Mastodawn

My Cosmic Fish reread concludes today!

Although I finished the last "regular" chapter of Cosmic Fish, there is more to the comic. First there's bonus art to go with a news update, showing young Acantha, Young Ramus, Young Hessa, and Young Bavel. They all look so sweet and it's sad knowing how everything falls apart. Also, beautiful trees and bushes. Next, up we have the "Storyboard" bonus chapter.

Storyboard:
This chapter consists of grayscale images in the style of a storyboard, showing the characters along with text descriptions of dialogue, action, and sound effects.

We start with young Ramus and...Max! This is our first time actually seeing Max. Max looks a lot like a snake: maybe some folks who called Acantha "snake boy" just had the ghosts confused? But then why would Syias make that mistake? Oh my Guardians, Ramus looks so sad. Max is trying. Ramus has already started trying to understand how ghosts work: something Schnell is deliberately concealing from all of them. But Ramus doesn't want Max's help. Max, reading something that someone else wrote is listening to other people! And Max acknowledges that a few pages later, saying books are like people. Ramus is still so sad. I love the perspective we suddenly get as the camera angle zooms out and shows us our two ghosts in silhouette.

10 year timeskip, and Ramus is now at Ghost House 2.0 instead of the original Ghost House. Acantha! Ramus is still using the calming exercise Max taught him. I love the way Acantha looks so sad but also with so much trust towards Ramus. Oops, Ramus seems to think Max's method doesn't actually work. Oh yeah, Max uses they/them pronouns (only known from the author commentary). The changes in Ramus' hand looks scary.

End of chapter!

That was sad. Onwards to the last complete Gone Fishing.

Gone Fishing 6: Wandering Souls
We open immediately where GF5 left off: with Bavel, Gallo, and Hessa meeting two other ghosts: Sazon and Tostada. The new characters have no connection with Schnell's "family," and they can be happy without him. Ah, I see some snark in the comments from four years ago. Past me said

"Oh, Schnell is the reason we're all ghosts. But we don't know that. "And the author respondedHahah well. not all of them. Some ghosts turn simply because neither Schnell nor Bells got to them in time.Wow, Hessa's world seems completely upended by the revelation that you can just tell Schnell no. Team-up time! Bavel's skin is transluscent, and Tostada's questions make everyone uncomfortable. I absolutely love the dynamic between these ghosts. Uh oh, there's a cuco, and Hessa goes to talk to it in private. Hessa just became aware that it's possible to say no to Schnell, but they'd probably still struggle to avoid doing exactly what he tells them to do.

Ah, I love the contrast: Sazon and Gallo are both winged ghosts who can't fly. Sazon loves thinking about how their future transformations might help, but Gallo, who has been hurt by a lifelong stream of anti-ghost propoganda from Schnell and humans, wants to avoid thinking about it. Also, Gallo needs help holding food. Oh my Guardians, I love the conversation with the cuco. It starts to dawn on Hessa that Schnell is too far away to protect them. And now they are realizing they might have been better off without Schnell. C'mon, Hessa, tell Gallo the truth now!

Sazon and Tostada have always been in danger from the Guardians, and they're so calm about it. Now we get to learn who Chapin is! She's a giant sea dragon monster! And she's totally friendly. She's the one Schnell alluded to when talking to the Cuco in the Chapter 7 prologue. Traumatic flashback to giant monster Max. I love the contrast between Hessa and Gallo freaking out while Sazon and Tostada are so happy. Also, I guess this is our first time seeing Max in color. Chapin hurling Gallo into the air so Gallo can glide is so adorable. The view Gallo, and we, get is incredible. Ah, he saw the birds flying away from the guardians. Hessa is worried, but Sazon and Tostada are still so happy.

Wow, I love the massive rapid shift in tone on this next page, from happy ghosts having fun to Meynia the water guardian coming to attack Chapin. This is Meynia's second appearance in the comic overall, after their one page in Gone Fishing 1. I also love the visuals of a tiny flower creature popping out of the water and lifting a giant dragon. Noooo! Chapin! I can feel the tears in the ghosts' eyes as they run. Wow, the way Meynia turns into a steam snake seems really scary. The ghosts are so dejected as they separate. Another cuco is here, and so is Schnell! Schnell scolds Hessa for leaving Gallo's village, and Hessa still needs a lot of time to unpack a lifetime of abuse and gaslighting from this guy. Their intra-eye-heterochromia really plays well with the terror pouring from Hessa's eyes and body. Yet, as the author points out in the comments, the Guardians are just as bad as Schnell, or maybe worse. Hessa is not a child. "I'm trying to be civil:" fuck you Schnell.

