Oh, Gad, Red. This alt text made my day. I am constantly in awe of your ability to mock something that is very near and dear and personal to you! I just hope it isn’t through insecurity!
Teeeeeeeess. I know Alinua needs this therapy rn but the Bechdel test is what truly defines media as good or bad!
Lies, this is a wonderful moment. Tess hasn’t had a chance to talk with Kendal yet, so she’s asking to legit know him better before he wakes up, but also Alinua needs to talk about this right now and Tess is a great outlet for that.
To be very fair, she has a lot of conflicting feels for our dude, and she probably needs to squarely define who she thinks he is to her and what she WANTS him to be with her. The entire crew, with the nearest exception being Erin, of all people, has a problem with letting their own head define who they are and what they must do without really respecting what they are to other people and what this entire crazy adventure looks like when it’s done
That bed Tess is making has a “FLOMP” SFX, that’s how you know it’s good.
I have my own variation of the Bechdel test I use for Sci-fi and Fantasy; I call it the Xeno-Bechdel test. To pass it you must have two alien/non-human characters, and they have a conversation about something other than a human and/or humanity in general. From many moments of this comic, particularly Alinua’s and Falst’s talks in Zuurith, I’d say this comic passes.
Nice to see these two getting a moment together to chat that isn’t fraught with guards, bounty hunters or storm gods. They haven’t known each other long but these two already get along well so I’m sure Tess can make her feel better. Or at the very least convince her to get some sleep.
Ooh; that’s good, I’ll have to keep the Xeno-Bechdel Test in mind for the games I plan to make, because at least two of them will feature non-human characters prominently.
This is WAYY off topic, but I have a feeling it’ll be many pages before it’s even remotely relevant again, so here we gooo
A theory thing came to me the other day: a lot of people were thinking about the Light Dragon and her whole deal, and had some other theories. One of them was that the Light Dragon was a piece of energy that fragmented off of Primordial Fire. I don’t like this. It’s partly because the Light Dragon is the Void Dragon’s equal and opposite, seeing as she’s been fighting him, and I quote, “since the dawn of [her vessel’s] species” which must mean that they’re a pretty equal power match. Fire, on the other hand, could not defeat the Void Dragon completely even with the help of the other five Primordials, so it doesn’t make sense for her to be a fragment of a being clearly less powerful than she.
The other problem with that theory is this: Again, the Light Dragon is the equal and opposite of the Void Dragon. The Void Dragon himself says that “Fire was something of a problem, you know. Too much like me in many ways. Highly destructive. A temper, of course. Charming habit of killing everything he touched.” It wouldn’t make sense for the Light Dragon, the exact opposite of the Void Dragon, to be a part of an entity that he himself admitted was much like him.
Here’s something that could solve both problems: instead of being a fragment of a primordial, she is the creation of them all. It would fix the personality thing as well as the power level issue.
The Light Dragon is Adamant and why do I feel like I’m theorizing something everyone else figured out five chapter’s worth of time ago
I kinda assumed the opposite. The light dragon (Imma call her Aura cause Walter has a nickname, why not her?) Existed before the primordial and she created them.
But I think your Idea makes more sense. That they created Aura as an opponent to Walter when they realised they might not be able to stop him
Definitely calling her Aura now, that’s awesome
OOo and maybe–
What if, to create them, she split her essence to create the Primordials, and then when they fused back together, she was recreated?? I think we’re barreling towards crack theory territory at the moment, but since we probably won’t see this addressed in-story anytime soon, I’m stepping on the gas.
There once was a girl chosen by the sky
Who sees that the elf’s about to cry.
She does her best
To help get off her chest
The sorrow she’s being swallowed by.
This scene might not meet Bechdel test standards but I am sure it will reveal something interesting. There is still time to add such content later into the story. And I look forward to its inclusion in this story too!
so i assume that Tess pulled that bed out of Erin’s bag. but since this magic system isn’t like that of Harry Potter or Mary Poppins, i have to wonder which elements are involved in the creation of a ‘Bag Of Holding’ in this universe, and how is that magic imbued upon the bag?
perhaps Wind magic can be used to convert matter to air, since air is lighter and can be compressed? or Lightning or Fire magic, which could convert matter into energy to the same end, although that would make Erin’s bag extremely volatile. or maybe the bag is enchanted with all forms of magic, so that all types of elemental matter may be stored?
and perhaps runes can be stitched into the material, since a rune in any form invokes the Primordial essence (except when written in soulcrystal ink). that raises the question; if a person can imbue magic into cloth, could one superficially control all forms of elemental magic by embroidering relevant runic spells into their clothing? i suppose they would need the soul channels necessary to activate each magic
and i was going to add that the bechdel test doesn’t apply here, but now that i think about it, have any two female characters had a conversation yet? do Alinua’s dreams of Primordial Life count? (i wouldn’t say so, since they don’t have much of in the way of dialogue)
AHA! June and Lady Niluca—these two had a conversation about the Vault (ironically ANOTHER bag of holding) back in 1-16-17—which reminds me that June is still out there, just waiting for the plot to pick her back up again. oh, how i love this wonderfully dynamic world!
