FAQ
This is you go-to spot for commonly asked questions about the comic, or the characters, in the ongoing story of Selkie.
If you have a question you would like to submit, just email them to the following address: faq AT selkiecomic DOT com.
Please note! All questions will be answered solely at my discretion. If it is a plot-related question or something I would prefer to reveal in-story or simply something I don’t wish to answer, I may politely abstain from a response. So sorry if I can’t give you a straight answer. Now, lets begin! 😀
– – – – –
What is Selkie?
This is a commonly asked question that I unfortunately can’t answer in entirety at this point. I have confirmed in-story that she is of a non-human sapient species, but beyond that she’s just a little girl who is more-than-a-little different from other kids.
Some information about her species has been made canon in ancillary updates. There has been an Anatomy Sketch, and a two-page Cover Letter.
Where did Selkie come from?
Her origins, as well as that of her species, will be revealed in time.
Is Selkie a mythological selkie (shapeshifting seal-person)?
No, although elements of the selkie myth were part of her character and design inspiration (which is why I decided seals are one of her favorite animals). Other sources of inspiration include Gollum from Lord of the Rings, Disney’s The Little Mermaid, the Futurama episode Cyber-House Rules (Sally is adorable!), and H.P. Lovecraft’s short story “The Doom That Fell Upon Sarnath”.
Can you tell us a little about yourself?
Sure! I am a visual arts student in Springfield, IL hoping to pursue a career in either graphic design or illustration one day. I have been called weird, funny, goofy, and Tim. Don’t know why they call me Tim. Might be because I am so enchanting.
Do you have plans to merchandise the comic in the future?
Eventually I would like to move in to the market for books, buttons, etc. I just can’t at this time. For right now, it’s simply a labor of love.
Where did you get the idea for the comic? What inspired you to start a webcomic?
I wanted to run a webcomic for several years, but none of the ideas I had ever stuck with me. I tried scripting a few “goofy hijinks” ideas, but those got boring for me after awhile. I also tried my hand at a scifi/superhero action story a few years back that was… just terrible, and not in the good way.
Selkie started from a doodle I made while working a telemarketing job. I drew this picture of a little girl with giant flippers for feet and a shark mouth. Something about her stuck in my head. I drew a few more pictures, changed a few details, and between phone calls I started sketching the very first comics.
I have Selkie on the brain almost every moment of the day. I run storylines and scenes and dialog through my head almost all day, and draw pencils for the comics between classes and such. I also decided early on to use the comic as a venue to practice and learn more about digital illustration, so it also acts as my testing board for new artsy tricks.
And this may sound trite, but I think it would be difficult to keep doing the comic without all the encouragement and support of the readers. Every update day I am basically glued to my phone checking for emails to see what people have to say about the new strip. The readers keep me honest, and give me a constant motivation to keep to a deadline and keep the comic going. I love it all. 😀
How do you create the comic’s artwork?
At the time of this posting, the artwork is done on a combination of a sketchbook and and Photoshop CS5. I draw it out in my sketchbook, then scan it in and use Photoshop to outline and color and layout panels and dialogue.
Selkie is definitely allergic to land vegetables, but would she be able to eat aquatic vegetables?
Selkie’s digestive system is carnivorous; she can digest neither aquatic or terrestrial plant matter. She gets her plant-based nutrients through what is in the meat she eats. The taste is an issue for her as well. Plants, whether fruits or vegetables or grains, simply taste bad to her.
Selkie can also eat gelatins, as long as they are sugar-free bonemeal based gelatins without fruits. Fruit flavored gelatins would taste bad to her, regardless of actual fruit content.
Can Selkie eat refrigerated or preserved fish, or can she only eat fresh/raw fish?
Absolutely! She can eat canned tuna, salmon, or anything fishy. She can also eat preserved things like sardines and kippers, provided they aren’t swimming in olive oil or anything. In that case she would most likely just have to skim the olive oil off of the fish before eating. Any trace amounts in the meat would be safely ignored.
Do you draw inspiration from real life when writing the children?
Mostly. I try to think about how I would feel in their positions, and I try to write with the philosophy that kids are smarter and more perceptive than people give them credit for. In general, I try to write as if they are people, with opinions and thoughts of their own. Sometimes I try to dial back the dialogue if they get too adult-y, but otherwise I focus on their independent natures.
