Page 866…
Happy Monday all!
Hope you moms out there had a wonderful Mothers Day yesterday.
Today’s page gets some thanks in part to you guys.
Considering the comments I got on Friday’s page. Regarding the island Tehalihwa’khwa and the location of the Centaur tablet.
You guys commented that it’s kind of an easy place for Nicodemus to find the tablet. Right there in the open.
My thoughts were that it’s within a tent and such (as you guys can see there’s drapery and what not up there) and Nicodemus has only heard “rumors” that these tablets exist. Not until the end of the last chapter where he says “So…it IS true.” does he actually believe it.
So really he wasn’t looking for them. BUT…since I’m not going to be around to TELL everyone who reads the Dreamland Chronicles every time someone buys the book….I thought I’d add a bit to the dialog.
Originally…the page read as such…
ALEXANDER
You…you know where your tablets are?
Then he thinks some more.
ALEXANDER
Who told you we were even LOOKING for them?
ORION
The princess. Nastajia.
ORION
She told me of your quest. And how Nicodemus now has the Amulet that locates each tablet.
He looks down.
ALEXANDER
Of…of course.
So you can see above I’ve added a bit….while still hopefully keeping along the lines of what is in my script.
Let me know if it makes sense.
I was considering adding the obvious question of “Why don’t you get KIWI to get the tablet?” tomorrow.
I still might. But I’m working on it not sounding dorky.
THe point is…Tehalihwa’khwa was always supposed to be a goal for Alexander. Something for him to work towards. It’s not that no one can get to it. Obviously the fairies and many other creatures in Dreamland can get to it. And the fairies no doubt would have helped the Centaurs get the tablet there in the first place.
It’s just something for him to work towards.
But the great thing about having you guys read along while I work on pages ahead is…
You can tell me what works and what doesn’t. Then I go with my gut and decide what I’d like to change and what I’d like to keep.
I like this. So thank you all.
Now it’s up to you to tell me if my changes are stupid or not….OK?
🙂
OK…in other news…
I did a few sketch cards for the March of Dimes. It’s a great charity. So please feel free to bid…or tell someone you think might want to. Thanks.
This is my LAST week of updating 3 days a week.
I’ve now got 18 pages rendered…and by the end of this week…I hope to have 30. So starting next week…we go back to our regularly scheduled 5 days a week updates.
Thank you all for your patience and support.
Have a wonderful day.
Scott
I’m guessing the tablets would be too heavy for Kiwi to lift on her own. And since there’s really not enough time to go get the other citizens of her village, well… Alex must do it. Uh… so there?
Me likely. I think the improved dialog works better. I can’t wait to see what he has to do to learn to fly. As for that why can’t you get kiwi to do it… Have him do it as a freak out lol. He still has that going off cliff + falling = death thing on his mind. I’d freak out too.
I haven’t commented here before, but i just wanted to say that i wish i was in dreamland. It’s just so magical!
I think it works! I mean, it makes sense to me…
I think the dialog you used is better than the old one. It makes everything clear. Great work and thanks for listening to us! /Maren
The tablets can be too heavy and it could also have something to do with the fact that he is the “human king” so he has some magical mystical right to touch them, etc… I realize there are loose ends around that idea, but that’s what you’re here for! ;c)
I’ve been reading this comic actively for about the last five hundred pages (I think, haven’t really been keeping track), and I gotta say, I really love this thing. Great writing, great story, great characters. Fresh, fun, and generally unlike most other stuff (even the good stuff!) you see out there.
Sorry. Had to give my praise first off. 😛
But, one thing I don’t get…
Alex’s friends… they can fly too, right? I mean, I get that this is a test and all, but with Nicodemus running about (or, more to the point *flying* about), shouldn’t one of them go and hide the tablets, and then Alex have his quest somewhere else?
ಠ_à²
Am I missing something here?
>_>
Sorry. Somehow the news post didn’t appear for me.
*Coughs, pushes post under rug*
The changes make much more sense because it’s how -I- would’ve responded too 🙂 The original text didn’t make Alexander sound as intelligent and I like him to have a bit of sense!
Well….since Kiwi can lift Alex when she’s flying, I don’t think the tablets are too heavy…but maybe Kiwi’s not around…maybe she went back to her village for a short time, for some reason…
Btw, I like the revised version of the dialogue better.
