Not much to say in this space. I realize I never posted last week’s round up notification to Tumblr. Whoops!
Africa | Page(s): 483 | Patreon
I do find it amusing that Kafil is desperate enough to ask Bibi if she can hide with her and Mondo. Of course, he can’t. He’s a bit large. He also can’t return to his herd, not after having sold them out to Chui, only to change his mind when Hasina was in danger. This moment right here is why Bibi has become one of my favorite characters in Africa. She points out that you don’t help someone after wronging them because you hope they’ll forgive you, but because it’s the right thing to do.
Now, the herd may never forgive Kafil, and that’s okay. He did them quite dirty, but making amends is the very least he can do. I’m guessing by his expression that he’s never considered it once since being chased out of the herd. He’s had so many opportunities to do the right thing by everyone else, but chose his own safety. Perhaps this sage advice might pave the way to him reconsidering his current life choices.
What Lurks Beneath | Pages(s): 1024 – 1025 | Patreon
I’m glad that despite her anger and frustration, Sturgeon has enough presence of mind to rethink her approach with Trout. This shows that unlike Hake, she hasn’t given up on her sister. At the same time, Trout hasn’t given up on Sturgeon either. If she did, this meeting would have already been over, or wouldn’t have been allowed in the first place. Even with all the queen’s cowardice and people pleasing, these two pages are reminders that she’s just a very small, very scared cat. She was way in over her head as a monarch, as she was never properly prepared for the role. Again, Sturgeon’s scheming only made things worse.
In fact, if she’d not been so deadset on protecting her siblings from the true nature of their father, and the harsh realities of being a monarch, things might not have turned out so horribly. If she were able to confide in her siblings more, instead of handling everything herself, there would have been no need for schemes. But then, we wouldn’t have this delightfully tragic story.
In this instance, I have to agree with Trout. Sturgeon wanting her to invite the Daisys back is unrealistic, even if she means well. There’s no way the Daisys would ever trust the Family again, and the Family would question why the queen goes back on decisions so often. It’s not a good way to lead. The damage is done, and it can’t be easily repaired. Unfortunately, our advisor here is backed into a corner, and has to contend with Gull and Skua’s thoughts on how The Tide’s will should be carried out.
The only way out of this mess is if Trout is no longer queen, and Sturgeon takes the throne. Ironically, this is something that both Krill and Petrel (likely) wanted, but for very different reasons. That said, if King Thresher is any indication, the only way a monarch steps down is if they serve The Tide. Something neither Sturgeon nor Skua would allow. At this point, I have to wonder if a Daisy ends up leading a rebellion to overthrow the Family given how badly things are going.
Speaking of Skua, I do like how his presence just hangs in the background. Trout can’t function without him, and their dependence on each other will likely be both of their downfalls.
The Order of the Black Dog | Issue 30 Page(s): 21 | Patreon
I sit corrected. Rhoda only took one memory orb from Zalef’s realm, not two. Anyway, this page confirms that Tazim was partially lying when he implied that Rhoda wouldn’t willingly come back to her own body. I was under the impression that learning the truth drove Rhoda mad, so she went elsewhere for a while. (Now, that could be a half truth.) However, it seems that Tazim is using her soul as an errand girl of sorts, while he uses her body to move around in the physical realm.
With her successfully getting back the god’s memories, he’s giving her a degree of freedom for a short amount of time. This must be what he meant by paying the price. Her freedom for her friends’ lives. Naturally, he’s painting it as being “taught,” and not a form of servitude. Curiously enough, Mal-Fa’asha is still lingering around. I wonder if Rhoda will get into anything with him, especially now that Tazim is preoccupied with the memory orb.
In The Lion’s Den: The Scarlet Uproar | Page(s): 97 – 98 | Patreon
Klea clarifies to Kay that “the expansion” is to join forces, not to steal resources. Though I have to wonder how one joins forces with a neighboring town that isn’t compliant. The act being portrayed as “for the good of everyone” sure smells like a form of authoritarianism, if not outright fascism to me. If the Panthera Ligo is successful with this plan, things will go off the rails for everyone under them pretty quickly.
