Oddford 25: Scheming Sneezes

Sorry Sarah, but you're a bit of a voice of reason at Oddford High, and some chaos needs to happen.

I thought how cute it would be if Sarah's friends take care of her when she's sick. It fit in perfectly with the current arc, so here it is. And oh yes, on some level, Karen *knows*.

Sarah, Labyrinth boys (c) Henson, Jones, Froud
Oddford (c) me

Oddford 24 New Kid in Town

Perfectly Valid Excuse #34: DA (where I ref all my descriptions for Oddford pages) was down for the first few weeks of school. Honest.


Rodion sure looks like one of those brooding charmers. Girls always seem to love that. Except for Sarah. it rare anything with a Y chromosome impresses her these days.

Obviously, I've been having fun with my visual coding. Spot the symbolism and win the internet. Hopefully I put in enough clues as to exactly where their biology teacher has been .

Sarah (c) Henson, Jones, Froud
Helena (c) Henson, Gaiman, McKean
Rodion (c) Dostoevsky
Turner (c) Disney, Rossio, and Elliot
Landon (c) legacy of Gaiman
Dr. Grant (c) Speilburg, Chricton
Calria, Oddford (c) ME

& I just figured out my sis-in-law & I have the same taste in blog layouts. Check her out: http://girlmeetsmat.blogspot.com/

Oddford 23: No Good Deed

...Goes without a left-handed blessing. Calria is getting used to her terms of the Sarah/Jareth diplomacy contract, only to fear or her life on the way to school.

After 23 pages, I figured ya'll deserve some fanservice for your dedication. There's also a shout out to Ergo Proxy if you can find it. & kids, let this be a lesson to you, never ride a motorcycle without a helmet. Even if your mohawk does look that cool.

Sarah (c) Henson, Froud, Jones
Calria & Caleb (c) me

Oddford 22:

This is not an excuse, but I am babysitting, kay. I'm exhausted by the time I get home. Yet in some way, Oddford marches on.
If you thought Oddford was just going to be cute gags and obscure movie references, I am sorry for misleading you. Calria is the firstborn child of a High King. Complications will happen. Her cousin/guardian is a vassal king with a past.

Said past is about to catch up with him, and they are not happy he's put family before hedonism. Watch for further complications.

I suppose you're wondering as well, why is the protagonist of Crime and Punishment now an incubus? Well, summer before junior year of high school, I was assigned to read that book and do an annotation by a certain due date.

I wasn't reading enough to reach that due date, so my mother grounded me from the Internet until I finished the book. I read at least six hours of Crazy Russian a day for two weeks. It was an experience bordering on mental transcendence. I understood afterwards that there is a seduction in madness. It is as much a temptation and desire as for vice. That is what Rodya represents here. The temptation to turn your back on all your hopes and friends.

Jareth (c) Froud, Henson, Jones
Raskolnikov (c) Dostoyevsky
Dorian Grey (c) Wilde

Oddford 21: Doctor and Doctor

Sorry for the missing two posts. I was busy prepping and recovering from going to my first convention. Recap post to come.

Hooray! Oddford gets herself a real plot. *tear* I'm so proud. & we get to see the kind of buddies Jareth gets to have. You probably can't tell, but Giacomo is my best attempt at David Tennant's excellent portrayal of Casanova in the titular Masterpiece program. Hopefully, I shall improve with time.

& yes, Oddford's doctor is THAT Dr. Pierce.

Jareth (c) Henson, Jones, Froud
Jack & Johnny of Penelope (c) Witherspoon (I think)
Casanova (c) BBC, Tennant
Hawkeye (c) Alda

Oddford 20: Glitter Abuse

Biggest cure for boredom in Oddford: tease Sarah Williams.

About where Wes is working. I was once employed part-time at a suspiciously similar retail chain that carries little girls' clothes and will host birthday parties for the clientele. Part of our jobs at a party was to give all the girls glitter-heavy makeovers. Cannot tell you how many times I've wanted to do this to one of the girls.

Wes- psuedo Goldman
Sarah- Froud and Henson
Matilda- Dahl
Oddford- me

Oddford 19: Ladies Doth Protest

You get a group of girls in one room watching a movie with an ensemble of guys, this will happen. I guarantee it. At least with me & my girlfriends.

Yay for tag-team denial. Keeps the fan-comic industry in business. If we could make money off this. Which we don't. Or I wouldn't have to work retail.

The inspiration for this page was actually when I found out that Jennifer Connelly is married to Paul Bettany (who plays Chaucer) in real life. Go Google Image a picture of him & tell me there's not a slight resemblance to you-know-who-in-the-tight-pants.

Sarah (c) Henson
Helena (c) Henson
Wes (c) psuedo-Goldman
A Knight's Tale (c) not me
Calria, Oddford (c) me

Oddford 18: Blessed Cynicism

In which Oddford gets more surreal as Sarah finds out she is not the center of Mr. Jareth Marline's universe (supposedly). Also the end of the church arc. Though God may still be present in more pages of the comic. (He often does that in life as well).

Sarah, Jareth (c) Henson and Froud
Calria, Oddford (c) Me

Oddford 17: New Church Family

Having Oddford set down here in Mississippi I don't think would be as relatable to others elsewhere. So I'm putting Oddford somewhere in the South Carolina/Northern Georgia general area, which seems a little more neutral to me. Atlanta is the nearest metropolis I could think of.

Guide for those unaccustomed to church culture:

New members- In the Southern Baptist Churches I'm used to, whenever a family joins the church family, they are called to the front of the church after the sermon so the rest of the body can welcome them on their way out. I was about four when we joined our current church and still remember meeting everyone.

