barbarianprincess

OK, maybe “Stayin’ Alive” is not an inspired guess at the title, but it’s not as bad as, say, “Blood and Stool Sample”.

That scene kinda gives me the same facial expression that Richard Kiel (playing Jaws) gave Roger Moore kneed him in the ’nads in The Spy Who Loved Me. You weren’t sure if it was so much a look of pain as disapproval at a breach of etiquette.

(Next time, Mentl, I’ll pick the spell, OK? You worry me.)

Although I think that Zona would approve.

I called it from the last thread. I had a bad feeling Mentl was gonna have to beat Ginsha to within an inch of her life (and maybe beyond) before she finally stopped moving and making noises. And having never done anything like that before in his life, it's gonna hit him hard later on.

Yeah I know it's already hit him hard enough to empty his stomach contents onto the floor, but he doesn't have time to really think about it right now. Later on, after they've escaped and are (relatively) safe though? Hoo boy, I have a feeling "ton of bricks" isn't going to even begin to describe the impact.

His magick, having to act in a survival situation - it's all very new to him. I think I've portrayed that. I'm old enough to sort of disdain the Wild Wild West/James Bond "knock them out with a single blow" kind of action. Not necessarily in Wild Wild West, you understand, but in my own fantasy. In this story, there is always some consequence to your actions. Who knows how the ripples of these actions will affect the cha?

Oh, I’m not disapproving of the comic itself. I agree that one head blow isn’t generally enough to take someone out of the fight. And, that having taken someone out of the fight by multiple head blows, they aren’t going to be up and about anytime soon. (Clerics and magic are such useful plot devices for that sort of thing.)

Magic is usually capable of a lot, and Mentl’s doesn’t have to be “pre-loaded” like a D&D wizard’s spell, so that gives him quite a range. And we know he’s already powerful enough to affect even experienced practitioners of magic (Tula in the chapter, "Do You Believe in Magick?"). So he had more than one way of neutralizing her.

I’ll make allowances for the fact that he’s not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree and that he’s under a lot of pressure, although he did have a certain amount of time to talk to her, so it wasn’t the same degree of pressure as if he’d woken up to see her pull a knife on him.

…but Mentl, dude, maybe next time try a lullaby?

At his power level she probably couldn't have woken up for two days. Putting her "in heat" and bashing her brains out…that ain’t subtle.

It got the job done. I give him a 9 for results and a 3 for technique.

(I have this mental image of heretofore unseen judges on the side of the room with Mentl suddenly being shown holding up scorecards. Or would that be a Mentl image?)

Retiarius wrote:…but Mentl, dude, maybe next time try a lullaby?

But how would he have gotten out of his chains then? From what we've seen so far, his magic affects people, not objects.

I am really enjoying your webcomic series, JEDraft.

The art is excellent, and the action and suspense of this "mortal peril" section of your storyline has me on tenterhooks awaiting each update.

Ginsha's down; perhaps permanently by Mentl's hand. The violence and the stomach-upsetting aftermath are described very well. Part of me wanted to hurt her a little more than a busted skull -- for her treachery I wanted to see Mentl use his powers to grant her the exact opposite of her fondest wish-- to have the Urtt part of her burned out, leaving her as 100% human. But the results as it stands satisfy ... in a "Ha! Gotcha!" kind of way.

What really has me worried is what Gorshash "the smart Urtt" is going to do to demonstrate how badass he is -- what will be his "That's Why I Get to Wear the Black Robes" moment?

Right now Gorshash has only been "moustache-twirling" -- a few sinister smiles and one backhand to Tula's face. Quite underwhelming for a main story villain, but succeeds in keeping me wondering "Why Do They Fear This One?" With ancient Erogenian Death God magic involved, it could obscenely powerful. But if it was, why bargain with Maldik the Worm of Kivalia at all (while at the same time probing Kivalia's defenses with his scouts)?

Like Mentl did to Ginsha, you've awoken a hunger within me... I want to know more! MORE! MORE NOW!

(Please don't hit me in the head with a stool)

Glad you're having a good time! That's the only point to this exercise. I am not an "artiste" in the sense that my stuff has to have redeeming social value. I'm just trying to tell a good story. I consider that a good story always has something to say about the human condition, whether or not it has violence and sexy women with impossible anatomy into the bargain. I just happen to like girls with big "personality," so I include them as part of the fun of it.

Just to summarize, Gorshash has been responsible for the whole plan from start to finish, as well as personally unleashing the one weapon which laid the heroes low and the calculation of bringing them into the one place where Moon Magick doesn't work. That's what makes him a "smart Urtt." Being smart he is also using Maldik to his own ends. Never think that he considers the Kivalian prince his equal. His potential is great - but then again, so is Mentl's.

Mentl is, in a sense, new behind the wheel and so has basically figured out where the gas pedal is. The brakes and the steering wheel he still hasn't got the hang of. There are, as a consequence, road cones scattered all over the place.

Do keep coming back, and I promise that all the seeds that are being planted here will be brought to fruition in time - naturally not all at once.




JED

JEDraft wrote:...bringing them into the one place where Moon Magick doesn't work...

...I just had a mental image of Tula as Sailor Moon.

...would have said Zona, but I think she'ld break the outfit.

At that point, you're going from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Can you say fanart?

Also, I predict that Goulash will have to show just how powerful Evil Death God Magic is, unless he decides to kick Tula out of his room.

Kern wrote:

JEDraft wrote:...bringing them into the one place where Moon Magick doesn't work...

...I just had a mental image of Tula as Sailor Moon.

...would have said Zona, but I think she'ld break the outfit.

woah!