interest for him rather than being her own character

which she's a girl living with a bunch of gryphons, it's not like her side of the story wouldn't be interesting

RebelVampire

as far as the love interest thing tho, it bugs me more that it hinted at it....then completely dropped it as a plot point. like the two hang out together sure, but theres no overtly romantic overtones to it. and its not like there are other humans for oops to hang out with XD

DracoPlato

yeah, that bugged me too

that it was dropped, lol

cause they did the thing and then didn't commit to it XD and then it was just a random thing to Oops' personality

RebelVampire

which talon has the potential to be really interesting. so its gonna be a shame if her past at least with the gryphons is never discussed more.

DracoPlato

yeah i agree, it'd be a waste of a potentially interesting story point

atm i don't feel like it's going to touch there

Feather, Duke of Comedic Timing

I read the first bit and I think it is really nice. So far love the style going on.

DracoPlato

yeah it does have a really nice style

it was really easy to read too

mathtans

It's got that flowy down the page thing to good effect.

Like, when things are falling or such.

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

yeah i agree

DracoPlato

the random back to BW in the middle was a bit annoying tho

RebelVampire

if were talking about art style idk. i mean i was okay at first but i feel like the comic tweaks it a lot. like the jump from B&W to color is jarring. not that the color isnt appreciated. just as a bulk read its really sudden.

DracoPlato

since it was hard to recognize the gryphons in BW

yeah, it was jarring

I think they planned to color it all so something must have happened

mathtans

The covers are, like, done by guest artists or something, aren't they?

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

yeah

mathtans

That was neat.

Like, nice way to spotlight some other people.

DracoPlato

yeah that is cool

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

yeah its a nice way to promote other people

mathtans

I liked how when Plague was introduced he was sort of seen as eeevil and then art style after that was cute mousy.

I really know very little about art though. >.<

RebelVampire

i have mixed feelings about the covers. as someone who can appreciate supporting other indie artists, i think its nice. but as a reader who writes reviews, it gets really disruptive to the flow sometimes.

DracoPlato

the covers didn't bother me

and i liked that about plague too math(edited)

RebelVampire

yeah admittedly the change from the more realistic rat to plague was entertaining and i think suits the story

DracoPlato

My biggest art gripe was the inconsistency in Oops' design, particularly in the beginning

it was kind of all over the place

and they call him a kid but he didn't really look like a kid in the beginning

i mean maybe a teen, but not a little kid

RebelVampire

to be fair i call teens kids XD

but yeah

honestly im still not sure what age im supposed to assume he is

same with talon tho to a degree

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

i didn't pay that much attention to that XD

mathtans

I guess I just didn't even think about it.

Actually, I remember right after the magic, I wondered if Oops had been shrunk down to rat size.

RebelVampire

hard to say cause i mean he did transfer traits to plague

DracoPlato

i don't think he's rat size

but he may have gotten shorter?

or the art is just inconsistent, lol

he does look more like a kid in the more recent pages though

i assume talon is a kid by her appearance, since she doesn't really have boobs

mathtans

I'm really bad for doing heights in my own strip, so that's something else I don't think about.

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

yeah me too

i tend to forget height ratios

DracoPlato

I use that comparing height site to help

http://www.mrinitialman.com/OddsEnds/Sizes/sizes.html

mathtans

That assumes you give your characters a height.

DracoPlato

w-why wouldn't i

mathtans

...cuz I... don't do that...? Ahem.

DracoPlato

I mostly do it cause i set up 3d mock ups of my scenes, so it helps for the humanoid dummy i have, haha

mathtans

Oh, that's clever. ... Anyway. Gryphons are big.

RebelVampire

ya know, plague keeps referring to the gryphons as cats, but i really just cant see it besides the fluffy tails they have

DracoPlato

saaaaaame

XD

mathtans

I thought Plague had vision issues.

DracoPlato

i thought he didn't know what a bird was for awhile XD but then he said birds

I think it's a joke that just didn't work out since the gryphons look nothing like cats, lol

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

lol beaked cats

mathtans

Maybe "gryphon" in the mouse language translates to "cat".

DracoPlato

lolol, benefit of a doubt XD

RebelVampire

but to be fair i guess a lot of it is in their body movement to a degree. just cant get past the non cat appearance personally

DracoPlato

it's sad i thought rebel isn't going to buy the cat nickname for them

while reading it XD

RebelVampire

its true cause rebel loves cats. rebel will be critical on this point

QUESTION 4. Intermingled with Oops’ quest is the quest of the magical clans to stop King Hectric Tepper. However, between Oops being a novice magic user and betrayals on the rise (i.e. Malice), the war may not go so well. How do you think the war will play out? Will there be casualties? Will everyone get their happily ever after?

DracoPlato

since it's an all ages comic i doubt it'll get really bloody

RebelVampire

ppl can have bloodless deaths XD i mean technically they killed off plague already

DracoPlato

that's true

albeit plague was a rat

O_O

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

if anyone dies...i think plague and malice are good candidates

DracoPlato

yeah

mathtans

There will be the equivalent of "people trapped below decks". A pit or something.

Speculation.

DracoPlato

i think most likely there'll be a universal awakening amongst the people

RebelVampire

i think elder gryphon is destined for death cause hes old and i think bit off more than he can chew. hes gonna die and be like "oops its all up to you now."

DracoPlato

of good over evil

i could see elder dying, yeah

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

yeah

mathtans

You didn't capitalize Oops there, so I read it differently.