then again, June is technically unnamed so far, other than ‘Acolyte’, so i guess that scene doesn’t pass either, depending on your interpretation of the bechdel test’s rules. oh dear, Red. oh dear, dear, deary me
I remember Red stated that the ‘bags of holding’ in this universe are Ancient technology that isn’t understood by later civilisations
also the Bechdel test is meant as a basic aid in avoiding having all the non-male characters in a story be flat and underdeveloped not a hard rule that must be followed
Ooh! Fun fact if I’ve done my math right this is Paige number 581, since we started on Wednesday April 10 and a new one has come out three days a week since then and 193 weeks times three is 579+ the extra two days since it’s not Wednesday yet makes 581! ?
Pretty unrelated to this page specifically, but I’d love to see the water element get a focus. We’ve obviously seen a lot of life, and fire and storm have also been pretty well highlighted. Stone is also fairly important. Water and wind are kind of the underdogs of the magic and primordials so far, and I think there’s a lot of cool magic stuff that could happen there.
Well, the journey to Helm will involve an oversea crossing; we’ll see more water magic soon, if The Crow’s Head Plains and Argist don’t take too long to get through.
For mobile readers.
Alt-text: tess no the bechdel test
Image source: tell
Oh, Gad, Red. This alt text made my day. I am constantly in awe of your ability to mock something that is very near and dear and personal to you! I just hope it isn’t through insecurity!
A very emotional page
Aaaaaaah I can feel the tears I will be crying in two days
Yes, Tess, drag that elf to her therapy whether she wants to or not!
Tess, you bold, blunt, nickelhead. This is what Alinua needs.
OK but nickel head is such a perfect Josh for Tess, it’s so spot on
Yeah, come on. We need some more info here! I’m up for a little exposition. Anyone else?
Talking about him could be some good therapy.
Fortunately, the Bechdel test only means so much; in this context, I think it’s a pass. 🙂
Teeeeeeeess. I know Alinua needs this therapy rn but the Bechdel test is what truly defines media as good or bad!
Lies, this is a wonderful moment. Tess hasn’t had a chance to talk with Kendal yet, so she’s asking to legit know him better before he wakes up, but also Alinua needs to talk about this right now and Tess is a great outlet for that.
In angst Ali sits, her expression sad and grim
So Tess quietly asks: “Tell me about him.”
To be very fair, she has a lot of conflicting feels for our dude, and she probably needs to squarely define who she thinks he is to her and what she WANTS him to be with her. The entire crew, with the nearest exception being Erin, of all people, has a problem with letting their own head define who they are and what they must do without really respecting what they are to other people and what this entire crazy adventure looks like when it’s done
Ali clinging on to that sword like it’s her lifeline is just- thank god Tess is here. Pls Tess give her therapy.
Ooh, are things about to get sweet?
That bed Tess is making has a “FLOMP” SFX, that’s how you know it’s good.
I have my own variation of the Bechdel test I use for Sci-fi and Fantasy; I call it the Xeno-Bechdel test. To pass it you must have two alien/non-human characters, and they have a conversation about something other than a human and/or humanity in general. From many moments of this comic, particularly Alinua’s and Falst’s talks in Zuurith, I’d say this comic passes.
Nice to see these two getting a moment together to chat that isn’t fraught with guards, bounty hunters or storm gods. They haven’t known each other long but these two already get along well so I’m sure Tess can make her feel better. Or at the very least convince her to get some sleep.
Ooh; that’s good, I’ll have to keep the Xeno-Bechdel Test in mind for the games I plan to make, because at least two of them will feature non-human characters prominently.
mom said it’s my turn with the theorizing
This is WAYY off topic, but I have a feeling it’ll be many pages before it’s even remotely relevant again, so here we gooo
A theory thing came to me the other day: a lot of people were thinking about the Light Dragon and her whole deal, and had some other theories. One of them was that the Light Dragon was a piece of energy that fragmented off of Primordial Fire. I don’t like this. It’s partly because the Light Dragon is the Void Dragon’s equal and opposite, seeing as she’s been fighting him, and I quote, “since the dawn of [her vessel’s] species” which must mean that they’re a pretty equal power match. Fire, on the other hand, could not defeat the Void Dragon completely even with the help of the other five Primordials, so it doesn’t make sense for her to be a fragment of a being clearly less powerful than she.