I agree with Limax… Kiwi’s too small to get the tablets by herself, and there’s not enough time to notify more pixies! There ya go. I think the new dialogue works.
@Nex Terren – keep in mind, unless the Dreamlander has wings like Nico or Kiwi, they can only fly if a flying human takes them along.
Alex also needs to relearn to fly so they aren’t always traveling overland everywhere. And so I can see a flying, dancing rock giant.
The tablet is obviously bound to the rock by the same magick that bound the sword initially. So only the one true King … or whoever posesses the sword, will have the ability to move the tablet.
Apart from considerations of whether or not Kiwi is capable…
1) the tablet is hidden in plain sight.
2) the tablet is inaccessable without flight.
3) Does the tablet have a guardian beast of some sort that will emerge and attack someone who tries to get the tablet?
Yeah, sure, flying is cool and all. It may even be a difficult challenge for Alex to master. But maybe he needs to relearn not only how to fly but also how to fly in dangerous combat scenarios, especially if he’s going to take on Nicodemus one day. I wanna see Alex the flying swordsman, a match for the flying dragon. Hence, a flying guardian beast for which the centaur can control or deactivate but which needs to be aggressive so Alex can learn to overcome this challenge with skills he needs to relearn.
I like the new dialogue alot better, it adds a sense of urgency.
Also, Alex HAS to get the tablets himself because his JOURNEY is as important as his DESTINATION. And he doesn’t take the right path on his journey, he will not be prepared for what he will face when he reaches his final destination.
Well if the Amulet finds the Tablets by homing in on them moving it isn’t really going to help…..If the Amulet is just a map then it should be an easy thing to hide it….
I don’t think the tablet being too heavy is a valid theory, Kiwi has show strength before:
http://thedreamlandchronicles.com/?p=513
http://thedreamlandchronicles.com/?p=627
maybe there is another reason Kiwi, cannot such as only the bearer of the sword of kings can move it.
anyway, to me the line should read something like: Why can’t Kiwi do it?
Unless it’s not strength, but magic, that allows her to move the tablets?
Being mystical, enchanted, guarded sources of lost knowledge, it would make sense to give them some sort of immunity to magic, even benign ones such as a levitation or weightlessness spell. Human flight is an ability used on self and others, with no known limitations on number of fliers. One or several centaur could fly alongside Alex and pick up the tablets from strength alone.
It doesn’t really explain why they don’t just build a bridge to the island, but on the other hand, they only just learned that Nicodemus is looking for the tablets. Bridge wasn’t a priority before, I’m guessing.
Still, it would make sense for Alex to ask these questions. Clearly he’s more than a little worried about messing up flying somehow, and would probably look for a way out, lol.
Its a day late but Happy Mother’s Day to Donna!
Maybe Kiwi can get it, but Orion is insisting that Alex get it on his own. It definetely adds an urgency and a purpose to Alex learning to fly instead of convience to get from one place to another. I trust Alex shall put all his efforts in learning how to fly even with the knowledge that others can get the tablet ASAP.
Yeah, I think the new dialogue is much better! It explains a little more, and adds a bit more tension which wouldn’t have been present with the old dialogue. Good Work, Scott!
I saw those cards over at DA! Great work, and amazing when one considers the mediums you used!
Hi all….
Thanks so much for the feedback.
Some thoughts…
1) True. THe Amulet will find the tablets WHEREVER they are.
2) Maybe it’s more important for Alexander to read the tablets before Nicodemus finds them?
3) Can Alexander even read it? SO far…every tablet has been written in a native language.
4) If Orion doesn’t have a good reason to send Kiwi NOW…and something happens to the tablet before Alex can get to it…then he’s going to look pretty stupid.
5) If the Amulet is going to help Nicodemus find the Tablet. And Alex brings it to say…Orion’s tent. Then Nicodemus is going to track it to his tent. Bringing fire down on his village surely. That may not be the smartest thing to do.
So I have a lot of loose ends to wrap up. Some I’m sure I can get away with by ignoring them. But I like things to hopefully be clean.
I’ll keep thinking. Thanks for the input.
There could be a magic force field that keeps magic out. That way… Kiwi would be restricted and Alex would have to remove his sword to enter. I imagine that Nicodemus would be strong enough to break the force field himself.
