FAQ
Table of Contents
Links may lead to content or sites outside of this page.
Contact
Postal
VAS Littlecrow
Attn: Rasputin Barxotka
PO Box 202
Rice, MN 56367
USA
Online
[email protected], FaceBook, Twitter, Google+, Tumblr, deviantART and Y!Gallery
Advertising and eComic Questions
- How do I advertise on Rasputin Barxotka?
- What are the differences between the eComic downloads and the free webcomics?
- Where can I buy Rasputin Barxotka eComics?
Story Related Questions
- Some of the words and terms in this comic are unfamiliar. Do you have a glossary?
- When does Rasputin Barxotka take place?
- Who is Rasputin Barxotka?
- Rasputin Barxotka yaoi? Is it porn? Is it something else?
- What the heck is up with the creepy tentacle rape scene? (Spoiler Alert)
- Aren’t You Concerned That This Work May Be Offensive To Rromani People, Gays, Women, Americans, Russians, Etc.?
Behind the Scenes Questions
- Is making Rasputin Barxotka fan art okay with you?
- I haven’t been here in years. Wasn’t the art style different for the first chapter?
- What motivates you to tell this story?
- Is Rasputin Barxotka family-friendly?
- What inspired the look for your art?
- How do you come up with story ideas?
- Do you have citations and research notes for Rasputin Barxotka?
- There’s so much going on in Rasputin Barxotka. How do I keep track of everything?
Technical Questions
- When does Rasputin Barxotka update?
- There are many pages here? How do I return to the last page I read without starting over?
- Is Barxotka.com accessible to the disabled?
More questions?
When does Rasputin Barxotka take place?
Technically, in the early 1990′s during and immediately after the end of the Communist-ruled Soviet Union. Much of the narrative consists of flashbacks that take place in the 1980′s.
Who is Rasputin Barxotka?
The short answer: There’s no one called Rasputin Barxotka in this comic. The long answer: There is no specific character named Rasputin Barxotka, but the concept that the title implies exists in the graphic novel. The name, “Rasputin” refers to Dmitri’s belief that he is related to the Grigori Rasputin and it also refers to Tsar‘s last name and past as a priest. It’s also a clue that the comic explores the political underbelly and dark spiritual elements of Russian society. “Barxotka,” literally translates to, “velvet ribbon (necklace).” In Russian Mat slang, it can be interpreted to mean, “the submissive and younger partner of a gay relationship.” (Highlight the black area to see the answer, which may be a spoiler.)
Is Rasputin Barxotka yaoi? Is it porn? Is it something else?
Yes and no. The majority the male leads in this story happen to be queer. With that factor alone, there is a significant amount of yaoi-type stuff going on, though the story is more interested with social politics and crime than anything else. In fact, the longest running single sequence revolving around someone’s sexuality involves a trial. Does that make Rasputin Barxotka a yaoi comic? Maybe if the males were prettier, the style was more influenced by manga and there were less boobs floating about. To me, it’s just a crime comic that happens to have gays in it. As I mentioned earlier, there are a lot of of heterosexual relationships as well. I try to depict these relationships in a realistic manner. Sometimes sex and nudity just happen to be involved in the mix. People may find such frank content to be objectionable or “pornographic”, even though I may not agree with that assessment at all. When I write this graphic novel, I generally focus on what people are interested in reading about. I write a lot, but there’s only so much I can put online to fit a weekly schedule. In general, people seem interested in reading about femdom, yaoi, crime, cultural stuff and a specific set of characters, so that’s what I work on. If you would like to see other topics or characters covered in greater depth, let me know in the comments section, or by interacting with me on email, social sites and forums.
Aren’t You Concerned That This Work May Be Offensive To Rromani People, Gays, Women, Americans, Russians, Etc?
Of course. Any time an artist or writer depicts oppressed groups of any ethnicity/belief system/sexual orientation in a realistic and human-oriented fashion, there is a real risk of offending someone and coming across as a bigot. It sucks, but it comes with the territory. I fully accept responsibility for that, so whenever possible, I include research notes and documentation with the posted pages. My first concern with Rasputin Barxotka is to tell a story about relationships. My second concern is to depict the characters as human beings, for better or for worse. My third concern is to expose the ugliness of prejudice against the Rroma people, and to show how bigotry combined with forced settlement, forced evictions and a lack of opportunities are reaping destruction on said culture. My fourth and final concern is to share cool things I have learned over the years from life experience and scholarly pursuits. Return to Table of Contents
Is making Rasputin Barxotka fan art okay with you?
I haven’t been here in years. Wasn’t the art style different for the first chapter?
For part of the story, yes it was. You can see the original version of Rasputin Barxotka with the old art and without the Rasputin Catamite filler at Comic Fury.
There are a lot of pages here? How do I return to the last page I read without starting over?
- Each comic has a tag menu underneath that will help you return to your page anytime you visit, provided you have cookies on your computer. Click on “tag” to temporarily bookmark the last page you visited before you leave the site. When you return click on “go to tag” to be transported back to the page. Hover over “info” in case you forget how this works.
- You can navigate the archives visually by clicking on the chapter thumbnails, or by text using date/title.
When does Rasputin Barxotka update?
Every Monday, with additional updates when the spirit moves me.
Is Rasputin Barxotka family-friendly?
Fuck no! It has a lot of NSFW moments and it targets a mature audience. Think of it as an R-rated movie in webcomic form.
What inspired the look for your art?
The aesthetic draws inspiration from manga and Russian neo-Primitive folk paintings. I use a brush pen combined with digital media to achieve the comic’s unique appearance.
How do you come up with story ideas?
I base a lot of the story on my own life mashed up with historical documents and the news. For character development, I tend to use my dreams or I will harness my mild schizophrenia to “channel” my characters. Some people might call this shamanism, being possessed, listening to spirits, tapping into alternate realities or any other number of supernatural explanations. I reserve my judgement on what exactly this altered state actually is, and will cautiously err on viewing this phenomenon as a productive use of an otherwise crippling mental illness.
There’s so much going on in Rasputin Barxotka. How do I keep track of everything?
Your best bet is to visit the cast page, and subscribe to our mailing list or RSS feed.
More questions?
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