May 16th, 2017
Don't forget to vote! This one addresses an... earlier arrangement.
Vote Incentive for This Comic.
Sev has a pretty loose definition of 'friends' probably.
posted at 12:06am on May 16th, 2017
Also, hm, Sev still has his horns? Weren't those also a supposed miscast? :O
posted at 12:37am on May 16th, 2017
I feel like it's only targeting active spells. How long has he had those horns? Shapeshifting miscasts might just become part of your default form over time. Your body and magic just adapts over time and treats it as normal.
Or I could be completely wrong and there are plot shenanigans afoot. Only time or author confirmation can tell!
posted at 1:02am on May 16th, 2017
This makes sense, though Aember has also been in that box for a suuuuuper long time. I guess the box can't really integrate into her body the way Sev's horns can though, so maybe they're different? I also wonder about Necropony's permanence -- I suppose that'd also be different, since being animated can't have permanence outside of magic because he's a corpse? Are shapeshifty things the only things that can achieve permanence outside of active magic?
posted at 12:38pm on May 16th, 2017
The main reason I think it would stick for shapeshifting is it's a live, integrated state. Limbs have growth, healing, and blood circulation. Proper nerve connections.
It might just be a matter of 'well, the spell technically wore off/ended, but all the cells that died/grew since it was cast are not actually part of the spell itself so they stayed?'
posted at 7:39pm on May 16th, 2017
( It might be helpful to consider the difference between "box currently made of magic" and "horns originally created by magic!" )
posted at 8:32pm on May 16th, 2017
Now that's an interesting comparison of shapeshifting we never really see: created forms versus sustained forms.
Do they temporarily warp what they are or do they actually create something new and sufficiently permanent that doesn't require outside sustainment.
(yes, I will sit here for hours quietly speculating magic systems and how they work in people's comment threads. I'm sorry)
posted at 1:06am on May 17th, 2017
Ahhhh okay ignore my other comment further down. Fascinating! I figured you'd have a reason.
posted at 2:50am on May 17th, 2017
This just brings up... like, are the horns different here because they are an addition to Sev, rather than a contortion like his hands to tentacles? Sev didn't change a part of his body to become horns -- he grew them? If he had GROWN tentacles in addition to his arms, would they not be affected here? How long does magic need to sustain a thing before it becomes able to sustain itself? If Sev's tenatcles are "currently made of magic," like Aember's box, will they at any point NOT be made of magic??
posted at 2:13pm on May 18th, 2017
Aw, poor girl's faceplanting all over! I guess it's worth it to get to run around for once??
Hmm, where'd Xira get to!
posted at 12:08am on May 16th, 2017
Once again, I gotta say, I love how you do lettering for this comic. You convey each character's unique voice so well!
posted at 12:17am on May 16th, 2017
Aember is so dang cute. Everyone is so dang cute!!! I love this comic ;-;
Also, I wonder why Jonan's speech bubbles are so squiggly. Is it supposed to represent the way his voice sounds?
Keep up the great work ahh :)
posted at 12:19am on May 16th, 2017
My guess is the squiggly speech bubbles indicate that his voice sounds a bit raspy/not quite normal, possibly as a result of not speaking or drinking for several days. Kind of like trying to talk when you've just woken up - your mouth is dry and your vocal chords aren't 'warmed up', so you sound croaky until you've had something to drink.
posted at 1:30am on May 16th, 2017
that's what I was thinking as well! We've heard him speak once but I don't imagine he fully sounds like himself right now.
posted at 8:33pm on May 16th, 2017
Thanks for the confirmation. That's such a great detail to include. :)
posted at 7:09am on May 17th, 2017
Between being distracted by all the cute people in this comic and the way you keep coming up with new ways to show voices visually, all I can think is WATER JONAN DRINK ALL THE WATER NOW WHILE YOU CAN
posted at 12:28am on May 16th, 2017
This! If I were Jonan, I would be going, "Oh, I can talk no..FOOD! WATER! DEEP BREATHS!" Getting my money back from Sev would be a distant #4 on the list.
posted at 1:16am on May 16th, 2017
Deep breaths? Really? With nostrils of that size, I wouldn't have thought that was a problem XD
posted at 3:16am on May 16th, 2017
Still, airflow is usually restricted in one nostril while the other is free. You take in more air through the mouth during a deep inhale than through the nose.
posted at 3:37pm on May 16th, 2017
Oh my goodness you're all very kind to be so concerned about jonan BUT LIKE ONLY 2 MINUTES OF TIME HAVE PASSED IN THE COMIC, IT'S OKAY, HE HAS TIME
ALSO DONT DRINK ALL THE WATER YOU GUYS ARE GONNA MAKE HIM SICK
posted at 8:34pm on May 16th, 2017
DOES HE have time? Should I be reassured or are you teasing us?! :D
Not that I think you're actually going to have him starve to death, but I've been assuming there was some urgency within the story before people come chasing them again or... something.
posted at 11:42am on May 19th, 2017
Jonan, get someone to get you a drink, man! Or perhaps some kind if soup? His stomache has probably shrunk a little, even if it is just a few days, and he will need more liquids to process any drier foods. If he takes in too much he could feel sick, and that would be really bad once his mouth reseals!
