November 24th, 2009
Page 326
Comics for November 24, 2009 - Page 326
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November 25th, 2009 at 1:03 am
I’m betting that Yattata will be an asskicker with a sword.
November 25th, 2009 at 1:04 am
Woo hoo! We’ll get to see what Yatta-ta is made of!
November 25th, 2009 at 1:05 am
Well, at least he had the balls to admit he was wrong. And now, for a very swift and artful fight between a 6-foot-something amazon, and a skinny swordsman. (My money is on the blonde >.>)
November 25th, 2009 at 1:09 am
Pannels four and five were a clever mashup.
The queen has a delightful sense of humor. “Go beat the snot out of him so we can go eat” <<< Fabulous!
I sense something more deep, with the “by my father’s soul” comment, yes?
What a delight this comic is!
Now, for some hair fun. When does Zona get to play with Mentl’s hair??
November 25th, 2009 at 1:26 am
I am SO looking forward to seeing this duel.
November 25th, 2009 at 1:28 am
Yay! We get to find out if Yatta really does have skillz (I’m going to bet that he really does know what he’s doing with a sword and will actually give Zona some exercise). And we find out that he’s not a total loony — nice of Ipola to warn him about the consequences of keeping up his weird notions in the face of reality. Gotta love the guards’ changing expressions - happy when they think they’ll see a fight to the death, bummed when they aren’t, happy again to see a good fight, even if not to the death. And at least Zona will get a little satisfaction whacking on Yatta.
November 25th, 2009 at 1:59 am
I loved the guards in panels 6 and 7 “yes he’s…..oh darn it ” lol
November 25th, 2009 at 2:01 am
You know, no one has asked Yatta where he heard of the “challenge” issued by Zona. There’s gotta be something in that back story.
It should be an interesting duel. I, too, believe that Yatta-ta will be full of surprises.
Thank you, JED, for yet another excellent page. I’m guessing that with the holiday we’ll see more next week? If you post on Friday then you are definitely our hero.
November 25th, 2009 at 2:02 am
Perfect. Just…perfect.
*applauds*
November 25th, 2009 at 2:06 am
BUA HA AH HA HA the end is nigh little man. This fight will be so very nice . . . . and theraputic for Zona i believe.
November 25th, 2009 at 2:08 am
Yatta’s going to have to be very fast and nimble if he’s going to last beyond one swing. Zona has a much longer reach, she outweighs him, and, judging by those very well-developed thighs, she’s going to be light on her feet. And, of course, there’s the home-field advantage.
Break out the popcorn! Let’s see what Yatta is made of!
November 25th, 2009 at 2:27 am
I squealed with excitement like a little girl when I read this page. Since I am a solid and beaded man, my girlfriend gave me weird looks.
Sooooooo awesome!
I fully expect Yatta-Ta to be amazing now that he’s un-armored and fighting a fencer’s battle. This is going to be…fantastic.
Thank you, thank you.
November 25th, 2009 at 2:28 am
beaded=bearded. Sigh.
November 25th, 2009 at 2:40 am
I have a feeling Yatta might be an awesome swordsman. But then again, he got punked every time by Zona.
November 25th, 2009 at 2:42 am
I love the expectant looks on the guard boys’ faces in panel 6, and the obvious disappointment in 7. “Do we get to kill him after all? Maybe? Yes? No? Baaawwwww…”
November 25th, 2009 at 3:24 am
I suspect Yatta-ta will surprise Zona (once the fight actually starts) within the first 6 panels, and impress her within the first 10. However, Zona will win.
…Any takers? Opposers? Alternate bet…er, I mean, viewpoints?
November 25th, 2009 at 3:41 am
@jean:
I agree Yatta-ta is not going to simply be spanked, the buildup has been too long.
November 25th, 2009 at 4:02 am
However, we’ve never actually seen him fight, since he’s been used primarily for comic relief. I’m figuring that he’s not a classic fencer, since that seemed to be an artificial outgrowth of the development of heavy armors and reliable firearms in our world.
