“Sincere”, as in textual and graphical representations of emotion? All that is seen is in the eye of the beholder, valued through their character. Even real people misinterpret real depictions of emotion. And yes, I realize that I am now making a valued opinion on what a “sincere depiction of emotion” is. Just thought I’d push this in before everyone attempts to contain their “feels”.
The “parade of limp puns” (an apt description) is somewhat of an institution here.
If there is anything about it at all that I might respect, it is that it continues regardless of the content of the comic or how ostensibly serious it portrays itself. And much as I hate it, I suppose I have to respect its blind perpetuation.
After all, it isn’t like a “sincere depiction of emotion” is any more worthy of respect or reverence than anything else. Much as many would have otherwise for the sake of excusing themselves of responsibility, emotions are not sacred.
I’m seeing a possible angle where they use their magics to heal her mother and get her in on the the business. Maybe. She seems to have pretty strong morals (so far) so it might be nothing more than head-canon.
That didn’t work out in a universe where Shanna had no say in the process and the person who was responsible had a clear desire to get on her good side. Even if Shanna was willing to try it (ha, no) it would end up backfiring.
To be fair, from an outside perspective it probably does look like Shanna’s ditching her mother. Chances are the people at that institution have seen that happen all to often.
Hopefully this crisis will be over soon and Shanna can spend some time with her mother. Assuming she wants to, of course. I have no idea what Shanna’s relationship with her mother is, outside of the fact that it’s obviously a bit strained.
Fans!Shanna loved her mother, but feared above all else that she would become like her; unable to tell fantasy from reality. She visited her regularly, but it was always painful.
“Sincere” as in “not ironic or sarcastic.” Not played for laughs.
I kinda resent it, honestly, it feels mawkish and unearned, considering how “light” the rest of the strip is, and how little a part this character has played in the strip thus far. It grinds the gears a bit to go from wacky fantasy violence (cultists backstabbing each other for no reason) to “my mother is suffering from dementia.” I don’t feel that this character has earned my interest in her plight. I’m not familiar with her from whatever other property she’s from (whatever “Fans” is), and she hasn’t done anything so far in this property that I’ve given a shit about. So the “confront the audience (directly, face-to-face) about their lack of empathy” scene doesn’t work for me. It bonks.
I’m sure someone should say I should do homework and investigate the character’s other appearances, but I’m not a fan of doing homework in order to navigate a separate narrative. I shouldn’t have to study up on the extended universe to enjoy I strip I’ve read the entirety of.
However I still find it funny (funny peculiar and funny ha-ha) that people show up literally every day to mechanically recite puns. It’s endearing, I guess, to the creators, and It’s not my job to regulate how people show their appreciation for something. But a strip like this one, that’s really dismal and serious in tone will be hard (not impossible, we’ve seen already) for people to come in and just create a chain of vaguely content-related puns.
If you like T’s writing style then you’ll have to get used to it. Everyone of T’s characters exist in all of his universes, apparently even this one. You don’t see them all, necessarily. And it’s not Fans. It’s Fans! Seriously. The exclamation point is part of the title. T has done Fans!, Penny and Aggie, Quiltbag (a Penny and Aggie spin off), Cool Cat Studio, And Rip and Teri among others. Those are the comics that occasionally share characters. Here’s the cool part, though….Although the characters exist between universes THEY ARE NOT THE SAME PEOPLE. It offers a cool “What if” to those of us who have read his other stuff, but doesn’t detract from the series at all. Alternate universes and all that.
Anyway, all you need to know about Shanna has been revealed here. She’s a journalist with a strong survival instinct, a really good bullshit detector, and a hatred for things not rooted in the mundane world springing from her mother’s insanity.
Which is fine. “Tenacious investigator” is a perfectly fine character archetype.
I don’t care enough about her to care about her miserable family life. Ultimately the authors don’t get to decide what characters resonate with an audience (the audience does), and I’m the only audience member who I can speak for. I’m not sure that introducing a character two-and-a-half years into a fantasy narrative is the best way to make her into a fan-favorite. I’m kinda more invested with the characters they arsed to put on the cast page, that I’ve been reading the comic for.
And I’m starting to feel like a sucker for caring about them, since most of them have been completely sidelined in the narrative.
