Page 1486….
Just an FYI…I took the weekend to get a page ahead. So hopefully we’ll be okay this week for all 5 pages.
🙂
So glad you’re enjoying these pages. And I hope you’re not TOO upset with Niviene. She DOES know what it’s like to sacrifice for the betterment of her world.
That is so sad!
Scott,
In the last panel it should be either “for the betterment of her world” or “in order to better her world.”
I’m so sad to see where this is going 🙁
I fail to see how a weakling line Daniel is going to be for the “Better” of Dreamland as king. Someone who’s never even been there. He’s considered king because…..he was born first by a few minutes? Not even sure this part of the story arc makes any sense, either.
🙁
I know it’s Logical.. and that the needs of the many outweigh the love on the two… but it’s still sad. very sad. I don’t hate our Lady of the Lake, but I’m still sad. I hope that she can be civil to alex until they find a way for him to stay in dreamland.
I wonder if Dreamland and Earth have the same( if any) afterlife. I rather hope so. if only as a final comfort if things go awry and either Alex is kicked out or nicole can’t get in ( or worse, both) great. there’s a comforting thought. 🙁
Alex might not be the TRUE king of Dreamland, but as a blood relation he does qualify as a legitimate regent during his brother’s absence. “The heir and the spare,” as the saying goes. But Niviene does bring up a valid question. With the usurper gone, why IS Daniel still unable to reach Dreamland? And if a method is found to restore the king, must it also exile the prince?
While Daniel might have originally been the heir, it doesn’t mean that he has to be. It would be nice for him to be able to come to dreamland as well, but in my opinion I prefer Alex there. Alex has been there for the people, and grew up with some of the when he was young, while Daniel didn’t. That sometimes means more than general knowledge, as he possibly cares more for the people he grew up with and spent time with, no insult to Daniel. This is especially the case when all Alex has to do is go back to the real world to obtain advice. It also seems a bit silly when they are twins as well. They are so close in age that it is hard to see that it really matters. Another saying I want to put in is “why cry over spilled milk?”. Alex is there here and now, and while it might be good to put figuring out about Daniel and King Arthur on the to-do list, I am not sure if it needs to be on the top. It almost seems to me that Niviene is being too harsh, maybe because of her past. Again, no insult, but it seems like she is trying to kick Alex out the door, and after everything he has done it seems a bit rude. I would maybe feel a bit better if she explained why she has a sense of urgency for why she wants this to happen. After all, charging into an unknown situation is never good unless the world is about to end anyway, so you have to rush.
Sorry for the double post and the long post before, but I decided I wanted to make my opinion a little bit more clear. I would rather that they both ruled dreamland together (like in Narnia with a high king, and there being more than one king), with Daniel being the Master Decision Maker and Alex being the Kick-Butt Enforcer and Rallier. Probably not going to happen, but I can hope.
Didn’t Nicodermus and the denzins of the Nightmare Realm already undo much of the ” Machinations put forth by Arthur and Merlin”? And isn’t Alex responsible for setting them or at least begining to set them to rights?
Naw, Dan was born secound Dan is the thinker the one with knowlegde and can figure things out from looking at different angles, he was the one who came up with the battle plan and everything to made the changes that started Dreamland back to its true path.
Also I detest that remark about him being weak just cuz he hasn’t fought and isn’t the brawn of these 2 there ARE other kinds of strength you know, and don’t forget Alex was weak in the begining too until he was trained.
I’d hate to add more to the sadness of what you said but some legends state that elves live for centuries even 1000s of years. HEY SCOTT do the elves in ur world live forever or do they age like humans?
If the only way to reach dreamland for the two is the necklace… they could still just like, pass it along every other day, take turns who’ll get to visit I think.
As self-sacrifice and noble as she is there might also be a some what selfish reason for her to get them to hurry up with thiers=if the choose to stay together wouldn’t that mean it is a kind of mockery to her’s? Especially if everything doesn’t got to s*** because they choose to stay?
Frankly, I see Niviene as seeing the two and feeling stilted, all her years of vigil and some know-nothing brat shows up on a technicality and claims the throne? Just what did Merlin sacrifice himself for if only to wind up a tree with no name?
Sure, Daniel was supposed to be the king of Dreamland, but the sword chose Alex, Daniel is not the rightful ruler despite being firstborn, as he was excluded from dreamland by his predecessor.
It’s like saying an exiled first born prince is still supposed to be king once the former king passes on.
has already been stated after he tried passing so Felicity and (can’t remember her name for the moment) could see each other and failed that once it gets passed Alex can no longer use it.
I think Nivine is putting her own feelings in front of the good of all. she is just hurt she had to give up Merlin and thinks anyone else should have to do the same.
Which is why it is a bit worrisome. As enough issues arise from brothers who think that they deserve the thrown more so than the older one. It seems like the jealousy and malcontent would be much worse when Alex already sort of was king, but then got kicked out AND can’t see the woman he loves.
That and I would love to see both Alex and Daniel in Dreamland together creating tons of fun, as they never got to do that as kids. So it would be nice to see them rule together (seems like a more plausible option to me). Maybe alternate days if only one can be there at a time?
sorry, spell check deceived me this late at night, I meant throne, not thrown. *shakes her fist at spell check*
Hey Scott, could you please reaffirm why it is that everyone believes that Dan is The Chosen One for king and mot Alex despite his success record so far?
…No-oooo. Dan was born first. Alex is only in Dreamland due to loophole remember?
As an European quite well versed in our history og kingdoms and heirs, I can say with certainty that Niviene misses the point. Alex is the one who’s “able” in the kingdom, Dan is nót.
It’s perfectly legal and accepted in the royalty charters that a brother, or even a nephew, takes the reigns for as long as needed till the actual first-born is able to take over.
