page 1278 – Wall of Text Revenge
Another page in which any narrative content is one hundred percent secondary to me getting to draw some funny faces.
So, on the one hand, I actually got this page done WELL ahead of schedule for once! On the other hand, we’re coming up on the traditional end-of-the-month “HOLY CRAP, I still need to finish all those Patreon side projects I said I was gonna do!” scramble. That, and I’m really scrambling to get back on track with Conventional Wisdom material as well. All that to say: I apologize in advance for when I inevitably look up after a few days straight of working on other stuff and suddenly realize I totally forgot to do a new TWC Voting Incentive. I mean, I’m gonna TRY to remember, I got a whole new series of things I wanna kick off, but… well… ya’ll know how it goes by this point, right? At the very least, there’ll definitely be SOMETHING new going up on Patreon by the end of the week. Part of the franticness is because I’ve actually got a lot more half-done projects in the pipeline than usual, so I genuinely have no idea which ones will end up getting wrapped up by Friday. Poor time management is FUN!
Let me guess, there’s a problem with the planet that causes standard electrical energy to do something problematic, such as create storms, crazed robot uprisings, or short circuit at a moment’s notice (most likely the first or last one). As such, they actively sought alternate energy sources, and ended up with direct-connection kinetic energy being the most reliable and safest, with steam being the easiest way to generate said kinetic energy. And the reason this looks so much like Steampunk is partially because of developmental limitations, and partially because the planet was purposefully sought out by those with a weird obsession with the Steampunk Aesthetic, to the point where they purposefully found a planet where it was the most reasonable method to utilise technology.
What? You just wanted May to have a Steampunk World to explain why she’s a Steampunk Girl? Nay, I say! This is the comic FAR OUT THERE. Convoluted reasons must be created for any minor background detail! And if the Author didn’t come up with one, or give one fast enough (or there’s just a major comic page that makes it obvious, with one or more of us missing this information previously), one will be created by the readers, simply because we CAN!
…Whether or not the reader’s creation becomes cannon is entirely up to Blitz, aka the Author, and whether or not anyone remembers/has the ability to see the information when it next comes up, but it’s still fun to do.
Naw, that’s pretty much it, right there! 😀
I love the idea of Steampunk “enthusiasts” specifically looking for a planet where regular technology on a large enoguh scale to support a civilisation can be problematic purely so they have an excuse to go all Steampunk technology.
I say on a large scale, because I’m sure that on a smaller-scale it would work fine, or at least fine enough, partly so they can still have space ports.
Because every planet needs a thriving tourist industry. (Which is of course why the “Planet of Hats” trope is somewhat enforced – most planets try and have a schtick to attract tourists)
Does it count as a spoiler to say ya’ll are thinking the exact same thing as I am?
Strange minds think alike. May seems to be seized by a sudden, completely explicable desire to feed Avi into the gears of an overly-complicated steam-powered washing machine.
But then, don’t we ALL get the urge to do some variation of that to Avi sooner or later?
Mostly sooner.
It’s a good thing we have on board ship a proven Expert at specifically stuffing obnoxious people into machinery:
https://faroutthere.com/comic/page-70-twin-engines-of-destruction/
@Seros Senric: We’ve actually seen a planet that’s “Hat” actively discourages standard tourism (it was possibly in an incentive section). Specifically, the planet that’s populace all wears living monstrous head-masks that terrified Trigger, due to the air containing slight toxins, and have kept the practice despite technological advancements due to cultural significance.
I believe the first Patreon comic was about them trying to use it to attract tourists.
Being used to it, they couldn’t really understand why others might find it… disconcerting.
I believe Ichadod told them that their new tourist attraction wasn’t any more escessive then their standard entrance machines at their spacesport…
Normally, I would clarify things here… buuuuuut I’ve actually JUST ABOUT worked my way up to re-posting that very set of comics onto the Patreon Gallery, so I don’t wanna spoil it.
I admit it’s been a long time since I read it.
I have to disagree with the hovertext though, the occasional wall of text is pleasantly nostalgic – it’s a call back to the strip’s very early days! Like seeing that sweaty mole guy pop up in the background of a Christmas special!
Oh man, I really should bring that guy back randomly just to see what happens. He can be sharing a drink with Todd TV Head 😀
That is funny, because I totally considered mentioning Todd TV Head in my comment, but then I thought “Nah, that’s way too obscure, nobody would get that” 😉
(Though I have no idea why I thought that – obscure references nobody gets are the best kind!)