I’m kind of with Oamu on this one. I get that the comic needed someone in Sepia World to tackle what HR and Carol are up to, but I’m not convinced that the role wouldn’t have been better filled by a completely new character. As it is, people who are familiar with Shanna from other works may be blind to some of the issues here (i.e. they’re already invested in Shanna, whereas those of us who solely read Guilded Age may not be, for instance) which makes discussion about the character a bit difficult.
For my part, I can intellectually acknowledge that Shanna has had a hard life and sympathize to an extent, but I don’t empathize the way I would with Syri’Nj or Frigg, or even Rachel.
Part of the motivation for this sequence was to bring readers as close as possible to “the same page” on Shanna. You can consider it the Cliffs Notes about any aspect of her character not already covered. Last time out, some GA-only readers took issue with her problem with fantasy, and expected her to be an after dinner mint for HR after Ferris. If nothing else, you know her a bit better now.
Yeah, this page does a lot to explain Shanna, and I appreciate that. Helps me know where she’s coming from, even if I don’t particularly like the way she handles it. I’m hoping that as we get more exposure to Shanna you’ll see negative opinions of her lessen a bit, including my own.
Have a good weekend as well. Always appreciate the way you and Phil drop in here in the comments section from time to time. You’ve got a Con you’re at right now, right? Good luck with that!
Honestly, I just see Shanna as an obstacle to be overcome. Keep waiting for the strip where she is taken care in some way. Not necessarily death, as there are probably better ways to go about it (but I wouldn’t be opposed). That being said, she does serve a needed role in the story, and I’m not against having her in the story. Just don’t like her as a character.
Yeah, I don’t like her either. You’re not supposed to like every character, but it’s hard to make the jump to sympathize with a character that you find irritating.
Consider that virtually every member of the Savage council is more appealing and sympathetic than Shanna. People are engaged in Harky’s budding romance, the guy that killed the Peacemakers. People think the Goblin slaver is cool. Shanna is actually less sympathetic than the murderous kidnappers who she’s trying to bring to justice.
Aren’t you tired of the hero-centric “chosen one” narrative? Finally we have a story that’s a bit different and isn’t just about the chosen heroes, where all sides in a conflict are examined and given fair treatment with an interesting intermingling of worlds both inside the worlds themselves as well as across them.
Can’t you savor the journey rather than complain that you can’t immediately see how and where all roads come together? You’re not supposed to empathize with or like everyone nor is every character’s point to be a fan favorite but they’re all part of an interesting plot weave.
I’m not tired of the characters the first two years of the strip were about, no.
And if the authors didn’t want to play up the “chosen ones” angle, making the peacemakers the central source of narrative conflict in two universes was a mistake. It’s hard to dial that back after emphasizing it for two years, and say “oh, these other two-dozen characters are just as important.”
Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with this page. For one, as ‘light’ as the rest of this strip is, what humor is in Sepia Land is generally darker, and since it’s the ‘real’ world, things have been more serious throughout. HR’s mental state for one, and Ferris’ murder, as a few examples. This does come as a bit of a shock, and no one can ask you to feel for a character, but I don’t read anything else this character appears in. I do feel for this character. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve failed to save people from themselves, even if it wasn’t like this. Maybe it’s because Shanna is terrified, and trying to be a proactive about that fear as possible. Maybe I’m a sucker. Whatever. Just because you don’t know this character doesn’t make her less important. From what I’ve seen, all the characters are important. All of this will eventually come to a head, and each player in this large game’s role will make sense. Or not. Life usually doesn’t.
A bit off-the-point here Oamu… but your opening statement about sincerity not being played for laughs rather seems like you automatically associate humour with insincerity. While I doubt you’re of the opinion that all lies are inherently funny… I have to question whether you believe that something has to be false in order to be funny in the first place, or indeed whether there is any sort of necessary correlation between the two at all?
It is a bit of a bugbear of mine, I admit… that all too often, people will try to excuse their most flagrant mistruths by declaring it in the name of humour… as though somehow there is something funny about lying, or that it is ok to talk bullshit for the sake of some jocular intent…
WHICH brings me back to the beginning… and questioning why you would assume that sincerity would be at odds with humour.
For the record… I dislike Shanna as a character too. Her successes always struck me as contrived. I don’t generally make a thing of it though.
Phil and I have agreed never to delete posts again unless (1) we have a long talk about it first or (2) it’s a clear-cut case of hate speech.
I admit my trigger finger was a bit itchy on this one. The last Shanna scene provoked a few comments that Phil and I found downright disturbing. I also had to make the call quickly because I was driving to Katsucon and would be without access most of the day.
