TWWR Round up 04/27/2026– Doubts Were Had

After some thinking, I’ve decided that I’ll try to keep the blog’s Monday schedule. It really is the day that currently works before me, as the rest of the week is usually dedicated to working on stuff for Damage Control Blog. The only difference on my end is that I’ll need to get the bulk of my writing done for this round up before I start livestreaming on Sunday nights.

What Lurks Beneath | Pages(s): 1001 – 1003 | Patreon

Everything awful happening in the present day on the island can be traced back to Thresher. Again, I have to shake my head at the cat with the gall to make up an insulting title for his son, and forcing a Daisy to spread said title. All while damn well knowing he plans to do a genocide on these cats very soon. Worse, I wonder how much of his own bullshit the king believes. Here he is having a conversation with a cat from a group who he considers to be scum, and yet the cat (mostly out of fear) has been nothing but deferential to him. I guess whatever suits Thresher’s needs, huh?

Moving on, I have to admit I’m a little surprised that the Blood King actually used a bit of honey regarding his threats. He likely knows that this Daisy wouldn’t be committed to the long term without some kind of incentive beyond being murdered, so here he’s also offering food for each day of work done. We know this Daisy has been diligent, as word of Hake’s title makes throughout the forest. So I’m guessing Thresher keeps his word to a degree. I also can’t blame this forest cat for ultimately agreeing to it. The king with his claws at your throat is scary enough, but offers of food in a time of scarce resources in exchange for spreading a title about a cat who’s a stranger? Yeah, that’s an easy choice to make.

In the end, the Family got more out of it to fuel their bigotry than even Hake or the Daisys themselves. As those who got to know the prince quickly dropped the title, or realized he probably wouldn’t like it very much. In that regard, I’m thankful Thresher’s ultimate goal was a failure.

To leave things on a higher note, I’m absolutely in love with the scenery on page 1003. The moss covering the trees, and the light green color palette is extremely pleasing.

This is also the chapter end for What Lurks Beneath. As ArualMeow noted, the comic will be on hiatus for around six weeks, give or take some time. They want to build a better page buffer, and work on the WLB side comic, Bluegill and Bream (which isn’t public yet).

The Order of the Black Dog | Issue 30 Page(s): 3 – 4 | Patreon

The upside of this Melissa not having lungs is that she doesn’t have to worry about oxygen on the lunar surface. The moon is nearly completely free of the Black Idol, save for a small patch. She also finds Kenazil feeding on that patch, and The Smiling Man there as well. I’d nearly forgotten about him. But he’s a god who considers Kenazil to be his pet, and he’s trying to coax her to return home. Wherever “home” is for gods and otherworldly beings. After having devoured that much of the Black Idol, her appearance is a bit different now. She’s larger, and has a very long mane and tail. The way her extra hair flows almost reminds me of tentacles from the Black Mass. I wonder if she’s taken on some of its qualities?

That mystery will have to wait, as Kenazil isn’t keen to return with The Smiling Man and nearly bites him before running off. His shocked expression shows that this was an outcome he wasn’t expecting, and he might not fully be in control of events. He certainly isn’t in control of his dog anymore. For whatever reason Mel (again, if that is really Mel), finds it funny, and she begins to laugh at him despite her missing lungs. His shocked expression in the final panel of page 4 shows that he’s been taken aback by yet another unexpected event.

Given the black speech bubbles Mel suddenly has, I’m wondering if this is actually Tazim-Talash speaking through her body. Or it could be another supernatural being. They seem to be the only ones who speak in this comic with black speech bubbles when not trying to blend in among mortals. That said, my money is on Tazim as they specifically gave Mel and Julia a way to summon Kenazil with the express intent of taking back what The Smiling Man, or Labev-Ra took from them.

Lost Scent | Page(s): 118 | Patreon

So my suspicions about the bartender regarding Ezra were correct. He only broke up the fight because his friend was losing. The same for the guard who I thought might be neutral. No, he only came running when Motte reversed the fight and put the Foxhound flat on his back. Worse, the guard refuses to believe Tulpi when she says Ezra made her uncomfortable, and Motte actually intervened to help her.

It’s kind of crazy to me that they’re ignoring the evidence of bite marks on Motte’s neck, and not even asking in the least what happened. Again, I’m not surprised about the bartender, but even the guard? I shouldn’t be surprised as Ezra lives in the building, everyone knows him, and of course they’d take his side. That said, there’s an interesting theory in the reader comments on DA. What if this bar smuggles dogs, and it’s Ezra’s job to ply female dogs with drinks and comfort, and someone else kidnaps them all while the bartender and guard look the other way. It’s just a theory, but I wouldn’t be shocked if that’s the reality of it.

