Jany: I was so jet-lagged I fell asleep in the theater, and Kara Lynn says I was out for at least an hour, but when I woke up, the planet was still five minutes from exploding . . .

Sparrow: You picked the right episodes to fall asleep for. When I was ten, I watched that on Toonami every day, and there was a whole week when . . .

. . . oh, hey, Patrick’s here! Great, now we can go back to the room and stop getting dirty looks from the waiters.

Hey, don’t look so down! I’m sure when we put our heads together, we can figure out how to throw that guy off your trail.

Patrick: Yeah . . .

I just wish . . . I thought I was doing what she wanted. I wish I’d understood . . . that she didn’t want it in the way I could give her.

Boston.

Miranda: I wanted to see them today! Why couldn’t the weather have played along?

Poe: There are many things you can control, Master . . . but the rain is not one of them.

Miranda: Well, technically . . .

There are a couple of hacks that summon rain. So you’d think I could find and learn one to make it go away.

But I'm A Cat Person

Sorcery 101 – family drama in the suburbs, as entangled with mage organizations, vampire clans, and other supernatural struggles. Does a great job combining elements like “high school teacher mentors one of his students” and “…in learning how to live as a werewolf.”

Holiday Wars – a teenage girl finds herself thrown into a globe-spanning conflict between the manifestations of holidays, as kicked off when the Easter Bunny kills Santa Claus.

Sugar Bits – the princess of the realm of candy sweetness disappears, and our gingerbread-man hero plus some friends from the realm of courage must set out to find her. This is one that you mostly read for the shiny and detailed art.

Spare Keys for Strange Doors – more from the suburbs, and the occasional alternate dimension. Serialized tales of a couple of professionals who get called in to help with supernatural problems.

Guilded Age – a multi-species band of adventurers try to wrangle the politics of a land full of fantasy kingdoms straight out of the D&D model. Meanwhile, there’s a sinister hidden purpose to their adventuring, one that the characters might not even be able to comprehend…although the readers will.

But I'm A Cat Person

Sparrow: I’ve sent out a dozen applications in the past month. No luck so far. It’s not like — I mean, I got my degree, here, you’d think I’d be qualified to work at Subway. And I’ve been volunteering and stuff in the meantime, not reading fanfiction all day. At least, not just reading fanfiction.

Jany: If you didn’t have a job, and your mum’s willing to support you, why did you move out at all?

Sparrow: Well, Bianca got a job in the area. So she needed someone to rent with, and it would’ve been harder with some random stranger than someone she knew.

Hey, don’t let on to her that I told you this, okay? She’s got enough money worries of her own; she doesn’t need to stress about mine. Let’s talk about something happy! How was your con? Do anything exciting?

Jany: Nothing much. I got an autograph from this Japanese guy who sings. That’s about it.

Sparrow: Wait, are you talking about the J-Pop Guest of Honor? You stood in that insanely long line? That’s some serious dedication. So what was he like? Was he nice? Tell me everything!

But I'm A Cat Person

Bianca: We’ll figure out a plan to throw off the traceability of this money, okay? For now . . . go find Sparrow and the others. But not right away. Wait in the stairwell for five . . . no, ten minutes. That way I’ll be fine by the time you get back.

Down in the hotel restaurant . . .

Sparrow: Another round of water for the table, please.

Jany: You don’t think she’s been yelling at Patrick this whole time, do you?

Sparrow: What? No! Bianca’s upset, but she’s nicer than that.

Jany: I wish it had turned out he was just hacking the ATMs. Then it would be a strategy Kara Lynn could learn.

Sparrow: So, ah . . . I’m getting the idea you can’t count on your parents, here. In general, not just when you’re on an expensive overseas trip that they don’t want to fund. Is that right?

Jany: Hmph.

Sparrow: That sucks. I’m really lucky to have a lot of support from my mom. Wish I was making some money so I wouldn’t have to.

Jany: Why don’t you get a job?

Sparrow: Well, gee, don’t you think I’ve been trying?

But I'm A Cat Person

Bianca: . . .

You’ve been so . . . independent, these last couple days. Looking out for Kara Lynn, volunteering things you know, taking the initiative to go get money . . . But nothing’s really changed after all, has it? I don’t even have to give orders. You’re still going to be completely shaped by what I want. From the inside out.

