There was one more panel at the end of this one, but I was running out of time and ended up not doing it. I could have postponed the update by just half an hour to do it, though. Yet I didn’t, because the time restriction got me to question that panel. Did it really add to the story? It didn’t.

It’s interesting how working under certain restrictions make you think and produce better results. Other times, working under restrictions make you unable to think, and the result may suffer. Every method has its pros and cons!

Interesting (and effective) color choices in this one, if I may say so myself!
 

Quick announcement: there will be no update this coming Monday. I’ve got a few extra-busy days ahead of me.

Observant readers may have noticed that I broke the 180 degree rule here. It was a deliberate choice to accentuate the change in the flow of the conversation/mood.

I am PUMPED about the rest of this chapter. I’d written multiple paragraphs of comments, attempting to explain how I feel… but I’ve decided to save it for later/elsewhere. First comes the scene, then comes the commentary. Not the other way around.

Also, fisheye perspective is a lot of fun to draw, even if I don’t get it 100% correct!

Just so we all know where he got his good looks.

Originally, the first three panels weren’t there, but I’ve had a few people think he was waking up on the previous strip. Clarifying that he was just mumbling in his sleep. I think the conversation flows better this way, too; it accentuates Master’s hesitation.

Wee baby Elyath with wee floppy ears~
 

Thanks to this ear infection I’ve caught, there will be no update this Thursday. Visitor Reproductive Biology class will resume on Monday.

About the nudity:
I thought about completely hiding her breasts and genital behind her hair/ the ring, but nah. Showing at least a hint of her genital region is important because I do want to make it clear that they look just like female humans down there.

This means there is NO penis to be seen in their world. Some non-sentient species may have penises, but if they do, they remain internal except during intercourse, so they’re never seen.

As a corollary, purely heterosexual Elyath would be considered to be sexual deviants for their kind, and would be extremely rare, if they exist at all. They’re usually asexual (common), lesbian (common) or pansexual (less common). The pansexual ones live their whole lives without realizing they’re different from their lesbian kins — unless they end up in Keol.

Makes sense, no? After all, there are no visibly male humanoids in their world. They don’t even have a word for “man” — or “woman” for that matter. Just “person.” In addition, they also have words referring to 1) male plants that they can reproduce with, 2) female plants that they can reproduce with, 3) THE male plant(s) they’ve reproduced with, 4) one’s own father plant, etc.

As announced a few weeks ago, I may not be able to keep up the twice-weekly pace for a while. However, this chapter contains a scene that’s quite possibly the most meaningful moment in the story so far. I don’t want to dampen its impact with a slow update schedule. I will try my best to update twice a week, but there may be times where I just can’t. We’ll see.

Also, even though you can only see the paintings on one side of the room, all three walls of this room have paintings hanging. This is quite unusual for Korean/Keol households, where the walls are typically either left bare, or only have one thing hanging.

wouldn’t want to read a blindingly shiny story?