However, from the looks of the captured sword that the guard was carrying, I’d expect Yatta-ta to use a piercing/stabbing style, which seeks to do grievous stabbing damage quickly, possibly through heavy leather or chain armors.
I’d expect Zona to be making the most of her intimidating physique, establishing psychological dominance by means of her unusual size and strength first, then pressing that advantage with the roar-and slash approach initially, before settling down to a strength-exploiting style that will either crush through an opponent’s defense, or force their weapon way out of position to attack before she goes for deep stabbing, or a mighty but compact blow to savage the neck, possibly beheading her foe, but almost certainly rendering them Hors de combat, and winning the engagement, whether it be a challenge or lethal combat.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hors_de_combat
My prediction? Surprises on both sides as they engage against very different styles. I could see Zona learning, and helping spread to the children, a valuable lesson about discounting your challenger’s abilities if she loses, which could also help in her own development. She may need to learn that her exceptional strength isn’t always going to be the deciding factor in her fights.
I’m not inclined to predict the outcome of the fight, except that lessons are likely to be learned on both sides.
November 25th, 2009 at 5:08 am
WHOA!!!! Important foreshadowing.
“On my Father’s SOUL” Not his life, or ‘my family’s honor’ but his father’s soul.
That, to me, implies his father is already dead. That’s REALLY important considering how young Yatta-ta looks to be (30ish by my reckoning)
Meaning Yatta-ta COULD be a dis-placed noble.
November 25th, 2009 at 5:15 am
I’m beginning to think Yatta-ta might indeed be a skilled fighter. He might even be the best swordsman in Ir-Anis. And being unable to find a decent way to make a name for himself, he’s made up this challenge of Zona in order to fight her. That way he’d gain the fame and reputation he’s looking for. Zona had better be careful, She could be in for a surprise.
November 25th, 2009 at 5:22 am
That’s another thing! Yatta-ta may be a lucky fool, but even he had to have encountered some Urtts along his way here, I wonder if there’s any stains on that sword…. we’ll he’d know how to take care of it…
November 25th, 2009 at 5:25 am
“Now - beat the snot out of him so we can get on to the feast” now there’s the basic Erogenan talking!
November 25th, 2009 at 5:38 am
Hey, I note that no one has yet asked him *why* he’s had such notions, nor why he’s felt he’s “just has to” pursue them.
November 25th, 2009 at 7:10 am
Somehow i think this one will go down in history !
November 25th, 2009 at 7:53 am
OK quick show of hands, how many of us wait up til midnight to see the new page?
November 25th, 2009 at 9:45 am
I wonder if Yatta’s father might somehow be an erogenian himself or if he was told that he was. That might be interesting.
November 25th, 2009 at 10:16 am
I also think that Yatta-ta has hidden depths. He also might not have been outside of his little town, and possibly did not realize how seriously the Ergonians took their oaths, values, etc. Or if his oath on his father’s soul indicates, he doesn’t care how seriously they take it.
@Someguy-I think you are perhaps right. There’s also that Ergonian family that the nice man fighting with the Bull Tribe was trying to help because of a certain princeling. Or perhaps he is a part of Yanora’s extended family….? Yanora’s husband IS dead. What if Yatta-ta is Yanora’s husband’s son on the wrong side of the blanket?
Good as always, JD dear.
November 25th, 2009 at 10:31 am
I think I will go along with the ‘Zona will win but there are going to be a few surprises’ vote.
JED, I am continually amazed at the quality of the artwork, and the realism of things like skin texture, beard shadow, light glints in the eyes.
If anyone wants something to compare to, look at this strip: http://requiem.spiderforest.com/
Good story, depth of characters, backgrounds … and wax dolls playing the parts.
November 25th, 2009 at 10:33 am
Calisto — I wait up: show of hand.
November 25th, 2009 at 11:57 am
If I’ve been understanding Zona’s history right, she’s been in battle a LOT.
I’d be really surprised if she just gets by with her strength and some blatant hack/slash sword style by this point. Also, this should mean she’s wise enough to watch out for unexpected skills and other surprises. I’m hoping so, anyway.
