With three out of the seven comics I’m following on hiatus, this roundup is going to be on the shorter side. I admit, having a little break is nice
To Catch a Star | Page(s): 519, 520, 521, 522 | Patreon
As Lupi is transported to the next area after claiming the star, the Supernova arrive moments later. Scorch purposefully crushes the moon flower underfoot as he growls in frustration at having just missed the sun. The rest of his pack declare that the situation is hopeless. Their leader turns to snarl at them as he calls the group “faithless.” The moon will reappear, and the Supernova will have the advantage because they know where the moon will be when it revives its vessel. The wish can’t be made without the moon, so the sun will eventually have to come back to them. Ignoring the conversation, Hearth sniffs the ground for Backlash’s scent. He’s worried at only smelling Lupi’s scent. As the rest of the Supernova leave, he stays behind.
The new place Lupi has teleported to is cloaked in mists with an eerie twilight sky. Their colors are partially between their day and night forms. The sun wolf looks on sadly at the expanse of forest below them. Lupi inhales and exhales sharply before descending into the woodlands. Along the way, they spot a Lost rabbit and realize they’re hungry. Pinning their ears back, the sun mutters to themselves to quiet down before they scare their potential meal off. They begin to stalk the rabbit.
First, Scorch is an asshole. He couldn’t even leave the moon’s flower be. He simply had to crush it. I’m just hoping Lupi can collect the stars and get to the moon wolf before the Supernova. Even though Hearth was concerned about confirming if Backlash (and Shadow) were still alive, I’m sure he was passively listening to Scorch’s decree. What I’m hoping is that he’ll go after Lupi, confirm the fate of Backlash and Shadow, then he’ll warn the sun about what his pack has planned.
As for Lupi, I’m not sure what they’re going to do next– other than collecting the final star that is. Curiously enough, they’ve come a long way in their development. They’re speaking in complete sentences now and can refer to themselves in second-person pronouns. I’m guessing sharing memories with the Moon has helped them regain a lot of what they lost. I just hope they’re able to reach the final star without too many setbacks. Though one stray thought has struck me. Can Lupi actually hunt? Shadow and Backlash did most of the hunting for them. Even if Hearth joins up with them, he can’t hunt either. Yeah, I’m thinking finding this star is going to be more complicated without capable friends to rely on.
The Order of the Black Dog | Issue 28, Page 7 | Patreon
Before the test actually begins, we have a flashback to an earlier scene. Dr. Xijo is explaining the Shankar Amplifier to a group of scientists during a presentation. The Martian tells his audience that the amplifier is complete, and the first mobile prototype will be ready before their deadline. The experiments have been successful, and candidates are being chosen for pilot testing. Furthermore, the tests they’ve run have confirmed a long-held theory by scientists on Mars. The elusive particle that Earthlings call “Shankar Radiation” is only present around living, thinking creatures. If someone is stressed or under duress, the intensity of the particles emitted grows. The Shankar Amplifier can amplify those signals in a waveform pattern, but only when they come from a thinking person. In other words, Shankar Radiation is a form of psychic energy.
We actually don’t know much about Shankar Radiation in this story, but it has been mentioned. I always thought it was noise created by the gods on Earth in order to give the Black Idol form in the shape of people. As we’ve seen, the absence of Shankar Radiation can cause people to turn into, or revert to smaller pieces of the Black Idol. If you’ll remember in Issue 19, Sedjet entered a chamber that cancelled all Shankar Radiation noise, and he immediately transformed. It was also the absence of Shankar Radiation that caused Julia to partially transform while she spent time off planet. She admitted it herself– The Black Idol wasn’t on the planet or in the water. Which means again, it was the lack of this Shankar Radiation.
So I’m going to toss out a quick theory. The gods on Earth allowed people to gain individual forms and keep them by using Shankar Radiation. It’s psychic energy that gives people the ability to think and have individuality. It might be the key to stopping The Black Idol. Maybe. As for this story, the Shankar Amplifier might be a way for the people of Earth to safely travel off-world without experiencing the nasty side effects of being without Shankar Radiation. This is what the tests will confirm– if supporters of The Black Idol don’t sabotage the group again.