In history it has even happened that the áctual heir abstained ( to become a monk f.i.)
In most royal families in the middle-ages, at least óne child was expected to enter in a monastry.
Not that this child could never leave, but Monestaries were seen as the centers of knowledge, and royalty saw the advantages of someone learned in the family.
Dan sortof ended-up in the “monestery” with Alex as the defacto king/regent.
In short, Niviene is bitter and lashes-out at Dan for the wrong reason.
Legally, everything is correct. Alex’ practicality is needed in Dreamland, as is Dan’s sharp mind. Dan is as powerful as Alex, maybe even moreso, as Dan is the one advising Alex, and Alex trusts his brother without any doubt whatsoever.
By the by. Alex and Nasti will probably end-up together on our side of reality. I bét Dan would coock-up a method to get them to stay together outside Dreamland if Dan suddenly is able to enter Dreamland (maybe even together with Nicole)
I bèt that he’s already pondering ways to circumvent Dreamland’s “no grown-ups” rule, and i álso believe he will devise a way to do that without the Detrimental results when Arthur tried that.
Only thing needed is Dan having a meeting with Merlin…..
I like the parallel between this instance and when Orion called Alex a ‘foolish child’ for letting Nicole try the sword necklace.
And she knows what is best for the world how? Holed up in her little grotto, nursing her angst for an epoch qualifies her for what, but bile and bitterness?
I agree wholeheartedly. Alex became king because he was chosen. There’s a line from Shakespeare that comes to mind that I think perfectly describes Daniel’s situation.
“If fate will have me king, then fate may crown me without my stir.”
His Scottish Play( Act 1, scene 3)
Please do NOT use the real name.
It is cursed.
Just because she lost her love, so must everyone else? Feh. I’ll be mad at her for not wanting to see to it that those children who came to dreamland could one day find it again as adults instead of sticking to the status quo. She also has a lot of nerve when not even her own people know she exists and she’s dictating how things should be.
At this rate, it’s looking to be a tight race for the least liked Dreamland’s resident, Nicodemus, Niviene, or the Pirates.
I guess everyone will just have to wait until Merlin emerges to sort it all out.
…I do not like where this conversation (in comic) is going 🙁
I for one am siding with the “let’s use happy magic to get Dan into dreamworld without booting Alex out. And yeah I sense some resentment from Fishcakes regarding sacrificing her love life.
Maybe it’s just me, but Alex seems to have absolutely no reaction to Niviene’s “Foolish Child!” outburst in the 2nd panel. Nastajia’s reaction is much better.
Shouldn’t that be ‘betterment’ of her world? Just saying 🙂
Love the way you’ve thrown an ethical challenge at them that hits both right where they live, Scott. Nastajia has to choose between love and duty, and Alex between love and his brother… Assuming Dan can’t come up with something, that is! 🙂
Just because a person is first born doesn’t mean that he or she will rule best. I still say the true power of Britain was’t Arthur, it was Merlin. According to Legend Arthur couldn’t keep his manhood in his pants and then was shocked when he was betrayed.
At this moment, the only reason Daniel was able to plan so well, was he had access to a library of military and historical history. We don’t know that he would make a great king. We know that he’s a great planner.
It would be interesting if the sword Niviene gave Daniel gives him the ability to travel. There’s no need to destroy a love story just because Alex isn’t the “True” King.
It was Alexander that pulled the sword from the stone so he’s the rightful king. End of discussion. There is no way I would let some sexually frustrated talking tuna who’s spent the last thousand years hiding in an underwater cave, lecture me on what’s best for the world today. Tell that fish stick to get lost!
Hmmmm. I can understand Niviene’s point, but at the same time, she’s been out of touch with what’s been going on in Dreamland for the past umpteenth number of years. How can she know that what Merlin & Arthur dreamed of will still even work or be viable at this point?? I’m very curious to see where you go with this Scott, especially seeing as most of Dreamland, with the exception of Nicodemus, seems to have forgotten about Merlin & Arthur.
I don’t like Niviene. What a down right mean thing to do.
Apparently he’s only unable to get to Dreamland because Alex hasn’t given up the necklace.
Cursed? How is it that I’ve never heard that before? I’ve loved it since I was about 10 years old. 🙁 I don’t like missing out on things like this…
Oooo…a Dan & Merlin conversation? That would be awesome…and very quickly lose Alex’s interest. 🙂 So how do we get them to France?
Poor Niviene…she’s going to have a lot of detractors for a long time unless this somehow clears itself up soon. I halfway feel like she and the Sword should have a chat about practicality and solving the existing problems with someone who doesn’t know the lay of the land (though I guess he would know it pretty well since he was Alex’s chronicler).
I really hope Alex pipes up with a forlorn, “But I made a promise to Nastajia…” Surely an old school gal like Niviene can appreciate the importance of a man keeping his word.
I like Niviene. Sure she’s getting a bit uppity on the “I know more than you” scale, but she’s a good person. Unfortunately, she’s also not been brought up to full speed on what’s really going on outside of her safe place. Everyone needs to remember this. Alex did his usual slip-shod job on the explanation. We have all seen how great with words he isn’t.
Be upset with her for jumping to conclusions because of her lack of information. If anyone deserves the rampant crankiness abundant in the comments, then pass a bit of it to Alex and Staj for not being succinctly clear on what’s actually happened to MAKE Alex the true king.
And despite what Niviene believes, Alex IS the true king. The Sword of Kings has said as much. Regardless of the conditions or who was first born, Alex has the title and it can only be changed through either abdication or death.
