TWWR Round up 06/02/2025– Rushing Off to Punch a God in the Face

I didn’t expect to take off last Monday, but I found myself fixated with finishing Metaphor: ReFantazio. Better yet, I had an opportunity to write about it for the gaming blog. In short, this is a good game. It has a meaningful message about the power of fiction, a warning against apathy in politics, and why having connections to others is important. I only wish it hadn’t taken over 130 hours to get through.

On the webcomic side, What Lurks Beneath is back. So this week will be a shorter round up for it. I Hope So has also started updating again. I’m excited. In other cat news, Jet and Harley is starting back up. Finally, the webcomic Jumanlanpeklo was recommended to me on Discord. It’s a cult cat comic, but unlike WLB, this focuses less on politics and racism, and more on interpersonal relationships, namely between that cats who are sacrifices, and those tasked with guarding them. It’s a dark and heavy comic, but it’s quite good. Definitely worth checking out!

On a sadder note, I’m glad I wrote this round up before bed. Earlier this afternoon, my dog had a seizure. The first in her life or at least in the 14+ years she’s been with me. I worry that her age (she’s about 15) had something to do with it. She’s headed to the vet on Wednesday, so maybe some tests can shed some light on the issue. They were also kind enough to talk me through what to expect as Star seized up, then slowly recovered. At the moment she’s resting in bed and I took the night off work to keep an eye on her.

 

Africa | Page(s): 424| Patreon

While I’m glad Africa and Bibi plan to do another switch the following day, I’m worried the current day is going to be a bad one. It turns out when Bibi cleaned that nasty swamp water off Mondo, it may have been more than her immune system could handle. She now has a cough. I can only hope that it’s a minor affair that remains a mild inconvenience versus something that’s deadly. It feels like Bibi still has way too much to offer to be in danger of dying. That said, Arven isn’t opposed to killing characters. We just recently said goodbye to Safari and Jamal, in addition to other deaths.

The situation with Bibi will have to be tabled for now, as we’re back to the African Wild Dogs. Looks like Kitendo’s fears about there not being any hare left for him back home were real. Poor guy! Though, the younger pups needed the meat more.

 

What Lurks Beneath | Pages(s): 895 | Patreon

Is good to see What Lurks Beneath back from hiatus. Since the webcomic started updating yesterday, I was only able to get one page into my round up. We’re back to the forest. Unsurprisingly, Kelp is pretty certain Egret is her son, but she seems to be confirming this by asking how he knows Sturgeon. Her son is pretty cryptic with his answers, and I’m not sure if he knows Kelp is his mother. That said, we now have an idea of what Egret thinks of Sturgeon, his adopted mother. She spends so much time with him, that she’s practically living as a Daisy. That probably explains where she goes for a few hours on most days.

That said, I have the feeling while Kelp and Egret have an idea who the other is, the topic of how he became a Daisy and why he was raised by Sturgeon won’t be coming up any time soon. Kelp’s indirect line of questioning just gives me that feeling.

 

 

The Order of the Black Dog | Issue 29, Page: 9 | Patreon

The device Melissa is using pushes the Black Idol away. She and her crew can safely navigate the Lunar base. Their objective is the spear in the pit of the base. Though I wonder how effective that spear is, especially since they already have one with them. Perhaps that spear is more powerful than the ones on Earth. That said, I’m positive only Julia is privy to the plan to unleash the Black Dog on the moon. I wonder when Melissa will get the chance to release Kenazil?

That plot might have to wait a while longer, as someone seems to be discreetly contacting Agent Jackson. I wonder what the message “All the cats are in the bag…” means? Is he participating with the message sender, or is this a sign of hostility to come?

 

Lost Scent | Page(s): 87| Patreon

Oh yeah, Motte and Morgan’s chemistry is on full display here. We have a scene where Morgan understands Motte’s desire to keep moving, and that restlessness that keeps her going. Even as she assures the Borzoi mix that it will get better someday, she’s already talking about why it’s important to enjoy the moment. Again, this one night fling is just that, a fleeting moment of passion for both ladies.

By tomorrow’s end, if things go as planned Motte and Tulpi will have parted ways with Morgan’s group, and our girls will have successfully crossed the strait. Now that I’ve said all this, this page is Tulpi’s fears coming to light. Morgan easily talking to her traveling companion in a way she never could. Not only that, but getting the emotional and physical intimacy the Akita mix has probably only dreamed of. I hope she doesn’t let her jealousy get the best of her, and do something problematic like run off by herself.

If I had to wager a guess, I’d say Tulpi will probably realize Motte spent the night with Morgan and will bottle up that jealousy until it spills out into anger later on in the story.

 

Golden Shrike | Page(s): 314 | Patreon

We’re finally getting Usma’s backstory. All this time, Antaras and Oudia weren’t her birth parents, but her adopted parents. Of course a family is a family, and doesn’t really matter if they’re related by blood. It is also nice to see what Antaras’ mate looked like before Eve took residence in her body. She definitely seems to be a kind soul. Antaras was a kind soul as well. At least before his current god-stealing obsession twisted him into his current form. The trope of the two parents trying to conceive only to adopt is not uncommon. And I love how Oudia immediately embraced Usma as her daughter, and that Antaras eventually came around despite feeling unworthy. This is such a touching page.

That said, I’m guessing Antaras and Oudia finally succeeded in having a fawn of their own blood, and the strain of it all threatened Oudia’s life. So maybe her mate captured the stars in order to save her life and the life of his unborn fawn. Or perhaps he had Eve possess Oudia’s body in order to conceive, but the strain of a god was too much to bear, so he captured Loss to ensure the birth of his fawn. Either way, we know this happy little story is going to have a shocking twist, and a heartbreaking end. In addition to that, I’m curious as to why the pair kept trying to conceive even after Usma. Did they just want a larger family?

 

Home | Page(s): 918 | Patreon

After learning the truth about Marduk again, Jahla rushes off to confront the former Sky God, or rather the leader of the Green Ones. That said, given the ship that was blown up near the end of Asmundr, I’m wonder if Marduk was personally responsible for what happened to Lifa and Rohgir. Though if he’s in charge of the Green Ones personally, he could be the one that gave the order, so that counts. I guess.

I will say Jahla’s sudden anger at the events near the end of Asmundr feels forced. By that I mean there was never any indication that she held any animosity toward the Green Ones. After all, their one ship was defeated by Father, the Liulfr were put down, and no one really gave them a second thought since then. As for Lifa being poisoned, she was healed completely by Father, and Rohgir survived, though at the cost of an eye. Maybe if she had some voiced lingering resentment toward the disfigurement of her brother, and her father being driven insane, I’d buy this scene. Feels like it would have made more sense if she lamented what could have been with their family had Ranulfr not been mentally destabilized and made violent, then being forced to leave, and finally learning that her mother and brother were attacked by the Green Ones.

It would also make more sense if Jahla wasn’t running for just the sake of revenge for her mother and brother, but out of a sense of extreme dread for the Asmundr pack. While she’s at it, perhaps she should have taken a few minutes to come up with an actual plan for dealing with the evil Sky God instead of just charging in. Given his control of the obelisk, it’s very possible that she could end up getting herself killed. Ah, but who am I kidding? She’s a main character and they all have plot armor in Home.

On a final note, the art looks a lot better on this page. That said, in the first panel just below the Home logo, a placeholder that says “Text.” was left behind. I can’t take credit for spotting this, as someone else with eagle eyes did. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

Anyway, here’s to hoping for some action on the next few pages. Not enough to get excited by, but enough to break the monotony of talking heads and bad romance.

On hiatus:

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