I think Shango impersonating Snoopy has the right idea. He's tired of being sad too.
It occurred to me that recently, strips have contained references to many recent things in my life. Friends and heroes passing, birthdays, plugs for stuff I like, webcomic conventions.
Sometimes that happens. I get on a roll for these things in the context of the strip and it's hard to dig out.
So, this week, a bit of a step back in the general direction of the strip without plugs.
I actually did a bit more background art than usual. There have been times where Casey has mentioned being in the woods or references have been made to the woods behind Casey's house. And of course, they are shown on that original map I did of Andbait back in the day (the 'thicket', it's where they park the ship, of course). 
Someone recently mentioned to me that Vayda seems a bit like 'Rose' from Two and a Half Men, but she was originally based on two people. Darth Vader and a girl I went to school with. She was originally supposed to be the antagonist in this overall story, but, I soon realized, almost by accident, that Vayda is actually the manifestation of love in the strip. She eventually became part of the inner circle group, and the rest is history. When Mowbot came along, he became the antagonist (when we need one), and even he is not so bad anymore. Such is life. Sometimes enemies are just misunderstood.
The real difference between Rose and Vayda is, Casey actually LIKES Vayda, but he's twelve, so he's right on the border of love and hate.