So Niccodemus, the big jerk dragon, got rid of King Arthur by sealing him in between worlds while he and Merlin where attempting to make a pretty little bracelet. Sealing away Arthur also caused the next human heir to be completely sealed away from Dreamland forever. Permanently. That’s some powerful mojo. Dan was supposed to be the next heir but, wait! He had a fraturnal twin! both sharing the same birth. By ancient rites, only the “first born” aka Dan is entitled to the throne. However, if the first born is a still birth, which for all intents and purposes as far as Dreamland is concerned, he was, the second of the twins would be heir to the throne. Now why it had to be contained in that one single birth, who knows. Maybe it was a soul issue and the soul went to Alex since Dan was blocked from it. Think of Dan as the boy who would have been king had he not been sealed off from it by an evil wizard of immense evil proportions. Dan should have been but Alex IS. Also, Dan’s smarter.
Oh, Niviene, you loveable loon! This is what happens when you live under the sea in a secluded cavern for millenia. You miss the big picture!
Can her pool see into varying ones of Dreamland’s water sources as well as earth’s? Because if it could, the amount of observation she had been capable of performing around the realm would qualify her to know SOMETHING…
You know… it’s possible that he actually, on some level, agrees. His brother is the “smart” one, was supposedly meant for the throne, and has been blocked from Dreamland for his entire life. It could be some form (misguided or not) of brotherly love keeping his mouth shut–“Yeah, you’re right, Dan deserves it. I just wish I could keep my promise to Nastajia, too.”
I absolutely agree with you that regardless of birth order, the sword chose Alex, and it seems immaterial to me that he happens to have an older brother, except in that the trick of being the younger of twins is what allowed Alex to be able to become king. I don’t see that this makes Dan the true king, since he would never have been king if he was an only child.
I believe Dan would be a better king. After all, he is certainly wiser, and it was his plan that allowed Alex to defeat Nicodemus, not Alex’s own abilities. Still, that doesn’t give him the right to be king, doesn’t make it appropriate for a stranger who has never been to Dreamland to be king, and it doesn’t give him a way to get into Dreamland.
As for Niviene, I agree that she is out of touch, and has not truly been informed. She is supposed to be serving the role of ancient sage, but how can she have good advice to give when she has no experience or true understanding of the current state of things? She doesn’t even realize that the machinations of Arthur and Merlin only lasted during their reign and were immediately undone by the efforts of Nicodemus, rather than lasting hundreds of years. Just because deferring to the first born would have been the right thing to do in Arthur’s time doesn’t mean that it is the right thing to do now. Certainly, her perspective is skewed by her desire to see Merlin’s plans come to fruition, but what has she done all these centuries to make that happen? It seems that she is a powerful magician or sorceress who is emotionally invested in the proper rule of Dreamland, but she has done nothing to better the situation in all that time. All she has done is hide and feel sorry for herself. Yes, she lost the man she loved, but does that alone give her the right to decide how Dreamland is ruled? Nastajia, on the other hand, has been very active in the fight against Nicodemus, perhaps even moreso than Alex, since she kept working when he was awake. There is no question that she has honored her duty to the elves, and earned the right to rule them if her parents have died. So Niviene lost the man she loved. How does that give her and more right to choose the ruler of Dreamland than anyone who was widowed in the fight against Nicodemus? What gives her credibility is her age and her magical prowess, but her actions over the centuries don’t match. She hasn’t stepped up to the plate. To me, at least, that makes her less credible as an authority.
Because he’s an adult now, and so can’t enter dreamland without the necklace, or maybe a vision quest.
Even if Niviene’s right, she certainly isn’t going about this the right way. Rather than arguing up front, she should have started the conversation with something to the effect of, “What are we going to do to get your brother into dreamland as rightful king?” rather than, “WHAT ARE YOU STILL DOING HERE, PRETENDER TO THE THRONE?!”
She’s out of line.
After reading Game of Thrones, I have no sympathy for anyone who is too anal about the whole “born first must be rightful king” thing. If I hear one more person whine about “but it’s mine by right!!” I think I’ll strangle him/her. The sword chose Alex, hopefully based on some practical value instead of pure blood relations. The sword will say so when Alex’s time is done and the sword would like to choose Dan instead.
And as I ranted in last page, it’s different thinking there’s a chance Merlin will come back versus being told now that Alex won’t be able to come back once they’ve made this choice.
Weakling? Wow…way to stereotype people who use their brains more than their brawn to acheive their goals. How, pray tell, is Daniel weak? He’s the one who actually won the war! Or did you miss that part?
I’m with you here. In the first place, how does that talking tuna know who’s supposed to be the rightful ruler? She’s been out of touch for a thousand years! Did she look it up on ancestry.com or what? and how does she know that it matters which of twins is the ruler? Does she have some kind of official royal succession rule book? I’d also like to know what “sacrifice” she made. She can’t live in the real world and Merlin couldn’t live in Dreamland. That’s just the way things are. I don’t see how it’s a sacrifice if she had no control over the circumstances.
Whatever. Her duties as “Lady of the Lake” are now fulfilled. It’s time for her to go find a nice tuna net to play in.
He would be able to reach Dreamland if Allex gives him the necklace, but then Allex would be blocked forever from Dreamland. Frankly, I don’t see it happening because Daniel is too honorable to break up Allex and Nastajia. I still hold out hope that they can both be there…loopholes could still exist!
Only because he and Daniel can work together. I love them both, but Alex doesn’t have a leg up over Daniel. Without each other, neither of the brothers can effectively help restore Dreamland.
Actually, it’s only considered bad luck to say the name “Macbeth” if you are in a theater. Not outside the theater. So, it is perfectly safe to say “Macbeth” in this context. 🙂
Agreed. Or perhaps she thinks there is a way to free Merlin and get him back, but it has to do with Alex giving up Dreamland. I’m with others who think she may be in league with Nicodemus…because of love.
What does Dan being smarter have to do with anything?
