Comic Page for April 17th, 2014

[Schrodinger]

Seconded.

A man of few words.

But many pictures!

I appreciate all the work you guys are doing to keep up with the timeline. Not at all an easy task, but it helps the rest of us keep ourselves grounded.

Random note that I'd like to bring up is that Natani's reproductive period is just now ending. Might also be contributing to the awkward feelings...

[MuonNeutrino]

Seconded.

A man of few words.

But many pictures!

I appreciate all the work you guys are doing to keep up with the timeline. Not at all an easy task, but it helps the rest of us keep ourselves grounded.

Random note that I'd like to bring up is that Natani's reproductive period is just now ending. Might also be contributing to the awkward feelings...

Yup. So far this is the 5th day since her heat ended (3 days on the islands, 2 back on the water), so she's still within that week-long period of fertility. I think I brought this up once before, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were lingering hormonal effects on mood/emotions during that week.

[TinyVoices]

I appreciate all the work you guys are doing to keep up with the timeline. Not at all an easy task, but it helps the rest of us keep ourselves grounded.

Eh, to be honest all I did for the majority of the time there was click on the comic seven to ten times, copy+paste a landmark page into my post, then repeat until caught up.

[Niara]

Forecast:

We don't get to see inside the wash room... instead we switch to B Group.... BUT, when Zen recovers, and is (likely) being interrogated... we're going to learn by proxy of his reactions, what Nat is -probably- doing, and it can be embarrassing and cute and enjoyably mirthful, as well as cathartic for those people hanging for a more physical confirmation from Keith and Nat, without being -too- indulgent in the direct fan-service.

I can only imagine Zen being unable to be intimidated or upset by what's going on around him, because he's alternately just too happy for Nat, and too embarrassed by the fact that he's unwittingly sharing the experience somewhat.... and the others ending up intimidated by him and thinking he's so impossibly unbreakable because of it. That would be amusing.

[Shannara360]

Please correct me if I am wrong, but I think Tom mentioned that he was planning on changing the focus to characters other than Keith and Natani in the upcoming chapters. He felt that he hasn't given characters like Trace and Flora enough character development recently. So, what some people are complaining about Tom is already planning on addressing.

My source is either the last stream he did or the one before that. I may be remembering incorrectly, but I am mostly certain that is what he said and where he said it.

[BadFoMo]

I think there might be a chance for character development over fan-service in the upcoming washroom comics. I see two things ways this could go.

A. While in there Natani simply ask Keith how close he was to Laura and we'd have a flashback to when Keith and Laura were kids.
B. They stumble upon Kathrin who is hiding in there and they talk about her problems while Natani cleans Keith.

I'm mostly lean towards option B happening because last time we saw her she had just been informed that Flora was pregnant and didn't seem to take it well. Plus, this would be a good way for Natani and Keith to find out about it.

[Bellhead]

...Either way, sunrise comes and Trace the chef is napping. Keith leaves and eventually Laura stuff happens. Sex happens, but it's the same day just maybe an hour later. Natani gets her vest and meets Maddie while that's happening. Everyone meets in the dining area. That gets resolved and then it's the next morning. Which is where we are now.

So, day one was fire day, day two was Laura, and now we are on day 3.

Point of order - it's not the day after the whole Laura business yet, it's still the same afternoon, as far as I can tell.

The last time in chapter 16 that we saw group B was comic 731, and Raine was about to go check on Maren and Karen. After that, we have the resolution of the whole Laura ghost/illusion story through the rest of the chapter. Next, in chapter 17, we see that at the start of the chapter Raine is just coming out of the tent after examining Maren and Karen, so the two chapters must follow immediately one after the other - chapter 17 picks up with group B almost exactly where we left them in chapter 16. A dozen or so strips later the adventures with Zen conclude, and the next strip, back on the ship, opens with "Meanwhile, halfway across the ocean-". Therefore, the current events on the ship follow immediately after the recent events with group B, which follow immediately after the events of chapter 16, so the current events on the ship are at most a few hours after the end of chapter 16 (depending on how long Keith ended up sleeping for).

In other words, Keith slept for a few hours, but it's not yet the next morning. Keep in mind that the events with Laura's ghost have to have concluded before noon. In comic 690, it's just barely dawn at the time that Keith is having his conversation with Flora and Trace. After that, he heads off to talk to Natani. They talk for a while, but certainly not hours, and then after Keith refuses to dismiss the illusion Nat runs off to find Kat. Kat says that it'll take her at least an hour to make the robes, but keep in mind that right now it's still, at most, just an hour or so after dawn. Even if it takes Kat 2 or 3 hours (and I doubt it did), the whole Laura's ghost plotline has *got* to wrap up well before noon (it's probably somewhere between the equinox and winter solstice given the various discussions of seasons, so even 3 hours on the robes makes it no later than 11 AM or so, depending on latitude). There's plenty of time for Keith to sleep for even 4 or 5 hours and have it still only be mid-afternoon (which seems like about the right time, given the angle of the sun in comic 796).