November 25th, 2009 at 12:05 pm
And another raised hand for someone who will be waiting up at midnight. ^_^
November 25th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
@MaxBigfoot If you’ll look closely, it was my suggestion that the ‘roar and slash’ would be a very short part of her attack, to exploit and expand, if possible, any psychological advantage from her size.
Though I did say that her fighting style would most likely take advantage of her strength to either outright power through her opponent’s defenses, or to batter their weapon so far out of attacking position that it’s reduced as a threat, giving her offensive opportunities.
November 25th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Calisto, I would, but Zona doesn’t update at midnight where I live, something to do with it being GMT here!
November 25th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Best page yet JE, from the Queen making Yatta-ta admit his mistake to the guards’ changing expressions all the way to Ipola telling Zona to spank that fool Yatta-ta so we can eat already. Nicely done.
Of course, with all this buildup you’re going to have to have Yatta give a good showing of himself, win or lose. I suspect people will be disappointed if Zona clobbers him in two panels. I know I’d be disappointed.
November 25th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
WOW! And that’s why she’s the Queen!!
Good story telling, JED.
November 25th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
There are 2 interesting phrases in this scene.
1 is tacked onto the end of him admitting he was mistaken. He could have stopped there, but added “Zona is no liar.” He clearly believes in Zona as a paragon - but by his standards, which aren’t Erogenian standards. He may be coming to realize that difference, or he’s simply perioritizing among his standards (”whatever she is, she is no liar”). If the latter, the high place of “not a liar” in his hierarchy becomes extremely interesting, because it’s unusual.
The 2nd is, of course, his Inigo Montoya moment, when he pledges on his father’s soul. Couple that with a guy who knowingly risks death because “I just had to”, and it’s a nice, suspenseful way to introduce something very heavy.
November 25th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
I should clarify… unusual for a Kivalian, who aren’t known as straightforward and don’t prioritize truth-telling like the Erogenians.
November 25th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Calisto - I would, but it never updates at midnight.
And I think that I’m going with the scarce group of Zona actually getting it handed to her. For all his boasting and talking, he’d always been bragging when Zona took him down. Never had a chance to actually fight. Now is the first time all the bragging is done, and they’re fighting on equal terms. I’m thinking he’s going to pull off an upset, showing extreme skill with a blade, maybe enough so to make him beating her look as effortless as her beating Urgals.
November 25th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
I would be sort of surprised if Yatta-ta wins, simply because Erogenian political stability currently to a certain degree is based on Zona being capable of “beating the snot out of” pretty much anybody.
Ah well, any arguments I have are just dressing up that I’m rooting for Zona anyway.
November 25th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
I predict one of two ways. Either it’s a total beatdown which I’m hoping doesn’t happen, because I’ve actually come to kinda like the dope or he surprises everyone (I mean the Erogenians not us) who are clearly expecting a beatdown and proves to be almost as good as he says he is.
And yeah, totally loved the guards changing expresions.
November 25th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
OK it happens at a different time for some of us, the whole world clock thing, got it. Let me rephrase the question a bit… How many of us race to post first?
I have a feeling we might get a “Your using Baneeto’s defense against me, huh?”
“I thought it fitting considering the rocky terrain..” moment out of this “test”.
November 25th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Calisto — well, I cheated — I work nights, so I’m up when it updates … ;p
I really hope Yatta-tat-tat (sorry, couldn’t resist) gives a good account of himself. I just have a hard time believing he managed to live this long without being killed by someone for being an obnoxious ass, unless he actually knows which end of the sword bites.
November 25th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Well, I’m at LAX waiting for my flight to Denver to board, so I will taKe some time here to answer some of the comments.
Flying to Colorado for the holiday, and since I need my desktop to do the pages, I’m afraid the next update will, indeed, be on Tuesday next. Very sorry about that, but there you have it.
Naturally I am not going to comment on whether Yatta-ta passes his “test” with an A, C- or F. So I hope you all will appreciate my silence on any of the speculation. All I will say is that I have written it to be something that I, myself, find entertaining. You all will judge based on the presentation and content next week … sometime.
