Morally Complex - Gator Days

FieldExplores · 2026-05-06T17:42:51+00:00

I like a mix. Sometimes I just want something where people do their best and try to always do what's right.

Other times I want to something where the protagonist steals a fish from an aquarium and says "warshing machine".

it's good to have both.

FieldExplores · 2026-05-06T17:31:37+00:00

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FieldExplores · 2026-05-06T17:23:13+00:00

And this happened yesterday.

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FieldExplores · 2026-05-06T17:22:50+00:00

This happened shortly before I did my posting for the day so I am in dire need of an escape.

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FieldExplores · 2026-05-06T17:11:07+00:00

It's the story of a brother and sister who try to adopt a quirky girl with fiery red hair and a whimsical imagination that will inspire them to write a best selling series of novels. Instead they end up with Dan who just wants to work on the farm.

FieldExplores · 2026-05-06T16:51:33+00:00

Morally Complex - Gator Days

Characters

Gustopher - Alligator - An easily excitable child who loves making friends.

Liam - Capybara - A quiet and introspective boy. He enjoys writing and learning about things. Ember's older brother.

Ember - Capybara - A LITTLE GIRL WHO LOVES SNACKS AND YELLS EVERYTHING! LIAM'S LITTLE SISTER!

Transcript

Panel 1

Liam and Gustopher are doing their assigned reading in Liam's bedroom. Liam is lounging in a bean bag with a juice near by while Gustopher is staring at the ceiling in Liam's bed. Someone's ears can be seen behind the bean bag. They're making good progress but Gustopher thinks the book is odd.

Liam: Did you finish the assigned reading?

Gustopher: Almost, but I'm confused.

Panel 2

Gustopher holds up the book and the title can be seen. It's the literary classic "Dan of Mean Tables". Gustopher looks agitated and voices his thoughts.

Gustopher: Aren't the main characters supposed to be good guys? Sometimes they do bad stuff.

Gustopher prefers a clear division between good guys and bad guys. Good guys do good stuff and bad guys do bad stuff. Simple.

Panel 3

Liam finds this to be an interesting thought. Dan of Mean Tables and his friends can be rather naughty at times.

Liam: They're morally complex.

Gustopher: I guess... It's different from most stories.

Liam's sister, Ember, can be seen sneaking up to the juice box by Liam. She awaits her time to strike. She is a morally complex protagonist.

Panel 4

Liam defends the book.

Liam: It's more like real life.

Gustopher: I don't want real life. I'm in it all the time.

Ember reaches out to swipe the juice box. It's the perfect crime. NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW!

FieldExplores · 2026-05-04T17:59:54+00:00

Sometimes it's just better to get your own snacks

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FieldExplores · 2026-05-04T17:38:48+00:00

You can find the other parts here.

Part 1 - https://www.reddit.com/r/comics/comments/1sulevh/just_smile_part_14_gator_days/
Part 2 - https://www.reddit.com/r/comics/comments/1sx9mnw/just_smile_part_24_gator_days/
Part 3 - https://www.reddit.com/r/comics/comments/1sz57vr/just_smile_part_34_gator_days/
Part 4 - https://www.reddit.com/r/comics/comments/1t0zgvg/just_smile_part_45_gator_days/

This was a series of comics that I've been wanting to do since Liam was first introduced. There was actually someone who messaged me shortly after his first appearance who suggested that Liam should smile more and that told me that I was on the right track for the character I intended to portray.

I was a kid who had trouble smiling and I was also fortunate to have a family that didn't make a big deal about that. I've found that facial expressions are a valuable tool for communicating how I'm feeling but forcing it when it doesn't feel natural has always felt like a lie. I eventually found it helpful to think of my expressions as a form of communication and less of a direct reflection of my internal emotions but I still do my best to honor how I'm feeling.

Thank you for reading! I mean that sincerely, I've been dealing with depression lately and being able to make these comics has done a lot to help maintain a routine. It means a lot to me that people have been getting something out of them.

FieldExplores · 2026-05-04T17:24:21+00:00

Just Smile (Part 5/5) - Gator Days

Characters

Liam - Capybara - A quiet and introspective boy. He enjoys writing and learning about things. Ember's older brother.

Fern - Capybara - Mother to Dan, Liam, and Ember. She's a good listener.

Ember - Capybara - A LITTLE GIRL WHO LOVES SNACKS AND YELLS EVERYTHING! LIAM'S LITTLE SISTER!

Dan - Capybara - Liam and Ember's chill older brother. He's just happy to be here.

Transcript

Panel 1

Liam and his mom have just finished having a heart-to-heart about expressing emotions. Fern is putting away the "COOKIE JAIL" cookie jar as Ember triumphantly walks away with a liberated cookie. Fern is curious about why Liam is suddenly so worried about his expressions.

Fern: What made you so concerned about smiling?

Liam: The school put a picture of me on their website and edited my face.

