Upcoming new bunny comics i.e. Minna’s next work

[Jitter]

?? Who? What? Hh.. Haiz? Haiz! It’s you!



Hey guys, Haiz is here! Elder in the building, everyone look sharp!

It’s good to see you! I’ll calm down now and actually read your post soon

[Haiz]

look sometimes it's hard to choose between my cryptid status and my morbid fascination with minna's new era of comics. who else will understand

[thorny]

Seconding Jitter's post.

And I agree that people who don't act on things they think of carry no blame for thinking of them -- possibly are even more praiseworthy for not acting on them than those who don't have the thoughts. Does that make any sense?

Might have more to say later, want to think about that post.

[Jitter]

This is the more correct thread and the older one, the other one came to being because this is named before the title was known. In any case we have so much less traffic these days that there’s not much need for ”thread policing” any more, it’s not like dozens of messages are likely to create an unfathomable jumble anymore.

What you wrote seems right for me too. The earlier working title was something on the lines of From Depravity to something(good) and it seems her current theology strongly leans towards the idea that every human being is a horrible sinner.

In the other thread Wave(?? I hope I remember right) mentioned something that suddenly made me see SSSS as Minna’s earlier hyperfocus and now her own brand of Christianity as the current one. It doesn’t seem that far fetched now that I think of it. Her incessant work on SSSS earlier, including how she didn’t even take weekends as free might well qualiffy. I don’t want to make any assumptions of the mental and / or neuropsychiatric status of any real people but I have to agree that it seems some issues could be / have been easier to dealt with if suitable support was available.

I think she has mellowed a little about her earlier work, it’s still ”just entertainment” bit she admits they are “decent” so at least there doesn’t seem to be need to worry she’ll take everything down because of heathen content or something.

[dreki]

I'm just going to word vomit about the Pastor Anne bit of Act 1 and how frustrated/sad I am by Minna's dismissal of it because it kind of occurred to me recently and got a bit stuck.

So the whole bit of the testimony comic where she's like "Okay God if you want me to believe in you, like, help me out here"?

"You see, you were never abandoned. Only lost. But now you've been found, and we can all go home at last. If you wish to." - https://sssscomic.com/comic.php?page=890

That page just really feels to me like it's speaking directly to Minna's nihilism.  "We are not here for your salvation! We are the abandoned! The unjustly suffering! The world will be made to suffer with us! That is just! That is justice!" (previous page, 889) - Doesn't that sound a lot like Minna's worst thoughts in the testimony comic?

And then there is this calm, loving, Christian pastor greeting them and saying "I've been here the whole time, waiting for you". 

I get that she's ashamed by the paganism of the rest of it, but honestly wouldn't that just reaffirm the power of Jesus that even while she was mired in pagan imagery, Jesus still made his way to speak through her work?   

It just, it just rankles me that she's so eager to throw something that displayed so much talent under the bus that even though it's actually a strong argument in agreement with her current life view, she has to throw it away.

It's her right to, but it's sad to me.

it's just very.......... sad, i think.

This is how I feel.  May say more about your post later.

Hello I'm new-ish to the forum.

[wavewright62]

*waves at the bog creature enthusiastically*

Ja, Jitter, that was me.  I posted in the newer thread as a direct answer to a post there, but I also think this thread will morph into commentary beyond LP and the testimony comic, toward the animals-on-a-journey comic.

I agree with dreki about the strongly Christian message of the Pastor Anne arc, even though Minna herself says it predated her conversion.  It was a far stronger (and dare I say more positive) expression of Christian ideology than anything she's written since, and stands in stark contrast to the Christian pastor snivelling at the gates of Tuonela in ARtD.

[Róisín]

Good to see you back, Haiz! And yeah, I have noticed that the church militant seems to conduce to the encouragement of vices such as sadomasochism. And that the ‘miserable-sinner’ mindset provides far too many opportunities for people who shouldn’t be trusted with power at all to exercise a lot of power over other people. I distrust anyone who is motivated by having ‘power-over’.