I can thank you all for the lovely ego-stroking. My fragile, narcissistic self-image thanks you. As to the reactions of the actors in the scene, it’s simply part of what traditional comics artists you see do in creating the inner life of the character - and there are artists in CGI as well as those who draw freehand who have no sense of inner life in the art. The textures and bump maps are actually not hard to get good results. The one that
Anyway, Yatta-ta is Michael 2 and his texture is the high resolution one that came out in 2002. No kidding. This model, like Mentl, is using very old stuff and yet in Poser 7 it looks even better, so a good lot of that is just technical. Nonetheless, I do take credit for trying to make the actors look like they’re alive and moving rather than simply standing there mouthing lines like a capture from Everquest. It’s totally an illusion. One thing I have noticed in some other 3D comics is that the artist is frequently very concerned with modelling the complete environment to the smallest detail. As I’ve said repeatedly, I’m not much of a modeller, and so all I care about is the picture on the screen turning out well enough to tell the story - in a theatrical illusion, if you will. I use pre-rendered backgrounds routinely to save resources, and often re-use them. The characters in the foreground should grab enough visual attention so nobody cares if that’s the same picture as before. The people are moving in the play, and that’s all that matters.
I think Fatuncle is specifically referring to is the closeup of Yatta-ta which gives a nice realistic effect of his stubble and pores - you should see it in the original resolution. I was happy with that render, and that doesn’t always happen.
These scenes have been pretty labor intensive, however, b ecause of all the characters in them, and so that’s one of the reasons we’vebeen a day or two late on the updates lately. Please don’t lose sleep waiting for them! They’ll be there eventually, I promise.
Happy holidays to all Americans, and to the rest of you, good weekend and may you be in Heaven a half-hour before the Devil knows you’re dead, as the Irish say.
November 25th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Oh, you gotta love Ipola. Especially her last comment. lol.
And the guards are great, too.
Can’t wait to see the duel.
November 25th, 2009 at 10:31 pm
Looking again at that lovely third panel where Ipona stops Yatta-ta’s obsequiousness (and it was indeed obsequiously lovley in the second panel, but I’m talking about the third, here)… Does anybody else get a flashback sort of feeling to that nose-beep scene from “Dogma” when they look at it?
November 25th, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Bet you 100/1 Yatta-ta wins, the guys are all impressed, and they let him stick around for booze and food.
It’s the kind of thing they’d do ^_^
November 25th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Sleepinin, I bet he loses, BUT that he goes on for at least 2 more full pages longer than the other Erogenians expected him to survive…in which case they’ll all be impressed and let him stick around for booze and food.
Whereupon he’ll do or say something utterly Kivalian and be kicked out. Or at least tossed into a hut somewhere so he can sleep off the booze part, and then be kicked outta the valley. (I vote for Blond & Ginger to be the ones who volunteer for the tossing and kicking parts.)
November 25th, 2009 at 11:59 pm
Chiming in on loving the guards glee/disappointment/glee.
I have to think there is more to Yatta-ta than meets the eye.
1. He is strangely well equipped, coming up with three different sets of armor on the road (and yet, some how, he cannot afford a horse?) As JED mentioned i a post, we have never seen him wearing the same clothes twice.
2. He doesn’t seem to be tracking Zona most of the time. Instead, he is waiting for her as if he knows where she is going.
3. Even after being left behind twice, he gets ahead of her again (and is right at her heels, in fact was probably in front of her until the race through the valley to the gate).
4. Two possibilities are that he is a noble with a retinue of trackers and spies off camera or that something supernatural is going on with him and he is as clueless as Mentle was about his gift.
Either way, I join others in thinking that he might be surprising, but I will also be surprised if he can beat Zona.
November 26th, 2009 at 12:50 am
Jean! Yes! Dogma! *mwerp* that was my first reaction. My second was it’s such a maternal gesture, isn’t it?
I can’t wait to learn Yatta’s backstory. I, too, think there is more to him than just comic relief.
November 26th, 2009 at 1:42 am
Hmmm….
Has anybody else noticed that Yatta-ta looks rather alot like Count Tethik?