The other ghosts are having a goodish time telling stories about Chapin when Hessa enters and says they "have" to go back to Gallo's village. But at least they get to talk about other ghosts they new first. Sazon and Tostada leave to continue their exploration, while Gallo, Hessa, and Bavel make it clear they are going to Adaluxen to help Acantha. As they depart, everyone looks happy and determined. The sky, clouds, and light in the background are gorgeous. Gallo's final line as they all walk away makes me giggle.

End of chapter!
This chapter started and ended the happiest in the entire series, broken up in the middle with a character we like getting brutally murdered by a Guardian, and a deputized guardian gaslighting. I know I say every chapter of this comic is an emotional rollercoaster, but it's extra true now. It also reminds us that this world is so big and has so much lore, and we've only seen a tiny sliver of it.

Gone Fishing 7: A rare meeting
One Gone Fishing is followed immediately by another. The description in the archive for this chapter saysThe guardians meet for a fateful decision.We start with Ciante, Dehra, Fanud, and Meynia talking about the ghost problem: they avoid hurting Schnell, and that results in needing to fight big monsters later. But they say Schnell is Bells' servant, which seems off: I guess because Bells made Schnell a deputized guardian? They say that Raju is "Meynia," because she is "caring for plagues." The guardians agree to talk to Syias, presumably leading up to Syias' decree to kill all ghosts, unless this is later and it's leading up to a plan to kill Schnell. The imagery of all the guardians departing is incredible.

End of chapter! The chapter was only two pages. There was no time for an emotional rollercoaster, but it was still quite powerful to read.

Next up is the 7th anniversary illustration, which shows the almost full cast floating in space. Schnell looks at ease as he attacks Syias. The cucos, the guardians, and the Cosmic Fish also look at ease, and Tostada seems elated to fly or fall. But most of the other characters look to be flailing in terror. Zoeh looks annoyed. Even Gallo, who can glide, seems uncomfortable. Oh hey, the mayor from chapter 3 is here.

Then we wait a whole year for the 8th anniversary illustration, which shows the five ghosts from Gone Fishing 6, playing on the beach, drawing pictures of ghosts in the sand. Also some cute birds in the background.

And that's the end. Though Cosmographia announced Chapter 9 was planned, it never happened. What will become of Hessa, Gallo, and Bavel's attempts to help Acantha? What does Schnell plan to do with the Cosmic Fish? Is he really planning to help ghosts, or is he going to use the power to benefit himself in a way that incidentally helps ghosts? Why don't the guardians make more ghosts into deputized guardians? What will happen to Ramus? Will Zoeh stop ACABing and help the ghosts? And how will Acantha tie everything together?

Even though we never find the answers to these questions, I am still glad I reread this comic. It game me a whirlwind of happiness, laughs, and sadness for these characters.

#CosmicFish #Webcomics

2something Feb 27

Today, I reread the last completed "regular" chapter of Cosmic Fish! Spoilers incoming.

Chapter 8 prologue:
Now we begin the last "regular" chapter of Cosmic Fish! We open with a flashback previously seen in the Chapter 5 transition video: Acantha sits in a lush forest in the rain, right after running away from the other ghosts, and Schnell confronts her. The scenery is gorgeous as always, and Schnell is so cruel. He knows exactly why Acantha ran way! He just dismisses all his "children" monsterifying, and Acantha points out that Schnell knows some way to avoid it himself. I love the effects of the rain mixing with Acantha's tears. Whoah, suddenly Schnell shifts to giving what seems like good advice?!? I love Schnell as a villain because he's both extremely easy to hate and extremely unpredictable in his occasional help. Acantha and Ramus previously noted they aren't really ghosts, and now Schnell reaffirms that:

All of you are very much alive.Jump forward, now we see Acantha with blood on her hands, right after her fateful decision to kill a human. Amazing that Schnell manages to keep his giant smile while still looking angry. And NOW he gets pure scary. I like the page taghell they haven't talked in present time at allChapter 8: No Out
Back in the present, the chapter proper begins with Zoeh's boss giving a recap, and insisting they have to kick ghosts out to boost tourism revenue. Notably, he doesn't actually know that Acantha has killed someone, so this decision is motivated by ghostphobia. Huh, we see Zoeh's boss talking with someone else in the first panel of the next page: what are they talking about? Syias is still misgendering Acantha: why? I love the way we see the Cuco move through the city.

Chapter cover page and we change scenes to Acantha and Krazzle. Wow, Acantha is trying incredibly hard to hold it in in front of the ghostphobes. Zoeh is going to constantly watch Acantha. Ooh, nice to see Acantha steal a pinwheel for the child. And I need to remind myself that Zoeh does not know Acantha killed someone: she's being treated badly soley because she is a ghost. Bells and the rabbitfish are so adorable.
Now we have two things going on simultaneously. Zoeh and Acantha finally clarify the lore around Guardian speech: Young humans and ghosts can instinctively understand Bells, but adult humans can't. Zoeh has never heard any of the guardians except Bells or Syias speak. Meanwhile, IT'S FINALLY HEAR! The Cosmic Fish appears on panel with Bells and the rabbit.