Completely lost all respect for Niviene. Sorry lady, Alex is king. Show some respect, and shut yer yap. He earned it, the sword picked him, and he’s been doing a decent enough job. Sure, Daniel has been advising, but that ALL he’s been doing; advising. Alex has been doing the hard grunt work.
Yes, she lost Merlin a millenia ago. Boo hoo. Build a bridge, get over it. Just because Alex isn’t who her sweetie Merlin would have picked makes him no less worthy. Also, if Modred and Morgana were any indication, Merlin was FAR from all-knowing and all-powerful. So he’s not exactly the ultimate arbiter or Truth, especially for Dreamland.
Niviene needs to back the hell off, and let Alex do his damn job.
Poor Niviene! She’s behaving as a devil’s advocate between Alex and Nastajia!
He probably does agree, but I think it’s less truth than his own under-confidence coming to the fore. Alex, at his core, thinks he’s an brainless idiot compared to Dan. And while Dan is indeed far smarter as far as book smarts, Alex has been holding his own in the Han Solo seat-of-your-pants crafty smarts department. And really, the only person that has been backing Alex up in that regard has been Nastajia. Not just because she loves him, but because she *believes* in him.
Dan has started annoying me, until he got Excalibur. He’s been treating this as “This is FASCINATING” but not taking it the slightest bit seriously. It’s all been analytical to him.
Alex has been busting his ass, working harder to fight Nic and try to be a good king that anything he has ever done in his life.
I’m amazed at people who think Daniel is somehow a “stranger” to Dreamland. He spent his childhood listenting to Alex’s stories and documenting them with pictures and text. He loves Dreamland just as much (if not more) than Alex because he has never been able to go there. Alex takes Dreamland for granted. It has been a big playground for him all his life. Frankly, I’m amazed that Daniel isn’t more bitter that something that was rightfully his at the beginning was taken from him. Daniel is so kind, understanding and mature that I suppose it is easy for some readers to dismiss him (“He doesn’t care, why should we?”) and just rah rah rah for Alex. Dreamland would embrace Daniel–who wouldn’t? He is no different, no less wonderful, no less amazing than Alex. I would love to see Daniel in Dreamland, but as I said before, he is too honorable to separate Alex and Nastajia.
Both brothers are equally the heroes of this story as they make such a great team. I prefer Daniel, however, because he is so gracious to Alex while bearing the burden and deep loss of being the only child to have been denied Dreamland.
Love this!
I feel like I want to give everyone in this comic a big hug.
Sry I went back to get the proof but I found ur right not me. For some reason I remember it being on the TRAIN and Dan being the one to complain Alex is only older by a few SECOUNDS not in the dorm and it being 5 minutes.
And all this “the sword picked him” stuff does get a little old. Who else was the sword going to pick? Doesn’t the ruler of Dreamland have to be human? The sword couldn’t very well choose Dan seeing as Dan couldn’t get there. So I don’t see the big deal of Alex being chosen by the sword when there was no other choice.
Agreed. *gives Azzie a big hug*
Thank you all for such incredible insight and conversations!
WOW!
Hopefully by Friday, we’ll all have a better understanding of Niviene’s argument.
The truth is, though, is that Dan was SUPPOSED to be King.
And thanks to Alex being his twin…Dan now CAN be king.
But Alex is going to have to decide at some point whether he gives up seeing the woman he loves so that his brother can rule… or if he himself usurps the throne for his own personal gain.
Alex’s story has always been about growth.
The biggest hurdle for him is yet to come.
No system is ever perfect there is always loopholes if u can find them and yeah I don’t seem Dan breaking them up, Plus it seems that before any one who became king of dream land became king of thier own world but this but a HUGE amount of responsiblity on the king. So what if Alex became King of Dreamland and Dan became king of his own world (however that would happen considering that earth here is the same as our earth.)
One loophole that I can think of is that thing that Arthur was working on b4 Nicodermus betrayed him, u know to bring people to Dreamland? That could be the way to bring them both here.
Didn’t Alex try to get Dan to go to Dreamland at one point? I distinctly remember his asking something along the line of “Can’t you do this FOR me?”.
I’m asking because I’m not positive Dan himself would agree that he’s the one who needs to be the King, or that this implies he has to be the one to go to Dreamland.
yeah I agree I was just trying to make a point of why Alex isn’t some useless “fill-in”.
I think hut and poydras have good points.
1. Niviene KNOWS a little too much.
2. What’s the rush? Why get rid of Alex so quickly? What’s her hidden motive?
She’s waited a thousand years, she can surely wait another week while Alex says his goodbyes… I don’t like her a bit.
She has scales, and so has Nic-o-Dic – coincidence? Probably, but it stinks! 😉
A bit clichéic, but it has to be said:
“This woman Niviene smells a bit FISHY!”
Poor Alex is just sitting there on the sidelines like “Um… ._.;” XD;
As has become patently clear, I am a big fan of Dan, but that doesn’t mean I think Alex is by any means a fill-in. 🙂 He has a good heart, is very brave and will put his life on the line for Dreamland and the people he loves. I also think he would go to any length to bring Dan to Dreamland…even if it meant giving up Nastajia. So I hold the kid in high esteem…I just also really want to see Dan get his due.
In the eyes of the curse Nick placed, Alex is just an ordinary kid, so he was allowed into Dreamland but it never meant he was anything special. He stumbled upon the chamber on accident and pulled the sword out of curiosity, not from any sense of destiny. No one controlled his fate, he could have easily stopped coming to Dreamland the same as any other kid did. So the whole line could have waited even more generations in the hope that another set of twins would be born and hopefully find the chamber and grab the sword. By that time, Nick may have found a way to seal off humans coming forever.