Being myself an oldfashioned Pagan, I believe that people should bear the responsibility for and the consequences of their own actions. While clergy can be useful for the practical day-to-day business of religion, such as keeping track of what is considered the basic doctrine of the faith, whichever faith it is, giving service to their god or gods, and solemnising and keeping track of the births, deaths and marriages aspects of life, I do not believe that it is our place to stand between any soul and its god or gods. Then, I’m a Pagan. Christians seem to believe that it is the business of their clergy to ‘convert’ people. Each to their own, I suppose, but I fear a lot of ‘conversions’ are exploiting the damaged and fearful.

[dreki]

I agree with dreki about the strongly Christian message of the Pastor Anne arc, even though Minna herself says it predated her conversion.  It was a far stronger (and dare I say more positive) expression of Christian ideology than anything she's written since, and stands in stark contrast to the Christian pastor snivelling at the gates of Tuonela in ARtD.

I would join Pastor Anne's church. I would not join Minna's or the depiction in Lovely People. 

And yes the ARtD comparison - and that comic she says she's still fond of!

I do not believe that it is our place to stand between any soul and its god or gods.

This is a perfect way of phrasing it. Too many Christian leaders try to be the conduit between people and god.  Even so far as, in olden times, refusing to let bibles be translated to the common tongue.  I contrast that to Judaism which requires studying hebrew to be able to read the torah yourself. 

[dmeck7755]

Edited on January 2023 by Jitter.

Information about this thread, please read

Minna’s personal testimony comic A Meandering Path has been published and her next work, Journey Upstream has launched. This thread is for discussion of these works, their Christian and possible other themes etc. This thread is more of a meta-discussion, not about the stories per se but the messages and the thoughts and feelings provoked by them.

This thread will not use spoiler tags, all content and plot points can be discussed openly.

This thread contains direct and stark criticism of the strongly Christian works. It is not intended as criticism of Christianity or religion as a whole, but some of the discussion is likely to contain elements that criticize or comment against certain aspects of what some readers may consider important for their faith.

This thread is NOT reserved for negative comments about the works. Positive comments, praise, and counter arguments of the criticism presented is welcome.

Everyone is expected to NOT engage in criticizing the opinions, views or faith of others. Criticism of an aspect of religion is not intended as general religion bashing, and conversely, disagreeing with it is not to be taken as a blanket ”I’m right and you are wrong.” This is a discussion, not an argument.

At the time of writing the thread has remained very civilized, let’s keep up the good work!

Moderator out.






She released the Prologue.

It bothers me internally for some reason.

There is one panel that is a bit disturbing (in my opinion). Though people need to make their own choices

Spoiler: show

Animals are eating a dead horse, which looks like it ate a lemur of some sort.

I do not know much about Calvinism Is it really that harsh? In the US there are many Christian Extremists.  Maybe I have been lucky, The ones I know and talk to have always been kind and loving (My mum included)


This was something I picked up while googling why is Calvinism so mean

Spoiler: show

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/why-are-calvinists-so-mean/
NOTE: I thought this an interesting article.  I do not adhere to its tenants.

Though this was an interesting paragraph:

"2. I am differentiating mean Calvinism from “cage stage” Calvinism. If you’re not familiar with that phrase, “cage stage” refers to those who are new to Calvinism and so zealous/passionate about their new knowledge they ought to be locked in a cage for a while until they settle down, lest they hurt somebody. A lot of people emerge from the cage stage. The mean Calvinists I’m referring to are the ones who’ve been Calvinist long enough to have outgrown the cage stage. (Also, I’m of the opinion that most people who are new subscribers to any theology tend to go through similar cage stages. I’ve met plenty of social justice cage-stagers and anti-social justice cage-stagers, “progressive evangelicalism” cage-stagers, and so on. You probably have too. In fact, some of the meanest people I’ve known in church life and online have been angry about my Calvinism.)"

[Jitter]

Journey upstream

The first batch (pages 1-7) bothers me for many reasons, but the biggest is this: What the actual duck is this??

Spoiler: show

Why are rabbits and antelopes and deer eating meat?? Why use different kinds of animals if they all could live on veggies only, but don’t want to?