Ah, I love Acantha's questions. A mix of what she actually wants and naive questions about human culture to throw Zoeh off. I also love Ada trying to interrupt Zoeh even though she can't hear him. Also, I love the parallel between humans not knowing some parts of their history and the ghosts not knowing theirs. Also also, we have confirmation that this country is Yarea, the kingdom that fought the Monster King centuries ago. And Zoeh says she isn't afraid of Acantha.

A cuco sighting is noteworthy enough for Zoeh to separate from Acantha. Ah, yay, Acantha and Ada get to snark at each other:)

Acantha's eyes look mesmerized seeing ordinary coins, and bam, we jump to the Cosmic Fish, who can spit out paper from his mouth, which the rabbitfish writes on and puts back in. Do the Guardians all take orders from the Cosmic Fish, or is he merely facilitating communication between them? And what does Schnell hope to gain by capturing him? Back to our ghost, Acantha is making progress with her questions and hi Midah! Also, hi to the guy Acantha stole fruit from in Chapter 5! Acantha's good at asking questions, but not so great at covering her tracks when she steals.

Midah lays out exactly what he wants, and it just so happens to be the same as what Acantha wants. Finally, we have a true team-up between these two!

Back to the gods, the Cosmic Fish declares Bells guilty, and warns she'll be reset if she fails again. Wow, Bells looks so deflated. I can understand her without a translator. Also, hi comment from old me four years agoWHO HURT BELLS!?!Why did I say that? I know who hurt her. But I managed to get a reply from Cosmographia:bureaucracy and work performance grades, I'm sureBack to the mortals, a cuco is strong enough to survive the strongest attacks from the guards unharmed. Acantha and Midah together are the ultimate snark team. Acantha no! Don't lie to Phil about where you got the money. I love the imagery of Zoeh getting angry. Who are the "Heirs" that both Bells and the Cosmic Fish refer to? I love Bells' "Acantha is good" immediately juxtaposed with our girl's hijinx. Midah's excessive "Go"s crack me up.

Wow, the change in color scheme as Acantha descends into the dark really hammers home the mood change. Also, this page's character tags includes a character called "and UHHHH a light!" I stand by my comment from four years ago:"and UHHHH a light!" is my new favorite character.Schnell and Syias are here! Schnell and Acantha finally talk, while Zoeh freaks out about the cuco. This chapter is our first indication humans seem more afraid of cucos than ghosts.

Acantha has the right idea: Midah, Ramus, Krazzle, and Bells have all shown more compassion than anyone else Acantha knows, and even Zoeh is way better than Schnell. Again, Schnell tries his Count-Olaf-Style "I helped you with the problem I created for you" routine, and Acantha sees right through it. And there it is: Ramus is alive!

The author commentsWould YOU listen to Schnell if you were in the same position as Acantha at this point? Genuinely curious, answer away!And the answer, for me, is no. I wouldn't. Acantha still doesn't know Syias wants to kill all ghosts, though.

Midah and Zoeh realize they both want to help our girl, and oops! It's the rich assholes Acantha stole from!

Scene change, Schnell tries a "we're not so different" routine, before telling us that his ability to avoid mosterifying is due to "the time you're an actual ghost." After Schnell lied to Acantha and the other ghosts for her entire life, now he wants her to believe him when he loredrops about the cycle of ghosts. Schnell alleges that when the guardians "save" a young ghost, they do not pass to an afterlife or reincarnate as a living person: they just reform as another ghost, and this repeats until the guardians fail to help them in time, resulting in a solid creature like Acantha. However, the guardians have the option to instead turn a ghost into a creature like Schnell, who will not monsterify, but they have only done this once. That also explains why Schnell calls Bells "mother."

Acantha seems to react as if she believes Schnell. I think if I were in her position I wouldn't believe him: I'd assume this was all another attempt at gaslighting. Ah, right, Schnell told us what he wants the Cosmic Fish for: it can instantly communicate between the metaphorical "islands." Unless he's lying again.

Back in town, Acantha's lie to Krazzle comes back to bite her. Zoeh does seem like she wants to help? But Acantha just had her world flip upside down, so she's even less receptive to anyone offering help than she might otherwise be. Oh my Guardians, traumatic flashback, as Zoeh asks the same things Ramus did after Acantha killed someone. Ramus' "there's no solution" is at the forefront of her mind due to what Schnell said. Zoeh can't see that Acantha isn't even talking to her: just to Acantha's memory of Ramus. Wow, my eyes are watering. Well, one of my eyes, anyways. I think I really love this quote by our girl Acantha.I'm not a child! If I was, then that means Bells has failed me and all the other ghosts every. Day. It means you and all the other hunters have been killing children. And I don't want to think about that right now.Zoeh at least reacts by trying to help Acantha, but she's completely shut everyone out. And now Bells seemingly confirms that she can indeed turn ghosts into deputized guardians to save them. But Acantha also confirms she was attacked by cucos as a ghost, and we know who is responsible for that (but Acantha doesn't.) The beuaty of the night and the city melds with Acantha's crushing dispair. Also, the Cucos look genuinely worried, which seems new.

