Page 1503…
Happy Friday!
Sorry for the delay.
I’ve got a few more weeks until the second new workstation comes in.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
And thank you for reading.
Scott
Happy Friday!
Sorry for the delay.
I’ve got a few more weeks until the second new workstation comes in.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
And thank you for reading.
Scott
Be DONE with Dreamland, ouch, did she really have to put it THAT way?
I admit that I loudly cussed out Niviene when I read the fourth panel. We started the story with Alex, and I want to end it with Alex.
… and I hope they urge the crab queen to shut the heck up and crawl back under whatever rock she came from. I’m soooo glad they’re getting away from her!
I started to like Niviene and now… Man she is really adamant that he leaves Dreamland. I’m sure there was some circumstances in our world where two royal bothers shared a throne. Each having their own responsibilities.
Note: Alex has proved himself a capable man, and improved himself in many ways worthy of respect.
Thought: It must be hard for long-living Dreamlanders (i.e. Nick and Niviene) to deal with rulers great and small. Some seem less competent than others, and every time a new one ascends, then it’s back to the beginning. Repetitive reconstruction.
Note: except that Niviene has supposedly only worked with one ruler of Dreamland, Arthur.
I personally can’t imagine that Daniel would be selfish enough to allow Alex to step down from being king on his behalf, when he knows how much Nastajia means to him. Alex was the one who put his life on the line to defeat Nicodemus.
For Niviene to suggest that someone else is more deserving of the title seems fairly arrogant to me. Yes Daniel by birthright may have qualified to be king, but due to scheming on Nicodemus part he; like many others before him that came after Arthur,(I’m guessing) forfeit that chance. The fact that Alex got the chance to become king by a loophole, makes him just as much eligible to be king as Daniel in my mind.
Yes be done with dreamland; get out of the way of…what?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again I do not trust the fish, and the more she opens her mouth the less I think it’s PC paranoia, Scott I want a sense motive roll here lol
I wonder if the return of the “true heir” is somehow a prerequisite for Merlin being freed from the tree? If Dan becoming king were required for Niviene to get Merlin back, I can understand why she’d be so adamant about it (even if she is being horribly duplicitous, if that’s the case).
Roll d20 to save vs. Author Secrecy…….
Ye gods I’m hating Niviene here. I hope a kraken eats her.
Okay. Nivienne’s way of saying what she said in the last two panels SCREAMS ‘ulterior motive’. There are so many better ways to say the same thing, and anyone who spent time training under Merlin would have at least some concept of tactful speaking. He did teach Arthur diplomacy, after all.
Either she is genetically incapable of being polite, or she is hiding some sinister motive (otherwise, she’d just tell them why) behind wanting Daniel to take the throne as soon as possible and get Alex removed from Dreamland permanently.
Considering that Merlin taught her so much (and she holds his teachings as well as he in high esteem) you’d think she would realize there are always other ways to accomplish any task…..and that there could be ways that Dan could take the throne without Alex having to leave Dreamland. Not to mention, she is completely ignoring Dan’s choices here. Dan has a choice as to whether or not he takes the throne, or appoints Alex as his successor (or temporary regent until a way is found for them both to be there), or any number of other possibilities.
She’s either completely tactless and close-minded (which, given her training by Merlin and her earlier demonstrations of eloquence, seems unlikely) or she is being duplicitous….I’m betting the latter…..
*rollrollroll*………. ah HA! Natural 20!
I thought Dan couldn’t get to Dreamland, and that the sword didn’t work for anyone else. Or did I miss something somewhere? If I did, could someone link the page for me?
Dislike Niviene a whole lot right now. Lots.
I agree! I understand her wanting Dan as King, but she is just showing nothing but contempt for Alex here. Maybe she is just jealous that she and Merlin cannot be together.
It was tried, but never ended well. Usually with a civil war one of the kings being murdered.
I guess there’ll be later a fight against Nivienne.
ps:
“You are posting comments too quickly. Slow down.” I hope I won’t get this error again.
Do I smell a trap with those “five sister” stones?
Worked in Narnia! š
Scott has said that now that Arthur is no longer blocking the way, if Alex gave the sword to Dan, Dan could come to Dreamland.
Indeed. We don’t know her whole story yet. She is definitely setting herself up as an enemy to both brothers with this behavior. Alex and Dan love and want the best for each other–Dan’s already given up one chance to use the sword. The two brothers together could easily rule Dreamland well. So we will see what happens.
I would hate to see Dan never get to Dreamland. That would break my heart more than anything else.
I knew there was something wrong there.
wow….I’m really astarting to dislike Niviene. She doesn’t have an evil plan to take over dreamland does she? :O
Must say, Scott, you’re doing such a great job in keeping your viewers in suspense! I’ve been reading this for quite a while now and I always look forward to the updates. š
She’s really hard-hearted! I don’t care how much she thinks it’s “the best for Dreamland”. She’s a heard-hearted b-witch.
