this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2026
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Telepathy Club (OC) (lemmy.ca)
submitted 1 day ago by sthetic@lemmy.ca to c/comicstrips@lemmy.world
64 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Made with India ink, nib pen, and watercolour.

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[–] Luccus@feddit.org 8 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

I love this. It leaves just enough out so that it's not immediately obvious what's happening, but gives enough clues so that you can figure it out as you scroll.

It builds up nicely, and once you understand it, it leaves you feel clever & very fulfilled as a reader.

You've basically figured out Valve's (the video game company) definition of "fun" for a short comic strip. You should be proud of that! Also love the style. I hope to see more whenever you find inspiration.

[–] SorteKanin@feddit.dk 4 points 17 hours ago

I did not get it before reading OPs explanation

[–] TheObviousSolution@lemmy.ca 3 points 17 hours ago

When did Tatsumaki change to blonde?

[–] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.org 5 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

I was expecting that they would find too few degrees of separation from Epstein

[–] sthetic@lemmy.ca 3 points 18 hours ago

Oof

[–] Hadriscus@jlai.lu 7 points 21 hours ago

hah ! took me a minute, love it

[–] ugandan_airways@lemmy.zip 6 points 20 hours ago

This is really great. Awesome style

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 35 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I like how the person who clearly doesn't have telepathy, asking to join, actually has a smile on their face. All the telepaths look dead and miserable inside.

[–] sthetic@lemmy.ca 31 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Thanks. With telepathy, I do sometimes wonder if the telepaths see no point in making external facial expressions for the benefit of their fellow telepaths. It may be that on the inside, in their own telepathic group chat, they are joking and singing and laughing and having fun.

I recall a scene in Gunnerkrigg Court along these lines (don't ask me to find it) and I also wonder if it's the case in Pluribus.

Maybe it's similar to when you text someone, "ROFLMAO" but you aren't actually smiling in real life.

[–] exasperation@lemmy.dbzer0.com 5 points 10 hours ago (1 children)

With telepathy, I do sometimes wonder if the telepaths see no point in making external facial expressions for the benefit of their fellow telepaths.

People born blind still make facial expressions. It's hard wired into us to make the expressions, even for a tiny moment, and suppressing those facial expressions is learned.

That's probably why I still laugh, cry, wince, widen my eyes in surprise, etc., when watching TV by myself.

So I don't think telepathy would change that behavior.

[–] Etterra@discuss.online 1 points 2 minutes ago

Yeah this. They're just miserable. There was an Outer Limits episode in the 90s or 00s where a guy in an apartment building got telepathy and it drive him insane.

[–] WorldsDumbestMan@lemmy.today 2 points 15 hours ago

They have to focus hard, is why.

[–] svullo56@feddit.nu 4 points 19 hours ago (1 children)

Is is cuz she's black? 🤔

[–] tetris11@feddit.uk 5 points 13 hours ago (1 children)
  • Pan to white generic cop
  • Pan to white southern judge
  • Pan to white suburban mom
  • Back to little white girl: "No."
[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 3 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

am i seeing a different sketch? i don't see a white generic cop

[–] tetris11@feddit.uk 1 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

I'm setting a different scene to fit a more emotionally charged narrative in my head. If you have a problem with that, then stay out of my head. Or at least pay rent.

[–] Quill7513@slrpnk.net 4 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

i just didn't get what was going on. then i saw the author's explanation further down

[–] tetris11@feddit.uk 1 points 10 hours ago

*pounds on door*
Come on, pay up!

[–] sthetic@lemmy.ca 77 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (2 children)

Here is the initial sketch of the same comic:

For the final version, I tried a new watercolour strategy this time: colouring in all the blue shadows first, then adding other colours for the areas in light. It helped make the whole thing less clashing and muddy compared to my usual approach. I like the businessman panel where the colours are minimal. Other panels may be a little overwhelming.

[–] tetris11@feddit.uk 7 points 13 hours ago

Woah, I always forget that art is an incremental refinement process, and love seeing the early concept sketched raw. The final piece is amazing btw

[–] Aralakh@lemmy.ca 15 points 1 day ago

Always exciting to have a new comic artist tag. Thanks for sharing some of your process, i really enjoyed the premise and the great art!

[–] regdog@lemmy.world 40 points 1 day ago (3 children)

I don't see how these panels are connected

[–] Tattorack@lemmy.world 76 points 1 day ago (2 children)

It's telepathy. They're communicating telepathically. Including with members who currently aren't around.

[–] Signtist@bookwyr.me 4 points 13 hours ago

Thanks! I couldn't get past the idea that they were somehow using telepathy to see their own futures without her in them.

