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Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2015 2:39 pm
And don't you jerky jerk-faces post spoilers in the comments!
Before anybody gets hyper-defensive: I'm not talking shit. I'm asking questions and pointing out problems that nag at me. Honest, thoughtful critique is something authors can use to improve their craft.
Before anyone tells me to search the forums for these answers: I tried. The search functions on this crap forum are about as useful as a chocolate helmet. It's built on BBS logic, for gods' sake. Instead, I read through the comic from beginning to end a few times.
Simple stuff first:
1) What's up w' Lily's face- really sharp cheekbones and really hollow cheeks? I get that she doesn't seem to feed enough, but.. damn. Were the Anasazi known for that kind of thing?
The tribes I grew up around certainly aren't.
2) Why do some of the ladies have racoon masks? Adult Bia is the prime example http://wapsisquare.com/comic/consequenc ... nipotence/of this, but Monica has appeared thus as well.
3) What do y'all reckon is represented by Jet's "dog" demon http://wapsisquare.com/comic/side-effect/?
4) There are several references to "cat-" or "cat-like markings" on sphinxes & Monica- other than spraying the tires on my car, WTF is a cat-marking? I assume that's what those odd splotches along the nose are supposed to be? I don't think I've ever seen a cat that looked like it had been wearing really heavy spectacles before..
5) Earlier on, M's described several times a 'A' jag girl, not 'THE', but when she first pops (@ Phix) Tsillah says something about first sub-titan born in a million years- sooo, other sub-titans are millions of years old? Bia was a child during the chimera incident 10k-ish years ago- how bloody long had she been a child? What about Prometheus or Amnesia Cop- are they sub-titans, demigods or just divinely handsome? Others? Were folks titan-ing the shit out of Homo Eerectus?
6)What's with all the extra floppy, flappy bits on mermaid arms and fin hands & stuff? They've got tails- why wouldn't they porpoise aroun?- What would they need paddle-hands for? They don't need to use their arms like a human. Hell, this lady http://wapsisquare.com/comic/this-is-better/ looks like she'd break her own neck if she dove wrong.
7) So the Berenstain Twins are NA- I get it. Why all the dream catchers and crap? Why do they apparently live in a log cabin? I'm no social-justice warrior, but that seems a bit tacky.
8) It appears that the only instance of Atsalsi's wings significantly damaging her top is the missile incident at the conclusion of Mapimi 2. Looks like every other shift has left her top largely intact. Even when Dette popped them in Mapimi- http://wapsisquare.com/comic/trust-us/ while the talisman was on.
Speaking of Sali- my big one.
Why/how did Sali become autistically oblivious?
Even leaving aside the Anasazi adventure- who knows- maybe half-sirens go brain-dead after they.. explode into puberty.. she seems to have devolved, at least socially.
Back here- http://wapsisquare.com/comic/the-sound-of-my-voice/, she used a sexually-charged (if not quite sexual) intimate encounter to demonstrate her worries to Berdine. Sali inquired about Berdine's sexuality, and then showed that she could overcome even that with her power, and displayed wisdom in using said power. The many incidents of Dette's physical affection, even kisses never phased her. Sali was shown to be oblivious to Dette's feelings after Mapimi 2, but by that time, she would have been more likely lobotomized than simply "oblivious".
But when Dette comes out and says, "hey, I'm gay", we've got the biggest breach of trust ever. I get the seemingly retconned reason for Sali's intimacy issues, but...
I can't help but feel like needless pathos is being written for Sali on the mistaken premise that damage equals character development.
First, everybody (I know- only two out of twenty or so characters) turns out to have been raped, now, a- what? A spurned lover? An unrequited love?- does the hemp fandango over Sali's bed?
A person need not be incredibly damaged to be whole or interesting, is my point.
Sooo, yeah- that's all that comes to mind right now.
Before anybody gets hyper-defensive: I'm not talking shit. I'm asking questions and pointing out problems that nag at me. Honest, thoughtful critique is something authors can use to improve their craft.
Before anyone tells me to search the forums for these answers: I tried. The search functions on this crap forum are about as useful as a chocolate helmet. It's built on BBS logic, for gods' sake. Instead, I read through the comic from beginning to end a few times.
Simple stuff first:
1) What's up w' Lily's face- really sharp cheekbones and really hollow cheeks? I get that she doesn't seem to feed enough, but.. damn. Were the Anasazi known for that kind of thing?
The tribes I grew up around certainly aren't.
2) Why do some of the ladies have racoon masks? Adult Bia is the prime example http://wapsisquare.com/comic/consequenc ... nipotence/of this, but Monica has appeared thus as well.
3) What do y'all reckon is represented by Jet's "dog" demon http://wapsisquare.com/comic/side-effect/?
4) There are several references to "cat-" or "cat-like markings" on sphinxes & Monica- other than spraying the tires on my car, WTF is a cat-marking? I assume that's what those odd splotches along the nose are supposed to be? I don't think I've ever seen a cat that looked like it had been wearing really heavy spectacles before..
5) Earlier on, M's described several times a 'A' jag girl, not 'THE', but when she first pops (@ Phix) Tsillah says something about first sub-titan born in a million years- sooo, other sub-titans are millions of years old? Bia was a child during the chimera incident 10k-ish years ago- how bloody long had she been a child? What about Prometheus or Amnesia Cop- are they sub-titans, demigods or just divinely handsome? Others? Were folks titan-ing the shit out of Homo Eerectus?
6)What's with all the extra floppy, flappy bits on mermaid arms and fin hands & stuff? They've got tails- why wouldn't they porpoise aroun?- What would they need paddle-hands for? They don't need to use their arms like a human. Hell, this lady http://wapsisquare.com/comic/this-is-better/ looks like she'd break her own neck if she dove wrong.
7) So the Berenstain Twins are NA- I get it. Why all the dream catchers and crap? Why do they apparently live in a log cabin? I'm no social-justice warrior, but that seems a bit tacky.
8) It appears that the only instance of Atsalsi's wings significantly damaging her top is the missile incident at the conclusion of Mapimi 2. Looks like every other shift has left her top largely intact. Even when Dette popped them in Mapimi- http://wapsisquare.com/comic/trust-us/ while the talisman was on.
Speaking of Sali- my big one.
Why/how did Sali become autistically oblivious?
Even leaving aside the Anasazi adventure- who knows- maybe half-sirens go brain-dead after they.. explode into puberty.. she seems to have devolved, at least socially.
Back here- http://wapsisquare.com/comic/the-sound-of-my-voice/, she used a sexually-charged (if not quite sexual) intimate encounter to demonstrate her worries to Berdine. Sali inquired about Berdine's sexuality, and then showed that she could overcome even that with her power, and displayed wisdom in using said power. The many incidents of Dette's physical affection, even kisses never phased her. Sali was shown to be oblivious to Dette's feelings after Mapimi 2, but by that time, she would have been more likely lobotomized than simply "oblivious".
But when Dette comes out and says, "hey, I'm gay", we've got the biggest breach of trust ever. I get the seemingly retconned reason for Sali's intimacy issues, but...
I can't help but feel like needless pathos is being written for Sali on the mistaken premise that damage equals character development.
First, everybody (I know- only two out of twenty or so characters) turns out to have been raped, now, a- what? A spurned lover? An unrequited love?- does the hemp fandango over Sali's bed?
A person need not be incredibly damaged to be whole or interesting, is my point.
Sooo, yeah- that's all that comes to mind right now.