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Pika-la-Cynique β GND 304 - Recurrence and resolutions
#gnd #js #labyrinth #roommates #girlsnextdoor #conversation #fancomic #relationships #pikalacynique #sarahwilliams #jarethxsarah #jarethgoblinking #buildingverse #fancomiclabyrinth
Published: 2017-07-05 17:19:58 +0000 UTC; Views: 41585; Favourites: 685; Downloads: 207
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So this is their third serious Conversation, innit. Third time pays for all....
(I suppose I should stop implicitly contradicting Sarah's profession that other people matter tooΒ and remember there are other residents in this Building, huh?
Maybe not just quite yet though.)
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This is a work of fanart and solely intended for shits and giggles. Not mine, not making money from it.
Jareth, Sarah [Labyrinth] (c) Lucas, Froud, Henson; Bowie&Connelly
Based on the original Roommates comic by *AsheRhyder
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Comments: 208
Can't fault the girl for wanting what she wants. And it's a great conflict to know what you want, but be terrified of getting it.
As for "deliberately not easy," all the choices she's given are hard, but the hardest would be giving Jareth up to keep everyone safe, right? Though that's not what I want to happen, that sounds like the most morally sound solution. So my wonderment is: is Sarah actually looking for the "most moral" way, or the way that keeps her conscience clear and still gives her who she wants (like Jareth accuses)? Maybe that was the point, and I had to drive the roundabout a few times to get off at the right conclusion.
I'm glad this is a shippy 'verse, and they're working it out. Especially if it means looking out for the pitfalls of Sarah's darker nature.
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Mmm. At this point Sarah cannot uncaringly hurt Jareth either - regardless of the fact that a truly and definitively spurned and hope-deprived GK would be a net bad thing to put out in the world, too. And then of course, do you measure morality points on principles/intent or actions/consequences?
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I think another trap of always looking for the "most moral" solution, *especially* trying to suss that out in human relationships, is that one can become paralyzed by imagined potential pitfalls-- or, just as bad, a self-denying martyr who is more concerned with their hypothetical effect on others than the ability of other to make choices, grow & change, & take responsibility for their OWN actions.Β
In Sarah's case, she has almost equal ground for concern and for hope-- so she's taking a leap in either direction.Β
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Jareth's whole "everything I do I do for you" schtick is certainly no help. Like, IRL, that is victim-blaming BS. But when magic and Stories are involved? He may have a point. Complicated!!
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This is a difficult question. I'll try to answer as succinctly as I can.
My personal philosophy is I am only responsible for my own actions. If I give a fiver to a homeless person, it's not on me if they use that to buy a beer, that's their choice, and I can neither accurately predict it or be responsible for it. I can only control my intent.
However, I am not beholden unto anyone. I don't have mouths to feed or, say, a kingdom to run.
So how Sarah reacts to this situation depends on her role: is she acting as a woman, or a queen?
As a woman, Sarah should leave the relationship if she thinks it will damage her identity or make Jareth (more) dependent on her. Even if she loved him. Implying he'd hurt people if she left is even more reason for her to get out.
In this case, her intent of her choice is more important.
But as a queen, thinking of the greater good is her prerogative. If Sarah accepts the responsibility Jareth's affections have given her (namely, power in the Underground) she no longer has the luxury of self-preservation. She must protect others against her nuclear boyfriend. However, if she loves him, this isn't much of a chore.
In this case, the possible consequences of her choice are more important.
You've done a great job of setting up a really hard situation here with high stakes, as well as making both sides sympathetic. As a Jareth/Sarah shipper, I do want to see them navigate this mine field which has been set up in the movie and your comic.
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I'm following you. Just, for the hell of the debate, the primer we got on ethics and morals in high-school philosophy that really stuck with me: two mountaineers are roped together when both they fall and start sliding down an incline towards a crevasse. One manages to get his pickaxe fixed to the ground, and grabs desperately onto the rope to save his companion who has gone over the edge. He holds on like so for hours. But when they are rescued it turns out... the crevasse was only a few feet deep and he was actually strangling his friend, who had his feet just inches from safe ground, with the rope, the whole time. Intent? irreproachable. Outcome? Painful pointless death. How do you judge that?