I will say the initial comment still bothers me. My policy has always been that you can pick on us CREATORS all you want– we kind of get the “final word” in that we get to keep doing the comic, which will always be seen by more eyes– but when you start picking at fellow readers, that’s another matter. It was a mild insult by Internet argument standards, I guess, but I don’t want people to be mocked for enjoying the work in their own way.
That said, this is a different space with different rules than forums I’ve run in the past, I should’ve handled it differently. Phil does more viewing of this space than I do, and does it well, so I’m leaving its management in his hands for at least the near future.
Since my post was the one that tended to actually get quoted in regards to that last Shanna scene (though not by you guys specifically) and also because I had been without Internet for several days at the time and didn’t get to respond when it would have been relevant, I’ll go ahead and say that while I can’t speak for anyone else the comments I made were not intended to offend, though in hindsight I can see how they did so and I apologize accordingly. I have tried to be more restrained in my commentary since then.
I think even calling it a “mild” insult is an overstatement. Saying you reacted with the speed of a “sunburned chihuahua” is a mild insult, saying “people” are inept at dealing with sincere emotion is a generalization. And since you removed it so quickly, the discussion that was beginning to spring up around it (an interesting discussion, about how people are uncomfortable with depictions of sincere emotion) was instantly and irrevocably neutered. Likewise, my clarifying response posted minutes later, wherein I talk about how i’m explicitly not trying to regulate/shame how people respond to art (merely reacting to it with amusement) was cut free of context.
Mission accomplished?
Look, you took it down, you put it up, whatever. Obviously, it’s your sandbox, we just get to borrow the plastic rakes for a minute. If you look at the kind of discussions that spring up around the comments I make and feel like those are not the kinds of discussions that you want on your comments section, you can send me an Email asking me to knock it off, or just block me from posting, or whatever.
I certainly find nothing I said to even brush up against “hate speech” and I don’t see any other readers responding to my comments with offense (irritation, yes, offense, no). I have no intention of changing my commenting behavior a particle. It’s up to you guys to handle it how you see fit.
I have been in a similar position. It is difficult to understand if you haven’t been there.
There was a person who was important to me that was not suffering from dementia but was something like it, perhaps. This person struggled with day to day life, and I had the slow and painful revelation that they did not care to do otherwise ever. That this person cared for nothing but the “fairies” in her dreams- that this person could not comprehend why skipping a boring doctor’s appointment or not eating or spending my entertainment budget on filling the basement with broken chairs were not good ideas. I had the realization that this person would drain everything from me (money, time, attention) and never return it meaningfully. This person insisted I was important to them, but their descriptions and interactions made me realize, slowly and painfully, I was just another of their fairies to them. They did not really know who I was, nor were they able to relate to me whatsoever.
In my case, it became about survival. The person was draining so much from me, to do anything but leave them behind was to drive myself to ruin. I did everything I possibly could, but it was not enough. It went on for 10 years, this person reliant on me the entire time. It was all the worse leaving them to be cared for because I couldn’t get anyone to understand how badly I did not want to do it; everyone who learned about my leaving them thought I was taking the easy way out, but that is only the case if you define “easy way out” as “the way out in which I remain alive”.
I have a lot more respect for this character, doing this. It is grim work, and perhaps no one will ever appreciate it for what it is really, even if they understand your reasons or agree with you. I’m interested in where this story is going.
As someone else who has been in a similar boat I know what you mean. People used to get mad at me for either trying to care for the person on my own and spending all the money because I was “ruining my life”. When I finally had to place them somewhere I suddenly became a horrible person for “not caring”.
This page speaks to us differently than it might to others.
No, I don’t think anyone is totally alien to the feeling of having to cut someone loose. We see it all the time, to a greater or lesser extent, in everyday life. For instance, when you come across an acquaintance who is obviously not coping and you have to decide how much of your time to give them. Or when you pass a homeless person on the street and you have to work out how much money to give them. You could give them the whole twenty bucks you have in your pocket; hell, some of us could probably give them enough to rent a flat if they really wanted to; but you don’t, because you have to decide where to draw the line between their need and your own self-interest. And you feel like shit, because despite the fact that you don’t need it as much as they do, you kept it. We know.
Meh. I’ve been locked up in a mental hospital myself. Failed suicide attempts and all that.