The other problem with that theory is this: Again, the Light Dragon is the equal and opposite of the Void Dragon. The Void Dragon himself says that “Fire was something of a problem, you know. Too much like me in many ways. Highly destructive. A temper, of course. Charming habit of killing everything he touched.” It wouldn’t make sense for the Light Dragon, the exact opposite of the Void Dragon, to be a part of an entity that he himself admitted was much like him.
Here’s something that could solve both problems: instead of being a fragment of a primordial, she is the creation of them all. It would fix the personality thing as well as the power level issue.
The Light Dragon is Adamant and why do I feel like I’m theorizing something everyone else figured out five chapter’s worth of time ago
I kinda assumed the opposite. The light dragon (Imma call her Aura cause Walter has a nickname, why not her?) Existed before the primordial and she created them.
But I think your Idea makes more sense. That they created Aura as an opponent to Walter when they realised they might not be able to stop him
Aura is a neat name for the Light dragon and I will be using it from now on
Definitely calling her Aura now, that’s awesome
OOo and maybe–
What if, to create them, she split her essence to create the Primordials, and then when they fused back together, she was recreated?? I think we’re barreling towards crack theory territory at the moment, but since we probably won’t see this addressed in-story anytime soon, I’m stepping on the gas.
Loving the sisterly vibes between these two
historian
wrong. lesbians.
That works too
Re: Bechdel Test:
Tess, you can talk about your muscles to make up for it after
Woohoo, new chapter on my Birthday! Looks like Tess is giving Alinua the gift of therapy.
There once was a girl chosen by the sky
Who sees that the elf’s about to cry.
She does her best
To help get off her chest
The sorrow she’s being swallowed by.
“Well, it all started when Vash was eaten…”
“Oh, you’ve known him his whole life! How sweet.”
This scene might not meet Bechdel test standards but I am sure it will reveal something interesting. There is still time to add such content later into the story. And I look forward to its inclusion in this story too!
so i assume that Tess pulled that bed out of Erin’s bag. but since this magic system isn’t like that of Harry Potter or Mary Poppins, i have to wonder which elements are involved in the creation of a ‘Bag Of Holding’ in this universe, and how is that magic imbued upon the bag?
perhaps Wind magic can be used to convert matter to air, since air is lighter and can be compressed? or Lightning or Fire magic, which could convert matter into energy to the same end, although that would make Erin’s bag extremely volatile. or maybe the bag is enchanted with all forms of magic, so that all types of elemental matter may be stored?
and perhaps runes can be stitched into the material, since a rune in any form invokes the Primordial essence (except when written in soulcrystal ink). that raises the question; if a person can imbue magic into cloth, could one superficially control all forms of elemental magic by embroidering relevant runic spells into their clothing? i suppose they would need the soul channels necessary to activate each magic
and i was going to add that the bechdel test doesn’t apply here, but now that i think about it, have any two female characters had a conversation yet? do Alinua’s dreams of Primordial Life count? (i wouldn’t say so, since they don’t have much of in the way of dialogue)
AHA! June and Lady Niluca—these two had a conversation about the Vault (ironically ANOTHER bag of holding) back in 1-16-17—which reminds me that June is still out there, just waiting for the plot to pick her back up again. oh, how i love this wonderfully dynamic world!
then again, June is technically unnamed so far, other than ‘Acolyte’, so i guess that scene doesn’t pass either, depending on your interpretation of the bechdel test’s rules. oh dear, Red. oh dear, dear, deary me
1.14.17 should count, no?
pfft, can’t believe i forgot the whole chase scene (so much has happened since then) but yes, that passes, so there’ no need to worry
I remember Red stated that the ‘bags of holding’ in this universe are Ancient technology that isn’t understood by later civilisations
also the Bechdel test is meant as a basic aid in avoiding having all the non-male characters in a story be flat and underdeveloped not a hard rule that must be followed
yeah i’m only being sarcastic, i know Red’s got good characters
but that’s interesting to know about the Ancients (and also a handy way to dodge the question)
Ooh! Fun fact if I’ve done my math right this is Paige number 581, since we started on Wednesday April 10 and a new one has come out three days a week since then and 193 weeks times three is 579+ the extra two days since it’s not Wednesday yet makes 581! ?
Is this counting the double update pages (2 pages in 1 screen)?
Pretty unrelated to this page specifically, but I’d love to see the water element get a focus. We’ve obviously seen a lot of life, and fire and storm have also been pretty well highlighted. Stone is also fairly important. Water and wind are kind of the underdogs of the magic and primordials so far, and I think there’s a lot of cool magic stuff that could happen there.
Well, the journey to Helm will involve an oversea crossing; we’ll see more water magic soon, if The Crow’s Head Plains and Argist don’t take too long to get through.
“Well he’s my boyfriend-“
Love this!!!!! Let the shipping continue!!