February 29th, 2016
And don't forget to vote! The extra doodle is #storytellerproblems.
Oh! Early heads up on a couple of things - the Chapter 3 book is all put together and should be available in the store around the end of March!! Also: I've been accepted to table at Otakon and Animazement, so Lord willing, I'm planning to be at each! I'll definitely let you guys know when I know more details. :D
Vote Incentive for This Comic.
I think it might have to do with the sizes of the towns. Tareth didn't exactly live in a massive city, and I can't really see Jonan having business in piddling little towns unless there's a really specific reason for him to be there.
posted at 4:17am on February 29th, 2016
Well, Jonan wouldn't need to make an appearance personally, but I 'm sure SOMEONE would've traveled to town and gossiped about That Necromancer at the bar or market or whatever. But I guess neither of those are places Sev or Tareth frequent... :O
posted at 8:11pm on February 29th, 2016
MAN ONE OF THESE DAYS I'LL DRAW AN UPDATED MAP IM HAPPY WITH. Rusanne and Kalorig aren't far from each other, but Dhemin is quite a ways away!
News does travel a little more slowly when leaving town might mean running across multi-armed bleeding skeletons, and the city-states do tend to keep to themselves, but I think it's probably mostly just that Tareth lives in a smaller state that doesn't really pay attention to politics. Not to mention that she's always been especially cloistered herself!
Sev is.... just a little bit slowpoke.jpg in general.
posted at 1:08pm on February 29th, 2016
Hmmm. NOW I'm just thinking about traders and tradesmen and whether they exist if travel between cities is difficult without an armed escort or something. I guess most cities are probably fine self-sustained but what about areas that aren't good for farming? Are monsters an issue everywhere? 8D
posted at 8:09pm on February 29th, 2016
I think it might be a generational thing. Jonan scared people shitless before these two were born or while they were just kids and didn't do too much. Everyone who recognizes Jonan is older and lives in more metropolitan cities, particularly in one where he made a protest with an undead army. People from that city remember that but for those outside that city it might be just an amusing and/or scary story.
Also, remember this is a world without mass media devices that can convey faces everywhere. This sounds obvious but the implication isn't, it's one of the whole reasons why they made heraldic symbols and such, so important people could be recognizable.
posted at 9:33am on March 3rd, 2016
Jonan's only 29! He only looks like he's 50! XD Sev is 20! I also don't think Jonan's undead army thing was that long ago. Maybe 2-3 years tops? Long enough ago for word to travel but not for anyone to forget. It's also clear from a few encounters that the name is enough; they don't need the face -- there are apparently no other people named 'Jonan'. But yeah, it seems like Tarri and Sev are pretty sheltered and/or not terribly interested in gossip in the first place.
posted at 9:29pm on March 5th, 2016
So... going by the incentive, I guess this means Æmber is Steven and Tareth is Onion. I suppose Chitter is Connie in this case.
Of course, other characters are more difficult. We have someone with a reckless personality who is prone to shapeshifting; a taller, skinnier individual who has issues with eating; and a pariah who possesses psychic abilities which let them see things that others can not. No idea who they'd be in this scenario.
posted at 4:13am on February 29th, 2016
...I want to draw fanart of this.
posted at 7:04am on February 29th, 2016
IM DYIGN
posted at 1:09pm on February 29th, 2016
We also have a nitpicky, organized character under the control of a bulky, domineering character and a mysterious organization that operates like a cult. How can we fit them in?
posted at 1:58pm on February 29th, 2016
oh my goodness I CANT
WAIT DOES THIS IMPLY THAT QUENTIN "I FORGOT THE ENTIRE PLAN BUT I'M THE AGORATH SO THAT SOUNDS LIKE YOUR PROBLEM" AGORATH IS YELLOW DIAMOND
posted at 7:21pm on February 29th, 2016
The next vote incentive had BETTER be something about this.
posted at 9:42pm on February 29th, 2016
okay the vote incentive is longer now and it's all you guys' fault
posted at 5:18pm on March 1st, 2016
No regrets.
posted at 10:59pm on March 1st, 2016
What I'm curious about is the nature of the squirrel. Is it magical? A familiar? Or is it just a pet?
Whatever the case, I want to pet it.
posted at 7:04am on February 29th, 2016
Monsters (magical creatures) have runes on them, like muulorns! Chitter is just a mundane squirrel. :>
posted at 1:10pm on February 29th, 2016
How is Æmber pronounced?
posted at 11:58am on February 29th, 2016
Like amber! Like, the thing ancient insects got trapped in.
posted at 1:14pm on February 29th, 2016
So... Will she be able to grow?? Like, with the shield grow too? Or small forever ;_; (or squished, but I'd rather not think about that option)
posted at 2:48am on March 1st, 2016
There's definitely room for her to grow a good bit taller before she's brushing the roof with that awesome hair- she's 12, right? Girls tend to stop growing around 15-16, so that's only 3-4 years more growth left.