Didn’t last too long though.
I talked my way out of it. More correctly, I lied my way out it.
I lied that I’d “seen the error of my ways”, and I lied that I’d never do it again.
Only time I’ve willingly and deliberately lied too.
And the knowledge that I did so still eats at me like a cancer. Probably will until I die.
Still… nothing could have made me stay there. If lying hadn’t got me out, I’d have kept on trying to suicide in there until I succeeded.
You know, her struggle is real and all, but Shanna does have a tendency to take things to their most dramatic, just like when she was confronting Carol.
Some of the pages in this comic make me laugh, some have made me feel sad, and others bored or enthralled or dozens of other emotions. This is the first page that made me feel pain. I suffer from mental illness; every day is a struggle for me, and I work so hard to minimize the impact on my loved ones, but there’s always that lingering fear that I’m a burden to them. It hurts to see how the future might be for them, if I don’t stick with treatment and let them do all the work.
It was a dick move.
Wow. Shanna’s really committed to her mother. You’d have to be insane to question her.
Yeah, questioning her would certainly be delusional…
any thought that Shanna doesn’t love her mother is crazy.
plot twist: this is mother speaking. the guys mistagged the comic.
Does that mean Granny is waiting for a Hogwarts letter?
Always interesting to see how ineptly people respond to a sincere depiction of emotion. Looking forward to the parade of limp puns.
After a warning like that, I can’t imagine any sane folk would dare….
this page was rather sobering.
Well, no one ever accused me of being sane.
“Mom, the letter you’ve been waiting for finally arrived. The doctor says that after playing in the mud, you do indeed have hog warts.”
“Sincere”, as in textual and graphical representations of emotion? All that is seen is in the eye of the beholder, valued through their character. Even real people misinterpret real depictions of emotion. And yes, I realize that I am now making a valued opinion on what a “sincere depiction of emotion” is. Just thought I’d push this in before everyone attempts to contain their “feels”.
It’s a bit… toothy. I think criticisms of the presentational style are valid.
The “parade of limp puns” (an apt description) is somewhat of an institution here.
If there is anything about it at all that I might respect, it is that it continues regardless of the content of the comic or how ostensibly serious it portrays itself. And much as I hate it, I suppose I have to respect its blind perpetuation.
After all, it isn’t like a “sincere depiction of emotion” is any more worthy of respect or reverence than anything else. Much as many would have otherwise for the sake of excusing themselves of responsibility, emotions are not sacred.
I’m seeing a possible angle where they use their magics to heal her mother and get her in on the the business. Maybe. She seems to have pretty strong morals (so far) so it might be nothing more than head-canon.
That didn’t work out in a universe where Shanna had no say in the process and the person who was responsible had a clear desire to get on her good side. Even if Shanna was willing to try it (ha, no) it would end up backfiring.
Makes her “always failed to save her” comment truer than even she knows.
Or they could provide her mother with that Hogwarts letter.
“What was she doing playing on the roof with a broom inscribed, “Nimbus 3000”?
“Well, you see, her daughter’s money had run out…”
I feel so bad for Shanna :(
yikes…………….
To be fair, from an outside perspective it probably does look like Shanna’s ditching her mother. Chances are the people at that institution have seen that happen all to often.
Hopefully this crisis will be over soon and Shanna can spend some time with her mother. Assuming she wants to, of course. I have no idea what Shanna’s relationship with her mother is, outside of the fact that it’s obviously a bit strained.
Fans!Shanna loved her mother, but feared above all else that she would become like her; unable to tell fantasy from reality. She visited her regularly, but it was always painful.
Fans!Shanna had that as a more legitimate fear though. She regularly dealt with insane events. GA Shanna’s reality is a lot more grounded – so far.
Nothing worse than mourning a loved one who’s already dead, but still lives.
“Sincere” as in “not ironic or sarcastic.” Not played for laughs.
I kinda resent it, honestly, it feels mawkish and unearned, considering how “light” the rest of the strip is, and how little a part this character has played in the strip thus far. It grinds the gears a bit to go from wacky fantasy violence (cultists backstabbing each other for no reason) to “my mother is suffering from dementia.” I don’t feel that this character has earned my interest in her plight. I’m not familiar with her from whatever other property she’s from (whatever “Fans” is), and she hasn’t done anything so far in this property that I’ve given a shit about. So the “confront the audience (directly, face-to-face) about their lack of empathy” scene doesn’t work for me. It bonks.
