Comic 281 - I am also no prodigy

12th Jan 2015, 12:00 PM in Chapter Five
281 - I am also no prodigy
Average Rating: 5 (10 votes)
rufiangel 12th Jan 2015, 12:00 PM edit delete
rufiangel
Heylo folks :D happy Monday! Transition into night phase has commenced!

I recently did some fun gift art for Je-re-my, which is this super awesome mystery-psychological thriller-horror hybrid of wonderful art by the talented mothtrap, and you should go check it out because chapter two has just started so you have a first chapter to sink your teeth into :D (And you can find the gift art somewhere in the latest update :P)

See you guys on Wednesday~!
Seabiscuit 12th Jan 2015, 12:16 PM edit delete reply
Seabiscuit
Yay! That nighttime...ness looks so nice. And they look so cozy in there!...I want to go to sleep now...
Kylie, not a prodigy? Hmm...;D
Nemi looks so adorable curled up like that! I love when cats sleep that way.;D

(I saw that Je-Re-My fanart- Jaw droppingly awesome!!!)
rufiangel 12th Jan 2015, 9:32 PM edit delete reply
rufiangel
Hehehe, thank you! :D I'm glad the nighttimeness turned out nice! XD;;

And I was kind of tempted to draw Nemi sleeping right next to Kylie's head or on her legs (my cats do that all the time) but then it was too comical leading up to Cain's flashback so I had to resist the urge... XD;;;

Re: the Je-re-my fanart - thank you! :D <3 I really like that webcomic so I felt inspired. :3 <3
CiciEnixa 12th Jan 2015, 4:59 PM edit delete reply
CiciEnixa
This page :D and yay, Kylie will be a good teacher and maybe not smack Cain when he does wrong now ^^ Maybe. Maybe not. But it is progress all the same! Also, hehe... sleeping with chains :D

P.S. What is a manubar? Is it like a sparkly chocolate bar?
mjkj 12th Jan 2015, 6:18 PM edit delete reply
mjkj
I guess it is that glowy stuff at the cave entry...
rufiangel 12th Jan 2015, 9:34 PM edit delete reply
rufiangel
It is indeed :D

This is manubar!
rufiangel 12th Jan 2015, 9:34 PM edit delete reply
rufiangel
Yes, I absolutely employed your research in the matter of sleeping with chains. Cain sleeps on his back or front whenever he can and only on his side when he is lying awake. YEH!

And this is manubar. It is like a sparkly chocolate bar but less delicious. D: It does taste like magic, though. Just not the kind you'd want. >_>
mjkj 12th Jan 2015, 11:13 PM edit delete reply
mjkj
*lol*
ptmc 13th Jan 2015, 12:04 PM edit delete reply
ptmc
Somehow the comment about manubar makes me think of an image of a museum piece of a skeleton in a throwing-up position, with (fake) guts. The description would say: "This is what happens when you eat manubar. Don't do it kids."

Oh, and the guts wouldn't be inside the skeleton, it would be under the "mouth".
rufiangel 13th Jan 2015, 2:05 PM edit delete reply
rufiangel
Yeeeeeeeeeeeee. >____>
ptmc 13th Jan 2015, 9:12 PM edit delete reply
ptmc
It was meant to be funny, sorry if it didn't seem that way.
rufiangel 14th Jan 2015, 12:09 AM edit delete reply
rufiangel
Oh, I know! XD;; No worries!
mjkj 12th Jan 2015, 5:05 PM edit delete reply
mjkj
Wow, Kylie really set him straight. :p

...and Nemi is so adorable here *hugs her*.

rufiangel 12th Jan 2015, 9:35 PM edit delete reply
rufiangel
Kylie's committed now to teaching the newbie how to actually graduate, is all! XD
KAM 12th Jan 2015, 9:08 PM edit delete reply
KAM
I wonder if anything besides us readers sees that glow and decides to ambush whomever's in the cave when they come out?
rufiangel 12th Jan 2015, 9:36 PM edit delete reply
rufiangel
If that happened it'd be because they bought bootleg manubar from a shady black market that was selling it dirt cheap, and it's not really manubar but white glitter glue.

