Comic for Saturday, June 30th: Cracked Facade

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Diabolicon
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 30th: Cracked Facade

#16 Post by Diabolicon »

Nah I'm thinking the shock of the situation knocked the formality right out of her for a minute.

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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 30th: Cracked Facade

#17 Post by Technic[Bot] »

Schrodinger wrote: Sat Jun 30, 2018 7:45 pm Okay, now that she's done putting on airs we can see just how ludicrous this turn of events is from an outside perspective.
We have been told, as the readers, that Trace relation with flora is weird, borderline deviant. But over the past 14 years it has become, at least for us readers, the norm. Flora and Trace having a hybrid child and the Wolf-Basitin couple are the current status-quo and we have come to accept that. It is a nice contrast to see just how ridiculous this whole idea seems for a "normal person*" in this case Rose.
It also implies that cross-species relations are actually very rare and not just merely unreported. At this date the only** other human-keidran pair is Daniels and Therie and the canonicity of that one is up for debate.

*I use the term lightly here...
**Yeah not counting Eric "flings" with his slaves heres...
Hulk10 wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 12:27 am I must admit I was not expecting her to laugh. But its nice that she approves.
I am not sure she approves the idea. more likely she finds it too hilarious to be true.

On a different note it is nice to see that Rose is Rose and not some magical ghost /construct embedded to the mansion as one of Traces experiments.
At least for now she seems ok.
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 30th: Cracked Facade

#18 Post by Shockwave07 »

I am noting the fog in her eyes lifting...

Also wonder if Trace caught on that she said about a second Keridan/Templar relationship. Does anyone else know?

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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 30th: Cracked Facade

#19 Post by CrRAR »

MaverickMopete wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 12:45 am Now I'm starting to wonder if its the glasses she was wearing that prevented her real personality from coming through. Like they had some sort of enchantment that kept Rose "formal." Once the glasses came off, she's immediately back to her normal self.
Could be all... part of the plan.
Technic[Bot] wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 1:54 am
Hulk10 wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 12:27 am I must admit I was not expecting her to laugh. But its nice that she approves.
I am not sure she approves the idea. more likely she finds it too hilarious to be true.

On a different note it is nice to see that Rose is Rose and not some magical ghost /construct embedded to the mansion as one of Traces experiments.
At least for now she seems ok.
Very true, Rose was after all very close with Saria and is very privileged being seneschal of the estate. It could very well be just an honor she upholds with utmost composure formally out of respect for Saria, the house being the formidable fortress that it is. It's quite a responsibility, indeed.

(Those pupils though, indeed)
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 30th: Cracked Facade

#20 Post by MuonNeutrino »

Oh gods, I think I have a new contender for my favorite TK strip ever. Just.... Rose. :heart: How long has it been since she laughed like that? Since she could feel that kind of release? For years now she's been the servant of probably the most fearsome master a keidran could have; perhaps she was trusted, perhaps she was protected by her association with Saria, but it still cannot have been very happy or peaceful, especially to have to stand by and watch his actions. And now he's back... and nothing is the same. As she said, two grand templars in a row, now - the fates are indeed whimsical. It might be finally sinking in, now, that things really are different. How much of a relief must it be, for her? This feels like more than just humor - it's catharsis. It's finally safe now for her to come out from behind that protective shield, the mask of Rose-the-seneschal. It's beautiful to see.

On a less emotional note, I love the subtle touches Tom puts into his art and storytelling. Aside from that little slip (quickly corrected) in her first appearance, Rose-the-seneschal speaks formally. She's cool and distant, facial expressions tightly controlled. She's impeccably groomed, hair tightly contained, and even those spectacles suggest a sense of distance, a metaphorical shield for her eyes. She even *stands* formally, with her hands folded behind her back. It's all part of the facade. And now... as the comic title says, that facade is cracked. She's not Rose-the-seneschal here - she's just Rose. She's laughing, and warm, and alive, rather than a cold, distant, controlled automaton. Her face is expressive. The glasses are gone, her hair escaping its containment. Her hands and arms are in front of her rather than stiffly tucked away. And her language is relaxed - not just in her accent creeping through in the use of 'goin' or 'ah', but her word choice in general. Each of them is small, maybe even not consciously noticed at first reading, but together they very effectively paint a vivid picture of the change in emotional tone.

