#look i know about the silly little dialogue options. still didnt do it for me

[waywardsalt]

thoughts on totk now that i’ve beaten it

under the cut bc of length and bc there is honestly a fair bit of negative stuff

i don’t really think i can say that i liked totk.

it’s fine, it’s genuinely fucking incredible from a technical standpoint with ultrahand, recall, the three map layers and with how smoothly it ran for me. as a game it’s fine.

i’ll start with the things i dislike and end with what i actually liked

i honestly didn’t really like ultrahand? i disliked how much the game leaned on it, since so many puzzles and whatever just boiled down to ‘make something that’ll work’ and it just... it was far too clunky for me to really enjoy using it, outside of using some of the same few designs for traversal. there were a few times when i could see what the game wanted me to do with ultrahand and the given zonai parts and sometimes it just... didn’t work at all. more often than not ultrahand was frustrating for me to use so the game’s reliance on it just made it into a chore sometimes.

in a similar vein the dungeons were serious letdowns. i mean, don’t get me wrong, they’re fine, they had good themes and (mostly) had good aesthetics and general looks and identities to them, but the fact that they were just... basically twenty-ish minute little things was kind of disappointing. i hate that they all had the exact same ‘go hit x number of switches’ gimmick. it really limited what you could do and fucked with the dungeon design, too. the only one where that really worked for me was the fire temple, which was my favorite overall. the water temple was especially dismal, with the least inspired look and just being an astoundingly easy experience. the puzzles in those dungeons were so awfully easy, too, especially since half of the time they just hand you what you need so you barely need to really assess the situation and put a plan together

i hated the water dungeon’s little mini-areas where you do a single piss-easy puzzle to automatically get your prize, i hated the wind temple’s god damn ‘pull a lever and get your prize’ kind of puzzles, i hated how soul-crushingly disappointed i felt when i took a look at the lightning temple’s map and realized that every fucking floor had a singular room just for the switch puzzle. god forbid it’s as fun as the lowest level of that temple. i really miss stuff like mini-bosses or rooms where you have to do a puzzle in order to just... progress, i miss dungeons that i could get lost in or spend a while in or just had... something more interesting or some more substance so that i can’t just breeze through like it’s a glorified shrine. most of the puzzles in those dungeons were simpler than some shrines i did.

i didn’t care to do much exploration since there honestly isn’t much motivation to explore the surface map if you’ve already played botw, and the scarcity of materials this time really got to me, it took me a while to have a half-decent stock of materials, and i still had trouble not running out of stuff even though i was using amiibos to stock up on some things. the money situation was rough, too... a lot of things are cheaper to sell, but some armor is still really expensive plus you have to pay the great fairies to upgrade your equipment in addition to having the correct materials. that especially felt odd- having to grab a handful of (goddamn hard to get) lynel guts is hard enough to upgrade the soldier’s armor, but you want me to cough up 500 rupees, too??

(the scarcity of monster guts also got on my nerves, but i’ll just chalk that up to just some kind of really weird difficulty thing. it was annoying until i tracked down the stronger monsters.)

the story is probably the weakest part of the game to me. it’s really hard to have a baseline investment when you don’t care about these characters, anyway, and what i saw in this game’s story still failed to endear me to hardly any of them. link’s role frustrated me; he just comes off like a tool rather than a character this time through, he barely has any actual relevancy to the story segments beyond being the guy who can use the master sword and being the player’s vehicle to get from point a to b in the story. the blank stare and limited emoting worked in botw because... there’s a given reason for his lack of outward emotion in the past, plus he has no memory in the present. it makes sense. but this time around, he’s gotten memories in the years between this and the last game, but he just feels like a background character in most of the story beats. 

he has no role in the memories and in the present just exists to gather some stuff for other people, he gets the master sword from zelda and then helps the other sages get their secret stones, but he’s barely addressed as his own character in the grand scheme of things unless he’s being directly spoken to. he’s just the swordsman capable of wielding the master sword and zelda’s chosen protector as far as the story is concerned. he has no opinions outside of doing what he’s told and looking for zelda. at least not as far as i could really tell. at least in botw, the story directly concerns him, and it’s his story we’re following. this time around zelda and the sages seem like the most important characters, link’s just... there, doing what he’s been told to.

the new sages are fine, none of them really endeared themselves to me, and i will say that making the player watch essentially the exact same cutscene each time you finish a dungeon was BAFFLING. they were long and you learned almost nothing new after the first one, and there was nothing done to make them very distinct to each individual pair of sages or their respective regions; at the very least, it could have been interesting to meet the ancient sages not in the exact same stone garden, but perhaps at the top of a snowy mountain for the rito, near a volcano or something for the goron, maybe in a shallow pool of water for the zora, and in the desert for the gerudo- but no, they’re all effectively the same thing just with the speaking character swapped out with some minor changes.

(the sages themselves are a pain in the ass to use, having to chase them down to activate their power or accidentally activating a power when you don’t want it; yunobo was honestly my favorite, but because i generally defaulted to having them all activated at all times, i had a lot of trouble with tulin blowing shit away from me when i was trying to grab it while midair. they’re half-decent for combat)

i didn’t really care for rauru or sonia, either. rauru in the present as a ghost was fine, he was kind of interesting and seemed to have changed from his time in the past, but he never managed to be a character i particularly liked. i wasn’t really a fan of his... arrogance? or something in the past scenes, and he never really came off as very interesting. sonia was nearly completely uninteresting which is a shame since she has an interesting design, she just felt delegated to the role of supporting rauru and zelda and then dying to motivate them.

ganondorf is a character i was really looking forward to seeing, and it really fucking sucks that he’s so god damn one-dimensional this time! the story can’t be fucked to delve into him beyond just giving us scenes that just tell us that he’s evil and wants to rule hyrule and get the secret stones and nothing else because fuck having complex villains, i guess. especially frustrating because within the game itself you can draw more interesting motivations up for him, but the game really just doubles-down on him being evil for the fuck of it and wanting to end the world because uhhhh... he’s evil don’t fucking worry about it

the ignoring of the triforce in this game sucks in that way, too, because the way the triforce works and how it can grant wishes made it a much more interesting goal for ganondorf to attain, rather than some poorly-named ‘secret stones’ that do nothing more than just amplify power or something. it sucks how black-and-white this damn story is and how it seems like it just wants to do away with any possible nuance or gray area. no one but the bad guys or side characters are flawed in any actually interesting or significant way.

at least ganondorf was still the most interesting character in the flashbacks.

and then zelda, oh god ZELDA. i honestly really liked her in botw. i liked how you saw her as a flawed, insecure, pressured teen, and how you saw her struggles to relate to link and how she eventually warmed up to him. you saw her as a flawed person who develops and as someone who cares deeply about her friends and her duties and gets frustrated by her failings.

and then in totk a lot of her more interesting traits- her interest in sheikah tech, her excitement over field study and research, her more defining traits as this incarnation of zelda- are basically sanded down and she’s just this perfect flawless princess with great power and an insanely passive role in the past beyond finally taking some kind of action after one of her friends dies and she’s pushed to the brink. cool. great.

she has practically no flaw in totk. if anyone in the present talks about her, they have nothing bad to say and just want to please her and follow her orders, she is right in telling the gerudo how to train their troops she is right even when misheard to tell people to put themselves in danger and she is hardly meaningfully questioned when her imposter is doing very clearly suspicious shit. neither the story nor any of the characters wants to let her be flawed. she’s just perfect in damn near every way and barely retains any interesting characterization she got in botw. there are some interesting snippets in her being a teacher and setting up memorials to those who died in the calamity, but there’s hardly any more than that, and it makes it really hard for me to give a damn about her. she’s not interesting this time.

the whole thing with zelda becoming a dragon too, is... it’s fine. it’s ok. but the fact that she turns back at the end with no problem whatsoever is one hell of a fucking misstep. why talk about draconification being forbidden for a good reason anyways if it doesn’t actually matter anyways??? if you never actually see any of those fucking repercussions why even bring them up??? i really feel like it would have been more effective for there to have been actual consequences for zelda beyond just fucking flying around half-conscious for a millennium or whatever- have her lose her memory when she’s brought back! there you go! there’s the reason why draconification is forbidden! there’s the thing about losing yourself! plus, zelda losing her memories as a result would mirror link having lost his memories in botw! that has so much more weight and significance then ‘oh uh ignore the warnings from a while back she’s completely fine dw abt it’ i hate that she’s back just like that without any of the consequences that the game suggests.

the dragon’s tears in general kinda just felt weaker than botw’s memories anyways bc you’re more just. watching stuff happen then actually learning anything. it has less characters and yet i feel like you only get to know like half of the important ones. like three of them are all about the same event. a few times they just replay parts of old memories in new ones. if they ever reference a past memory they just show you what they’re referencing instead of leaving you to piece it together. just play the voices or something don’t break the flow of things to play a clip of something i’ve already seen.

plus the fact that totk... barely acknowledges that it’s a sequel to botw really rubs me the wrong way. i understand that loz is extremely loose with its lore, but totk is a direct sequel set in the same world a few years later, and yet the events and characters of botw have might as well been forgotten and its all either ignored, brushed aside, or straight up replaced by something else for no good reason. the continuity between these games is absolutely dismal and to see the different ways in which the events and concepts or botw are just... disregarded really just left a bad taste in my mouth.

just- i love good stories and worlds in video games, and while some games can coast by for me by feeling good to play, having a good and engaging story and characters is usually essential to my enjoyment of a game, and when i don’t care about to the point of disliking the story and characters, and when none of the important areas are fascinating or distinct enough from each other, and when the game even fails to really reel me in with the gameplay...

i wanted to like totk, but it really just did not work for me. i just ended up feeling frustrated and disappointed and even sometimes bored with all of the major stuff and man. totk is really, REALLY, not for me, and it just left me wanting to play older zelda games instead.

...