What's a little tricky I find is that Sarah is not naturally given to second-guessing herself or acting overly cautious (like... at all). On the other hand, she is smart, and the movie's events definitely would've taught her a little paranoia and thinking-a-few-chess-moves ahead. And I like that she is flawed and can have that so-rarely-allowed-to-woman trait of selfishness, but she tries so very hard to be a Gryffindor...
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For the mountaineer situation, I stand by my philosophy. In the moment, the mountaineer with the axe is doing the right thing. To do the thing that would save his friend's life, he'd have to know the future, which no one should be expected to do. Will he feel bad about the friend's death, even responsible? Yes. If a third party came along, should they have told him to drop his friend? Yes. But given the information at the guy's disposal, he made the best decision he could. That's why pointless deaths are so tragic.
Sarah is definitely a complex character, and you've taken great strides in expanding her character beyond the book. I can see her controlling nature get the best of her and strangling her relationship with Jareth, and I can also see her going native and becoming more conniving than even the Goblin King is (and many other outcomes in between). Being selfish isn't a bad way to take a character-- sometimes it's not even an immoral way. In the last page of the comic, it seems to me Sarah is trying to be selfish under the guise of being moral. This is interesting, and in character, since a big part of her arc in the movie was being selfless and doing what's right for family.
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If "working things out" leads to more snog-fest/ fanservice, then I'm all for it 
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He dropped the "l" word, she's getting touchy again, and I am full of SQUEEE!!!!!
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β¦this is so perfect. How did I forget about her mother? *Of course* Sarah was unable overlook the Christine memory thing, even if the Raoul memeory thing *was* overlooked. With her mother, *Sarah* was the collateral damage. So *of course* she can't let that be Christine this time, not even a little. Of course! It's all so perfect, and now I can't understand how I didn't see it all lining up until now.
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EEEEEKKKKK!!!!!
I am freaking out!!! The ending!!! I am so happy!!! Β
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YES!!!!!!
And that is all I have to say about that.
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Well, okay, I have one more thing to say: blue+orange+gray=...well, I imagine it would make a messy, odd sort of colour, but it is beautiful nonetheless. Woot woot!
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I love this! Sarah and Jareth acting like grown ups and working things out!
Love love loooove
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First of all, this angsty drama is so real and great. I love that they're having this tal so much. And I'm so so so so so happy because finally....
He said I love you... Β Β Β Β
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Bringing in her issues with her mother definitely helps. Sarah has seen exactly the type of bad relationships are possible (minus the magic elements). She wants to do this right. She wants this relationship to be as healthy as possible, for the two of them and those in the immediate area.
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Holy hell, he said the "L-word!" Β If I'm remembering correctly I don't believe he's come right out and done that before! Β And he wasn't saying in it a conniving dishonest or flat-out grand gesture way either. Β This comic makes life so much better.
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It is 4am I have to catch a flight to Japan and yet I still sat down to read this and banged my fist hard and loud on the dining table in utter joy and victory.
LOVE WINS MOTHERF$@&ERS!!!
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oooh. Enjoy Japan. Doko ni ikimasu ka?
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Osaka desu! Arigato gozaimasu Pika sensei!
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Ha! Just is funny cos another commenter on this page was mentioning the weather in Tokyo. Maybe you should meet up.
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We all love you internationally!
I should also mention that I was wearing a shirt that said "Babe with the Power" when I read this comic and I didn't realize it until later
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Aaaaaaaaaaa!!! This feels like progress! Also the expressions on this page are lovely
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Melting into a goey pile of mush πππππ
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OMGoblins!!! I feel like I am 13 all over again. This is too good to be true!!! Β
Man. This is just SO WHAT EVERYONE HAS EVER WANTED.
THERE IS A GOD.
AND THAT GOD IS YOU.
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Β This only continues to get better!
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Romantic fluff is better when it has a sound, emotionally mature base, no question.