That was probably the biggest emotional rollercoaster in the series. It was also the last completed "regular" chapter of Cosmic Fish! Next up, I'll reread the extra material and the remaining Gone Fishings.

#CosmicFish #Webcomics

2something Feb 24

Cosmic Fish Reread! Spoilers! Heart-wrenching confrontations of internalized ghostphobia! I continue rereading Cosmic Fish and rambling about my thoughts.

Chapter 7 Prologue: Impulse
We open with a past moment of young Acantha and young Ramus escaping from some sort of jail. Ramus started a fire to help them escape, and he tells Acantha that Schnell's "rule" isn't really helping. Wow, I love the emotion in Acantha and in the scene change.

Syias destroys a cuco. We don't know why yet, but it is suggestive. There's a short animation of a cuco walking towards us...and Syias kills more of them. The Cucos talks to Schnell, and we see they report about happenings in the world to him, and apparently take instructions from him. Or maybe he's just being his usual condescending self. I love love LOVE seeing how angry he is to hear what Bells and Acantha are up to. Now that we finally have it (mostly) confirmed that the cucos work for Schnell, it paints a different picture as to what the cuco in chapter 1 was doing: Helping Schnell hinder Bells in stopping the ghosts' transformations.

Chapter 7: Adaluxen
We begin the chapter proper with Bells and Acantha on the road. Everything is gorgeous, and I love Acantha's new hat. Bells can't talk her way past humans here, so our hero makes a disguise! I love the way she handles this. I like the Ciante masks on background characters. Acantha puts her thief skills to use sneaking around town in disguise. So Bells is the one steering the combo fake-human disguise. Literally "a ghost and a guardian in a trenchcoat." Something about the image of our duo in front of all these stained glass walls gives me a heart-wrenching feeling. Whoops! Of all the people you could steal a mask from, you chose Midah!

It turns out finding one dragoncat in a big city is hard. Acantha may never have come to a settlement this large, so she might not have thought of that before hand. Nice callback to the starfaces...uh oh, Bells is no longer underneath Acantha.

Schnell in a trenchcoat confronts Bells about the "deal" falling through. He does raise a good point that hiding the truth from Acantha is a bad idea, but he's never taken his own advice: he's been lying to and manipulating the ghosts for their entire lives.

Back to Acantha, I love the effect of her getting overwhelmed by directions. Midah! Midah is genuinely a decent guy, but Acantha has no reason to trust him and lots of reasons not to. Ah, awkward questions about ghosts that Midah's sister wanted him to ask. This has clear analogues with real marginalized people. Midah seems to get the message, though.

Back to Bells and the real monster. Oh my Guardians Schnell is so hateable.

Now are girl has found Krazzle! Krazzle is frazzled to see Acantha. Uh oh, the statue of the deputized guardian noticed her, and now the cops arrived. Krazzle is strong enough to take down a cop with a flick of his foot. Zoeh makes her series debut! Bells puts her hand in front of the other cop's gun and takes the bullet. I love that asshole's "oh no, oh no." All the humans now freak out at Bells saving a ghost.

"Divine Raju, you can't keep monsters as pets." I love this line, though apparently Acantha doesn't. Bells is still only telling a half-truth, that she "saw another monster." Everything about this palace is gorgeous, aside from the actions of the people in it. Ada finally gets a moment to talk to Acantha alone. I still love Midah's sass. Ada makes it clear the other guardians have outvoted Bells, at least in this city. The strange thing is that Ada claims not to know who Schnell is. Oh my Guardians, Ada has to ask Midah about the lore when arguing with Bells. I love everything about this scene. Yay, our girl is reunited with Krazzle and Bells! Ada still doesn't know the lore. I love Phil's progression of body expressions and Midah's responses. Ah, Ada, when you attack the snake girl you attack the catdragon. You can't try to kill one and have the other like you. Midah, at last, convinces Ada and Zoeh not to kill Acantha. Yet, at least. Do catdragons purr?

Zoeh makes her announcement to shock and awe from the crowd, and outrage from Schnell. I love the glares between Acantha and Zoeh. Oops, Krazzle informs us that no one knows where Ramus' body is. That could complicate things. And now, finally, our girl has an existential meltdown. Anyone else in her position would have had one a long time ago. This is such a powerful parting between Bells and Acantha. As Krazzle reveals more of the rumors, our girl gets an idea. Lheur the bunny is here, and so is Syias. So far, the festival is going fine. Oh hey, it's a comment by me from six years ago:

Something will go very wrong very soon.Acantha "wants to start asking questions again." The dialogue between her and Krazzle is so sweet, and we get confirmation Acantha did indeed intend to kill the person she killed. End of chapter!

