Comic for January 11, 2020: Liquid Courage Required

The comic stuff here.

Moderator: Moderators

Message
Author
User avatar
Bellhead
Templar Inner Circle
Posts: 4012
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 11:17 pm
Location: New England, US
Fav. Twokinds Character: Keith and Natani

Re: Comic for January 11, 2020: Liquid Courage Required

#16 Post by Bellhead »

CrRAR wrote: Ice queen tavern lady
True, true. But like you said, she's used to getting what she wants by working hard enough, whatever that may be. Still curious about her history, before they were tied down with tavern management.

Near as I can tell, she stays true to herself, and expresses herself however she pleases. Trace, even in his old form, still had some semblance of respect for people like that; strong-willed and determined. Seems to me that she just had the stones to tell him off, so he spent time with her. To date, Saria was the only one to do that to Old Trace, and I bet it left an impression.
Gearhead mechanic in the digital era, who will probably grow up is in the process of growing up to be a very grumpy old man.

User avatar
CrRAR
Templar GrandMaster
Posts: 976
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 2:28 am
Fav. Twokinds Character: When in doubt, Nibbly!

Re: Comic for January 11, 2020: Liquid Courage Required

#17 Post by CrRAR »

Technic[Bot] wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 12:41 am And Maren just realized he was not wearing anything? Half the people at the pool weren't!
Though that might be one of the reasons Maren accepted Sythe's proposition. After a while she realized, consciously or not. That all of the males Keidran were, to quote our favorite fleabag: "Anything but disgusting"
Probably just.. delicately evaded her gaze up till this point. (b-baka) Awkward avoidance, maybe? Plus getting a closer look like she’s doing is a bit different than stealing a cursory glance from some distance. Additionally what allows Keidran to be naked is that the bits (male and female) are naturally concealed to some degree... but yeah not nonexistant. As so happens in the general course of the comic, it’s a bit of a case of schrodinger’s bits. They’re there and they’re not, except when the plot calls for them.

So Sythe can now be extra proud, his are plot-approved™!
Bellhead wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 12:44 am
CrRAR wrote: Ice queen tavern lady
True, true. But like you said, she's used to getting what she wants by working hard enough, whatever that may be. Still curious about her history, before they were tied down with tavern management.

Near as I can tell, she stays true to herself, and expresses herself however she pleases. Trace, even in his old form, still had some semblance of respect for people like that; strong-willed and determined. Seems to me that she just had the stones to tell him off, so he spent time with her. To date, Saria was the only one to do that to Old Trace, and I bet it left an impression.
Yeah! Even if her demeanor wasn’t warm enough to keep anyone around despite a harsh outward attitude (founded on a “you gotta earn this” personality). That wouldn’t stop her from persuing intimacy. Probably would promote one-night-stands like you mentioned because folks would get smitten initially being given a challenge, then not want to stick around given how high she built her walls... then in reaction building her walls even higher till you end up with a maniac like Trace... who used her either for her resemblance to Saria or gravitated to her ego. Vicious cycle. xD

Now she’s making the jump to Keidran. “Feh. Maybe they’ll be less... complicated.” :maren:

Vicious, indeed. :sythe:
:natani:╯ ︵┻━┻
Fight the power!

User avatar
tony1695
Weaver of Tales
Posts: 5737
Joined: Wed Jul 28, 2010 5:49 am
Location: POOTISPOOTISPOOTISPOOTIS

Re: Comic for January 11, 2020: Liquid Courage Required

#18 Post by tony1695 »

I'm actually kinda concerned that Maren's gonna drink so much in an attempt to work up the courage to go through with it that she ends up sick. Or that Sythe's gonna be a gentleman and refuse to do it.
Gentlementlemen
How do you get to the Rakdos Guild Hall?
You take the psycho path.
Weed la Weed Warning: WEIRD

User avatar
Technic[Bot]
Grand Templar
Posts: 1246
Joined: Sat Jan 27, 2018 9:48 pm
Location: México
Fav. Twokinds Character: Raine!
Contact:

Re: Comic for January 11, 2020: Liquid Courage Required

#19 Post by Technic[Bot] »

Bellhead wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 12:44 am
CrRAR wrote: Ice queen tavern lady
True, true. But like you said, she's used to getting what she wants by working hard enough, whatever that may be. Still curious about her history, before they were tied down with tavern management.

