Gillie!! KILL HER!!!!!!
Transcript
Idrisah and Gillie watch in surprise as Talita abruptly begins to turn around and head for the door, panicking.
Talita: S- sorry, I still don't think I'm... ready... I'll come by later!!
Gillie flushes with anger and leaps across the couch to grab Talita’s shirt sleeve.
SFX: GRAB
Talita stops walking and looks back at her in shock. Gillie is furious, ears flattened back, short white tail bristling.
Gillie: (ASL) Do you want my help with sign or not!?
49 thoughts on “Runaway to the Stars: Page 177”
Tyrone
U are freaking her out Gillie. If Tallitas “flee” reflexes kicks in, that exit-door is toast!
Jackie
I understand Gillie being frustrated and the visual is funny but as an anxiety haver myself Id squeak out the quickest apology for being a bother, leave, and then be to panicked to hardly think about the situation again much less actually go back 😅. There are few things more anxiety inducing then realizing the person I wanna learn from is frustrated/mad/upset with me
thegriffin88
Gille ain’t playing no more.
Vinemaple
I’m a little concerned about how many commenters are starting to characterize one person or the other as being “in the wrong” or “problematic” here. It’s a gross oversimplification, both ways. This is a pretty complicated situation, with valid concerns and missed opportunities on both sides. They’re also getting to the point where this all has to be worked out if they are to remain friends. If they go any longer without addressing these problems, it’s going to start creating resentment and anxiety and push them all apart.
I’ve seen enough of this kind of thing in other fandoms to know that if we can’t all agree to love all the characters, it’s going to be a lot less fun to see each new page. And in this particular case, come on, folks, there’s no reason to be assigning blame or fault or antagonism here.
And can we please just let the whole scene play out, before we start moralizing about it? And maybe accept what DOES happen as proper, finished canon, and not insist it should have been something else?
Because I can kind of feel that coming, and it would be a really ugly and painful thing to see happen here, of all places.
thegriffin88
As a writer for both prose and comics: You cannot have your readers love every character. That’s impossible. You can have most of them like the majority, but you simply can’t control people like that. Not everyone is you. You just have to learn to accept it.
Gar G
As someone with anxiety I relate so hard to Talita here…
Bwizz245
GET HER ASS
Common Handle
YES! KILL! verbally I hope
HeadWood
Gillie! Cut off her balls!
Prism
Jay you are creating a well written dynamic here where both characters have very deep-seated and understandable reasons for their feelings and behaviors rather than only presenting conflict as having a definitive victim who is in the right and villain who is in the wrong. It’s a joy to read.
Hunter
Talita’s too scared to try signing yet too scared to ask for help.
Poor anxiety-ridden bean. Good thing Gillie’s here.
Boxthing
Oh snap, she means BUSINESS!!! D:
Be afraid, be very afraid…
Greebus
I love Talita on the first panel. She really does look like an alien. Great character design. Also Gillie’s puffed-up bobtail!
Guest
Mrs. Touati-Sharpe
KILL HER
Heather
THE COUCH VAULT!!!
Enai
I adore angry!Gillie, but still maintain that Talita is treated unfairly here (by Gillie). For instance, instead of springing “Let’s adapt sign right! Now!”, they could’ve said “Let’s meet on Xday after work to adapt some sign language for Talita”, giving her time to psych herself up.
Enai
“They” meaning “the Touati-Sharpes”, not Gillie.
Adrienne
Seems like everyone will be learning some better ways to communicate with each other today 😉
Dan
It’s easy to look at a conflict from an outside perspective and see how everything could have been conducted smoothly and with all parties happy, but that would make for a less interesting (and realistic) story! The “Let’s meet on Xday after work to adapt some sign language for Talita” works when both parties actually want to participate, and Talita isn’t even communicating her true reasons for putting it off. Gillie’s been rejected many times now without ever being given a reason past “maybe some other time”, and with something that’s quite important for her. As far as writing goes, this feels like a very natural feeling conflict to have developed and I’m very compelled by it. I feel for both of their struggles in this matter, and right now the onus is on Talita to finally explain herself, and decide for herself if she values comfort over accommodation with her friend’s disability. Whether or not Gilie’s anger is disproportionate, I think some people’s perceptions of her anger (I’m calling out some commenters from the last update going so far as to call this manipulation), are people projecting themselves on Talita, though I believe Talita will show more interest in how her actions/inactions impact her loved ones.
Enai
I am not criticizing the story from a Doylist perspective. I’m criticising *Gillie’s* actions from a *Watsonian* one. Of course a story with conflict is more interesting. I am allowed to think the characters could have done better in dealing with it.
.
Put another way: if the hanfsome main character wisely resists the charms of the obvious honey trap agent sent lure them to the villains lair, no plot happens. If they do fall for the temptation, I still get to yell “Nooo, you dumbass!” at the TV. This is me yelling “Noo, you beautiful idiots!” at the TV, or screen anyway, so the creator may read it and enjoy having elicited a reaction. It is not actually a criticism of the writing.
Dan
I didn’t mean to imply you were criticizing the writing, I should have just made it my own comment at that point 😛
colas
i think at this point this avoidance has actually been happening for a very long time now, gillie probably HAS attempted to do what you think she should, but talita has been promising and then making excuses to not do it. what we’re seeing is the tipping point of gillie’s patience
Enai
We don’t know that. Sure, all manner of things could have happened offscreen, but I don’t want to insert too much of my own fantasy of $character(s) into the actual happenings. Gillie is allowed to not be perfectly socially adroit. And I can be annoyed with her for it. Same for Talita or any and every other character.
colas
this is actually super my bad- i think i may have imagined some sort of timejump. i just skimmed the comic really quick and i noticed we literally have watched talita meet gillie and the original accepting of gillie’s help w/ sign
Paroxysmall
transcript says sign instead of signing
Jay Eaton
Fixed.
