The Great Dunian Eclipse!
Actually WE’RE the ones experiencing an eclipse this Monday! I’m in a naturally okay spot to witness it at about 95% awesomeness (assuming the clouds agree that once-in-a-lifetime solar events mean they should take a proverbial hike for the day), but Rachel decided to experience a full 100% of awesomeness by traveling down to Indiana. To allow preparations and all that, we decided this would be a little break week for the comic.
Don’t worry though! Rachel’s already thumbed out the next page and I’m very excited for it. There are a few key images in my head that I’ve had knocking around in there for a very long time, and this upcoming page sports one of them.
I’d like to thank Jerome Jacinto, artist extraordinaire and illustrator of countless incredible things, for agreeing to help put a wonderful guest post here for you all this week. This poor ermehn has never seen an eclipse before, nor has he heard the tales of the great darkness that hides the sky-flame! To this poor guy, it totally looks like a giant black orb of nothingness is devouring the sun, and all life as he knows it is probably drawing to a close.
He’ll be panicking for a little bit, but don’t worry, he makes it through this whole thing unscathed. For the most part.
I’d like to point readers to a project that Jerome actually had a HUGE part in: a card battler called Champions of the Shengha for mobile devices! Now, this isn’t quite the same as Hearthstone or other comparable card battlers.; this one actually has a nifty little peripheral you need that monitors your heart-rate and uses that to “power” your cards.
You can check out the game (and some of Jerome’s awesome card artwork) on the game’s main website right here!
To all those who will be able to see it on Monday, I hope you enjoy the eclipse! Be safe, and don’t stare into it without protective eye-wear!
Okay, I lol’d when I read the title and looked at the artwork. How apropos for this week! “Hello darkness my old friend … “
ooh! I love the art, Jerome! and I hope you have fun watching the eclipse, Alex and Rachel :)
let me tell you about a creature from Filipino mythology that’s related to solar eclipses:
in the tales of old, there was thought to be a dragon bigger than the stars in the sky called the “Bakunawa.” and whenever there would be a solar eclipse, it meant that the Bakunawa was trying to devour the sun and plunge the world into darkness…
however, the Bakunawa has very sensitive hearing, and people would round up in large groups to make loud noises; gongs, banging metals together, shouting and singing, and gunfire to drive it away. when the big dark spot would move away from the sun, it means the Bakunawa has been successfully driven away for the next few hundred years…
but now we know it’s just the moon in front of the sun and its shadow being cast on Earth. YAY, SCIENCE!!
feel free to work this into Dunian folklore, Alex! XD
That’s a great legend. I might have to steal that idea for my D&D campaign (with a few tweaks, naturally).
I have to admire the creativity there.
the Bakunawa is one of the least disturbing folklore creatures. trust me, Filipino myths can be really disturbing
Ah, I remember when everyone speculated Marshadow was going to be Bakunawa inspired
Even the sun has to blink every once in a while.
Man, imagine the reactions that the other races would have over an eclipse.
The Tamian would probably think that something baf would befall their holy trees,
Lutren would freak out about the fish suddenly disappearing (RIP Dakkan’s salmon) or that there’s going to be a massive Polcan attack that they wouldn’t survive,
the Polcan themselves would watch the seas with a bit more concern than a Polcan usuallly would,
A brainy Felis would argue with an equally brainy Vulpin over what causes it before that argument turns into a fistfight while the rest of their kinds worry about the world itself.
Meanwhile, the Ermehn would start rapidly preparing for whatever event happens with a few individuals absolutely going nutty and the Canid sees it as tge End Times amd decide to raid a few tribes to make sure that they won’t end up being overwhelmed by a sudden rush of Ermehn that they cannot stop.
Which can also be knowm as “business as usual with a superstitious twist” for the Canid and Ermehn..
Eh, I think at least the Felis or maybe Vulpin have civilizations advanced enough that they know that eclipses are regularly-ocurring scientific events. Most of the others probably know that it happens regularly, but attribute it to various supernatural reasons. The only ones whose cultures might not be stable enough to pass on stories of eclipses would be the Ermehn and possibly the Polcan.
It would make perfect sense for there to be a Dunian solar eclipse at this point in the story, since most cultures considered eclipses to be an omen of doom.
Just sayin’.
I’m back after a few weeks, so here’s some thoughts on the last few pages that no one’s said yet.
Note to Dak: Don’t take your pack off when there’s a brief pause in your escape. You need to be ready to run again at a moment’s notice.
When Quin says “They’re coming,” he means that the Canid are coming out to look for him and Dak, right? In that case Dak really needs to throw on his pack so they can book it ASAP!
Well I was wrong, I thought the arrow might get left behind for the Canid (or Kenosh??) to find, but it turns out it fell in the water so it can get dramatically picked up by Quin!
Also I’ve been meaning to reply to ladyoftheshield’s comment three weeks ago that it would take them a fortnight to walk back to Sunsgrove. I don’t think so, unless it takes them an inordinately long time because of having to evade the Canid (and Quin being injured?); Dak said before they left that the *entire trip* would take them two weeks, tops. Although there is also the fact that the Sunsgrovian public, at least, doesn’t hear from Quin and Dak for at least a week after they’ve left (per the short story on Crim). Make of that what you will.
Also, in reply to the conversation of thesillyzealot and Trees from last week, it is definitely evening. The guard who Quin strangled was bringing them their dinner, remember.
>Insert southern European grumbling here
gnargnargnargnargnargnargnargnargnargnargnargnargnargnar…
There is a slight problem here. You said Rachel is going to Indiana to experience the full eclipse but you can’t see totality from Indiana you have to go to at least Illinois Kentucky or Tennessee to see Totality. There are maps showing the past Hof Totality.
Man, I really hope the next scene involves Kenosh resuming his discussion with Hardin on why he didn’t wait. So we could see further evidence that Kenosh cares about his son.
…Here’s hoping??
A great eclipse and then… Apophis ! Muahaha !