I was considering adding the obvious question of “Why don’t you get KIWI to get the tablet?†tomorrow.
While the weight might not be a problem (I seem to remember Kiwi carrying Alex at some point), there’s the “how does she hold it” aspect to consider as well. These tablets are huge, and poor kiwi would probably have a hard time actually finding somewhere that she could grip it to lift it up.
Ever tried to pick up a queen sized air mattress by yourself? It’s not heavy, but darn if it doesn’t keep slipping out of your hands, not to mention you can’t see and it strains your muscles awkwardly, etc. etc. etc.
It’s like that.
I’ve been looking forward to this update ever since Friday. 😀 HAZZAH!
In any case, the tablet is kind of just an excuse to force Alex to face his fear of flying, right? I’m sure if the centaurs know where the tablet is, and how to get to it, that they also know what’s written on it. It’s not like the other tablets, which are hidden away or only accessible to other people. The centaurs strike me as the type of civilisation that would keep an extensive verbal history as well.
Hehe.. you could even have him take off his “magic” armor. So that when Alex learns to fly, he will realize that it was by his own intent as opposed to his armor/weapon.
Sure, the amulet can Find the tablets, but everyone knows that only a human, someone In Dreamland that’s not From Dreamland, can actually remove them from their super special secret ‘tablet container thingie”. I think that’s the uber-technical term for it.
Or something like that. Otherwise we’re about to have the Unladen Swallows Carrying a Coconut discussion. And tablets don’t have husks, even though it’s not a question of where he grips it. See, it’s already started.
Well I don’t think they need to make an excuse as to why Kiwi can’t do it. Kiwi knows that it’s very important for Alex to fly and the only way he’s gonna do that is if he HAS to. This is HIS trial not Kiwi’s. He has to face his fears and Kiwi is not gonna be his “enabler” 😉 What she can do is give Alex confidence and emotional support and in case he does fall to his doom she will be his backup. So in my opinion Kiwi can be his escort to the tablet but isn’t allowed to help him unless it’s truly necessary. Alex can not always cheat by using Kiwi. He needs to learn how to do things on his own. The easy way is not always the best way, especially if people’s lives depend on it. Also, Kiwi doesn’t even have to be there at all. She can just refuse to do it so that Alex has no other choice BUT to do it. xD lol
Oh and moving the tablet from an inaccessible area where it can not be defended is a very good idea. It’s better to move it to a safe-secure area then leaving it out in the open where any flying creature can get to it.
— Okay I’m done 😉
lol
Didn’t Kiwi help Alex fly since he got to Dreamland? It took a really long time for them to get anywhere if I remember correctly though…. Because she’s so tiny
Well, it has been stated before that dreamland people can fly with the aid of a human who can fly…so perhaps the centaurs need Alex to learn how to fly so that they can go with him to help move the tablet…you know, what with the extreme difficulty of climbing straight up the rock face with hooves.
I like the idea of having to move the tablet to a more secure location, so that when Nic the Dragon uses the amulet to find the tablet, it can be more readily defended. However, what’s to stop the centaurs from taking it a step further and setting a trap for ol’ Nic?
I think stripey’s got a good point. Maybe Orion can mention that Kiwi’s already tried to move it. Or, sneaky sneaky, they’ve already moved it to a secure location, and their point is to get Alex to fly.
Or we could just…um…temporarily maim kiwi so alex has to do it. I mean…that would have worked better if she’d been injured along with Felicity in the last section, but eh…what can you do?
The tablets don’t have to be “tablets”. In the water kingdom they were written on the walls of the cave.
On another note, what is the name of the character in your second sketch card? I used to have him when I was a kid. I’d love to search some info on it.
The way I see it, neither Kiwi nor Alex will probably be able to read the tablet even if they could get to it. The reason they need Alex to fly is so that his flight aura could allow not only his friends but also Orion or the Centaurs most learned member to read and translate it, as each other culture required. hm… but then couldn’t Kiwi just carry the translator there? *thinks* Alex and Nastajia would still have to come along to hear the translation (I imagine it’d be tough for anyone to remember it word for word on the whole way back and to translate it on top of that), and the round trips needed to bring 3 or more people could take too long and wear poor Kiwi out… especially if Nico is hot on their heels. Also, Kiwi can’t help Alex cheat either ‘cuz his flight is what they need to let the others fly.
