I feel bad erasing elpse’s face spots because they did work at first, but I quickly stopped drawing them, and over time the shape of elpse’s head changed and the spots did not fit as well. They were supposed to semi-circle from one point on the forehead bands to the other.

I used to want to also change kumquat’s computers all into space-wasting mainframe things, but I suppose here the whole room is supposed to be one. Generally I think modern tiny computers are less visually stylish, and show even less invention on my own part to include them. And this comic strip in general, especially this part, is very domestic and mundane. The one thing I am glad I did, even though it only is seen much later, is showing the money as little balls of fuzz instead of coins or shiny objects. But maybe little trinkets as currency is even mundane. Maybe currency is mundane. Maybe hands and faces, maybe all chordate features are mundane. Maybe words and emotions and time are mundane! Honestly, you need to lighten up.

But I ALSO don’t want to spend so very much time on stuff that I drew ten years ago. I would rather write new stories than alter old ones in superficial ways that take me forever for some reason. And that makes these write-ups less pleasant as well. What I can do, without making things harder, is remove thought baubles that do not accomplish anything. Sometimes it entertains me to have the characters say simple things in needlessly verbose ways, but sometimes it is just more words. Elpse initially thought “makes me mad” in the lower left frame. But elpse is obviously made mad! Many things cause this. It would be more noteworthy for elpse to thinkly proclaim “does not make me mad!” But elpse is becoming mad here, so no such negative negativity will be exhibited.

I also want to have elpse say “oh my squash” where once was said “oh my gourd,” since I imagined “oh my gourd” is too overused as a joke phrase, and squash additionally serves to hint at elpse’s affinity for pumpkins, but that appears to be an equally common joke phrase. Oh my scrod is less so. Of course scrod has no sway over elpse’s actions so this may be due for yet another alteration before I produce the printed edition. I will not keep you posted.