This is manubar by the way. XD;
Allzephyr 12th Jan 2015, 11:22 PM edit delete reply
Allzephyr
Well that went better than expected. No blood was spilled today. Phew.
rufiangel 13th Jan 2015, 12:25 AM edit delete reply
rufiangel
:D Allzephyrrrr *hugs*

It did go fairly smoothly, didn't it? :) No blood spilled TODAY, anyway... as for the next day, wellllll... we'll seeeee... :D
Allzephyr 13th Jan 2015, 8:06 AM edit delete reply
Allzephyr
Wait what? Aaaaah.
Don't they ever get a break?

(was I really absent that long by the way?)
rufiangel 13th Jan 2015, 11:45 AM edit delete reply
rufiangel
They are kind of taking a break now, no? :3

And I think so. I was missin' you! ;_;* Glad to see you here again! *hugs once more for good measure*
Crestlinger 13th Jan 2015, 12:35 AM edit delete reply
Have to wonder with the way those chains constrict on him if he's ever had them try to strangle him in his sleep before? Would explain why he has trouble sleeping, apart from the reason he got them in the first place of course.
rufiangel 13th Jan 2015, 11:46 AM edit delete reply
rufiangel
Hehe, to answer your question, I probably will get into this some point later but the chains don't try to strangle him. XD;;; They drain his Spirit at a constant rate, which I guess can sort of be translated into 'MP'.
ptmc 13th Jan 2015, 12:00 PM edit delete reply
ptmc
But does his Spirit increase faster than the chains drains it?
rufiangel 13th Jan 2015, 2:02 PM edit delete reply
rufiangel
Yes, when he's not doing anything.

But when he's casting spells, then he runs out faster than he normally would without the chains.

Cain is a walking contradiction though, keep in mind...
Cresstlinger 14th Jan 2015, 4:47 AM edit delete reply
Hehe, we'll hope he doesn't toss around much in his sleep then, or he'll literally fall through his shirt and hang himself.
rufiangel 14th Jan 2015, 12:23 PM edit delete reply
rufiangel
Wow, that would be an awkward way to die... XD;;;
Damatris 13th Jan 2015, 1:14 AM edit delete reply
Damatris
Comparing yourself to Seia, Kylie?

Oh, Nemi's face is so adorable here. She's starting to win me over even if I have for some unexplained reason aversion to catgirls. xD But she's just too darn cute. <3
rufiangel 13th Jan 2015, 11:50 AM edit delete reply
rufiangel
She might be! XD; He's a hard act to follow, for sure... XD;;;

It's really weird but I also have some aversion to cat girls despite actually having one in this comic. XD;;;; It could just be that the few things I've read/seen with cat girls in them happened to have the most annoying kinds I've ever seen, LOL. Nemi might have come from a place where I actually wanted to have a cat girl with a base character that wasn't cattiness but an actual personality, onto which the cat stuff would be just additional. I'm hoping it works~ XD; At the very least, Dama-sama, if you like her then I'm super happy! :D
Outlaw 13th Jan 2015, 3:44 AM edit delete reply
Outlaw
I like how Kylie admits she's not perfect. It speaks volumes for her character.
rufiangel 13th Jan 2015, 11:54 AM edit delete reply
rufiangel
Haha, yes. :) Kylie doesn't deny that she has more experience or know-how compared to Cain, and she doesn't mind taking up the leader role in this party; that much she has confidence in.

But Kylie is aware she is not perfect and struggles against this notion of being called a 'prodigy' even though the guild titled her one.

I'm glad that you notice this particularly Outlaw :D Kylie can always use a little support, ahaha XD; (most of the time people expect laser beams to shoot out of her eyes and burn Cain)
Jarvi 13th Jan 2015, 4:30 AM edit delete reply
Jarvi
I like night.. nice blue shades everywhere... :3
rufiangel 13th Jan 2015, 11:55 AM edit delete reply
rufiangel
XD Awww Saari-nii, you WOULD~! Lolol.

I have a feeling you'll like this chapter in general. There is a lot of blue in it. XD
Lukkai 13th Jan 2015, 7:15 AM edit delete reply
Nice page. And I love the sleeping arrangement! :D
Both how the guys and girls are seperate and how the different people prefer to sleep.
Michael's just relaxed, having apparently no problem falling asleep and probably doing so rather soundly.
Kylie is somewhat similar, but gives a certain vibe of attentiveness and readiness even while resting.
Nemi is... a cat. Would probably nice but clingy to cuddle with.
Cain is, well not asleep in this one. But generally seems used to lie calm and stay quiet, probably a result of his upbringing.

