I've read in a few places that, if allowed to do so, characters can develop traits that will surprise even the author. Selkie's love of eating is one of those aspects of her character for me. She's shown on multiple occasions an excited and enthusiastic reaction to the prospect of eating. I don't know where it came from, but I feel like it's a part of her character that's asserted itself organically somewhere along the line.
Uh, I know it’s very late but it seems relevant again. How come everyone is so puzzled about Selkie and yet nobody seemed to make a fuss about Dr. Fishman back in 194?
You’d think if humanity suddenly discovered a race of fishmen there would be something about it on the news, and if it was top secret and/or new, there wouldn’t be Dr. Fishmen just hanging around. They don’t exactly blend in.
Also, not relevant but I just had a bunch of problems posting, twice because of the spam protection (I forgot to refresh) and once because I apparently already posted a comment and it’s not showing up, so if this is a duplicate, I apologize.
Ya there were two duplicate comments. Got ‘em! Sorry about the spam protection fluke.
As for the question, the good doctor will be addressed in detail later, but the short version is the Hospital staff is accustomed to his presence, so that’s why the records receptionist didn’t bat an eye at having a green skinned man asking for patient records.
L> It is definitely a mystery but not as big a reveal in most of our opinions as the reveal that Amanda is Andi and Todd’s daughter. Cuz it stirs up some at-home beeznest , unlike the world-scope mystery of how many in the world know of these fishy people?? We all want to know but sometimes the bigger shocker takes priority.
Dave> Well, I have been meaning to comment at how much younger and relaxed and… child-like… Todd looks with his hair mussed and being around his family. Tee hee! It’s cute! As for the eating thing, I have a great love of food. I do happy dances when I eat really good stuff, no lie! Just ask my family. Ask TB! And it can be as simple as a really good sandwich or some outrageously awesome homecooked meal. Or ham:) I likes it myself. But I go especially crazy for crab and really delectable desserts. Not together of course.
Just imagine being Selkie, a carnivore, and hardly being able to find foods that suit your tastes.
I mean, I’m thinking that if she literally CAN NOT eat plants, except in trace amounts like sauce, that those trace amounts probably taste kinda’ crummy to her. I’d maybe liken meat seasoned with herbs to candy covered in sour powder. If she craves animal-matter– meat, and dairy, and more meat –then a big hunk of ham probably is like candy to her.
….and her native seafood? That’s probably like a whole chocolate cake.
Being ovo-lacto vegetarian (raised that way, pretty much; nearly all animal flesh tastes yucky! all the more for Selkie, though! ;D ) and not in a highly-populated area where it’s fashionable to have vegetarian restaurants… I sympathize with Selkie having problems not finding the food she likes. There are many restaurants where I order things that Aren’t On The Menu, that start out as Something On The Menu With The Meat Taken Off (and sometimes something substituted).
I get really gleeful when I find a vegetarian-friendly restaurant.
Half the time “writer’s block” is in reality “characters on strike”. The best charas write themselves, you really just have to put yourself in their place to see how they react to something.
I find it emotionally upsetting when a character I’m writing comes up and putting a hand on my shoulder, gives me the “hurt look” and says, “what you wrote that I did? It hurts my feelings that you think I’d do that”. Then you’re wasting your time explaining metonymy or synecdoche to an imaginary character, sweating to justifying your plot point without traumatizing them, further. Squirming under their brutal gaze of puppy-dog eyes as you try to justify causing their heartbreak. It’s hard work, what writers endure!
I imagine that Selkie is very, very happy to know that she now has one person thinking all the time about preparing meals that she can safely eat. I’m sure the children’s home took good care of her, but they were trying to fix meals for a bunch of other kids at the same time, and explaining things to new staff and well-meaning visitors had to be exhausting, plus she had to face the same situation at school. But now she can go home, open the fridge, and WOW, snacks and leftovers just for her.