HOWEVER! there were actually some things i really loved about totk! it’s not all doom and gloom! (well, not all doom, at least)

so! the music was great! not all of it really fit or made a lot of sense with the context in which they played or failed to evoke the feeling they were meant to, but the new tracks in this game were great! i especially love the first two phases of the fire temple’s theme, the depths music, and most of the new battle and boss themes. zelda games almost never fail when it comes to the music.

i did genuinely like the fire temple- yunobo’s ability was used the best in this dungeon, and it had the best five switches gimmick, i loved how you had to hit the gongs (sometimes having to construct a path to account for the weaknesses of yunobo’s ability) and how it then ‘scared’ each of the five statues holding a part of the gate- it was very cute and fit in very well with the general feel of that part of the story. it was the best in terms of difficulty and complexity, but it didn’t have the best boss- the lightning temple had the best boss, and i will admit that even if most of them were easy, i really enjoyed the mirror puzzles, as well as the process to unlocking the dungeon. the wind temple had my favorite visual identity and aesthetic, though, i liked it being a part of this old rito song, and how it was the most distinct in looks from the other dungeons.

the sky islands were honestly fun, even if they weren’t all that interesting. getting to some of the harder-to-reach islands were some of my favorite times i had to use ultrahand, and stuff like the zonai forge island and the one orblike island with the mirror puzzle, and pretty much all of the more complicated parts of the sky islands were a lot of fun to explore and figure out.

being able to ride on the dragons was just really cool, and the fact that they come out of the chasms was fun.

the new horns for the monsters were cool, it helps differentiate the different monster strengths and i just thought they were really neat.

the quest with lurelin village was fun, even if the pirates just being monsters was a real let-down.

the stable trotters were also a fun bunch of characters, that was a good, new way to open up fairy fountains.

all of the new stuff with the yiga was really fun, like getting their outfit and being able to pretend to be one of them and learning the blademaster attack- so much fun it was so cute.

most of the new outfits are really good and useful, and while a bit janky and not that great, the house-building bit near tarrey was endearing.

while none of the main characters interested me, i really, especially liked tauro and yona and penn. for some reason they just appealed to me and i really wish they had bigger parts in the game because they’re interesting and they have good designs and i’d really like to know more about them.

the underground gerudo shelter was pretty cool, to be honest, and the look of the caves was really cool.

i adored the proving grounds shrines- easily my favorite shrines in the entire game, i had no problem spending a decent amount of time in those kinds of shrines, they were fantastic.

the new ingredients and recipes and new weapons were cool.

the way you basically return to the area you started at on your way to ganondorf is pretty cool, that whole path is really neat.

ganondorf in general was a pretty cool boss, even if he ended up being kind of easy for me. the whole final boss sequence was neat.

by FAR, though, my absolute favorite part of this game was 100% the depths. the fact that there was just an entire second layer to the map that was the same size as the surface, just inverted and dark and filled with new bosses and locations... i spent hours down there without going back up to the surface and absolutely had a BLAST screwing around in the dark, lighting up my path with brightblooms and tossing together little vehicles with lights so that i could get to the next lightroot off in the distance. the depths was probably where i ended up using zonai vehicles the most, and it was honestly pretty fun to go around spotting and reaching every lightroot, coming across different mines and weird little landforms and coliseums and yiga camps. the music and plantlife and look of the depths were so good, and it really felt distinct from the rest of the game in a very good way. doing all of the lightroots and getting enough zonaite to max out link’s energy cells was definitely a good move since it made finding shrines and dealing with later zonai machine stuff easier.

overall, tears of the kingdom was a severely mixed bag for me, and while there was stuff i did like, i don’t think it’s enough to really get me to say that i really liked this game overall- after all most of the stuff i disliked was unavoidable parts of the games, and it definitely put a hamper on my interest in the rest of the time. totk is fine, but it’s really not my thing. 

[bristlepaws]

sorry in advance for how long this post is but i am going to talk about animal crossing villagers for an hour because i am bored

fuchsia was one of my bffs in acnl and i still love her. i do not like hair on furries usually but fuchsia is GAY and has GARISHLY BRIGHT COLORS so i am in love with her. she has... blue tummy also which is extremely cute. she was one of my first 2 villagers on my island and she is Still There

i REALLY like this personality type but im not a fan of most of the designs that come with it... cherry, agnes, and reneigh are the exceptions IMO. katt i like less because i think she’s cute and more because of the gay vibes. 

i dont like.. most of the smug villagers, or really the dialogue options that come with them in this game. marshall lives in my acnl town (this is a pattern that will pop up with my preferences across this whole list lmfao) and i think he’s cute. i was caught off guard by how popular a villager he is though lmfao

raymond is cute and i like “office worker cat” because it is silly

everyone else is mediocre IMO

hrhrhghhgh i LOVE the lazy villagers. mostly, honestly, because of how they acted in acnl. stitches and pudge both live in my acnl town and they are EXTREMELY cute and talk about food and napping all the time and are Very friendly. i could give or take all the talk about bugs in the new one, BUT i think their dialogue options generally give off the vibe of “silly little animal that is being translated into humanspeak” and i really like that

i love the absurd memes that Bob is in and i want him on my island. i currently have stitches (acnl nostalgia and cute design, bones (looks good in every outfit and is Just Baby), papi (same as bones), hornsby (one of my early villagers that i will probs Eventually get rid of but im attached to him so maybe not, he’s also Baby), and Moe (originally had him in the F tier but then he showed up at my campsite and now i love him and his little buck teeth). i used to have zucker but he made me hungry every time i interacted with him so i booted him.

yes half of my villagers are lazy. yes i love living like this. i am constantly bombarded by dumb little animals who want to tell me their houses are full of bugs and then sprint off in a different direction to smell a flower

i do not like the jocks, which perhaps makes sense considering how much i stan the lazies. kid cat is cute and i have his amibo card by chance, so i am not prioritizing finding these guys. i think antonio is also cute and has good colors and patterns, but is kind of boring looking. everyone else i could NOT care less about. i got the emoji sheep in my campsite once and didnt even bother talking to him.

flora is my BEST friend in acnl and YES im saying that without a shred of irony. her house is right next to mine and she constantly jokes about moving in with me. one of my rooms is decorated for her. she’s! my! friend!!!!!!!!! she’s nice to me and i love her. 

i have not yet gotten my grubby little paws on her in this game but i will not rest until she is on my island. i love her little house interior that is modeled after wild flamingos vs the pink explosion that was her house in acnh. I Want Her. Give Her To Me.

ruby and rosie are also good but they are leagues below flora. ruby i like because of that one edgy comic that starred her back in the day (u know, the one with like, Experiments Gone Wrong that was all animal crossing characters). rosie i like cuz she was my favorite in my gamecube world.

i just kicked out twiggy, whom i will MISS because she made an adorable stupid face with her beak when she was crafting. she was really cute but i wanted to get stitches. sorry twiggy u were nice to me u_u

i currently have ketchup who is also cute but i would boot her in an instant for basically anyone else on her row and above. i just saw piper on an island when i was finding stitches and she was really cute so she got bumped up from the meh tier even though i passed her up. everyone else is fine

normal personality is Also rife with good designs.... i want kitties on my island. 

i have gladys and coco right now, both of whom arrived pretty early on. unfortunately the dialogue for normals in this game is so unbelievably bland that i do not feel any sort of connection with either of them, despite liking their designs a lot. gladys is in my acnl town and shares the “top fav” spot with flora in that game, but here she is Just Boring. so i would probably let her leave if i could find.. a kitty cat. and then coco i just like cuz i want to be edgy. look at her spooky little O_O face next to all the cutesy villagers lmfao. she’s good

snooty personality is not one of my faves, but the designs here ARE pretty good. i like pink wolf. i currently have 0 of these guys on my island just by happenstance. had portia at one point but i dont think she’s that great so she left. 

mathilda DID show up in my campsite recently, but i decided against including her bcuz my memories of how she acted in the gamecube version were SO disjointed with her current personality. she was so mean in gamecube and i wanted even a shadow of that -- but instead she was..... polite. it was weird. maybe if she shows up again i’d change my mind, but the character design not matching up with the personality bothers me enough that i probs wouldnt

i like the cranky dialogue in this game. i had lobo on the gamecube and i was obsessed with him because i was a wolf girl at that age, so i would be delighted to slap him onto my island, BUT.. i have fang currently and he’s a good boy. very distinguished, has a lovely classy house, and i like his design. butch is also cute. 

now here is this monstrosity. the past games are just gamecube and new leaf. each row (aside from the last 2) are arranged in most to least liked also. the “passed up on” and “let move out” lists are incomplete cuz i forget things immediately in this game

and now. to summarize:

thanks for coming with me on this journey

[shootycatfishgame]

Well its done, "Shooty and the Catfish Episode 2: The Spoopies" is finally out in the wild for people to play, why you can even play it yourself for free if you head on over here:   https://visitorsfromdreams.itch.io/shootycatfish-episode2 Truth be told the game has been out for 3 days now and has only been downloaded a grand total of 4 times. It might seem like a discouraging number for sure but its important to remember that this is the second episode of a series, and with the first episode itself only being downloaded a total of 124 times to date (my previous project Hazmat is sitting at 525 downloads and Flatwoods at 849 downloads) its not that surprising. In all honesty im not really expecting the series to really gain any sort of momentum until its fully finished and released as a stand alone product on Steam, and I think thats fair enough. The idea behind the episodic releases was largely so I could get the feedback to improve each episode as the project went along, and I think I have achieved that so far. So I guess you could consider this to be a post mortem. Where did things go right with Episode 2 and where did they go wrong? Well, for where things went right, development started in March and was finished in September so you could say the game had a 7 month development cycle. Looking back at it now due to the length of the episode that actually feels really excessive considering the amount of content in the actual game (which I will come back too) but compared to the first episodes 2 year development cycle it was a huge improvement. I am also pretty happy with how the games set up worked. Episode 1 played it very strait with its single town and non linear dungeon set up taken right from the standard JRPG guidebook. Episode 2 on the other hand was a little more experimental. The opening town was more about establishing a tone then a solid narrative with the Episodes dungeon being where all of the real story telling happens. While im sure this isnt a new idea, its something I havent personally experienced in any turn based RPGs. Sure, its not uncommon to find environmental story telling packed into the game world, but to have every combat encounter also be an NPC that pushes the narrative forward? I think the results were perhaps a little wordy and at times a bit on the nose, but for the most part I think it works. Episode 1 had a very non linear dungeon which worked well but it was nice working on something a little more directed as well which Episode 2's layout definitely was.