Not that it probably matters for this particular story. Just like Tupli received a ride from a cult, the girls will probably move on, as there’s not much they can do about this place, as they just seem to be passing through. Or at least or favorite Akita-mix is. No clue about Motte yet.

Golden Shrike | Page(s): 355 – 356 | Patreon

It looks like the standoff between Antaras and Iralee isn’t going to come to a peaceful solution. Not if the current God-caller has any say. Which makes me terrified for her. I wouldn’t put it past Antaras to kill her out of convenience. Or maybe he forced her to come with them. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

The focus has returned to Nero and Kasko. I imagine it’s going to be a long time before Nero gets a good night’s rest with Usma around. Even though he believes her story, he doesn’t fully trust her. He’s especially baffled as to why Antaras isn’t chasing them down, but I think Kasko has it correct. The former God-caller isn’t afraid because as he said, it’s Loss who walks behind War. Meaning that death will claim its victim one way or another. I tried to find where the Seer said War can repel death, but that’s not quite what they said. Basically, War is their only chance at possibly winning against Loss, and that his presence will bring an end to the games of the fallen gods. Even so, victory seems to be difficult and having War doesn’t mean the fight will be easy. Hell, just getting the youngest god’s favor will be a challenge. I’m sure Antaras knows this, which is why he’s not worried in addition to have literal power over life and death.

Going back to Usma and Nero’s relationship to her, I don’t think he’s being irrational here. It’s not easy to go against your family, especially if your family has treated you well until relatively recently. Once push comes to shove, will Usma hesitate because of her love for Antaras? That’s going to be a huge question mark right up until the end.

On a final note, I had to look at beginning pages and current pages. In addition to Nero’s two new budding tines, his other tines seem to be sightly longer as well. If I had to wager a guess, I’m thinking it’s been a few weeks at most since this all started. Our boy is growing quickly.

Home | Page(s): 966 – 967 | Patreon

I admit, I do feel a little bad for Felidae here. The timing was awful, and the lusty looks were ill-placed especially when they were supposed to be hunting, but she finally confessed to Ferah. After that confession, she doesn’t even get the benefit of a “I need to think about this,” or a hard “I’m not interested.” Instead, Ferah looks away and changes the subject back to the kill that needs to be hauled home. Meanwhile, Felidae just looks devastated.

You know what the weirdest part about this page is? Did Ferah not have a conversation with Kargo regarding her own feelings toward Felidae? That happened, right? We’re not just collectively dreaming this scene up, are we? Nope, here it is on page 881. Granted, she admits her fears of trusting someone yet again after Ralek betrayed her, and Fjordor rejected her. Still, she expresses a clear interest in the Lead Huntress. If she was interested, but not quite ready yet, again a “I need more time” line would have worked perfectly, versus brushing the topic under the rug and pretending a confession wasn’t just made. Out of all the flaws in Home, I think the lack of communication is easily the biggest. So many large and small problems could be solved if characters just talked to each other, and were honest about what they want. It turns what could have been natural drama into something that feels forced and artificial.

Looks like we’ll have to wait regarding the lack of a heart-to-heart between Ferah and Felidae, as we’re back with the Asmundr pack. There’s not much to say here, as the group continues to journey north, and they stumble upon Bacheo, Feaf and Rhov’s former Guild mate, who’s also a part of Brightvale Tribe. Worse, so is Axi who unlike Bacheo was fired from the Guild. Unless a lot of time has passed, she ought to be north at Ranach’s rebellion meeting.

Anyway, I’m scratching my head at how Bacheo just made the unilateral decision to allow the Asmundr pack to stay at his tribe without too many questions. Even if I had former co-workers in need of rest at my home, I’d have some questions about their very large traveling group. You’d think he’d tell them to wait, after asking questions, and then seek out his Jarl and Viscountess to get their permission to allow the group to stay. On the flip side, if I were with the Asmundr pack, I’d be a little weary, especially traveling with such a large and diverse group that might attracted prejudiced eyes. At least someone should have asked “Is that okay?” Doubly so if Rhov and Feaf are worried about their former Guild leader. Maybe the violent, backstabbing nature of these dogs have given me trust issues, but I hope the stay here bodes well for the pack.

Off for the week:

In The Lion’s Den: The Scarlet Uproar | Page(s): | Patreon

On hiatus:

Africa | Page(s): | Patreon