December 5th, 2017
And don't forget to vote for an extra doodle! This one is about beginner's magic.
Heads up that there won't be a comic next week -- ITS MY BIRTHDAY WEEK!! I'll be spending some time with friends for my birfday, but plan to be back with an update on the 19th! December's always wacky so I'll let y'all know if anything comes up but LORD WILLING that'll be the next page!
(also, thanks to Carlisle R. for help with sign language this chapter! check out their comics too!!)
Vote Incentive for This Comic.
HE IS MAKING AN ATTEMPT!!!!!!!
posted at 10:40pm on December 5th, 2017
*shakes fist awkwardly* for effort.
posted at 10:54am on December 6th, 2017
Sign language joke! I love it!
posted at 6:08pm on December 7th, 2017
Raising the dead doesn't mean they're automagically strong enough to break out of their coffins, huh.
Interesting that Sev can't read (what I'm assuming is) letter signing, but just knows the sign for graverobbing? 8D;;
posted at 5:42pm on December 5th, 2017
I can kind of see how it might have happened, he'll have been picking up Handsign from Tareth, and she seems to mostly use word signs simply because she's fluent enough to do so.
Still brings up the question of what happened that brought graverobbing up in the conversation? XD
posted at 9:54pm on December 5th, 2017
It's just the signs for "Grave" and "Steal" put together, which in context of Jonan is probably not too hard to put together. xD
But yeah, you're right -- Severian isn't following the fingerspelling!
posted at 10:24pm on December 5th, 2017
Which leads me to wonder if Sev can read/write at all... Given his background I don't imagine he had anyone around to teach him till recently. And he has asked whether the little dot on the map was a city...
posted at 12:15pm on December 6th, 2017
I don't see it as weird. When you're around someone who signs you pick up on there means of signing. There's more than one type of Sign language, and just because you know one don't mean you know them all.
posted at 5:05pm on December 7th, 2017
I suppose, but I do think there's other evidence to indicate Sev can't read.... Tarri reads Jonan's written explanation of the spell rebound aloud at first, and then switches to signing when that proves annoying to Jonan.... I assumed it was just because she was sitting closer to Jonan and Sev couldn't see it from that distance, but now I wonder if it was a translation of necessity rather than convenience.
posted at 9:58pm on December 8th, 2017
I have a working theory that Severian is illiterate, mainly because of this page:
http://runewriters.com/index.php?c=68
It may just be that he had just leaned in and hadn't read it yet, but it did look an awful lot like Tareth was translating it for him.
He also didn't even try to read the message from Jonan on this page:
http://runewriters.com/index.php?c=90
... but that would be consistent with his character. Shazzbaa has made this a very strange mystery and I wonder why. :)
posted at 2:44pm on December 9th, 2017
I agree with you. He doest seem not to be able to read, but we hadn't had why -or why not-mentioned, I don't think. Should be interesting but it might be because of his upbringing... His past has been hinted at.
I myself have a character in a fantasy setting who is illiterate because he's what we would call very dyslexic. He's tried to learn to read but he can't manage it- the letters are too messy to him.
posted at 1:06am on December 11th, 2017
Learning how to read and write is a huge pain so I can understand anyone not wanting to go through the trouble - though I wouldn't be aspiring to become a linguist today if I hadn't! I have quite a few protagonists in a fantasy setting who are illiterate, as there are cultures whose languages have no written script, and others whose scripts are borrowed from others for trade and diplomatic purposes.
Severian's backstory seems very compatible with illiteracy, so I wouldn't be surprised at all if his circumstances prevented him from learning how to read. I can't imagine he had the opportunity to go to school, and if he did, it was likely a Varænski school to which he was 'brought over' - and I don't believe Severian would have been willing to stay there. He did run away fairly quickly, after all.
posted at 4:37am on December 11th, 2017
Also, he doesn't help Tarri reasearch when she's at the library http://runewriters.com/index.php?c=66
posted at 11:29pm on December 18th, 2017
Handsign isn't literally ASL, but since that's what I use for the signing in RW --
for ASL, fingerspelling isn't really a separate sign language, it's how you handle letters! They come up in handshapes in a few places, and new names and some words are normally just spelled.
posted at 11:00am on December 9th, 2017
Oh Jonan... as long as he didn't promptly use his new zombies to threaten the local government.
