Comment by PaleSheep

WELP that's not quite what I expected. Based on the old Fat Abberants incentive I kinda figured the madghost would be... Smaller. Like, Mario-Boos, He's-Not-Bad-He's-Just-Hungry puppy-sized ghost. Not the one-eyed cousin of a Dementor.

Reply by Shazzbaa

even horrifying nightmares are cuter in fat animal form

Comment by Tama

SHEET

Reply by Tama

Well that was supposed to be a curse word but my phone decided to make a ghost joke

Reply by Kiri

I squinted at the word but laughed at the explanation. A+!

Reply by Glew

It's so much better this way :D

Reply by Shazzbaa

THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL

Comment by TheOtherDibbler

Okay three things:

1) Wow. Awesome, spooky, disturbing page. Can everyone see all that or just Xira? I'm guessing the others can't see Sev's memory, but what about the spectre?
2) Is that a younger Iavin or am I imagining similarities in facial features?
3) It has suddenly occurred to me that if Xira was comfortable telling the others about his powers he might be able to act as a translator for Jonan, by listening to him think the words he'd like to say and then saying them for him. I don't know why that hadn't occurred to me before.

Reply by TheOtherDibbler

I can't edit my previous comment, but having now seen the vote incentive I want to add: OMG the vote incentive is so funny! I know you said it's something that would probably not happen, but I'm going to pretend it did anyway.XD

Reply by Glew

I'm pretty sure that is Iavin. How many mind runewriters with a facial tattoo and rune beads can there be?

Reply by Shazzbaa

That particular tattoo isn't rare among witches, actually. But no, you're not imagining things. :>

(Also re: #3, we've seen telepathic communication from him, too!)

Reply by TheOtherDibbler

Oooh, so Iavin and Sev have met before, interesting...

And I had forgotten that bit, thanks for the reminder! :)

Comment by Nerrin

Maybe a slightly less horrible memory, Sev! Maybe one that doesn't look like it wants to kill us all! Couldn't you have just ditched a boring rainy day instead?

Reply by Shazzbaa

that doesn't sound like a tasty memory at all!!

Comment by Glew

Oh man!

So
1) Sev not only met Iavin, but was attacked by him? What a jerk! Wonder what the story is there. I'm sure we will find out when they meet again, bc they obviously will. "You don't waste perfectly good foreshadowing like that."
But then Sev won't remember, because he just forgot the memory. Argh
2) Wait, what? "I have tons of those" ?! D: Poor Sev. This is like those casually thrown deep cuts in Steven Universe "Don't let anyone make you feel like trash" "Is that how you feel?"
I mean I guess being a runewriter and being... do we even know why he is away from home? Exile? Refugee? Orphan? :/
3) And oooooh Madghost finally makes an appearance, and .... it has great hair? :D It is spooky, but I will take a visible foe over an invisible one any day.

Reply by Anna

Yeah, it was said during the church episode (it's expanded in one of those extra vote comics, I think) that he was trafficked as a child because of his powers, but he managed to escape as a young child. And that's also why he doesn't have an accent like the refugees have. Supposedly his parents, or at least his dad died protecting him from the invaders that took him into slavery, from which he escaped.

But I'm pretty sure Shazbaa will clarify! :)

Reply by Glew

Oh yeah, thanks! I vaguely remember that, yes, but wasn't sure.

Reply by Shazzbaa

1) "Sev won't remember" WELP depends on how many memories he has associated with this!

re:Sev's childhood -- Anna's hit a lot of it! We know he was "brought over" to Varænske and escaped as a young child, but we don't know why. The thing about his parents was from a vote incentive that mentioned that his father died protecting him. We don't know if those two things were connected!

Reply by Toanovu

Unless I'm super missing something, I don't think that's supposed to be Iavin? The hair isn't right, and he's missing the whole face scar thing, BUT I could be wrong, that COULD be younger-doesn't-have-the-scars-yet Iavin, I'm not sure?

Reply by Glew

I'm pretty sure it IS Iavin. Very probably a younger version. The hair might not be super clear because flash-back colours? [though I always mistake runewriter hair for shadows so who nows...] That tattoo shouldn't be too common either. Iavin is the only one we have seen with one. And those prayerbead things he is holding seems to be his jam.
But we will see. Maybe we are both wrong XD (yeah, that's a paradox)

Reply by Shazzbaa

A lot can change in ten years. : )

Reply by Toanovu

Oh shoot the more I look at it the more it DOES look like him, what the HECK is he doing in Sev's memories was he a slave trader at some point DANG IT Iavin NO.

Comment by Anna

It's such a joy refreshing Runewriters every Tuesday to see a new strip! :)

And cool, it was surprising to see the pupeteer black with there!

Comment by Toanovu

Sooooooooo not okay with the whole loosing memories thing. Memories are important, they shape who people are, even (and sometimes especially) the bad ones. As bad as remembering stuff about his past can be for Sev, those memories definitely affect who he is, and I'm worried about what's gonna happen to him. :(

Reply by Toanovu

Oooooh also just noticed the witch tattoo on the guy in Sev's memory, interesting detail, now we know Sev probably has had personal reasons for not liking witches, interesting...

Reply by PK

Definitely not okay. ...Possibly better than what was going to happen if he didn't pick one. :/

Comment by Jade

NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE

Comment by Ely

One of Sev's most unpleasant memories... wearing an actual shirt for once.

Reply by Shazzbaa

aldkjlsejfslejfae YOU'RE NOT,,,, WRONG,,,,

Reply by Toanovu

You just won the comment section. XP

Reply by Heather

This makes me crack up so hard every time I read it

Comment by Andi

Perfect Halloween page!!! Did you plan this?

Reply by Shazzbaa

I DIDN'T ACTUALLY but I was oh man so excited when I queued up the pages and realised when this one was gonna go up

Comment by MagpieM

Stories in which people sacrifice memories always freak me out so bad. Augh. But that is pretty cool monster design at least.

Also, upon rereading this page, I am wondering in Xira is trailing off there because he recognizes that fellow in Sev's memory. Or maybe he's just going, "Welp, Sev's very bad memories features witches. This is awkward." Or perhaps an entirely unrelated reason. Just remembered he left the iron on.

Comment by Jasmine

Poor Æmber, everyone's forgotten about her :(

Comment by Glew

It just occured to me now, that in hindsight, maybe feeding that thing wasn't such a smart idea?
Not that our team is famous for smart ideas, but you know, there's always a first time - not now obviously.

Reply by Heather

Well, it's what the inkeeper recommended, and they haven't really got anything else up their sleeves (aside from Sev's earlier 'set it on fire' suggestion, but I think the rest of them are more likely to take the inkeeper's suggestion than Sev's.)