This chapter was another emotional rollercoaster. It almost seems like Acantha and Bells are making progress in winning grudging tolerance from humans, but there's still so much we don't know, and Syias and Schnell are both ready to cause trouble.

Gone Fishing 5: The Good Ghosts
Hessa, Gallo and Bavel arrive at Gallo's home, but Gallo's nana doesn't want him hanging with the other ghosts. Gallo wants to show the humans in his village that Bavel and Hessa are "good ghosts," while Bavel and Hessa are skeptical. Bavel points out that Ramus was a good ghost and the Guardians killed him anyways. Is Bavel calling Schnell or "big baby," or is Bavel referring to Acantha? Bavel decides to stay inside. Gallo has a point about Acantha: she's been without Schnell's "protection" for years and survived. Which should maybe lead Gallo to think critically about Schnell. I love Hessa's questions. "If I changed, would I not be 'good' anymore?" Gallo shows really intense internalized ghostphobia. Also, I love the simultaneous discussions by the ghosts in the foreground and the humans in the background. Gallo says the humans have "been proven wrong," but the humans in the background don't seem to think so. I feel Hessa getting exhausted by the humans and Gallo and turning back. Ooo, flashback to when Ramus left the other ghosts. Everything about Hessa and Bavel's conversation is heart-wrenching.

So Hessa knows that the cuco's send messages to Schnell, and they've known the whole time, and they've kept it a secret from the other ghosts. Did they know about the cucos interfering with Bells like in Chapter 1? Do they know Schnell is behind the ghosts being what they are? Oh no, Gallo finally said it: he's afraid of ghosts that "aren't like me." Hessa points out Gallo is, in essense, pretending to be human. The allegory is quite powerful. But Gallo looking back on his childhood photos is another gut-punch. Gallo is coming with! I like the montage, although it hits a bit differently in the different art style. Hessa is lying about how Schnell knows what's happening. New ghosts!
End of chapter!

This chapter made the metaphour of ghosts as real marginalized people clearer than it has been up until now. It was yet another emotional rollercoaster.

#CosmicFish #Webcomics

2something Feb 23

My reread of Cosmic Fishes continues! Spoilers incoming.

Chapter 6: Sticks and Stones
Acantha said no, Bells. Guardians (or at least Bells) are anosmiac. We don't get represented in comics very often. Wow, the dialogue between Acantha and Bells is heartwrenching. Hessa seems happy to see Gallo. Bavel does not look amused.

Bells asked humans for food and gives it to Acantha. Now we get Acantha opening up about why she hates Bells. The collar hurts her every time she gets angry. Bells reaches to take it off, but Acantha refuses, asking if it is stopper her from changing into a monster. Wow, everything is so sad. Acantha has survivor's guilt. Suddenly we get translations of Bells' signs, which give us more precision in her meaning. Now we jump back to Bavel, Gallo, and Hessa. Not telling Bavel is a bad idea. Oh guardians, I love that the author tagged the page "Gallo you better not be using the honesty comment as an excuse or validation for what you did back in chap 3." There's a world of difference between honesty and breaching confidentiality.

Back to Acantha. Are those teardrops in Bells' eyes? I don't see any in Acantha's eyes. I love the effect of Bells' speech bubbles showing flashback images. Acantha, you are still blaming the wrong person. It isn't Bells who is responsible for you ghostifying: it's Schnell.

Now we're back to the other ghosts. Bavel has run away. Hessa wants to "fix" things without involving Schnell: are the other ghosts starting to get the hint about him?

Scene change again!

We're back to Acantha thinking about Ramus. She gives us exactly what we need: speculation about the physics of Guardian hair. It's Dehra, appearing in the main story for the first time! In "The Toy," Dehra seemed the friendliest Guardian aside from Bells, but Acantha still has to be terrified.

Scene change back to the other ghosts.

Bavel is with Fanud, the Guardian of Earth, who is also appearing in the main story for the first time. Bavel calls the guardian "Candir" for some reason? And the author comment links to a now-deleted Youtube video. Gallo comes to the rescue, but Bavel has transformed into a more horrifying form. She wants to know why the guardians killed Ramus. This is an example of why keeping secrets from kids is a bad idea.

Now we're back to Acantha and Dehra. "Grass-hole", heh. What is our girl doing in this temple? Oh my Guardians, I love the imagery of the red vines coming out of Dehra and grappling Acantha. Bells to the rescue! Acantha maybe you'll wanna apologize to Bells when you get a chance? Ah, the star thing translates Dehra's words. Acantha is starting to see Bells wasn't the problem.

