This gallery has all of the pages and is ordered correctly, it is NOT a carbon copy re-upload. Here is a copy of the original liner notes from Simon, lost due to the deletion of his Pixiv:

Preface:

As children, we cannot appreciate the full complexity of kindness and the motivations of those around us. This is the foundation of this comic.

The viewpoint of the show proper is very one-sided. It is the world as seen and told by Timmy, where parents are neglectful just because they are neglectful, where babysitters are mean because they are mean. There is no rationale to it all because children lack rationality. In fact, it is the show's ability to see the world through the warped prism of a child's eyes that has made it so successful with its target audience. And what is the world view of a child? It is untempered and blissful selfishness, a belief that every adult is working against you (although not entirely unfounded, it is a trait which we would deem psychotic in a grown person), and a resentment of authority figures arising from both ignorance of intentions and the powerlessness to resist.

Therefore, Timmy is an unreliable narrator. The parents are not neglectful or stupid, they feign happiness to hide their financial distress. Crocker isn't a grown man chasing fairies, but an educator who is trying to push Timmy into adulthood. Of course young Timmy would resent such things, and the stories would be unflattering to them. But as children become rational, monsters become angels, and fairy magic disappears. This story hopes to describe where that process begins for Timmy.

This comic was inspired by the art of a good friend and artist whom I greatly admire (let us call him... Anonymous-gi). His drawings of the pair always stirred a great passion within me... he manages to capture a intense closeness between the two characters, yet the feeling is not always of the type that is... generally expressed by "shippers." Romantics are the most passionate people, but that love and passion isn't always of a carnal nature. More than lovers, he drew Timmy and Vicky as romantics.

He drew the front of Vicky's hair pointing downwards, which is brilliantly fitting for her character. Vicky would seem to be the kind of person who would brush her hair down in front of her face, to hide a part of herself. This did present another challenge, though... I am terrible at drawing this hair when the face is turned towards the right. And with Vicky, it's really not clear how it should be drawn, because we never see her hair from an alternate angle.

In the future, it is perhaps best to capitulate to television cartoon conventions on this one issue, and simply flip her hair when her face turns, instead of rotate it.

Song List:

Love Will Set You Free - Starchaser
Falling Star - Starchaser
All is Full of Love - Bjork (Death Cab for Cutie cover)
Little Secrets - Passion Pit
1979 - Smashing Pumpkins

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Page 1 ~ 3

The first meeting with Vicky. She gets her way through sheer force of will. She displays a kind of psychological strength.

Page 4 ~ 5

Various crowd scenes play in stark contrast with Vicky sitting alone at a counter. What kind of person goes to an amusement park alone? A loner? That's not specific enough. Some loners prefer the company their own intellect over the rambling crowd. Some are borderline sociopaths who thrive on solitude; the army looks for this profile when choosing snipers.

Vicky is a voyeur. She is an outsider who still has a need and desire for social interaction. She's at the park not to ride rides, but to observe couples and families. She is living vicariously through them, although she would never admit to it.

Page 6

Vicky seems to harbor particular interest, and resentment, for the Tunnel of Love ride.

She recognizes a certain boy in a pink hat, and extinguishes her cigarette. This is a tiny but important detail.

Page 7

Timmy has a fearful response to Vicky, conditioned through years of abuse. To give the story any semblance to reality, Vicky's "abuse" cannot primarily be physical, but psychological. She strikes terror into children not with the blunt viceral force of a cheap hockey mask and a chainsaw, but with a deft touch of macabre horror, weaving stories that creep into the deeper recesses of young minds, where they bore holes and wait, emerging only during the darkest of night.

Page 8

For a brief moment, Vicky seems to show disdain for Timmy's parents and concern for Timmy himself. Or it may simply be incredulous-ness. It it uncertain at this point.

Page 9

Vicky calls Timmy Pavlov, referring to his conditioned response when they first meet. This, combined with her strong will, indicates that Vicky is someone with an interest in psychology. It is useful for controlling other people, or to fortify one's own mental defenses. Vicky might make a very effective, or dangerous, psychiatrist, depending on your point of view.

