Lisa is reading a pirate novel. She likes pirates. – – – – – Fan Art update to share today! Courtesy of Tinkerbinker, a drawing of a merboy inspired by Selkie: Thanks Tinkerbinker!
It's strange how things can evolve in your mind when writing a story. My original drafts had Selkie being more sympathetic to Keisha, but the more I think about their history and Selkie's personality, the more I realized Selkie would not be in a sympathetic mood right now.
Today’s strip is a bit of a continuity shout-out to Mark Henderson, the kid who was almost a recurring cast member. He showed up here right at the beginning, then was adopted out of the orphanage here, then hasn’t been[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
The little piece of backstory Keisha is starting here was something I wanted to drop in at the time she grabbed the shirt to explain her indignation, but there wasn't space to relate it properly and still convey the more important events. I think it works better at this scene, anyway. Rest assured, Mark was VERY sternly punished.
I received a Fan Art submission from Selkie reader Beethoven over the weekend that I want to share: Thanks, Beethoven! ↓ TranscriptI am as glad as the rest of you to see Selkie re-shirted.
I am as glad as the rest of you to see Selkie re-shirted.
If “be strong and brave” sounds familiar, you may recall Selkie’s mantra. Also, if you do not usually look at the transcript commentary, this would be a good time to start. I discuss the school’s side of the Selkie story[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
Gonna be a long commentary today. :D In addition to many moving testimonials about the impact of bullying, the last strip also brought up a lot of questions about how much the school does and doesn't know about Selkie's nature. I tried a coule times to work this information in to the school strips, but it always felt so out-of-character on the dialogue. So, I thought I would delve into some of my background logic concerning Selkie and the school officials. I established previously that Selkie attended this school while at the orphanage, and also that the orphanage only realized she is not human through observation and induction and a little experimentation. My thinking is that the orphanage would share this information willingly with someone like Todd, who will be responsible for Selkie the rest of her life and will need vital information like this to care for her. School system employees are another matter, though. For Selkie's safety and security, certain details and specifics about her nature were/are withheld from the school employees, and many of her odities are explained as an "undiagnosed condition" and/or "birth defects". Her gills are an example of this. Most of the school system employees understands them to be abnormal growths that cause chronic chest congestion issues. Selkie's tried telling a few people that they are gills, btu they just assumed she was compensating for her differences with imaginative stories (she is a kid after all). Selkie has been accustomed to taking a bottle of dechlorinator to school even before being adopted by Todd, and the orphanage has told the school that due to her condition she needs freedom to use the bathroom at will. A couple people have witnessed Selkie inhaling water, but mostly they assume she must have been drinking it and they were mistaken. I make pretty shameless use of the "people create their own context" philosophy. XD
It may not be very clear, but Lisa Miazelli is the principal's secretary. I figure calling the parent is something the principal would delegate while he finds out the details.
Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow American readers! If you were expecting a holiday drawing in lieu of a regular comic, I apologize for letting you down. ;P So, how about a Thanksgiving-themed Sketch Saturday instead? 😀 If the Black Friday[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
ToI considered changing the first two panels to show Selkie explaining to her teachers that she left gym class to get her bag for a bathroom trip, but I think the progression works better without the expo-speak that scene would have required.
I wanna thank everyone for the feedback on the doodle last week. Pros and cons alike, I read and absorbed everything you all had to say. Truthfully, I’ve been dis-satisfied with the character’s outline style for a while now, so[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…
I could not for the life of me figure out how to make Mr. Thompson NOT look like some kind of giant in panel 1. XD