Alex isn’t a conspiring usurper, he deserves the right to stay and have the benefit of Dan’s influence in the waking world. I know Dan’s tactics ultimately won the war, but tactics isn’t enough. The best tactics in the world fail if soldiers can’t act on them, if they can’t function on the battlefield. Alex was also an important factor in winning the war, kicking Nick’s scaly hide. I doubt Dan would be able to do that when Nick comes back, probably driven mad with just a desire to have his revenge against those who brought him down, and to hell with the politics of ruling a country. He’ll be more dangerous then ever, ruled by desperation and rage, not cold calculations and cunning. Besides, Alex has the upper hand fighting to keep Nastajia safe first and foremost. Dan would fight just to keep Dreamland safe.
Relax no disrepect to Alex I for one want to see him as king too, but I think that we can all agreed that Dan is the brains of the 2 and can see things from different angles and thinks them all the way through and if you are to be ruled wouldn’t you want ur ruler to have the ability to figure out all the problems that might arise?
The sword would have picked THE king, not just “well you’re here, guess you’re king now.”
By that token, any kid could have found the sword, picked it up, and off they went. Tada, new king.
No. It picked Alex. And Alex has been doing just fine.
In fact, Alex is more Arthur than Dan is. Dan is headed towards being the new Merlin.
In my opinion, as with all things.
*blinks, as a thought from a previous post hits him*
Alex is king. Been doing all the proper king things for Dreamland. Like Arthur.
Dan has been advising from the sidelines. *Like Merlin.*
Dan isn’t *supposed* to be King. He’s turning into Merlin 2.0!
While Daniel may not be a stranger per say, he has not had the direct interaction. As such, it is more like he has been hearing stories about Alex’s friends and antics. It is not that Daniel wouldn’t be accepted into Dreamland, but more of a question of whether he should at the cost of Alex. I know, that as a sister, I would not remove my sister from a place she loves, fits in, has friends and a boyfriend just because I wanted to go there as well and was considered to be the “rightful” ruler. Unless there was some magical reason that insisted such or the world would end, I wouldn’t put up with it. Which begs the question, why Niviene didn’t mention it to Daniel as well. Alex has never directly denied Daniel the throne, which makes me think that he would give it to him if his brother insisted, with good reason of course. Also, as it has been stated before, Alex is not the brains of this outfit, sorry Alex. This being the case, if there is a difficult problem or mystery to be solved, it should be brought to Daniel. All in all, this seems rushed, so I am hoping to find out a good reason why by Friday.
Yes! That! 🙂
I respectfully disagree that Alex is ‘usurping’ anything. The sword chose Alex, not Dan; and while the sword probably would have chosen Dan if he were there to take it, that wasn’t the case. Dan and Alex are in this together for sure, but it’s been Alex that’s been pouring his blood, sweat, and tears into taking Dreamland back from Nicodemus– NOT Dan. Dan has been helpful for sure, and Alex probably wouldn’t have succeeded without him, but Alex has been the one actually doing all of this. Alex is the one invested in Dreamland, he’s the one that’s familiar with the land and its peoples, he’s the one that the people recognize. Alex is king.
I agree with one of the previous posters that Dan is assuming a more ‘Merlin-like’ role. And what’s wrong with that? Methinks Niviene is just jealous and obsessed with propriety rather than what’s actually best for Dreamland.
Ever since Nic was defeated, the story feels like it’s trying to go somewhere, but it has no where to go. Epic villain is slain, yet the story trudges onwards fighting its own end.
Uh. Sure. What could be wiser than getting rid of a guy who’s already trained to fight in Dreamland when you have a war with Nightmare Realm at hand? Maybe only luring his untrained brother the supposed king into Dreamland so that the wraiths could terminate his supposed majesty while he gapes at fairies and talking pandas.
Anyway, we’re #7 at TWC with 7,368 votes. #6 has 8,796. Have you voted today?
So… now Nastajia has been called foolish as well. I see parallels from a certain centaur and Alex…..
I had to look up Machinations for its definition this is what I found a scheming or crafty action or artful design intended to accomplish some usually evil end
Sigh. That’s the problem with adventures in other worlds….( This is a family comic, though, some I’m crossing my fingers for a happy ending. Or at least bittersweet.)
Happy ending for me.
yeah and thr plot elements are set up well for it
1. It was briefly mentioned
2. It was almost but not quite finished (i.e. just needs 1 last push to work)
3. It has never been mentioned again so it will be a happy surprized when someone thinks of it at the very last moment.
I wonder if it could me used to work in the reverse but other than those shades from the nightmare realm how can some one from Dreamland enter our world with out a body?
S’all right I didn’t mean you, I meant Niviene if that doesn’t sound too wierd…
I would actually say that she is probably very aware that Arthur & Merlin’s plans hit a bit of a snag given that Merlin was there when that happened, and she was the one who put Merlin in the tree afterward…
I can see where her point of view regarding “true king” is legitimate (order of succession) as well as our point of view that Alex is “true king” (Sword of Kings told Nic that)…there are flaws of a sort with both arguments. It will certainly be interesting to see how this all plays out.
Like I said before…a thousand years of seclusion kind of leaves your social skills a tad rusty (especially in all that salt water). 😛
Like!
I see your point, but maybe it would be better to look at it this way…Alex has been acting as king (yes, even given the title by the Sword), but he is still not the rightful heir. This seems to me to be a lot like the situations where people act as Regents until the rightful heir can assume the throne. Now that Arthur is actually gone (I’m assuming the sword had to accept Alex as king in order for him to be let go) and Nicodemus has been overthrown, the rightful heir can potentially step in and fulfill his “destiny.” If the Regent were to prevent the rightful heir from assuming the throne in any other situation, it would be considered usurpation.
That is what Alex will have to face now. Even moreso, think about it from the standpoint of what happened to Arthur. Nicodemus believed that his rule would be better for Dreamland than Arthur’s was, so he stole the throne from the rightful heir. While Dan has not actually held the position of king yet, is it really any different for Alex to say, “I am going to keep my brother from the position that truly was meant for him for my own personal reasons”?