Family resemblance, maybe? Just a thought….
November 26th, 2009 at 5:18 am
I think Zona is in for a surprise……
November 26th, 2009 at 6:47 am
Actually, i was thinking more of a not-upset owner with a cute little dog that was about to be naughty than some maternal sort of thing, but yeah. Definitely a female thing.
November 26th, 2009 at 9:36 am
“I am Yatta-Ta. You killed my dream. Prepare for defeat!”
November 26th, 2009 at 11:16 am
I’ve been following your webcomic for some time now and I must say it ROCKS! I love the story and the art, in which is interesting to see how you improve as time passes. Keep it up!
For Yatta-Ta I think he’ll be smart enough to try and outwit Zona’s muscles, or be faster, and in both cases it will be entertaining! But if he wins, my bets are that it’ll be a total comedy and by mistake. :p Which may actually happen, because I can’t imagine him just walking away after the battle! Can’t wait to see what happens!
November 26th, 2009 at 11:24 am
Hmmmmm……. everyone chomping at the bit wanting to see the duel, is it time for the scene change? lol
November 26th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Also, I’m not sure why certain peoples keep calling Yatta skinny… unless his shirt and his sleeves are *extremely* thick, he’s got a good bit of bulk under there… Given the lacing, it doesn’t look to be that thick, and his face certainly does not indicate that much of his bulk is fat.
November 26th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Never underestimate some one that stupid who is still alive.
November 26th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
“I swear on the soul of Domingo Montoya, you will reach the top alive.”
November 26th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
Anyone else wonder if mentl’s supposed to be mentor has any other family?…
November 26th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
Thankyou Quicksilver I’ve been wanting to point that out myself for a while but I keep getting distracted.
November 27th, 2009 at 1:01 am
Yatta’s plenty muscular - he’s just standing between two massive slabs of beef — just about anybody short of a world class heavyweight bodybuilder would look a bit light in comparison.
November 27th, 2009 at 7:47 am
@peregrin “Throw me the rope.”
November 27th, 2009 at 8:39 am
JED…I know you’re on vacation, but if you have a moment to answer this question…how fast does Mentl’s hair grow? How long has he been in this world, from the time we first see him, the book, and the Urtts, to this moment with Yatta-ta in the Valley of the Moon?
I’m asking because at the start of the story, his hair doesn’t quite reach his shoulders, and by now, it seems to be halfway down his back. While I’ll admit my hair doesn’t grow the fastest, it still can take me a year to get it to grow 6 inches, nevermind the 9 or 10 of Mentl’s hair. I know some people can grow an inch of hair a month, but that’s a lot of months.
…Please, nobody take this as a complaint, lol. I actually find long, clean, well-kept hair on men to be very attractive. I’m just curious to know how long he’s been in this world, and how fast his hair grows.
Thanks, and I hope you’re having a good time.
(…A thought: Maybe when he bathes in a stream or whatever, he’s humming, and thinking of maybe how Erogenian men might have longer hair, or maybe Zona’s mentioned it, and maybe just maybe he’s subconsciously using a little magic to make his hair grow long and fast so it’ll be more appealing to her?)
November 27th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
I’ve just noticed how Charlie-Brown-looking that stripe on Yatta-ta’s shirt is.
Looking forward to the next few pages. Cheers.
November 27th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
Zona actually DOES know that no matter how skilled you are, no matter how strong, sooner or later some one is going to come along who’s better, stronger or just plain lucky. We found THAT out when Mentl came to her defense wielding a frying pan, then Tula came to his. (It was all in Zona’s inner monologue.)
November 27th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Shot, Jean, now you made me go back and check. You’re right; there’s been quite a change to dear old Mentl. I could find one good back showing pic in resent pages and there it was done to the edge of his shoulder blades.
When we first meets him it’s about midway down his throat… that’s a lot of hair to grow in a couple of months. I call magick!