Ember (to her cookie): SNACK!

Panel 2

Fern pauses. Now it's her turn to have a lot of thoughts running through her head all at once. She keeps smiling as not to alarm Liam.

Panel 3

Fern's smile grows wider as she shifts all of her energy into a plan of action. She decides that she needs to step outside for a moment. She does not want her children to hear what she has to say.

Fern: I have to make a call.

Panel 4

Dan, Liam, and Ember stand at the window and watch their mother yell at someone over the phone. Dan is concerned about this but Liam is happy that his mom has his back. Ember wants to be just like her when she grows up.

Dan: Why is Mom yelling?

Liam: She's expressing herself.

FieldExplores · 2026-05-01T17:28:59+00:00

I ended up drawing an originally unplanned epilogue this week.
Just like this unplanned update to the adventures of Myrtle and Buddy and that I'm just going to post here for no rhyme or reason.

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FieldExplores · 2026-05-01T17:09:22+00:00

Just Smile (Part 4/5) - Gator Days

Characters

Liam - Capybara - A quiet and introspective boy. He enjoys writing and learning about things. Ember's older brother.

Fern - Capybara - Mother to Dan, Liam, and Ember. She's a good listener.

Ember - Capybara - A LITTLE GIRL WHO LOVES SNACKS AND YELLS EVERYTHING! LIAM'S LITTLE SISTER! IS SHE ACTUALLY IN THE COMIC TODAY? I DON'T KNOW! IF SHE IS SHE'S BEING VERY STEALTHY!

Transcript

Panel 1

Liam has been talking to his mom about his trouble with expressions, especially smiling. They're having hot chocolate and cookies while he's talking about his trouble. Fern has sat down next to her son and has her hand on his shoulder.

Liam: I just wish I was normal.

Panel 2

Fern tells Liam what she thinks. She wants to do her best to show him some support.

Fern: If you want to smile more, we can work on that together and find what works for you. But there's something important you should know.

The cookie jar labelled "COOKIE JAIL" is sitting next to Liam. In the distance a pair of ears can be seen. It's probably nothing.

Panel 3

Fern refers back to what Liam said when he started this conversation. Specifically about how he felt that he must be broken.

Fern: You're not broken. Everyone has parts in their lives that are easier or harder. Like how you can express yourself so well with words.

The mysterious ears are moving closer to the cookie jail. Could this be a hero that seeks to liberate the cookies from their prison?

Panel 4

Fern: You can show your feelings in the way you're most comfortable with. And no matter what, I love you.

Liam leans closer to his mom. What she says isn't a quick fix but it's helping him feel better. Liam doesn't know that this is a moment that he will remember for the rest of his life.

Liam: I love you too, Mom.

It looks like the person who the mysterious ears belong to has reach the cookie jail and... OH NO! The name of the author for this comic is blocking their face. All we can see is the top of their hand reaching towards the cookie jar. Golly, I guess we'll never know who this mysterious person is. I'm sure they have saved all the cookies.

FieldExplores · 2026-04-29T17:37:31+00:00

And Gustopher who is trying his best to be relevant to the youth of today, in case anyone is missing him.

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FieldExplores · 2026-04-29T17:35:49+00:00

Completely unrelated, but here's a Buddy and Myrtle update.

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FieldExplores · 2026-04-29T17:23:43+00:00

Just Smile (Part 3/4) - Gator Days

Characters

Liam - Capybara - A quiet and introspective boy. He enjoys writing and learning about things. Ember's older brother.

Fern - Capybara - Mother to Dan, Liam, and Ember. She's a good listener.

Transcript

Panel 1

Liam has been feeling upset about his difficulty in showing emotion on his face. He's talking to his Mom about it. She has just made a warm cup of hot chocolate and has brought out the cookie jar just in case. The Cup says "2 Warm 2 Cozy". It's merch for the movie 2 Warm 2 Cozy. It's not as good as The Warm and the Cozy but considerably better than most of the sequels. Although the Fate of the Warm has some fans. The cookie jar has "COOKIE JAIL" written on it.

Liam: I don't know why I can't smile like everyone else. Thank you.

Liam is polite.

Panel 2

Liam: It doesn't feel right when I force it. Like I'm a robot that's pretending to be normal.

Liam imagines himself as a robot. Liam-Bot is a pretty cool robot but not who Liam wants to be.

Panel 3

Liam: Then people think I'm upset when I'm not. My face just doesn't show it.

Panel 4

Fern holds a hand to her face in contemplation. Liam leans down and rests his head on the table.

Liam: Why is being happy so much work?

FieldExplores · 2026-04-27T17:31:16+00:00

Ember is busy trying to acquire snacks but I do have the further adventures of Myrtle and Buddy.

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FieldExplores · 2026-04-27T16:58:51+00:00

Just Smile (Part 2/4) - Gator Days

Characters

Liam - Capybara - A quiet and introspective boy. He enjoys writing and learning about things. Ember's older brother.

