one of my earliest memories was trying to comfort my mom crying in a bathroom after my dad hit her, i remember i couldn’t comfort her cause i was too small to know how to talk.
I find it so interesting to look at the difference in body language in Chris vs in Miriam. The way Chris is sticking out his chest and gesturing with his arms out making himself look bigger (something many animals, including humans, do as a threat display) while Miriam is hunched forward with pleading body language.
Entirely intentional. Though I’m sure like many men, Chris sees a woman questioning why he did something selfish as JUST as much of a threat to him, and definitely warranted retaliation. His safety (see: ego) was at stake 😢
I want to run him over with his stupid flashy car. It’s so typical, he lies, he endangers everyone for selfish reasons, and everyone else is just supposed to be cool with it and probably even congratulate him or something. The women in his life are supposed to be npcs providing whatever he wants, not people with thoughts and feelings.
Well you know, art is up to interpretation; and in MY interpretation? Meriam just smacked the shit out of him for walking around making like he’s walter white. 🤷♀️
Oh SHIT we get more updates more often now?! Fuck yeah!!!! okay back to my scheduled programming. CHRIS WHEN I CATCH YOU CHRIS. WHEN I CATCH YOU. CHRIS WHEN I👊💥👊💥👊💥👊💥
Jeez.. do men really not think about their actions?? Not only did he hurt Meriam but Shez is now traumatized for life, that’s why she was so caring towards Jaden because Jaden is also now traumatized due to what those men did to her.
Like I don’t understand… I just gotta know.. was it worth it?? Was hitting her and leading her on in a life of lie worth it Mr. man???
Oh but of course you only think about yourself and now the people under you because you quite literally FORCE yourself above others because men have the power and anytime they see women of the household or single mothers they swoop in because they think a man needs to be there. I agree with everyone else, kill Chris.
You’re struggling to understand his motives because you see women as full people, whereas Chris (and men like him) do not. Women are only as valuable as whatever they can give to men (sex, labour, children, ect). Meriam is not obeying him without question anymore, so his move to strike her was no accident. She is longer valuable to him.
Chris, and men like him do not “black out” or “lose control”. If anything, Shez witnessing it was a bonus to him, because she’d also be scared to ever retaliate against him. Two birds one stone 🙁
Me like that Judge Judy gif of her tapping at her watch: Come on, Male character illness, you cannot arrive too late to take this asshole out of their lives.
The effect of the pallette looks amazing on this page. Pure danger and horror. It’s subjective but I think it’s one of your best from the comic, hope you feel proud of it ❤️ Good job
Now don’t mind me, just gonna pretend the loud smack was clearly a boulder that rolled down the mountain and took Chris…
Man… This re-contextualizes some of Shez’s words and behavior towards Jaden way back when with the AGP crew. From what I can remember, Shez unintentionally made Jaden feel worse when she said things like “you probably just want to cry” and so on, but I bet it’s just because it’s what Shez wishes someone had said to her when she was a helpless child trying to make sense of what she was going through.
Have to say I love how cute Shez is as a kid though ;_; she deserves a better family life, this sucks. Looking forward to Chris getting what’s coming to him!
Yessssss. So happy you picked up on that! Definitely more recontextulizing of ch5 to come. I was working on a first draft of Shez’s backstory as ch5 came out.
I HOPE CHRIS GOES TO JAIL AND THEN DIES. Even if the legal system is notoriously shitty about addressing violence against women, there he is, RIGHT THERE, he’s got an illegal job! Right there! I don’t want him to only die, I want him to be scared and humiliated before he goes. GO TO JAIL! and then contract male character disease while in prison. it would be so great if he goes to prison because of his job, and Meri doesn’t have to worry about going through difficult testimony or anything. He just goes to jail cos of his job. That is my ideal. I am telling you my dream.
It’s a hard page to comment on. bad things are happening. Never have I been more thankful for the quicker update schedule then I am right now. I’m glad we don’t have to Sit with this page for too long.
Meriam is so brave for real. This page displays how much she loves her kids. The Monster is WAY WAY WAAY bigger then her, and she comes from a place that prized being timid and submissive above everything else, she had that socialization hammered into her real real real hard. But without thought and without question will she scream at this man for endangering her babies. This man who “saved” her, this man who she “owes her life” BLEUGH she will go right in and shout for her kids. No hesitation. There are so many women who wouldn’t be able to scream at this Monster. Women who love their children just as much might not be able to do what Meri did. Her courage. I just love her.
Artistically, I am LOVING Shez right before the smack. The way her eyes are visually just Glowing. It’s just a really powerful art choice to make her eyes that prominent. The emphasis. She Is Seeing Terrible Things. I just. Really don’t got the words to convey how great her eyes look there. You do a really great job of using the visuals to convey how this kind of thing can feel to a child as well. It’s just all… Dark, and there are vague figures, it’s scary, it can’t all be very well comprehended…. Very nice background gradient from light to dark as well.