I’m sure someone should say I should do homework and investigate the character’s other appearances, but I’m not a fan of doing homework in order to navigate a separate narrative. I shouldn’t have to study up on the extended universe to enjoy I strip I’ve read the entirety of.
However I still find it funny (funny peculiar and funny ha-ha) that people show up literally every day to mechanically recite puns. It’s endearing, I guess, to the creators, and It’s not my job to regulate how people show their appreciation for something. But a strip like this one, that’s really dismal and serious in tone will be hard (not impossible, we’ve seen already) for people to come in and just create a chain of vaguely content-related puns.
If you like T’s writing style then you’ll have to get used to it. Everyone of T’s characters exist in all of his universes, apparently even this one. You don’t see them all, necessarily. And it’s not Fans. It’s Fans! Seriously. The exclamation point is part of the title. T has done Fans!, Penny and Aggie, Quiltbag (a Penny and Aggie spin off), Cool Cat Studio, And Rip and Teri among others. Those are the comics that occasionally share characters. Here’s the cool part, though….Although the characters exist between universes THEY ARE NOT THE SAME PEOPLE. It offers a cool “What if” to those of us who have read his other stuff, but doesn’t detract from the series at all. Alternate universes and all that.
Anyway, all you need to know about Shanna has been revealed here. She’s a journalist with a strong survival instinct, a really good bullshit detector, and a hatred for things not rooted in the mundane world springing from her mother’s insanity.
Which is fine. “Tenacious investigator” is a perfectly fine character archetype.
I don’t care enough about her to care about her miserable family life. Ultimately the authors don’t get to decide what characters resonate with an audience (the audience does), and I’m the only audience member who I can speak for. I’m not sure that introducing a character two-and-a-half years into a fantasy narrative is the best way to make her into a fan-favorite. I’m kinda more invested with the characters they arsed to put on the cast page, that I’ve been reading the comic for.
And I’m starting to feel like a sucker for caring about them, since most of them have been completely sidelined in the narrative.
I’m kind of with Oamu on this one. I get that the comic needed someone in Sepia World to tackle what HR and Carol are up to, but I’m not convinced that the role wouldn’t have been better filled by a completely new character. As it is, people who are familiar with Shanna from other works may be blind to some of the issues here (i.e. they’re already invested in Shanna, whereas those of us who solely read Guilded Age may not be, for instance) which makes discussion about the character a bit difficult.
For my part, I can intellectually acknowledge that Shanna has had a hard life and sympathize to an extent, but I don’t empathize the way I would with Syri’Nj or Frigg, or even Rachel.
Part of the motivation for this sequence was to bring readers as close as possible to “the same page” on Shanna. You can consider it the Cliffs Notes about any aspect of her character not already covered. Last time out, some GA-only readers took issue with her problem with fantasy, and expected her to be an after dinner mint for HR after Ferris. If nothing else, you know her a bit better now.
And that’s it from me! Have a good weekend, all!
Just wanted to say that I really like the way Phil and you handle the comments all in all. And to wish you a good weekend, too.
Yeah, this page does a lot to explain Shanna, and I appreciate that. Helps me know where she’s coming from, even if I don’t particularly like the way she handles it. I’m hoping that as we get more exposure to Shanna you’ll see negative opinions of her lessen a bit, including my own.
Have a good weekend as well. Always appreciate the way you and Phil drop in here in the comments section from time to time. You’ve got a Con you’re at right now, right? Good luck with that!
Honestly, I just see Shanna as an obstacle to be overcome. Keep waiting for the strip where she is taken care in some way. Not necessarily death, as there are probably better ways to go about it (but I wouldn’t be opposed). That being said, she does serve a needed role in the story, and I’m not against having her in the story. Just don’t like her as a character.
Yeah, I don’t like her either. You’re not supposed to like every character, but it’s hard to make the jump to sympathize with a character that you find irritating.
Consider that virtually every member of the Savage council is more appealing and sympathetic than Shanna. People are engaged in Harky’s budding romance, the guy that killed the Peacemakers. People think the Goblin slaver is cool. Shanna is actually less sympathetic than the murderous kidnappers who she’s trying to bring to justice.
Aren’t you tired of the hero-centric “chosen one” narrative? Finally we have a story that’s a bit different and isn’t just about the chosen heroes, where all sides in a conflict are examined and given fair treatment with an interesting intermingling of worlds both inside the worlds themselves as well as across them.
