Remember Luunock? Good.
Today is was indeed the last day of the Kickstarter campaign. Thank you for your support! Sincerely, Thank you. -Christopher
My birthday was a good one. My girlfriend made orange “creme” truffles, I had really nice talks with the family, I got to play racquetball, walk down by Puget Sound, and a relaxing evening of popcorn and British television mysteries. What more could one ask for? (answer: cake)
Luunock is a good grub. I’m glad Martina found some place to be healed.
Or, how a bout an Orange Soufflé with Grand-Marnier, baked in the orange peels themselves?
http://www.zencancook.com/2010/12/orange-souffle-with-grand-marnier/
Plus popcorn and an evening of B-grade monster movies (Godzilla, Gamera, Creature From The Black Lagoon, etc), for me.
Today’s strip was incredible. And it came at a weirdly appropriate time in my life tonight.
I’m keeping care of some gerbils for my son at my apartment. Two weeks ago, the gerbils made an escape, with one running under the door into a neighbor’s apartment, and the others running into a storage room in my place. I carefully tracked them down, and with the neighbor’s help recovered the first in his apartment, and then captured the rest in the storage room in my apartment, got them safely in their cage — and sealed off the storage room so there was no way they could get in there again.
Two weeks later … I went into the storage room tonight to find a frying pan.
I moved a box from the back wall, and a black gerbil came crawling toward me, pitifully seeking help.
I had been mistaken about how many gerbils there were, and in my desire to block off the room from gerbils getting in, I tragically made sure none could get out.
I had even gone into the room a couple of days after capturing the gerbils and seen some chewed paper on the floor, but instead of double checking with my son how many gerbils he owned, I just assumed that I hadn’t noticed the chewed paper when I caught the other gerbils.
I caught her quickly and set up a cage just for her, and tried to comfort her, and give her water. I called a vet, who said for me to get pediatric electrolyte fluid and give her a few drops, and I drove off to get some with a medicine dropper.
When I came back, she was dead.
I’ve been crying and hating myself all night about it. I don’t know if I’ll ever forgive myself. I called a friend, who tried to do everything he could do to make me feel better, but, in the end, all I could think about was that little black-furred baby in there, for whom I had been given responsibility, and because of my stupidity she suffered for weeks alone before dying.
I’m a serious animal-rights activist. I consider the suffering of an animal to be as terrible as the suffering of a human, which is why I avoid eating eggs and chicken (because of the horrific factory-farming practices).
I literally didn’t know how I would handle the grief and guilt.
Then I read tonight’s Spacetrawler.
And I felt like Luunock was hugging me as well.
If Martina can survive with her guilt, so can I.
At this moment, I feel like hurting myself as punishment. I truly hate myself. I understand Martina’s sense of self loathing.
But I’m also now getting a sense now that such feelings will eventually pass.
I probably shouldn’t make any decisions during the next few days more important than what I’ll be having for dinner each night, but I now believe I’ll eventually recover … and keep going … even though the gerbil will not.
Thank you, Chris. The fates led you to write exactly the right storyline tonight for me. Exactly what I needed.
*hugs you very tightly*
— Brianna
@Hawgowar, holy jeebus that looks yummy.
@Eris_Lobo, I’m so sorry to hear, it’s awful that happened. It sounds like you did as best as you could, but that probably doesn’t help it feel any less painful. Hugs back. <3
Hey Chris, I see you’ve been paying some attention to TV Tropes’ article on Spacetrawler. I figured you might like to know that your comic was my inspiration to launch the article about Anti-Advice. By which I mean, the whole “Dusty thinks it’s a bad idea, it must be sensible,” exchange from a few weeks back made me realize that we lacked that trope, so I wrote up a description and appealed to the wiki hive mind for more examples, and voila!
Wow, @Metaphizzle, that’s awesome. I inspired a trope to be added. 🙂 And yes, I do enjoy the site, and Spacetrawler’s being part of it, especially since it means I get to learn what tropes I used without even realizing it (pretty much all of them). 🙂
Someone complained the ladies weren’t getting alien love, there it is.
@eris, wow that’s tough. Don’t know what else to say. Glad to know you’re sort of overcoming it.
Wow, the story line just gets sadder and sadder.
In other news, it appears that Dmitri put his beard on over his breathing mask. Probably a sign that he needs a trim or something.
Oh, and @Eris Lobo, sorry to hear about the gerbil. Nobody likes to cause pain inadvertently.
I can’t fund the Kickstarter with Paypal or with an Amazon account that has a balance greater than zero.
Sorry, I tried.
@Pastordan, I know! Not having a picnic is a very sad thing. (Oh, and the mask is transparent)
Thank you, @Wade, I truly appreciate the effort. 🙂
Wow, the story line just gets sadder and sadder.
@Pastordan, yes, but just remember: this is part 2 of a three-part story. Remember that at the end of “The Empire Strikes Back” we left Han Solo frozen in carbonite, Lando lost his business and is back on the streets, and Luke is revealed to have to truly serious daddy issues.
But things worked out in the end.
Well, we already know Martina’s toast, even if she’s only done on one side… (oh, that’s bad. Sorry.)
Of course this ‘heart’ is in the Greek idea of the heart being an emotional organ. An is used metaphorically today as a seat of emotions. But even though we know she is going to die we still don’t know when. An I am sorry she is the one to die dammit. But only good writers can create wonderful characters an to have them die. Even in her present state she can be repaired if she could get to a medical facility to do so.
Now that we see Dimitri and the Eebs’ mode of transport, I have to say that it is quite a boring vehicle. 😉
Damn. When Dimitri is at a loss for words–even for one panel–you know it’s bad. It feels like the customary moment of silence after a death. That third panel conveys how absolutely blasted everything must be, more than smoking rubble and skeletons could get the idea across. He’s just like “…”
@Night Gaunt: I had the impression Nogg meant Luunock had an artificial heart (you know, an actual pump instead of a pumping organ?) Of course, his body could not require oxygen at all so, no need for blood, or a heart.
@M.A. I quite enjoyed it 🙂
@Eris Lobo: also sorry to hear that. Make sure you take anything you’re allergic to out of the kitchen
@Chris: Is that little thing on his arm splitting the alcohol molecules in his blood and giving him the Oxygen? If so, what’s it doing with all the leftover carbon and hydrogen? Turning it into cholesterol and injecting it back in? (There’s not a lot of things you can do with carbon and hydrogen if you’re trying to save oxygen)
Wait, just thought of something: If things that can be melted together, can be melted apart, does that mean we’ll be seeing Fyena again?
Lastly: Holy Censors Giant drill bit!
Dimitri’s drill is the drill that will pierce the Heavens!
@King, Dimitri’s drill is simply another example of Russian power engineering. I suggest you Google “Tsar Pushka” (Tsar Cannon), or “Tsar Kolokol III” (Tsar Bell); and of course, NOTHING can compare to the Antonov-225! When you absolutely have to have your rocket booster delivered by tomorrow!
@JKCarroll,
http://www.nemo.nu/ibisportal/5pansar/index.htm
Oops ment to post more.
Check out the 1915 Tzar tank.
The limit to bigger is better.
@eris_lobo / Brianna – Oh, I’m so sad for what happened. I do hope you’ll be okay. It was an accident and you gave her comfort for her passing. I’m sorry. I’m crying for you. *gives you big hugs*
@Christopher did you know when you made Luunock that it would be a perfect full-body hugger? Because that’s pretty awesome. Poor Martina. 🙁