Stray Cat
I see an argument incoming. I see possible misunderstandings coming as well.
MissZena
YEAH I SAW THIS COMING NGL
Like yeah Talita has her reasons for continuously trying to dodge learning sign but she hasn’t communicated them to Gillie at all and comes off like she’s making promises then flaking on them at the last minute which is EXTREMELY frustrating, especially when its something as important as being able to communicate with one another in a more comfortable fashion so Gillie isn’t being left behind in conversations and having to use an unreliable phone app that can get thrown off by background noise
evileeyore
NOOOOOOO! Idrisah, protect your curry bowl!
Light_In_The_Fog
It *better* not be the second casualty of this interaction!! (the first, of course, being Talita)
Tentament
I 100% believe Gillie could take Talita in a fight.
S0glet
If biting isn’t allowed then yes
Apollo235
If biting was allowed Gillie would bit Talita first, Gillie still sweeps
Apollo235
*BITE DAMNIT
Jay Eaton
True. Talita is a wuss who hates pain that isn’t muscle exertion.
ttt
this is why talita is actually my least favorite protagonist atm. for all her whining about wanting to be accomodated with her consent (see her rant about how she perceives getting to know any of the various centaur cultures as being physically discriminated against with the freight elevators, and her irritation with mel *not talking to her* about ‘inclusive’ housing accomodations–and fair enough, those are valid points of view that need better self-and-community advocation), she’s not willing to meet gillie’s preferred accomodations! and guess what, meeting accomodations is gonna be uncomfortable sometimes! so unpack the ableism, talita, and do better!!
(this comic is capable of making me angry with realistic scenarios, which is how you know its well-written.)
potatosapien
I wouldn’t call that WHINING, that’s a little extreme. And also, she isn’t refusing to learn ASL at all. She understands Gillie pretty well, I think. And the situation isn’t exactly analogous to a human learning a human sign language. Taking past outdated art into account, I’d speculate that it might still be canon that there isn’t much if any research into centaur’s ability to understand and speak human sign languages. If the whole “centaurs can’t understand human sign” thing is still canon, then that kinda just adds more fuel to the fire.
I’m also pretty sure part of her hesitation has to do with body dysmorphia and a bit of discomfort with being perceived as “other”. So it’s not necessarily just learning another language for her, but more confronting a of deep-rooted insecurity that many humans might not relate to.
That’s not to say Gillie is unjustified in being annoyed, or that Talita is right. I still am a little frustrated with her too! She definitely should take the opportunity Gillie’s giving her and learn sign. I just don’t think it’s fair to characterize her as whining, or to say that her discomfort is due to her being ableist. In my opinion, her actions definitely ARE somewhat ableist in action, and she should realize that, but her reasons for her actions aren’t ableist.
evileeyore
Part of this is )but it won;t be adressed at all) is that Talita is a little bit of a perfectionist. Just a little bit.
She //can’t// learn to sign properly. She’ll always have a “weird” accent, one specifically developed to speak with Gillie, that only Gillie and Idrisah know*. So part of this issue (IMO) in Talita’s mind is that she simply can’t do it. Now it’s a small, tiny, insignificant part compared to her dismorphia and social anxieties… and thankfully Gillie has gone full alpha predator and she’ll be shakin Talita out of this like a terrier shaking rat….
* Which I suspect for the comic won’t matter or come into play very often if at all.
Hubert
Gillie is a half-cat-half-human thing. Talita and Gillie can be weird un-humans together!
ttt
as someone with body dysphoria/dysmorphia/social anxiety, it’s still not an excuse to stay passively fluent in Sign if you are ablebodied enough. the Deaf community hears all manner of excuses constantly as to why people wont accomodate or actively sign with them. gillie’s been sidelined for so much of her life by people who won’t bother to put in the work, and who won’t listen. talita’s reasons may not be intentionally ableist, but her actions and excuses are. and they are deservedly being confronted here.
‘whining’ is a strong word, yes, but it’s a word that accurately reflects my level of irritation at this point at how talita has repeatedly treated one of her friends. she’s shutting gillie out of group conversations (see the date night, and the mel-bitchfest) and not treating gillie’s needs as equal to her own. and i’m not down with people just commenting a lot of ‘poor talita!’ when talita is doing the ableist microaggressions. social anxiety is not an excuse for bad behavior, its merely a context.
varve
I’ve definitely had thoughts recently about Talita’s body dysmorphia and…
“it’s yet another way to draw attention to how *different* I am”
Gillie: (gestures to her entire self) off-spec cat, and dependent on assistive tech. I’m also *different* and nobody can forget it either
(hopefully followed by a bit of relatability between the two…)
Adrienne
Was looking forward to seeing Talita’s latest excuse and oh boy is it weak! These two are gonna have to let Gillie do all the talking if their Runaway repairs get found out because I don’t think Idrisah or Talita are yet built for improvisational weaseling
primordial pouch enjoyer
let’s gooooo
Undercooked Mothman
I got spoiled for the next few pages a while ago watching the art streams and I’ve been looking forward to it ever since!
gigithebear
talita i understand how scary it is to be perceived but you gotta let your friends perceive you sometimes because that’s how they’re seen in turn
Undercooked Mothman
YEAHHHHHH GET HER!!!
HAL9000
GET HER ASS!!!
Tumorhead
Just now I am appreciating Talita’s big comfy sweater onesie
Limulid
KILL HER…!!!! It’s time to step out of that comfort zone!