I love thinking about how this dude is going to get kicked in the dick at some point 🙂 I hope it explodes. yeah that’s my ideal story for him. Genital injury so bad that it’s just. Exploded basically. Goes to jail. Male character disease, dead.
And yes, that was another reason behind making the flashback part of a quicker update schedule. It’s heavy and I’d argue a lot darker than anything I’ve done in LB before.
AGPgang was foul, but they didn’t get a chance to make good on any of their threats. Alexis’s dad definitely comes close to what’s going on here, but the threat of him and his brothers made by Maria also never made it passed being a threat. As long as Alexis complied, she was (relatively) safe.
There was sliver of hope for the reader before. There isn’t now. It’s already happened.
But I hope the knowledge of Shez obviously being alive, and hinting at a future dick-kick can act in the same sort of way, to make the pages ahead manageable to get through.
I will also say, I’ve been very deliberate in what I depict and what I don’t in this chapter. Chris striking Meriam for example, isn’t shown. Doesn’t need to be.
I feel like that’s the very male-creator way, showing violence (physical or sexual) against women explicitly on screen. They think it adds “grit” or “realism”, but it doesn’t.
I think about the contrast between their attempts, and the rawness I’m sure many of us have experienced when being confided in by another female friend.
“I was 14, he was 20”
A single sentence. If you know, you know. I believe most women would. We don’t need to hear the rest, or force her to relive graphic details to give to us.
So yeah, totally understand this part of the chapter going by quicker!
And so happy to see such kind praise for Meriam. Shez definitely inherited her bravery from her.
Very excited for you see all the ways she is her mother’s daughter.
34 thoughts on “CH12P8”
Crypty
I have no witty comments. I want this fucker dead.
RCS
I knew this was coming. But it didn’t stop me feeling so disgusted
when
one of my earliest memories was trying to comfort my mom crying in a bathroom after my dad hit her, i remember i couldn’t comfort her cause i was too small to know how to talk.
rustyhearts
I’m so sorry you had to be exposed to something so horrible so young. Those kinds of memories really stick and shape us.
Wishing him a very heart attack (if he hasn’t already kicked it), and also hope that you and your mother are safe from him.
HorseBlaire
kill him NOW
rustyhearts
please, take the shot, Ms. HorseBlaire U_U
Scully
I find it so interesting to look at the difference in body language in Chris vs in Miriam. The way Chris is sticking out his chest and gesturing with his arms out making himself look bigger (something many animals, including humans, do as a threat display) while Miriam is hunched forward with pleading body language.
rustyhearts
Entirely intentional. Though I’m sure like many men, Chris sees a woman questioning why he did something selfish as JUST as much of a threat to him, and definitely warranted retaliation. His safety (see: ego) was at stake 😢
Blais
No wall of text today; just kill him.
rustyhearts
Very understandable ❤️
Jay
What a nice new car, I wonder if macho man chris is gonna service it himself… would be a shame if someone tampered with the car jack 🙂
rustyhearts
It sure would be!
K
I want to run him over with his stupid flashy car. It’s so typical, he lies, he endangers everyone for selfish reasons, and everyone else is just supposed to be cool with it and probably even congratulate him or something. The women in his life are supposed to be npcs providing whatever he wants, not people with thoughts and feelings.
Ms. Clicker
Well you know, art is up to interpretation; and in MY interpretation? Meriam just smacked the shit out of him for walking around making like he’s walter white. 🤷♀️
rustyhearts
Honestly love this. Laughed out loud 🤣🤣🤣
Norm L. Esbian
Oh SHIT we get more updates more often now?! Fuck yeah!!!! okay back to my scheduled programming. CHRIS WHEN I CATCH YOU CHRIS. WHEN I CATCH YOU. CHRIS WHEN I👊💥👊💥👊💥👊💥
rustyhearts
Indeed. It’s part of the Special Shez Event:
Parniya’s biggest fan
Jeez.. do men really not think about their actions?? Not only did he hurt Meriam but Shez is now traumatized for life, that’s why she was so caring towards Jaden because Jaden is also now traumatized due to what those men did to her.
Like I don’t understand… I just gotta know.. was it worth it?? Was hitting her and leading her on in a life of lie worth it Mr. man???
Oh but of course you only think about yourself and now the people under you because you quite literally FORCE yourself above others because men have the power and anytime they see women of the household or single mothers they swoop in because they think a man needs to be there. I agree with everyone else, kill Chris.
rustyhearts
You’re struggling to understand his motives because you see women as full people, whereas Chris (and men like him) do not. Women are only as valuable as whatever they can give to men (sex, labour, children, ect). Meriam is not obeying him without question anymore, so his move to strike her was no accident. She is longer valuable to him.