Page 10 ~ 11

Vicky jokes about the mirrors being windows into the inner soul, and confounds Timmy with common rhetoric.

Page 12 ~ 13

The first ride the pair goes on is the bumper cars (in the episode, it goes by the moniker "Digestive Track."

Vicky shows sternness at Timmy, remarking that he should "grow up" instead of wallow in self-pity. Once again, we are not yet sure whether she was simply being dismissive of Timmy, or issuing an imperative.

Page 14

At first, the Heart Stopper was supposed to be a wooden roller-coaster. However, such tracks often do not have the twirls of modern composite metal designs, or the loops. So this was changed later on.

Page 16 ~ 18

Vicky launches a plot to get on the ride sooner, and Timmy reluctantly plays along. This marks the first point where Timmy openly shows admiration for Vicky. When she wants something done, she doesn't let anything get in the way.

For the demure Timmy, such determination is almost super-heroic.

Page 19 ~ 21

The ride operator tells Timmy to grow up. This is of course a central theme of the episode "Love at First Height," as well as a nod to the upcoming movie.

In convincing the operator to change his mind, again we see Vicky's force of will. Again, we are confronted with the question of whether Vicky was being selfish or protective.

Page 21 ~ 22

Vicky gets sick from the ride. Obviously, this is the first time she's ever ridden the roller-coaster. The bumper cars are a solitary, and at times competitive, ride. The roller coaster is something one rides with family and friends. Her intentions once again come into question... is Vicky forcing Timmy to follow her around only for the money? Or is it because this is her first opportunity to ride the rides as a member of a group? Or, was she really concerned about Timmy being alone in the park?

Page 23

Timmy wins a glider from a carnival game. This becomes an important plot device later on.

Timmy catches Vicky showing an unusual interest in the Tunnel of Love.

Page 24 ~ 26

Vicky is dismissive of Timmy's completely innocent offer to ride the Tunnel of Love with her, and apparently spins more tall tales to scare Timmy. But, unlike at the Hall of Mirrors, Vicky is actually weaved some truth into her exaggerations, at least what she believes to be true, about what the tunnel represents. We see that Vicky has a rather cynical view of love, and perhaps life in general.

Page 27

[Grant a Wish] is a reference to the real-life Make-A-Wish foundation, an organization devoted to granting the wishes of children who have terminal illness, such as cancer, for example. The wishes often entail travel to fun places such as an amusement park. These visits would be specially arranged beforehand, so the child would not spend precious time in queues.

Page 28 - 29

Vicky rebuffs Timmy's expression of admiration with words of such a harsh nature that we had not previously seen, and almost poking Timmy in the head.

I am not someone who is against corporal discipline, but a line must be drawn at any aggressive motion towards the face and head. It is not just a physical attack, but an attack on the psyche, the ego.

Page 30 ~ 32

We sense that Vicky's search for Timmy begins as an annoyance, but escalates to concern.

Page 34

Timmy makes a stand. It is part of growing up. Enraged by his words, Vicky seems poised to strike Timmy.

This is yet another window into Vicky's true character. Timmy's words cut deep. If she didn't care about him, she wouldn't value his opinion so strongly.

Page 35 ~ 36

The scene switches to a young Vicky visiting Timmy's mom shortly after his birth, then returns to present time as Timmy finds himself unscathed and alone.

Just as with the two similar pages in the previous comic, the opening of the eyes indicates a moment of revelation, the starting point where the character gains new insight which changes the way he perceives the world. It is like stepping into the world and opening your eyes for the first time, hence the birth imagery (which is not a flashback for either character, but for the benefit of the reader alone).

The scene also gives away another trinket of Vicky's character, as has been done slowly throughout. Here, we realize the word twerp is not an insult, but a term of endearment. It is almost maternal. Perhaps Vicky calls Timmy twerp because that is how she always wants to remember him.

