Page 1280…
Happy Wednesday!
Originally (in my script) Nastajia spit on Nicodemus.
But honestly…I just couldn’t seem to make it work.
Anyways…hope you’re enjoying the story.
Scott
The Dreamland Chronicles
The Dreamland Chronicles by Scott Christian Sava
That would likely have to be it’s own panel complete with side effect. Although I dunno how the actual act would stick out with all the rain there and everything.
Now that I know that, I can imagine it as something that happened, but wasn’t worthy of a panel to show it (since there are many things that happen that aren’t shown in these snapshots).
Another awesome page, Scott, thanks!
Suggestion:
Redraw this page or the next page and have Nastajia look and Alexander, then turn to Nicodemus and or whatever spitting sound that suits you, off panel by not showing her face. Am I making any sense to you, Scott?
I think her despising him is clear already.
I do think her parents are alive somewhere though, maybe they are in the nightmare realm?
Ok now, why Alex had to find his inner stenght and stuff, if elf-chick could get the job done without any extra training? Seriously, if it’s settled in single backstab instead of heroic duel, what was the point of that?
It is not over until Nic’s head is on a platter.
Someone really needs to start lopping off Nic’s legs, arms, achile’s tendon etc….before he has a chance to get up. (this should of been done at the begining of the fight but then we would miss on a lot of drama.)
Is Nicodemus DEAD?! I don’t want him to die!!!! I can’t wait for the next page!
And had this been a traditional Japanese style story the credits would now roll leaving it a mystery if Alex was actually alive, not confirming Nic was dead and overall leaving everyone in a sobering and overall depressed state of mind. 😀 Thankfully I’m pretty sure Scott is American. :p
Eh, I don’t think spitting is necessary… ‘staj doesn’t need to *lower* herself (or w/e you want to call it) to spitting, her emotions definitely come through already. Wow!
I also think the look of disdain on her face says enough, myself.
Nastajia gives me chills. I love her.
stabb-itty-stab!
Says she, after stabbing him through the heart…
I would actually like to see her spit on him. It would show the intensity of her hate that you only convey to us with her eyes. Nastajia scares me with the look of sadistic revenge glinting in her eyes.
Alex is missing all of this. I see he’s up on his feet again in the background, but he looks decidedly groggy. Whatever the outcome the boy ‘done good’. He’s come a long way in a few um… dreams 🙂
… and another thing. In my view spitting would detract from the scene not add to it.
She’s a queen (or princess or whatever). Royal does not spit, they glare. Really hard.
*like*
Seconded.
She’s far too dignified to do more than think about spitting on him.
I just hope the pair of them (A and A, that is) keep an eye out for a last-gasp back-hander from Nic as he heaves himself out of unconsciousness.
Has it even been established that Nic murdered anyone? He never admitted to killing nastajia’s parents, just that they disappeared. And this last fight was totally their instigation while Nic was willing to try his brand of diplomacy. 😛 And the sword even testified that Nic just wanted to stop Arthur from bringing other adult humans to Dreamland, not kill him or put him in stasis. Nic is fully a tragic hero/villain with some Shakespearean language to boot.
I’ll be sad to see him go.
PS Alex might want to reconsider his relationship with Nastajia. Yikes, what would she do to him if he forgets to take out the trash.
LOVING Nastajia’s facial expressions/poses in these panels, great work Scott!
And as for the spitting thing, I can see why you wrote that, after all, Nicodemus is as close to living dirt, in the metaphorical sense, as you can get for Nastajia. However visually it doesn’t really fit her disposition, especially in these panels. And not because of any royalty nonsense, but because of who she is as a person. I wouldn’t care if she was a street urchin turned elfin warrior, it still wouldn’t seem right for her to spit like that. She’s too cool, too refined, or as Russ said, too dignified.
Besides, with eyes like that, who needs to spit!!!! (that came out SO wrong, but you all know what I mean!) 😉
‘Has it even been established that Nic murdered anyone?’
I think the writing of ancient dwarfs claimed that Nic murdered dwarves. An unknown as could be really taken them to nightmare realm.
I don’t want him to die either… 🙁 It’s so sad…
Well, with us having to wait for another day for the next page it’s a good cliffhanger anyway, with or without the credits… even though it will only last for 24 hours.
Yes, and now that Nic is dead, the medallion destroyed. How is she ever going to find her parents (if they are still alive…)?
It’s okay, she can spit in the movie if you want.
Alex?
Little note for the future – don’t ever make Nastajia really mad.
No mystery about Alex – he’s heads up & holding on in the first panel. We don’t know how badly he’s hurt, though.
if he repents just before death, would that make him saint nic??
I’d leave the spitting out as well. I’d look to dialog and images to let the reader feel Nastajia’s anger and contempt for Nic, with less dialog and more imagery. I’m thinking of the scene in Disney’s FANTASIA when the allosaurus killed the stegasaurus in the thunderstorm.
