Oh, Talita...
That's the end of Chapter 5 (minus the Log pages). That means it's time for people to ask questions for the character AMAs! You can submit them over here. Please read the rules, as always, and I will pick submissions for the characters to respond to after Log pages go up.
Edit: The Google form had an issue but it's fixed now and should accept questions.
Transcript
Talita's cheeks bristle and her pupils constrict. She looks off to the side and digs her thumbs into her hands hard enough to tremble.
Talita: Um– I–
She gets up from the mattress on the floor, apologetically wringing her hands.
Talita: I’ll just text you. I don’t want to waste your time.
She walks towards the exit while construction noises blare in the background. Idrisah looks sad and disappointed; but Gillie is flushed, ears flattened, and glaring at Talita's retreat with obvious hurt.
39 thoughts on “Runaway to the Stars: Page 162”
Alex
Talita, c’mon girl… having 4 fingers for both hands doesn’t stop you to talk using sign language!
Greebus
Something very interesting here is that Gillie and Talita are sort of similar. They have bodies their environment was not built for and must be accommodated for. Both Gillie and Talita seem to hide parts of themselves (physically for Gillie, emotionally for Talita) in order to not make others uncomfortable/bring unwanted attention. Idrisah and Talita just bonded over feeling isolated from the people they’re related to; maybe Gillie and Talita will bond over this!
Darth Biomech
Talita is me FR when it comes to speaking English ._.
The same “I’m better to not insult you by blurting out something barely comprehensible in your (native) language if I can help it”
Darth Biomech
*like me FR
Gar G
With my anxiety I can definitely relate to Talita here…
Ruby
Aw, Talita. Don’t leave Gillie hanging like that, she’s trying so hard!
Redacted
Ooog, those first two panels really do capture what it’s like when you’re “put on the spot” so to speak in a social situation that makes your anxiety flare up. Really visceral.
I noticed that Gillie is actually blushing in the last panel, other commenters have been saying she looks angry but to me she’s also reading as embarrassed/hurt, she attempted to reach out once more and was rejected.
Also the way Talita’s legs are folded in the last panel, really reminds you she has an extra joint.
furubatsu
I think Gille’s somewhere between angry and embarrased, it’s been mentioned before on Tumblr that Gillie struggled a lot socially growing up because of her disablity–it seemed like Idrisah was the only person who attempted to learn SL to communicate with her, so there’s probably a lot of hurt to see every time you try to reach out to communicate with someone who was shown to be capable of learning the language (Talita has shown no signs of struggling to follow the conversation when Gillie and Idrisah would sign, not needing Idrisah to translate, so she is fluent enough to get by) but refuses to engage with you when you try to convese with them.
eden
yeah, it’s really not fair to gillie to have talita essentially icing her out of the conversation, even if* she’s anxious. is gillie supposed to just wait for idrisah to fill in for her after every social event?? she’s willing to help, meet her in the middle here talita
Rad Internet Stranger
Man I kinda feel bad for asking Talita why she’s so hesitant to sign and I know it’s likely gonna be revealed later on but like, I JUST WANT TO HEAR WHAT SHE HAS TO SAY XD
JoB
… well, go ahead, then?
[shelves plan to submit that question to the AMA himself]
Trees
Jesus.
.
I can’t be alone in thinking that’s a pretty damn masterful tone shift right there. Visceral, almost.
Never has Talita looked so fragile in her enormity. Poor Talita. Poor Gillie too.
Very well done.
Vinemaple
Heartbreaking. What an awful time to run out of spoons. But when you have social anxiety, no spoons is NO FUCKING SPOONS.
TotallySomebody
WOOHOO I GET TO ASK THE QUESTIONS I’VE BEEN HOLDING IN ALL CHAPTER!!!
MissZena
man…I feel bad for both parties here
Gillie has been trying to get Talita to engage with her and offered to teach her before and has every right to be frustrated Talita keeps dodging her attempts to get her to practice sign since it cant be easy to lip read a Centaur’s trunk and using a translator ap for every conversation is both unreliable at times and she keeps having to look down at it for most of the convo or hold it in her hands (it got in the way of her trying to eat/sign during the party earlier on)
At the same time Talita is self conscious and anxious and when you’re in the mindset it can feel like you’re inconveniencing others or you’re not capable of doing something “good enough” (I think Talita even mentioned something about her hand shape the last time Gillie and Idrisah brought up teaching her how to sign?)