Page 37

In a quick role reversal, it is now Timmy who looks for Vicky. Is he looking for the stern Vicky at the Digestive Track? The protective Vicky at the Heart Stopper? Or the introspective Vicky at the Tunnel of Love?

Page 38 ~ 39

This is a pivotal scene that addresses one of the main themes of this comic: our inability as children (and for some, as adults) to perceive true kindness, which is not revealed through grand gestures, but the tiniest considerations and personal concessions. At the beginning, we saw that Vicky stared down a park employee to keep her smoke, but she quickly extinguished it when she saw Timmy. Perhaps she values his opinion of her, or she doesn't want to expose him to second-hand smoke. Now we know for sure that Vicky has always cared for Timmy in her own way, beyond her duty as a babysitter.

This puts all of Vicky's actions in a whole new light. Vicky is not an abuser, but a disciplinarian. As children, we confuse austerity for meanness, and only realize our error with the wisdom of age and introspection. Timmy is beginning to realize this; he is actually growing up. He is maturing... something not even magic can bequeath.

Page 40 ~ 41

True character is revealed at our most vulnerable... or, one could say we feel vulnerable when we are not in control of our own image. Timmy may be too young to understand this, but he senses it instinctively. He feels the answers to the unspoken questions - ones the readers should all have in their hearts by now - are to be found within the dark isolation of the tunnel, a place Vicky seems desperately curious about, but for which she also harbors fearful resentment.

At the Hall of Mirrors, Vicky told what was to herself a blatant lie, and cynical truth at the Tunnel of Love. But such personal truths are a posteriori, they are malleable. A single experience could change them around.

Page 42

"When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. But when I became a man, I put away childish things."

Balloons are childish things, therefore one must abandon them before entering the world of mature passions... the Tunnel of Love. One could also interpret the balloon as the shielded innocence and safety of childhood (they were Cosmo and Wanda in disguise, after all.) These balloons did protect Timmy, by leading Vicky to him. But to enter the adult world, we must forgo their magical protection.

Page 43 ~ 44

All the rides at Adrena-land seem to have a corresponding organ. The Tunnel of Love, we could assume, represents the heart. (A stronger case can be made for another semi-internal body part, but this isn't that kind of comic.) So entering the ride itself is a not-so-subtle metaphor for what will happen within it. It will be a place of quiet discovery and stolen glances.

Much to his surprise, the Tunnel of Love is beautiful and serene inside, a complete contradiction of Vicky's words.

Page 45

Timmy is beginning to call Vicky's bluffs, or is simply not as afraid anymore. His interest in Vicky is genuine.

Beginning with this page, the comic was drawn in Photoshop instead of Flockmod/Flockdraw, which had suffered extended down time. Measures were taken to make the Photoshop pages look as close to Flockdraw as possible, which in hindsight is spectacularly silly.

Page 46

The turtle reference is of course a nod to the episode Snow Bound, perhaps my favorite episode.

Page 47 ~ 48

Finally, through thinly-veiled allegory, Vicky explains why she acts the way she does towards Timmy. Vicky also had a babysitter once, someone with whom she formed a very close emotional bond. But that bond can not be anything more than platonic, and will inevitably be broken.

Her reasoning may be interpreted in several ways. By enforcing strict emotional boundaries, Vicky may be hoping to prevent the same heartache for Timmy; the pain of unrequited love stings more than a thousand hateful insults. Or Vicky simply does not want to relive her experience, be it on the giving or receiving end. Perhaps, the idea that the fairy tale has no alternate ending is her only consolation, the last barrier against the complete destruction of the young man for whom she once yearned. She is afraid that she might reciprocate that love... and bring ruin to Timmy, herself, and her last fond memories of a princess and her knight.

Whatever the reason, what's important is what Vicky simply is in the now. She knowingly keeps people distant. This isn't logical, but human nature isn't logical. Knowledge alone does not alleviate the weight on our shoulders. The abused become abusers, and girls from broken homes seek out men who would be unfaithful. We are creatures of comfort, and we crave familiar flavors even when we know it to be hemlock.

