Sigh~ Story Arc Discussion

Don't have a new avatar for this upcoming arc, but I can share it's inspiration: I've been wanting to do an arc featuring Dawn, showing why she's attracted to Brian. I started writing this arc awhile back in response to questions from readers who were as befuddled as Dawn's roommates: "Why does she like him at all?" And I hope this arc will help answer that.

Also, it's a lot of fun drawing Dawn and Brian together. My secret guilty pleasure is sketching them being adorably awkward.

I was hoping she'd dump him after taking all her pencils...

Having seen both sides of relationships such as theirs, I never really questioned why they'd get (or stay) together.

Heck, some of the strongest relationships I've ever seen were people simply accepting others for who they were, all quirks included, and not trying to "fix them", "change them", or "make them better".

Bad Day, Dawn

This is after the pencil scandal?

The J.A.M. wrote:This is after the pencil scandal?

Yes, this arc takes place after the previous arcs regarding the pencils.

Page 450: Dawn visits the hospital, with a cameo appearance from Godel Fishbreath!

I was just reminded of something by the current strip and thought I would share. Personality types such as Dawn's and Brian's actually tend to work very well together. Prepared types like Dawn are usually proactive about their goals and ambitions but do poorly when things deviate from planned. Reactive types like Brian are often poor at self assertion but excel at improvising on the fly.

Together they tend to minimize each other's weaknesses but share their strengths.

Life ain't easy for a buck named Doe.

"A boy named Sue"

The J.A.M. wrote:"A boy named Sue"

"My name is DOE!  Just so you KNOW!"

Whoa! Pretty black fox!  I should buy a cameo for my Ferric & Fraya.  
Really like the old cat in panel two also.  And this one page gives Dawn all the excuse she needs to like Brian, and not just because it's her mom he's talking to.  (Love Mom's pun too. )

These two are my favorite, looking forward to this arc.

Oh dear (in a d'aww way). Dawn is quite twitterpated, isn't she?

On the whole opposites-making-great-couples thing: I think it's one of those things that can either work brilliantly or go terribly, terribly wrong.  If the two are like the yin-yang--with a little bit of the yang with the yin, and a bit of yin with the yang, so that they can appreciate and imbibe each others' qualities and find middle ground when necessary--then I think that yes, they draw on each others' strengths and have a beautiful bond. But it could also go the other way, where they step on each others' toes and bring out the worst in each other. It especially seems like it would be a problem in the most extreme of assertive-passive couplings--that can lead to a severe power imbalance if one of the two never stands up for themselves.

Brian and Dawn look like a best-outcome case, though.

So is my relationship with my thesis advisor, come to think of it. A platonic example, of course, but a similar principle--my mentor's relaxed, open to changes of plan, brilliant with narrative structure and useful criticism, and also deeply kind, which helps me relax and makes it easier for me to be creative, but my self-discipline and planning is integral to getting stuff done. 'Cause he trusts me too much to keep close tabs on me but also, I think, isn't organized enough to keep close tabs on me. Pairing us up resulted in an awesome novelette about a talking rat. /shameless tangent

Anyway, looking forward to seeing where this arc goes!

She works as a telemarketer? Yikes, I hope she's prepared for hundreds of practical jokes...

That lump looks more like he dyed his hair slightly.

J.A.M., he's holding his head with his hoof.

I know that. I was referring to the light orange...thing that looks like a question mark without the period.

That's shine on his hair.:p

Someone Special, has the power to turn our whole day World around.

-Rubin.

On the next page, something goes wrong!

Again?

Yes, Jam. Again.

Mr Ed wrote:

The J.A.M. wrote:I know that. I was referring to the light orange...thing that looks like a question mark without the period.

Yay!  Mousetta!  (and I have a knife like that too...)

So does my Dad! When I was a kid he made two big knives like Mousetta's out of old chainsaw blades.