Apart from that, there's a couple of other interesting tidbits. First, it's confirmed that Rose does know about the relationship between Euchre and Mary. That by itself is interesting - where did she learn that? There's only a very few people who know that particular secret - Mary, Euchre, and Raine, of course, being the most obvious. It doesn't seem she's ever met Raine, and we've no indication she actually knew Mary beyond that one interrogation, but she does seem to have been forced to have at least occasional contact with Euchre. He *could* have told her, but why? An attempt to explain himself? But if we put a few things together, it seems that old!Trace might have known as well. Would *he* have told her for some reason? Either way, there are interesting possibilities. Following on from that, given Euchre's casual mention of it in their conversation and her *lack* of reaction to it, it seems that Rose knows of Raine's existence as well, which augers well for their presumed interactions later in this chapter.

And finally, last but most *definitely* not least, take another look at that last panel. Her eyes are normal again. They're still not as vividly green as her younger self, but the pupils aren't faded out and they now have the darker shading at the top that Tom does for everyone else. That *cannot* be a coincidence. Did their state represent some sort of control spell as previously speculated, and if so, why did they change now? Or did they actually represent her mask, the closed-off facade of Rose-the-seneschal, and this change reflects the change in her emotional state? I could see either one, I guess. Gods, I can't *wait* until the next comic!

I want a high-res version of this comic for... reasons...
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 30th: Cracked Facade

#21 Post by CrRAR »

MuonNeutrino wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 2:37 am First, it's confirmed that Rose does know about the relationship between Euchre and Mary. That by itself is interesting - where did she learn that?
That makes me wonder if Mary's travels with Raine as a white wolf brought her in contact with similar company or at least allowed rumors to spread?

Early on in the comic it seemed that Raine and Mary were refugees without a homeland... it's possible they attempted to seek refuge with wolves at some point (being wolves themselves) and being cast out on discovery of the truth?
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 30th: Cracked Facade

#22 Post by steelabjur »

Diabolicon wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 1:20 am Nah I'm thinking the shock of the situation knocked the formality right out of her for a minute.
It's right there in the title "Cracked Facade", facade meaning: an outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant or creditable reality.
Technic[Bot] wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 1:54 am
Schrodinger wrote: Sat Jun 30, 2018 7:45 pm Okay, now that she's done putting on airs we can see just how ludicrous this turn of events is from an outside perspective.
We have been told, as the readers, that Trace relation with flora is weird, borderline deviant. But over the past 14 years it has become, at least for us readers, the norm. Flora and Trace having a hybrid child and the Wolf-Basitin couple are the current status-quo and we have come to accept that. It is a nice contrast to see just how ridiculous this whole idea seems for a "normal person*" in this case Rose.
It also implies that cross-species relations are actually very rare and not just merely unreported. At this date the only** other human-keidran pair is Daniels and Therie and the canonicity of that one is up for debate.

*I use the term lightly here...
**Yeah not counting Eric "flings" with his slaves heres...
Eric said it was rather unusual to find someone who appreciates Keidran the way he does, and he never heard of a serious human-keidran relationship working due to the aging difference between the races (sort of like elf-human relationships in fantasy settings in reverse).
JunkerFox wrote: Sat Jun 30, 2018 10:27 pm
Lordadmiral Drake wrote: Sat Jun 30, 2018 10:15 pm
JunkerFox wrote: Sat Jun 30, 2018 9:12 pm I've already shuffled this and now its too dirty to share >:3
(i have sinned)
By panel shuffling laws, you have to share :twisted:
Is NSFW panel shuffles allowed?
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 30th: Cracked Facade

#23 Post by Warrl »

Technic[Bot] wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 1:54 amIt also implies that cross-species relations are actually very rare and not just merely unreported.
Depends on what one means by "relations".

There were implications that Kat is from a slave breeding line intended to be sex-toys. Which would imply a fairly substantial market for such exists. There are also implications that it's socially unacceptable for a human to be known to have/hire keidran sex-toys.

The fact that most people, both human and keidran, seem to know that cross-breeds are not possible, would also imply that (ahem) the attempts are not exactly rare.