I get the feeling from reading accounts by parents of children who had to be on restricted diets IRL that a lot of them stop enjoying food. It’s all medicine. Add some variety and the kid begins to look forward to meals again. I bet that Selkie didn’t get fresh salmon, for example, nearly as often at the children’s home as she does at her dad’s!
Aah, Todd will figure it out and stock the fridge with edible animals soon enough. He just got thrown for a loop by the two of them not eating each other’s food AT ALL.
My parent’s would have been ecstatic if that would’ve been the case. Coming home from work and actually having a snack in the cupboard uneaten by their teenage son would have been quite the shocker.
Okay all this talk of fishermen and now with Selkie I’ve held my mouth shut for now but by chance is she a dagonite? Also as far as the rash is consern
is he having a food allergy or something maybe he’s allergic to seilkie that would be aweful. Also I absolutely love her if she went to school when I was a kid I would have been best friends with her.
Seems like, if there was any “government” involvement in the orphanage, they would be getting “commodities”, and be on a budget. Being a complete carnivore, she would not be getting the hamburger with the “textured vegetable protein” in it, like the other kids would, but she would still be more likely to be getting Spam than she would Porterhouse. Add to that that the government would have some say in how much she could have, and to suddenly be where there was “real” meat, and you could have as much as you want. Seem like it would be just like the bedroom. “I get a room all to myself?”
The entire last row of panels is just AMAZING. Mari’s sarcasm, Selkie’s entirely-too-enthusiastic eating, and Todd’s “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet” reassurance… thank you Dave for making my week, for so many weeks since 2010.
Also, ditto on the comments above, sometimes characters randomly develop traits along the way “organically” as you stated, and it makes no sense to eliminate or change it.
Amanda SHOULD have a home. Since Andi excluded Todd at the birth, Amanda’s being at the orphanage is Andi’s sole responsibility.
I hope that Andi adopts Amanda, It would be good for both of them.
Please, do not have Todd adopt Amanda; it would be so unfair to Selkie.
Selkie and Amanda could still interact, but each would have a separate home to go to after the blood spills.
Neither did I, until those 7-Up commercials back in the 70s. Tall skinny bald black guy dressed like a planter, in a white suit with a Panama hat. “This is a cola nut, and THIS is the UN-COLA NUT”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXmc7DG4uu8
Aah, Todd will figure it out and stock the fridge with edible animals soon enough. He just got thrown for a loop by the two of them not eating each other’s food AT ALL.
You know, when Dave put up that recent fan art with Selkie holding a goldfish glass, I thought to myself “This looks just like a human girl holding a box of chocolates”.
Honestly, compared to our world, I think people’s reaction to Selkie are pretty tame, you’d expect that at seeing a monster/alien/whatever people would freak out, but most people outright ignore it, and the ones that don’t just go huh that’s weird. I assume eventually this will make sense, stuff like the fish doctor hint deeper world building. I’m thinking we’ll get a setting similar to Sorcery, maybe the existence of fish people is known of but most people dismiss it as hoaxes…
Selkie is now part of the family
Uh, I know it’s very late but it seems relevant again. How come everyone is so puzzled about Selkie and yet nobody seemed to make a fuss about Dr. Fishman back in 194?
You’d think if humanity suddenly discovered a race of fishmen there would be something about it on the news, and if it was top secret and/or new, there wouldn’t be Dr. Fishmen just hanging around. They don’t exactly blend in.
Also, not relevant but I just had a bunch of problems posting, twice because of the spam protection (I forgot to refresh) and once because I apparently already posted a comment and it’s not showing up, so if this is a duplicate, I apologize.
Ya there were two duplicate comments. Got ‘em! Sorry about the spam protection fluke.
As for the question, the good doctor will be addressed in detail later, but the short version is the Hospital staff is accustomed to his presence, so that’s why the records receptionist didn’t bat an eye at having a green skinned man asking for patient records.
L> It is definitely a mystery but not as big a reveal in most of our opinions as the reveal that Amanda is Andi and Todd’s daughter. Cuz it stirs up some at-home beeznest
, unlike the world-scope mystery of how many in the world know of these fishy people?? We all want to know but sometimes the bigger shocker takes priority.
