Chapter Eleven: Page 1
posted 25th May 2017, 11:34 AM
25th May 2017, 11:34 AM
Saeriellyn
On the move again!
In the book, Taran's words here are an internal dialog, but I have this weird dislike of thought bubbles so I don't use them much. Seemed more interesting, for this medium, to have him baring his soul to one of his companions, and Eilonwy's still too angry for that, so...Fflewddur it is.
user comments
25th May 2017, 2:57 PM
Lori (Guest)
The forest in the first panel is just lovely, looks like you can truly walk right into it. Great detail and depth. I like the way Fflewddur goes from cheerful and bouncy to wryly observant in a heartbeat. Taran all broody - he the most angsty boy in the land. I do have some concern that Melyngar is going to turn her head and get stabbed in the eye with a spear-tip.
25th May 2017, 6:52 PM
Saeriellyn
That forest is straight from one of my photos taken in Wales. References are everything.
Good point on Melyngar! lol I will have to adjust the placement of those spears.
25th May 2017, 4:26 PM
CM (Guest)
25th May 2017, 6:53 PM
Saeriellyn
lol true. I guess that would make him cauldron-born at this point, and we don't want that.
26th May 2017, 5:46 AM
CM (Guest)
25th May 2017, 7:59 PM
joeyballast
I think you made the right call with the dialogue instead of the thought bubble. Then again, I just don't like thought bubbles in general, so I'm a tad biased.
Fflewddur (I keep wanting to leave out a 'd' when spelling his name...) really thinks he knows his stuff. I REALLY wouldn't know if he were a complete charlatan without the harp chiming in once in a while.
26th May 2017, 10:58 AM
Saeriellyn
I can't even figure out why I don't like thought bubbles, exactly. Maybe it's that in a medium that exemplifies the "show, don't tell" adage, they feel too much like "telling" something that could be better portrayed by a character's actions, expressions, body language, etc. I've had to use it a few times in this, when there's no one around or available for Taran to bounce a thought off, but it always annoys me.
Fflewddur really is a gem despite his truth-stretching tendencies. If you look back you'll see that none of his lies are malicious or even deliberately deceitful. It's just that in his head, he is the star of his own story, the Walter Mitty of the Prydain world, and his storytelling heart keeps making him pop out those fantasy details instead of the factual ones.
29th Jun 2017, 3:13 PM
mantis
It's interesting that the harp doesn't twang in the first panel here; Fflewddur isn't prevaricating in this case, just overconfident.
6th Jul 2017, 5:16 PM
Saeriellyn
I noticed for the first time, during his intro, that when he calls himself, despite his unofficial status, as "a bard of the harp", it doesn't twang. It made me smile.
25th May 2017, 9:58 PM
RHYMESOFTHERENEGADES (Guest)
26th May 2017, 5:01 PM
Witteafval (Guest)
Well, favoring dialogue over thought bubbles also allows for a more "cinematic" experience, or at least one that would translate more easily to film.
26th May 2017, 10:42 PM
Saeriellyn
That's true. There's always that echo effect of the inner voice in a character's head, but that seems to have fallen out of use about thirty years ago in everything but anime.
27th May 2017, 12:33 AM
Odd May
Yaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy! And the journey begins!!! I absolutely love the last panel.
Will you be updating during the summer?
27th May 2017, 10:41 PM
Saeriellyn
Yes but I can't promise total consistency. Things get crazy around here, so updates might just happen when they happen. I'll do my best though.
27th May 2017, 5:16 AM
Sara Voorheese (Guest)
Hi!! I love your work!! It's beautiful! I was just wondering, are you going to continue with this comic once you complete "The Book of Three"? Because I would love to see more. Especially for the third book, "The Castle of Llyr", when Taran realizes his emotions for Elonwy! :))
27th May 2017, 10:40 PM
Saeriellyn
I see we are of one mind on what the best part of this story is. :) :) <3
I wish I could assure you that I will continue to the end! I'm honestly not sure. This project has taken me over two years so far and I'm only halfway through book one...to say I'm going to tackle all five is more than I can do at this point, but...let's just say I would LOVE to do that, and I will probably still be creating work around this series when I am a doddering old woman. By that time they'll be public domain and I can actually publish this. haha
Meanwhile if you enjoy the romantic moments be sure to check out my accounts at deviantart and fanfiction.net, because that is pretty much all I draw/write about otherwise. (users Saeriellyn and CompanionWanderer, respectively.)
29th Jun 2017, 3:16 PM
mantis
We hope they'll be public domain; if Congress keeps giving Disney's lobbyists their way every time they demand another iteration of the Micky Mouse Profit Protection Act, nothing published after 1923 will ever become public domain.
6th Jul 2017, 5:15 PM
Saeriellyn
Truth, alas. They have far too much power. Like every other major corporation that owns our government. >:(
29th May 2017, 11:04 AM
mjkj
*lol* poor Eilonwy... *comforts her*
Well, do not jinx it, Fflewddur...
...poor Taran - I wonder if Gwydion survived?
26th Feb 2018, 11:34 PM
AmeliaP
Your comic is so good now I'm curious about the book... I'm adding it to the list, because I never read it, I mean, the whole book. Only parts of it.
27th Feb 2018, 7:26 PM
Saeriellyn
That is like my purpose in life, evangelizing these books, lol.
The first one is the most comedic and lighthearted and they get progressively more serious. If you're a fast reader with a good block of free time you can get through the first in a day. The writing is very minimalist. I pad things out quite a bit in some areas (but then I also cut things in others so it all evens out.)
Hope you try it!
14th Apr 2020, 6:01 PM
Leader Dessler
I like it very much how you make Fflewddur not just a silly comic-relief character but grant him the maturity that he deserves from age and experience, clearly to be seen in the lower left frame.
14th Apr 2020, 8:01 PM
Saeriellyn
Thank you!! Oh, I adore Fflewddur. I always found him entertaining and likeable, but I didn’t realize what a beautiful character he is until I started writing stories including him. I love the avuncular relationship he develops with both kids, this voice of gentle wisdom that is so buried beneath his silliness that it never becomes overbearing. He is exactly what they both need. ❤️
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