Can’t you savor the journey rather than complain that you can’t immediately see how and where all roads come together? You’re not supposed to empathize with or like everyone nor is every character’s point to be a fan favorite but they’re all part of an interesting plot weave.
I would hope we’re supposed to empathize with Shanna, otherwise this page is kind of pointless.
Well put, thanks.
I’m not tired of the characters the first two years of the strip were about, no.
And if the authors didn’t want to play up the “chosen ones” angle, making the peacemakers the central source of narrative conflict in two universes was a mistake. It’s hard to dial that back after emphasizing it for two years, and say “oh, these other two-dozen characters are just as important.”
OamuTheMonk disapproves, at length, of the narrative and new characters. FILM AT 11.
“At length” is the fairest criticism you could make.
“Ad nauseam” is more appropriate.
Personally, I don’t see anything wrong with this page. For one, as ‘light’ as the rest of this strip is, what humor is in Sepia Land is generally darker, and since it’s the ‘real’ world, things have been more serious throughout. HR’s mental state for one, and Ferris’ murder, as a few examples. This does come as a bit of a shock, and no one can ask you to feel for a character, but I don’t read anything else this character appears in. I do feel for this character. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve failed to save people from themselves, even if it wasn’t like this. Maybe it’s because Shanna is terrified, and trying to be a proactive about that fear as possible. Maybe I’m a sucker. Whatever. Just because you don’t know this character doesn’t make her less important. From what I’ve seen, all the characters are important. All of this will eventually come to a head, and each player in this large game’s role will make sense. Or not. Life usually doesn’t.
A bit off-the-point here Oamu… but your opening statement about sincerity not being played for laughs rather seems like you automatically associate humour with insincerity. While I doubt you’re of the opinion that all lies are inherently funny… I have to question whether you believe that something has to be false in order to be funny in the first place, or indeed whether there is any sort of necessary correlation between the two at all?
It is a bit of a bugbear of mine, I admit… that all too often, people will try to excuse their most flagrant mistruths by declaring it in the name of humour… as though somehow there is something funny about lying, or that it is ok to talk bullshit for the sake of some jocular intent…
WHICH brings me back to the beginning… and questioning why you would assume that sincerity would be at odds with humour.
For the record… I dislike Shanna as a character too. Her successes always struck me as contrived. I don’t generally make a thing of it though.
Ha! The whole thread I was responding to is gone. I guess the puns are okay, but the asking if people will do the puns isn’t.
This was me, it’s been restored and it won’t happen again. These are the key facts. Longer explanation coming as soon as I can.
Phil and I have agreed never to delete posts again unless (1) we have a long talk about it first or (2) it’s a clear-cut case of hate speech.
I admit my trigger finger was a bit itchy on this one. The last Shanna scene provoked a few comments that Phil and I found downright disturbing. I also had to make the call quickly because I was driving to Katsucon and would be without access most of the day.
I will say the initial comment still bothers me. My policy has always been that you can pick on us CREATORS all you want– we kind of get the “final word” in that we get to keep doing the comic, which will always be seen by more eyes– but when you start picking at fellow readers, that’s another matter. It was a mild insult by Internet argument standards, I guess, but I don’t want people to be mocked for enjoying the work in their own way.
That said, this is a different space with different rules than forums I’ve run in the past, I should’ve handled it differently. Phil does more viewing of this space than I do, and does it well, so I’m leaving its management in his hands for at least the near future.
Since my post was the one that tended to actually get quoted in regards to that last Shanna scene (though not by you guys specifically) and also because I had been without Internet for several days at the time and didn’t get to respond when it would have been relevant, I’ll go ahead and say that while I can’t speak for anyone else the comments I made were not intended to offend, though in hindsight I can see how they did so and I apologize accordingly. I have tried to be more restrained in my commentary since then.
I think even calling it a “mild” insult is an overstatement. Saying you reacted with the speed of a “sunburned chihuahua” is a mild insult, saying “people” are inept at dealing with sincere emotion is a generalization. And since you removed it so quickly, the discussion that was beginning to spring up around it (an interesting discussion, about how people are uncomfortable with depictions of sincere emotion) was instantly and irrevocably neutered. Likewise, my clarifying response posted minutes later, wherein I talk about how i’m explicitly not trying to regulate/shame how people respond to art (merely reacting to it with amusement) was cut free of context.