November 28th, 2009 at 2:14 am
Keep in mind that travel is a lot slower when you have to walk everywhere. Even with horses, you can only cover so much ground per day before they start to get tired and need to rest, especially when you take into account how big Zona is. Anyone that big is going to be a strain on their mount, and no matter how strong said horse may be riding double is going to tire it even further. I’t likely they haven’t covered more than 50-80 miles per day, even given ideal terrain. The map doesn’t have a scale but just by looking, I’d say Erogenia is a fairly sizable place and the rough terrain would have slowed them even more.
So, all that being said, I can see it taking several months to get to Moon Tribe territory. Plenty of time for Mentl’s hair to grow out.
November 28th, 2009 at 7:23 am
TheLastGarou is right, traveling on foot is almost mind-bogglingly slow for those of us raised in the 20th and 21st centuries. We forget that it used to take supply wagons a full day’s travel to go just 10-15 miles. 20 miles was perfect road conditions, weather, flat terrain, and a light load. Even the ‘mail coach’ of the Regency / Jane Austen era, which could travel up to 15 miles per hour at its fastest…they swapped out the horses every hour at posting inns, where horses were ‘posted’ to await their replacement.
Actually, horses usually are only good for about 40 miles in a day on reasonably good roads, not counting riding as Zona and company have been doing. A man can actually outwalk a horse, too–the Marines did an experiment that proved a human in top condition can run/jog/walk around 80 miles in a single day…up to 100. However, humans are slower over short distances than horses.
And, contrary to popular belief, you CANNOT ride a horse at a gallop for more than a few minutes. Or even at a canter for more than a dozen or so. They are built more for sprinting than long-distance running. There are a LOT of badly written, non-researched “myths” about what horses supposedly can do out there in fiction land, whether it’s in books, television, or movies. You can’t gallop a horse for an hour. It’s physically impossible. They are not motorcycles with teeth and tails. They certainly won’t ride all day long even at a walk; they need to stop, rest, drink, eat, and so forth. The usual travel pattern is canter for ten minutes, walk or trot for ten or twenty more.
The ADVANTAGE of a horse over a human on foot is the fact the horse can carry and transport a lot more than a human. That, and the short-distance sprinting thing, since horses can and do get up to 40 mph at a full-out gallop. They just can’t maintain it for very long.
If you have any questions, look up your local equestrian club for more details. Also, some scifi/fantasy conventions have panels on the realities versus the fictions of what horses–or by extrapolation, any other flesh-and-blood steed–can and cannot do. (Norwescon is a good example of a con hosting this kind of topic panel.)
November 28th, 2009 at 7:26 am
(BTW, in case anyone is wondering, there are plenty of things in this world I don’t know anything about, lol. I’m just a terminal student with a permanent case of learn-itis…)
November 29th, 2009 at 6:36 am
Sorry, that should be canter for around five minutes, so you don’t lather the horse.
November 29th, 2009 at 9:14 am
Hmm, a fairly old saying just occured to me: The best swordsman in the world doesn’t fear the second best swordsman in the world. He fears the worst swordsman in the world.
November 29th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Tricksterson - I’d agree with that. A black belt in some martial arts won’t get beaten by..Whatever the next lower belt is. They’ll get beaten by some pub tough off the streets who doesn’t play fair, and doesn’t attack the way a martial artist would. I’ve always seen martial arts as a nice way of learning to control your body, but the different blocks, kicks, and punches you learn only really help against another martial artist. A black belt would still get his buddies kicked up between his teeth against a prison thug.
((My dad used to work as a prison guard, and he’d watch other guards who knew martial arts get beaten almost every single time. I don’t know about the other branches, but the Marines doesn’t teach martial arts. They teach street fighting, where everything goes.))
November 29th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Wheu. Done with re-reading.
I really can’t wait for the next update and see how this fights is gonna go.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:27 am
You know, I didn’t see it before, but especially with all the wary glances, I can’t help but picture Yatta-ta as sounding like James Callis.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:34 am
SICK is ME!
No, it’s not H1N1, but it is a nasty bronchitis that grabbed me on Wednesday and hasn’t let go, yet. So, I will just post a few quick notes. Am slowly getting better, but still very weak and wracked with occasional bouts of nyasssty coffin. Still, I think I shojuld be able to get the new page up tomorrow night.