Ohhh now -that- sounds plausible… if that was the case she might have even tricked herself into believing banishing Alex from dreamland is for the best– you know? ‘The proper heir is back, Merlin is free and all is finally right with the world’ only she’s blinding herself to the truth that Alex has earned his place here too. Or heck maybe she’ll help Nicodemus trying to achieve her own ends and both brothers must unite to defeat the double threat!
I was thinking the same thing! She has already admitted to an almost obsessive love to Merlin. Perhaps by placing Dan on the throne she can get him back
I’ve gone from being a Niviene supporter to a Niviene detractor. She is really start to get on my nerves with this “holier than thou, duty before self” persona. And it doesn’t right. As everyone else has stated, there has to be some sort of ulterior motive to all this. I would hazard a guess that she has a way to bring Merlin back by getting rid of Alex.
Ah. Thank you.
Would it be possible then, to switch it back and forth between the two of them?
Yeah, this is what I’ve always thought. She’s jealous, and using her hundreds of years of pent-upped-ness to give weight to her high and mighty act.
It’s interesting, because Nimue/Niviene/Niniene/Vivian/whatever was always a character of conflicting images in the Cycles. I thought she was going to come across just as a Big Good character, to contrast with Nick; however, she’s come across as twisted in-parallel to Nick by the events of the end of Arthur’s reign and by the hundreds of years in-between. She might even become an antagonist, should Alex chose not to give up the swordā¦
I believe it was said somewhere along the lines (I think Scott mentioned it in the comments at one point) that if Alex turns over the sword to Dan, it will never again work for Alexā¦
The more and more she pushe o get him out of dreamland the more i feel like she has hidden motives.
I really do wonder if she is somehow in league with Nic (or harboring him somewhere). Lol maybe Nic even promised to help her get merlin back if she got rid of Alex? lol
Kinda hope she gets ett by a sea serpent on the way back to her angst-hole.
Scratch that. Remove the kinda. Just hope she gets ett. Slowly, a morsel at a time. Tailfin first.
Actually I believe Chiron told Alex that after the experiment with Nicole failed.
Excellent point! š
That’s an interesting thought…
In any case, didn’t the sword choose Alex anyway? I’m sure I remember it saying something along the lines of “Alex is the new king of Dreamland.” If Alex is the king, will the sword even approve of switching to Dan? Would Dan even be able to ENTER Dreamland with the sword? Somehow the situation makes a “Change of Command” seem a little more difficult than just handing off the sword, but idk…
Wow…one heck of a way to end the week! š I’m going to hold onto the hope that Niviene is not an evil character as some readers are fearing. If she’s being duplicitous in any way, I’m going to believe that there’s so much more to the story that she’s still not worthy of the hate…at least until Scott discloses otherwise. š
Oooh, not liking the way that sounded. And apparently I’ve got lots of company on that score. Sounds to me like she’s got some coercing in mind. Be careful, Dan. I think she’s going to try to use Nicole to leverage you into doing things her way.
Again, with this woman telling alex to step down??? I think that is a question to ask the sword. not this petty little very old B-Witch.
Good mermaid? Bad mermaid? Treacherous or tricked? Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, we’re #3 at TWC with 7,281 votes, a hair’s width ahead of the current #4 having 7,267 votes and way behind the current #2 that has 8,404. Vote, fellow Dreamies! Every single vote counts. (Stays open on weekends, no extra charge.)
Hmmm. Of course if Niviene is being duplicitous is her story about Merlin completely true? Was or is she really in love with him?
You mean Orion? Or have I got his name wrong? O_o
But yes you’re exactly right, at least that’s the first time I remember someone saying it in as many words.
Also, I totally agree with everyone regarding Niviene having an ulterior motive here. I myself was avoiding that conclusion, preferring to instead assume she was quite bitter (in spite of her feigned sympathy for Nastajia) and was simply using Dan’s lineage (or rather, Alex’s lack of it) as an excuse to vent her frustration. Nasty stuff, but still not indicative of any dastardly plot , as such.
However, this goes beyond that.
In spite of all his deeds, everything Alex has done, she’s practically dismissive of it. We’re talking about someone who literally risked his life for Dreamland, who’s matured a great deal. And when it came to fighting for what he believes in, did not back down, even from a fricking DRAGON!!!! O_O
And as we saw, his armor is super tough, but not invincible.
Yet she doesn’t just want him to leave, she’s practically desperate for him to do so. She doesn’t just want Dan, the ‘true’ King to take his place, she want’s Alex, in her own words, to be DONE with it all, and that’s pretty nasty/vindictive.
How else can one explain the way she practically brushed off the fact they’ve been fighting a war as though it were merely an excuse, a trifle inconvenience delaying the return of a ‘true’ King in Dreamland?