Dave> Well, I have been meaning to comment at how much younger and relaxed and… child-like… Todd looks with his hair mussed and being around his family. Tee hee! It’s cute! As for the eating thing, I have a great love of food. I do happy dances when I eat really good stuff, no lie! Just ask my family. Ask TB! And it can be as simple as a really good sandwich or some outrageously awesome homecooked meal. Or ham:) I likes it myself. But I go especially crazy for crab and really delectable desserts. Not together of course.
Just imagine being Selkie, a carnivore, and hardly being able to find foods that suit your tastes.
I mean, I’m thinking that if she literally CAN NOT eat plants, except in trace amounts like sauce, that those trace amounts probably taste kinda’ crummy to her. I’d maybe liken meat seasoned with herbs to candy covered in sour powder. If she craves animal-matter– meat, and dairy, and more meat –then a big hunk of ham probably is like candy to her.
….and her native seafood? That’s probably like a whole chocolate cake.
Being ovo-lacto vegetarian (raised that way, pretty much; nearly all animal flesh tastes yucky! all the more for Selkie, though! ;D ) and not in a highly-populated area where it’s fashionable to have vegetarian restaurants… I sympathize with Selkie having problems not finding the food she likes. There are many restaurants where I order things that Aren’t On The Menu, that start out as Something On The Menu With The Meat Taken Off (and sometimes something substituted).
I get really gleeful when I find a vegetarian-friendly restaurant.
*Allowed* to? My characters have threatened me with violent retribution more than once when I tried to write them other than how they wanted to be.
Half the time “writer’s block” is in reality “characters on strike”. The best charas write themselves, you really just have to put yourself in their place to see how they react to something.
“Characters on strike”, I love it, I’m going to use that from now on!
I find it emotionally upsetting when a character I’m writing comes up and putting a hand on my shoulder, gives me the “hurt look” and says, “what you wrote that I did? It hurts my feelings that you think I’d do that”. Then you’re wasting your time explaining metonymy or synecdoche to an imaginary character, sweating to justifying your plot point without traumatizing them, further. Squirming under their brutal gaze of puppy-dog eyes as you try to justify causing their heartbreak. It’s hard work, what writers endure!
I imagine that Selkie is very, very happy to know that she now has one person thinking all the time about preparing meals that she can safely eat. I’m sure the children’s home took good care of her, but they were trying to fix meals for a bunch of other kids at the same time, and explaining things to new staff and well-meaning visitors had to be exhausting, plus she had to face the same situation at school. But now she can go home, open the fridge, and WOW, snacks and leftovers just for her.
I get the feeling from reading accounts by parents of children who had to be on restricted diets IRL that a lot of them stop enjoying food. It’s all medicine. Add some variety and the kid begins to look forward to meals again. I bet that Selkie didn’t get fresh salmon, for example, nearly as often at the children’s home as she does at her dad’s!
Aah, Todd will figure it out and stock the fridge with edible animals soon enough. He just got thrown for a loop by the two of them not eating each other’s food AT ALL.
All animals are edible
My parent’s would have been ecstatic if that would’ve been the case. Coming home from work and actually having a snack in the cupboard uneaten by their teenage son would have been quite the shocker.
P.S. Gotta’ love the Grandma. Smart aleck.
I love Marta. And I have to think her personality and sense of humor are really going to endear her to Selkie.
I gotta agree, the two of them are a LOT alike personality-wise.
Also I love Marta’s face when she goes “CHOMP!”
Okay all this talk of fishermen and now with Selkie I’ve held my mouth shut for now but by chance is she a dagonite? Also as far as the rash is consern
is he having a food allergy or something maybe he’s allergic to seilkie that would be aweful. Also I absolutely love her if she went to school when I was a kid I would have been best friends with her.
Selkie is way too sweet to be from Innsmouth
When I saw this comic I immediately thought of
PONYOSELKIE WANT HAM!Thank goodness I’m not the only one thinking that!