As for moving… So far, we haven’t seen much about the other tablets being moved–in fact, were any of the tablets ever moved to where they are, or made there in-place? It doesn’t sound like moving one was ever an easy task. I’d sooner believe moving them is impossible, either magically or otherwise, requiring some difficult, lengthy ritual which makes the possibility of moving it moot (and dangerous as it can be found anyway). Why was it put out there in the first place, then? Destiny and prophetic foretelling, I would imagine, intended and expected it to be a test for their king ever since it was made. Plus it was out of the way and safe from being a tourist attraction with visitors everyday. 😛 Step right up, but watch out for that first one!
Sorry for the double post… I wanted to also say the dialogue edit works great, with the possible exception to Orion suggesting moving it instead of reading it.. perhaps ending “… and to help us get to it, you must first learn to fly.”
By the way, wow… 18 pages… 30 by the end of the week? I thought you were taking it easy! O.o; I wish I could have stamina like yours. It is truly a precious rarity.
Hmm….
Good points all…
Maybe I will change it from needing to “move” it…to needing Alex to fly a team over.
That’s a feasible reason. Right?
Not sure if this has been mentioned yet… but if Kiwi has been seen to carry Alex before, make sure that he doesn’t have the option of simply having Kiwi carry him over this time- that’s what I first thought!
Maybe (apart from the locals/natives and people of the King’s power) only the holder of the sword can come close to the tablets? Nic could break through the magic barrier and maybe centaurs are immune to it, which would be a reason why it got there in the first place. I’m rusty on my DLC lore right now, but you know what I mean, I think? After all, the centaurs seem to place some emphasis on the mystical/magical, so for their tablet to be protected in plain sight seems plausible to me. Also, they have then a reason to be concerned for Nic’s coming: they trust their barriers (or the barrier) but they know how powerful it is. Therefore they need the chosen one (Alex) to fetch it for them. The barrier also eliminates the Kiwi problem.
Seeing as this is Alex’s quest, I’d recommend against the whole “team” idea. Seems a bit gimmicky to me. Then again, I’m sure if you go with it you’ll manage to pull it off. My ideas are also rough and just meant to prompt the wheels in your mind!
If Nicodemus (can’t spell it probably) suddenly comes looming on the horizon… could be a case of flight or fight!
Hehehe Or he brings the tablet over, someone there translates it then they fly it over a real deep part of an ocean and let it go…..Let Nic have to work to try and get it 😉
What if the tablet wasn’t a tablet? What if it was written on some sort of animal hide? Therefor moving it wouldn’t be a problem weight wise. Also, it wouldn’t be readily what Nic would be looking for if they were to roll it up and stash it somewhere.
love how this chapter’s starting. and btw, it read pretty well but the ‘of’ in “too hard of a” is redundant, although i think you guys say that a lot in america?
http://franky-boom.mybrute.com
too cool for school guys
Ah yes. Centaur logic.
Okay, no pressure then Alex ^_^
yeah that makes a lot of since because doesn’t the princess read like all the dreamland languages. If Alex can learn how to fly he can take Paddington and her there.
Very good and comprehensive. Also attachs to earlier story, and has very much compressed info. Keep the new!
Love the changes! You rock, seriously. 🙂
Why does there have to be only one tablet? How large is it? The fairy’s have superhuman strength from what we have seen so far, but the elven tablet was much smaller than the cave wall version, or the giant drarven one. It makes sence that the ruins themselves could be the tablet. It also makes sense that if a race knows about their tablet, they can make copies at will. I would think that since the princess suggest he was going to learn to fly when they got there, that the “need” for him to fly out is more about him than about the tablet itself. It could also be for the sake of the DragonKing. If the hero is made to beleive it, then if it is destroyed by the Dragon King, he too will believe it. Also, since it is the original, it is the only one that the amulet can find.
I just noticed the changes from when I read it a few days ago, and I like them. It puts fewer demands on the next panel. There can still be more than one tablet for a people that have always known about theres and could copy it. The amulet should still only know about the one in plain site, and it would still be the most likely target for big N. Just a thought.
wmInFT comment1 ,
i dont know why but i really wanna poke the centaurs bellybutton
I think the new dialog resolves the issue well.