And besides, if it’s so important to her, why has she been sitting on her fishy behind all this time waiting for them to find her, only to act like an impatient child eager for Alex to get lost the moment she does meet them? She be a fishy woman, and that’s not a pun! š
And *I* urge *you*, Niviene, to shut your piehole and freaking DIE!!!
I’m with you. The woman has an ulterior motive.
Someone’s been reading Percy Jackson, eh?
Here we go. http://thedreamlandchronicles.com/the-dreamland-chronicles/chapter-16/page-1320/ I assume this is what you’re referring to? Thanks very much!
Well he can either abdicate the throne or he can do what Ramses did and Arthur tried to do merge the two realms.
That way he can abdicate thew throne AND be with his love everybody wins.
Oh and Daniel when you ascend to the throne do everybody a favor and lock away the nightmare realm FOR GOOD or at least make it so that they canĀ“t enter the real world.
I mean sure it was bad in Ramses day when the nightmare creatures broke through, but back then they didnĀ“t have nukes, tank busters and so forth. I VERY much doubt that anybody in dreamland would want to see both the dreamland and nightmare realm reduced to a Fallout world.
I am beginning to dislike this mermaid. And considering that I like every mermaid I’ve met, that is an undertaking indeed. š
Hmmm. Attila started as a co-king. Romulus and Remus. The Franks did it all the time, as did the Welsh. Which led every few generations to a strong person who killed his relatives to consolidate the kingdom again, like Clovis. I think several Emperors left the throne to co-Emperors, including Constantine–and his sons fought several civil wars. Or Theodosius, who died too early and left two young boys on the thrones of the two halves of the Empire. So, generally, they didn’t work out.
How upset will Niviene be if Alex dares to defy her???
I’m only partly with Niviene. I agree that I don’t think Alex is capable of being the ruler Dreamland needs. So I think he should abdicate, BUT I cannot accept that he must “be done with Dreamland.” There HAS To be some other way.
Perhaps if Arthur’s amulet was recovered, they could fix things to everyone’s satisfaction?
Yes please to this. She makes me want to add more fish to my diet. Like three times a day every day.
You (don’t) snooze, you lose? š
To your last point, perhaps seeing Alex with the sword was the first she knew that a new king had come?
Or Alex declares mermaid sushi the National Food for Dreamland?
I love the genetically incapable line. “I’m sorry about the hard time I’m giving you, but I’m genetically coded to be a complete cow.” “What, to everyone you meet?” “No, just you.”
I don’t think we should fry this fish just yet. She clearly seems to be hiding something, and not being at all polite about hinting that Alex should go, but I’m not convinced it’s for evil or selfish reasons. Perhaps there is some danger in the second born, Alex, holding the kingship? Perhaps he’s making himself a target for the Nightmare Realm, and she doesn’t to see him killed? Perhaps from what little she has now seen of Alex and Dan, she is just convinced that Dan would make a better king and be more likely to find a way to cross between worlds again?
I would be most interested in what Orion would have to say about this. If Alex and Nastajia make it back to land, they can use the teleportation-bag-message-thing to communicate with Dan, who in turn would Neveine, as she indicates she will here.
*prepares to spend another weekend anxiously awaiting what comes next*
That sounds like a very poorly veiled threat. I foresee a fight against Ms Jealousy in the future.
Well, one point I want to raise. Daniel IS the first born, and he should have been the king… BUT he couldn’t because of good ol Nick. So Alex became king in his stead. He was accepted by the sword, the one thing that seems to choose the kings. Now Dan has Excalibur… That was a devise that Merlin created. It doesn’t choose the king, it doesn’t chronicle anything. It is a really sharp sword (most mystical qualities associated with Excalibur, were actually magical properties of its sheath…) and nothing more. My point is, that Dan COULD have been the king of Dreamland, was not chosen due to the spell, and now Alex tries to make him king, since he believes that Dan would make a better king than him. But in reality, he IS the king, and only by his will would he be shut out of Dreamland. And Niviene knows that too. So my guess? According to Arthurian lore, the moment Arthur comes back, Merlin wakes up. And I believe that Dan has something to do with waking Merlin up…
Ladies and Gentlemen…
I love all of this feedback. Thank you.
One thing I want to remind you of:
Niviene is a couple thousand years old….right?
She’s sacrificed HER love for the greater good of both worlds.
She knows a little something about “doing the right thing”.
Now, I may be speaking as a FATHER who happens to have twins (who also happen to have the middle names of Alexander and Daniel…ahem).
But if ONE of my boys was supposed to get something (a gift, a treat, or a special anything) and the OTHER boy happened to get it (even unknowingly)… it’s MY job to set it right.
No matter how “unfair” that may seem to the one child.
The throne was meant for Daniel.
Plain and simple.
Don’t fault Niviene for (bluntly) pointing this out to Alexander and Nastajia.
