Chapter Nine: page Eight
posted 23rd Jan 2017, 1:55 PM

23rd Jan 2017, 1:55 PM
Saeriellyn
Sorry about lack of updates last week. Lots of real life getting in the way, but things are starting, slowly, to settle down into predictable patterns once more.
user comments
23rd Jan 2017, 5:50 PM
Lori (Guest)
Nicely done. I like your little personal touches. The glance between Eilonwy and Fflewddur, and then she places her hand on Taran's shoulder.
23rd Jan 2017, 8:31 PM
Saeriellyn
Thank you for noticing. :) It seemed a more efficient visual way of handling this scene. I really didn't want to draw them crawling all over the wreckage and trying to lift stones. Same impact in less time here, I think, plus some emotional pull in their interactions.
24th Jan 2017, 2:18 AM
Nano_M (Guest)
I've been following your series for a while in the spare seconds between classes and such, and never had the chance to make a comment before now. I just wanted to let you know that I love the Book of Three, and you're doing it so much justice and basically drawing (much better than I ever could) what I've imagined of the series. Everything is so perfect, especially the expressions. Thank you for taking the time on this!
24th Jan 2017, 1:08 PM
Saeriellyn
Thank you so much for the comment! Judging by my stats there's quite a few silent fans. :) I'm happy for every view but personal interaction is so encouraging and I appreciate your taking the time. It thrills me to think how many friends of Prydain are out there and I hope the fan community continues to grow. Glad you are enjoying it!
24th Jan 2017, 1:09 PM
Saeriellyn
Haha He'd never admit to being comforted at this point, probably just say she's annoying, but yes.
24th Jan 2017, 11:58 AM
Odd May
Atmospheric fog! Love it! Poor Taran. He's been having a rough first few chapters.
24th Jan 2017, 1:11 PM
Saeriellyn
Yep. Once again, doing this has really brought home to me - and I've read the books countless times, so you wouldn't think they could get any deeper - how much grief and trauma he goes through in such a short span of time. It's not belabored in the books so it's easy to miss.
24th Jan 2017, 8:20 PM
rjschwabe
No worries about real life stuff getting in the way. You don't owe us loyal readers anything but your craft (and maybe a loving note from time to time, telling us you're busy :) )
The light shining on Eilonwy and Fflewddur, but casting Taran in shadow (both literally and figuratively) is very well done.
25th Jan 2017, 5:24 PM
Saeriellyn
<3 Thank you. Even a short hiatus or slow down results in significant drops in views and interaction so I hate having to do it. I promise never to be one of those creators who disappears suddenly with no explanation. If that ever happens you can all safely assume I am dead or being held hostage.
I love being able to sneak in the symbolism, and love it even more when people pick up on it as you did here. :)
26th Jan 2017, 7:36 PM
joeyballast
Darn real life. Gettin' in the way of important stuff like webcomics.
I guess even if they knew that someone was alive in that rubble, AND they knew exactly where that person was, shifting any of that rubble would be pretty close to impossible...
I love the composition of the first panel. It's got an awesome sombre tone and the perspective is awesome. That kind of 'worm's eye view' is tough to pull off.
27th Jan 2017, 12:28 AM
Saeriellyn
In the book they try to lift a stone or two and get nowhere. I thought this was a more efficient way to deal with the scene.
Thanks on the first panel scene! I admit those types of extreme angles are intimidating and I don't do them very often. For one thing, taking reference photos for them is a pain and also makes everyone's butt look huge. Unsurprisingly, it's tough to find willing models. XD
29th Jan 2017, 9:02 PM
RHYMESOFTHERENEGADES (Guest)
R.I.P.
Prince GWYDION of the Sons of Don
"A Noble Warrior and Mighty Hunter Who
Was Out-tracked by a Pig"
30th Jan 2017, 2:36 PM
Saeriellyn
LOL Well there was that whole "captured by zombies while defending feckless adolescent" part.
6th Jul 2017, 10:21 AM
mantis
It's lucky for Taran that Eilonwy is as quick to get over being angry at him as she is to anger, since he has such a knack for saying the wrong thing to (or about) her at this stage in their relationship. Her sympathy here is very touching, especially when she's also lost her home. Granted it was anything but beloved, but it still means she's cast adrift, bereft of everyone and everything familiar. I'm not sure Alexander really thought through the implications of that for a child who already felt lonely and out of place.
It might be interesting to have some of that come up in a conversation between her and Fflewddur, out of Taran's hearing -- say, when one of them is handing off the watch to the other while the group is camping in the woods. It probably wouldn't fit here, but might make an interesting fan-fic vignette. Of course, I still need to read "Sunrise," so for all I know you might have written that conversation already.
6th Jul 2017, 5:29 PM
Saeriellyn
There is some speculation on this in "Sunrise", actually. I have her feeling nothing but ecstasy at the prospect of leaving Spiral Castle forever, but yes, she does have many moments of doubt while deciding where to go after that, and I worked it in to her identity-building in general, though I hadn't thought of her bouncing it off of Fflewddur. It would have worked very nicely, given the role I developed for him, and I'll have to think about where I might still do that. Good stuff.
29th Jan 2018, 8:04 PM
AmeliaP
Life is a b***h for don't let us alone and we're too short of money to buy her out XD!
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