Chapter 5-Spiders

[Tealya]

Also known as 'Let's watch Gen make Shiro's life as difficult as possible'. Oh, wait, that's sort of the story so far. ;D

Anyway, chapter 5 has now begun after a far too long break. Sorry for delaying it for so much. Some things came up and sucked up my time.

Anyway, chapter 5 picks up right where we left off with Gen in the spider cave and Shiro standing outside, trying to convince her to come out. Shiro has his work cut out for him.

So, bets on how long it will take Gen to realize just how much trouble she's really in?

[Tealya]

Well, I think Gen has realized she's in trouble.

*sigh* No one ever comments. I know people read my comic.

[Tealya]

Enter Jessica. That girl really needs to be put on a leash.

Saturday the 17th update:
What I like about this page is Jessica's attitude. I would love to know just what she thinks she is going to do when she threatens them. She's still a very young puppy, after all. The middle panel that spans over the first and the third and fourth has the best expression. She's so peeved and is clearly unaware of just how much danger she has walked into. Poor Genevieve just looks horrified. I don't think she knows how to handle any of this.

What I don't like is the little panel in the left corner of the bottom panel. I just could not quite get the effect I wanted in that image. Originally, I had planned to have one more panel on the page, but ended up cutting it to save space and to make the last panel bigger. I know it wouldn't have fit right, but I did want the cut panel. Oh well.

Next update: What did Jessie-belle just do to that spider?

[Tealya]

5/24 update:
That is one charred spider. Holy energy tends to do that to most daemons. You can see why Jessica's powers make Shiro nervous way back here in chapter 3. Jessie-belle can be very dangerous. Poor Gen just does not seem to know how to handle it. Good thing Shiro knows how to take advantage of everyone's shock to get out.

I love the shot where Shiro has tossed Gen over his shoulder. She looks so ticked off while Shiro maintains his cool to get out.

I'm not too find of panels 5 and 7. Gen's arm and hand in 5 do not look right. They didn't come out how I originally planned. I just could not get them right. I also couldn't get the last panel to look right. It was supposed to have Shiro leaping up the rocks on the cliff to the opening, but didn't quite turn out like that. It looks more like he's going forward. Again, I just couldn't get it right. I'll try once more in the next page when they finally are getting out of that cave.

The last few pages have had a lot of info that is important and the next few, when they get out of the cave, will too. One of the most important so far was that Gen has no idea what her powers are or that she can do them. With the ability to kill people by looking at them and no idea that she can even do it, Gen is really a disaster waiting to happen.

[Tealya]

Sorry for the delay. I got a late start this morning.

5/31 Update:
The last update of the month of May. Huzzah. This time it's Shiro to the rescue. Boy is he lucky spiders don't like light. Most blood feeding daemons are tainted don't like light, though. Gen is not all that familiar with daemon physiology and culture. She's spent all her time focusing on how to kill them, not knowing how they live.

As for the question of whether or not Gen is mad/crazy, I think the answer is clear: yes she is.

I love the last panel. It was not the shot I had originally planned, but I'm glad I changed what I did. This looks better than what I was first thinking of. I like the third panel, but I think I should have drawn them further out of the cave. There's too much empty space to the right of them. The first panel was what I was trying to do in the last panel of the last page. I wanted a steeper angel viewing from below, but couldn't get it to look right. I'm not completely unhappy with it, but it could have been better and I know it. Overall, I think it was a good page.

Next update: watch Shiro lose his temper.

Oh, and I'm still taking free cameo appearances. If you'd like to appear as a random character in the background, I'll be happy to add you or the character so long as it will fit in the setting. No 'he always wears a trench coat no matter what' or 'she has hot pink hair' please. He/she has cat ears, however, works fine. I'll take 4 or 5 more. If you'd like to appear in the comic, just post here with info (or reference pics) on what the person/character looks like and a short blurb on personality.

[Tealya]

6/7 update:

Another late posting. Sorry. Had to do some running around this morning.

So, this page brings Maddie back in and has Shiro trying to leave. Can't blame him, though. I'm not sure I would want to put up with Genevieve after she pulled a stunt like that. Spider daemons are very dangerous.

I'm going to start with what didn't come out right in this page. The first is in the first panel. Gen is cowering and holding her arms in front of her face. Shiro would never hit her without being directly attacked first. He just looks scary when angry. Anyway, the overall poses came out fine, but Gen's left fist looks like it's trying to punch Shiro. I didn't want her to look like she is punching him. She's really not up for fighting back at the moment. The other major one is the forth panel where Gen is holding Maddie. Where's Gen's left hand. It's supposed to be supporting Maddie up, but it seems to just disappear. I remember sketching it. Where did it go during the inking? I didn't even realize it was gone until I was putting the text on the page. Weird.

