Comic Sketches: June 2020

Intermission 2 Side 2, huh? 

There was a lot of speculation as to just what we would be doing here. Some people thought we might follow the threads I2S1 left and show an older session, others wanted us to continue with the carapaces in present day, there were even a few scattered ideas that we might start viewing probabilities of the troll session itself. 

But nope, it's finally time to reconcile with what Snowbound Blood has left behind in its currently unseen aftermath.

I like to recognize the through-line of this side as the establishment and expansion of Vast Error's version of alchemy, those who utilize it, and the consequences that arise from it. You might ask how this connects to I2S1, and I would say that the devil (haha) is in the details and how you can apply them. 

From the start you can already see how probability has played a role in shaping the actions of certain characters and their vision for the future, even applying it back to what The Exemplar relays to Albion back in Act 2. 

Characters like The Vivifier, The Forgiven and The Executive are all perpetrators and at the same time victims of the circumstances that arise from these outcomes they work towards and believe in. The same as our central secondary cast.

But I don't want to dig in too deep right now, we've got some art to look at!

We took a lot of inspiration from Columbia in 'Bioshock Infinite' with the design of the Reconstruction Era. With a merger between late 1700s-1950s steampunk-esque aesthetic, a lot of gothic architecture ripe with details, religious iconography and the start of brand recognition/idealism bordering on nationalistic (planetistic?). Meant to be juxtaposed with the sleek Corporate Era designs and the cramped and rural Deconstruction Era ones.

I mentioned this on Twitter but those who paid close attention to SBB Vol. 9 will recognize that this is the clearing where Cinare takes Mshiri in her route. Untouched as Clarud keeps his word that he will never see this section of the planet touched or transformed, as it holds a deep sentimental value to him.

Brain blasts can have a bit of practical use, if you know how.

The fire still has a bit of a smoke rising from it, a little extra touch to note just how hasty Forgiven and Vivifier were when they noticed the arrival of their convenient company.

Breath alchemy is one of the easiest types to get in touch with and is arguably a bit weaker due to it only having so many physical applications regardless of how you want to use it, but hey, when you need a little bit of chokeage it makes life a whole lot easier!

Or just a bit of sheer force and restraint.

These retooled Reconstruction era designs were done by notable VE helper eddieDraws! We wanted to make them something that wasn't too far removed from their Renaissance ensembles but also fit the period more. Just because they span so far into the past doesn't mean they have to dress like it. And Forgiven finally got a haircut! Good for him.

This was a light callback to a similar page from Intermission 1. we also tried a version with their sigils but decided to use aspects as it was more pertinent to the conversation.

Callback to a shot from Page 929.

A callback to Page 493. Are you sensing a theme here?

The line "I expected I would have had a better view" was actually one of the first things planned for this update, along with the reflective phrases of "Someone you loved has died. The memory of it haunts you." and "Someone you wished you loved has died. His memory now haunts you."

I still believe that the former bit is probably one of my best moments of poetic irony so far, which isn't bad considering we've only known Clarud personally for four updates and a portion of an SBB Volume. 

1409-1411 gave us perhaps the most trouble out of any update in VE history in the writing department, there were so many loose ends to thread but to ensure it was all talked about and questioned in a reasonable manner was a nightmare.

In the final version of Page 1426, we see: two different shots of the Compact, the philter of lime blood, The Vivifier and The Forgiven from a few updates prior, some alchemic documents, Sestro as a grub, the world statue that Clarud passes at the start of the Intermission, Hamifi, Rodere, Secily from her talk in SBB Vol. 9 and..... Him. Edolon.

Many are curious as to just what he's doing there, but that's not really a story for right this second. All will come in due time as a certain skeleton likes to say. 

For these few panels I originally wanted to have some Mind CSS going on and sprawling over the whole page, but this proved to be too much of an effort for an update that was already quite the effort on its own.

And that's all for June! Sorry this one is a little late, my EXECUTIVE dysfunction has been hindering me from really being able to pump things out like I normally do. 

July's updates are certainly going to be going in a bit of a different direction compared to the last four, partially because we really don't know the people we're hanging around! It's always fun to have new experiences! Even if those experiences involve cataclysm, warping and more than a few cults.

Don't accept memories from strangers! 

- Austin.