If nothing else, Scott says that Dan is the rightful heir and Alex would be usurping the throne if he kept it for himself…that kind of makes it canon. 🙂
I think that the last part of your argument is reason enough for why Dan would be better as king. If you value one person more than the land, what sacrifices would you make to protect that person? Even to the detriment of that land? Alex is vulnerable to duress (though I know Nastajia would kick his scrawny butt if he ever did something like that). Dan would be able to rule with a care for the entirety of Dreamland. His special person is only at risk if the wraiths can attack her.
Epic villain is not definitively slain. They never found his body. Rule #1 for movies and books where a “corpse” is not located in a body of water after being “killed” is: “He’s not really dead!” 🙂
But he doesn’t He may know Tactics and strategy but he knows nothing of the people and how to handle them which is part of what Alex has learned to do over the course of his adventures and Alex is the true king. Just because Dan was Born first and is Smarter then Alex does not make him the better ruler it makes him the better tactician not Leader which is what Alex is.
No, it’s grammatically acceptable.
I’m sorry if this has been brought up before, but I haven’t read all comments. I just came Dreamland some weeks ago and have been catching up on the story.
Something appears to be missing from comment discussions that, above all else, governs epic stories like the Dreamland Chronicles. Something that overrules the laws of men’s (or elves’) kingdoms… the plans of men (or elves… or dragons… or mermaids)… or rights of succession.
Destiny… or fate… or whatever you want to call it.
If one takes destiny into account, then there is no problem with Alex becoming King of Dreamland. We can view everything that’s happened as things that worked out the way they were suppose to, and Alex is where he is because he was meant to be there… and that goes for Dan also.
And another thing… Dan may not want to be King.
Amusing how at the briefest mention of Dan replacing Alex in Dreamlands, so many of us have jumped to one camp or the other. Good, I guess, in that it shows how vested we are in the story.
Dan abdicates to Alex. Simple. Problem solved.
Makes perfect sense. I agree she is undervaluing Alex…and I’m unsure of her motivations.
ecause he was intelligent enough to come up with a battle plan! He obviously inherited the royal wits! XD
Four words: Two-way dream radio! ….or would the hyphenated words count as one? Regardless, I think Alex should just hit the books harder and not just with his fists…
Indeed..to echo Julie, Scott is the final word on how things work in Dreamland, him being the author and creator of it. 🙂 Dan is the rightful heir to the throne of Dreamland.
I think it’s high time that the sword opened its eye, stared right into Nivienne’s eyes, and put her in her place with a simple…
“It is not your place to decide who should and who shouldn’t be King.”
…and then close the eye again before any argument can be raised.
Not to mention that while Dan wants to go to Dreamland, he has yet to prove he has the other qualities needed to rule it. As an advisor, he has shown himself quite capable…..but he has no other ties to Dreamland beyond the bloodline. Alex has risked a lot, possibly even his life, to help Dreamland as well as its people. He’s shown he has the courage, he’s been trained to use his abilities, and well as having a personal stake in seeing that both continue to prosper.
And the biggest question of all…..would Dan be willing to risk so much, as well as forcing his brother to give it all up (including his love, Nastajia, who he now knows is NOT just some fanciful imagining of Alex’s subconscious) just so he can try his hand at being King there? Knowing he may not be able to do the job? Dan is smart….and he knows sometimes rulers have to be out there fighting, dealing with repercussions, and more……he may not like to admit it, but he probably knows he’d never have had the guts to take on a dragon like Alex did. And if he does, that means a large portion of his thoughts and time will be focused upon Dreamland and it’s problems, leaving him less time for Nicole, too.
Alex may be a bit rash and not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but he did what had to be done, despite the potential and real consequences to himself and others. Dan knows this. He’s heard it all from his brother. And knowing all that, I cannot see Dan actually accepting the crown of Dreamland. He would refuse, despite his desire to see it himself, rather than do that to his own brother, his new girlfriend, and risk screwing it all up anyway. He’d be tempted, naturally, but with his intellect, I’d see him wanting to find Merlin, free him, and then try to re-engineer what Merlin and Arthur were trying to do before so that he could enter Dreamland without having to become King, in a safe and controllable manner.
Nic was a tool of the Nightmare Realm and its king (isn’t his name Abbadon?). Ramming a sword through Nic eliminated – temporarily – the sub-Boss; the real Boss is waiting in the wings…
I’m still giving Niviene the benefit of the doubt; but her ignoring of the great dangers facing Dreamland which Alex is better prepared to deal with than Dan, her use of the word ‘machinations’ (which has a decided Nicodemus like tone), and her shifting to an emotional attack instead of laying out her position logically and rationally, is really making me uneasy about her…
I’ve actually been hoping Dan would get his shot to prove he can do good for dreamland.. I mean Alex isn’t exactly a trained warrior even with his victories, Dan doesn’t have that much adventuring to do to catch up, and he’s got a good head on his shoulders. Anyhow I’m maintaining hope there will be a happy ending for both brothers by the end. I think my issue is more that Niviene is suddenly being harsh to these young lovers when she could have warned them, led up to the fact that there may be heartbreak in store for them and that the way things are isn’t the way things will need to be. She seemed so sweet and vicariously enjoying their relationship before, but now she seems quite abruptly harsh and accusing when they don’t even know -what- these age-old machinations they’re in the way of actually are. She as much as anyone should understand how hard such a thing would be, and I would have thought she would have tried to ease the blow for them even as she insisted on it’s necessity, instead of berating them first thing…
Even so I’m really excited about the idea of Dan getting to come to Dreamland, and crossing my fingers for Alex that he’ll not have to leave forever as a result in the end!!