Of COURSE it’s not what they want to hear. And of COURSE Daniel would never try and separate his brother from Nastajia.
But it IS the right thing to do.
And Alexander and Nastajia (and of course Daniel) WILL have to consider this.
And this is where their story progresses.
Does Alexander relinquish the necklace and never return to Dreamland?
COULD he do that?
Would Nastajia let him?
Does Daniel even WANT this responsibility?
It’s drama. Of course. That’s why I’m writing it this way.
But I’m not sure Niviene should be vilified for pointing out a matter of fact.
YOu can not like her for being BRUTALLY HONEST and COMPLETELY BLUNT in her approach. But… she’s not a bad person….um fish…um…mermaid.
š
I know what you are saying, eventually all the rulers blend into one and it would defenitly get tiresome having to start from square one every 50 years and you would just expect for the new ones to be just as informed experinced as the last one.
I job where part of it involves informing people and at the end of each day the words just blend together and I have to remember to not just snap out the words and forget to say everything. And after talking to 50 or more people it is HARD.
Whoa whoa whoa I am not saying she is inheriantly bad or anything here just sayinf after that scene where she sympathized with Staj I thought she sould at least try to be nicER.
Alex hands over the sword and he never enters Dreamland again so Dan appointing him as regent or whatever would never work but other than that I like where ur head is at.
Narnia was a more innocent world, with very clear-cut good and evil, prophetic centaurs on standby, and built-in divine guidance. Besides this, in Narnia said four sibling sovereigns disappeared from the realm with no heirs, and either left the land in chaos and it got invaded, or it got ruled however many years by their lords, didn’t have much of a military, and then it got invaded. Who knows what would’ve happened between their kids if they’d had any. Still a potentially messy issue.
I’m not HATING her… but whatever she is up to, well-intentioned or not, I think she needs a class in Tact 101.
Now, I’d be far from betting on it as I have seen so indicators of such a twist so far, but if Alex was truly vulnerable to the Nightmare Realm in some way, if his presence was a potential unwilling danger to the realm… that could be quite interesting. Not only in redeeming resident fish-lady, but in providing a challenge for the brothers to overcome on the psychological level, versus the dragon-kicking level.
So… Well-intentioned, no evil scheme conspiracies?
I don’t think anyone faults Niviene for pointing out a matter of fact. Her lack of tact, on the other hand/fin/tentacle…. š
Furthermore, if Daniel is truly “meant” to have the throne, Alex needed to be born to even give Daniel a chance – and it took a thousand years to get everything up to this point. Niviene may want Alex to be done with Dreamland immediately, but Dreamland may not share her opinion. š
On the third hand/fin/tentacle, while we’re playing games of what if, Niviene could be playing Xanatos chess and her seeming hostility to Alex is some kind of reverse psychology to ensure he does something Dreamland needs him to do.
(yes, it’s dragons all the way down) š
Actually I think she might have a thing for Dan, she only got on this “you got to give it up” kick after she met him.
Yep rechecked the whole thing. She only changes gears AFTER she meets Dan. It has been 1000 years. She might just be looking to end her dry spell. š
I gotta disagree about it being the right thing. After the fall of a long-standing dictator, what the Dreamlanders need right now is STABILITY. Not another new ruler.
Aww, no more Conspiracy Fun Time? Ah well, that was fun while it lasted…
Big Evil Plan? I think she is being read too much into at that point.
This part has been gone over several times: If he hands over the sword to Dan who is meant to have it then he will never get to use it or go to Dreamland again but Dan will be able to.
SUPER FREAKED!!!!
Yeah this makes sense and it is probably why Sava is making her seem like such a bad guy tor a awesome but horrifying plot twist.
Yeah I believe so I made a comment like that one a while ago. but I also agree with some other comments that their may be a bad effect by haveing Alex there.
Yup, that’s the one, thanks! ^_^
Perhaps, that would certainly make sense. But I wonder how much of her isolation is deliberate, which would make her attitude quite patronising at the very least. That is to say, she didn’t care enough to actually keep track with what was happening ‘up top’, or to be a part of it in any real way. But the moment they came to her, suddenly it’s of the utmost urgency that Alex scrams.
Anyway I read it, there’s a great deal of selfishness in her attitude that seems to point to something quite dodgy. The BASIS of her argument is solid, no question, but there’s all sorts of holes and conceits in her behavior toward him that don’t bode well.
Then again Niviene is just telling Alex that he’s no longer welcome in Dreamland and defiance will not be tolerated.
I understand where you’re coming from, and of course you ARE the writer here, but the way you’ve written these scenes strongly suggests that Niviene has ulterior motives. Your fans aren’t just speculating for the sake of it. Her repeated urging is suspiciously strong and gets brought up again and again in this space of a single visit to her. This doesn’t just read as blunt or rude.