My key concerns would actually be pressure sores, muscle wastage and DVT (clots in your veins like you can get on long flights) from not moving around enough in that space or using muscles. Also, it's gotta be hard to get enough vitamin D with no sun exposure. (Can you tell I'm a med student? :P)
posted at 6:54am on March 1st, 2016
that sounds terrible! :U
But hey the more you know *shooting star*
posted at 12:47pm on March 7th, 2016
oh my goodness "small forever" is just the cutest and also saddest way to describe this
posted at 5:20pm on March 1st, 2016
I like how Tareth accidentally failed to reverse her name like Aember did; clearly this isn't the first time Aember's resorted to communicating by condensed breath script.
posted at 2:49am on March 1st, 2016
(omg thank you for appreciating this, I'm so stupidly pleased with that little detail xD )
posted at 5:26pm on March 1st, 2016
I have somehow only just noticed/actually paid attention to the fact that there's a BOOK in there. Somehow I can't imagine that it's just a random library book she happened to be holding when the force field went up.
I think the thing I'm most curious about is how long she's been in there. Have I missed a reference to that?
posted at 7:00am on March 1st, 2016
That'd be a heck of a late fee
posted at 4:09pm on March 1st, 2016
This priest's one line is the only time anyone's talked about it so far!
posted at 5:22pm on March 1st, 2016
Thanks!
Given that, I find it amusing that the book has a little bookmark ribbon in it. I'm sure she's got the whole thing memorised by now and knows precisely what page everything is on.
posted at 5:37pm on March 1st, 2016
According to your vote incentive, I am definitely an Esra. I have the exact same feelings about my lab equipment set-up (or anything that I have taken pains to arrange to my liking). Don't Touch It. Don't Move It. Hands Off. (I remember being stuck with this one guy as a lab partner in college who had NO CLUE what he was doing. To try to hide this, he would make minor adjustments to the equipment I had set up so it looked like he was contributing something. I could see right through it, and all he did was annoy the crap out of me.)
Can't wait to find out what is going on with AEmber. Hurry up and ask the important questions, Tareth!
posted at 10:32pm on March 1st, 2016
oh my goodness BAD SCHOOL PARTNERS ARE THE WORST
(I'm pretty certain Esra would've been the guy in school who dreads group projects and just does the entire project and tells his partners to not touch anything and just pretend they did something)
posted at 4:51pm on March 2nd, 2016
Even after that AWESOME Steven Universe discussion, I'm still left with some interesting thoughts.
First: it seems like no one really UNDERSTANDS magic. Maybe it's because it's so intuitive, but no one seems interested in applying a scientific mindset to runes, except Loa (I'm REALLY excited to meet him now!)
Second: The previous thought really explains how miscasts are still such a problem. No one has taken the time to STUDY runes, and apply any amount of effort to figuring out how to reverse their effects.
Third: This makes me wonder how the ritual-based magic works. Is it the intellectual counterpart to the intuitive Runewriting? Or is it just piggybacking on the power of runes? Also, Quentin seems VERY interested in getting his hands on Loa's research, if he's hiring Iavin to steal it. Maybe that's a hint that I'm on the right track...?
posted at 12:07am on March 2nd, 2016
omg IIIIIIIIiiiiiiiiiiii love these thoughts
posted at 4:53pm on March 2nd, 2016
Is THAT a hint that I'm on the right track? *crosses fingers*
posted at 5:17pm on March 4th, 2016
...Quentin's smile as Esra moves his beaker back... this is also a good ship. HMMMMM.
posted at 1:55pm on March 2nd, 2016
OH MY GOODNESS
KIRI
I'M GONNA ENCOURAGE THIS TOO
(Esra's in Slytherin if that's,,,,,,something you need to know,,,,,)
posted at 4:55pm on March 2nd, 2016
MM yes he would be. *rubs hands together*
posted at 12:10am on March 5th, 2016
Hmmm...I'm putting Sev in Gryffindor, not just because he's impulsive, but because so much of his impulsivity centers around justice and chivalry (like wanting to beat up the zombies for being rough with Tarri, and standing up to the ritualists.)
Tareth seems very Hufflepuff-ish, because she really cares about keeping everyone together (plus, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor friendships tend to center around the 'Puff keeping the 'Dor from doing something crazy.)
Jonan just screams (well, mumbles) Slytherin. He's cunning, resourceful, and goal-oriented. His unethical use of zombies for political protests seems like an unhealthy expression of Slytherin values. He also seems like a traditionalist.
Xira...he's kinda vague, to be honest. He seems curious like a Ravenclaw, but that could just be the nature of his powers. He's definitely resourceful like Slytherin, but doesn't act on any obvious ambitions that we've seen.
posted at 1:54pm on March 5th, 2016
Okay, Tarri can be Connie because WHO CAN SAY NO TO TARRI SHE'S SUCH A GOOD
posted at 6:26pm on March 2nd, 2016
I love how Sev's defining characteristics are that he turns into a dragon and he was naked. *nods* Perfectly legitimate things to remember. (I know I would.)
posted at 5:59pm on September 21st, 2017
Comment by Kiri
It's interesting that neither Sev and Tareth seem to understand the severity of Jonan's reputation. How far away was their town from his? Does news not tend to spread far? I feel like a necromancer raising an undead army would be newsworthy for a few miles.. :O
posted at 12:57am on February 29th, 2016