Also: Do I see this correctly and the girls are closer to the entrance than the guys? With Kylie pretty much being the first line of defense here?
Headgamer 13th Jan 2015, 11:30 AM edit delete reply
Headgamer
I guess Kylie and Nemi have the best reflexes? I feel like Cain & Michael would wake up too late or something.
rufiangel 13th Jan 2015, 12:01 PM edit delete reply
rufiangel
Hahaha, there is this, too. XD; Cain needs to be protected anyway. He's the princess of the castle!
rufiangel 13th Jan 2015, 12:00 PM edit delete reply
rufiangel
Thank you, Lukkai! XD; I totally put in a ton of thought (possibly too much thought) into the sleeping positions of each character and I'm happy to see it pay off!

You are seeing it correctly: the girls are closer to the entrance than the guys. Nemi has the best hearing out of the group as a Kijini and is the lightest sleeper, and can roll pretty high on perception checks throughout the night. Kylie is faster than Mikey by far when it comes to reaction time. XD; (He's a deep sleeper.)

I know it's strange to since most people expect the men to stand guard by the door, but in SF it's the class, not the gender. ;)
Lukkai 14th Jan 2015, 8:07 AM edit delete reply
The arrangement makes sense (and you managed to translate it really well into one picture).
Heck, in our current group in the rpg Splittermond (a rather new one by a German gamesmaker), we usually split our current night watches into three or four. With the two female characters taking the middle shifts. Why? Because they've got the best night vision by far.
rufiangel 14th Jan 2015, 12:25 PM edit delete reply
rufiangel
Haha, makes sense to me! :) ah, rolling for night watches. Fun times! XD
Headgamer 13th Jan 2015, 11:28 AM edit delete reply
Headgamer
So will Cain:
A) get up and do something stupid
B) see someone else get up and follow them
C) hear/notice something that alerts the party to coming danger.
D) spend his night remebering the past and giving us more backstory.


I'm leaning 'D'
rufiangel 13th Jan 2015, 12:03 PM edit delete reply
rufiangel
XD All completely possible, viable options!

But yes, I've already posted a WIP for the next strip on Facebook and Twitter so if you check that out you'll have your answer. XD;

(Spoiler: you are correct)
Headgamer 14th Jan 2015, 1:09 AM edit delete reply
Headgamer
*gose to FB*
HapyCow 13th Jan 2015, 6:39 PM edit delete reply
HapyCow
Hey Rufi...just wanted you to know I'm here in spirit, it will just take me a while to get through your massive archive..whew! Wish I read this sooner. :) Love your art!
rufiangel 14th Jan 2015, 12:11 AM edit delete reply
rufiangel
Whaaaat <3 *hugs Hapy happily* no worries! Sorry about that archive... XD you can wait until I redraw chapter one maybe? Will take some months XD I know you're busy with your stuff! so no pressure~!

Still I'm really touched you dropped this note ;__;* *hug hug hug* You're too awesome Hapy!!
HeSerpenty 14th Jan 2015, 3:36 AM edit delete reply
HeSerpenty
I applaud you on the dynamics and depth of all your characters <3-- Kylie (I SAID KYLE FIRST AGAIN OMG) and Cain in particulars. She's seriously a close second to Cain in my favorite character department! So well developed <3...and so many layers! LIKE AN ONION! XDD

Lolol they're all so cute in that sleeping shot <3
rufiangel 14th Jan 2015, 12:29 PM edit delete reply
rufiangel
Awww geez Serpy, thank you <333!! I'm sure you can relate to this, but basically it helps a lot that these characters have been sitting in my head for over ten years now. They tend to write themselves by this point so I don't have to think too hard! XD;

And yes I totally put too much thought into the sleeping shot despite how small it is so I'm glad it paid off! XD;; I should suggest it to Alicia for her thread maybe XD "How do your characters sleep?" (Alt: "How do your characters sleep when inebriated?")
HeSerpenty 14th Jan 2015, 1:56 PM edit delete reply
HeSerpenty
OMG I love that idea!!! Totally suggest it XDD

And I can toootally relate <3--they definitely do tend to write themselves, don't they? <33