Your comparison to your children is interesting. A monarchy is not a gift or a treat, it’s a government position that affects the lives of many, many people – even if some of those people are elves and fairies and rock giants. Dreamland is clearly not a totally innocent place that is all fun and games for human children; we’ve seen that there are factions and plots and political problems. This is bigger than “who should have got the toy.” Dan has forged not one but MANY relationships in Dreamland. He is pretty well established as king, with all his strengths and weaknesses, and while uprooting him may be restoring a legacy, it doesn’t seem like it would necessarily be the best choice at this time since Dreamland is already in turmoil. There’s little in the story so far to suggest that bringing Alex in now would be better other than the fact that it is restoring tradition. Tradition itself is not always a good reason to take or refrain from a course of action.
this kind of morality works…. for a while. Life, however, isn’t fair. Westley said it clearly enough: “Life is pain. Anyone who says differently is selling something.”
that being said, even though the crown was meant for Daniel, via the loophole it came to Alex instead, and Alex has proven his worth. you would have Alex negate his gains for the sake of “this is the way it should be.”
niviene is callous, and I hate her for it.
No matter what you say about it Scott, Niviene isn’t my favorite character right now. We’ll have to see how you play it all out š
People don’t forget to vote over the weekend. We’re barely holding on to the third spot. http://topwebcomics.com/vote/4274/default.aspx
I can understand abdicating the throne, but forgetting about dreamland in it’s entirety? That’s just mean.
I’d say her isolation was very deliberate. Staying at the Pool of Ayron was the only way she could keep an eye on the tree where Merlin was encased, while Merlin went to find Arthur, so she didn’t have much choice. She was the ONLY Dreamlander that could do that (notwithstanding what we may learn of the Guardians in coming chapters). It’s not that she actively shunned the rest of Dreamlands and didn’t want to go back, but her duty to the person who was trying to rescue the king of Dreamlands, who also happened to be the person she loved, kept her there. True, she had kept herself isolated prior to meeting Merlin, but given the influence he had on her life, if the Arthur/Nicodemus events had not happened, I think she may have opened up a bit more to the rest of the world.
I have to say, I sided with Niviene up to this point. But her riding around on the same subject matter again and again is a bit rude to me. She should be more gentle. Forcing someone into doing something by chastising them again and again about the same thing only makes them resist and finally revolt. In other words: strong opinions create strong opposite opinions. At least, this is what I believe.
Hi, Scott. And as a parent, I kinda have to disagree with the sentiment that, if one of my children was supposed to get something and the other ended up with it that I would “make it right.” I mean, yeah, it doesn’t seem fair that the first child lost out, but if the second child got it, perhaps it is because the second child was supposed to get it, too, yes? It’d be different if the second child purposely TOOK that thing from the first. But this is different.
Perhaps the brothers are supposed to figure out how to allow open minded adults into Dreamland.
So I hear Nicodemus does a really great mermaid impression…
Face it, Scott.. Niviene is just a big meanie poopie head and there’s nothing you can do about it now!
Just because somebody made a sacrifice doesn’t mean the whole world must promptly make sacrifices on this somebody’s first demand. Either it was her free choice, and then she has to accept others’ right to make their choices, or it wasn’t, and then she’s in no position to force the same losses onto others. She knows a lot, all right. Then the right thing to do would be to share her knowledge and give the parties involved a clear picture of where each choice would lead. At least, that’s what I’m trying to do when I have to urge somebody to make an unpleasant choice. Forcing it onto somebody, if it works at all, wouldn’t result in a conscious choice and a well thought through sacrifice. It would make the person a victim. And that’s what we see happening. Alex is being driven away from Dreamland for no evident reason, being given no explanations other than, ‘I’ve suffered a lot, so you two must suffer as well. Dan’s in, you’re out.’
Probably, later it’ll turn out that she did in fact give everyone involved a lot of explanations. But we don’t know about this yet, so at this point she naturally looks like a cruel old witch wishing to hurt just because she feels hurt.
Oh, surely she means well. No doubt she does. At least 99% of world’s suffering is caused by well-meaning people who think they know better. But it’s going to take a lot to make us believe that she’s actually doing the right thing, I’m afraid.
yeah you’re probably right. š
I’m starting to get the feeling shes not as good as shes meant to be, I think she has ulterior motives to wanting him gone not just jealously, He has a lot of experience in dreamland, if she wanted to do something like Nick it would benefit her to have him gone
She’s old, right? That sounded like a “Get off my lawn!” …
Next panel: Niv swimming out of sight to a remote cave where we see old Nico recouping from his wounds. The plan is laid out, she gets to guilt trip Alex into giving up the sword so an inexperienced Daniel who has never been to dreamland (so cannot use even a quarter of Alexs abilities even half as well) so Nico can make a bid for the throne again. In return Nico and his nightmare buddies will ‘free’ Merlin.
