Chapter 1: Page 61
This week, Hardin’s true feelings are brought to bear – if the Ermehn are to rise up once more, sacrifices will need to be made.
Hardin’s ruthless calculus seems to be coming to the forefront now, and Ashtor isn’t having any of it. There are still quite a few Ermehn who believe a peaceful solution can be found with the Canid, though whether that’s actually possible given the less than kind history between the two races is a matter of intense debate. Hardin, obviously, has made up his mind.
This week, we’ve got a couple surprises for everyone! First off, as Rachel was putting this week’s page together, she was having a spot of trouble nailing Ashtor’s expression in the first panel. To work through it, she decided to animate Ashtor saying the full line, to get the full range of emotions and pick which one fit best:
Ever wanted to see how a “Beyond the Western Deep” animated film would look? Look no further than the above .gif! :) Rachel’s animation background always leads to fun impromptu animations when we least expect them, and this one came totally out of left field. Hopefully this will just be one of many animated pieces Rachel manages to do over the course of the comic!
And lastly, we have a great piece of fan-art this week! Sawyer Ruzzin was inspired by the Tamian armor worn by Quinlan’s grandfather in a flashback sequence earlier in Chapter 1, resulting in this awesome picture of a Tamian scout on the offensive!
Totally love the design, Sawyer! Especially digging the dual-wield blades. I guess if we’re using RPG tropes, the Tamian would slot into rangers, rogues, and scouts pretty easily, giving them the option to unlock dual-wielding down their proverbial skill trees :) Thanks so much for the art, Sawyer!
And remember, if you have any fan-art you’d like to share with us and the rest of the BWD audience, feel free to send it to thewesterndeep (at) gmail (dot) com!
And of course, Hardin gets a gold antagonist star for going for the whole “if I pretend they are sub-par beings, then I’m not as guilty for killing them, and it’s okay to use them” mentality. It’s great for making bad and morally unsound decisions suddenly sound very nice and palatable, but when it collapses at the end, everyone is suddenly a wreck. Whether or not this is going to happen to Hardin is debatable.
Also, I’m calling it: Ashtor is going to suffer an acute attack of dramatic foreshadowing later on and die. I’m fond of him, but I just can’t see the old guy making it to the end, especially after that last panel. Or Hardin may just lose it when Ashtor opposes him later on and stab him through the ribs or something; that’s a possibility too.
Anyone else taking bets on who’s going to bite the dust later? Or, er, snow?
(Personally, I’m also kinda eyeing Quinlan and every one of Hardin’s entourage, but…)
Ehh, if I had to pick one who doesn’t die it would actually be Ashtor. Having an old guy left as the sole survivor, to tell a cautionary tale of hubris, would be thematically appropriate and fitting for a fading, dying race like the Ermehn. It’s nice to see him calling Hardin out, although him not wanting to sacrifice anyone sadly feels too idealistic. I’d give fifty-fifty odds for the attack on Deltrada garrison going badly and Ashtor quitting in a huff.
Mmm, I can see that happening. It would be one bitter reminder to everyone, and Ashtor would make it out alive, if not on Hardin’s side. Perhaps he would even provide information to Quinlan, Dakkan, or Kenosh…? I don’t know quite yet.
Well there’s no way Ashtor won’t end up betraying Hardin, the only question is how, really. I guess the ‘good’ ending is Ashtor helping Quinlan et al. put him down.
Well, I believe Hardin survives the rebellion– seeing he’s the mysterious cloaked figure in the prologue/chapter 1, if I’m right– but there’s still the possibility of Ashtor selling him out for the sake of everyone, even if Hardin lives. I can’t see that being a pleasant reunion, assuming Ashtor lives through the oncoming war…
So far, nickname-wise, we have Broermehn, WEG, and Uncle Ashtor. I’m sure the other characters will get bestowed with another name at one point or another; the ermehn just seem to inspire lots of silliness. (To be honest, whenever I see Bevan, all I can think of him is as “that skeezy fluffy dude.” I have no idea why.)
I have a feeling that the sixth is the Worried Ermehn Girl (WEG for short) seeing how she reacted to everything recently, but looks can be deceiving. Ashtor is a bit old for combat in my opinion, and probably the sixth Hardin mentioned, but Worried Ermehn Girl doesn’t seem as apt at fighting/stomaching death as her other female companion. And if she’s a healer… well, first rule of dirty warfare: take out the medic.
Oh, that’s right. You were still following BTWD when it was still concepts, so you know a lot more tidbits and whatnot about the characters. I think I can hold out til I read more about WEG in comic (though I’m not going to lie, I went through every post on the old website blog to find clues.)
If things get truly nasty, and Ashtor gets in a few well-placed scathing snaps about leadership and the other Ermehn not being the only ones who have become shadows of themselves, I can see Hardin getting snarly in a hurry– and then probably leaving Ashtor alone wherever they confronted each other and stalking out after one big climax. Whether he would be abandoning Ashtor to the wastes in that case or just leaving him alone before they all keep traveling together (albeit with lots of tension and broken trust between them) I don’t know.
Have you tried writing Hardin’s line ‘They are shadows…’ with a smaller font instead of grey to indicate that he’s talking quietly? It’s kinda hard to see the difference now on a laptop screen.
All the text on this page is black. He’s not speaking any more quietly for that line than any other in this exchange. X)
Oh. Well, that’s awkward. Move along, nothing to see here then.
(love the animation bit btw)
I always appreciate people pointing out potential problems, though! (and thankye!)
Making a gif to choose the right expression is really clever, I also think that this would make a great animated series. I know that it would take a LOT of work to do that, but hey doesn’t hurt to imagine eh?
Gonna guess Ashtor’s saying “This is wrong, Hardin” in the .gif, as it seems to match up well with the lip movements.
Actually it’s “Is that how you see your own people?” – though the “Is that” is more of a “S’that”
Exactly, because most people don’t really enunciate when they speak. c: One of the frames from the animation was used directly in that first panel.
Simply put? By taking their time (usually in a second pass) and micromanaging the cleaned-up lines so they don’t deviate too much from frame to frame. This is easier to control with the geometric shapes of Ashtor’s tattoos than with fur, which I tend to whip off quickly to maintain energy in the line. This in spite of the fact that I actually kinda rushed the tattoos out, deciding at the last minute that he might look weird without them to anyone but me. X)
“These are not my people. They are shadows. Nothing more…”
Throughout his character introduction so far, we’ve gotten a clear sense that Hardin is being played as a kind of anti-villain – a sorta bad guy whom we can definitely sympathize with. Such characters are often among the most beloved ones in fiction. What some modern writers do however, is make such characters a bit TOO wholesome and good-hearted. It is good that you are able to show Hardin’s darker and more ruthless sides along with his nobler and sympathetic ones. It is a sign that he’s a complicated character, and makes him all the more fascinating.
It is very interesting to know that some Ermehn still cling to the hope of a peaceful solution to their conflict with the Canid. Ashtor does apparently. I wish his way was the more likely one. But given how the Canid have treated his people, even if it wasn’t for the plan Hardin wants to set in motion, it is sadly unlikely that such a thing will come to pass… :(
I loved the animated gif, btw! It really gives you the feeling that this comic would make an awesome cartoon. Sawyer’s D&D-esque Tamian scout was great too!