Comic for December 28, 2019: Why not?

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Bellhead
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Comic for December 28, 2019: Why not?

#1 Post by Bellhead »

Image"Anything but disgusting". I'd go so far as to call that a compliment. Well played, Sythe. Smooth, gentle and appropriately casual. Guy's got more game than me, I'll tell you that.

And I like the way Maren is shown here. She seems to be having an intense internal battle with her own curiosity, and everything she's ever known. and he just gave her the chance to try it (seemingly) without repercussions. Very well played.

Also, where'd the pizza go?
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Re: Comic for December 28, 2019: Why not?

#2 Post by themunck »

A+, Sythe. A+:)
Respectful, honest, giving her the space she needed. Smooth as silk.

Thebestofrobin
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Re: Comic for December 28, 2019: Why not?

#3 Post by Thebestofrobin »

Woohoo, she's going for it :-D!

I also love the surprise on Sythe face, he wasn't expecting that question ^__^, especially after his ears drooped down on the 4th frame.

And like Themunck said, he is being very respectful and honest.

Just a really great page :-D!
I do hope we get to see / know how this is going to end before the trouble starts.

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Re: Comic for December 28, 2019: Why not?

#4 Post by amenon »

You go, girl! :grin:

And Sythe... not a lot of poker face, and no poker ears at all, but a total class act :heart:
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Re: Comic for December 28, 2019: Why not?

#5 Post by Bellhead »

amenon wrote: Sat Dec 28, 2019 1:03 pm You go, girl! :grin:

And Sythe... not a lot of poker face, and no poker ears at all, but a total class act :heart:
Give the guy some credit. He wears his heart on his.. well, everything. :roll:
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Re: Comic for December 28, 2019: Why not?

#6 Post by NinjaWithAStick »

WOOHOO SYTHE!
And that's just my walking stick...
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Re: Comic for December 28, 2019: Why not?

#7 Post by Eclipse »

Well, it's official. Maren's gone full tsundere. I wasn't quite expecting her to go that far with Sythe, but I'm not surprised. Look's like Sythe's gambit is paying off, and better than he probably expected. Looks like she wants to take up his offer, but she needs some liquid courage first.

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Re: Comic for December 28, 2019: Why not?

#8 Post by amenon »

Bellhead wrote: Sat Dec 28, 2019 2:25 pm
amenon wrote: Sat Dec 28, 2019 1:03 pm You go, girl! :grin:

And Sythe... not a lot of poker face, and no poker ears at all, but a total class act :heart:
Give the guy some credit. He wears his heart on his.. well, everything. :roll:
Okay, that led me places. People were wondering about Maren's blushiness? Read the pages again, this time with the thought that Sythe has more than his ears up :P
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Re: Comic for December 28, 2019: Why not?

#9 Post by Insomniac »

"Didn't seem to stop our exes any" cracked me up, and "Is there one in your room?" melted my heart.
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Re: Comic for December 28, 2019: Why not?

#10 Post by AmigaDragon »

Bellhead wrote: Sat Dec 28, 2019 9:50 am Also, where'd the pizza go?
Where does it usually go? They were eating it after all.
Eclipse wrote: Sat Dec 28, 2019 2:55 pm Looks like she wants to take up his offer, but she needs some liquid courage first.
Taking "liquid courage" on purpose in order to do something is just an excuse to let you do it, it's still an unimpaired conscious decision at this point.
Bellhead wrote: Sat Dec 28, 2019 9:50 am...(seemingly) without repercussions.
And how long until someone tells her (and Karen, Red, Raine, Zen) about Flora's baby?

Seeing where Nibbly is (now canon), I'm guessing Reni must be over on the left end of the beach, if she hasn't left already. I wonder if we'll see Reed in here looking for her.
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Re: Comic for December 28, 2019: Why not?

#11 Post by Weon Kenedi »

Image

Except, of course, there will be bad stuff happening and keeping the good stuff from happening
╔═╦╗╔╦═╦═╦╗╔╗
║═╣║║║╔╣╔╣╚╝║
║╔╣╚╝║║║║╚╗╔╝
╚╝╚══╩╝╚╝♥╚╝
And in the end, we were made to be apart
Like separate chambers of the human heart... ♫♪

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Re: Comic for December 28, 2019: Why not?

#12 Post by Emp_Dragon »

Bellhead wrote: Sat Dec 28, 2019 9:50 am Also, where'd the pizza go?
I suspect Maren either dropped it in surprise, or... she Wolfed it down to play for time to think during Sythes more rambly pieces of conversationand maybe to have more energy for later ;)

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Re: Comic for December 28, 2019: Why not?

#13 Post by Shockwave07 »

That last panel would be a perfect reaction for "When the DM reveals he was messing with you and your roll was a success!"

