GTS – Page 110 – Kidd Commander!

GTS – Page 110

by Aria on December 23, 2021 at 10:12 PM

EDIT 12/29: all the books have been shipped out! If you ordered through the shop you should have gotten an email, and if you’re a Patron I can send you a tracking number if you email me about it! Thanks so much!

I’m exhausted and resting up for the next few days because man I am booked solid for like the next six months lmfao. Look for the next update in the new year!

—

books are good but it’s not the same as the real thing

Winterfest was wonderful!! I’m SUPER excited to go back for the big Momocon next summer, thanks for coming to see me if you did that! I am also very nearly sold out of books, and it might be a minute before I can restock them since I’m trying to find a new printer, so if you think you want one maybe go ahead and pick one up lmao.

In convention related news, I’ve sort of started using twitter (and instagram??). I hate them both but it’s necessary to keep in touch with convention folks I meet, and I DO occasionally post art and bad opinions over there. Tumblr or the discord server are still the best places to follow me if you want like Everything, but you can follow me @shinesurge on the other sites if you feel inclined to do that.

Lastly, the Respite postcards are landing! Here’s what Patrons got this time around.

Thanks! Be well this season.

Nutmeg

In which Phineas is all of us. ALSO OH NO JUNIE NO I HATE THAT!!!
- Aria
  
  Shit sucks! Kids pay more attention than we think, especially in places like this
Alex Simpson

I’m surprised moth and vine religion has a concept hell. Seems to run against its whole vibe but then again we did get that whole spiel earlier from the big guy himself about submitting or being lost.
- Aria
  
  It’s a couple things! In the story context, a severe religion like this can only be as severe as its stakes, so even if it wasn’t a “christian” concept of hell they need some kind of stick to lead people towards the carrot, you know?
  
  In a meta sense (if you want to hear that sort of thing from the author), I chose to stick with the literal fire and brimstone even while I changed other aspects of pentecostalism for the story partially BECAUSE fire is a traditional enemy to plants, and I felt it fit the moths too because moths are drawn to light, which translates a bit to light sources being holy (why there are so many lanterns scattered around the church, special lanterns are used as magic objects to guide people out of the woods, etc) or worshipped. A moth being drawn to fire is being drawn towards something that could destroy it or its home though, which I thought made a nice metaphor for a religion more focused on dying and the afterlife than living life on earth.
  
  There are some other character-related reasons this religion features fire as a punishment/obsession but we’ll get to those hehe. I do appreciate the thoughtful comment though! While this arc in particular is pretty obviously coded the way it is on purpose I DO think it’s a pitfall a lot of stories fall into where like, they invent a “new” religion but we’re all so steeped in Christianity irl we just tack on different dressing to that same system instead of drawing inspiration from any of the other hundreds of belief systems that don’t even feature a heaven or hell. Once I get this one out of my system I’m really excited to get Weird with sprawl religions, I hope y’all think they’re interesting when we get to em!
Demon

It’s gonna be rough when those two cuties turn into caterpillars or figments or somethin..

*Shoots devastating look at author*
- Aria
  
  Don’t worry, they go through their version of metamorphosis as babies! I have other plans 🙂