1.9.4
on August 12, 2020
at 4:00 am
nothing brings me more joy than giving random background characters anime hair colors
Aurora
A fantasy webcomic. Updates M-W-F.
nothing brings me more joy than giving random background characters anime hair colors
Erin in the last panel is like “That’s so interesting, and also weird”
Awwww man! Kendal told him…I was kinda hoping it would become a running gag, but at least Erin knows now
We didn’t actually get to SEE the reveal? *faint disappointed noise* At least we got Erin’s reaction. That’s what matters. (He’s honestly a little calmer about it than I expected.I guess the plot has been comedically abusing him for so long that I forgot to give him any credit.)
Also what are the odds this Aseran doctor is going to recognize Erin and be very confused
He’s totally gonna recognize him, I’m sure. Erin’s a bit of a celebrity in Asera
“Oh hi, Erin. Did you change your hair since we met?”
Not necessarily; this Dr. Jolon could’ve graduated from the academy years, or even decades, before Erin arrived.
On top of that, he could’ve just traveled to the academy for the education before moving right back home, similar to international college students.
Oooooh very good points.
Although Erin seems to expect complete strangers to recognize him by name, so…
Red probably figured that this has been explained enough times “on screen” that showing it again would be redundant.
Erin: Wow, so you’re like, technically, a newborn?
Kendal: i… guess?
Erin: Wonder if it’s legal then…
Kendal: Legal?
Erin: Nothing!
Well, Can’t have Kandal having alchohoic beverages if he’s a newborn, especially if he’s like… a week-ish old.
I know it’s funny to play with the Kerindal, but you know that Kendal is asexual right?
I didn’t know that. Has Red established that canonically? ‘Cause we all love a character unharried by… love.
“Unharried by love” implies that he’s aromantic as well as asexual.
(Which, I’m kind of hoping he is; 1. No token romantic subplots, as those involving the main protagonist tend to be the most annoying in my experience; 2. More importantly, aroase representation is basically nonexistent in modern media, and as I myself am aroase, I like people who say that staying single and refusing to mingle is a valid way of living your life.)
You’re right, I forgot that distinction. But I hope he is aro-ace. As a gay, I know how great it is to see (GOOD) representation of yourself, but I’ve only ever come across one asexual character, and that was the minor one in Sex Education.
Yes, it is! 😀
https://comicaurora.tumblr.com/post/625273423274393600/do-any-of-these-characters-have-given
BTW, someone posted a comment with a link to a document that contains a lot of interesting stuff Red said during the course of time, it’s very useful when making theories: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JkSHj6n5vZFVYvhkulLnwXaJ5NO3eotEPr53KsIYdGQ
I’m joking, relax, these two characters have barely interacted in a meaningful way, so either way this would never be serious.
Next up: erin adopts kendal
Ms. Innkeeper I hate to trouble you but, your bread appears to be glowing in a strikingly golden hue. Is it, I apologise for asking, safe to eat?
I love Alinua’s impression of Falst’s claws.
I imagine the innkeeper having a really thick Canadian accent
I hate to be the person who says”not a reply” but NOT A REPLY
“He’s like, nya”
Gives me, “Harry Potter impersonating the achromanchula’s pincers while under Felix Felicis at Arrogogs funeral in the Half Blood Prince movie,” vibes
I love the artwork on the wall, it’s so cool!!
Bread lady: how did you leave unharmed?
Alinua: one of my friends is very durable
I wonder how long a sindhalan is, compared to normal time measurements?
(Side note: Thank the gods the metric and imperial systems don’t have different measurements for time…)
According to Red (over tumblr), a sindahlan is the equivalent of the monthly interval in this world. There are 13 sindahlans in a year, each one running for 4 sef (7 day intervals) plus one feast day at the beginning of the sindahlan for a total of 29 days.
Going by that, then one year on Aurora would equal 377 of their days. Makes sense; this isn’t Earth, so it stands to reason that this planet would have different orbital and rotational periods.
I have seen that they use days, years, decades, centuries, and millennia in their timekeeping system. They most likely use hours, minutes, and seconds as well; I just didn’t find any references as I was skimming over some of the lore pages and previous chapters.
(By the way, thank you for telling me; I don’t have a tumblr account and I don’t want to make one just for the sole purpose of asking Red questions)
###RED, if you are reading this, you should really add this post to the extra lore pages:###
https://comicaurora.tumblr.com/post/621692987190247424/what-are-the-months-in-this-world-and-what-kind
But spoiler warning, it’s actually 380 days
Would you look at the time ;D
https://comicaurora.com/the-calendar/
Thanks Red, interesting reread as always.
So, the innkeeper is another half-elf?
I guess. There seem to be a lot of those in positions of relative authority
I love how that implies that innkeeping is a position of authority.
Honestly innkeepers deserve respect, just like schoolteachers. They manage food and lodging (and cook the food themselves much of the time), and on top of that they deal with the shenanigans of rowdy customers and wandering adventurers. Innkeepers are awesome in their own right.
Narrative EFFICIENCY!
Is that a toad or lizardish thing in the tapestry on the wall behind Erin?
Just looks like some neat geometric pattern to me; from this angle, and from what we can see that isn’t out of frame or blocked by Erin, I kinda doubt it’s depicting anything specific
RED I JUST WANT TO SAY I HAVE BEEN BROWSING THE TUMBLR ACCOUNT FOR THE FIRST TIME AND JUST YOUR WORLDBUILDING SKILLS ARE I N C R E D I B L E and tbh you’re a very very good fantasy writer, and certainly a better one than some of the authors whose work I fully enjoy so
I don’t really know where I was going with this but just honestly you’re amazing, and your worldbuildings amazing
Seconded! Red’s worldbuilding is thorough enough to scare me almost as much as Tolkien’s worldbuilding does. That’s saying something.
1. “WHY DIDN”T YOU LEAD WITH THAT?”
2. What’s the tapestry in the background
3. Does anyone else think Alinua looks a kinda shook by the mention of town’s healer?
Yes! Someone else noticed the tapestry! and, wow, I never realized before that I was always picking up Alinua’s anxiety about the healer… I would chalk that down to:
1.) Chimeras are created by life magic, the Collector is apparently not involved in these chimeras, and oh, look, there’s a life wizard in town.
2.) For someone with Alinua’s life experience, it’s not much of a logical leap from “The Academy in Asera would be more likely to study me than to get the Void Dragon out of me” to “Aseran mages have a tendency to treat other people as expendable test subjects.”
Dunno if anyone noticed this… 2nd panel. lower left. doesnt that kinda look like shiny boi? Just curious.
Erin, consider yourself exposition dumped.
I agree with the others, nice geometric tapestry there. Nice bread too, may need a while to cool though.
TL;DR: A *gasp* innkeeper does exposition. Very surprisingly, the forest with chimeras is dangerous. Innkeeper lady knows a guy who knows stuff.
was really hoping the “erin doesnt know what kendal is” gag would go on a little longer
“ask him in the morning” *gets possesed*
“ask him when he gets back” *attacked by giant beast monster thing*
“so what is your deal exactly” i dunno, the ferin guy bursts into the tavern and throws the book at him since he’s done with it then a silly chase ensues
i love how vibrant the side characters are compared to how in most stories the side characters are fairly generic.
alright did anyone read the lady’s voice in a scottish accent? no? just me?
i just realised how much taller than erin kendal is
Alt text: it’s important to parallel-process your exposition for maximum narrative efficiency
Image source: beasts
Allinua in panel 6: yeah, yeah, I’ll definitely be needing tat healer… definitely.
She is Grandma Amity and you cannot convince me otherwise.