Im really happy without how the quality of life improvements in the game turned out, introducing new elements like coded doors for different kinds of keys and giving you the option of finishing the game without fighting the optional boss which, you know, actually made that optional boss optional. In fact I was so happy with those changes I went back and patched them into Episode 1 only a couple weeks back.

So where did things go wrong?

Well, to be honest, the only thing I wasnt happy with was how long it took me to get this game out. Like I said, 7 months is a big improvement compared to 2 years, but its still a lot longer than it should have been. Some of this was definitely my fault... as mentioned above there was a big push to have all the narrative put into the dungeon, but the down side of that was that it meant there was a lot more meaningful dialogue in this Episode than there was in Episode 1. The previous Episodes dialogue was mostly made up of silly gags from goofy NPCs in town, but for this Episode I had to create that ALONG with the more serious and narrative driven dialogue found in the dungeon itself. There were several weeks where I didnt touch the game at all because it all seemed so daunting. Ironically when I finally forced myself to write those sections it ended up only taking me 2 nights, so really I spent weeks if not months putting the project off out of fear of something that ended up taking collectively 6 hours tops.

So yeah... that explains some of the delay, but not all of it. The second issue that struck me during the development of this Episode was my own insecurity. The first 5 months this games development were during a time when I didnt know what was happening with my job,  I was very nervous, and with my fiance being processed through the notoriously awful Australian immigration system I was also pretty damn scared. The last few weeks of those 5 months was a massive period of crunch at work for a huge project and then immediately it was over... and I was out of a job. If I had known for sure that this was how the gig would have turned out I would have spent more of my free time trying to develop a following. I might have even been able to get my Patreon into a state that could have helped me out financially a little, or atleast thats what I liked to think I would have done, but at the time I didnt have the confidence or energy to do so. This was followed with me taking up a freelance project (well quite a few actually but most were great) which while it has definitely paid my bills over the last couple of months, it has also left me exhausted, emotionally and physically. All of this slowed down the development of the game, and perhaps even more importantly had a large impact on the writing of it.

"Shooty and the Catfish: Episode 2 - The Spoopies" deals with some pretty heavy themes, with suicide and the treatment of suicide victims being chief amoung them. Then on top of that I realised half way through development that while the idea of an office building full of ghosts of asshole business people who commited suicide after a stock market crash does have some comedic value (poor taste as it may be), the gameplay loop of systematically killing every single one of those ghosts has absolutely no comedic value and is quite possibly the most morbid thing I had ever created... Ironically not even on purpose... I found myself in a situation where I accidently created a "suicide victims ghost murder simulator". While im no stranger to creating offensive or disturbing content, for once this wasnt my intention but rather the result of the games story concept clashing with the established gameplay mechanics... and realising too late. What do you do when you set out to make a dumb comedy about 2 wise cracking idiots that kill monsters for money and instead... well here we are. What a mess... Im not going to pretend that the game handles the subject of suicide well and I also dont think I ever could approach the subject in a satisfying way. If its treatment upsets or offends anyone I think thats completely understandable and any critism I receive because of it is completely justified. Something I do think that is a positive to come out of all this however is this is the first game project I have worked on that I feel, to me personally, is a piece of "art". Well I mean... I think all games are art, but playing through this game now I can see the struggle I was going through developing it reflected through the characters and through the writing. Its almost like playing through 5 months of my own loose streamed consciousness. My stress, my depression, my insecurity, my fear, my defeatism, its all there. The game has tonal whiplash of morbid  nihilism and stupid dumb goofy comedy in a way I havent been able to pull of since my 2014 film Spilt Coffee (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp2HSx_f9WE) which ironically serves as a prequel to this game and was created at a time of my life when again, I felt quite trapped. Episode 2 might be the worst game I have made to a lot of people and thats totally fair, but I think its also my most personal and sincere for what thats worth. Thats it for this update, I have gone on long enough as it is. So where do we go from here? Well... I made myself and my players a promise at the end of Episode 2, and thats that Episode 3 will be a fun light hearted adventure. I think after this games development I really need it, and hopefully the contents of this depressing Episode doesnt stop those players from coming with me on that adventure too. If your interested in helping me support my indie game development then why not check out my Patreon? https://www.patreon.com/VisitorsFromDreams Every little bit helps ~ <3

Thanks again to everyone who has taken the time to read this post.

[comicteaparty]

May 9th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on May 9th, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PDT.  The chat focused on Lodestar by SasstastiKim.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Lodestar by SasstastiKim~! (http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

Darkhalo4321

My favorite scene has to be... the coffee shop book place thingy. With taylor! Sarcasm max.

Letter Bee

Elliot being told to trust his new friends by his mother.

SpazztastiKim

Author note: chapter one is getting "remodeled" so any suggestions are welcome

Kabocha

My favorite scene? Probably be this one: http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2597078/ch2-pg-17/ ...It's so atmospheric, and that is a very good and creepy looking heart. I'm into the atmosphere. Under @SpazztastiKim's cute artwork lies something deceptively dark...

Darkhalo4321

I looooooovethe backgrounds in that sequence

L O V E

Yes, very dark. >:3c

RebelVampire

yeah i got second that as my favorite scene. cause the atmosphere is to die for. and i love how contrasted it is from the previous scenes cause you go into it and immediately go "oh no a spooky dream"

Kabocha

Also, Kim -- if you are interested in critique, etc, I can throw you thoughts in private, but I didnt' like, make any notes or anything. It's your comic and I figured that you were doin' errything to have fun! (And get some good creepiness in there too)

SpazztastiKim

You are welcome to!

Kabocha

Okay. I'll do that offline and another day, then. But I do think you've got a good story here, so please don't feel obliged to open yourself up to such feedback!

SpazztastiKim

Thank you

Darkhalo4321

Let us gush over how superb becky's optimism is

SpazztastiKim

Lol

RebelVampire

im busy gushing over the dialogue on this page http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2749604/ch3-pg10/

Kabocha

Honestly I just really like the magic effects, not gonna lie

RebelVampire

like its so silly and yet reminds me of youth

Kabocha

I'm looking forward to more magic and ghost stuff

RebelVampire

cause these are random convos i would have as a youth with ppl

Kabocha

YEAH

Darkhalo4321

Same here!

Kabocha

It's so dramatic, and... man,... I remember being like that when I was younger

I don't recall if it's stated in-comic, but how old is everyone?

SpazztastiKim

Not stated yet. You can guess tho XD

RebelVampire

elliot was a 30 year old man this entire time

SpazztastiKim

Oof XDD

Kabocha

Ahahaha. I was guessing 14~15

Darkhalo4321

Im not allowed to guess because i kinda know XD

SpazztastiKim

Lol

Kabocha

Either way, I'm guessing high school for all of them, but nobody's a senior XD

Darkhalo4321

Except for ally

Shes like younger, like idk maybe hr high ish?

I actually dont know for sure her age

RebelVampire

i wouldve guessed middle school personally. but its hard to tell cause i need to see more adults

Kabocha

Maybe? She throws me a little bit? XD She's probably 13ish?

Darkhalo4321

Shes a precious cinnamonroll and needs protected at all costs

RebelVampire

yeah id peg 13ish for ally personally too.

idk if she need the protecting. she is not the one who got tackled to the ground

Kabocha

I would not fight her

Darkhalo4321

No

She will tackle you to the ground in l o v e

Kabocha

I do also really like how everyone's designs are unique

So it's really easy to distinguish who's who (and I'm pretty sure if it was a greyscale comic, it'd still be very easy... Which is really good)

....ALSO WHAT WAS WITH THE POINTY EARS

Darkhalo4321

Yeah kim

S'plain

X'D

Kabocha

I'm getting the feeling that there are spoilers in that answer

SpazztastiKim

OP... someone noticed

Kabocha

but

I can't help but feel like there are some alternate world or reincarnation shenanigans afoot

RebelVampire

elliot was an elf in a past life and the birth he witnessed was from back then

ya know what scratch that

he was the elf prince

Kabocha

Okay so I'm not the only one that thought that though

RebelVampire

just make everyone a prince

SpazztastiKim

Pfft yes

Kabocha

What's with the lanterns though... hahaha

But I really do have to wonder what all is going on there. The wolf skeleton was warning him about a thing he... sealed away.

SpazztastiKim

Was it sealed tho?

Kabocha

.... Maybe not

Darkhalo4321

:0

Kabocha

but, I mean, it's hella vague I feel like the wolf is protecting Elliot tho

Darkhalo4321

I get that vibe too, wasnt nice atthe end tho >:T

Kabocha

No, but this probably has happened before

Darkhalo4321

Ya think?

RebelVampire

when you say this are you talking about the dream itself or like the sealed away creature thing?

Kabocha

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2612346/ch2-pg18/ Well, the wolf says that Elliot's been dragged away before

so the thing that's hunting Elliot in his dream proooooooooooooooooooooooooobably has gone after him before

unless the "Birth" in question means it manifested in physical form

Darkhalo4321

D:

OH

Kabocha

KIM IS THIS NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, AND ALL THESE KIDS ARE GONNA GET KILLED BY FREDDY

Darkhalo4321

Maybe

XD

MAYBE

SpazztastiKim

Pffft

RebelVampire

that theory did occur to me

cause of the dream themes

that this is basically monster in the dreams

rip everyone

Darkhalo4321

I mean, I know kim loves horror movies SO

Kabocha

Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Warriors II

RebelVampire

so the thing about the pointy ears that actually interests me the most is that elliot didnt seem to notice all that much or care. and like i know there was a bloody skeleton wolf scaring the crap outta him, but i feel like hed have at least been a little like "hey i am an elf boy now"

also the fact that the dream did not start off with pointy ears

they only showed up with wolf dude

Kabocha

It might be a sign of magic or something. Or maybe he and his ghost are just used to the pointed ears showing up

Darkhalo4321

Ooohh

I didn't notice tyhat!