As for how long Mentl’s been here in Erogenia, it’s a little over two months. As to why his hair is so much longer now than it was? Well, I wanted it to grow and misjudged it. I also had a cool wig I wanted to try, and so there it is. Still, since canon seems to cry out for an Erogenian-based rationalization, I’ll go along with —- MAGICK!!!
In fact, I was feeling kind of loopy and so I made a new vote incentive that illustrates it. Vote, and you will see.
As for now, codeine awaits.
November 30th, 2009 at 2:01 am
I knew it! It’s MAGICK!! …I don’t suppose Mentl even knows he’s doing it, and if he did know or figured it out, d’you think he’d be willing to share it with those of us who’ve always longed for Japanese-illustration-length locks of loveliness? …No?
*sigh* I guess I’ll just go vote…
November 30th, 2009 at 2:03 am
*votes*
*gapes*
*giggles*
YESSS!! It makes SENSE! Totally makes sense, because Mentl would suddenly realize while bathing (post-clue-in about his powers) that HERE is something he CAN do safely to practice his enchanting abilities!
8D
*CHEERS at JED kermit the frog style, yaaaaaaaaay* *armflailings*
November 30th, 2009 at 2:13 am
*dies of laughter* LOL! I voted and expected to see Rannik, but no. Instead I laughed my head of.
Magick is a great safe card.
November 30th, 2009 at 10:25 am
Just voted and HA! Actually I just figured some people’s hair grows faster than others (or does that make too much sense?) but this works too.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:27 am
Sure, but not *that* fast.
He’s only been there a couple of months, tops.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
So I came home for lunch…just checked in for a quick glance (mainly to see if Jean has stopped drooling over the beefcake - smirk) and took a gander at the new vote incentive…OMFG……well I am glad I am home so I can change my shirt…I just snarfed a bunch of soda out my nose I laughed so hard…That is an awesome resolution to the “how did his hair grow so fast” question… Hope ya feel better JED
November 30th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I read the new responses checked out the vote incentive and while I figured that would e how he did it it was still funny. I just got over Bronchitis myself. Really, really, sucks don’t it?
November 30th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Actually, if you go back to the Otherwhen/Dream Sequence where Mentl meets and chats with Vito in the apartment, Mentl’s hair is only collar-length. This is when Mentl learns about his powers being for-real. AFTER this point, after they get gree of the Urrts, that’s when his hair starts growing longer. So this totally works for me.
November 30th, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Er, after they get *free…
December 1st, 2009 at 10:49 am
*Checks out the vote incentive, goes totally ROFL* Only one problem, that hair would be in a ponytail down to his butt! Zona might be jealous! Still though, you’d be surprised how fast hair can grow on some people in two months. And remember, Mentl didn’t start off with a crew cut when he first arrived.
But shouldn’t he have a chest-length Moses-style beard as well?
December 1st, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Yatta-ta is a foul, I bet we won’t see the fight, we’ll be going straight to the buffet with Yatta-ta in the background not able to eat cause of injuries lol
December 1st, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Jean — I have a dim memory of reading that when the settlers crossed the North American continent on foot, east to west, it could take over a year. After all, it’s 3000+ miles, and some of that terrain is rough.
Humans also have far more endurance than horses. The Cheyenne, for instance, used to capture wild horses by simply running them into the ground, never stopping, never letting them rest, until the horses were staggering and were too exhausted to evade capture.
December 1st, 2009 at 3:39 pm
JED — so sorry to hear it. Take as long as it takes to get well.
December 1st, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Remember that chicken soup is the super cure!! Home made though, the can stuff if iffy at best. With a nice Jasmin rice! My wife will make me a big pot when I’m sick before patting me on the head, going off to work and leaving me to my misery. Colds suck. Get well soon!
December 7th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Yay! Thanks for the support Jean.
Given that the average humans walking speed is about 4 miles per hour, I was figureing on the horses being able to travel 5-8 miles per hour for ten ours a day, so that’s where I got my numbers from.