For whatever reason, Alex is perceived as the one on the throne by many. There will be no pleasing everyone, I will wait and see. However this decision is fraught with the risk of ruining a good story by “jumping the shark.”
Oh God. I hope it doesn’t come down to that.
Fonz or no Fonz. I’d like the story to wrap up without any shark jumping.
It’s bad luck to be superstitious.
A ruler is powerless unless his subjects are willing to follow him. Alex has already been accepted by everyone in Dreamland (other than a big lizard and a pompous self absorbed fish). Dan is simply not interchangable with Alex, especially without Nastajia’s blessing, which isn’t very likely. Dreamland will be in trouble if that tuna starts calling the shots from some secluded cave.
Aaayyyyyy!
*thumbs up*
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Fonzerelli for the younger ones who don’t remember the refs )
The dragonslaying scene in Dragonheart comes to mind. 😉
Yeah, I don’t really think Dan -wants- to rule Dreamland, but we’ll see.
wow, Niviene certainly when into betoch mood.
Nicodermus hands down guys is just a tool alowing himself to be diluted and to be used by the Nightmare Realm.
I like what you are saying but there is one possiblity that I what to point out incase it is true but we will have to wait and see if this possiblity happened.
What if she is? What if she is up to date because she was told everything or mostly everything off screen?
No the sacrofice she made wasn’t her and her love being stuck in 2 diferent worlds it was letting Merlin go to that place the “Dream between dreams” so that Merlin could find Arthur with the possiblity of never returning.
Hey all!
One last bit of render still hasn’t finished. I’ll have the page up in the morning.
Sorry.
I have to ask is there a page where it actually has the sword saying “Hey I choose Alex” cuz unless the sword can get up move or call out or some how activly manipulate events I don’t see how the sword can “choose” a wielder and therefore any firstborn how takes the sword can use it.
Also what is with everyone saying that Dan just hasn’t proved himself and can only coome up the stratigies but wouldn’t be able to fight and stuff? We don’t know that cuz Dan has NEVER EVER gotten the chance to walk in Dreamland meet its people or fall in love with the world itself through anything but Alex’s stories.
Hey do the elves in your world live forever or do they age like humans?
That’s it. As we already know, grown-ups can’t quite control their dream bodies without some very extensive training. It took Alex a while, and still he wouldn’t probably win that battle against Nicodemus alone.
Now, Dan not only lacks the training. He’s never experienced being in his dream body, never ever. It would probably take him much longer to learn. For all we know, he may need to learn to walk and speak first.
If you were the Dark Lord (not a Hollywood kind, but one with IQ slightly bigger than one’s boot width measured in light years,) wouldn’t you choose the moment when the brothers swap places to attack? And what happens to Dreamland then?
So it’s not like Alex can simply toss the necklace to Dan and get a day job and Dreamland’s fine ever after. Unless, of course, Dan’s the only one who can retrieve the bracelet so that Alex could enter Dreamland as well. And even then, it would be pretty risky. So it’s not a matter to be decided within seconds just because a fishtail lady is throwing fits.
As for the sword, Orion’s said once that it’s only permitted to speak in the presence of the king. The very fact it speaks at all already proves that Alex is the king.
Oh…! Wait..
The best solution would be if the talking sword, indeed, would explain to Niviene why Alex became the defacto King, and not Dan.
That would shut her up good, and make her spend her energy on other things than pent-up frustration.
I stíll firmly believe that when Dan and Merlin meet, they will come-up with a solution for crossing worlds, even for those that lost their childhood dreams.
“On y va, en France” ‘C’mon Alex and Dan, You’re students. You should at least do a Euro-trip once, better than spending one’s time in Miami, getting completely buggered pissed on cheap beer and booze on “spring-break”.
Oehhhh.. There’s álways an “inbetween” solution. If Iminow my “DISNEY” well, there’s going to be a nice, agreeable solution.
Just looking at keeping Alex in Dreamland, is too limited. Inverse it for a change. What would be needed to have Nasti (and Felicity) “dream” themselves in the “real” world?…
Ahaaaah… Purple hair wouldn’t be much of a problem. Cat-girl would probably change into a spunky redhead, and Nasti’s ears? I’ve seen bigger ones at The “Elf Fantasy Fair in Castle “De Haar” in Utrecht…. :p 😛
Yup! Exactly my thought.
Imagine what can be accomplished when they set-off to France to get Merlin out of that tree. Dan as Merlin’s pupil (ward?)…. Now thát would be interesting.
^that!, most indubitably thát!
True, but once you get used to calling it what it is you never really go back. Besides this is very much a theater. One of your imagination.
….What’s Niviene hiding?
The only known machination of Arthur and Merlin was to bring other humans into Dreamland through the use of the bracelet. If this is what she’s referring to, it’s possible she may end up betraying the heroes so she can keep the bracelet for herself, or for Merlin.
If Arthur and Merlin had other plans for Dreamland as well….
It looks like this comic will go on for a bit longer than I thought; with Niviene definitely a villain in my mind.
Although technically, she’s a quine, no a loon 😉
I find that people in this comic burst into anger to easily. I can see the princess being upset at this point, perhaps even forceful, but for Niviene to snap like that, after her character being built to be such kind, wise person, who just finished telling the princess she knew how she felt (ie merlin is similar to alex) makes no sense. She could believable get angry eventually, but it just seems to come from no where.
Gotta say I’m confused, at the start she was sweet as pie to them and now she’s being outrageously angry with them.
Maybe Niviene is telling Alex that he shouldn’t be in Dreamland,or am I misinterpreting what she’s saying?
Something about this panel seems off… Nivienes claims/”accusation” just seems wrong somehow… Alex did not take the crown he just got it by chance or fate if you will… How can that be wrong? Who actually chose alex? Was it the sword? Is Niviene saying the sword made a mistake? Why not ask it?