For example,
Imagery: Three frames vice two:
Frame 1: Current 1st frame
Effect: Distant lightning – the storm is starting to abate as the battle ends (if it has ended for the moment)
Script: “You had no RIGHT!”
Frame 2: Same current second frame.
Foreground image: Add water dripping off the foreground body part.
Sound: “Drip drip drip” of rainwater falling off Nic’s body
Script: Silence.
Frame 3: Close up on Nastajia’s eyes. Rain mixing with tears.
Sound: quiet drip drip drip in background. Distant thunder.
Script: “Murderous wretch.”
Spitting? I guess another blow with the sword would be much more in character. Well, if beheaded villains spoil ratings, I’d just leave it as is.
Agreed! She’s a princess in the classic fairy-tale sense.. A princesses does not spit..ever.
The fact that her eyes are glowing again is enough of an indication of her disdain and hatred for the usurper.
Like! Especially the tear-bit. It would be fitting. Nic destroyed almost all Nasti holds dear ,and Alex’ return was the only light-point for her.
Seeing Alex about to be be-headed by Nic’s claws would have resulted in quite the emotional storm for her.
Well..that was that.
On to the nightmare-realm to check if Nasti’s parents are alive and save-able.
HE ISN’T DEAD YET.
that’s my prediction.
Since nobody else mentioned it – well handled on the blood. Just the right amount to my taste for a family friendly comic, you get the severe injury without any disturbing/desensitizing/silly gushing.
Oh, and her outfit is still just so shiny!
Scott wouldn’t kill Nastajia like that. Thats more fitting a role filled by Orion. Then again where is he going to get a fire whip in that state?
If any of you remember he told the dwarf king he personally offed all of his “trator ancestors” .. because they where too loyal to arthur that stupid dwarven loyalty he twisted to him after they where gone, so yes he has killed people and im sure anyone else who stood in his way. also while he didnt kill the shaman doing the spell in dreamland on arthur the wriaths did in nics stead.. so that blood is also on his claws… PS sorry for any typos hard to type with little sleep..
Agree, I have yet to see any movie/book/cartoon etc., where an Elf has belittled themselves by spitting on a victim. It is beyond Nast to do it, she is after all an Elvin Princess. Keep it as is and, as already stated, her facial expression on that bottom panel tells it all. Using the KISS system works here!
Lets not forget the villages he burned when he destroyed the tablets! I’m sure there were some folks still in the villages!
Agreed. She’s communicated her disdain and disgust well enough without the spitting.
Besides, it’s not lady like!
Hey, twins!!!
Nic killed the dwarf lords who were loyal to Arthur; he even baldly stated that to Bognok. To gain control of Dreamland after Arthur he started a war that killed a huge number of people and left the land a shambles. For more than a thousand years he’s ruled by repression and terror and I would imagine ‘disappearances’ and executions of those who displeased him were a large part of that. In the current struggle his troops killed lots of Alex’s and Nastajia’s forces, and he’s tried to kill both of them and only failed by accident. Nastajia is totally correct, Nic is a bloody handed dictator, and she should stab him again to be on the safe side.
Probably not dead yet, but things don’t look good for him. Nic has lost, he is no longer King, his crimes are public knowledge, a lot of people will want vengeance AND justice, and if he falls into Alex and Nastajia’s hands he’ll probably be put on trial and they’ll get it. The only way Nic can keep living at this point is to get away, either through pier collapse or the Nightmare Realm rescuing him, and finding sanctuary there. If he DOES escape and live, though, he’s going to be a problem….
how about taking it one step further?
WHO’S HUNGRY FOR DRAGON MEAT?!
I’m not dead!
I’m not!
I’m getting better!
I don’t want to go on the cart!
I feel happy! I feel happy- *THUNK!*
I also agree! Nastajia even while angry is still a very regal princess. She is to classy to spit even on someone she despises
He’s only MOSTLY dead. if he’s mostly dead then he’s slightly alive with all dead all you can do is sift through his pockets and look for loose change.
Ironically, Dan already is a twin, but his twin’s picture looks like my avatar.
He’s only *mostly* dead…
Not only did he freely and proudly admit that he killed the Dwarven Lords (as eee pointed out), but he also just stated that he had plans for genocide of all humans in Dreamland (and since most of them are children, that makes it even more despicable).
As for him rethinking his relationship with Nastajia, after seeing this he should probably make sure that he never breaks up with her unless he knows he is about to wake up, and then he had better never wear the sword necklace again.
I like the Princess Bride reference. Maybe they can inflate his lungs, then step on his chest to find out where he is keeping Nastajia’s parents.
Die! Evil Spiro, die!!!!
Wait wait, sticking a giant sword through his back is fine, but spitting on him isn’t regal?
