El Goonish Shive

I just like complaining when it’s fetishes I don’t have. Or when Ashley shows up.

And on that note, still not into this storyline.

NP or main? Because I'm not really into either of them.

NP, but main is starting to grate on me. The idea of Grace trying to meddle in a way that’d lead to someone being outed is abhorrent, and I hate that the two couples fans were excited about seeing... we don’t really get to see go out.

I'm the opposite: NP I'm finding just kinda boring, but the main is annoying me. It's been nothing but Grace torturing herself with concerns that go anywhere, while other, more interesting interactions between other characters and even herself are being ignored. It's like Shive saw his strengths and intentionally chose to do the opposite of that.

Note: Being outed ≠ willingly outing self. Grace is trying to encourage the latter (as a result of the former happening accidentally).

Comic Tsos14

Sad.

I’m still not comfortable with somebody convincing somebody else to come out. Grace has never had to come out of the closet, she doesn’t know how scary it is and how bad it could potentially go. People have to come out when they’re ready, and trying to manipulate circumstances so that somebody will come out is something I’m not okay with.

The fact is, this does not involve Grace in any way. This is between Sam and Sarah, and she needs to leave them the hell alone as they work their way through this.

100% agreed that this is none of Grace's business and this arc absolutely shouldn't be about her and how she feels about Sam and Sarah's budding 'ship'.

Grace is being The White Guy here. You know how every movie about a foreign culture is obligated to make the main character a white dude and make the story all about how that white dude interacts with said foreign culture? That's what Grace is being, except instead of a foreign culture, it's a blossoming relationship between a ciswoman and a transman, and the complex issue of when the right time to come out is.

With regards to today's comic: I really appreciate Tedd's arrival here. I was a little miffed at the brief moment between the two douchebags because using one unlikable asshole to shame another in this context just reeked of "When a woman cries, men drop everything to become virtuous gentlemen. Nothing fixes male behavior like female tears!"

But then Tedd showed up with his own version of the scene and that made me feel so much better about it.

Edited by TobiasDrake on Dec 12th 2018 at 8:32:48 AM

Tedd's presence here just distracts Grace from doing worse things, so he's kinda doing addition by subtraction to the plotline.

Also, if I was to ever asked to explain Shive's writing style, I'd point out that this plotline is named after a character who fans wanted to see more of, and who has only shown up in 3 comics in a plotline that's thus far 14 comics long. And one of those three was just a single panel of them waving.

Shive sometimes I worry about your writing habits.

Just sometimes?

To be fair, the arc could be about multiple things. We could be focusing on the actual main parties latter in the arc. If we are to be optimistic, maybe Shive is starting with Grace precisely because she is not the most relevant character to this story, but still wanted to develop her a bit, and Sarah and Sam will get the focus in the actual climax of that storyline.

Not that I am saying you have no cause to be annoyed/skeptic about the current direction. Just saying it can be savaged still.

Edited by Heatth on Dec 12th 2018 at 6:33:37 PM

It's almost as if comics being a visual medium meant he could have an establishing shot that could have avoided the whole problem.

Edited by TheLovecraftian on Dec 12th 2018 at 6:50:58 PM

Hugboxing aside, I suspect it's relevant that both sarah and tedd had the same idea at nearly the same time.

Oh yeah. Maybe she is poking her invisible arms through their heads, trying to get their attention.

@Heath: Agreed. Especially given that the previous card tournament arc had at least a half-dozen different plots going on, and that Grace, whose importance was hyped by the previous dream sequence, ended up with a minr role at best/worst.

TSoS 15

So, taking bets: Luke or Sam?

Edited by TwinBird on Dec 13th 2018 at 11:37:51 AM

I...seriously?

It could have been done instead with

"Oh no, a much larger amount of stuff was knocked over. it will take ages to pick it up, no one looking?"

Although I assume the point is Grace is doing this on purpose?

Rare to see the author spoil his own story in his own commentary like that. I mean, not that it's a big issue or anything, but y'know, still.

Also, my bet is on Sam. Luke already knows she's weird. Sam doesn't. And that would further complicate things between him and Sarah and make Grace more concerned, so yeah.

And yes, D4's are basically caltrops. I can't disagree with that.

Oh, and NP was posted yesterday, and... sigh...

Edited by TheLovecraftian on Dec 14th 2018 at 9:19:25 AM

Who writes "D-fours?"

Can confirm; d4s are indeed like caltrops.

d4s are so much like caltrops that, when someone drops one and can't find it, I tell them to stick a bare foot near where they dropped it on the theory that a d4 will invariably be attracted to an unprotected foot.

What's more, one friend actually did this after I suggested it. And it worked.

That said, we don't even need the next comic to point out how contrived this is. Because Tedd (who, against all odds, is one of my favorite characters in this arc) just pointed out that Grace's objection to everyone helping out is moot because they're all wearing shoes. This is happening solely so that at least one person (and probably more - I'm going to guess that, in addition to Luke and/or Sam happening to come by to see this, George is in the back and inadvertently will see as well) will see Grace's antennae and her telekinesis in action.

Honestly, I would have found it way less contrived if she had just transformed for comfort and someone saw it.

Do you guys like liveblogs? Because one started recently and it have been a fun read. She is up the Susan introduction right now and already loves her. She is also enjoying the comic so far, as trashy fun.

Edited by Heatth on Dec 14th 2018 at 10:31:03 AM

NP NanaseCraft26

All life is the quest for...

-flashbacks to that one Temple of Time puzzle-

Comic Tsos16

That makes sense.

A long time ago, I wrote a story about a blind telekinetic who used their powers to 'feel' the world around them... Which resulted in severe agoraphobia.