How old is Todd?
Todd is 26.
I was just wondering what does Selkie drink? Since she’s a carnivore, I imagine juice and teas are out of the question. Does she just stick to water? Is milk okay?
Selkie drinks primarily water. Occasionally she’ll drink milk, but primarily water. Very weak teas would go down fine without upsetting her stomach but she wouldn’t like the taste of it.
You mentioned a superhero action comic, was that what has become Sue and Kathryn?
No, Sue and Kathryn started out as a “goth humor” thing I drew periodically when I was big into Jhonen Vasquez. I drew SnK strips every once in awhile and eventually the “lol blood and guts” humor started leaning more towards adventure stories.
The superhero strip idea is something I thought up back in high school and have never really been able to assemble into something that feels “workable”. It involves four people who are among the last free humans in a post-alien-invasion world where Earth has been subjugated. They get magical super powers from an alien crystal and start fighting to reclaim the planet.
As I said, it needs work.
I wonder, how does Selkie react to spices like pepper?
It depends on the concentration. If used modestly it adds a little of the zip to her food without causing a stomach reaction. Light applications of sauce and spices are fine for her so long as it’s mixed with meats, although she doesn’t like the flavor of non-meat things if it’s too domineering.
Can you tell me a bit about the four sarnothi clans?
Sure! Sarnothi society is generally divided amongst four Clans, which despite the name is closer to being a combination ethnicity and political party than any sort of family thing.
In older times the Clans acted as a sort of caste system, determining a sarnothi’s role in society. These have become less rigid over time, but many sarnothi still end up following some variation of the traditional roles. In order of population size:
Sar’Teri: Clan Sar’Teri are Sarnoth’s laborers and soldiers. They tend to be gruffer and more conservative and traditionalist. Sar’Teri sarnothi can be identified by having dark-complexioned skin with bright colored face markings that generally form geometric shapes (squares, triangles, etc)
Tel’Dora: Clan Tel’Dora are Sarnoth’s scholars scientists and doctors. They tend to be more open to new experiences and embracing of new ideas. Tel’Dora sarnothi can be identified by light green and yellow-green skin tones with dark face markings that resemble stripes.
Mor’Kama: Clan Mor’Kama are Sarnoth’s spiritualists shaman priests and theologians. They generally eschew heavy worldly investment, and seek greater understanding of the will of the Spirits. Mor’Kama sarnothi can be identified by pale skin tones and thin whorl markings along their arms but no facial markings.
Jin’Sorai: Clan Jin’Sorai are Sarnoth’s artisans crafters and performers. They tend to be task-oriented and driven. Jin’Sorai sarnothi are identified by a light blue or violet skin tone unique to their Clan, with face markings that take the form of speckles or rounded blobs.
Please add an Archive Function. I’ve been reading the comic, but only got through the first 30 or so, and now I have to play hunt and peck to get back there.
Thanks for the idea, I’ll get on it!
An archive of some type would be really useful. Something as simple as a link to the first comic from year-month would really help with catching up.
Maybe put links to Selkie’s file and the anatomy sketches here?
That’s a good idea! Thanks
Can you tell us some more about yourself? Like your inspiration for doing a webcomic, if you plan on selling merchandise, and stuff like that? Also, do you make a living off of Selkie?
Sure!
Tell us a little more about the art itself! What computer program(s)/ equipment/ etc do you use?
I know Selkie is allergic to terrestrial vegetables, but does that extend to undersea vegetation such as seaweed and kelp? If not, then she might be able to enjoy being taken out by her father for nigiri and sashimi.
Aule
How fresh or raw does the fish need to be in her diet? Obviously rotten doesn’t cut it. Refrigerated or frozen seems to work, but do even those that taste “off” to her compared to fresh? What about pickled (mackerel), smoked (kippers), cured (lox), or canned (sardines)? I myself sometimes pack lox for my daughter’s lunch at school, and it seems to travel reasonably well with an ice pack.
Aule
Judging by what I remember from the comic, it seems sarnothi are human-like enough to prefer processed / denaturized food over natural food, if culturally conditioned to do so. But the final answer is Dave’s.