Both Gillie and Talita aren’t in the wrong for how they both feel but it doesn’t make it any less upsetting for both parties in their own way :<
Vinemaple
Now I want one of them to go full real extrovert and coax Talita back.
I recently volunteered alongside an Italian woman whose “real” job was as a tour guide. She was a real extrovert and was deeply motivated to draw me out of my shyness and paranoia, because she ACTUALLY CARED. It always felt like balm to my soul when she would notice me getting anxious, and encourage me, or when she’d remember to make it absolutely clear I was welcome to join a conversation or activity.
Maybe once Idrisah explains what’s going on, Gillie will flip her own emotions and do that. Perhaps she doesn’t feel the drilling or impact driver or whatever the heck that sound is.
dokki
man, I was wondering when gillie would get angry over Talita’s refusal to engage. It’s warranted, even if Talita’s deep seated body dysmorphia is a real and valid feeling it doesn’t dismiss the way her behavior hurts gillie. so much nuance here
blythe
from gillie’s perspective it probably looks like talita just bailed out when being asked to accommodate
Guest
The stark black backgrounds of the first two panels communicate sudden dread very effectively.
Asternautilus
I hope gillie gives talita some grace, as frustrating as it must be for her to think her friend doesn’t prioritize something that would help her communicate.
I’m a person who goes non verbal very often and I’ve tried to learn sign but it’s so hard for me 🙁 I struggle with learning languages in general, it can be rough and embarrassing to perform on the spot like that- especially if you’re struggling to learn or anxious (or both)
I do love gillie’s angry cat face though, she’s so angy
Hubert
Couldn’t even sign an excuse. Didn’t realize how pickled Talita’s brain was until this chapter. She’s like those baby birds that imprint on a human and can’t go back in the wild.
I’m really digging this comic. I’m usually not one to read comics but this story and its world is very interesting. The art is fantastic too. Can’t wait for the book to print.
Greebus
And there’s the huge construction noise, too. Gillie really can’t know why Talita’s running away unless Idrisah tells her! She must think she hates her!
Vinemaple
Gillie is barefoot, so she may be vaguely aware of the noise… but it probably won’t help her understand what Talita is doing.
Vinemaple
Oh, wait, I’m wrong, Idrisah specifically mentioned the construction noise last page!
Lilac
Gillie’s doing the airplane ears…….
Tentament
Angy
Marcie
It’s the rule of three, I’m guessing it’ll be next time!
Light_In_The_Fog
TALITA NOOOO!!! WE BELIEVE IN YOU!!! YOU CAN DO THISS
Enai
Oh no. Social anxiety is a bitch 🙁
I hope Gillie and Idrisah understand that that’s what’s going on…
Hunter
Ah nuts, guess I missed the question opportunity XD
Paroxysmall
no it should be open for several days, Jay i think the google form isn’t open/working
TotallySomebody
Yeah it’s not….
Jay Eaton
Fixed the issue, form should work now.
Pathfinder42
Awwwwwwww…
Knight of Whispers
This girl needs therapy, STAT ^^;
Vinemaple
Interesting… the image of Talita talking to a Human therapist makes me realize that Talita really does think like a Human. I don’t think we’ve ever seen Talita demonstrate a truly alien thought process.
This isn’t a criticism: I’ve always intentionally made all my sophonts have eerily human psychology, for… reasons. I’m just intrigued to realize that Jay seems to be doing it for Talita, in a way he very much doesn’t for Avians and Bug Ferrets, or, perhaps, even the Centaur brothers in First Contact.
zaratustra
Sirawit is a human-adopted avian, although his situation is less extreme than Talita’s.
In fact putting diversity into neurodiversity seems like a big element of the story.
Chase Wanderstar
Hypothesis: unlike Earth mammals, which seem to have a pretty strong set of inborn behavioral instincts (though obviously not *all* mammalian behaviors are instinctive, a kitten raised around dogs will pick up a few doglike behaviors, and similar would presumably be true of a human raised by something nonhuman), Centaurs imprint like ducklings.
This implies also that they like to try to follow whatever caregiver they first bond with around in a cute little line like ducklings.
zaratustra
Psychosomatic.