I don't know if someone else has pointed this out already, but, something I really appreciate about this comic is that when Hope leaves the Golden Grove she does finds that others see her worth and has a easier time finding it herself. Even other former members like Adamant, and even someone like Edge (Although his intentions aren't good, he still doesn't see her as a burden like Jasper did). It is nice and important for everyone to see a (especially female) protagonist who is finding her worth and be affirmed of her worthiness. 🧡
I also appreciate that lions are treated as social animals, instead of a cold and detached "Grrr! Only the strong survive!" narrative people push on animal stories. Especially on social animals like wolves or lions... like... what? Sure, the strongest and most adaptable survive (emphasis on the adaptable, actually) but these animals grieve as well. I don't expect authors to be biologists, but finally, you're serving good food here. Humans, who are also a social species, literally survived because they helped each other. Hope is capable and seen as so, she is kind and it gets rewarded. Super refreshing to see.
I am very surprised at how... natural the LGBT+ representation is. Well. Not natural as it's present in nature--well, it is, and very much reported---but how things like preferred names are woven into the story. In addition to the sky when introducing some characters, AND maned lionesses as GNC... Impressive! 🧡
I wish I had more in-depth insight on the familiar and spousal abuse aside from "well written interactions and dynamics", but I would rather let those who've gone through it to speak first.
🧡 I apologize for any spelling errors or bad syntax, English isn't my first language.
The way you write is absolutely fine! This is such a sweet message, anon. Thank you so much for sending it. tucks under pillow
The thing that stood out to me the most is - ironically - the thing you didn't really want to go into and that's the abuse element. It's such a breath of fresh air when somebody doesn't make assumptions about an abuse victim's personal life because it's not the "universal experience" that they know. It's not their life, so why bother understanding? Clearly, it's poppycock because it doesn't match MY life exactly.
Jasper's characterisation is often a source of this. I've known people like him personally. People who had good lives and had everything handed to them on a platter and a support network that any victim would envy. They turned out awful anyway, long into the functional adult stage mind you! And the people around them - the people who tried to help and who ultimately got hurt - do sit there and try and rationalise it. They go as far to say maybe it's our fault.
And that's fucked up, in my opinion. And it's very much normalised in our society. And a result of that is the abuser often developing a victim complex, which we do intend to show with Jasper. He absolutely has his own perception on how his early life went down. lol
As for everything else you've gone over, we super appreciate that you've gotten all of this from the comic because we do try and be subtle. We don't want to patronise folks around here and it is hard to have a balance between that and helping folks get the message. Folks who read the comic know what it's like to be queer and disabled, they don't need it presented to them Sesame Street-style. Especially when it's supposed to be the norm.
I will admit that the early chapters had missed opportunities for us to do more in relation to LGBT+ and the worldbuilding based on interactions we've had in our server and we do intend to fix that. I'm actually super passionate about what we're going to do with these chapter redos, mainly because there is an unhealthy stigma around going back and rectifying your earlier work when it comes to these kinds of projects.
And agreed x100 on your observations regarding how social animals are often depicted, there have been countless stories of animals - lions, in particular - looking out for their disabled pride members. It's genuinely heartwarming to read about. It's also a bit sad too. To think of a world we could have if we adapted more of the principles of the animals we look down upon and dismiss as mere beasts with no feelings. We associate "humanisation" with heightened sympathy and awareness and yet it more often than not just manages to make these social animals with their deep bonds and societies so incredibly shallow and needlessly cruel. It's tiring to hear people say "that's just nature, though!". No, that's a thing we say in relation to something as natural as animals eating other animals. There's nothing natural about turning animals into bigots with no real explanation.
Anyway, I apologise for rambling. Again, we are genuinely grateful for messages like this and just our audience being sweethearts in general. Especially when we read them at times of self-doubt when it comes to writing certain things against the grain. It highlights how rewarding a process it can actually be. c: - RJ
