Song of the Eastern Sands: Page 21
And welcome back to the main story! When we last left our trio, they were under a pretty strict timetable to break into the Sunsgrovian embassy and make it into their vault. Security will be light, but that doesn’t mean they can just walk through the front door — they still need to employ a bit of stealth to get the job done, find a nice tree to help scale the wall, find an open window, all those classic elements of a proper heist!
This week for guest art, a crazy-fun piece by none other than Rachel Bennett! We both saw and loved Zootopia, which in our opinions sets a wonderful new standard for Disney movies. The world design and the visuals were incredible to behold — as were the fun elements of the world that came about because of the innate size differences between different species and how they made the city work.
Rachel decided to follow the style and size paradigms set in Zootopia to take a crack at what Quinlan and Dakkan might look like wandering around the Downtown district. The result is pretty freaking awesome:
If there’s one thing I never get tired of, it’s seeing our characters in fun new settings and styles. Quin and Dak are positively adorable in Zootopia’s style, and I can really imagine them chilling out in the background of one of the film’s many crazy-awesome crowd scenes.
Also, seeing Dak in a Lutren hoodie and Quin rocking his Terrian oak leaf t-shirt already have me thinking of merch opportunities :) But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it!
OMG. So much awesomeness on this page, from the wonderfulness of Jerome’s finished page to the ridiculousness of Beck’s goofy grin in the thumbnail sketch to the Zootopianess of Rach’s “impossibly adorable” pic of D&Q. Ness. Ness ness ness.
(“Impossibly adorable” is in quotes because syndicated film critic Richard Roper actually used that exact phrase to describe Judy Hopps in his review.)
And, best of all … COLOR!!!
Much as I enjoyed the past three weeks’ side-stories, this page really feels like a grand return to all that’s best about this site.
…is anyone else going to? No?
fiiine.
Na na na na na na na na SPIDERS
I reiterate: I love both of those clothing designs and would totally wear both of them.
…Security will be light, huh? Not exactly what I expected, I guess I was thinking a distraction like an assassination attempt or something, but this is more ominous. And it’s probably related to that mess up north.
Also, I finally realized why Asha covers her face: the tattoos. Seeing the tattoos would greatly narrow down which Ermehn is stealing their stuff. Brilliant design mechanic there!
I really like the way you’ve structured this page, Jerome- the overall back drop of the Embassy and the Spiders creeping in for the sneakies. I’m guessing the other side of the Embassy has the Lutren waves on it- and I really like the Emassy design, too. The colors and lighting are really beautiful on this page- I love the choice to use a half moon instead of the traditional full or crescent moon, and the interplay between the firelight and the moonlight.
…You know who probably would be a great fit for a Zootopia crossover? Finn and Mirren. Just saying.
Actually . . . that insight on the tattoos is brilliant. Good thinking, Shield.
Nessan Law Enforcement Officer: “Now, sir, can you tell us which Ermehn was stealing your chest?”
Beleaguered Tamian Merchant: “Um . . . well . . . it was a she? I think?”
NLEO: “Here, we had our artist draw up some of the more common Ermehn tribe tattoo patterns. Do you recognize which one she came from?”
BTM: “Er . . . one of them?”
Finnand Mirren!? This looks a like a job for!!!…..eh someone else.
letsbringmoreawarenesstothesetwocurrentlytrappedindevelopmentvoid
I thought Asha was Felis? Then again, I didn’t realize Beck was Lutren for at least a month or two ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
https://westerndeep.net/comic/song-of-the-eastern-sands-page-12/ – check the commentary
Oh. *facepalm*
My next (irrelevant) question is, who does Asha’s tattoos for her? And do they match her parents’ tats, or did she make up her own design?
Considering how culturally important tattoos are to the Ermehn, I don’t think Asha would make up her own design. Since she was very young when she went to live with Tabby, it’s likely they’re based on her parents’ tattoos, although I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the design details were wrong without a clear reference.
At first I thought “Why is she wearing a hood? It’s obvious she’s a ferre-”
“Witht the hood, she could easily be mistaken for a Polcan or even a Vulpin or Felis, plus she has those tatoos to hide.” Came another thought.
“Dammit, logical part of my brain, you ruined my joke!”
And maybe Tabby kept sketches of the tatoos from the time she first met Beck’s parents. She… she had a compulsion for sketching stuff…
*Mission Impossible theme plays*
Great minds think alike!
I swear that I started writing my comment below before I saw this one. :)
you beat me to it! same goes to Fourth!