Near as I can tell, she stays true to herself, and expresses herself however she pleases. Trace, even in his old form, still had some semblance of respect for people like that; strong-willed and determined. Seems to me that she just had the stones to tell him off, so he spent time with her. To date, Saria was the only one to do that to Old Trace, and I bet it left an impression.
I think we are all curious about her past it has been hinted that, the very least, it is an interesting story to tell. Turns out our favorite ice queen might have been warmer before.
CrRAR wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 1:10 am
Technic[Bot] wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 12:41 am And Maren just realized he was not wearing anything? Half the people at the pool weren't!
Though that might be one of the reasons Maren accepted Sythe's proposition. After a while she realized, consciously or not. That all of the males Keidran were, to quote our favorite fleabag: "Anything but disgusting"
Probably just.. delicately evaded her gaze up till this point. (b-baka) Awkward avoidance, maybe? Plus getting a closer look like she’s doing is a bit different than stealing a cursory glance from some distance. Additionally what allows Keidran to be naked is that the bits (male and female) are naturally concealed to some degree... but yeah not nonexistant. As so happens in the general course of the comic, it’s a bit of a case of schrodinger’s bits. They’re there and they’re not, except when the plot calls for them.

So Sythe can now be extra proud, his are plot-approved™!
Bellhead wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 12:44 am
CrRAR wrote: Ice queen tavern lady
True, true. But like you said, she's used to getting what she wants by working hard enough, whatever that may be. Still curious about her history, before they were tied down with tavern management.

Near as I can tell, she stays true to herself, and expresses herself however she pleases. Trace, even in his old form, still had some semblance of respect for people like that; strong-willed and determined. Seems to me that she just had the stones to tell him off, so he spent time with her. To date, Saria was the only one to do that to Old Trace, and I bet it left an impression.
Yeah! Even if her demeanor wasn’t warm enough to keep anyone around despite a harsh outward attitude (founded on a “you gotta earn this” personality). That wouldn’t stop her from persuing intimacy. Probably would promote one-night-stands like you mentioned because folks would get smitten initially being given a challenge, then not want to stick around given how high she built her walls... then in reaction building her walls even higher till you end up with a maniac like Trace... who used her either for her resemblance to Saria or gravitated to her ego. Vicious cycle. xD
That is kinda my point. One cursory glance there another furtive look over there and eventually she found out she was liking what she was seeing. Else I doubt she had taken up on Sythe's offer. In any case i do hope they end together and not just a one time thing, Maren could use some real emotional intimacy and Sythe is a nice guy yet as eloquently stated by some other characters: "Nobody cares about him"
tony1695 wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 1:18 am I'm actually kinda concerned that Maren's gonna drink so much in an attempt to work up the courage to go through with it that she ends up sick. Or that Sythe's gonna be a gentleman and refuse to do it.
Or she is gonna pass out before the do anything. Another anticlimactic ending to this little plot arc if you ask me.
There are three things that motivate people: Money, fear and love.
Links to my ramblings:
Twokinds [of] data
PhpBB in the age of facebook
If you are new to this phpBB thing:
BBCode guide

MithrilCoyote
Newbie
Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Jan 12, 2020 1:45 am
Fav. Twokinds Character: Natani

Re: Comic for January 11, 2020: Liquid Courage Required

#20 Post by MithrilCoyote »

keep in mind, while they've been traveling together he's been wearing a loin cloth, so she wouldn't have had much chance to see that particular bit of anatomy. and while at the mansion he'd been wearing shorts.

he only went full nude shortly before getting into the pool, and most of their conversation in the pool was done with everything below the waist submerged. which would make it harder to get a good look, especially if she wasn't actively trying to look.
Spoiler! nsfw
plus it is likely that now that they are in a private place and he's getting a little exited, he's let his self control slip a little and it is no longer entirely sheathed. which means this is probably the first time she's had a good enough view to realize how different he is from a human.[/nsfw]
Last edited by Hayate on Sun Jan 12, 2020 3:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Adding nsfw spoiler tag

User avatar
Talancir
New Citizen
Posts: 45
Joined: Sat Jul 02, 2016 11:45 pm

Re: Comic for January 11, 2020: Liquid Courage Required

#21 Post by Talancir »

so.... is it safe to assume that no Keidran male is a shower?
Non nobis, Domine. Non nobis sed nomini tuo de gloriam.

User avatar
CrRAR
Templar GrandMaster
Posts: 976
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2006 2:28 am
Fav. Twokinds Character: When in doubt, Nibbly!