Animals eating meat aren’t cruel. Clearly this is trying to be metaphorical of something but for me it fails so utterly that I’m amazed. It’s not even silly, it’s stupid.

At the same time I love the design of the celestial lamb, and the scenery in the art illustrations is lovely as always. But if this level of stupidity will continue, I won’t be curious enough to be able to read.

[dreki]

I said this in the discord but

Spoiler: show

This isn't coming off as christian AT ALL - but it IS coming off as vegan.

And honestly Minna being vegan makes a ton of sense. Like the ultra judgemental, feeds her cats vegan food type of vegan. (Yikes)

Because if you see animal products and meat as cruelty and murder then actually yeah I see how you see humans as inherently the worst.

But the bible involves a lot of eating meat and fish so I'm confused how christianity comes into it but maybe she found a vegan christian cult?

[Jitter]

Dreki,

Spoiler: show

I see where you’re coming from but she’s not vegan. At least long after her baptism she was talking about making chicken for dinner on the streams. And notwithstanding whether one regards humsns eating meat as cruelty, carnivores certainly can’t be considered cruel. Or can they?

[angsttronaut]

All I can really say about the first seven pages of Journey Upstream is that they are certainly pages of a comic. It is not in the slighest bit subtle with what it's trying to convey, although I was not expecting that at this point.

Spoiler: show

The metaphor she's going for just doesn't work for me. Other than it being bizarre that all the animals instantly turn to murder when the lamb turns his back for a bit, (which seems to reflect the belief Minna has stated before that we are corrupt without God, which blech) there's a strong vibe that the animals eating meat is deeply unnatural... how are the carnivorous species in Journey Upstream going to eat, I wonder? Not especially looking forward to the next pages, but I am morbidly curious about what comes next.

[Jitter]

Angstronaut, yes, that’s exactly it! It’s wrong, but not the kind of wrong I think she’s trying for. Or maybe it is! She’s written horror before. Just doesn’t seem likely this would be intended as horror.

Spoiler: show

There seems to be a wolf or something similar happily eating mushrooms when the ”meadow” is getting started

[Haiz]

ohhh this journey upstream comic is going to be a can't-look-away trainwreck for me, i'm sure of it. may whatever gods are listening grant me the strength to walk away from it should it ever hurt my heart more than i can handle.

on a purely aesthetic level, the art is gorgeous. i love the stylization, the compositions, the use of color. i can even roll with the carnivorosity of the herbivores and the tigers chomping on mushrooms if i read it like a fable - like one of aesop's or noah's ark kinda vibes, a story told to explain WHY things are the way they are, set in the time before they became as we know them to be. a little mythmaking! i can dig that! it certainly looks like that's the genre this epilogue is trying to hit.

it's just, too bad that i deeply and fundamentally disagree with the core
philosophy of the story.

is it too early to tell? i Wish it was too early to tell, but i feel like LP and the testimony comic are very strong indicators of two things:
1) minna seems to believe humans are just inherently rotten, awful and destructively selfish on the inside
2) minna doesn't do a lot of digging into WHY humans act the ways they do, why there is injustice in the world or even what that injustice even looks like. which makes sense if you believe humans are just inherently Bad and do shitty things because that's in our nature, no need to look further than that right

in that sense, the carnivorous horses are kind of an apt metaphor for this world view. if we assume Eating Meat Bad, we cannot Understand an ecosystem. Carnivores Are Just Evil And They Eat Meat For Evil Reasons. nevermind that carnivores are a natural and important part of ecosystems! nevermind that they physically cannot live on mushrooms! in the same way, if you do not understand that human people tend to do things for a MYRIAD of actual reasons, the culmination of their experiences up to that point, even cruel and destructive actions - I don't really think anyone does things JUST because they're evil. not even minna at her most evil in her own testimonial comic DID anything outwardly cruel beyond harboring internal thoughts and feelings.

i did not at any point expect this comic to be anything different than what it is. which really is a shame, because i would have liked to read a pretty comic that explores faith centered conundrums and challenges. like, dreamworks' prince of egypt or the webcomic daughter of the lilies. i do not have a problem with a religious story. i just have a big problem with the assumption that people are bad.