And yeah, better things to worry about than the bet at the moment (aw, Sev, what a lovely little world you are living in there XD )
posted at 3:12am on May 16th, 2017
" If he takes in too much he could feel sick, and that would be really bad once his mouth reseals!"
I...I didn't even think about that as a possible consequence. Ewwwww. *whimpers* Though now that we're discussing other issues than getting sustenance, I also think he should brush his teeth while he can. Maybe some mouthwash?
posted at 11:07am on May 16th, 2017
Yes, it is good to be here. Let us build 3 tents. One for Sev, one for Jonan and one for Aember.
[/obscure reference]
posted at 4:35am on May 16th, 2017
No such thing as too obscure! I got you :) Though I have to admit, it's not often I see obscure biblical references on comic comments xD
posted at 9:20am on May 16th, 2017
To be fair: not often there is a comic/comment section to appreciate it :) Which make Runewriters a rare and precious exception.
posted at 2:29pm on May 17th, 2017
OH MY GOSH this is amazing........
okay, I'd be 100% with you on this, except that Severian is CLEARLY the Apostle Peter of this party
posted at 8:36pm on May 16th, 2017
Oh my LORD that interaction between Tarith and Aember is adorable, I love those awkward dorks.
ALSO. SOMEBODY. FEED AND WATER THE NECROMANCER WHILE YOU STILL CAN. PLEASE.
posted at 7:06am on May 16th, 2017
Suddenly curious... The miscasts are suppressed, but is ALL rune magic suppressed? Ie could Jonan fix his ankle now? Maybe if he laid with his feet outside the field and his head/mouth within it?
I'm guessing it's all runes but hey it's fun to speuclate
posted at 7:52am on May 16th, 2017
Twister: Runewriters edition
posted at 8:37pm on May 16th, 2017
Pfffhahahahahahahaha YES
posted at 6:46am on May 17th, 2017
Jonans sassy little "yes are you listening" makes me giggle way too hard xD. Oh Jonan, you gotta learn to be nicer to your friends/caretakers/people trying to save you from a horrible death
posted at 9:23am on May 16th, 2017
Jonan thinks he is being perfectly civil!!!!
posted at 11:22pm on May 16th, 2017
I mean, with Sev, it's always a reasonable question.
posted at 12:11pm on May 22nd, 2017
Loved the note about how talkative everyone was; given that about half the party members can't talk, I think it's amazing how communicative they tend to be even when they're not in a magic field which let's them talk!
Since Xira doesn't seem to be in evidence, could it be that he is getting some food and drink for Jonan? (Well, he does generally seem to be rather more thoughtful and less self-involved than some of the other party members, so I think it's possible.)
Panels 3 and 4 have me a little worried, because it looks like Aember is running into the wall of her usual force field (as opposed to actually running into its inside, if that makes sense . . . like she seems to be locked out of it, but unable to leave the magic field without it).
And in re: the vote incentive, I just wanted Sev to know that I have a friend who likes to point out that being "technically correct is the best kind of correct!" So way to go, Sev!
posted at 10:34am on May 16th, 2017
It's from Futurama I think, unless it further references something else.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hou0lU8WMgo
posted at 12:13pm on May 22nd, 2017
Well, you guys might as well go get Jonan a nice big meal while he's able to eat it. Better top up now, still got a bit of a trip ahead of you.
posted at 10:51am on May 16th, 2017
why does Sev still have horns? Am I mistaken were they not a miscas?
posted at 10:21pm on May 16th, 2017
They were a miscast!! so it seems the ritual isn't targeting miscasts specifically!
(also, kiri and khend were doing some speculating on this up near the top of the comments that might be worth pondering!)
posted at 11:24pm on May 16th, 2017
Something else is going on here!!
posted at 12:35pm on May 17th, 2017
I am curious: Why did the undoing of the spells/miscasts on Sev include his feet and tentacles but not the horns he miscast on his head some time earlier?
posted at 2:48am on May 17th, 2017
odd... Aember's box should move with her, shouldn't it? ... But she face planted... And the squirrel stopped short when she hit it. Is the squirrel the source of the box? Just a guess...
posted at 10:13am on May 17th, 2017
Escape, squirrel! Now is your chance! Also, where is a certain witch?
posted at 11:43am on May 17th, 2017
Comment by TheOtherDibbler
Aember is just so dang cheerful and positive about everything.
Also, re. the vote incentive: I'd been wondering about that. :D
posted at 12:06am on May 16th, 2017