Kabocha

I did have to re-read that part when I looked at this earlier this week -- it was like "waaaaaaaaaaait a minute"

SpazztastiKim

Hmm WHEN did the change happen again?

Darkhalo4321

Hm indeed

Kabocha

It seems to be a slow transition to be honest

Darkhalo4321

you know who we haven't mentioned yet- TOM my favorite character.

Kabocha

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2456424/ch2-pg11/ On this page, they start to look slightly pointed http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2505393/ch2-pg12/ AND THEN He starts to hear things and cough... And magic shows up in the next page

mathtans

Here for the moment, the little one is being very fussy this evening. I think my favourite scene was in the night terror in chapter 2, where we just had the glowing eyes - and then Mandy's glowing hand. Creepy and atmospheric.

Scrolling back to read, I liked how Elliot was thankful not to be a hobbit when he woke.

Darkhalo4321

Right?

Imagine if he woke up and HAD POINTY EARS

the rest of the cast would have been howling

Kabocha

Also, he's focusing on the important things: Not being a dream zombie

RebelVampire

i will be surprised if that doesnt happen one day. that he wakes up with elf ears and has to explain to everyone that surprise, hes an elf now

QUESTION 2. Dreams seem to be central to the story at hand. How do you interpret Elliot’s latest dream? Was it a dream, or was it something more? Whose birth did Elliot supposedly witness, and what exactly is it hungering for? Who is the black wolf that delivers the warnings to Elliot, and why is Elliot the one tasked with helping to defeat whatever the wolf is warning him about? Additionally, if this is no simple dream, why doesn’t Elliot remember this supposed event? Last but not least, what do you make of Elliot’s appearance change within the dream, and what do you think the meaning of the lantern is?

mathtans

I don't think it's a nightmare on elm street kind of thing, because Crystal Lake was dropped as a reference, so these sorts of things already exist in the characters' universe.

Chapter 4, Elliot joins an elf help group.

RebelVampire

but see thats the genius of it. drop the refs, nobody thinks anything of it and is like "ah just a red herring"

and then boom

dream murderer

Kabocha

THE DREAM WAS A WARNING I don't know if the "Starve it" Though... well. Maybe it wants to eat his dreams. Dream eater. OH MY GOD ELLIOT'S BEING HUNTED BY A DROWZEE

Darkhalo4321

THAT PUN WAS GOLD

That would be sneaky!

mathtans

It can't be a simple dream either way. Mandy joined him. That can't be a normal thing for ghosts. Can it?

RebelVampire

yeah starve it really interesting. cause what do you have to deprive the creature or whatever it is of to starve it? is elliot just not supposed to get eaten? is it dreams? is it ghosts?

although maybe its the lantern

nah

no way that was just a dream

Kabocha

Maybe. The lantern did come out as danger started to come near

RebelVampire

that was a vision

Kabocha

what is Mandy anyway

didn't he say that she was never alive to begin with? Or was he speaking generally

....What if Mandy was a victim of the thing?

RebelVampire

or even worse

mandy is the thing

SpazztastiKim

Scary

Darkhalo4321

Mandi is an imaginary friend taken form because of El? Maybe? Like, Can El manifest things?

Without knowing it-

RebelVampire

that could also be true

but im now sticking to the she is the thing one

cause it would explain why the wolf kicked her out

and said "no dream warnings for you"

Darkhalo4321

Aw

I know she's not like... real but she HAS FEELINGS DREAM WOLF

OH, but aside from just El having that one nightmare, apparently it's a prevalent problem going on- so it's not just isolated.

RebelVampire

ya know, i just want to point out if the dream wolf is going around warning ppl, the strategy is not very effective. fear is not the answer wolf.

Kabocha

Based on the comic description... We'll have to see more about that though

I dunno, if you scare someone enough, they'll stay away

Darkhalo4321

maybe el gets royal treatment of being warned

Kabocha

maybe the wolf is protecting the place where "it" is

Darkhalo4321

while everyone else just gets stalked with EYES

Kabocha

it's because he's acutally Frodo Baggins

Darkhalo4321

YES

HE IS SHORT

Kabocha

and the thing after them is Melkor. Or Sauron.

SpazztastiKim

obviously its voldemort

Darkhalo4321

!!!

you mean, he who should not be named!

Kabocha

GASP!

What about the Babadook

SpazztastiKim

my bad

OOF

RebelVampire

where elliot lives the dream wolf is just how the letters are delivered

Darkhalo4321

Baba Yaga

RebelVampire

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2597078/ch2-pg-17/ so i wonder who all the creepy ppl are in the bg

mathtans

Maybe it's like regular dreams, you don't really remember them unless you're woken up in the middle. So the wolf is waking everyone up with love bites.

RebelVampire

like was the creature born cause ppl were like "yaay sacrifice"

Kabocha

Oh, great, the wolf is my cat

SpazztastiKim

pfft

Darkhalo4321

if that's what you call a LOVE bite...>>

RebelVampire

the wolf is reading the wrong book of how to talk to humans

SpazztastiKim

lol

mathtans

There were five witnesses to the birth maybe, Rebel. They were summoned to the place in dreams.

Superjustinbros

HELLO

Kabocha

I'mma go out on a limb and say the people in the BG were part of the creation. THE COUNCIL OF CREATION A bunch of high elves that decided one day, "hey, let's just do this whole thing and nothing can go wrong" And Elliot was like, "NOPE" And died and went into another world where it was nearly unleashed upon them.

Justin, what are your thoughts on the Wolf and the Five people on Chapter 2, Page 17?

mathtans

They're looking at a heart.

Superjustinbros

Can I bring it home and call it Maniac?

SpazztastiKim

good name for it

Superjustinbros

Anyways hey there, sorry I'm a bit late

Room's getting redesigned but to stray from going offtopic I wanted to drop in and hand out and see what we're all talknig about tonight

RebelVampire

they are looking at a heart. Elliot was the mage who betrayed the council and realized his magic was for healing not the dark arts

Kabocha

Yep. We're talking about this week's comic -- Lodestar. As is the usual thing on the Thursday Bookclub~

Superjustinbros

Oh yea

Kabocha

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2597078/ch2-pg-17/ But really, I wonder what "it" is. .... Maybe there was a ritual.

Superjustinbros

Is that white line it's eye

Kabocha

Also -- did Eliot's magical scratch appear when the lantern showed up I'm just noticing this Does magic have a price?

RebelVampire

i assum eyes, the white line is its eye

that page did have the atmosphere of ritual

mostly cause of the heart

you dont hold beating hearts unless youre doing a ritual

idk i couldnt figure out when the scratch showed up. id have to look again super close

Darkhalo4321

It's def. Skooky

Kabocha

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2547332/ch2-pg14/ It's this page, Rebel

Superjustinbros

I ruined the feel of this image

SpazztastiKim

pfft(edited)

meme material

Darkhalo4321

I mean- MAYBE the wolf thing, wants to be empathetci?

Kabocha

"The woods cried out: FEED ME pls can i haz yer dinner hoomin"

Darkhalo4321

also likes hoomin heartz

SpazztastiKim

GOOD LORD XDD

mathtans

The whole glowing eyes thing is pretty cool. Not sure how the effect is done, but nice.

Darkhalo4321

It's not like I LIKE you or anything! B-BAKA!

SpazztastiKim

TSUNDERE DEMON

Darkhalo4321

kiss kiss fall in the lake!

Kabocha

Also likes hoomin necks They are like beef, but more gamey

mathtans

Maybe the demon is actually that aunt, the one who made the tea.

SpazztastiKim

Nom nom

Darkhalo4321

D:

Taylor?!

Kabocha

... I mean, dreams can be representational

so you got a Mama Wolf protectin' her youngins

Darkhalo4321

maybe- el is part dream wolf?

SpazztastiKim

i'm dead

mathtans

Yis. Summoned Elliot into town so the ghost Mandy could help.

"My other form is also a wolf."

RebelVampire

elliot wasnt real all along

he was summon

Kabocha

Oh no

Darkhalo4321

MAYBE- el is the creation woooooo

Kabocha

This isn't Final Fantasy 10, Rebel

unless we're getting meta, and we need El's father to be the wolf -- a summon from a dream becomes a dreaming summoned beast...

Darkhalo4321

I mean like-

We haven't SEEN el's dad yet so

Superjustinbros

"Hey, you OK?" "Does this look "Okay" to you?!"

_okay I'm done

Back to the comic

RebelVampire

yeah i was just about to say this is really gonna mess up the archives if it continues since i cant include images XD

Superjustinbros

Yeah lol

I feel like the joke has run it's course anyways

SpazztastiKim

I'm crying

Superjustinbros

You can only hammer in a joke edit so many times before it stops being entertaining

RebelVampire

onto the scratch. i get more the impression that the scratch was gonna happen anyway and the lantern showed up saying "hey stop scratching my boy"

Kabocha

image: [Elliot: don't make me Tidus- I wanna be Cloud]

SpazztastiKim

asdfghjkl!!!!

Superjustinbros

you wanna be a Cloud?

Darkhalo4321

giant SWORD

Superjustinbros

Oh that Cloud

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. Early on, we learn that Elliot is supposedly psychic or an empath. Do you think Elliot is telling the truth about mostly just seeing ghosts, or does he really have other psychic powers as the others accuse him of? Who exactly do you think Mandy is, and what do you make of her closeness with Elliot? In other words, how do you think the two met? Do you think Elliot was born with whatever powers he has, or does it somehow tie into the creature he was warned about in the dream? Overall, how do you think Elliot’s abilities will help or hinder him in his task? What about in general for his newfound life in the town?