Golden Shrike | Page(s): 270 | Patreon
Nero and Runi muse on the moon being Karuna’s unblinking eye. If deer want to do something wicked that they don’t want god to see, perhaps they can do so during a new moon. During the day might work as well. Boneslav thinks about it before agreeing with the siblings. Kasko jokes that cracked the case as Nero chuckles in reply. Turning the subject to something a tad more serious, Runi has the impression that the great deer god doesn’t interact with his creations the way he used to. She asks if Boneslave knows anything about it since they seem to be a lot closer to the gods than anyone else they’ve met. Helevise being the exception. Boneslav admits his father used to tell stories of the old times and how they came to be. The group turns to the Stonekrovn buck as they implore him to tell the story.
I’m starting to wonder if there’s any truth to Nero and Runi’s conversation as Karuna did interact with Nero at night. As for the rest of the page, I’m curious to what the Stonekrovn know and how their stories will differ from the rest of deerkind. It’s ironic though. Both the Marshlanders and Stonekrovn are reclusive and keep mostly to themselves. Yet one group (the Marshlanders) is ignorant or doesn’t follow Karuna’s teachings, while the Stonekrovn are still very close to their creator.
Marduk tells Rhov and Feaf that they’re unable to create their own offspring, but there are other ways. Rhov asks if it’s the spirits, but Marduk clarifies that it’s actually the gods. Through science, they can create a new hybrid species that shouldn’t exist according to the laws of nature. Even so, those hybrids can be an improvement of the species it originated from. The former Sky God still has connections, and can help the pair conceive children that will carry both feline and canine blood.
Feaf immediately says “no,” and Rhov states that the Asmundr pack has always adopted those in need. If it’s meant to be, he and Feaf can do the same. Marduk states he understands, but asks the couple to think about it. Before he leaves, he notices the Rokrhunds are close. Perhaps they should be on the menu for dinner soon. As he says so, the grazing creatures seem mildly annoyed. Feaf looks sad as she ponders Marduk’s words.
While Marduk is a bit on the nose and comes off as blunt in his offer, at least he asked. Then he immediately backed off when Feaf said “no.” Say what you will about the former Sky God and the story wanting us to believe that he’s evil, but he understands consent. Not that it matters, as Feaf is already pregnant thanks to the Golden Lioness. Again, I’m shaking my head at her deciding that Feaf and Rhov should be parents despite them never expressing the desire to actually be parents. After all, Rhov seems happy enough to adopt if the opportunity presents itself, while Feaf seems to have never considered that by accepting a canine as her mate she’d never have her own children.
If I had to wager a guess to what excuse Kique will use for the lack of consent, the Golden Lioness is likely responding to Feaf’s deep down desire to be a mother and granted her a miracle. It wouldn’t be a problem if she actually expressed wanting to be a mother anywhere in this story, but she has not. In fact, she joined the guild knowing that she wasn’t allowed to have a mate or children and seemed content with that. Maybe her falling for Rhov changed that, but she never expresses her desires. This is why you need to show these small details or actually have conversations about it. An author knows what their characters ultimately want, but it is their job to clearly convey that to the audience and Kique has failed to do so once again.
A friend has given me a meme to share that sums up the difference between consent and a lack of consent:
On hiatus:
In The Lion’s Den: The Scarlet Uprising | Page(s): | Patreon
Lost Scent | Page(s): | Patreon
Its said in earlier pages that Feaf joining the guild was her tribe wish and not her own but the audience will forget this easily if it’s random and won’t present in the character herself, as you said. Details are important and Kique expects the audience to just accept a lot of info dump instead showing the characters desires.
Also only in Kique’s world the consent King is the villain and the non consent asshole is the goddess.
I actually forgot about this myself. That could have been followed up with a desire from Feaf to start a family now that she’s no longer in the guild, but instead we got nothing. Because like you said, info dump instead of character building.
Yeah, Home is uniquely creepy like that. X_X