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Re: Comic for December 28, 2019: Why not?

#14 Post by MuonNeutrino »

Well this is rather cute. Sythe is smooth as heck, of course, but his obvious sincerity is what makes his reactions kinda adorable. He's not sweet-talking or putting on an act; even if he's pretty clearly taking a lighthearted approach to things it's still his honest feelings showing through. There's no coercion, no disrespect for her, just him honestly admitting his interest and nudging her to face the issue they've both been dancing around. And despite his lighthearted take on things, it's clear it's still not *just* a casual interest on his part either. He may or may not be looking for a 'relationship', but it's clear from the emotional subtext that he cares about her more than as just a prospective casual fling, even if he's not going to come out and say it. Keidran casual cultural attitudes towards sex or not, I think it's obvious from their history that he still cares about her as a person, even if it may or may not be in a deep romantic sense. As Maren (among other characters) has remarked, he's just a decent man. Cultural differences or no, he's not going to just use her or treat her badly, and he's not going to proposition just anyone, or someone he doesn't care about.

But what I really want to talk about here is Maren, because this comic kinda crystallized for me some thoughts I've been mulling over about her character. Namely, why does she adopt this standoffish, cold persona in general, and what does that have to do with her reactions towards Sythe in particular? After all, it's blindingly obvious to everyone, in-comic and out, that she's interested in Sythe, even if she doesn't want to admit it to anyone (including herself). But *why* is she so adamant about not admitting it? Is it just because it's taboo, or because of the anti-keidran prejudices, hers or those of others? I think those could definitely be part of it, but I've been thinking that they can't be *all* of it. Her demeanor about the whole thing couldn't scream 'conflicted' any louder if she had a giant flashing sign over her head. I think the intensity of her reaction is a signal that it's not just that she thinks she shouldn't, not just attraction fighting prejudice, but something more.

It's fear. I think Maren is afraid of the idea of a relationship.

Hints of this have shown up before. Right in her character entry, it makes a point of noting that her relationship with Trace wasn't a serious one, and that both parties were well aware of that. It elaborates a bit on Trace's motivations - that he was still loyal to Saria's memory - but not hers, but it was clear she was fine with the situation - one even almost gets the sense that she *preferred* it that way. Why? And then, of course, there's the big one - Red's little slip here. Who was "Tan-"? A childhood friend, a first crush, or even more? And what happened to them, that Maren is still this afraid of the idea of emotional intimacy, so many years later? It feels to me that she's afraid of getting close to anyone, afraid of opening up for fear of being hurt again, and I think her dialog in this comic confirms it.

She starts off with the usual expected objections, about them being a wolf and a human. But then, when Sythe rebuts that with a reference to Trace and Flora, her attitude changes. There's a beat, a moment of thought, before she violently rejects the idea. What was she thinking about, in that moment? Where did her mind go? I think it's clear from her comments that she didn't just think about Trace and Flora being together physically, but of their actual relationship. She refers to 'the whole world turning upside-down', but *physical* intimacy between keidran and humans is hardly unheard-of - humans breed keidran sex slaves, after all. But Trace and Flora's romantic, emotional relationship, and the idea of her and Sythe having something like that? Now *that'd* be truly worthy of being called earthshaking. And she then follows that up by asking Sythe why he'd want a relationship. She thinks that's what he wants, that's what he was asking and referring to, and it provokes probably the most animated outburst we've ever seen from her. And again, to me it comes across as fear - the angle of her eyebrows and mouth in that panel, the almost-panicked 'No, no, no!', the violent shaking of her head... that's not just reluctance, not just conflicted feelings, it's more intense than that. A part of her wants it, and the rest of her is terrified of the idea.

And then, Sythe's response. Not only does he pay her a surprisingly ungrudging compliment (and I think her comment does suggest that it was something she was genuinely worried about), but he also explicitly disclaims the idea of a relationship. And suddenly, she's uncertain again. Suddenly, there's an excuse, a way to put an emotional barrier between her and the idea that scares her so much. A way she can say to herself that she's not *really* getting close to anyone, not *really* opening herself up to the prospect of being hurt again, that she can act on what she feels while still being 'safe'. (Now where have we seen something similar to that before?) And it's only *then* that she goes for it. That she can get past her conflict. I think that she - that both of them - actually care more than they admit, but this is a way that they can protect themselves from their own emotions, to give themselves permission to explore what they feel. I wouldn't expect their outward attitudes towards each other to change. Even if they do end up in a more committed situation eventually, I wouldn't expect them to admit it or to stop teasing and snarking at each other. But I do think there's more potential here than either of them is comfortable admitting yet.
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Re: Comic for December 28, 2019: Why not?

#15 Post by Panther »

Have a fun time just to satisfy curiosity .............. It would be a bad idea :? (;_;)
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