Mission accomplished?
Look, you took it down, you put it up, whatever. Obviously, it’s your sandbox, we just get to borrow the plastic rakes for a minute. If you look at the kind of discussions that spring up around the comments I make and feel like those are not the kinds of discussions that you want on your comments section, you can send me an Email asking me to knock it off, or just block me from posting, or whatever.
I certainly find nothing I said to even brush up against “hate speech” and I don’t see any other readers responding to my comments with offense (irritation, yes, offense, no). I have no intention of changing my commenting behavior a particle. It’s up to you guys to handle it how you see fit.
The tragic reality of having a crazy person in your life.
I believe we need the champion of the Fuzzy People to put the sads away…
Jokes on her, that Hogwarts letter is on its way right now.
Jokes on her the letters come via Owl… not mud.
Harry Potter, the gateway drug.
I have been in a similar position. It is difficult to understand if you haven’t been there.
There was a person who was important to me that was not suffering from dementia but was something like it, perhaps. This person struggled with day to day life, and I had the slow and painful revelation that they did not care to do otherwise ever. That this person cared for nothing but the “fairies” in her dreams- that this person could not comprehend why skipping a boring doctor’s appointment or not eating or spending my entertainment budget on filling the basement with broken chairs were not good ideas. I had the realization that this person would drain everything from me (money, time, attention) and never return it meaningfully. This person insisted I was important to them, but their descriptions and interactions made me realize, slowly and painfully, I was just another of their fairies to them. They did not really know who I was, nor were they able to relate to me whatsoever.
In my case, it became about survival. The person was draining so much from me, to do anything but leave them behind was to drive myself to ruin. I did everything I possibly could, but it was not enough. It went on for 10 years, this person reliant on me the entire time. It was all the worse leaving them to be cared for because I couldn’t get anyone to understand how badly I did not want to do it; everyone who learned about my leaving them thought I was taking the easy way out, but that is only the case if you define “easy way out” as “the way out in which I remain alive”.
I have a lot more respect for this character, doing this. It is grim work, and perhaps no one will ever appreciate it for what it is really, even if they understand your reasons or agree with you. I’m interested in where this story is going.
As someone else who has been in a similar boat I know what you mean. People used to get mad at me for either trying to care for the person on my own and spending all the money because I was “ruining my life”. When I finally had to place them somewhere I suddenly became a horrible person for “not caring”.
This page speaks to us differently than it might to others.
The display of emotion was done very well.
I’ve never been in this position, but I came out with your point of view.
You can never win, people enjoy being contrarian for its own sake. Doesn’t matter what you do, the important thing is you’re “wrong”.
No, I don’t think anyone is totally alien to the feeling of having to cut someone loose. We see it all the time, to a greater or lesser extent, in everyday life. For instance, when you come across an acquaintance who is obviously not coping and you have to decide how much of your time to give them. Or when you pass a homeless person on the street and you have to work out how much money to give them. You could give them the whole twenty bucks you have in your pocket; hell, some of us could probably give them enough to rent a flat if they really wanted to; but you don’t, because you have to decide where to draw the line between their need and your own self-interest. And you feel like shit, because despite the fact that you don’t need it as much as they do, you kept it. We know.
Meh. I’ve been locked up in a mental hospital myself. Failed suicide attempts and all that.
Didn’t last too long though.
I talked my way out of it. More correctly, I lied my way out it.
I lied that I’d “seen the error of my ways”, and I lied that I’d never do it again.
Only time I’ve willingly and deliberately lied too.
And the knowledge that I did so still eats at me like a cancer. Probably will until I die.
Still… nothing could have made me stay there. If lying hadn’t got me out, I’d have kept on trying to suicide in there until I succeeded.
Damn, this page hit right home.
Screw the haters. T, this is some powerful work right here.
Don’t hate the haters, a’ight?
You know, her struggle is real and all, but Shanna does have a tendency to take things to their most dramatic, just like when she was confronting Carol.
Some of the pages in this comic make me laugh, some have made me feel sad, and others bored or enthralled or dozens of other emotions. This is the first page that made me feel pain. I suffer from mental illness; every day is a struggle for me, and I work so hard to minimize the impact on my loved ones, but there’s always that lingering fear that I’m a burden to them. It hurts to see how the future might be for them, if I don’t stick with treatment and let them do all the work.