If, indeed, there are places in Sarah that respond to the bad in the Goblin King, and he loves her, then there are going to be spaces in him (presumably) that respond to her 'virtue' and those are the aspects they are going to have to work from. Exchange of true love does not work without trust and common, ethical ground.Β And we don't give cookies for being a decent human being - there are no points for say - not manipulating people.Β Those that believe such follow the 'nice guy' rhetoric and this is a very bad thing.Β Jareth is hopefully smart enough to get this - but it's going to be interesting seeing this from a guy who once cajoled Sarah to 'let me rule you' as if he were childhood trying to maintain hold no matter the cost. Perhaps he'll seek to understand that cost - how it undermines trust and will always leave him hollow and alone but if not...
Hopefully, Sarah will still beware the 'L' word - it makes for a potent weapon none the less...
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this conversation is going to be the thing that kills me.
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Going by my personal experience Jareth is going to need to put WAY more effort into change.
There's ways of doing it and still being true to himself, but from what I've seen he's still hiding a part of himself from others (and maybe himself).
I see this as an improvement, but also as a possibility for worse things to come. Or wacky hi-jinks to ensue.
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*muffled screaming* At work and trying to contain myself. Omg. This was so heavy but sooo well done. You are such a great story teller Pika!
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Are you talking about my comment? If not, you're not in the main comment section.
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Woops, I meant to post it as a main comment, not under yours. 
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No problem. What do you think of my comment?
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OMG he said the L word, and her reaction... Hopefully this continues in the right direction!
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Everything here is just so HEAVY!!!!
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And I'm here giggling and crying, and laughing so hard and loving each and every lone because it reminds me of something -a lot less controversial and which wouldn't hurt anyone else but myself and partner-, and this is precisely the type of conversation I've with myself over it... and to hell with it... I want to be happy
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YESSS!!!! ATTEMPTS FOR HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS!!!!!
Β Β
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And another fantastic page... to quote the original film, "Say your right words..." - well, looks like Jareth found them eventually. A round of applause and happy smiles from this reader dear Pika.
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First panel of the bottom row. Β XD Β Nailed it in one, Jareth. Β And then he's totally perfect in the next panel. Β SO GOOD! Β
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I love this so much! I'm not sure if those are tears on Sarah's cheek or not, but I do know the maturity of this conversation proves these characterizations exceed any I've encountered before in the fandom. I'm delighted by the shadows creeping in the speech bubble, and how you find other ways to enhance story with subtle visual touches here and there. Thanks, Pika !!!Β
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re: characterization; "standing on the shoulders of giants" and all that. There's a fuckton of intricate analyses and goodfic in this 30-year-old fandom feeding into how I perceive these two and their issues. Fancomic has its own particularities, good and bad, sometimes the format is frustrating, sometimes there are those "worth a thousand words" moments.
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I too am grateful for those giants and how they've shaped perception over the decades. I think your particular spin on the pairing forces JS in and among so many other characters and stories via the Building-verse and University that give both friends and foils that challenge them to grow in ways they'd never encounter.
I love Dresden and Sarah's dynamic in Danse Macabre's fics, so finding his role in recent pages of GND only enriches this fangirl's appreciation for your "world-building" over the past ten years. I think it's essential Sarah explains her fear of sharing her mother's worst quality: selfishness being the trait most put aside to parent well. I only wish the authors of Return to Labyrinth spent more time investigating the fandom's giants and drew inspiration from Sarah's journey the way every new viewer of the film does year after year. So thank you for taking on the frustrating task of creating these brilliant comics. As a reader, I can only delight in each new twist in this labyrinth you've made for us!Β
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The "I love you Regardless", I need a box of tissues and a tub of ice creamπππ
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*wheezes* This is literally what high school me wanted from them the entire time!
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this is handled so beautifully, the psychology, the clashing moral dilemmas of the characters, the honesty, the implicantions, the longrun consequences, excellent Work!
Love the artwork btw, especially the second to last panel, I think this actually marks the first time Jareth says he loves Sarah and not just lusts after her
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PIKA YOU MAKE ME SO HAPPY. Thank you for making this comic, it brings so many people so much joy. I'm so happy to see Sarah meeting Jareth half-way and understanding just how hard this is for him. I love the psychological points you bring up in this comic too. "I'll be the villain for you to feed your champion complex." MIND BLOWN.Β
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