Chris, and men like him do not “black out” or “lose control”. If anything, Shez witnessing it was a bonus to him, because she’d also be scared to ever retaliate against him. Two birds one stone 🙁
TifHater
GET HIM SHEZ (actually no baby, he’ll hurt you too, but SOMEONE GET HIM)
rustyhearts
Someone get current shez a time machine!
bingle
Whole Man Disposal Services
(Yes, The Whole Man)
rustyhearts
Charly
Poor sweet Chez having to witness that… I really hope her and her family get away from that monster soon
Nonnie
Me like that Judge Judy gif of her tapping at her watch: Come on, Male character illness, you cannot arrive too late to take this asshole out of their lives.
rustyhearts
SBD
The effect of the pallette looks amazing on this page. Pure danger and horror. It’s subjective but I think it’s one of your best from the comic, hope you feel proud of it ❤️ Good job
Now don’t mind me, just gonna pretend the loud smack was clearly a boulder that rolled down the mountain and took Chris…
Ada
Just me daydreaming about IEDs, cutting the brake lines, no biggie
Btw the sunset palette reminds me of the essay about DV “it will look like a sunset”
Normal person
Man… This re-contextualizes some of Shez’s words and behavior towards Jaden way back when with the AGP crew. From what I can remember, Shez unintentionally made Jaden feel worse when she said things like “you probably just want to cry” and so on, but I bet it’s just because it’s what Shez wishes someone had said to her when she was a helpless child trying to make sense of what she was going through.
Have to say I love how cute Shez is as a kid though ;_; she deserves a better family life, this sucks. Looking forward to Chris getting what’s coming to him!
rustyhearts
Yessssss. So happy you picked up on that! Definitely more recontextulizing of ch5 to come. I was working on a first draft of Shez’s backstory as ch5 came out.
Tyto
And this is the moment I remembered Shez has a scar over the eye…
Ugh, I´m gonna be wincing every new page now…
rustyhearts
Apologies in advance 😔
Tenbelow
I HOPE CHRIS GOES TO JAIL AND THEN DIES. Even if the legal system is notoriously shitty about addressing violence against women, there he is, RIGHT THERE, he’s got an illegal job! Right there! I don’t want him to only die, I want him to be scared and humiliated before he goes. GO TO JAIL! and then contract male character disease while in prison. it would be so great if he goes to prison because of his job, and Meri doesn’t have to worry about going through difficult testimony or anything. He just goes to jail cos of his job. That is my ideal. I am telling you my dream.
It’s a hard page to comment on. bad things are happening. Never have I been more thankful for the quicker update schedule then I am right now. I’m glad we don’t have to Sit with this page for too long.
Meriam is so brave for real. This page displays how much she loves her kids. The Monster is WAY WAY WAAY bigger then her, and she comes from a place that prized being timid and submissive above everything else, she had that socialization hammered into her real real real hard. But without thought and without question will she scream at this man for endangering her babies. This man who “saved” her, this man who she “owes her life” BLEUGH she will go right in and shout for her kids. No hesitation. There are so many women who wouldn’t be able to scream at this Monster. Women who love their children just as much might not be able to do what Meri did. Her courage. I just love her.
Artistically, I am LOVING Shez right before the smack. The way her eyes are visually just Glowing. It’s just a really powerful art choice to make her eyes that prominent. The emphasis. She Is Seeing Terrible Things. I just. Really don’t got the words to convey how great her eyes look there. You do a really great job of using the visuals to convey how this kind of thing can feel to a child as well. It’s just all… Dark, and there are vague figures, it’s scary, it can’t all be very well comprehended…. Very nice background gradient from light to dark as well.
I love thinking about how this dude is going to get kicked in the dick at some point 🙂 I hope it explodes. yeah that’s my ideal story for him. Genital injury so bad that it’s just. Exploded basically. Goes to jail. Male character disease, dead.
rustyhearts
I love the way you think, breastie 🥰😎
And yes, that was another reason behind making the flashback part of a quicker update schedule. It’s heavy and I’d argue a lot darker than anything I’ve done in LB before.
AGPgang was foul, but they didn’t get a chance to make good on any of their threats. Alexis’s dad definitely comes close to what’s going on here, but the threat of him and his brothers made by Maria also never made it passed being a threat. As long as Alexis complied, she was (relatively) safe.
There was sliver of hope for the reader before. There isn’t now. It’s already happened.
But I hope the knowledge of Shez obviously being alive, and hinting at a future dick-kick can act in the same sort of way, to make the pages ahead manageable to get through.
I will also say, I’ve been very deliberate in what I depict and what I don’t in this chapter. Chris striking Meriam for example, isn’t shown. Doesn’t need to be.
I feel like that’s the very male-creator way, showing violence (physical or sexual) against women explicitly on screen. They think it adds “grit” or “realism”, but it doesn’t.
I think about the contrast between their attempts, and the rawness I’m sure many of us have experienced when being confided in by another female friend.
“I was 14, he was 20”
A single sentence. If you know, you know. I believe most women would. We don’t need to hear the rest, or force her to relive graphic details to give to us.
So yeah, totally understand this part of the chapter going by quicker!
And so happy to see such kind praise for Meriam. Shez definitely inherited her bravery from her.
Very excited for you see all the ways she is her mother’s daughter.
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