Back to the other ghosts, Fanud brings down a giant fist right over Gallow and then...stops. Is Fanud more willing to tolerate the ghosts than Dehra, or does Acantha get less leeway due to her estrangement from Schnell? Fanud only got half a page in The Toy, so this is our first real sense of who she is. And we don't get much time before jumping back to Bells and Dehra. "Broken Raju, do your role:" I love how small and scared Bells looks hanging on these threads.

Oh yeah, this is also the page where a linguist fan deciphered the guardian language in the comments, and the author confirms and expands on it. I'm glad I'm reading this on the website.

Finally, at long last, we have Acantha teaming up with Bells! Dehra is small when you take him out of his bush. Now we get the real threat: the other guardians can "reset" Acantha, killing her current incarnation and taking some of her memories. And her next incarnation might not be as friendly to the ghosts.

Now we're back to the other ghosts, with Bavel talking Fanud out of hurting them. I love the older ghosts' reactions.

Bavel relays the bad news: Syias has decreed that the guardians must kill all ghosts, voiding their past agreement with Schnell. Fanud doesn't want to do it, but the other guardians aside from Bells likely will. It's gotta be terrifying to learn the gods have all decided to (re)kill you. Hessa finally realizing keeping things from Bavel was a mistake, as the trio head for Gallow's family's home. Is that Schnell in the grass? He's not tagged, but I bet it's him.

Scene change, I love the irony of Acantha telling Bells that Bells is not broken. Oh right, the author commentary tells us the guardian language is called "Anshais." Acantha should take her own advice. Our unlikely duo heads back to Adaluxen to say goodbye to Ramus. The sunrise is beautiful. End of chapter!

This was fun. We get to see a side of the guardians, all of them, that we've never seen before. Acantha and Bells finally team up, and we move into a new phase of the story.

Next there's some cute guest art before another Gone Fishing.

Gone Fishing 4: Monster King
I don't know why the only ebooks for Cosmic Fish are Gone Fishing 1 and Gone Fishing 4, but it's time to reread the second of those ebooks. Also, it's in black and white. The author comment says it's a legend told by humans, so it may be inaccurate, and that it's the darkest story so far. We begin 250 years ago, with the King of Kiden going through existential angst. Monsters only appeared "recently" as of 250 years ago (as far as humans know, anyways), and the King things he can exploit them as beasts of war. Is that Schnell in his dream? Ah, maybe I should be following both the ebook and the online version, since Schnell is indeed tagged online. So the "Monster King" imprisons and enslaves a bunch of monsters and things he's helping, and he's causing so much pain that Schnell comes across as the reasonable party. The Monster King claimed he was fighting for peace, but he refuses a treaty that would give him everything he initially asked for. He's become the true monster, until he is abruptly killed by his mount.

Concept art and commentary! The author wanted this story to read completely differently if someone from a human (in-world) perspective hears it than if someone with the perspective of the ghosts hears it. I guess I only really got the ghost perspective, because that's most of what we've gotten in the story so far.

Okay, bonus pages where the statue of the deceased Queen Efraisa is talking with Schnell. She was sympathetic to ghosts, ever since seeing one in her childhood. Was that a ghost who came before Schnell, or is Schenll already older than a human at this point? I love the image of the statue crying: Niobe comes to mind. End of story!

One thing I wonder reading this story is whether Schnell was already sabatoging the guardians even then?

Back to the online archive, we get a "Chapter 1-6 recap," narrated by Schnell. Schnell is aware that we weren't reading in chronological order: I like that. Schnell talks about Acantha wasting the oppertunity he "gave her," neglecting to mention his role in her creation (which makes sense since this is a recap and we haven't learned it yet.) But the suspiciously says "I'm partly to blame." Ah, I like how he draws attention to the question of Phil's species, which is definitely not a type of monster. Schnell calls Syias "McPointyfeet." Ah, Schnell demonstrates he is unhappy that Bavel convinced one of the guardians not to kill her. For all his talk about helping ghosts, Schnell really is the most sadistic monster. And Schnell almost gives us a title-drop for the first time in the series, but stops just short of doing so.

#Webcomics #CosmicFish

2something Jan 17

My reread of Cosmic Fish continues!

Chapter 4 prologue: Recap
Of course, we don't really need a recap for the plot, because there's been so little. We need a recap for the lore. But our recap shows us young Acantha more clearly that we've seen her before, in the moment Bells failed to help her.