Kabocha

Elliot would not be a good Cloud, honestly. He's got too much personality, and too little damage from experimentation

Superjustinbros

Well we've seen a demon and a ghost so...

Kabocha

I THINK Mandy is his sister from another life. Or his best friend. And she couldn't be reincarnated with him, so she stuck around.

RebelVampire

was gonna go with his stillborn sister who never was

Darkhalo4321

But she was stated as never having BEEN alive?

That she wasn't real?

Kabocha

She's real for sure

She could also be a magic spirit, so she was never alive in the sense that humans would comprehend

Darkhalo4321

Real blue

SpazztastiKim

Har

mathtans

Elliot is all digital. He's in the Cloud.

RebelVampire

Elliot: I'm sorry Mandy but you're not real. Mandy: I'm...I'm floating right here and we're talking. Elliot: No, still not real.

Darkhalo4321

Maybe- El got the magic powers? ? From his last enounter that almost took him? And maybe mandi is some form of like... side kick from that?

Superjustinbros

Cloud saves? @mathtans

mathtans

I do think Elliot probably has other powers, but I don't think he actually knows about them. As to Mandy, I like Rebel's theory.(edited)

Kabocha

El goes on Dr. Phil, gets told "Perception is reality" Mandy laughs because... well

RebelVampire

so basically mandy is his familiar?

Superjustinbros

>Dr Phil I haven't heard that in a long time

Seems like it

Darkhalo4321

honestly, El would just sass his way out of dr. phil's show. they'd be like plz leave

Maybe?

RebelVampire

thats when they send him to jerry springer

mathtans

How did Mandy get her name? She must have existed at some point. Elliot doesn't seem like the type to just come up with that name, he's too introverted.

Kabocha

Maybe she has some sort of secret magic name

Darkhalo4321

Maybe Mandi named herself?

or came with a name?

Kabocha

and "Mandy" is just short for like Almandiasoriginamyeriath

mathtans

Bless you.

Darkhalo4321

cough kabo that's... I'm dying XD

Kabocha

HEY I know what "Bless you" means in some places!

Darkhalo4321

Salude

SpazztastiKim

ME TOO

Superjustinbros

Gesundheit.

RebelVampire

if we go with reincarnation being in this, maybe mandy isnt real cause she hasnt moved on in this life, has no memories of her past, and is basically just an empty shell floating around

Darkhalo4321

Oooh?

That's an interesting theory

Superjustinbros

I've seen stories with spirits like this

Kabocha

I'm curious to see what Mandy is later in the story, though. Like, if she's not real, then what is she. I'm pretty sure if she got kicked out of the dream, she's got some substance to her.

Superjustinbros

Yeah..

RebelVampire

well i guess it largely depends on what elliot's definition of real is

Darkhalo4321

:0

RebelVampire

i could also argue elliot is just deluding himself as to whether shes real or not because its how he protects his sanity

cause elliot doesnt seem fond of the idea that he has powers

so if he pretends none of its real its fine

Darkhalo4321

Yeah considering that he got REAL dark real fast when Becky kind of prodded him about the idea of it being... odd-

but thank god for Mandi she reeled that back in fast.

Kabocha

Elliot's been through some crap, hasn't he

Darkhalo4321

I FEEL like it- He's been through something- :/ but what? WHO knows-

RebelVampire

Elliot remembers the great elf war

Darkhalo4321

maybe el is actually an elf from another world, and this is an isekai story and we have no idea

Kabocha

"Remembers" only in his dreams

I AM DOWN FOR THIS

Darkhalo4321

reverse isekai?

RebelVampire

i am ok with this

Kabocha

YEP.

SpazztastiKim

Y'all would be great at DnD

Darkhalo4321

I'm going to get yelled at aren't I?

Superjustinbros

is not a DnD player(edited)

Kabocha

I'm also cool with it being a reincarnation story, or just that El gets to see all sorts of monstrous things because he's got some sort of magic shenanigans going on

Darkhalo4321

poor unfortunate soooooul

RebelVampire

im ok as long as elliot lives to tell the story cause the world would be a lesser place without his snark

Darkhalo4321

I would cry

SpazztastiKim

X'D

Darkhalo4321

I would actually FLY TO KIM'S AND we'd have a long talk

>:T

#teamelliotlives

SpazztastiKim

-tosses the idea pretending I never planned it-

mathtans

Maybe Mandy will start possessing people. Suddenly Becky gets real mellow. Suspicious.

SpazztastiKim

pfft

Superjustinbros

Oh good just what we need

Ghosts doing ghost stuff

RebelVampire

wait maybe mandy is just the manifestation of elliot's lantern hence why she was never alive and isnt real

Kabocha

WAIT, Is there a risk of people actually dying in this story ... ...Kim are you going to kill off Elliot

SpazztastiKim

no

Darkhalo4321

I feel like Becky would out.... do a ghost?

SpazztastiKim

HA

Darkhalo4321

SHE IS JUST TOO MUICH spirit for them XD

RebelVampire

Tom though is probably doomed for possession

SpazztastiKim

Poor Tom

Kabocha

.... Oh god you're probably right Rebel

Darkhalo4321

Becky is the one that would go " NO YOU DONT! " and unpossess herself with will power

Kabocha

Tom gets possessed and he seese EVERY HORRIBLE THING he's forced to do to feed the hunger

Darkhalo4321

NOT TOM

Kabocha

turns out the hunger is just really into chocolates

SpazztastiKim

PFFT

Darkhalo4321

NOOOO

Kabocha

They break into a Godiva shop with Tom's body

Superjustinbros

Did someone say chocolates?

Darkhalo4321

CHOCOLATE?!

Superjustinbros

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2771909/ch3-pg14/ I wonder what flavor everyone's getting then

Kabocha

The Wolf isn't super keen on the whole Chocolates thing though, because, y'know, theobromine poisoning...

SpazztastiKim

hehe

Darkhalo4321

so that's why the wolf says STARVE it

Superjustinbros

Tsundre wolf cannot consume ice cream

RebelVampire

well at least a chocolate quest would be more pleasant than alternatives XD

Darkhalo4321

TRUE

Superjustinbros

XD

Chocolate Ice Cream? :3

RebelVampire

thats going too far in the sweets department questing O_O

Kabocha

Hey, at least Tom won't have to gorge himself on other things. But they do find out their local big box store was robbed of all its chocolate rabbits around easter...

SpazztastiKim

Truly the worst that could happen to this town(edited)

RebelVampire

but after Tom is freed hed never want to eat chocolate ever again

Kabocha

That's a tragedy.

Superjustinbros

RIP Chocolate rabbits.

RebelVampire

i want to see more tom though. i appreciate his calm demeanor in the face of the girls rampant amounts of energy

Darkhalo4321

Yes

Tom seems like the, solid rock founddation of the group type

mathtans

I like that idea that Mandy is just the manifestation of some object. Maybe something Elliot carries with him. A watch? He was good at pegging tea time.

RebelVampire

also cause tom is the useful one. cause becky is like "FARM FESTIVAL" and Ally is like "SWIMMING AND ICE CREAM" meanwhile tom is being a good boy and researching stuff for elliot

mathtans

Tom is a good counterpoint. He understands all the characters too.

Darkhalo4321

Like Hey let's do the job our club is suppose to do, shall we?

RebelVampire

Elliot is a time lord

mathtans

Oh yeah, the Farm Festival is sure to be a plot point. It's a metaphor for something.

RebelVampire

mystery solved(edited)

Darkhalo4321

I mean, if this were ouran host club, he's kyouya ... the only one that keeps the club on TASK

mathtans

Elliot's consciousness is trapped in a pocketwatch. With Mandy.

RebelVampire

ya know i could dig time lord elliot tho for reals. cause it explains why hes an elf or something. he just time travels and forgets he time travels. but why he knows how to save ppl from falling stuff

Kabocha

The farm festival will be... full of lore. About how they had the festival to appease a hungry beast.

Superjustinbros

oh boy

Darkhalo4321

Maybe

They farm

hearts

SpazztastiKim

HA

gross

Kabocha

Hey, the heart could have been a Deer Heart

Darkhalo4321

was it though?

Kabocha

Coulda been.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 4. As the comic opens up, we meet a slew of characters and learn some notable things in regards to dream. What do you make of the fact another person is supposedly having intense dreams similar to Elliot’s? Does this have anything to do with the creature, or is it simply a red herring? If it does have something to do with it, what do you think Elliot will have to do about it to help the victim? In general, how do you think the dream club Elliot joined will help him in his overall task? Moving on from Elliot, which of Elliot’s friends are you looking forward to learning more about? In what ways do you think these friends might help Elliot deal with his problems and his quest?

Superjustinbros

How intense we talking? Like, Math Test insane?

Darkhalo4321

WELL Becky has every intention of making sure el has a social life, some what-

Tom will probably ensure no one dies- or he'll die trying.

RebelVampire

dark no

dont even suggest tom dies

Darkhalo4321

What if

he does die tho

RebelVampire

protect that child

Darkhalo4321

D:

RebelVampire

no protect that child

Darkhalo4321

Ally tho

RebelVampire

or dont and be optimistic and assume him becoming a ghost will make him the most powerful being

Darkhalo4321

:0

Ghost Tom

mathtans

Elliot's the replacement Chosen One. The current one in town is having trouble.

Darkhalo4321

current one?

Superjustinbros

?

SpazztastiKim

esplain Mathans

Kabocha

So, if we were to categorize these characters as horror characters...

Darkhalo4321

NOOOO

like horror movie horror, or like scary movie parody horror?

SpazztastiKim

Yes

Superjustinbros

Oh dear, this is gonna be fun >:3

Kabocha

.... Elliot's our Canary, though sometimes the canary lives Tom's dead. I'm sorry. Becky will be scarred for life, but probably will be the one carrying the plot and making sure everyone survives. Allison... She will not be in the horror parts. She'll be the character that calls the cops at the end.

Superjustinbros

rip Tom.