Well knowing the track record of the Sand Spiders, I’d personally go with the Get Smart theme
Agreed!!!
Please. I imagine the Cone of Silence was invented for Beck
Firstly, this seems appropriate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAYhNHhxN0A
Second, as Highwing stated, this feels like a grand return to SOTES, and even though I enjoyed the stories, just seeing this reminded me of how much I’ve been missing the new comics. And it’s always fun to see thieves being sneaky. Not to mention that Janik could be appearing very soon, and I’m also quite looking forward to seeing how this mission advances the main story’s plot.
Love the design on the embassy; I can’t decide if it’s smaller or larger than I expected, but it does seem large enough that there should be some good places to hide. Which is good, as I get the feeling that our quasi-arachnid trio is going to need a few of those. It wouldn’t be a good heist story if everything went smoothly, now would it?
Lastly, glad that you and Rachel both liked Zootopia! I’ll need some more time to see if it becomes my favorite Disney movie, but it’s certainly up there. Nice art from Rachel, too.
Very interested in seeing where this goes!
lol, next thing you know, there’s gonna be a “rope scene” in the treasure room sometime soon…. *snort*
Allow me to place some appropriate music for the given imagery here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRNIo5esbtA
(Forgive me, I forgot how to embed videos in comments like this)
It’s no secret of mine to tell you that “night pieces” are some of my favorite art scenes. I adore the blue purple colors and how chill and quiet it feels in the background!
But enough of that, “I need to acknowledge the elephant in the room…Francine…..Happy Birthday!”
Ok, Ok seriously I nearly choked when I saw this image post in my tumblr! Oh dear Dakkan, what a big head you have there! He looks so adorable and Quinlan, you look so small and fluffy! I assume they’re supposed to be a little younger than how they are in BWD.
Very Sly Cooper.
awesome page! I really like the colors in this one, and how Nessa looks like at night.
and the guest art– O-M-GOODNESS! QUIN AND DAK ARE SO FREAKING ADORABLE!
now how about “modern-day names” for Quinlan and Dakkan?
uhhh….. Quentin and Daniel (“Quin” and “Dan” for short)?
plus, I like the idea of a Tamian oak leaf shirt or Lutren hoodie as BWD merch. I’d buy them if I have the chance!
here’s some ideas for BWD merch, Alex:
-a tamian oak leaf necklace/pendant
-a sleeveless hoodie that looks like a Tamian Royal Guard Captain uniform
-Sratha-din themed sweaters either in plaid or Ermehn tattoo patterns
-long-sleeved shirts with Ermehn tattoos
-a Lutren Captain trench coat or leather jacket
-a variant of the Lutren Captain trench coat/jacket that looks like that of a Tamian Royal Guard Captain’s
-Polcan-themed striped pajamas
-Vulpin-themed vest (formal or semi-formal)
-phone cases with the colors and themes of each race
-a “World’s Best Diplomat” mug with either Kenosh’s or Dakkan’s face on it
-a shirt that says “I’m a walking diplomatic incident”
-Tamian Royal Guard themed archery equipment
-a Felis-themed bookmark
-a map of Dunia (or a print of it in a shirt or something)
-a hoodie that looks like Bevan’s cowl
-a shirt or jacket with that |^| pattern on a Canid soldier’s uniform
-a bag that looks like Eira’s satchel (complete with the Sratha-din’s passports medications, Rathik’s inhaler, and Ashtor’s contact lenses. nah, just kidding. those will be sold separately.)
Salmon Party themed stuff like shirts, mugs, etc…
-also, figures and/or plushes of the BWD and SOTES characters!
-don’t even get me started on the lunchboxes…
That page. Is. EPIC
Just. Sooooo cooooool.
And I love the fanart. Pretty cute.!
Zootopia!Dakkan looks like he’s consumed one too many brownies.
That’s why Zootopia!Quinlan looks so concerned!
Their heads… They. Are. So. Huge!
The clashing between the arabian design of the building and the maple leaves on the banners is hilarious!
The entire city vista and the “darkness of night” cast over the scenery are superb!
**makes an impression of a Canid general** AHEM.
attention, Salmon Party! I’ve seen some of the BWD shenanigans that happens on tumblr, and I don’t want to miss out!
I made a tumblr blog!
follow me here –> http://jeri-june.tumblr.com/
Sorry for not replying earlier, but.. Hooray!
By the way, I kind of fell in love with Rachel’s drawing up there.
Is there a chance these funny-looking versions of Dakkan and Quinlan will become a regular replacement for the comic whenever a hiatus is in order?