Chapter 1: Page 35
For those of you keeping score, this is page FIFTY! Hard to believe, but we’ve been at this since January 1st – it’s also hard to believe because I look at the scripts and outlines for where Quinlan and Dakkan go in their crazy adventures and realize that we’ve just scratched the surface of the world. Hopefully you’ll all still be reading when we hit another 50 pages, and another 50 after that – and all the 50’s thereafter!
This week, Quinlan’s got his serious-face on. He’s finally remembered a tenet – probably the easiest one, too: “Everything is a weapon”. As Crim says, ‘From your teeth to your tail’ – in keeping in line with the prior tenets, this essentially boils down to ‘use everything and anything you can to survive’.
Most Tamian warriors wield a bow and arrow and a simple sword sword. Everything is light in design, meant to be equipped while the wearer vaults through the treetops. Scouts like Quinlan would also leave the confines of the capital city, Terria, with a Treewalker Blade – specifically constructed to yank the hard chitin plates from the giant centipede-like creatures and expose them to attack. A true Tamian warrior would also be well-versed in the advantages the Western Deep itself has to offer in dealing with aggressive enemies: knocking them from a high branch, leading them into a Treewalker lair (or that of another carnivorous beast), or simply turning their enemy’s weapons against them through misdirection and confusion – the Tamian scouts are ghosts in the wilds of the Western Deep, and many a foe has perished trying to battle them on their home turf.
That said, Quinlan is admittedly a bit rusty at the core melee combat of his people, and Crim has been more than willing to take advantage of that – turning Quinlan’s own ignorance and feeble attempts at defeating him into a weapon. But it only takes so many hits to the sternum before that rust gets knocked off. I think it’s safe to say that you, Dakkan, and Crim’s Tesque trainees can expect a bit more from our dear captain in the coming weeks!
Scary Dakkan….YAY! Quin’s gonna fight!….Though I do hate Crim staring down at him as if he were a child DX DON”T WORRY, ILL GET HIM QUIN! *waaaaahhhhhh chopkick* …..erm….anywho…
I get the feeling that he’s gonna leave you with none, Crim >:) Rip his tail off and feed it to him, Quinlan!
Crim is such an ass, but to be honest, I love his facial expressions. He’s just so smug and “I-am-looking-at-child” and everything else… I know I should dislike him, but I just can’t, haha. Those faces are too perfect.
It also looks like Dakkan has a little Kenosh in him when it comes to getting angry. Not much, but it’s still there.
Those facials :D Was I the only one who cracked up on the last panel? Crim looks just the Aliens Meme! xD And I love his dialogue, “…I did leave you some teeth, yes?” Cocky little squirrel, isn’t he??
Oh god, now that you mention it, it looks EXACTLY like the Aliens meme. Instead he’d probably say, “I’m not saying it was Tamians, but TAMIANS.” His face in the third panel is just perfect; it’s just like he’s saying, “aw, look, the little kid thinks he knows how to do Tesque!”
…I think I’m starting to like Crim a lot more than I should, despite his cockiness. I just start cracking up at his complete arrogant attitude and the expressions he makes. I can’t help it.
Mushroom? Not sure I’ve seen you here before – we get so many coming and going, it’s easy to lose track – but if this if your first time posting, welcome! Love the name!
As for the page … while I know I’ve posted previously about Lutren tails simply *having* to factor into their martial arts, I honestly can’t see the same applying to the Tamian. It’s especially the case when Crim comes right out and instructs his students, “EVERYTHING, from your teeth to your tail!” Now, I suppose a lot depends on just what your definition of a “weapon” *IS*, but while I can see a Tamian tail being used in a diversionary capacity (“Take this poofy bush of fur to the face while I lash out at you with something that might actually do you some real damage!”) I just can’t see any squirrelesque tail inflicting any harm on an opponent. Perhaps Alex and Rachel have other ideas, and if so, I’ll be very interested to see them depicted.
And as for the promise that Quin’s not only putting on his serious-face but shaking off the rust and we “can expect a bit more from our dear captain,” we shall certainly hold you to that, AlRach! We most certainly will!
And lastly, holy moly, and Happy Page 50! Yeah, as someone who occasionally bites off huge ambitious projects myself (often of a fan-ficcish nature) I can fully relate to the whole scenario of having come so far while at the same time knowing you’ve barely scratched the surface of the adventures yet to come. As you so succinctly put it yourself, here’s hoping for “another 50 pages, and another 50 after that – and all the 50’s thereafter!” May “BWD” be a grand and glorious entertainment that enriches all our lives for years to come – and hopefully enriches yours in the literal sense as well!
Hello, Highwing! I’ve been floating around for a while here, I just never commented all too frequently. I was the one who submitted the cartoony Dakkan and Quinlan before under SaraaLuna, which is my usual name on FF.net and everywhere else, but I decided to use Mushroom around here.
Tamian tails do appear like something only for distractions unless one is going to trip up your opponent, though that seems painful and difficult for anyone but a Lutren. But I can see those with fluffier or longer tails having to watch out in dirty fights, since getting them jerked or the opponent winding your tail around your leg when you’re trying to kick wouldn’t feel so good.
Although perhaps not completely practical, there’s the potential that a Tamian might be able to strap some kind of spiky or sharp weapon onto their tail and swing it around. I mean, have you seen squirrel tails twitch? Now just imagine that action with a poisoned needle or something.
Of course, they probably don’t need to resort to tactics like that, but hey, options.
A sort of tail switch, perhaps? Might serve well if you’re a master and can take advantage of your own spinning and dodging to put the sharp edges where they need to go, without hurting yourself or your friends. I don’t imagine that it’d be common, but it’s also not impossible.
Hm, yes, a high level of skill would be necessary to avoid self-injury, wouldn’t it? Although I’d imagine it might be one of the weapons that makes for flashy, impressive demonstrations. Sort of like how nunchuks can’t be all that practical for an actual fight unless you /really/ know how to use them, but students still practice and demonstrate with them.
Hooray, here’s to fifty pages, and another fifty after that! By the time I’m writing this, it’s only a couple of weeks to the 100th one, so you can be assured that we’ve kept following this comic closely!
Heh, it seems I’m not the only one here who can’t help but like Crim, despite him being such an ass! The expressions do a great job of that – the best one is of course the faux-gentle one in panel 3 (one of the best in the comic so far), but the cocky one on the last is great too. We even get to see Dakkan angry at the start!
Speaking of that though, I am a little confused over how we came to this expression from last week. There doesn’t seem to be any reason for him to be so angry here if he hasn’t been so before. Maybe it was Crim’s “need another refresher?” comment, but something tells me even Crim wouldn’t be that much of a dick and lay into a defenseless sparring opponent.
Have I mentioned Crim’s expressions yet? Because they are killing me.
I really find this scene to be a telling moment of Dakkan’s character. He gets angry not over the slight on the Lutren in the previous page, but over the beating that Quin is getting. And Quin is the one who gets him to calm down- with just a raised hand. Kind of like the way that Dakkan can cheer Quin up when he’s in the worst of moods. I really enjoy their friendship dynamics.
I am not sure I like this guy.