I gotta say, I'm impressed...

[goldgecko4]

... with how mature and sophisticated the whole same-sex angle between Jillian and Wanda is being handled. By this point, we all more or less can assume that, yes, they were involved romantically, and yes, it was done consensually (not under Suggestion). So far, the whole subplot has been handled EXTREMELY tastefully and maturely, and as a gay guy, I'm pretty impressed, most comics (web and otherwise) tend to shy away from anything more than the most sneaky innuendo and implication. So, kudos Rob and Jamie, it's a fantastic angle and really has the potential to make people think.

[TheGrimace]

The funny thing is that a lot of readers are probably disappointed that there aren't sexier scenes involving the two. As a heterosexual male, I can agree that they've handled it tastefully. So tastefully, in fact, that I still don't believe it's the obvious going on, but only because a comic who makes FRRT noises probably wouldn't shy away from such jokes, and would make them openly.

[Stallogarro]

What impresses me is that nothing is done of the fact that they are in a same-sex relationship. I honestly think this is the first tim I even thought of Wanda and Jillian as gay? That even the readers focus on the dysfunctionality of their relationship, rather than the fact that Jillian isn't a man tells a lot about the storytelling talents here.

[Laurentio]

Actually, I think that the homosexuality factor is less important, in the general scheme, than the Dom/Sub factor. We know Jillian to be in love with a male (Ansom), so she shall be considered bisexual. And while we have no proof of Wanda orientation, we can't know if she desire Jillian for her gender, or just for her submission role.
I know more than a person that is in love with a same gender partner, and is not really in for homosexuality. It's just that love for the partner is stronger that gender preference.

More in topic, I'm really, really pleased of the deep characterization in this comics. I started watching this site only for OotS, but my preference are switching.

Laurentio

[The Old Hack]

What has captivated me about these two is the tragedy of the dysfunctionality of their relationship, not either gender nor dominance/submission. An abusive relationship is a terrible thing that may ultimately destroy both partners. And Wanda is obviously ignorant of the fact that she went too far. This, too, is not uncommon in such cases; one may honestly believe that one is acting for the best yet still be ruining one's partner.

I consider this part of the plot a masterpiece of storytelling, an all too real relationship in an oddly surreal world. And in fact it is a triumph in more than one sense as all the real relationships are masterfully balanced with all the in-jokes, gags and puns that make up the other half of Erfworld. (Actually, if anything convinces me that Erfworld is more than merely a dream of Parson's, it is the fact that all these very real personalities populate the world around him. He is only barely or even not at all in contact with most of these, so why dream them if he never meets them?)

[SteveMB]

What has captivated me about these two is the tragedy of the dysfunctionality of their relationship, not either gender nor dominance/submission. An abusive relationship is a terrible thing that may ultimately destroy both partners. And Wanda is obviously ignorant of the fact that she went too far. This, too, is not uncommon in such cases; one may honestly believe that one is acting for the best yet still be ruining one's partner.

If the relationship goes back to before the fall of Faq, then the situation when they started meeting again during the war (Wanda being a real jailer with a real need to serve her side) would make it very easy for Wanda to cross the line into abuse, while actually believing that she was doing the best she could for Jillian under the circumstances (e.g. convincing Stanley to not simply croak her rather than let her get away again).

[Ptorquemada]

I started watching this site only for OotS, but my preference are switching.

Some comics work as single-episode strips and others don't. Erfworld doesn't; it needs context. I looked at it when I found the site, mentally shrugged, and never bothered with it again until a few months ago when I decided to give it another chance. By then there were enough strips in the archive to make it feel like a book, and in that format it works great.

OotS at least started off as a strip, with enough jokes in each episode to carry it more or less standalone, at least if you knew anything about D&D. It's gotten slower as it's gone on, but if you start at the beginning that doesn't matter since the early strips lure you in with the cheap laughs and you can pick up the storyline and characterization as you go.

That said: I get more excited about an Erfworld update than an OotS update myself these days, just because the Erfworld plot is going somewhere at the moment and OotS is in a Two Towers phase with people all over the map, lots of character development, and the main story kind of stalled.

[Duke]

I'm with Laurentio; I came here for OOTS, but I got into Erfworld, and I'm starting to like it better.

Honestly, I don't like it as a comedy, I far prefer its drama side, which is just as well written and prolific.

As for the relationship between Wanda and Jillian, I'd say that it does border on harassment; my girlfriend's bi, so I'm often caught in the middle (no not that way, you perve) of certain issues she has with girls. She's small and cute, so a lot of people attempt to take advantage of her. She loves this one girl (the one she's currently dating) that has injured her in the past for what might very well have been in my girlfriend's best interest (not that she saw it that way. The girl hurt her, and that was it. The girl hurt her, there was no reason to it in her mind), and it has provided a lot of tension between the two. A same-sex relationship is a lot thinner line to tread between being caring and it being too much.

Of course, seeing as Wanda comes across as the type to have certain fetishes; it's much more likely that the fine line was between pain and pleasure.

[The Old Hack]

If the relationship goes back to before the fall of Faq, then the situation when they started meeting again during the war (Wanda being a real jailer with a real need to serve her side) would make it very easy for Wanda to cross the line into abuse, while actually believing that she was doing the best she could for Jillian under the circumstances (e.g. convincing Stanley to not simply croak her rather than let her get away again).

Yes. Highly perceptive of you, and I agree. Too, it might further illuminate why Wanda feels so betrayed -- "How could she do this to me after all I've done to protect her!" Of course, being on different sides in a war would distort everything still more.

[Occasional Sage]

Yes. Highly perceptive of you, and I agree. Too, it might further illuminate why Wanda feels so betrayed -- "How could she do this to me after all I've done to protect her!" Of course, being on different sides in a war would distort everything still more.

Not as highly perceptive of me, but still worth saying, I think: neither Wanda nor Jillian is the most... introspective character I've seen, by a long shot. A lot seems to go on in both minds of which they are not consciously aware, which exacerbates an already-insupportable situation. If either of they stepped aside and really examined their feelings about the other and their reactions to the situations they find themselves in, I would be shocked if everything didn't calm down quickly.