This whole setup just stinks of Nicos usual planning.
Hmmm… Maybe my brain is faulty and I’m too lazy to bounce back and check at the moment… But did anyone actually *tell* Niviene that Dan was the older one of the twins? I’m kind of curious as to exactly how she knew Dan was the “rightful heir” if it never came up. Does anyone recall off the top of their head?
Also, I know my opinion counts for crap, but as has been said before – being firstborn doesn’t make anyone the rightful king. It made him an heir-apparent, but circumstances dictated that Alex take the throne. It’s happened in history, though this is an instance where both are living and on good terms. It seems a bit presumptious of anyone to say “Sorry, but this wasn’t meant for you so get out.”
The sword made the call given the situation at the time. Regardless of whether or not Dan can get in now, the people of Dreamland have been told that Alex is their new king. “Oh, wait, we made a mistake” doesn’t seem to cover it and, for simple (human or dreamlander) people, that’s how it’s going to come across.
You mean “gripping hand”? (Thank you, Niven and Pournelle)
It may be extremely arrogant – and foolish – to argue with a writer’s views on one of this characters, but if you will indulge me, sir…
She may be extremely old and knowledgeable, but we’ve seen what happened when another old and learned Dreamlander decided HE knew what was best for everyone and would let nothing stand in his way. Unlike Nic Niviene may not have started a war, killed everyone who disagreed with her, and ruled Dreamland as a tyrant for centuries, but she IS telling everyone what they should do and demanding they do it. Even though A) It’s not really her choice, and B) she may be wrong. In A)’s case, Alex has to chose to give up the Throne and Sword, and Daniel has chose to to accept them. Unless both conditions are met, Daniel cannot be King. She can advise this happen; she can suggest; but she cannot dictate (especially mainly just to Nastajia) without appearing arrogant and foolish, herself. These are THEIR decisions, not hers, and they have to make them, themselves, for the good OF themselves and those they care for. Not according to the fiat of some strange woman lyin’ in a pond distributin’ swords as a basis for supreme executive power. Her attitude rankles. And second, while YOU know how the process of selecting the king of Dreamland works, we – and perhaps Niviene – do not. The joker here is the same thing that messed up the plans of not mice and men, but rather dragons and Abaddons: Alex and Daniel’s twinship. This has apparently never happened before, and while Daniel is regarded as King because he was first down the birth canal (or, if a caesarian delivery, the first one the doctor grabbed), that does not mean Alex – thick headed but stout hearted, and willing to fight and die for his love and adopted home – was not ACTUALLY meant to be the King and lost out because of positioning. Unless Niviene knows the truth of this beyond all dispute, she is not pointing out a matter of fact but rather her belief. And she should perhaps dial it back a bit. Because being wrong in this matter would not be good for anyone, in or out of Dreamland…
Oh … the drama!
Oh … the suspense!
Scott, thanks for the insight in Niviene. It definitely makes sense, and fits what has happened.
I can’t wait for the “aha” moment when we understand how this all fits together!
I think it was established, or at least, understood, that she was told off-camera about Dan being the firstborn.
Having said that, she is indeed coming across as rather pushy, when the sword itself did indeed select Alex as King. I don’t see that she has any authority to dispute the sword’s call on that matter.
Like eee said:
WARNING: DIARRHEA OF THE KEYBOARD FOLLOWS…
Well, that’s what we’re here for…
Or maybe she’s turned somewhat bitter from the experience, and it does not sit well with her that anyone else who would face a similar choice would choose differently, because she happens to believe that the hard choice is the right choice.
There’s a world of difference between saving a toy, or something or other special for a kid, and being selected as king of a country, especially when you have nothing to do with the selection itself.
You, as a father, would have to look at how the second kid managed to obtain the “thing” in question, and decide whether there was foul play, and what the consequences are of taking said “thing” away from the second kid to give it to the first kid.
In this instance, however, the one in charge, so to speak, is the sword, and it has already decided that Alex is king. Regardless of whether it should have been someone else, that’s what is, now. And he has grown into that role, and has worked to the best of his ability to fill some pretty big shoes (notwithstanding the fact that the armor is set to magically fit him…) The fact remains that Dan would never even have had a chance at becoming king, had not Alex become king first. There are times when the right course of action is definitely not fair for all parties involved. The fact that Alex has been selected as king, unwittingly, on his part, is actually the right course of actions to finally set Dreamland back on track to having a king instead of a tyrant and despot. It may be “unfair” to Dan, but Dreamland would still be under Nicodemus’ rule, had it not been for Alex being at the right place, at the right time… and his willingness to put his life on the line for Dreamland.
On whose say so? (Aside from yours, of course…) Niviene certainly is not in charge of anything, there. She is merely a magically powerful being, who helped Merlin become more acquainted with Dreamland, and who watched/helped him try a desperate measure to help save his king.