Btw, our dog loves his canned, unsalted, raw meat as much as our salted, cooked sausages, and also cheese, apples, cookies, chocolate (yes, I know it’s anything but healthy, and we don’t give it to him, but he steals it whenever he can), and other decadent food.
Will you be adding a RSS feed to subscribe to?
There is supposed to be an RSS feed button on the righthand side of the menubar, but the text seems to be invisible… I’ll try and fix it and/or make a new one.
What about highly synthetic foods like jello?
“Natural” bonemeal-based gelatins are fine for her. More info above!
If her species is so rare that we know this little about her, why is she in an orphanage instead of a government lab table?
I’m afraid that’s a question I can’t answer at this time. Sorry!
I love the way you write children- it’s so honest! Do you ever draw inspiration for your writing from any real-life children?
Mostly when I write the kids I try to think how the situation would make me feel. I want them to have actual emotions and not just be cuteness factories. No that cuteness isn’t present. 😀
Squee. I love your comic. Its really sweet. I hope you keep up the good work!
How old is Todd supposed to be?
Todd is 26.
I love your comic! Hope you keep writing it.
Does Selkie like to watch “River Monsters”?
I don’t think it’d be her cup of stink bait.
Does Todd have grandparents?
Yes.
Does Selkie’s species biosynthesize vitamin C, or do they get it from their diet? If the latter, might Selkie require vitamin supplements?
I’ll be straight with you, I don’t know enough about biosynthesis (even from looking it up on Google) to feel like I can answer this question with hard science. But as a carnivore, Selkie does obtain her vitamin and mineral needs through a diet of meat and the occasional chewing of bones and marrow. What the specific biological process is… no clue. XD
Heh, it’s okay. You’re majoring in art, not biochem (and I don’t fully understand the relevant process myself).
However. seeing as you’ve done so much work figuring out the anatomical details, lifecycle, etc, of Aquanthropus daveii (that is, “Dave’s water-people”), I figured that the question of whether Selkie can make her own vitamin C is a useful one for the question of figuring out her species’ evolutionary history.
Short version: vitamin C is so essential to metabolism that all plants, and almost all animals, can make it it in their own bodies. Species that can’t make their own and require it from their food instead include:
* all haplorhine primates (including all monkeys and apes, but excluding lemurs)
* all bats
* the caviid family of rodents (including guinea pigs and capybaras)
* some songbird species
* all teleost, or ‘bony’ fish
Given that Selkie hatched from an egg, this information could lead somewhere interesting.
Where is the tips jar, or the “buy Dave a round” button? (feeding to PayPal)
I took it off the site because I would rather give something in return instead of begging for handouts. I did “donation incentive images” for awhile but didn’t really keep up with them. Maybe I could start that up again.
If you are looking to donate though, I do have Selkie-head lapel pins available under the Store link for only $5, or the e-book PDF is $2.99. 😉
Hey, I’m a huge fan of your comic. I’m rereading the archives and I just checked out the FAQ. I went to read the Lovecraft story that had a hand in inspiring this comic and I think you mean The Doom that Came to Sarnath. Reading the blog posts and alt text has been very illuminating.
Maybe? I’ll have to double check. Thanks!
Hi Dave,
I was just wondering what does Selkie drink? Since she’s a carnivore, I imagine juice and teas are out of the question. Does she just stick to water? Is milk okay?
Added and answered up above! 😀
WELP.
I just read “The Doom That Came To Sarnath”, and now this comic is giving me the willies about the origins of the sarnothi, and what might happen if their existence is revealed to humanity.
Hopefully the feeling will pass.
And in trying to submit this comment, I noticed that if I try to submit a comment with HTML tags in it, it fails. I don’t know if you can do anything to fix this, but I’m still letting you know.
Yeah it doesn’t like some HTML tags for some reason. I’m not sure about why or how to fix it short of completely reinstalling WordPress, and I’m hesitant to do that.
86-7530-9, eh?
😀
Glee hee hee. 😀
What would you tell someone who wants to draw his own webcomic?
I would tell them that the best course of action is to simply start drawing. The best way to get started is to draw and post and then keep actively drawing. One of the biggest hurdles I had starting was figuring out when I would sit down and start drawing the webcomic. I started Selkie by just using up the filler time at work to draw pages.
No matter what level you draw ta, just find time to draw, and keep drawing. Being active about it makes the process easier.