Page 49

Vicky repeats a line here that Timmy said in the previous comic... or rather, we now learn that Vicky plays a large part in shaping Timmy's views on love.

Page 50

Timmy is suddenly filled with regret... regret for having thought of Vicky as a bad person, for having blamed himself for all the problems, of time wasted on trivial things. How could someone with such a clear view of love be a

horrible person?

Page 51

At first, Vicky was going to say "nothing is going to change." But that would be incorrect. Timmy will grow up, people will come and go in his life. He will become a better person, his world view will expand. Only Vicky will remain unchanged in her own private cocoon. Despite all of her intelligence and perceptiveness, her world is small because of her aversion to socialization. She recognizes this.

In response, Timmy says something simple, honest, profound... and it leaves Vicky speechless.

Page 52

The warrior poet Li Bai (Ri Haku) is said to have died from falling out of his boat while, in a drunken stupor, he tried to grab the reflection of the moon from the water. Is there a more beautiful and fitting way for a great romantic to pass on from the mortal world and into legend?

At that moment, Timmy was the ethereal swordsman, caught between the real and the illusory world. Timmy has the heart of a poet.

Page 53

Of course, we can't have Timmy drown like Li Bai. We only consign Timmy's glider - another childish thing - to a watery grave.

Vicky rushes to Timmy's side. In the water's reflection, we see the face of young Vicky. Personally, I think this could be interpreted in two ways. The first, perhaps the more obvious, is that Vicky is seeing her young self in the reflection, the water acting as a window into her inner state of being... but instead of a cruel demon, there is but a girl with a pure heart, holding the same kindness and curiosity that she had when she first met the baby in the first few hours of his life.

The second interpretation, one which I like equally, if not slightly more than the first, is that this image is something only we the viewers see. Vicky is almost always grunting, or sneering. So when she rushes to Timmy's side with genuine concern, and takes a coy glance at him in the water while his attention was back at his glider, it is we the viewers who confuse her divine, peaceful face as belonging to a much younger, happier child. Now, it is not the fictional character who breaks through the fourth wall, but we the audience who invite ourselves into the scene through a shared illusion.

Minor regret - Timmy and Vicky's hairstyles were not properly flipped for the water reflection.

Page 54

Vicky takes a small jab at Timmy about her sister's attraction to him, which falls flat because young Timmy seems completely oblivious to it. Incredulous, Vicky marvels at Timmy's still untainted innocence. Of course, this is also my 3rd nod to the upcoming movie, "Grow up Timmy Turner." Who else could possibly want Timmy to stay young forever, other than Vicky?

Page 55

Instead of getting a replacement glider for himself, Timmy opts for a gift to Vicky. A trinket. A tiny, self contained package of kindness. He chooses it over selfish childhood craving.

What is the essence of kindness? It is altruism. We see Vicky show kindness throughout the entire comic, although at times her intentions were not fully clear. Now it is Timmy who reciprocates. This is nature. It is more powerful than any fairy magic. And it is innate. We do not need religions or laws to know and understand it. We can be petty and selfish, as it is part of our ancient primal past. But generosity and love is the ultimate expression of humanity. We have a higher capacity for it than any other creature on Earth.

The artwork returns to Flockmod/Flockdraw.

Page 56

Why does a turtle allow a ladybug to ride on its back? Why does a gorilla sometimes love a kitten?

I once had a plush turtle with a ladybug on its back.

Part of growing up is letting go of childish things, and as teenagers we do this with glee as we discover more adulterated pleasures. Yet, once we enter the twilight of life, childish things magically become precious to us again. Somehow, they find their way back to us, just as my memories of the stuffed turtle has returned to me. As our bodies get older, our minds become younger... a wonderfully strange gift from Mother Nature. Perhaps an aged Timmy Turner may once again see his beloved Godparents.

Becoming taller, stronger, getting pimples - these are not signs of growing up, simply growing older. Timmy is truly growing up here. This must be bittersweet for Vicky... receiving the gift also means accepting that Timmy is maturing, and the presumed final leg of that journey will be her exit from his life.