Yes. Now that the option is available, they will have to make a choice in that matter. And it won’t be an easy one to make.
And we love you for it! š
Conspiracy theories aside, I do believe she believes what she says is the right thing to do. She may be mistaken, and time will tell, but she does believe it to be the truth.
Of course, that still does not change the fact that she is so blunt that something smells rather… fishy about her… even if it turns out that she is on the up and up.
Dear Scott,
Sometimes characters seem to develop a mind of their own and stories deviate from their authors planned course. Niviene is clearly swimming upstream here. This might be your intended result, but It will be interesting to see how this subplot works out. Will you get enough characters working together to make dreamland become reasonably safe and stable? Or will the competing factions destroy dreamland and each other as they fight over it? And what of Arthur’s dream of allowing humans in? Considering how we treat our own planet, I can’t see that working at all.
^^This good sir this^^
/sigh I so want one of my D&D Characters to step in here…the spells he would use would not be nice but we would know right then and there the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
I am thinking about going on a sushi-only diet, I eat many times a day, very high energy output.
Your comic, your choice.
That said:
respectfully disagreeree! It is not a treat. Would yseparateate one of your son’s from the one they love? If you would, I feel worried. If that was just a poor example I feel relieved. I respectfulbelieveive that you should refrain frpersonalnal examples and not respond perceivedved attacks. These are people who have been filled with passion about your work.
What the heck? That was bad and I don’t know what happened?
Siblings in royal families who stand to inherit the throne tend to kill off older and younger siblings, both male and female who stand in their way to rule. This is either done by them through assassins, or by their own hand. Poison, dagger through the heart, insane horse, the list is endless.
Merlin went insane from what I remember of the Arthurian legend, and tore the round table apart with his quest for the Holy Grail, only one knight survived and lived to see the destruction of everything Arthur fought for. If you read the books, then read between the lines of Merlin’s imprisonment by Morgan Le Fey, when he was freed he was completely set to destroy what he had a hand in building. The Lady of The Lake was imprisoned by Merlin before he was imprisoned.
I just don’t see why she’d be so adamant about Alex relinquishing the throne unless something else is going on, especially now that she’s brought it up once again. I know Alex isn’t exactly what one thinks of when they think of ‘king material,’ but it’s more than that. Also, Dan might have been the one supposed to rule Dreamland, but circumstances handed the throne to Alex. Alex’s being king, in my mind, is just as valid; the sword chose him, the people have chosen him, he helped free Dreamland from Nicodemus(or did he? Dundundun…). Dan had been there to help, but he hasn’t done the same things Alex has.
So I think Dan becoming king must be very directly related to Niviene getting Merlin back. Perhaps Nic, or some other ill-meaning force, promised to return Merlin to her in return for her ‘wise intervention’ with Alex. If I’d been many hundreds of lonely years without my loved one, I’d be willing to do just about anything to get them back, too.
wait wait wait. you INTENDED this badly written character to be a foreshadowing (blunt instrument that it is) of the “right way” to end the story? WHAT? All these years in real time, I’ve spent caring about the main characters and you, at the end of the story no less, introduce a character whose sole purpose is to inform the readers that Alex is going to have an unhappy ending simply because she says so? WHY? Why would you do this?
What’s the point in even reading more? The story is over, you just ended it. I mean Dan wasn’t even a main character until a few chapters ago. Your explanation just now told us that you never intended to allow Alex to persist in this world. This isn’t drama, its bad writing. Its drama like 80’s “Days of Our Lives” is drama. Contrived drivel.
Now, now, let’s not be hasty! We don’t know yet what Scott has in mind… For the last little while, we have been seeing that there are, indeed, ways to cross over into Dreamland, other than through the sword… so it could be that Dan becomes king, and finally dreams for the first time in his life, while Alex takes an “extended vacation” into Dreamland, and actually marries Nastajia!
We just don’t know. Scott has been known to be all twisty-like before, so let’s not count him out yet. There is plenty of opportunity for drama left, here.
Let’s disagree, let’s speculate, let’s even dislike Niviene, but let us remain civil and polite about it!
I have this disturbing feeling that she’s in cahoots with Nicodemus. Whether he manipulated her or she has her own motives is another matter. I just hate her so much. I think I’m off to deep fry some fish fingers for lunch >:)
I agree with Desmond.
Been reading for a long time just want to say awesome comic and thank you all for working hard on it. I know we are all mad Niviene [I don’t see her as evil, it’s just how she sees that need to be in her view (agreeing with Scott its for the Drama) ] and sad for Alex. but I most sad for the kids who never can return to see their friends in Dreamland. It’s just too sad as it is. However I would love to see Dan finally get into Dreamland, again poor Alex and Dan. As kids they would of had an awesome time with everyone. š Hopefully that happens.
