Yes, yes. Monday is alive.

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Oh God. Torg joined a cult. What's this world's version of Scientology?

So, Torg is ill with "Isekai protagonist disease", aka "escapism". So, that's what Zoё was referring to. Eh, sooner or later he will receive a wake-up call.

So doc removed all monsters from an entire dimension. An ironic turn of events.

Not all. Zoe's partner said there hasn't been a giant monster attack in "like, a thousand years or something". I'll grant you that's pretty vague and uncertain, but 5000 years is a LOT more than 1000 years. I doubt the Shankrafts figured out extreme longevity/immortality (they are definitely among the people who COULD, but it didn't seem like something they were interested in doing). So my point being there were still some giant monsters alive long after the Shankrafts died.

The Shankrafts set the world on the path toward monster riddance, and are duly honored for it. That is great. It seems they had good and scientific lives.

Five thousand years is a long time from the Middle Ages to modern times, though! Ten times longer than Western Europe. The Artist is no doubt aware of this and made it this way for a reason. Maybe the massive monster presence slowed them down.

I'm not surprised the Shankrafts are accurately depicted in a 5000-yr-old painting. I'd bet they were legendary heroes. They probably advanced science and medicine 1000 years or more. (Which makes you wonder why it took the world 5000 years to advance to the current state!)

They didn't exactly adhere to the Prime Directive, but I'd say they had a good life.

I just realized, they were almost the last significant remainders of hC. Frog is about the last one. Most of the others (except some footsoldiers in the hinterlands) were killed by Torg when he dropped the HQ, or by Oasis when she burned the shuttle, or sorta by Riff when Schlock bit it.

5000 years, wow. If they take another jump we'll have Animas In SPAAAAAACE ...

In front of Mr. and Mrs. Shankraft I see five smaller people, and they all have shoulder tentacles. The next generation of Shankrafts, apparently.

That other painting behind Gwynn – is that The Scream of Animona Lisa?

"Bet me." is supposed to be "But me.", I think.

No, I think Gwynn is saying "Want to bet me?" i.e. "I will bet you that there is discrimination."

Rbj: yes, that would be a good name for it!! LOL Mona's smile is enigmatic as usual, but it looks like her anima is not happy. She must be sick of posing for that dumb artist...

Maybe. Or there could be an apocalypse that forces things to come full circle back to tribalism whilst magical radiation mutates monster-pets back into full-sized monsters.

Hmmm... Torg, in sluggy prime, has, post-Minion Master, been hard to read in terms of what's really going on in his mind vs his surface emotions (see idiot vs Strategic Mastermind comments). Do the anima negate that? We know Zoe knows he is hiding something. What we know here is that Torg is happy with himself at the moment. I also think his past trauma make him susceptible to believing in this so kind of society.

Doesn't it seem very strange to anyone that a momentous and traumatic an event like "Zoe and Torg have split" gets passing mention in one or two sentences, and otherwise hasn't been mentioned? Even in discussions here?? Granted, there have only been 3 strips since they split, but ... methinks there is something else afoot here.

I think perhaps we are too certain of their togetherness to worry that they have really split. To me, it seems that Zoe is using it as a plausible (to her partner) way to account for her anima-displayed feelings. Something else indeed must be afoot.

Gwynn's very made up. I don't think I've seen her with this much eye-goop before.

Why yes I believe that is the Animona Lisa with a Scream anima.