Personal backstories: The story of how a person comes to Christ is called their testimony. At my church, a person's testimony is told during their baptism, or as part of a service to give the sermon context. I put a testimony here, because A) We needed to know vital info about the characters' relationship with God & B) it's nice to know where a person stands when you meet them.

Missionary dating- A term used in youth groups to describe dating a non-Christian under the excuse of "I'll bring him/her to Christ by dating them" Term often used with the Scripture reference of "do not be yoked with an unbeliever". It is not reported to work well, as it is easier to pull a person down than pull them up.

Thanks for sitting through the churchyness. If you want my explanation for why Fae royalty is in church, look here: [link]

Sarah, Jareth, ect. (c) Jim Henson
Calria, Caleb, Oddford (c) me

Oddford 16: Every Knee will Bow

And He is, you know. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, no matter what country (or reality). Yes, a solid chunk of the Oddford cast is Christian. So what? I'm not preaching; they just are. If you don't like it, up on the top left is a back button, and clicking it won't hurt my feelings. Sorry to sound so abrasive, but the last thing I want is a philosophical debate on something that's supposed to be fun.

Oddford 15: Unforseen Problems

So for once, Sarah isn't the one in denial, and she has leverage. P.S.- I totally claim monkey-elf as a descriptive term. And yes, it is THAT Lydia with the odd friend.

A note to the kiddies: Sarah and Calria are being bad. ALWAYS wear your seatbelt. Thank you.
Sarah (c) Henson
the outfits inspired by Baum and MacGuire
Calria and Oddford (c) me

Procrastination is one of my better qualities

I'd blame school for not being consistent but school ended three weeks ago. So I'm not a consistent blogger; C'est la vie. As an apology, here's the rest of the New York trip in mostly cartoons:

Day 4- March 14th
Got up early and was nearly run over by two half-naked Japanese boys on the way to the bathroom. (ahh hostels)Spent a lovely morning walking around the Village. Was a little culture shocked to see everyone out walking their dogs instead of going to church.
Had the best cupcakes in the world at Magnolia Bakery and bought absinthe gumballs in Urban Outfitters. (Most common question- Do they have actual absinthe in them? Me- *shrug*)
Got a touch annoyed with postmodernism at the Whitney.

Note: The folks in this photo happen to be my drawing professor on the right & his daughter, Leigh of the amazing blog Marvelous Kiddo. Go check it out sometime.

Funny thing happened though. A man and his wife were discussing a piece, and the husband was explaining all the deep subtext of putting a fly in one corner. The wife simply blew on the painting and the fly buzzed away. That woman is my hero.Spent the night in.

Day 5- March 15th

Spent the morning shopping with my friends and, being a large girl, felt like an absolute cow trying on clothes. (Got a cute shirt on sale in H&M though. Booyah!)

I did have fun practicing my contact juggling in Urban Outfitters though.
We got to the airport that afternoon. I with the last of the group to get to the shuttle platform when I saw the train pull up. I am rather proud of my momma hen/drill sergeant moment where I got everyone in my group on the train.
We had several hours layover in Atlanta where we talked and looked around.
But one of my friends did not look and see the great big sign she ran into.

That's finally it for the NYC recap, and in other news, Oddford starts back tomorrow! (& I mean tomorrow this time!) It's back by popular demand, so stay tuned. :D

Oddford 14 Applying Gravity

And now the man-fishing. We've all wanted to shut our guy friends up at one point, the girls are actually doing it.

The colored panels are four different instances happening semi-simultaneously. Blue should be read last, preferably.

Oddford 13: Onward and Upward

If you have guy friends, any at all, you understand what this is like.

And we now get to see Helena's boy. At this point has firmly proven Mrs. Campbell correct that he is Helena's boyfriend. He simply had to follow her to America.

And I liked Valentine better with the goatee, ergo I kept it. Next up, keeping the gents from making fools of themselves.

Oddford 12: Not That Show

And we're finally at the party. If anyone's outfit seems familiar in this arc, it is. The theme was pop culture, and it was my chance to put as many movie/book/show asides as I could fit. I had fun. Stay tuned!

Oddford 11: Fine Print

Sorry for the late post guys, all three of you. Art major stuff and all that ;). Anyroad, Sarah and Calria have reached an agreement. Now the men have to go and deal with it. Enjoy the glitter splatting!
Next week is Helena's party, and all sundry drama. Stay tuned!

Oddford 10: Dress to Negotiate

During a shopping trip for Helena's party Friday night, Sarah and Calria discuss the nature of Calria's relationship with her bodyguard, Caleb. Negotiations result that could shake up life in Oddford.

Oddford 9: Motley Crewmen

And now the rest of the regular crowd, who all seem to have some tie to piracy. hmmm.

Understand that this is a fan comic. Half of these people do not belong to me, the other half are children of people who do not belong to me, except for Caleb. Caleb is mine mine. Now let's see if we can get those two kids of mine to get along.

Oddford 8: Handling Real Life

And to add another fandom- erm, friend, to the Oddford cast list, here is the spunky and artistic Helena. She is also the protagonist of a kick-arse movie by the name of Mirrormask which I highly recommend. Next up, meeting the core group of Oddford. Fun times ahead, stay tuned!

Oddford 7: the Big Reveal

And now the results of the havoc that was Jareth's makeover and the end of Oddford's first arc. More fun (and fandoms) to follow. Note: The text may be hard to read on this one, as it was drawn before I thought to refine my chicken scratch. Let me know if you need a translation. :)