Chapter 4: Guardian of the Ghosts

The cover page shows our girl reflected in something...and there's an animation at the top. What does it mean? The chapter proper flashes us back to Acantha first waking up as a monster ghost, with no memories of her past life. Schnell is here to "help" her. Acantha thinks Bells didn't want to help her, not realizing the reason Bells failed is speaking to her now. I'd forgotten that Acantha was attacked by a Cuco as she was moster-ifying: definitely nagging at my suspicious about the Cuco's being connected to Schnell. He looks gleeful as he tells her she's dead. Acantha's first instict about Schell is right. As Acantha cries, Schnell pretends he will tell her "the serious thing" some other time (that she will turn into a monster). Schnell calls Bells "mother," and she looks seriously pissed at him. She accuses Schnell of "cheating." Back to Acantha, Schnell tries his hardest to manipulate her. He'll "keep her safe." Acantha says she's a girl. She almost seems like she's starting to trust Schnell. Ah, the bedtime story of Gone Fishing 1 makes me giggle to hear as a callback. Oh, an "extra" gag comic of Schnell drinking tea with his mouth closed. Here's the first mention that the guardians can "die," and dying causes them to reset and forget their experiences. What is that path that Schnell wants her to avoid?

Aww, seeing Hessa and Ramus welcome Acantha to their family is so sweet. The ghosts would make a good family if it wasn't for Schnell. Max "had to leave:" not suspcious at all! Ah, Hessa wants to avoid telling Acantha that ghosts turn into monsters, hoping that not knowing will cause her to not transform. Irony: Acantha thinks stealing "doesn't sound right." Now we hear Hessa confirm what was hinted at earlier: she wants to know if a ghost will avoid turning into a monster if they don't know they will. Ramus hints that when we heard Max "had to leave," it meant they turned into a monster. Also, I like seeing them speculate about the lore. Bells watches with sadness as Acantha becomes part of Ramus' family.

Now our girl gets a lesson in stealing. Ghosts are formed knowing how to speak the local language, but they have to learn how to read. Acantha is freaked out by her own reflection. That explains the chapter cover. Acantha finds and Acantha plant, and decides that's her name. Ramus really knows how to give an inspiring speech. These two are really good for each other. What did Bells just do?

Oh I see, Bells took all the stolen stuff that Acantha dropped and put it back in its place. Now Acantha's musings on her life hit me hard: "I was just wondering how different things would be if I remembered the difference." Ramus tells Acantha her body will keep changing, but not that she'll eventually become a monster. Acantha raises the point that Schnell, who claims he was the first ghost, has stopped changing and has not become the kind of "monster" the Guardians fear. Of course that assumes even a word of what Schnell told her was accurate. Acantha and Ramus seem truly happy as Bells and Schnell watch.

Schnell says "What I'm doing is giving them a second chance. To give them a purpose, after you failed them. Now, what's so wrong about that?" My mind immediately drifts to Count Olaf, claiming he's obviously done a benevolent thing by providing a home for three orphans. Schnell even calls himself a "guardian." And sure, Schnell is a bit more subtle in his villainy, as the ghosts under Schnell's "protection" don't immediately realize he's evil. But Schnell's and Olaf's claims of virtue fall apart for the same reason when you point out why the children need a new home to begin with.

Oh my guardians, the ending page gives me such conflicting emotions: everything and everyone looks so sweet, but Schnell's ominous words are on top of it. I think, as Schnell points out, this chapter hits me harder because I know what's coming.

Gone Fishing 2: Gift Day
Hessa has created a new holiday for the ghosts, called Gift Day! They celebrate by giving each other gifts and being happy. Also, hi Bavel. Acantha made a holiday card for Schnell, which he runs off and gives to Bells. Bells already knew about Gift Day, of course. Dang, he just leaves Acantha's beautiful drawing on the ground, because he has "bigger fish to fry."

This story is only six pages long, but I like it. It gives us a chance to see the young ghosts happy together when Schnell isn't there, and shows how Schnell manages to seem sympathetic to the ghosts.

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2something Jan 17

My reread of Cosmic Fish continues!
Chapter 3: Mayor Pain and the Star-Faces
The cover page shows Acantha, Pain, and Gallo drawn in a very different style. The star-faces have started eating the pastries? At least they aren't eating Acantha. Gallo carries Acantha away. Hmm, the way Acantha and Gallo are only half-hidden by the stone walls does not look good if the star-faces see through human-like means. Good on Acantha pointing out Gallo's hypocrisy. I like the contrast of Gallo's "we can't stay here because we have to get home" with Acantha's "well I don't have a home anyways so why not?"

So we find a tiny stature of a star-face, looking almost Bells-like? And suddenly there's a cute animation. So a sneeze is what gets Acantha to leave. At last, the star-face enters and explains (in writing) that they can eat people without hurting them: they are just keeping the Mayor warm during the winter. The rabbitfish blows past the window in an animation! Poof, we're somewhere else, and Ciante, Guardian of the Skies, makes his debut outside of Gone Fishing. Ciante tries to eat our protagonists: our first clear indication as to what the non-Bells guardians do to the ghosts? Poof, they're back home, but the rabbitfish escapes from Acantha's grasp. Acantha, did you really think you could hold that creature?