So, on to what I did like. Shiro's expression in the last panel. I was originally going to make him look really mad. While he still looks angry, it wasn't the anger I was originally going for. Now he looks angry, annoyed, and maybe planning how to kill her. Again, he would not hurt her unless he had no other choice, but he sure looks like he's planning it. I like this expression much better. It has a wider range of emotions in it. ;D

Next week: Shiro will yell some more. I think there's only 1-2 more pages on them out here. There will be a short one page transition after that, and then they will get back to Dollehardae land.

This is the last week I will take requests for free guest appearances. This is your last chance to get one. If you'd like to appear as a random character in the background, I'll be happy to add you or the character so long as it will fit in the setting. No 'he always wears a trench coat no matter what' or 'she has hot pink hair' please. He/she has cat ears, however, works fine. I'll take 4 or 5 more. Just post here with info (or reference pics) on what the person/character looks like and a short blurb on personality. This is your very last chance.

[Tealya]

6/14 update:

Gah! I'm posting really late this time. Life got in the way, this morning.

Anyway, on to the page. Since only one person asked for a guest appearance, only one person will get to be an extra in the background. The rest will be random other characters of no importance.

In this page, Shiro gives a nice little explanation about spider daemons and shows how little Gen knows. Genevieve just kills daemons, after all. She has no interest in anything other than killing them. Case in point, she opted to stay in the cave to fight the spiders rather than escape with Shiro.

What I like about this page: Shrio yelling in the second panel. His furious face turned out nicely. There is no doubt about how angry he is. I also like chibi Gen in the fifth panel. She really does not know what to do. She so used to being the one yelling, not the one being yelled at.

What I don't like: Genevieve over all. She looks far too young in the last few pages. She is supposed to look like she's in her mid 20's, not mid teens like Shiro. I need to work on making her look older in the next page. Shiro is actually in his 70's, but that's still young for a daemon that will live 500+ years. I need to update the cast page and adjust some ages. Shiro and Jessica are listed as too old. I also need to add Catarina, Mara, and Maddie.

Next update: More yelling from Shiro

You'll hate the way this chapter ends in 5-6 weeks. ;D

[Tealya]

6/28 update:

I'm a little pressed for time, so I may come and add more later.

They're finally moving on. Poor Gen is so confused. I don't think she really understand why Shiro is so angry at her. After all, in her mind he's just an evil demon.

I'll start with what I'm not happy with on this page: Jessie-belle's face in the second panel didn't come out right to me. She was supposed to look curious and confused at the same time. Instead, she just looks nervous to me. Gen's hand in the fourth panel also does not look right. It looked really good in the sketch, but it didn't come out right in the ink. I'm also not please with the lines. They came out more pixelated. You can't see it in the shrunk down version, but you can in full sized one. The ink bled a little on this page. It was the page in my sketch book that did that. Every now and again, one of the pages in my sketch book is a little different than the others and does this.

What I don't like aside, there are several things about this page that I do like. Maddie is one of them. She flops so very well when she's with her mother. I also like the third panel with Gen explaining why it's okay to kill Shiro but not the villagers. Remember, she herself is a fox daemon, and she is advocating killing other daemons. I'm also happy with how Gus, the horse, turned out. He actually looks like a horse. It's rare for my horses to look right. I really need to sit down and just keep practicing drawing them until I start to get them looking right.

Next week: Down the road we go.

[Tealya]

7/5 update:

Sorry for the delay in posting. I was out late last night and then came home and found out I had uploaded Tainted to Yang Child by accident. I spent half an hour trying to log into Comicgenesis to try and fix it only to be constantly told that either my user name, password, or browser were wrong despite all of them being right. Then, suddenly, out of the blue, it changed its mind and allowed me in. No idea why it kept me out or let me in. There is something wrong with that system. Grr!

So, to the comic. Not wanting to hurt the villagers, Genevieve decides to tag along, for now. I highly doubt she intended to go all the way home with them. She is going to be very angry when she wakes up. Shiro is a tricky fellow. Gen didn't even suspect the wine... though that may be because Gen is not exactly the brightest crayon in the box. She's a fighter, not a thinker, after all.

Horses are very hard to draw, by the way. I don't know how many people out there draw horses, but if you've never tried, grab a picture and go for it. You'll see what I mean. The hardest thing for me is the legs. I am never happy with the legs. I can never get Gus' legs to look right, with or without references. I'm so glad Gus is not going to be in it much longer. I don't think he'll be back after this, either. Shiro's horse isn't exactly an important character.

I'm rather fond on the mountains in the background. They came out looking right without having to redraw them a dozen times. Backgrounds are becoming easier now that I'm always drawing them.

Overall, this is a pretty normal page. There really isn't anything spectacular about it, nor is there anything really bad about it. Really, this page is about moving them towards home. They have to get back there sometime, after all. Jessica will have missed almost 2 months of lessons and most of spring. Travel was slow in those days, especially with little children.

Next week: home again, home again

[Tealya]

7/12 update:

Home again, home again, Jiggety jig.