Thank you. 🙂 How did you get so many fans? Did they… just came or did you make a lot of advertising or did you sell your soul to somebody? 😉
(Sorry, bad english. ^^’)
I put some of my own money into advertising through Project Wonderful early in the strip’s run (like, on the third week of running), and I try to keep that rolling to get the word out and attract new readers. I also created a Facebook page so people can easily post and share it with friends. Other than that, word of mouth and random people stumbling across the website.
Link-hopping at TVTropes is how I got here…
You mentioned a superhero action comic, was that what has become Sue and Kathryn?
No, Sue and Kathryn started out as a “goth humor” thing I drew periodically when I was big into Jhonen Vasquez. I drew SnK strips every once in awhile and eventually the “lol blood and guts” humor started leaning more towards adventure stories.
The superhero strip idea is something I thought up back in high school and have never really been able to assemble into something that feels “workable”. It involves four people who are among the last free humans in a post-alien-invasion world where Earth has been subjugated. They get magical super powers from an alien crystal and start fighting to reclaim the planet.
As I said, it needs work.
What is your process of creating a comic? Like, do you use a scanner to input your drawings or something else? And what program do you use to color it?
I draw each strip on paper in a sketchbook, then scan that into Photoshop. From there I use a cheap tablet to outline and color everything in Photoshop. When need arises I will also sketch directly into Photoshop, but I prefer the feel of hand drawing for the sketch stage.
Thanks. I’ve restarted a comic project of my own, and trying out various styles and techniques. Is there a certain tablet you recommend?
I’m using a cheap $60 Wacom Bamboo. It’s just a pen and a surface, no touchscreen. Takes some practice to acquaint your drawing eye with it, but it works well for me.
Whichever tablet you get, I highly recommend playing with the pressure sensitivity and getting used to working with it. Also try different brushes. Some place let you download brushes for free, but I like messing around with making my own (the background textures of Selkie, for example, are derived from watercolor washes).
I wonder, how do Selkie react to spices like pepper?
It depends on the concentration. If used modestly it adds a little of the zip to her food without causing a stomach reaction. Light applications of sauce and spices are fine for her so long as it’s mixed with meats, although she doesn’t like the flavor of non-meat things if it’s too domineering.
How did the name “Selkie” come from the name “Nei Li”?
It’s just it sounds nothing alike even when the people can’t understand each other’s language
The closest name that comes to mind would be “Nellie” or “Nelly” when heard phonetically or perhaps “Nessie” (also another water creature of folklore) if not really paying attention during introductions
Nei Li obtained the name “Selkie” not due to sound-alikes, but because with the language barrier it wasn’t understood to be her name when she spoke it. Not knowing what else to call her, Lillian gave her the name Selkie, and by the time she learned English she was accustomed to being called “Selkie” to a point that she’s ingrained it as “hers”.
Can Selkie drink carbonated beverages like soda or sparkling water?
Assuming Selkie could drink it how would it taste to her?
I get that Selkie would dislike the “fruity” favored ones–but what about extremely artificial flavors like Coke or Dr. Pepper (or their world’s equivalent) or just the relatively plain club soda?
Selkie wouldn’t like the artificial taste of sodas, but carbonated waters aren’t off the table, so long as they aren’t flavored waters. Flavor wise she just doesn’t care much for fruity tastes, even without the gastrointestinal troubles.
I have actually seen bacon flavored soda (they make everything bacon flavored even gum) Might be a interesting birthday/holiday gift idea from family to Selkie. Though that brings a thought, she can eat fish raw, what about meat that would be bad for humans to eat raw? Could she chew raw bacon like gum?
The Sarnothi are carnivorous beings that cannot eat anything that is not meat
Is Selkie’s reaction of “puking purple” the normal reaction, the only reaction, or just one reaction of consuming “inedible” matter?
(she is the only Sarnothi we have seen eat things she wasn’t supposed to)
Chocolate is not edible to dogs. Some dogs get sick from eating a chocolate chip. Other dogs can consume a whole box yet (somehow) be fine. (don’t try this at home)
A human example; Alcohol is not an absolute nutritional requirement that people will consume anyway. Some people get sick from anything other than trace amounts. Others can really hold their liquor.