No one in Dreamland lives forever.
Well practical forever I mean do the elves live for extended periods of time longer than humans or age as humans…basically will Staj live for much longer than Alex or will old age claim them both around the same time? (Assumeing that they don’t get killed first of course)
Yeah but thier in lies the problem You See:
If Dan is the True King then would it not make sense that he would be tuned to the world of Dreamland and that would explaine why he has always believed in it even though he has never been?
If Dan is the True King of Dreamland would it not make sense that he would be able to master everything Alex has and MORE?
Also your believe that the sword talks so there for he must be is incorrect ANY first-born can take the sword and become king that is why no first-borns are allowed in Dreamland while there is a king to prevent some toddler from accidently become king while Dreamland is in need of and useing a full grown first born king. So yes Alex is king but not THE king.
So I go back to my original question how is it everyone is saying that the sword choose Alex fate may have dectated him to be A king but really ANY first-born or TWIN first-born could have grabbed that defenseless sword while it was stuck in that coffin.
So can any one honestly dispute my points or work around them and tell me how the sword choose Alex?
First of all hwo are we talking about a BRACELET?!
The sword becomes a NECKLACE!
Now I don’t believe she is talking solely about the bring humans to Dreamland specifically. She could easliy be talking about how Arthur and Merlin have been trying to put order kindness compassion honor chivalry and such into Dreamland and such.
I don’t believe she will be a villian any time soon but she will pose a problem for Staj and Alex’s love affair.
I agree – ask the sword about how all of this works. And of course, I’d love to see Alex and Dan in Brocéliande, in the Val Sans Retour, and at the Miroir aux Fées, or the Fontaine de Barenton.
Good call.
I disagree. Emotional investment in a land you’ve heard about, imagined, and loved stories about is not the same as emotional investment in a place you visited every night through your entire childhood. I’m saying this as someone who prefers Dan as a person, but I don’t think it really hit Dan that Dreamland was real until he touched Niviene. Before then, it was more of an intellectual game to him, IMO.
Agreed.
The sword may not have literally spoken and told Alex that he was chosen as king, but he pulled the sword from the stone, which is a direct parallel with Arthurian legend, and the later inclusion of Arthur and Merlin make it clear that this is an explicit parellel.
http://thedreamlandchronicles.com/the-dreamland-chronicles/chapter-01/page-21/
According to legend, the only person who can pull the sword from the stone is the true king. Many others had tried and failed before Arthur, who pulled the sword from the stone without realizing the significance of that act. Everything indicates that the ability to remove the sword of kings from the stone in Dreamland would be similarly limited.
The bracelet is not the necklace. It’s something Arthur and Merlin made so that other adults could enter Dreamland.
I hear you, but Macbeth is one of my all time favorite plays, so I will always risk saying the name. Except in a theater. 🙂
Heh! I couldn’t tell if you were saying he shouldn’t be king because he’s smart. I’m on the same page with you now. 🙂
Oh, wow…not in a million years did I ever think that. I think Dan has believed in Dreamland since kidhood. Maybe not right away, but early on. His behavior in no way ever made me think that he didn’t believe that Dreamland was real. His desire to touch Niviene only confirmed my feelings of empathy of him being the only human denied access to Dreamland. But that’s just my take.
I don’t know. We’ve seen Nastajia lead very clearly. But we haven’t seen Alex lead. He has followed plans and put his life on the line when needed. But we haven’t seen him lead. He’ll get there.
Well, except that the author has stated that Dan is the true king.
Alex is trained as a fighter that’s true. But he has yet to truly lead. Alex follows Dan’s or others’ plans. And he does it really well. But there is no way he can go up against the Nightmare Realm without Dan solidly behind him. They are both needed in order to prevail. And either of them would make a wonderful king of Dreamland.
That said, I have a feeling that for Alex to really grow as a person and become a king who does more than swing a sword, he is going to have to be somehow cut off from Dan and Nastajia, and have to make critical decisions and lead on his own. That would be fantastic!
You’ve got it right.
Being a king isn’t about thinking. It’s not about intellect, or planning, or anything like that. Being a king is about the ability to lead, and the ability to listen. Alex DOES have that. That’s why kings have counselors, advisers, generals, etc, to supply those other areas.
Dan does not possess the qualities necessary to be a good king, and he never will. Just look at your history. You won’t find too many kings that are much like Dan, but you’ll find lots like Alex.
Because Dreamland is not set in modern times. Nobody respects a king who is, essentially, a dork. People respect a strong, warrior-like king, something Dan is most certainly not. And that is one of the most critical aspects to being a king – having people respect you. Everything else, you can utilize others around you to provide.
Wasn’t implying whether Alex agreed or not… More like – when you’re having a fairly normal-toned but difficult exchange with someone, and then as response the other person cuts you off with a voice-raised response? That taken aback, blinky-eyed moment? I see it in Nastajia’s face and body stance but not Alex’s.
So…as long as someone’s handsome and can swing a sword, they can be respected and be king? No, I have to give Dreamlanders more credit than that. By those historical standards, Nastajia should be back at the Elven castle knitting lace.
AWWWWWW i feel so sry for….the person with the purple hair…..(i dont know her name……..or how to spell it…)
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
..
…..
……
…..
….
…BOO!!
Foolish witch. Were it so easy to change destiny, to re-write the Narrative, ALL men would be kings. You’ve lived for hundreds of years and still you have learned nothing. Merlin would be ashamed.
Nah. Being a king is about being the first son of the previous king… or nearest applicable alternative.
… It is a silly system.
Macbeth.
Macbeth Macbeth Macbethy.
Macbethovich, Macbethovich Macbethovich? >_>
Screw Monarchy.
Alex… declare Dreamland a Republic.
I’ve already said this. Make it so!