Re: Comic for January 11, 2020: Liquid Courage Required

#22 Post by CrRAR »

Technic[Bot] wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 1:40 am
Bellhead wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 12:44 am
CrRAR wrote: Ice queen tavern lady
True, true. But like you said, she's used to getting what she wants by working hard enough, whatever that may be. Still curious about her history, before they were tied down with tavern management.

Near as I can tell, she stays true to herself, and expresses herself however she pleases. Trace, even in his old form, still had some semblance of respect for people like that; strong-willed and determined. Seems to me that she just had the stones to tell him off, so he spent time with her. To date, Saria was the only one to do that to Old Trace, and I bet it left an impression.
I think we are all curious about her past it has been hinted that, the very least, it is an interesting story to tell. Turns out our favorite ice queen might have been warmer before.
Bellhead wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 12:44 am That is kinda my point. One cursory glance there another furtive look over there and eventually she found out she was liking what she was seeing. Else I doubt she had taken up on Sythe's offer. In any case i do hope they end together and not just a one time thing, Maren could use some real emotional intimacy and Sythe is a nice guy yet as eloquently stated by some other characters: "Nobody cares about him"
tony1695 wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 1:18 am I'm actually kinda concerned that Maren's gonna drink so much in an attempt to work up the courage to go through with it that she ends up sick. Or that Sythe's gonna be a gentleman and refuse to do it.
Or she is gonna pass out before the do anything. Another anticlimactic ending to this little plot arc if you ask me.
OR! The drinks (aside from providing levity to the situation) could provide adequate fuel for Maren to spill some of her lifestory. She could make for a chatty drunk, especially in the midst of the elephant in the room (attaboy, Sythe). We could learn quite a lot. If Karen is capable of nose boops and such unrelenting enthusiasm about everything, drunk Maren could be. Apples from the same tree or whatnot, afterall. Sythe could end up with an earful and at least ear-rubbies before he knows it. Though of course her desire to keep it impersonal is a strong motivator to getting to this point, that could all fall away with the liquid comfort.
:natani:╯ ︵┻━┻
Fight the power!

User avatar
Rafe
Council Member
Posts: 571
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2013 6:00 am

Re: Comic for January 11, 2020: Liquid Courage Required

#23 Post by Rafe »

Spoiler! nsfw
MithrilCoyote wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 1:55 am ...plus it is likely that now that they are in a private place and he's getting a little exited, he's let his self control slip a little and it is no longer entirely sheathed. which means this is probably the first time she's had a good enough view to realize how different he is from a human.
We're all using our imaginations here. Keidran seem to have characteristics of both humans and animals. We don't know and (without some "official" notice) might never know the details of Keidran anatomy. It might be more human than some imagine. For one thing, being bipedal would make having a sheathed penis very awkward. You'd either have to crouch down and hike your leg up or risk spraying yourself in the face when you pee.

And there's always the chance that Sythe compares surprisingly well - enough to surpise Maren, anyway - to humans, because he's also more dimensionally endowed than the average Keidran male.
Last edited by Hayate on Sun Jan 12, 2020 3:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Adding nsfw spoiler tag

User avatar
Bellhead
Templar Inner Circle
Posts: 4012
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 11:17 pm
Location: New England, US
Fav. Twokinds Character: Keith and Natani

Re: Comic for January 11, 2020: Liquid Courage Required

#24 Post by Bellhead »

Spoiler! nsfw
Rafe wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 2:30 amWe're all using our imaginations here. Keidran seem to have characteristics of both humans and animals. We don't know and (without some "official" notice) might never know the details of Keidran anatomy. It might be more human than some imagine. For one thing, being bipedal would make having a sheathed penis very awkward. You'd either have to crouch down and hike your leg up or risk spraying yourself in the face when you pee.

And there's always the chance that Sythe compares surprisingly well - enough to surpise Maren, anyway - to humans, because he's also more dimensionally endowed than the average Keidran male.
Congrats on being the first to use the proper name of the organ. Only took.. what? 23 posts? :roll:

But yeah, jokes aside, we kinda assumed Sythe just had unusual anatomy, and that startled her. It IS just as likely he's hung as a horse... Then again, with their fur, it's likely internal, lending credence to the sheathed idea. More likely, it's sheathed, but at a more reasonable angle than just a bipedal canine. Who knows? He could be hung, with unusual anatomy, and sheathed all at once.
Last edited by Hayate on Sun Jan 12, 2020 3:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Adding nsfw spoiler tag
Gearhead mechanic in the digital era, who will probably grow up is in the process of growing up to be a very grumpy old man.