RebelVampire

no all of you need to stop killing off tom

SpazztastiKim

Just straight up kill off Tom

RebelVampire

the next page of the comic is literally just a dagger flying through the window and stabbing tom in the heart

Darkhalo4321

I'm pretty sure I saw the next page, can confirm

Superjustinbros

oof

Darkhalo4321

tom actually falls backwards out of his chair and LANDS on a dagger. effectively killing him off. Then the comic ends. Tom was the danger ALL ALONG(edited)

Superjustinbros

Dear god

That's cold

SpazztastiKim

A twist to make m night shyamalan proud

Kabocha

Lol Justin if you believe that you obviously haven't read through this comic

RebelVampire

no no the comic continues. the wolf comes back and is like "bro i told you to starve it not kill it. youre under arrest. this is a sting operation"

Darkhalo4321

XD

SpazztastiKim

-wheeze-

Darkhalo4321

Elliot gets hauled off to DREAM JAIL

Mandi is denied visitation rights

Becky becomes his laywer

RebelVampire

then elliot becomes a dream defense attorney and has to prove his own innocence

becky would be a scary lawyer

like

i could just see her taking the floor and talking for hours

and her client is found innocent just cause the jury wants to go home

Darkhalo4321

She'd probably make a good case though-

Superjustinbros

@Kabocha Even if I did that's still pretty cold lol

Darkhalo4321

Jury: She talked for 5 hours, but... she wasn't wrong innocent!

Wolf thing : damn it!

SpazztastiKim

Ghost Tom: Language...

Darkhalo4321

Elliot: @#$% the establishment! throws a chair

Everyone just has the surprised pikachu face, after that!

SpazztastiKim

HA

Superjustinbros

That face is glorious

RebelVampire

at this point i think were just all drunk and have gone mad with power

SpazztastiKim

lol probably

RebelVampire

im really curious to see what happens at the farm festival tho. mostly just cause maybe nothing bad will happen and theyll just have fun. like go on a nice hay ride

that will not trigger unpleasant memories and not start a fire to the whole festival

SpazztastiKim

hay rides are included tho

Kabocha

Maybe we'll find out that they have a sleep study at the contest

erm

festival

Darkhalo4321

And then after it's been ALL good- and it's all fun and stuff-

Kabocha

why am I thinking contest

Darkhalo4321

THEN

Superjustinbros

Oh god what's happennig here now

Darkhalo4321

then it will go downhill

Kabocha

Yep. It'll be a hot mess. AND FREDDY RETUR--- wrong series

RebelVampire

id really want to see elliot in a sleep study now tho

just imagine the scientists face afterwards

as theyre like wtf are these readings

Superjustinbros

oh boy

Kabocha

"This boy never enters REM sleep!?"

RebelVampire

what is life

Kabocha

"How is he alive?!"

Darkhalo4321

Right?

my question exactly ^^^ lol(edited)

RebelVampire

elliot was the one to have never been alive to begin with. the whole mandy thing is him projecting

Darkhalo4321

it would explain why some scenes have her split off of him?

Kabocha

oh that would be a twist.

Two souls one body?

Darkhalo4321

THAT IS MY JAM

RebelVampire

i had considered that as a realistic possibility. or more that mandy is just an aspect of elliot's soul

SpazztastiKim

-watches with entertained glee-

Darkhalo4321

Oh maybe?

RebelVampire

http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/comics/2704817/ch3-pg4/ off topic but i just noticed that computer has a pear on it and that makes me laugh

Darkhalo4321

Like the NICE version of who El is, and all the snark remained in the actual body

El is just Snark

that's it

TOM HOW CAN YOU

Superjustinbros

Shoutouts to Pear Products

mathtans

Sorry, called to crib. Have we talked about the title yet? With "lode"star? Is that like a metaphor for Elliot's powers, or something else?

RebelVampire

we have not talked about it.

mathtans

(As to explaining about the chosen one thing, the person with night terrors in town wasn't responding properly, so that's how Elliot ended up in town too.)

Darkhalo4321

We havent'

RebelVampire

i assumed it was a play on a lodestone

Darkhalo4321

I don't actually know about the title so much

PROBABLY

What is a lodestone?

RebelVampire

“A lodestone is a naturally magnetized piece of the mineral magnetite. They are naturally occurring magnets, which can attract iron. The property of magnetism was first discovered in antiquity through lodestones.”

Darkhalo4321

Hm

RebelVampire

elliot is the attracter of evil

Darkhalo4321

PROBABLY

el is an unlucky person

Kabocha

MAGNETIC SOUL

SpazztastiKim

poor kid

mathtans

Mandy being part of his soul is interesting. It reminds me, I liked in the first chapter how there were hints of her at times, and eventually it became clear.

Oh yeah, and I loved the Pear Computer, Rebel. Glad you remembered to mention it.

Yeah, I thought it was like lodestone, but being a star, maybe it's good somehow even though there's a burden involved.

RebelVampire

i liked the small hints but at the same time i was confused and wondered if he was communicating telepathically with becky XD

Kabocha

I'm curious to see where this all goes. There's not enough information to really like, get super crazy with fandom yet

mathtans

I did wonder where the thoughts were coming from.

Also, before the end, gotta mention the Becky and Ally ship. Those two can feed off each others' energy, it's sweet.

Darkhalo4321

they can power the entire town with their energy

RebelVampire

i will support the elliot/tom ship

Superjustinbros

Since the CTP is ending in a bit, thanks for the CTR, and thanks for the cool comic as well @SpazztastiKim, it was fun checking it out

mathtans

There you go. Can't ship Tom with his sister, after all.

Darkhalo4321

El == shippable with everyone honestly

mathtans

El is shippable with the wolf?

Darkhalo4321

...

SpazztastiKim

asdfghjkl

Kabocha

...yes

RebelVampire

yes

Darkhalo4321

I MEAN, as Friends?

Kabocha

BFFS

Darkhalo4321

El seems like he needs more FRIENDS

Kabocha

Anyway! Thank you Kim! I look forward to seeing where this comic goes~

Darkhalo4321

and boy and his aggressive wolf friend

mathtans

Wolf's name is probably Lodestar. Got it from a book.

Best with it, Kim!

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to SasstastiKim, as well, for making Lodestar. If you liked the comic, make sure to support SasstastiKim’s efforts however you’re able to~!

Read and Comment: http://lodestar.smackjeeves.com/

SasstastiKim’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SpazztastiKim

SasstastiKim’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/SpazztastiKim

[comicteaparty]

February 21st, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party chat that occurred on February 21st, 2019, from 5PM - 7PM PST.  The chat focused on Teasday by FeatheryJustice.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB START!

Good evening, everyone~! This week’s Thursday Book Club is officially beginning! Today we are discussing Teasday by FeatheryJustice~! (https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/teasday/list?title_no=169870)

Remember that Thursday discussions are completely freeform! However, every 30 minutes I will drop in OPTIONAL discussion questions in case you’d like a bit of a prompt. If you miss out on one of these prompts, you can find them pinned for the chat’s duration. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is fun and respectfully appreciating the comic. All that said, let’s begin!

QUESTION 1. What is your favorite scene in the comic so far and why?

Draco Plato

I really like the most recent scene with Vander because I'm really looking forward to where it's going to lead to, it left me with a feeling of suspense

I also enjoyed the scene with Calen and Folen

FeatheryJustice

My favourite scene is actually Anton and Spyder, especially trolling Spyder with salt instead of sugar. I do love drawing Calen and Folen :3

Also what tea is everyone drinking today?

Cheshire777

Nothing right now- out and about but when I get back chai.

FeatheryJustice

What kind of chai? Traditional or like the new form types?

Draco Plato

peppermint XD

FeatheryJustice

Ohh classic. Plain peppermint or mixed with other stuff Draco?

Draco Plato

just plain, it's pretty watery too since it's the keurig one

Cheshire777

Loose leaf (masala I think?) w/ sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and cream.(edited)

FeatheryJustice

Ohh that sounds so good

Cheshire777

And cinnamon.

RebelVampire

my favorite scene is probably the one with calen and folen. i think they add a lot of dynamic to camellia since before she was just grumpy tea witch. now shes grumpy tea witch with a past. plus i really loved that appearance change because just so many questions. tea party host plot twist: i actually hate tea. long live the coffee witch.

FeatheryJustice

There is a coffee witch

She's cool

RebelVampire

which incidentally i did enjoy the dialogue about the coffee witch and the whole description of camellia's interaction with her. it made me laugh.

Cheshire777

Beat me to it @RebelVampire.

naomi

I always look forward to the author note at the end - it makes me imagine what they are drinking in the story

Also sorry I revealed my tea in general already - but I might make some hojicha for the occasion

FeatheryJustice

/o/

Draco Plato

haha I do really enjoy the author notes at the end too, I've learned so much about tea

Cheshire777

Eeesh, will be going through a dead zone soon for a few mins, don't freak if I stop talking.

mathtans

Here for the moment. Yeah, I liked the tea witch/coffee witch thing where they each made the offer and declined, I can totally relate to that. Coffee is just a no for me.

(I don't drink tea much either, but never coffee.)

RebelVampire

im really hoping well meet the coffee witch and see the spark of rivalry to a degree. friendly rivalry, but rivalry none the less

another less scene but more moment i enjoyed was at the end of sweet tea where the spider is just using multiple arms to pour in more sugar than should ever be allowed in anything ever

mathtans

Random surprise twist, Calen inherits the coffee witch title.

FeatheryJustice

Lol

mathtans

I also thought it was a nice touch in the night scene to have Camillia without her gloves. One wonders if she had a tea mishap in her past... or maybe she worked in fast food and gave it up.

There was more sugar than cup, I think. ^.^

Cheshire777

Ack..

FeatheryJustice

Yeah they are really good friends, the coffee witch and Cam

nintendonut1

I like the lullaby sung in Tea Cocktails. makes me think of how a lot of our childhood songs can get a little creepy

FeatheryJustice

That song is plot important

mathtans

We've also seen a fruit witch. Is there a veggie witch?