Crayons are not food items at all. When eaten, it just goes through the body and comes out the other end (colorful diapers yea) without the body actually digesting it or picking up any nutrients of any kind; yet not really harming the body
Do other Sarnothi react differently to eating “inedible food”?
Can some eat it “for show”? (even if it can’t be digested)
Can some manage to keep it down? (even if their stomach gets upset)
Is it different for Sarnothi children compared to Sarnothi adults?
Or males compared to females?
As awesome as Selkie is–she is one (and ONLY one) person so it is difficult to understand the exact parameters of her kind of people
((it’s fine if you can’t answer the question now, just had to ask out of curiosity))
Different Sarnothi absolutely do have different tolerances. This is partially biology and partially conditioning; sarnothi can eat small amounts of vegetable and fruit matter to build a tolerance over time. Most of them won’t ever like the taste of it, but they can learn to ignore minor fruit/vegetable flavors.
Selkie’s particular reaction stems from basically never eating fruits/veggies once her reaction to them was learned, so she has no gastrointestinal tolerances. She likes meat and ONLY meat. But Pohl, for example, can have pork with fried apples (small pieces and only a few of them) without issue.
Selkie is “finicky” about her food because it has to be that way
(her body rejects anything that it cannot physically handle)
How finicky is Todd about the food he eats?
Parents often eat the parts of food that their children don’t like (such as the crusts of sandwiches) Does Todd ever do that?
Whatever happens to the buns that come with hamburgers and hotdogs? or the wraps on a wrap? or the vegetables that come on a (mostly meat)kabob? or the breading on (fill-in-the-blank)
(eaten by Selkie’s father? is it fed to animals (e.g. birds, squirrels, etc)? put into a compost pile? thrown out with the trash?)
If food is presented to Todd with both vegetables and meat
For example:
a salad with(some)chicken pieces
or a pizza that has(some)pepperoni
or a bento box with(a piece of)fish
Would Todd be able to eat around it/pick out the parts he doesn’t like?
Or would Todd have to reject the whole thing because the meat touched the other things around it?
Custom orders in life only go so far (restaurants may be unable or not willing to go to beyond certain extents) so sometimes you have to take what you can get–and what you get may not always be something you like…the question then becomes can you deal with it or not…?
Todd doesn’t eat meat, but he’s fine with just picking it out of his dishes. It’s mostly a flavor thing for him and not ethical; he doesn’t like the texture of meat.
He’s fine eating the buns of Selkies hamburgers and hot dogs, but tries to order them bunless when he can.
Hey Dave,
I have a question about strip 761. In panel 8 (December 17th) is it… Selkie sleeping on the couch? Or is she just… sitting there?
She’s sitting on the couch grumping.
What do you think of the people disliking/hating Andi? Do you think it’s justified? Or did you think she would be more accepted by the community?
Hi Dave I’m Kristine and I’m a huge fan of your web comic. I was wondering how do I submit a fan art to you? I drew a Selkie fan art and I would be honored if you saw it.
Dave, would you be able to provide in the FAQ, at some point soon, a breakdown of the Sarnothi clans and what they do/are known for? I keep getting them confused *sweatdrop*. Or at least the link back to when it was being explained by Pohl or even one of the reservation dudes?
Ya know, I really DO need that posted somewhere. Thanks for mentioning it, Jade!
What happened to Selkie’s mom (I can’t remember her name)?
Hasn’t yet been discussed
*Where does our story take place?*
Clues so far:
A city in the USA likely on or very near the coastline of Lake Superior.
Two football teams were mentioned, favoured by the cast, Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Green Bay Wisconsin is actually on the coast of Lake Michigan, but still much closer to Lake Superior than Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. …Not that 150-odd miles is really “close”.
One can be a fan of a team without living in their city, of course, but because Kenny Fairweather names his favourite team as “Steelers, of course!” one might be tempted to think that was the default choice, locally. I’m calling “false flag” on that one.
…Still inclined to think they live much closer to Lake Superior than Green Bay. Presumably Selkie’s mom found the orphanage on her own with little more than a working knowledge of English. I don’t think she road a Greyhound bus to get there.
Will more Resonance abilities be shown in the future? we have seen that it can reshape stone, could it also mend cracks and holes if the material is available? i can see Selkie using her fixing powers for good…ish reasons (fixing things can result in rewards)