DracoPlato

he has that old wise man mark of death on him

mathtans

Er,

DracoPlato

looool

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

hahahaha draco

if yer old and wise and in a story...yer gonna die XD

DracoPlato

yus

mathtans

Maybe some townspeople will be recruited? Like that nice old guy in the library?

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

i want that old guy to come back in the story

i liked him

DracoPlato

i liked him too

mathtans

"My apprentice and his pet"

RebelVampire

yeah i really liked the old guy in the library. i think he was a cool dude cause he tried to help oops for no reason other than hes a cool dude

DracoPlato

so far the nicest person in the comic

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

maybe he hides a secret

OOO

DracoPlato

secretly the main bad guy

mathtans

He's Oops' father!

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

what if he ends up being one of the elders of the other tribes

DracoPlato

oh that'd be interesting

RebelVampire

thatd be interesting although hard to imagine

but i dont remember who the other tribes were

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

well since the wood tribe had scouts to make sure of people before revealing themselves...could be the same for the others

what better scout place than in a library

RebelVampire

hed have to be a rock druid.

mathtans

The telepathy thing might come in handy there.

DracoPlato

yeah, definitely

RebelVampire

i wonder if the rock druids will be actual rocks

mathtans

Talking rocks like the talking stump?

DracoPlato

looool, like the ones in Frozen XD

RebelVampire

gonna sing about how oops is a little bit of a fixer upper

DracoPlato

tries to marry him with talon

mathtans

Or Plague.

DracoPlato

omg

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

lol

mathtans

Actually, what is religion in this world?

DracoPlato

i couldn't figure it out

the elves had meditation and clearing your mind

mathtans

Just wondering if it got more defined past what I read.

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

nope

mathtans

I didn't get to the elves. ^_^

DracoPlato

so far there's been no mention of a god, so maybe druidism or a call back to nature

RebelVampire

not really. since this is an all ages comic i doubt religion will play a heavy factor

DracoPlato

yeah, i super doubt it will to

mathtans

Just got me wondering about priests, what with the marriage talk.

RebelVampire

i say this and watch as the king is like "must become god of this world."

DracoPlato

nah i wondered too when reading it

since i feel like it's teetering on the edge of religion with some of the ideas it touches on

but nothing concrete

if anything it'd be a fantasy religion i think

mathtans

I wonder if there's disguise magic.

DracoPlato

yeah there is!

cause one of the elves later on takes on the form of Oops

mathtans

Oh! So that could be relevant in the battle too.

RebelVampire

hmmm in retrospect, the elder gryphon said he wanted to teach oops soul magic later, so maybe thats when religion may become relevant

DracoPlato

yeah, that could be when i raised an eyebrow to it

and the Hound was previously a gryphon

so there's a hint of reincarnation

and then the elves being into meditation

mathtans

I thought that was transmogriphication not reincarnation.

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

i loved the forgiveness part with the hound

DracoPlato

could be, i was a bit confused about what was going on with the hound tbh

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

that is a long word XD

DracoPlato

reincarnation is usually a mess in most stories, lol

mathtans

(I didn't get to the elves but read the Q&A and thought I saw something in there about Hound being turned.)

DracoPlato

yeah there was!

I stumbled on that too, haha

mathtans

I think I spelled it wrong too, AE. ^^

DracoPlato

i'm not sure if i want it to explore religious themes or not

for the kind of story it is

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

i like it the way it is

DracoPlato

yeah, i'd really rather it not, hahah(edited)

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

it would make a neat rpg game XD

DracoPlato

yeah it would! the simplicity works in it's favor

in that regard

RebelVampire

i think this comic would make a good snes area game cause for some reason it makes me think of like the old snes lion king and aladdin games

DracoPlato

it reminded me of those games too XD

somehow

mathtans

Maybe Plague can have a chef game like Ratatouille. ^.^

DracoPlato

omg XDD

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

hahahaha

RebelVampire

plague in cooking mama

mathtans

Actually, mayhap they'll come across other fantastical creatures.

Maybe he's called "Oops" because he was meant to be a gryphon or dragon and his parents were "He's human, Oops."

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

LOL

mathtans

I speculate too much.

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

i actually like that

DracoPlato

omg that'd be awesome XD

AngelicEmpyress of Chromacity

a failed experiment

mathtans

He was born from magic!

DracoPlato

i like that route

RebelVampire

maybe oops has no mother at all

was just magicked into existence

but hectric gave oops his good traits

thus why evil

mathtans

Ooooh! Nice twist there.

Like, Oops was created in a similar way to how Plague was created.

DracoPlato

Oooooooh

RebelVampire

Unfortunately, the scheduled Comic Tea Party is now complete~! Thank you everyone so much for joining this week’s chat~! That being said, if you would like to continue discussing the comic, we encourage you to do so~! We want to give a big thank you to Cyndi Foster and Jeramy Hobz, as well, for volunteering Oops Comic Adventure for our reading queue. If you liked the comic, please be sure to support Cyndi Foster and Jeramy Hobz’s efforts. If you have questions, concerns, or suggestions about CTP, please feel free to PM me, or e-mail me at rebelvampire@startfaire.com.

With that said, next week’s Comic Tea Party will focus on Soul Hymn by DracoPlato. Please use this week to read as much of the comic as you would like. Hope to see you next Thursday (July 13th) from 5PM to 7PM PST~! Until then~! Comic: http://khyatix.com/soulhymn.shtml