Shiro returns home. Don't worry, Jessie-belle, Gen, and Maddie are all in the cart. They have not been forgotten. Oh, and it's the return of Catarina. Shiro will be thrilled to see her.

I enjoy scripting for Cat. She's just so over the top with all of her emotions. I think it comes with age for daemons. They all seem to get crazier as they get older. Cat is about 5,000 years old at this point. She has been around for a very long time and it has made her a little crazy and paranoid. Cat really clings to those she cares for and poor Shiro has become one of them.

That said, I don't always enjoy drawing Cat. She's actually a harder character to draw. She has to have a certain level of maturity to her form while still have childish actions. She's very young at heart and lives by the motto that you're only as old as you feel. I think I captured that feel in the third panel. She looks like an adult there, but she has a young, wide eyed curious expression to her face. That is how I've always pictured Cat. I absolutely love how the third panel came out and Cat's expressions is one of the main reasons why.

Then there is Gellis, the other main character featured on this page. Gellis is a goblin. At the little over a foot tall, he is full grown. Goblins average 1 - 1 1/2 feet tall so he's normal height. He's also not the only goblin around, so don't be surprised to see more. He does have a wife somewhere... or maybe he's the wife. I can't remember. Goblins have a very strange marriage system. Anyway, Gellis is one of Shiro's friends. He's fun to draw because he's just so cute. I need to make a colored goblin. They are adorable little things. ;D

Hm. I didn't really talk much about the art. I don't really have much to say about it, I guess. Well, this chapter is winding down now. I think there will be 4 more updates and chapter break before the ending.

Next Page: Down Cat! Let Allura and the girls handle this!

[Tealya]

Updates 7/19 to 8/23:

Wow, it's been a while since I updated this. I had a few bad weeks and didn't really feel like writing. I'll try not to let it happen again.

So, the chapter comes to an end but not without it's own problems. Poor Gen. I don't think she's taking this well. Then again, I'm not sure I would take it well either.

First, I must say, Allura changes clothing far too much. Of all of the characters, I think she has the largest wardrobe and range of hair styles. It comes with being in charge, though. As the leader, her appearance reflects on the rest of them, so she must always look her best. On the 7/19 update, we see the only guest appearance anyone asked for. Emily makes a silly little daemon. Luka is the little goblin that makes her first appearance on this page. That would be Gellis' mate, by the way. She's a healer and the same Luka mentioned here. We also see a few other random characters. Some, we will see again.

I couldn't resist having Maddie wet herself on Shiro. She has always struck me as a character that has a tendency to pee when started. It may be a bit crude, but still funny. ;D

On both the 19th and 26th updates, we see the inside of the barn. Every time I draw the inside of the barn, it looks too plain to me. I know it is supposed to be, since it really is only for holding the animals and hay to feed them, but I don't like how bland it ended up. I know it probably is just me, but the barn background stuff just does not look detailed enough. *sigh* Oh well. It's not like we're going to be seeing a whole lot of it anyway. The inside of the house and yards are much more important.

So, on to Genevieve waking up in fox woman form. I must say, I was rather surprised by the comments than Gen is hot in that form. I guess I've just never thought of Gen as being attractive. She's not supposed to be, anyway. Maybe it's because I know her so well, including all of the less than pleasant things she has done. Gen is one messed up reynard. I do love her response, though. Gen is so traumatized. She'll recover quickly, though.

What I really like on the 8/2 update is the room. The room is simple, but it came out really just how I was picturing it in my head. Every pose, every bit of furniture, even the mirror, turned out just how I wanted it to. I rather like this update.

However, I love the last page of the chapter. It took me forever to figure out exactly how I was going to divide it up and who I would put where. I knew Allura, Cat, and Shiro had to be in it. I wasn't sure who else to put, though. In the end, I chose to do the healers since they are in the basement and can hear her and a shot of her window. The growing amounts of detail going down was not intentional, but I do like the effect it created. Poor Shiro looks the most freaked. He is wearing something, by the way. I'm sure he has his leggings on. The guy behind him is the same male healer we saw before. I almost had him saying "Sounds like your new lady is up, Shiro." It's something Ellis would say. I also was going to have Allura saying "Keep reading. Your lesson is not over." After putting them on, I decided I liked it better with just Gen's scream. Leaves more up to your imagination.

Yes, Gen did just break the mirror. Several other members of the house are not going to be pleased. After all, in those days mirrors and glass are difficult to make. Getting the right supplies is a pain.

So, did you read it all? Sorry it's so long. I had a lot to say to make up for the lack of other updates. This chapter has finally come to a close, though. I'll be scripting out the next chapter, scheduled to start in Mid to Late October (either the 18th or 25th), after I get the site updated. It could really use a bit of a make over. It wont be as big as the Yang Child one I think, but it will be different. I think I'll use the same color scheme, though. I like the red and gold.

Anyway, next chapter: Gen terrorizes the house and we finally get an explanation as to what the heck is going on. Took me long enough, didn't it?