People having romantic relationships would likely be even more firmly frowned upon, and uncommon. Not only because most humans see kiedran as an underclass species, but also because of the no-offspring thing.
Hulk10 wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 12:27 am I must admit I was not expecting her to laugh. But its nice that she approves.
I am not sure she approves the idea. more likely she finds it too hilarious to be true.
I think she believes it - she knows Trace too well for him to be able to lie to her and keep it up that solidly.

However, it's rather a bit of a shock to her AND she's imagining the effects on others. Each of those things could bring gales of laughter.
On a different note it is nice to see that Rose is Rose and not some magical ghost /construct embedded to the mansion as one of Traces experiments.
At least for now she seems ok.
How do you determine that she isn't a ghost? I see nothing definitive here. (In fact, the closest thing to definitive I've seen was when she served dragon Reni a bowl of coffee - that's the only object we've clearly seen both Rose and someone else use their paws on.)

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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 30th: Cracked Facade

#24 Post by JohnTheWysard »

Deaththekat wrote: Sat Jun 30, 2018 7:28 pm Its so nice to see a proper smile come to Roses face :heart: . And is that some of her accent coming back?
Happy Rose is SO beautiful.

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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 30th: Cracked Facade

#25 Post by aitaituo »

CrRAR wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 2:57 am
MuonNeutrino wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 2:37 am First, it's confirmed that Rose does know about the relationship between Euchre and Mary. That by itself is interesting - where did she learn that?
That makes me wonder if Mary's travels with Raine as a white wolf brought her in contact with similar company or at least allowed rumors to spread?
Euchre called Raine his daughter in his conversation with Rose in this chapter. From context, it appeared Rose was already familiar with who Raine is. So presumably, she learned from Euchre, who would have been in regular contact with her while he and Trace were in the Templar council.

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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 30th: Cracked Facade

#26 Post by Neutral Smith »

Well... I was a bit worried the story was almost ending, but this gives years to write.
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 30th: Cracked Facade

#27 Post by ZeroJinKui »

i absolutely love this page... it's nice to see things lighten up. |D

woo! time to get married and throw the world into utter chaos! :heart:
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 30th: Cracked Facade

#28 Post by Aurora »

"It's brilliant"? Does she think this is all some trick or stunt on his part? Again, wait till she hears that he and Flora are expecting. XD
Shockwave07 wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 2:17 am I am noting the fog in her eyes lifting...

Also wonder if Trace caught on that she said about a second Keridan/Templar relationship. Does anyone else know?
That would have to be the relationship between Mary Silverlock and Euchre. I don't remember exactly, but he's her cousin, right? If you don't remember they are the parents of Raine.

It would be interesting to see both couples meet -- and even see what Raine thinks of Trace's and Flora's baby, since this baby will be another hybrid.

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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 30th: Cracked Facade

#29 Post by Elemental Templar »

Aurora wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 12:09 pm "It's brilliant"? Does she think this is all some trick or stunt on his part? Again, wait till she hears that he and Flora are expecting. XD
Shockwave07 wrote: Sun Jul 01, 2018 2:17 am I am noting the fog in her eyes lifting...

Also wonder if Trace caught on that she said about a second Keridan/Templar relationship. Does anyone else know?
That would have to be the relationship between Mary Silverlock and Euchre. I don't remember exactly, but he's her cousin, right? If you don't remember they are the parents of Raine.

It would be interesting to see both couples meet -- and even see what Raine thinks of Trace's and Flora's baby, since this baby will be another hybrid.
Current Trace shouldn't know about Mary and Euchre's relationship; however, back when he staged the Coup d'etat he found out as indicated by this flashback on page 51 and Raine's backstory on page 729

Also we haven't seen Mary in the main story of the comic since chapter 6 part 2, who even knows where she is or if she's even with Euchre?

As for Raine's possible reaction to finding out I imagine she'll be incredibly shocked at first like sythe was then she'll maybe start to feel some form of self-reassurance that she's not something the gods condemn.
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Re: Comic for Saturday, June 30th: Cracked Facade

#30 Post by notahorseshoecrab »

Yeah, just wait until she finds out Flora's pregnant with Trace's kid, and I wonder how Raine and Euchre are going to feel about that

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