Endtown by Aaron Neathery for December 27, 2012

That is NOT one contented cow.

It’s probably good for Linda to learn that she’s not the only one who’s unhappy about being a mutant.

So Maude has a supply — and demand is revealedPerhaps “Maw the healer” could be a bit healedBut Linda’s gut instincts are not tuned like HollyWill Linda be helpful? Or just cause more folly?My thoughts on the food items Maude and such makeThese things aren’t free — they cost food to makeBut they could still vary the local cuisineLike Holly’s cheese hoard — though we know where it’s beenI think now it’s clear that her much-prized cheeseIs a gift from friend Maude, one that was sure to pleaseFor some humans this wouldn’t be what they pickedI had dinner with this man — and here, he was squicked=|====/ Level HeadVote for Endtown 2.0And for Doc Rat, tooThe Endtown ForumThe Endtown AuctionThe Endtown Books

Level_Head..?? was that made with milk that I think it was?

I think that the two of them can heal each other. It looks like Linda is warming up to Maude. At least sympathying . Good, very good Aaron. Love you. Why don’t you put you and your shirt on the comment site? I think others would like it. Marry Boxing Day.Blessed Be

I’m sure all mutants have conflicting feelings about their condition. Only with succeeding generations will anyone really feel ‘normal’. It’s been hard on all of them.

Linda’s beginning to care about Maw and her feelings. You can see from the concerned look on her face. Yup, things are gonna be ok :)

Has anyone mutated into a dung beetle?

For that matter, has anyone mutated into any sort of insect, arachnid, crustacean, mollusk, or other invertebrate?

Seriously, now Linda has been put in the position of having to comfort and nurture a gentle-hearted person she has upset. It may awaken something in her that had been long asleep. It may turn her away from egocentrism and rekindle her spark of compassion.Brilliant storytelling, Mister Neathery.

First thought:It will take at least another generation before Endtowners are comfortable with that sort of thing.So start with the next generation.They have children there, so obviously they have babies, newborns, maternity wards, etc…. Maude should volunteer as a wet nurse/milk donor. Likewise if the chickens volunteered their eggs to help feed the youngest members of Endtown. After a few years, people would have acclimated to the concept— and the young would have never known it to be any other way.

Umm, Linda, your oatmeal is getting cold..

Everybody’s worried about where the milk came from, what about the oatmeal? From some six year old supply? How about sugar? From beans? They must have some headway in producing grains, etc. now. Hydroponics may produce some, surely not all things edible come from raids. They do need to be self sustaining to have any future.

I’ll bet Aaron thinks “Why don’t these people just read and enjoy the strip, why do they ask so many questions?” We tend to over analyze everything. That’s the fun of it.

Cows don’t have upper teeth so the human/mutant parts must be variants. Have we seen any children born in Endtown or are they little mutants, who, being children, have just adapted better (or not?) than adults?

@Level Head

Thank you for yesterday’s little poem. It was….uh….Moving. To reply to your question in yesterday’s poem, my group is more than just four. There’s 13 of us! (That is, for now) If you and the others want to know the name of our group, you’ll have to wait until New Year’s Day. A word of caution: If ONE poster tells me why wait until Jan.1st., then I won’t tell you until March! If all of you can wait 365 days for Christmas, then you can surely 5 days for this! Catch you all later in the day!

Thanks Aaron, I needed the good laugh of panel 2. Linda’s look echoed my own: “T.. M.. I…” Then the wrench of panel 3, and we’re back to one of Endtown’s central tenets: adapting and accepting oneself. Remember, the first book started with Gustine having similar sentiments. I wonder if Linda will meet the oracle…

The beans answer the question of what they eat, For they are all animals and must avoid meat!

This shows that no one “enjoyed” becoming mutated. It was a condition that had to be accepted. You have a choice. Deal with it or end it. Life tends to push on regardless of how it feels. It takes a strong will to keep going when adversity hits. The weak will give up quickly. The strong will go until either acceptance or not able to go further. Its not enough stress that you have to deal with mutations AND deal with the Topsider war going on at the same time. Lots of stresses are packed into Endtown. Human desires in an Anthro form. Anthro desires trying to override human morals. I admire those that handle it and feel for the ones trying and hope they can learn to handle it.

Could be worse for Maude sharing of herself…somebody could’ve decided they wanted a nice juicy steak…#One thing you’ve got to keep in mind with “Endtown”—-everybody you meet (except maybe Aaron Marx) is dealing with both the change in themselves and the loss of everything, not just everything dear to them, but everything familiar to them as well. (Even the Topsiders…before the Great Change, they didn’t have to wear suits to avoid infection.) They’re trying to make their way through a strange new world—-and it’s no surprise that their emotional state spills over from time to time. Probably fights like that of Linda and the bar patrons, or Linda and the waitresses, or Wally and Louie Lynx, happen off-stage more often than they do in our world.

The monsters might be surviving off the dust. The dust is made up of the plants and animals and people disintegrated by Amesworth radiation, and could still be organic and edible. The Topsiders and mutants may not have thought of eating it, or are repulsed by the thought of eating powdered people, but the monsters don’t know any better or don’t care.

What’s more nuts than being a cow person?Ask that question to a skunk person…

Happy cows make happy milk which makes happy cheese.

I want sharp cheddar cheese during the apocalypse.

I often wondered how the Endtowners changed into what they are. Is it random?

What’s more nuts than being a cow person? A squirrel girl???

I’ve really enjoyed reading about Linda’s trying to adjust to her new life. This conversation between Linda and Maude reminds me why.

looks like linda isn’t as freaked out as maude thinks she is

@Husky51 (From yesterday)The Endtown Saga begins on February 2, 2009 if you use the calendar button at the top of the strip.An easier way is to buy the two Endtown books at Amazon.com and then follow up in the Endtown archive.Well worth it.

Remember that Maude has only been a cow person for at most 6 years (going on 7 now?).That is still a short time for this kind of radical adjustment. I have known amputees who took longer.

@DiggerspopI believe as a professional, Aaron could not be pleased that people analyze his strips. After all, not only does it keep him on his toes but it shows that there is an Honest Love for his work, not just hu-hum acceptance. I have read SF regularly for 60+ years and I love this strip, it compares well against the best.

I wonder if there are some endtowners that have considered monster hunting as a source of food.