Page 57 ~ 58

Returning to the start of the comic, Vicky and Timmy pass through the Hall of Mirrors again, a place where demons are revealed, according to Vicky. Yet, Vicky sees the reflection of Timmy as a strong, confident young man. Instead of the worst, she sees the best. She sees potential that all parents see in their children, potential that leaves them in awe. Vicky's lie about the mirrors turns out to be somewhat true, while her own perceived truth about love (her initial description of the Tunnel of Love) turns out to be false.

There is a trinity of illusions in this comic. First is the moon in the water, a dream of the present. The second is young Vicky, a recording of the past. The third is older Timmy, a glimpse into the future... three ghosts. It is telling that Vicky should see the past and future, while Timmy sees the present. Vicky is haunted by the past and worries about the future, while Timmy, as all young children, lives only in the present moment.

This reflection of older Timmy is "Gah" from the show. But Vicky is not romantically attracted to him. What she feels is a sense of pride that comes from a job well done... but also melancholy, for once the baby is a man, there is no need for a baby-sitter. This is the fear she has carried in her heart since her own experience with a baby-sitter. Once Timmy is a grown up, she would have no place in his life.

The journey is almost over. They are about to exit a land of make-believe, of balloons and gliders, of unexplored caverns and scary rides you're not tall enough for. It is a place to which they cannot return. The idea that Timmy would remain a twerp forever is an illusion, a dream, and all dreams end with the rising sun. My guess is that this too shall be a message of the FOP live action movie.

For all her efforts to prevent it, parting with Timmy will be sweet sorrow.

Page 59

You keep the money, Suzie.

Page 60

Timmy doesn't say goodbye. He doesn't want to see her later. He wants to see her *again.* This Vicky. Not the cruel Vicky, but the Vicky whose hand he doesn't want to let go.

Page 61

Just as the first flashback scene revealed that Vicky has always, in her own way, cared for Timmy, this flashback reveals that Timmy has always looked to Vicky as protector, whether he knows it or not. The weak seek out the strong, and the strong have an obligation to protect the weak. This would have been the primary theme of the epilogue to Courage.

Page 62

The intention of the sequence is to show that the two parted slowly. They wanted just a second, a fraction of a second, infinitesimal moment longer together.

I once read some theory positing that temperature, at the particle level, loops on itself; if it were possible to breach absolute zero and absolute hot, particles would enter an identical kinetic state. Perhaps time is the same, and an infinitely tiny moment is actually indistinguishable from eternity.

Page 63

Who will be the special girl? Who deserves the stars and the moon?

Despite the ever-shifting winds, the pair of balloons do not drift apart, but float together. Perhaps this invisible tether may hold Timmy and Vicky together.

Page 64

Fairies as Angels.

@anonymousaboo
Thank you for the detailed overview of the story pages, but especially for typing up all those liner notes from the lost edition of Simon's artwork from Pixiv...

Base +21, HabaneroJim +13, kemono69 +11, BarbarossaRugner +7, TheBrojangles +6, Originalnameof +6

@Anime Janai
Glad to have a place to preserve it!

Base +6, HabaneroJim +13, kemono69 +11, shadowknight007 +7, BarbarossaRugner +7, TheBrojangles +6

This is a masterpiece, does this guy have a patreonor something?I will apretiate all pf his work here, but I really would like to go to the source

Base +6, kemono69 +11, shadowknight007 +7, Manhunt001 +6, BarbarossaRugner +7

This is a beautiful story, wonderfully written.

Base +5

Im glad this is here. a few years ago i found this comic on this same site and really felt with it. unfortunately that upload, whenever it was from, must have been taken down. luckily i downloaded the images, although i notice now the once i downloaded are about 20 images short, hm. not that it matters because this upload is here now, and with some nice comments from the original creator thankfully saved by anonamouse :)

Base +6, TheBrojangles +6, kemono69 +9