FeatheryJustice

In like three seasons ahha

There is one!

Draco Plato

oh i was thinking it had plot relevance, the song

mathtans

(I'm randomly reminded of a bake shop near me called "The Scone Witch".)

FeatheryJustice

That is a good name lol

And yeah of course it has plot relevance, I mean I wouldn't invent a random song without meaning XD

naomi

I hope it's clear when I said I liked the author's notes that it doesn't get in front of the content for me! Although I do think it gives each page something extra

RebelVampire

idk i could head canon camellia just invented it to troll ppl and creep them out

naomi

Same

FeatheryJustice

She would XD

Also I think I want to do a recap section for the longer ones so people can get read through it and get the tdlr

Like I should recap the herbal arc hha

mathtans

She sings it to people who come in and ask for coffee.

Kabocha

Hellooooo~ Favorite Scene? Vander's hiring. Camelia went through so many applicants that it was silly, and then this guy can pick up the simplest lavender tea

Also, aaaaa, I still need to read from the herbal arc. I fell behind a while ago T_T;;;

naomi

I am still reading but I really liked the getting ready to go out/meeting Anton

RebelVampire

i also liked how kind of shrug no big deal vander was about knowing the tea

Kabocha

I think Vander was expecting something more challenging, because he's got some sort of tea magic, but... Camelia has long dealt with normal people, who don't know it well

naomi

Yeah I would be a lot more... I think the word is chuffed? If I guessed a tea challenge

FeatheryJustice

Actually there is a thing why she was so surprised actually

Kabocha

also urgh, is it Camellia or Camelia... I keep forgetting which words have two ls some nights

FeatheryJustice

It was barely hinted at

RebelVampire

QUESTION 2. As hinted by the name, one of the comic’s goals is to focus on all topics related to tea. What is one interesting fact that you learned about tea thanks to the comic? Of the episodes, which episode did you find to be the strongest in terms of how it delivered educational, tea related information? Alternatively, of the episodes, which one did you find most entertaining on how it tackled a certain topic of tea and tea brewing? What other tea brews or information are you hoping to see the comic tackle? Lastly, which of the brews presented so far is your favorite?

mathtans

Well, as I recall it was diluted all to heck. Camillia was waiting for someone to say "it's water, not tea".

RebelVampire

yeah id call that more than a hint XD

FeatheryJustice

It was diluted

Kabocha

I really did like the intro to herbals, though Feather had told us a bit about it in IDC some time ago

also the process of tea flavoring is fascinating!

mathtans

I'd never considered the difference between infusers and the little collander thing that sits on a teapot. Surface area and such.

Draco Plato

I'd never heard of a lot of the tea combinations before so it gave me a lot to try

FeatheryJustice

And yeah it was more than a hint haha XD but people gloss over it a lot

Draco Plato

the banana tea particularly fascinated, and the chocolate tea

Kabocha

the fact that coconut tea is so oily wasn't... surprising

Draco Plato

yeah it was!

Kabocha

I'm shocked it goes with chocolate though

FeatheryJustice

Lol XD

Kabocha

chocolate is a pain to clean up after in my mug XD

FeatheryJustice

Yeah somrtimes you oh

You can put the chocolate tea in a tea bag and then into an infuser XR

Kabocha

...that would keep the oil from escaping wouldn't it

FeatheryJustice

Yup

mathtans

Oh yeah, banana tea, what was up with that. Did not anticipate.

RebelVampire

i have learned all the tea facts. as someone who doesnt like tea and thus doesnt make it, my knowledge equates to basically 0 on anything involved with making tea. like didnt even know there were different ways to flavor things. so all in all the comic has been educational as a whole to me

FeatheryJustice

I am glad I am teaching people!

Kabocha

wait, rebel, you don't like tea?! whaaaaaaaaat

FeatheryJustice

Also man I had to research so much for the herbal flavouring thing

mathtans

It's a "steep" learning curve.

RebelVampire

the research really shows through though because i think in comparison to the other strips this one has been the most thorough

FeatheryJustice

I love that pum

Also I was trying to do a different format as well that time CD

RebelVampire

and no i dont like tea. but tbf to tea i dont like hot beverages in general. even coffee which i do like i take it iced.

FeatheryJustice

Iced tea episode hahaha

mathtans

Funny thing about tea for me. I don't like hot tea. I definitely don't like iced tea. I'll tend to drop an ice cube into tea shortly before drinking it (it melts, admittedly diluting) to split the difference.

Kabocha

yeah, I let my tea cool before drinking it in many cases -- but some just taste better hot

but compared to rebel, I live in the arctic I think

FeatheryJustice

Lukewarm tea is okay

mathtans

Exactly. Gotta go for lukewarm.

RebelVampire

in terms of education, i also liked the alcohol tea drinking. cause it was educational and entertaining. cause idk what it was about the scene, but i got kind of a bar feeling. like camellia suddenly the bartender just serves alcohol tea

to rebel most ppl live in the arctic in comparison XD

mathtans

That reminds me, when Camellia's with her family they call her Amellia. Is she undercover with her C?

Kabocha

I'd honestly never had tea with alcohol... that sounds... pretty good imo

RebelVampire

i assumed it might have been a nickname cause it seems like most charas have their own nickname for her

but then again

she did change her appearance

suspicious

FeatheryJustice

Amelia is what they call her and Ilia is what Anton and Spyder call her

mathtans

Oh, good point, the llia hadn't consciously registered.

She looks different to tend bar.

FeatheryJustice

Yeah becuase she actually attempted to dress up XD

Also I need to bring back Galene sometime soon

RebelVampire

she looked very pretty in those scenes too

i was hoping wed see galene again cause i really like galene's design

FeatheryJustice

I had fun drawing her but I was also like "OH GOD WHY DID I DO THIS TO MYSELF"

mathtans

Galene is Calen's secret informant.

FeatheryJustice

Fun fact, they don't know of each other's existences yet.

Galene and Calen never met in story

Same as how Vander never met Anton and Spyder yet, and Rhurbi only seen Spyder and Anton like once

Also the fun thing about alcohol with tea is that you can put it in hot tea and burn off the alcohol content. Or cook it

RebelVampire

oh man i cant wait till vander meets spyder and anton then. partly cause i wonder who might teach who about tea.

Kabocha

https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/teasday/herbal-part-3/viewer?title_no=169870&episode_no=24 Vander's real shady in this page ಠ_ಠ

mathtans

Maybe Vander already knows Spyder by reputation. "Oh, you're the sugar daddy."

Cheshire777

I'm back!

FeatheryJustice

LOLLLL

You almost made me choke on my tea there Math

RebelVampire

vander knows cause hes seen how much sugar inventory they have to keep and its abnormally high

FeatheryJustice

Fun fact, Vander HATES sweet things most of the time.

mathtans

Don't get him a cute teddy bear for his birthday then.

Kabocha

ahahaha

RebelVampire

i agree with kabo that vander was super suspicious in that one panel. but honestly vander seems suspicious in general cause he seems to know little about making tea at all but somehow was able to recognize a diluted mixture that nobody else could

Kabocha

maybe he's a tea-witch in training

Draco Plato

maybe it's just part of an ability his species has

mathtans

He said he knew tea stuff though, didn't he?

Cheshire777

Hyper taste?

yeah people say things

Draco Plato

i thought he said he was learning from Camellia

Kabocha

theory time

he's a business rival

Draco Plato

ooooooo

mathtans

tries to remember why Vander was looking for a job

Kabocha

he just kind of wandered in, I thought

mathtans

Kabocha: That seems plausible. Guess he's playing the long game rather than trying to buy her out.

Kabocha

https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/teasday/herbal-part-4/viewer?title_no=169870&episode_no=25 oh look at that

support for my theory as I'm reading

Draco Plato

maybe he's related to one of the people calen killed

FeatheryJustice

Pffft, Calen doesn't kill people, no she's an angel Coughlaugh

Draco Plato

O_O suuuuure

mathtans

She outsources.

FeatheryJustice

Folen does it for her

That

Draco Plato

loooool

FeatheryJustice

Also I am laughing because I want to say things, but can not because well that's Spoilers~

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. Despite the tea focus, the comic does take some time to add in a few character mysteries. What do you think Camellia past is with Calen and Folen? Why is Camellia so ardent about not going back to work with Calen? Also, why do you think Camellia changed her appearance to pay a visit to the two? What do you make of the scars depicted on Camellia’s hands? Besides Camellia, there is also her new assistant Vander. Do you believe that Vander can be trusted, or do you believe Calen will find out something shady about him? How will his continued presence affect Camellia and/or himself?

Kabocha

I THINK FOLEN wanted to marry camellia(edited)

FeatheryJustice

Leans back to watch fan theories steep

naomi

Kabocha went there

FeatheryJustice

Kabo did.

Kabocha

I always go there.

FeatheryJustice

Welll

I would show you a clip of the next episode talking about cups

Becuase literally it's all Folen and Camellia that episode hahah

Kabocha

Camellia turned Folen down, though, because... Well. She honestly doesn't want that romance stuff. Just give her the tea, dammit.

Folen, on the other hand, is interested in magic, and hey, tea magic is magic... yes right?

Draco Plato

that's pretty much what I had but I think overall the three of them are like family too

so there's probably a deeper connection there

mathtans

As I recall, Calen said that Camellia and Folen used to date, or something. Maybe he runs a fast food place.

Kabocha

Maybe he likes flavored Coffee

mathtans

Doesn't go well with tea.

FeatheryJustice

LOL I wish there was a fast food witch somewhere XD

mathtans

Wendy's, the good witch?

FeatheryJustice

HAHAHA XD I'm laughing so hard

Cheshire777

Obsessed with hair nets... I can picture it now...

FeatheryJustice

"Do you want fries with that?"

Cheshire777

They're magic!