We're back home, but, as Acantha reminds us, it's not really home for her: it's "familiar territory." Gallo is surprised to learn a Cuco attacked a Acantha or show up in Bells' temple. Hmm, I'm wondering if if it's a coincidence that Schnell looks like a Cuco. I don't remember if we learn that. More lore about ghosts! Ramus grew, and Gallo is scared. Oh yeah, Acantha has been repeatedly stating for years that Cucos attack unformed ghosts. That's making me more suspicious about the Cuco Schnell connection. No Gallo, Acantha is not going to apologize for teleporting you somewhere else because she didn't do it, the rabbitfish did! But good on you not turning her in. "Don't tell Schnell:" Acantha namedrops Schnell for the first time, while fellow ghost-monsters Bavel and Hessa are also mentioned. Acantha rightfully doesn't trust Schnell, but Gallo still believes Schnell is keeping the ghosts safe. And I love that Acantha's plan just boils down to "ask Phil."

As Acantha sleeps on Gallo's porch, the star from the star-face beeps again. Suddenly, it's sad again. Acantha hasn't talked to her former friends since they "kicked her out." She's happy to have a pillow, at least. End of chapter!

Chapter 3 epilogue:
Gallo speaks to a mysterious newcomer. It's morning, and Acantha eavesdrop as she hears Ramus is missing. Acantha thinks "don't tell him:" our big hint as to who Gallo is speaking to. Oops, he broke his promise not to tell. Schell tells us the rabbitfish's name is Lheur, and the author clarifies that it is pronounced "lure." Acantha looks so dejected as she leaves. Finally, we see Schnell's face. Gallo, Acantha heard you doing the one thing she begged you not to do, and you've been calling her a thief for the last two chapters. You don't get to be shocked that she stole your pillow. Schnell is listening, of course. We close with a dark flashback to Schnell standing over a baby Acantha, delivering an ominous message. He really is a great villain.

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2something Jan 16

My reread of Cosmic Fish continues. Spoilers a'hoy!

Chapter 2 (prologue):

Acantha wakes and immediately goes back to sleep. Hmm, is that the mysterious bunny again? Our protagonist examines herself, maybe to check if she is further monster-ifying. She's doing pretty great! Those are some really big pigs...splat! And the bunny is back.

Chapter 2 (main):

Hi Gallo! A mysterious new bird monster looks down at a beautiful town. There's our girl Acantha. Whoops! Looks like Gallo caught her! Now we get a sense of who Gallo is: he's a ghost who tries to stop other ghosts from stealing from humans in his town. Unfortunately for him, Acantha is another ghost stealing from humans in Gallo's town. We get more Acantha sass: "rejected piece of poultry." Wow, Acantha completely changes her tone when she brings up who she is stealing for: Ramus. The fact that Acantha suddenly gets sad when talking about her friend for the first time on panel hits me extra hard knowing what happens to him later. These two ghosts talk vaguely about what happens to ghosts if they stay ghosts for long enough. They both know it, but we don't (yet). Rabbitfish has Gallo's mask!

I feel like I'm with Gallo here: why would Acantha forget about helping Ramus to go chase after this random bunny? Aaaand now I'm not with Gallo anymore. "One of the good ones" my ass. Oh right, it's the collar: I completely forgot about the collar being something Acantha can't get off herself. Now her impulsive run towards the bunny makes more sense. Hurray, teleportation weirdness! So Acantha believes the rabbit gave Bells a collar, which Bells put on Acantha. And there we have it: Bells gave her the collar because Acantha killed someone.

Oh, these two deciding to team up despite their animosity are so fun. Of course Acantha isn't worried about getting home, since she doesn't have a home, while Gallo does. Acantha smells a whole bunch of pasteries, mysteriously sitting out unattended on a table. Suddenly, "Mayor Pain" shows up. He apparently only speaks French, and we don't have a translator. Or maybe he does speak English after all. The mayor is the only visible person in the winter solstice festival. Gallo, you're being rude to your host. Yay, more sass between our ghosts. Now Acantha finally says what the deal with creatures like her are: she's "a problem for guardians to fix after we continue to get worse." Ultimately I think this chapter encapsulates what makes the series so chilling for me. It starts out looking like it's about cute monsters living in a nice forest. The first Gone Fishing story tells us the all six of the gods of this world go through a lot of trouble to help every single person in the world. But the more we learn about the lore, the more depressing the world seems. It's not a conventional dystopia where an oppressive government imposes bad things on people: it's the physics of how magic works in this world that makes everything bad.

But Mayor Pain tells Acantha she is not a monster, while the rabbitfish watches...and now the starface seemingly eats the mayor. End of chapter!

That chapter was another emotional rollercoaster. I'd completely forgotten about Mayor Pain's advice to our protagonist. Onward to chapter 3!

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2something Dec 14, 2024