TF One Worldbuilding Bits That Make Me Lose My Mind

lord the peasants are so loud today

(open pages for better image quality)

the moment I heard elphaba's delivery of "there's a girl i know..." in i'm not that girl i knew i had to draw this comic, i strongly recommend listening to it while you read for the full experience!

this comic is a companion to this piece (which was inspired by glinda's delivery of the same line in the i'm not that girl reprise).

pages 1-4 are from elphie's pov, pages 5-8 are from glinda's.

flower meanings in order of appearance:

I don’t think any movie will make me feel the same ethereal sense of otherworldly sorrow and disembodied awe as that scene in Lord of the Rings where the loyal son is sent off into a doomed battle to please his vindictive father while Pippin sings a mourning song of his people

I was like 12 and high off this shit

Y’ever read something and have understanding that has eluded you interminably suddenly stop, curl up, and snuggle neatly into a fold in your brain because a new way way opened to it?

tbh i don’t really get when people say ‘it’s not heroic, it’s the bare minimum’ about things they presumably want to encourage, if you’re really that pragmatic why does the exact motivation matter, downplaying the act you want to happen is not going to make it happen more, is it

Hey, take it from someone creeping towards 40:

Ignore the fun police.

If you like it, order your steak well done. Get your bagel toasted with jam and butter. Put ice in your scotch and ketchup on your hotdog. Get red wine with fish and white with steak. Who cares?

If you want to, listen to pop music. Watch blockbuster popcorn flicks. Read dime store novels. Enjoy them.

Dye your hair or cut it off. Paint your fingernails blue. Wear whatever the fuck you want on your own time (ie, when not at a job or school or whatever where you can get penalized for breaking rules) as long as you aren’t like welding or shoveling snow.

Anyone who tries to tell you you’re wrong? Say “okay” and go back to what you were doing. You’re not hurting them by enjoying yourself or having things the way you like them.

There are no caveats or addendums to this. No “but what about x?” Nah. You’re allowed the things you like. You don’t have to justify your taste or apologize for it if it’s not hurting anyone.

And likewise, let other people live their lives. We’re all dead in the long run, so tend your own garden before you become fertilizer in it.

One thing I like about the hellaverse I think is not told enough is how about the demons are so humanized while the human souls are demonized?

Like, the demons lives in the office trying to work for life, having parental issues, relationships troubles, etc... While the demoniac humans are deeply tormented souls trying to face their own motivations and morality trying to redeem their owns souls?

This is pure patters subversion right here. Demons deal with simple, mundane day to day worries, and mere mortals deal with profound and existencial questions about themself and humanity around. I think It's a brilliant counterpoint to how demons and human are often portrayed in those kind of stories and I think that is beautiful.