They are in the middle of a war right now, where dreamlanders are likely getting killed during this battle as it is, to take out a usurper that has been conspiring with the nightmare realm. Add on that at best he caused the disappearance of her parents, and at worst is their killer, and has tried to kill alex and company many times throughout the strip to prevent them from unveiling what he’s been doing all these years?
Spitting on him is not exactly something I think anybody there would object to, when they really should be running that sword through him about 80 more times to be sure he stays down.
Nastajia: “Alexander, do I hear water moving about in your armor? You really must take care to not let rain water in.”
Alex: “No, that’s me. I wet myself from how scary you are right now.”
Stupid keyboard…
I wish Alex would do something all by himself for once..
he relies in others way too much, specially on saving his ass.
he got saved in this fight like.. 4 times?
I’m hoping that Nick is just catching his breath and a few pages from now, he suddenly grabs Nastajia and makes her a damsel in distress, though instead of screaming “help me, help me” she’ll probably be cursing Nick up and down.
I can’t help but wonder what dragon hide goes for on the open market. LUGGAGE! LUGGAGE! LUGGAGE!
Stop that. You’re getting too silly.
Luggage? Dragon hide armor. That stuff ought to be rather durable.
Nick, no. You can’t be dead. No… NOO!!!! You can’t die nick, you’re the only character who isn’t a one-dimensional amalgamation of cliche tropes!
Watch out, Nasti! He is falling and there are parts of him behind you!
There’s a big difference between mostly dead and all dead. If he’s all dead, the only thing you can do is to rummage through his pockets for change… 😛
LOL… “Nasti” … it was pretty nasty for Nasti to kill the dragon… lol…
I think “one step further” might be to stab him a third time… and each step after that would be stabbing him again and again, until finally he is nothing but green-bloodied ribbons.
Or, probably a lot cleaner, “off with his head!” Or arms, legs, feet, claws, hands, other horn, etc.
The Dead Body That Claims It Isn’t
I’m getting better. . . .
I tell you… Terrible Dracolich Nick, King of the Nightmare Kingdom…
I agree
I don’t think Nic done yet. His tail is very close to taking her out too. It’s right behind her.
Crazy Awesome!
But still, Nastajia’s probably going to falter into Alex’s arms because of something after all this.
Geeze, I love this.
Yeah, tail and wing attack next from Nic.
Hmm… I think you’re being unnecessarily sadistic. Also, this still is a kids comic book and even that stab is, I think, rather at the limit on how much gore you can do.
Isn’t this where Nic is supposed to flip open a lid on his left wrist, tap in a code, and then laugh evilly as something on the display is counting down towards zero…? 😉
Or am I confusing that with another predator?
Are we channeling Monty Python’s Princess Bride here, or what?
I second that, fine as is
that would be one awsome plate of ribs
^sniff* T_T please tell me nick is not really dead, I did not want him to die.
Agreed. She gives me the distinct impression there that she’s going to turn evil and become the new tyrant in Nic’s place somehow…
Ding Dong the Nic is dead..close your eyes, get out of bed, Ding Dong the wicked Nic is deadddddd! (or not if he has magical healing powers)
I reeeeeallly don’t want Nick to die either. He’s too good a villain to just kill off. Besides, I LIKE dragons!!
ditto! 🙁
Feelin’*
Sorry! I had to.
But, yes. Awesome page as always! And… Oh no! Is the Wicked Nic Dead!? *Dramatic “Noooooooooooo!”*
Having her spit just seems out of character for me, much better with her not
Monty Python’s Princess Bride!!! OMG!! thats a remake I’d LOVE to see!
“My name is Indigo Montoya, prepare to die you stupid English pig dog.”
“Are those ROUS’s?” “No its a small white rabbit…..”
I can feel now that I’m really seeing Nastajia emerge with her true colors. It must really, really SUCK going through all that she went through -and Alex don’t you THINK of cheating on this girl or she’ll make a nice collar with your teeth…
She doesn’t need to spit, I can feel the dreading of Nick as clearly as anyone else (spitting is revenge and revenge is for children…this is a really pissed off princess *getting even*). And the think I like the most about the whole turnabout is that finally the characters are showing us their emotions freely, which takes the fight into a whole new level and allows to ponder about the future of this whole story.
4 me, Red O’ Scaly is far from over. This comic has a long, looong way yet to go.
She’s one badass lady! >:D
Nastajia: “One such as you has no right to speak of these things!”
Nicodemus: “Actually I do, it’s kind of in the script…”
It’s a respect thing. Anyone would recognize that inflicting violence in a fight is to be expected. However, unless the spitting serves some useful purpose in the combat, like in the opponent’s eye or something similar, it is nothing more than a sign of disrespect. Does Nicodemus deserve their respect? No, but that does not mean that Nastajia et al. should exhibit such disrespect. They are either royalty or the close confidants of royalty, and are expected to adhere to a higher standard than that. Ultimately, no matter how much she may hate Nic, displaying the self-restraint here demonstrates to her people that she is a noble leader, worthy of their loyalty.