“Thereās a world of difference between saving a toy, or something or other special for a kid, and being selected as king of a country, especially when you have nothing to do with the selection itself.
You, as a father, would have to look at how the second kid managed to obtain the āthingā in question, and decide whether there was foul play, and what the consequences are of taking said āthingā away from the second kid to give it to the first kid.
In this instance, however, the one in charge, so to speak, is the sword, and it has already decided that Alex is king. Regardless of whether it should have been someone else, thatās what is, now. And he has grown into that role, and has worked to the best of his ability to fill some pretty big shoes (notwithstanding the fact that the armor is set to magically fit himā¦) The fact remains that Dan would never even have had a chance at becoming king, had not Alex become king first. There are times when the right course of action is definitely not fair for all parties involved. The fact that Alex has been selected as king, unwittingly, on his part, is actually the right course of actions to finally set Dreamland back on track to having a king instead of a tyrant and despot. It may be āunfairā to Dan, but Dreamland would still be under Nicodemusā rule, had it not been for Alex being at the right place, at the right timeā¦ and his willingness to put his life on the line for Dreamland.”
I completely agree with you here, Lake_Wrangler. I’d like to add on top of this that Niviene is completely discounting the fact that Dreamland has become Alex’ “second home” so to speak. Dan’s ONLY contact up to that point was through Alex’ descriptions of this wondrous place that he believed to be nothing more than a long series of really *awesome* dreams. Dreams worthy of him writing down Alex’ experiences as he was told them.
That being said, Niviene is not just asking Alex and Staj to give up their love for each other, she’s also asking him to give up the world that was part of his childhood. A place he came to love very much. A place that he FOUGHT for to free it from tyranny. In all of these things, she has no right nor privilege to make any kind of demands.
On top of all of that, she’s being HIGHLY disrespectful to royalty – not just Alex but Staj as well. If she’d copped even a tiny bit of this kind of attitude in a royal court, she’d have faced harsh punishment… no matter the fact she’s one of the mer-folk. Being an immortal know-it-all does not entitle her to be rude in the very face of the man who, despite her claims of not being the rightful king, IS the current ruler of the realm.
This fits in with the other mentions of her having some sort of ulterior motive for wanting Alex gone. If Merlin left/encased himself in a tree for the sole purpose of “searching for the king of Dreamland” then if Dan took the throne it might auto-trigger some sort of retrieval spell to bring him back to flesh and blood form.
Second that. There ain no need to take this personally. Let the story entertain you, enjoy good times and bad times with the author and his characters, speculate and argue about the plot – but please don’t throw a tantrum or be rude. It’s just not called for. ^^
Thirded.
There are a lot of people not happy with this scenario, but you don’t see them tossing around insults towards Scott’s storytelling ability. Niviene isn’t badly written, but she isn’t very consistent at the moment. I’m chalking that up to the fact that she is tail-dragging tired from the spell that allowed Felicia and Nicole to see each other again.
No, I don’t like her, but methinks ye take it a wee bit too far.
Dan not a main characters? The brother who is pivotal in this whole story? The one who WROTE THE STRATEGY that won the war against Nicodemous? Man. I’m not sure we’re reading the same thing.
As a person who also values fairness, I understand Niviene, though she is very harsh, blunt and not very nice about it. Maybe someone was that way with her back in the day…maybe even Merlin. Maybe it was that kind of voice that made her look beyond her own selfishness for the good of others.
I LOVE the fact that Scott has thrown in an “impossible” truth for our hero. Anyone who thinks that is the end of it hasn’t watched very many movies or read very many books. All of the best stories require sacrifice from the hero, otherwise, what’s the point? Just hearts and flowers and kisses and love? Cardboard cut outs of Dan and Nicole that are just stepford-wife happy-dappy for Alex and Nastajia to live happily ever after with both Dreamland and Earth at their beck and call? No! I want a deeper, more compelling story. And Scott is working hard to make it that.
Thank you, Scott, for the years of blood, sweat and tears that you’ve put into bringing us this amazing story. *hug*
You got Dan and Alex mixed up, I think. Otherwise I agree with everything you’ve said 100%
Hmmm… Y’know, if they could manage to find and repair (or possibly recreate) the portal that the Egyptians used to cross between worlds, it could solve this problem right quick. And I’ve gotta say, I doubt Scott would introduce it as a throw-away plot device, not when it allows more adults than the reigning King of Dreamland to live there, and the current problem of Dan being the rightful heir who can only enter Dreamland if Alex gives up what he believed to be his only way of continuing the life he’s built for himself in Dreamland. And Alex has far less tying him to Earth than Dan does, so there’s that.
worked in narnia except that whole part where Edmund betrayed everyone before he even became a king. (and Peter was still High King, not a equal)
Man, I could really go for a tuna sandwich all of a sudden. Mmmm, that’s good witch. P:
Didn’t the sword state Alex, ipso facto, was king.