User avatar
Hayate
The Hidden User
Posts: 1447
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2016 4:06 am

ATTENTION

#25 Post by Hayate »

Hey everyone! I realize the new page has raised some questions and started some discussion as to what exactly is not seen in the comic panels. However I need to remind you that we do have minors on this forum and rules regarding these things. I'd advise any discussion of the NSFW variety to be hidden behind spoiler tags marked "NSFW" and anything explicit should be taken to PM's.

~Hayate
~Hayate~
--Moderator/Global Moderator
--

--Forum Rules--
--Moderators --
--Administrators
--

User avatar
Eclipse
Templar Master
Posts: 407
Joined: Sat Mar 31, 2018 5:13 pm

Re: Comic for January 11, 2020: Liquid Courage Required

#26 Post by Eclipse »

Guess I was spot on on her needing liquid courage. She does seem to want this, but just can't bring herself to go through with it sober.

And yeah, I hope this doesn't end in the cliche of this being interrupted before anything happens. If Tom's going to go for any cliche, he should cut to the aftermath when they're both lying in the bed, with Maren drunkenly rambling about her issues with Keidran or something. Could be a good segue into her past issues.

User avatar
Rafe
Council Member
Posts: 571
Joined: Tue Mar 19, 2013 6:00 am

Re: ATTENTION

#27 Post by Rafe »

Hayate wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 3:35 am Hey everyone! I realize the new page has raised some questions and started some discussion as to what exactly is not seen in the comic panels. However I need to remind you that we do have minors on this forum and rules regarding these things. I'd advise any discussion of the NSFW variety to be hidden behind spoiler tags marked "NSFW" and anything explicit should be taken to PM's.

~Hayate
Well, that ends any discussion about this page of TK. Imagining such things pretty much what the comic was about.

User avatar
Phaing
Master
Posts: 268
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2016 5:31 am

Re: Comic for January 11, 2020: Liquid Courage Required

#28 Post by Phaing »

I am sorry I missed my chance to say something about the last page.... but maybe it's just as well.

Honest to god, this Comic just keeps getting funnier as it goes, and that ain't easy!
Kudos to the master, you do great work here.

(still trying to resist commenting about the egg... :potatoes: )

You know, if Maren has a defining characteristic, I would say its her habit of asking questions that she does not really want answered.... or maybe just shouldn't.
And if it weren't for Rafe's warning, I would be making some very pointed jokes about how uptight she has been.

IMHO, if Prince Charming wants to get anywhere with this, he needs to figure out the real reason she went into that room with him. But his I.Q. level isn't giving me much hope for him going anywhere but out that window.
"If you’re going to tell people the truth, you'd better make them laugh; otherwise, they will kill you."

-George Bernard Shaw

User avatar
Phaing
Master
Posts: 268
Joined: Thu Jan 07, 2016 5:31 am

Re: Comic for January 11, 2020: Liquid Courage Required

#29 Post by Phaing »

tony1695 wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2020 9:28 pm....
HANG ON. That clock in the background of the fourth panel! Sixteen-hour days?
Looks more like 32 hours to me.
Puts a whole new spin on living "only" 20 years, or how pregnant Flora really is, don't it?
"If you’re going to tell people the truth, you'd better make them laugh; otherwise, they will kill you."

-George Bernard Shaw

User avatar
AndreRhineDavis
Templar Master
Posts: 403
Joined: Fri Mar 29, 2013 2:20 am
Location: Perth, Western Australia

Re: Comic for January 11, 2020: Liquid Courage Required

#30 Post by AndreRhineDavis »