FeatheryJustice

Magic Fries for everyone

RebelVampire

the veggie witch and fast food witch must be friends

to make all those french fries

Cheshire777

Makes you crave more magic fast food

FeatheryJustice

Real potato fries, so real they will teleport out of your stomach

Kabocha

Sweet potato fries are the veggie witch's favorite, I'm sure

put cinnamon on 'em

Draco Plato

Yum yum

FeatheryJustice

Veggie witch was actually schdueled to come around earlier in devlopement but I wanted her to be more placed later in the story as like, weird wacky aunt who visits

She bringing a lot of onions with her

Kabocha

She would invite people over, but she's got a leek problem

FeatheryJustice

LOL

Cheshire777

Onion tea?

FeatheryJustice

Yes!

There is onion tea

RebelVampire

wait theres onion tea

what

Cheshire777

Onion and ginger might be good

FeatheryJustice

Yup

It's made like a cold remedy

But I like Onion tea by itself

Draco Plato

It's full of tears

FeatheryJustice

Tea-rs

XD

Layers of flavour

Cheshire777

Is there tea made with bacon?

FeatheryJustice

I think so

I seen that in like, a weird tea thing

They used like, bacon bits with black tea to get a smoky flavour

RebelVampire

interesting

so anyway camellia's hands: scars from tea brewing or scars from something else? O_O

FeatheryJustice

Also Lapsang Sochong (One of the teas from an episode, has a good smoky taste so you can add bacon to it and give it a try???)

Cheshire777

Maybe!

FeatheryJustice

And I can't confirm or deny why she has those scars, other than man it's hard to draw them all the time

I keep forgetting they exist XD

Cheshire777

So It's a plot point

FeatheryJustice

(Everything I do is a plot point, only when it isn't then it isn't for a plot point XD)

RebelVampire

im personally leaning towards the latter. although i could see the former. like idk how someone becomes a witch in this world, but maybe camellia wasnt meant to be a tea witch. like she had to work super super super super duper hard to be a tea witch.

Kabocha

She burned her hands on tea didn't she

Draco Plato

The scars probably relate to a murder

Kabocha

GASP

maybe she was trying to work with Folen and it didn't work out

Cheshire777

A ERRENT STRAND OF HAIR!! IT WILL BE A PLOT POINT! THERE WILL BE A QUIZ!

FeatheryJustice

Also all witch related questions will be answered soon, after the wrap up of season 1

Cheshire777

What are your views on infusing tea into other food?

rice, cakes,

RebelVampire

i hope that if her scars relate to murder she didnt infuse the victim into tea or something. cause yes i went the dark route

FeatheryJustice

Delicious, I have recipes with tea for DAYS!

:3c

Also there are

Many screams

Draco Plato

Don't give feather ideas XD

FeatheryJustice

Pfft, it was already set in stone lol!

Scalded laps, SCALDED LAPS FOR DAYS

Draco Plato

Omg XD

Cheshire777

So tea infusions in other things?

mathtans

Flower witch too, maybe?

Cheshire777

Probably

FeatheryJustice

There is a flower witch

And also fun fact about the scars, Camellia actually has enough fingerless gloves to match her entire wardrobe, all in the basic colours XD

And my favourite thing to do right now is to try to use teas in savoury dishes

Recently made broiled chicken with a lemon chili pepper white tea, and that was so good

(Be right back, grabbing another cup of tea, getting some apple chamomile cinnamon roobios)

RebelVampire

i hope we can meet the flower witch

although i wonder if witches have to be female

cause part of me wants it to be a guy who wears a flower crown

FeatheryJustice

Well.

Actually.

I wonder if I can say.

Well you will have it explained during the episode of the origins of how these particular witches came to be.

But I haven't designed the Flower Witch so I will keep that in mind.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 4. The story has its fair share of shenanigans while having a lot of future potential. Insofar, which character do you enjoy seeing the most in the comic and why? Are there any potential future scenarios you’re hoping to see them in? Are there any other sort of witch types you’re hoping exist in the world that could play a role in the comic? What about creatures? In the long term, do you think Camellia will keep her current tea brewing style of life, or will something come along and change it in contrast to all the shenanigans? Finally, in general, what other scenarios do you see popping up for the story given any story fact?

i enjoy seeing vander cause he really is a suspicious mofo.

maybe vander is a world reknown thief

and he thinks camellia keeps her treasures in that backroom

and now he finds out nah she just has tea and more tea

so has to convenient go on vacation to never return

FeatheryJustice

Reminds me of the Tuxedo Mask Meme

"My job here is done" "But you didn't do anything" Whoosh

I personally just can't wait to finish Season 1, and then get into the really good stuff in Season 2. I also can't wait to kinda fix my old art ahhahahha XD

But I wouldlike to introduce more of towns folk, becuase there is a good amount of diversiTEA in the town Camellia resides, which is far away from the big city of where Folen and Calen are

Kabocha

What will Camelia think when someone serves her Coffee Puerh

FeatheryJustice

Also Vander being a Phantom Thief really makes me have ideas though haha

The same thing Camelia thinks when people give her Tawinese Coffee Milk Tea. "....Thanks but no." And Coffee tea is going to be an episode on it's own as well.

RebelVampire

i hope thats the episode where we meet the coffee witch

Kabocha

You gonna call $CanadianTeaRetailer out lol

RebelVampire

as they both stare in horror

FeatheryJustice

Yes you are

Kabocha

I actually like the Coffee Puerh tbh! It's tasty. But I can see why Camellia might not. Is she not a fan of high caffeine, or does she prefer smaller doses at once

FeatheryJustice

Yes, they look at that and is like "Are they shipping us?" "Probably?" "Weird."

Camellia can not drink coffee because she is allergic.

Like how the Coffee Witch is allergic to tea, but can at least have herbals XD

mathtans

(Back from crib.) I suspect Vander is a spy from the warlocks. Only witches are female, the guys want in on the action.

I love diversiTEA.

RebelVampire

vander can be both, be a spy and a phantom thief. cause who is going to expect the spy is actually a thief

or maybe vander is a secret evaluator

like an undercover food safety inspector

but for tea

hes juding camellia and her knowledge

FeatheryJustice

Vander could also be a student in debt trying to get a part time job and is lucky Camellia doesn't look at resumes becuase he doesn't have any experience

RebelVampire

idk vander seems like he dresses too nice to be a student in debt. O_O unless that is the actual answer in which case vander please, sell your clothes and downgrade

FeatheryJustice

Oh god Vander is one of those guys who are like "I spend all my money to look good and now I am broke" XD

Also maybe Vander is a food inspector waiting for that one bug from the other episode to show up and he never does

Vander also at first wasn't going to be a character actually. It was only after I realized I needed an every day man type character for reasons to exposition at did I create him.

I'm glad people like him

RebelVampire

one thing from the story im really curious about is the vampires apparently? since there was that one dude who showed up and needed tea cause someone named krys was grumpy. im really curious about all that stuff cause i wanna know who this krys person is

FeatheryJustice

OH YEAH KRYS

mathtans

I do kinda wonder about Calen and her sword fighting in the house.

FeatheryJustice

HAHAHAAAA I love Krys, they are great

You will see them later.

And Calen was killing things with a coat hanger actually

mathtans

Just gotta listen for the Krys Anthem - Mum.

FeatheryJustice

Very sturdy coat hanger

mathtans

I guess if you don't have a coat, why not.

FeatheryJustice

Oh yes, and the random sword

That was just from off the wall

Like you know when you have like swords on display

mathtans

So, are we shipping Camellia and Rhurbi? Fruit and tea mix well, as we've been told. ^.^

Cheshire777

Reminding me of Narbonic- kinda creeping me out... @FeatheryJustice

mathtans

They've got that whole "I hate you when you don't call" vibe going too.

Cheshire777

Ping was supposed to be at front?

FeatheryJustice

Lol, Camellia isn't very good at remembering phones exist

And what is Narbonic?

RebelVampire

camellia watched too much harry potter and only sends messages by owl

FeatheryJustice

Also Draco also said they ship Cam and Rhubi

And yes, Camellia would do owl mail

mathtans

Camellia travels by unconventional means too.

Cheshire777

Old webcomic that finished, I'll find the link if you want?

FeatheryJustice

Yup, by the friend express

mathtans

Okay, Cam and Rhubi ftw. Vander will have to make due with Spyder.

Cheshire777

Mad scientists.

FeatheryJustice

LOL

Cheshire777

This conversation is rather disjointed.(edited)

FeatheryJustice

Yeah it is, alright, reeling it back in

mathtans

I gotta get my ships in before time elapses.

FeatheryJustice

So far, that's a popular ship

And I haven't seen that webcomic but I will check it out Cheshire

Cheshire777

Or three conversations...

RebelVampire

i will accept the vander and spyder ship

FeatheryJustice

Well it will be fun when they meet

mathtans

As far as the tea brewing life, I feel like she already had a change in her past. Maybe related to the injury. I don't see her deviating any more.

FeatheryJustice

And no one mentions mysterious person on the other side of magical tea cup

mathtans

Which, the logo?

Cheshire777

I'll put the link on general.

FeatheryJustice

Yup

mathtans

Hm, not sure it consciously registered.

That was the dude by the seaside or whatever.

FeatheryJustice

Don't worry

It's a really long sideplot

Kabocha

I can't wait to read more

FeatheryJustice

But yeah it's a cup that you can share liquids with another person on the other side

mathtans

Interesting how much got set up. Oh, that's clever.

Gotta make sure when you're rising it out that the person on the other end doesn't drink sudsy dishwater.

FeatheryJustice

I tend to write in a way where I am like "Here is Plot point A, which goes into A-A, into A-B, into A-C" Meanwhile "Plot B-G is with plot point G-A"

mathtans

Best with it!

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- THURSDAY BOOK CLUB END!

Sadly, this wraps up this week’s Thursday Book Club chat for now. Thank you so much to everyone for reading and joining us! We want to give a special thank you to FeatheryJustice, as well, for making Teasday. If you liked the comic, make sure to support FeatheryJustice’s efforts however you’re able to~!

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