Seems like, if there was any “government” involvement in the orphanage, they would be getting “commodities”, and be on a budget. Being a complete carnivore, she would not be getting the hamburger with the “textured vegetable protein” in it, like the other kids would, but she would still be more likely to be getting Spam than she would Porterhouse. Add to that that the government would have some say in how much she could have, and to suddenly be where there was “real” meat, and you could have as much as you want. Seem like it would be just like the bedroom. “I get a room all to myself?”
Spam (the edible kind) can be really good, though. One of my favourite types of meat, actually. (Although salted ham would have to be #1 for me.)
How’s Selkie’s salt-tolerance, btw? Is her species fresh or salt water based? Or both? (I can’t remember if it’s been said before.)
Freshwater-based, but she can eat minerals like salt. I don’t know her opinion on it’s taste though.
Howabout sugar? Something like, say, honey is basically sugar and protein, no plant-matter.
That would have to be it. I remember cane sugar being on the list of no-nos.
The entire last row of panels is just AMAZING. Mari’s sarcasm, Selkie’s entirely-too-enthusiastic eating, and Todd’s “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet” reassurance… thank you Dave for making my week, for so many weeks since 2010.
Also, ditto on the comments above, sometimes characters randomly develop traits along the way “organically” as you stated, and it makes no sense to eliminate or change it.
That´s how you know you´ve got real characters, not just placeholders.
Amanda SHOULD have a home. Since Andi excluded Todd at the birth, Amanda’s being at the orphanage is Andi’s sole responsibility.
I hope that Andi adopts Amanda, It would be good for both of them.
Please, do not have Todd adopt Amanda; it would be so unfair to Selkie.
Selkie and Amanda could still interact, but each would have a separate home to go to after the blood spills.
What can she drink?
Grandma’s brewing tea. Tea is plant based. So is coffee. Every kind of juice. Soda – cola nut, birch, lemon, lime, grape, orange, grapefruit.
So is she strictly water/milk, or is there something else she can drink?
I had no idea cola came from a nut.
But yeah, basically water and milk, mostly water. Digestion aside, teas and juices don’t taste good to her.
Neither did I, until those 7-Up commercials back in the 70s. Tall skinny bald black guy dressed like a planter, in a white suit with a Panama hat. “This is a cola nut, and THIS is the UN-COLA NUT”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXmc7DG4uu8
I think I want this guy’s voice to narrate my life… O_o
The original recipe for Coca Cola also included cocaine. Not any more, of course.. but yeah, true story.
THE MORE YOU KNOW~
Not cocaine as cocaine-the-illegal-drug is now, but the extract of coca leaves (which is intoxicating on its own and used to make cocaine).
Yeah…young carnivores eat and the sensation of eating what she wants, how she wants unharassed is probably still a thrill for her.
I am wondering as she get older if her tolerance to plant products will increase so she could at least have a seasonings/sauces with herbs and such.
But, you can’t miss what you don’t want.
aww i love her so much
Aah, Todd will figure it out and stock the fridge with edible animals soon enough. He just got thrown for a loop by the two of them not eating each other’s food AT ALL.
He already got her a bag of goldfish to eat like candy. XD
Ta-da! http://www.selkiecomic.com/?p=519
Yum.. http://www.selkiecomic.com/?p=524
You know, when Dave put up that recent fan art with Selkie holding a goldfish glass, I thought to myself “This looks just like a human girl holding a box of chocolates”.
Honestly, compared to our world, I think people’s reaction to Selkie are pretty tame, you’d expect that at seeing a monster/alien/whatever people would freak out, but most people outright ignore it, and the ones that don’t just go huh that’s weird. I assume eventually this will make sense, stuff like the fish doctor hint deeper world building. I’m thinking we’ll get a setting similar to Sorcery, maybe the existence of fish people is known of but most people dismiss it as hoaxes…
Love reading the comic, keep it up dude.