Am I the only one who read this and thought of The Princess Bride?

As for the Bath Scene that's coming up, how 'bout we just let it happen, huh? We can't control the lives of these characters like we can in Prequel, and Tom knows what he's doing. He knows well. I for one just hope for their sake that they get the chance to bathe in peace, and just talk to one another, like they did back in the tavern, before Keith overloaded. I'd like to see them bond consiously, while they actually realize what's happening.

[imalbert]

I think there might be a chance for character development over fan-service in the upcoming washroom comics. I see two things ways this could go.

A. While in there Natani simply ask Keith how close he was to Laura and we'd have a flashback to when Keith and Laura were kids.
B. They stumble upon Kathrin who is hiding in there and they talk about her problems while Natani cleans Keith.

I'm mostly lean towards option B happening because last time we saw her she had just been informed that Flora was pregnant and didn't seem to take it well. Plus, this would be a good way for Natani and Keith to find out about it.

C. Laura is going to pay another visit, and this time she won't be leaving. As for Kathrin, she is going to end up discussing her issues with Flora.

[Bellhead]

I think there might be a chance for character development over fan-service in the upcoming washroom comics. I see two things ways this could go.

A. While in there Natani simply ask Keith how close he was to Laura and we'd have a flashback to when Keith and Laura were kids.
B. They stumble upon Kathrin who is hiding in there and they talk about her problems while Natani cleans Keith.

I'm mostly lean towards option B happening because last time we saw her she had just been informed that Flora was pregnant and didn't seem to take it well. Plus, this would be a good way for Natani and Keith to find out about it.

C. Laura is going to pay another visit, and this time she won't be leaving. As for Kathrin, she is going to end up discussing her issues with Flora.

While I agree that Kathrin is going to discuss her problems with somebody, Laura is not coming back. We've been through the loss of Laura three times now, and we brought her back twice. Besides, there's no space in the plot for something like that to take place.
Though on the subject of Kat, Flora would be the perfect person to talk to, given that she loved Trace for such a long time before he realized it, and before she said anything about it, so she was kinda in the same boat as Kat's in now. No pun intended. But Flora did say she was worried about how the pregnancy reveal affected her, so she's probably headed that way anyway.
This would be a great time for another episode of Girl Talk with Kathrin "Spots" Vaughn, coming to a station near you!

[Iron Ed]

Natani is -really- looking good in his/her new outfit!

[MuonNeutrino]

Am I the only one who read this and thought of The Princess Bride?

As for the Bath Scene that's coming up, how 'bout we just let it happen, huh? We can't control the lives of these characters like we can in Prequel, and Tom knows what he's doing. He knows well. I for one just hope for their sake that they get the chance to bathe in peace, and just talk to one another, like they did back in the tavern, before Keith overloaded. I'd like to see them bond consiously, while they actually realize what's happening.

Well, the difference is that I actually know what I'm talking about.

As for the rest, definitely. There's been enough interruptions. They need to get a chance to just talk and work things out.

[Rafe]

Natani is -really- looking good in his/her new outfit!

And Keith, especially in the second panel, is looking like I've never seen him - genuinely vulnerable, even a little scared.

Putting the guessing about what happens next aside, Keith is in a fragile state right now and he knows it. For once, he isn't trying to put up any front to mask his feelings (at least to Natani). If someone else shows up, things might change, of course. Looking at him now, you could easily imagine him crying in the next scene, or saying who knows what to Natani. Definitely a set up for something.

[obi-wan]

As for the rest, definitely. There's been enough interruptions. They need to get a chance to just talk and work things out.

second the motion

[Ketzal]

Natani is -really- looking good in his/her new outfit!

And Keith, especially in the second panel, is looking like I've never seen him - genuinely vulnerable, even a little scared.

Putting the guessing about what happens next aside, Keith is in a fragile state right now and he knows it. For once, he isn't trying to put up any front to mask his feelings (at least to Natani). If someone else shows up, things might change, of course. Looking at him now, you could easily imagine him crying in the next scene, or saying who knows what to Natani. Definitely a set up for something.

I couldn't imagine what, really

[Jan125]

Heh.

Totally not lovestruck.