posted at 5:53pm on December 5th, 2017
You can do other things with zombies besides threaten the government!!! Like.....
uh......................
hm.....
posted at 10:38pm on December 5th, 2017
Can raise the dead to testify against ther own murderers. Tend contagious patients during an outbreak. There's all sorts of uses.
posted at 12:22am on December 6th, 2017
Wow, the use of zombies as labour in dangerous situations is really ingenious. Maybe the industrial revolution in this world will be advanced by reanimation instead of automation
posted at 10:56am on December 6th, 2017
(smile)
posted at 2:49pm on December 8th, 2017
1) I laughed at the bonus sketch. It makes me think of those memes - "this is what I do; this is what people think I do; this is what my parents think I do; this is what Hollywood thinks I do; etc."
2) Hope you have a great birthday!
3) I...hesitate to point this out as I don't want to come across as too critical. But typically the handshape for the letter "V" in ASL has the thumb folded across and touching the ring finger. What Jonan is signing is the number "3". Was this on purpose to illustrate that Jonan is still learning his letters?
posted at 5:54pm on December 5th, 2017
THAT'S what was off about the V! I could tell it was something...
I'm guessing it's maybe the learning thing, as his R's differ too -- one with thumb across, one with it up
posted at 6:42pm on December 5th, 2017
1) omg that's.... perfect....
2) AAaaaaaahhh thank you!!!
3) Aw shoot, don't feel bad pointing out if I got a sign wrong!! It's not too hard to change a handshape especially. ;u; In this case, though, you're right -- Jonan's been learning these without instruction (he was just secretly copying them off Tareth in chapter 4) and is not getting all of them quite right
posted at 10:36pm on December 5th, 2017
I now have an image of newbies trying out their handsigning in what to the viewer seems like those heavily accented and not /quite/ right attempts of a foreigner to the lanqauge, often with confusing or hilarious mistakes included XD Just don't let on to Jonan he's doing it - I don't think he has much of a sense of humour in things that involve his dignity (and he is trying, with no direct teaching, yet!)
posted at 5:08am on December 6th, 2017
I say leave in the mistakes. He's learning, so it makes sense. Maybe you can have a page where in the background Tareth is there trying to correct his signs. It be cute xD
posted at 6:12pm on December 12th, 2017
NO ONE WAS USING THEM, THEY WERE JUST LYING AROUND
Happy 200 pages and happy birthday! Here's to many more of both!
posted at 10:43pm on December 5th, 2017
OMG I LAUGHED OUT LOUD AT THIS
aaaaa thank you so much!!!
posted at 11:00am on December 9th, 2017
I have been reading for a few months and before that I blasted through the archive. Your art has gotten so much more refined since your early days. Its amazing! Congrats on 200 and here's to 200 more!!
posted at 6:57am on December 6th, 2017
Aw man!!! thanks so much for the kind words!! ;u;
posted at 11:01am on December 9th, 2017
Woo! Happy birthday! Happy 200 pages! Yay Jonan using hand signs to communicate! All good things today. :)
posted at 7:20am on December 6th, 2017
So necromancers are essentially reverse undertakers I guess.
posted at 2:25pm on December 6th, 2017
Petition to rename the term "Necromancer" to "Overgiver."
posted at 9:20am on December 7th, 2017
jonan just put "reverse undertaker" on your sign and see if you get more business that way
posted at 11:02am on December 9th, 2017
Incentive: I can dig it...
posted at 1:55am on December 7th, 2017
Several days later, and I'm still lol'ing at the vote incentive.
Also, happy birthday!
posted at 9:19pm on December 8th, 2017
Happy brithday!
posted at 9:20am on December 9th, 2017
Aaaaaaaa thanks for all the birthday wishes, you guys!!! *u*
posted at 11:03am on December 9th, 2017
Wishing you a wonderful Dec 15th!
...as well as enjoying the Solstice, Xmas, New Years, etc. Have a wonderful 2018 !
posted at 11:24am on December 15th, 2017
real party solidarity is everyone judging Jonan for his questionable grasp of ethics lol
posted at 3:41pm on December 11th, 2017
HAPP BIRTH!!
posted at 11:24pm on December 17th, 2017
Comment by Himochi
YoooooOOOOOOOOO this was weLL WORTH THE EXTRA WAIT
JONAN MY BOY
GO YOU
posted at 5:42pm on December 5th, 2017