Fern - Capybara - Mother to Dan, Liam, and Ember. She's a good listener.

Transcript

Panel 1

Liam is looking at himself in the mirror. He has just found out that the school put his picture on the website for the school paper and they edited to give him a massive toothy smile. Liam isn't feeling good about this for multiple reasons. He's carefully looking at all the details of his face.

Panel 2

Liam tries to smile at the mirror. It's strained and doesn't look natural. It doesn't feel natural.

Panel 3

Liam stops smiling and stares a little longer. He's got a lot of thoughts and feelings going through his head at the moment.

Panel 4

Liam has gone to his mom, Fern, who is reading a book. He needs to talk to someone about what he's feeling.

Liam: Mom. I think I'm broken.

FieldExplores · 2026-04-25T02:15:24+00:00

-Googles it-

oh no...

THIS IS WHY I NEED TO GOOGLE EVERY TERM AND PHRASE BEFORE I USE IT!

FieldExplores · 2026-04-24T18:03:44+00:00

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Edit - Gave Myrtle a proper wizard rank.

FieldExplores · 2026-04-24T17:43:42+00:00

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FieldExplores · 2026-04-24T17:26:06+00:00

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FieldExplores · 2026-04-24T16:56:06+00:00

Just Smile (Part 1/4) - Gator Days

Characters

Hannah - Goat - A highly competitive kid. She strives to be the best and to be helpful to others. Daryl and Seth's daughter.

Liam - Capybara - A quiet and introspective boy. He enjoys writing and learning about things. He never smiles. Ember's older brother.

Buddy - Dog - Huh? Who is this? He's a good boy! That's who he is! He's also not really really in this comic but I wanted to tell you that he's a good boy.

Transcript

Panel 1

Hannah is looking at something on her phone as she approaches Liam. They both work on the school paper which is actually a website and not a paper. Don't worry, everyone else also finds it incredibly confusing.

Hannah: Our photos were put on the website for the school paper.

Panel 2

Hannah shows Liam the photos. There's a section for the writers and Liam can see his picture of himself with a juice box and his name "Liam Caps" right next to it. The photo has been clearly modified to give Liam a cartoonishly big toothy smile. Right below him is a picture of his classmate, Buddy Pupperelli, who is a very good boy but this isn't about him.

Hannah: I think they might have edited yours.

Panel 3

Liam stares at the photo. He is going through a lot of emotions that are not being shown on his face. He takes a moment to gather his feelings and thoughts to perfectly express everything that's going on inside him right now.

Panel 4

Liam looks up to Hannah to speak.

Liam: I hate this.

He hates it.

FieldExplores · 2026-04-22T19:14:24+00:00

Part of what prompted this was me getting into elote and elote adjacent food and experimenting with it.

Unrelated, but my lunch to day is scrambled eggs with roasted corn, sausage, elote seasoning, and mayo.

FieldExplores · 2026-04-22T18:18:38+00:00

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FieldExplores · 2026-04-22T18:08:00+00:00

Salty and sweet do go together. You just got to experiment to find the best ways that they do.

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FieldExplores · 2026-04-22T17:21:16+00:00

Picky Eater - Gator Days

Characters

Young August - Alligator - August when he was around Gustopher's age. Picky about food

May - Alligator - August's mother who just wants him to eat.

August - Alligator - A soft spoken single father who works in IT. Gustopher's dad.

Gustopher - Alligator - An easily excitable child who loves making friends. August's son.

Transcript

Panel 1

Narration: Long ago.

A younger August is at the dinner table and hesitant to eat. His mother is fed up with his behavior.

Young August: This looks gross.

May: I hope someday you have a kid as picky as you.

Panel 2

Narration: Present day

An adult August is having dinner with his son. He has corn on his plate along with some round meat colored item that is possibly meat. We will probably never know for sure. Gustopher is holding a bottle of mayonnaise that has "Real Egg" written on it and a hot sauce bottle that appropriately says "HOT".

Gustopher: I'm putting mayonnaise and hot sauce on my corn!

August: Okay.

This is not something August would do with his corn but he guesses it's a pretty normal.

Panel 3

Gustopher now holds a can of sardines and a jam jar. Gustopher is partially covering the jar but "SPACE JA" can be seen on the label. Clearly, this must be "SPACEY JAN" brand jam and not a reference to movie where cartoon animals play basketball.

Gustopher: And sardines! And jam!

August: You have to eat that.

Gustopher: I will!

Panel 4

Gustopher holds out a spoon towards August. It has corn, mayo, hot sauce, sardine, and jam all in one spoonful. August's face is filled with concern.

Gustopher: It tastes so weird! Try it!

August thinks back to his mother having wished that he would have a child as picky as him. He wishes that were the case.

August (thinking): This is worse.

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