[–] Joelk111@lemmy.world 19 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Personally I picked up on that, but I still didn't really understand what's going on until I read OP's explanation. I generally thought telepathy was limited to your immediate area I guess, and expected to see characters from the first three panels in the others.

[–] sthetic@lemmy.ca 60 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (18 children)

Thanks for your feedback. Here is a walkthrough of what I intended for the reader to experience. Perhaps it falls short.

First, she asks a group of five people if she can join their telepathy club.

At first they are all looking at each other, as if to gauge each others' willingness to accept her into the group. You may assume they are looking at each others' facial expressions to see what the other people think about her request.

However, then it shows seemingly random people in other places, doing other activities: swimming, business deals, hair salon, working on telephone wires.

Then it switches back to the first group, who have come to a decision. You realize that the random people were all part of the telepathy club too, and they were communicating telepathically to consider her request. It turns out that after long consideration, and perhaps many debates between them all that the reader doesn't get to see, the answer is a simple "no."

[–] LastYearsIrritant@sopuli.xyz 5 points 10 hours ago

I got it after a couple seconds of thinking about it. I enjoyed it, and hope you keep it up.

Art that works for everyone is boring.

Keep being you.

[–] teolan@lemmy.world 12 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago)

It took some thinking to figure out what was happening, I initially thought they were reading her mind and judging her. But after noticing that the first two panels were people of the group I figured it out. It wasn't that hard to figure out but required paying attention, a pretty good little comic if you ask me.

Maybe you should make the background colours of the second and third panels match that of the first, so that it's clearer they're the same peoe.

[–] raspberriesareyummy@lemmy.world 4 points 17 hours ago

It didn't fall short, it fell flat for me. I am sorry but I don't see a punchline even with your explanation, which, surprisingly, I didn't need to understand the plot. I thought I was missing something...

[–] somtwo@lemmy.world 5 points 18 hours ago

I also didn't connect the dots when I read it, but I would encourage you to not listen to anyone who tries to tell you how to "fix it". Keep doing what you're doing. Your style is good and I love the facial expressions!

[–] Star@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 18 hours ago

How it feels trying to make friends as an adult lol

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 43 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Oh, I thought maybe they were reading her mind and the images were memories.

[–] usualsuspect191@lemmy.ca 13 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

I thought these were images communicated by the group we see standing there as their answers and was trying to decipher the visual puns

[–] sthetic@lemmy.ca 10 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I like that idea. Maybe I'll make a sequel where someone asks to join, and they delve into that person's deepest memories. Examples: childhood sibling rivalry, first kiss, being fired from a job, etc. All is good, and they will probably be accepted. Then, they see a memory where the person did something slightly embarrassing (saying, "thanks, you too!" to a server telling them to enjoy their meal). And they get rejected based on that.

[–] borkborkbork@piefed.social 5 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

mindreading and telepathy are different things; seeing the applicant's past played out is a different kind of psychic power than being able to say "yo bob what do you think?" in someone else's brain

[–] sthetic@lemmy.ca 4 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Good point. I will have to explore this distinction in future Telepathy Snub comics.

[–] borkborkbork@piefed.social 4 points 21 hours ago* (last edited 21 hours ago)

That said, personally I do like this comic and it worked for me.

I do wish there was some kind of ~~~~ wavy-line professor x kind of visualization of all the telepaths exchanging info.

image

one last note: it'd be cool if there was some kind of 'well if you have to flap your lip meat to ask.... then probably not'

[–] heydo@lemmy.world 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Oh ok, thanks for the explanation. I did not associate the other random people as being telepathic and in the club.

I would have had all the telepathic people doing something like, have their hand on their chins as if they were thinking. That would be a visual trigger that allows me to link all of the characters together.

Obviously some people got it without an explanation, so perhaps it's just me who has an issue understanding this. 🙂

[–] sthetic@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 day ago

Good feedback. I think a visual cue in the background could have worked. Like a lightning bolt pattern going from mind to mind.

[–] GreyEyedGhost@piefed.ca 4 points 1 day ago

I didn't get it, but that doesn't mean you did a poor job conveying your intent, and I like the artwork.

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[–] kionay@lemmy.world 21 points 1 day ago (1 children)

they're presumably people in the telepathy club having telepathic communication (maybe to discuss including the person in the first panel?)

thus no speech bubble

[–] sthetic@lemmy.ca 14 points 1 day ago

Yes, exactly! Thank you

[–] PoastRotato@lemmy.world 46 points 1 day ago

Her first mistake was talking out loud

[–] insomniac199@lemmy.world 15 points 1 day ago

I really like the coloring and style. Also i think there's enough visual cues to suggest what is going on.

[–] pseudo@jlai.lu 11 points 1 day ago

Very nice. I love it.

[–] roguetrick@lemmy.world 10 points 1 day ago (5 children)

She was blackballed by a lineman.

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