Patrick: Is there something else you need me to change, Master?

Bianca: Don’t call me that!

Patrick: *whimper*

Bianca: Sorry, I — I shouldn’t have yelled, it’s not your –

Look, I need you to be in dog form now, okay? I can’t think straight when you’re this distractingly hot.

But I'm A Cat Person

By the way, some of the recs left in comments on earlier posts are starting to make their way into the new ones. I take a look at everything that gets linked, and have gotten into a bunch of gems that way.

Waterworks – a concerned citizen goes to the local waterworks to find out what’s up with her showers. Turns out it involves teleportation, high-tech gadgets, and possibly aliens. An original story that borrows the Homestuck format and structure.

String Theory – what starts out appearing to be a slapsticky comic about mad scientists takes a leap into the serious, and the art shoots up in quality with it. When the main scientist tries a prank that ends up actually killing people, he finds his own death faked and himself captured by old enemies, with only one potential friend who knows he’s still alive.

Spacetrawler – six humans are selected to come vote on behalf of Earth in the intergalactic council, and find themselves unraveling a galaxy-spanning, even universe-spanning, conspiracy. Wonderfully detailed art, great humor, heart-rending seriousness, and quite a bit of sex with aliens. Hands down one of my favorite webcomics, even among the ones I’m reccing.

Power Nap – in a world where most people are freed of the need to sleep, our hero is one of the few who still need it. Which makes him a candidate to participate in some kind of bizarre dream-based goings-on. Lots of action scenes, some great monsters.

Shadoweyes - in a futuristic city, a teenage aspiring vigilante stumbles into mysterious morphing powers. Now she can patrol the city as a superhuman urban legend…but there’s a catch to her abilities. Striking artwork, lots of atmospheric darkness.

But I'm A Cat Person

If any of you happened to be present for a certain panel at Otakon 2012, you knew this was coming. (Unless you thought I was kidding, in which case I guess you get to be surprised like everyone else.)

___

Patrick: Master, I . . .

Of course I’m happy in this body. Because it’s the one that you want.

I look like a boy. So you don’t have to feel guilty about how your family won’t approve. But deep down, you’ve always liked girls a little bit better. So where no one else gets to see — until, or unless, you decide to let them — I feel like a girl.

But I'm A Cat Person

Kind of surprised at all the people asking where Sparrow, Jany, and Kara Lynn are. It’s no secret or twist; they went exactly where Bianca told them to go back on page 7.

___

Patrick: Here, Master, I can show you . . .

Bianca: Ah! Patrick, you don’t need to —

Bianca (thinking): Yes, he’s gorgeous, and I haven’t had a date in way too long, but that doesn’t mean I should . . .

Bianca: — mguh.

P-Patrick . . . Are you, um, comfortable? In your body, I mean?

Patrick: Why? Is there something wrong with it?

Bianca: No! Not at all! I’m just asking because — if you were human — I mean, there are lots of humans with bodies like yours — – and it can be a sensitive issue, sometimes there’s dysphoria, or — – is this making any sense to you, or do you have no idea what I’m talking about?

But I'm A Cat Person

But I'm A Cat Person

It was a reasonable guess, but no, the answer to “what comes next” is not “a sudden scene change.” You’re getting this encounter clear through to the end.

___

Bianca: It’s okay. You don’t have anything to be scared of. My precious Patrick . . . I don’t know how anyone could ever hate you.

Patrick: Let me know if this is pretty enough?

Bianca: As if you’ve ever had any trouble being pretty enough.

Patrick: Oh! Did you want my shirt off? I can take care of that.

Bianca: Honey, you’re gorgeous. If only I could just throw myself at you . . .

Patrick: But you can! If that’s what you want–

Bianca: No. No, I can’t. And not just because Sparrow has to sleep in this bed tonight. You haven’t done anything wrong! I just . . . I’m gonna need to think a few things through first.

Is cuddling comfortable? I don’t want to turn you on too much and then have to leave you hanging. Oh, man, I don’t even know if Beings can get turned on in the first place . . .

Patrick: We can do physical arousal, yes! I’m doing it right now!

But I'm A Cat Person