Otherwise, we don’t get much of a reason (yet) as to why Kay has been summoned by the Panthera Ligo, other than being a Diamond Abyssinian. Although her anger at losing power thanks to the rebellion was enough to snap Ursus back to reality. (Or the tea just wore off.) Though what he said is curious. If things were going so well with the monarchy, there probably wouldn’t have been a rebellion in the first place. Though I’m not sure an empire ruled by a council filled with elites and a Therian is a better solution for the people of The Lion’s Den.
I’m also curious as to what the “help” part means. If I had to wager a guess, that will be where Kay comes in. I’m really excited about the reveal, when it happens.
A small correction from last week and some world building as noted by Renby:
Maximus The Revenant emerged during the peak of the uprisings between the anarchists and the monarchists. Subsequently it ended up forcibly ending the conflict by usurping the Diamond Monarchy and also rendering the anarchists powerless against it as well. Then the most influential socialites quickly flocked to Maximus’ side to form The Panthera Ligo, a third unaffiliated faction.
Note to self: The Therian arrived at the same time as the uprisings, and played a massive paw in ending them.
Lost Scent | Page(s): 132 | Patreon
It looks like I was correct. Doctor Ferris employs cats to protect against espionage against rats. I’d love to see what the world of industrial espionage between dogs look like, and what other dogs could want from Ferris. Are they trying to build a business around what he discovers without giving him credit? We’ll likely never know because this isn’t his story, it’s Tulpi and Motte’s.
Speaking of the Northern Spitz, she’s utterly unimpressed by his need to protect his industrial secrets. He’s probably right to tell her not to touch certain minerals in his building, especially if they’re that flammable. I wouldn’t be surprised when this scene is all finished that she accidentally sets his lab on fire or blows it up.
Golden Shrike | Page(s): 373 | Patreon
Antaras’ reasoning was way more simple than I was expecting. He saw himself in the couple who wanted Eve’s help, so he projected his feelings on to them, and killed them. They were desperate to see their fawn revived, not to die. As for the girls, it sounds like he was just done with them, and wanted them gone. At this point, he’s killed so many deer directly, and indirectly. What’s a few more? I’m certain the buck’s sanity only remains intact by a thread. One that’s quickly fraying.
Unsurprisingly, Iralee asks about Usma. Here we can see that Antaras at least still cares about his daughter (just not enough to stop what he’s doing). He’s not angry she left, just hoping that the group she joined will take good care of her. Something, he probably considers himself to have failed at as a parent. Which isn’t totally wrong, given how badly the world is going. I do like how these pages show that he’s willingly become a monster to achieve his goals, but at least when it comes to his Usma, he’s not completely heartless.
At the same time, having Iralee talk to Eve is his way of trying to undo this mess. Even so, the God-caller is correct. The only one who can fix this nightmare is Antaras by letting go of whatever hopes he has of Oudia coming back to life. He needs to set gods free. I don’t know what that means for the fawn that has yet to be born.
I’m not a fan of how the scene keeps ping-ponging back between Raela and Kainan, and Rhov and Feaf on the same pages. It would feel less awkward if we got our closure with Raela (who’ll likely live), then focused on Rhov and Feaf. I can respect that maybe Kique wanted to do some kind of parallel between Rhov’s parents, and him being a parent. Still, I don’t think it needed to all be on the same page. Especially since the last page ended with him finally making it over to Feaf.
As I suspected, the extra blood was from her giving birth to what Kique has dubbed “cups.” A portmanteau of cubs and pups. Their daughter is named “Frea,” and their son “Kainir.” They’re awfully cute, even though I have so many questions. Will this be like a case of one cat and one dog, or are they a mix of both? From the concept art I’ve seen, it seems like it might be the former, but things could change. We have a blend of both parents’ markings at least. On a sadder note, Nirah is holding something in her paws. I’m guessing one child didn’t survive. (I’m sorry, I can’t bring myself to call them cups.)
I have more thoughts, but I’ll save them for next week. Right now, I’m just going to appreciate the cuteness overload.
Off for the week:
On hiatus:
