layla: (Frank - make my day)
Layla ([personal profile] layla) wrote2008-05-21 04:03 pm

Consistency is for the weak

I'm working on "Midnight Sun" again! And I'm enjoying it! I forgot how much I love these characters and their dysfunctional family.

The big thing that had killed MS for me was the pervasive use of the yin-yang symbol. "Cultural appropriation" is the word that comes to mind here. I've spent the last year, off and on, trying to think of a way to get the same symbolism without stealing another culture's sacred religious symbol, and I actually came up with something so obvious that I can't believe I never thought of it. Instead of a yin-yang amulet, it's a broken amulet, cracked down the center. There's still some subtle yin-yang symbology, but more in a "you can see it if you really look" kind of way, rather than a jumping-up-and-down CULTURAL APPROPRIATION HAPPENING HERE! kind of way. Of course, this means I have to go through the existing artwork and touch up every place the amulet appears, but that's small potatoes compared to scrapping or rewriting the whole thing.

*cheers*

I'm also relettering while I'm at it, because I hated the word balloons before. Once I'm done with that, though ... I think I might put the next Kismet book on hold and focus on MS for a while. This book isn't very long. I might be able to start updating the comic again in the next few weeks.

Have taken down the MS website while I futz with the comic and the logo.

I'm also thinking about switching my journal back to the ad-sponsored account so that I can have more than six icons. I miss my iconses.

EDIT: This completely cracked me up. Since I spent most of Monday cleaning, I can relate!

Now back to the salt mines.