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If her tail is like that of a cat, she would probably just put it on the side when she sits, like cats do. If I had a tail I wouldn't put my weight over it, I think.
When sitting up, she definitely does that. Like in panel 3 here. Lying flat on her back, though, it has to go under something.
I didn't even think about her tail as I red the page - I was too busy enjoying the angles of view. :)
All lines in panel 1 converge on Shelby's neck.
The tail discussion arose because of its initial placement in the pencils. Katie did the smart thing and just hid it away ;-)
The tail discussion arose because of its initial placement in the pencils. Katie did the smart thing and just hid it away ;-)
I think it's cool all the different "camera angles" the panels are set by.
Katie knows her stuff. I'm sometimes a bit afraid to do these "talking head" pages but she always makes them visually interesting!
I can read any sort of talking head strip, but it's very nice to have the visual interest too. :)
Me too. Gilda And Meek (my comic) is very talky but I don't have the drawing skills to make interesting visuals for it.
Matt, I think Gilda and Meek looks good. Why not join ComicFury and post it here as well?
What is ComicFury? Would there be added benefits to posting it there (i.e. people likelier to see it?).
ComicFury is the site that hosts The Extras. It's great because you get your own URL and can customize things if you know a bit of HTML (I don't... The site you see is just a template,and there's lots to choose from.) It's completely free. The main site hosts thousands of other great webcomics and has a well moderated forum as well. If you posted there I think you could definitely increase your audience. Check it out here.
I love Talky Comics. There aren't enough of them.
Tails are indeed tricky. I don't think I've ever thought about it in more depth than is written up here, so I can't really contribute. Oh maybe I can: a thin tail will tuck between the buttocks; a thick tail might be more comfortably laid on, for a little while at least.
I've thought about wings more, but they're just as bad. My beetle girls could lay on their backs easily enough, but I figured they must get scratches from laying on concrete and wondered how those scratches would heal. They lived in super-giant trees though, so it usually wasn't a problem.
I've thought about wings more, but they're just as bad. My beetle girls could lay on their backs easily enough, but I figured they must get scratches from laying on concrete and wondered how those scratches would heal. They lived in super-giant trees though, so it usually wasn't a problem.
It's interesting to think about, and in doing so we realize that vastly different anatomies would lead to naturally different resting positions. Notice how Shelby almost always wears shirts with wide collars or at least button-ups? That's so her horns will more easily fit through. Without a special pillow or shaping a standard pillow in a certain way, she probably doesn't sleep on her side (horns again) but on her back or stomach. Winged folks would avoid lying on their backs and might not like chairs with high backs- maybe the chairs in their houses are all backless stools. Shirts for folks with wings would also be radically different.
I had sort-of wondered about Shelby's collars. That does make sense. As for special pillows, some nights I wish I had one to support my jaw! lol I can't sleep on my back or front for other reasons. But the more sort-of square-edged pillows are special in a way, you couldn't get them at all a few years ago, it seems. My beetle-folk are all right in most positions because elytra are quite tough. I even had them sitting back with their elytra propped up on the ground. I wondered if it would be comfortable but then figured it probably would because their elytra must be attached strongly, they work with their wings to keep them in the air. I did, however, give them scent-sensitive antennae hanging down from pointed ear-tips at one point. I gave that up because the antennae would be crushed when they lay on their side. Depending on the details, laying on their side might have meant smelling a whole bunch or random weird strong smells which weren't really there! But perhaps biology wouldn't be so cruel. The olfactory systems might be protected against pressure stimulation.
As for bird-like winds, I had an idea of a narrow chair-back to go between them. It might even be comfortable if padded right. :) Add a kink to the supporting tube for tails. Chairs like the original series Star Trek might be good too. They had thin tapering backs so bird-like wings could likely be positioned behind the chairs. There's a few different real-life meeting chair designs which would do too, and some canvas chair maybes. Some of those meeting chairs have taller backs though, possibly being unsuitable for winged kids.
I love thinking about all this. XD
As for bird-like winds, I had an idea of a narrow chair-back to go between them. It might even be comfortable if padded right. :) Add a kink to the supporting tube for tails. Chairs like the original series Star Trek might be good too. They had thin tapering backs so bird-like wings could likely be positioned behind the chairs. There's a few different real-life meeting chair designs which would do too, and some canvas chair maybes. Some of those meeting chairs have taller backs though, possibly being unsuitable for winged kids.
I love thinking about all this. XD
I love this kind of world building. Trying to explain it to normal people, though, it always sounds kind of odd. "We had a debate about the ins and outs of shirt collar design for people with horns." "Uh, yeah... I'm gonna go over there and, uh, check the thermostat. Because it looks like it needs checking."
Firefly Jelly 3rd Feb 2023, 3:00 PM
We have real-world examples of humans and their anatomy, obviously. We also have real-world examples of tailed beings, and all sorts of tails to study- dogs, cats, monkeys, buffalo, you name it. We also have things like snakes that are just sorta mostly tail.
What we don't have, though, are tailed humans. So how would a longer tail work with otherwise human anatomy?
Shelby's tail is flexible. She can curl it into a circle. But it has bones in it and is in effect an extension of her spine. It continues where the tailbone ends on baseline humans. It doesn't have any sort of swivel joint on it, so it can gradually curve from one side to the other but not bend at a sharp angle at the base. So where does it go when you lie on your back?
My best guess was that it would naturally tuck into the butt cleft. Pam pointed out that the tuck would depend on the type of clothing you were wearing (tight jeans would be tough, vs. loose sweat pants making things easier, etc.) It could also conceivably just lay under the buttocks, as long as you don't pinch it under any of the ischial bones. This would depend on how much "padding" the person has, too. Having a tail would be fun but it would also be another limb to worry about. Getting tangled in things, caught in doors, or injured in class.
A lot of people use fantasy races and created histories to obliquely discuss issues like racism. We're doing that here, but I also wanted to have a direct contrast with the real world, which Nita is able to deliver.
Somebody also needs to tell Shelby that you can't fix people like an old car... and that she doesn't have to be responsible for it. There are adults and older students - teachers, tutors, counselors, and prefects - better-equipped than her. Of course, Shelby's feeling that she needs to be the mechanic here says something about her upbringing, and her trust, or lack thereof, of authority...
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