Image
tony1695 wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2020 9:28 pm HANG ON. That clock in the background of the fourth panel! Sixteen-hour days?
I really like details like this! The fact that Mekkan is like Earth but not exactly, so they have hours and days and weeks and months and years, but they might not match up *exactly* to the human calendar. Maybe there are 32 hours in a day and 6 days in a week, and 15 months in a year. Who knows. I'd say that the most important ones to match up are the Mekkan day with the Earth day (so that the characters have the same wake/sleep cycle as humans), and the Mekkan year with the Earth year (so that the ages of characters match up to what we think they mean). But the subdivisions like hours and weeks and months can be played around with a bit :P.
I guess the thing that's neat about this is that it's a subtle background thing. It's not like clunky out-of-place exposition like some character saying "hey! there are 32 hours in a day!" to which another character should respond with something like "umm yeah of course... why are you randomly mentioning this random piece of trivia?". It's just a subtle background feature that is easily overlooked but adds to the worldbuilding and "foreignness" of Mekkan. Reminds me of this, where the "S" shaker has some black powder and the "P" shaker has some white powder.
Have there been any other clocks depicted in TwoKinds so far btw? Also have any months or days been specifically mentioned by name (e.g. "Monday" or "June"), or just seasons? I honestly can't remember, and I'm just curious. It would be nice if this time thing is done consistently, like every other clock we see in the future having 16 hour marks, and maybe some character randomly mentioning offhand "working 32 hours a day" or something. I dunno. Just some thoughts.
TheMouse wrote: Sat Jan 11, 2020 9:32 pm Hahaha! Awesome! Go Maren, you got this!
yes :D
I'm really happy for both Maren and Sythe here! I'm also really proud of Maren for sticking with this... it's clear that she really wants to go through with this, while at the same time feeling anxiety and apprehension.
Spoiler! nsfw
Also Sythe is really understanding and respectful towards Maren, he's totally trying to make sure she feels comfortable and ready rather than just trying to get his d wet. On the topic of Maren's prior sexual experiences, yeah I reckon she probably has had sex with humans before, at least with Trace if not with other guys (or girls? who knows?) before him. But I also feel like she has not had any real emotional/romantic connections with anyone, at least since whatever happened in her past to turn her into the ice queen. Even though she and Trace were in a "relationship", I get the feeling that there wasn't that much real *love* and *affection* between them. She seems too emotionally reserved, and Old Trace seems too still in love with Saria / too evil and unempathetic / too powerhungry and obsessed with the Templar and dark magic; to really be a loving boyfriend.

Then again:
aitaituo wrote: Sun Dec 15, 2019 8:41 pm Remember, Maren thought she was Trace's exclusive girlfriend. She even closed her bar to go search for him. There's quite a few pages in the archive where we see Maren refusing to accept that Trace saw her as little more than a booty call and had moved on from her entirely, though to be fair she had his amnesia as a way to excuse his behavior. She begs Trace to come back to her village. Sadly, it seems more likely Maren was one of several of Trace "I'm a Travelin' Man" Legacy's girlfriends.

Maren is also, like, just super-duper racist, using slurs, going straight to violence, and when she sees the first sign of Trace and Flora's relationship, her first thought is that Flora has brainwashed him. It feels like she's come a long way like most of the cast has, but she really, really hasn't. It's been years for us readers, but it's been days for Maren since she suggested murdering Sythe and attacked wolf Raine. Has she stopped calling keidran, fleabags, beasts, and animals?

Think about human society and culture in TwoKinds, too. They don't have the sexual revolution, tinder, or cheap access birth control (our heroes are an unusually magically talented group, common people are regularly shown having to pay for magic or spend years learning it, probably as a Templar). That means casual sex between humans carries substantial risk of pregnancy. That doesn't necessarily mean people would disapprove of casual sex as was the case in the real world, but it's going to be rarer than 2019 America\Europe. In another story, I wouldn't even bother with this line of reasoning, but we know humans in Mekkan literally breed sex toys that can't get pregnant by humans. We also know that humans look down on keidran promiscuity, while hypocritically taking advantage of estrus to hook up with them, and that this behavior is not limited to those wealthy enough to own sex slaves outright. Maren is typical human woman by all appearances, including a hypocritical attraction to keidran.
Also, I wonder whether there exists some magical equivalent of birth control which would allow casual sex to be more common. As aitaituo mentioned, one of the biggest issues preventing casual sex from being socially acceptable in the past was the risk of pregnancy. We know that there exist magic items that you don't need to be a Templar or magic user to use, things like Eric's magic flashlight, so it doesn't seem unreasonable that there might exist magic items (or potions made by apothecaries or alchemists) which serve as a contraceptive. Such a thing would certainly allow casual sex between humans to be less of a risky endeavour.
I guess this might also be a factor as to why Keidran are more sexually promiscuous. The fact that they have timed estrus means that they *know* when they can and can't get pregnant, and so they're able to have casual sex most of the year round without the risk of pregnancy. I guess humans sort of have a similar thing with the menstrual cycle, but it's a lot less certain... it merely means that a certain time of the month is when a woman is *most likely* to get pregnant, but it doesn't mean it's impossible any other time.

Post Reply