Whoa. I hope that’ll finally get through to Michelle that he really just wants to talk. I mean, a dragon straight up apologizing.
It’s hard to work with people who’re stubborn as goats at times…
But yeah. Doing something they don’t expect is usually a good way to finally get their attention. XD
“It’s hard to win an argument with a smart person,
but it’s near impossible to win one with a stubborn person.”
This fits so well with Sphinxes bring really smart, and goats being really stubborn
Wow Michelle is being a bit of an ass.
“Racist” is imo the appropriate term.
Specieist? :D
right, because her prejudices towards dragonkind are what’s making her angry at the individual who just KIDNAPPED HER FOR A SECOND TIME!
She kinda does have every right to be, though
Not really, but based on what this particular dragon did, she is entitled to be wary. As for the other dragons–if any–trust but verify.
With what she’s seen–no reason to trust dragons at all. Every reason to be suspicious. But, potentially being somewhat removed, may help.
That is an issue with longterm memory. It can make forgiveness harder.
So judging a race of stories (which are more than likely bias), collective blame from history and bad experience with one member is totally fine.
Oral history is still history. You would do well to take it into account. The very fact, that all her friends knew that there weren’t any sphinxes left goes a long way to supporting the dragon sphinx war as well as the results. In matters of life and death it is advisable to err on the side of caution.
This, and that he was likely alive and active during some of that time. He has, likely, done things–and is in the service of those who have–and who apparently still hold those beliefs.
Genocide. Its a thing with scars, and so is survival. I’m all for forgiveness–but I can see in abstract where she is coming from. I wouldn’t presume at all, though, to be able to understand the depth of it. Or what it’s like to relive memories so sharply.
Fortunately, if he is willing to apologize–it is a step towards a conversation. Everything begins with a step. And a conversation, one that desperately needs had.
Technically, an apology is explaining what happened – it’s not strictly the same as contrition, though that’s often implied.
Technically, the Merriam-Webster dictionary does not agree with you in regards to this context. There is more than one definition of apology. (See: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apology) In some circumstances, an apology can either be a defense or an excuse for things other people criticize, but regarding one’s own acts, particularly as too many politicians do, it hovers close to a lie.
That’s not ‘talking’ from either party.
Hoo boy. Michelle is in full on “I KNOW THE TROOF” mode.
OMG… Bloodcarvers face in the last panel… The “dragon attitude” must make apologizing so alien to their nature. That whole “ArghICantBelieveImSayingThis” vibe comes across perfectly!
Nah it’s more ” Arg ok I’m sorry now SHUT THE HECK UP before I leave you here for a very long time.” Kind of face.
Dragon apologies are amazing. XD
To be perfectly honest, both parties have very good reasons to be upset, and I’d like to see anyone do better under the circumstances. :D
An apology, though shouted and extremely defensive, should hopefully get Michelle to at least hear him out. That or Bloodcarver will resume a calmer tone after his outburst of steam. He has a simple goal after all, probably with some dire need or consequence behind it, and it’s frustrating when the person you’re trying to communicate with won’t even give you a chance. If he returns to a calm state after the apology, then I think Michelle would be willing to at least hear what he has to say. :)
Bloodcarver is amazing. Poor guy never gets any credit, but he keeps trying to do the sane and nice thing.
Also, apologies with that many teeth are hilarious!
Everyone knows that shouted apologies are the best.
Maybe it’s like in the Elder Scrolls: Dragons just can’t not scream.
I’m in mad, obsessive love with basically every single face expression on this page! Especially 8th, 6th and 3rd panels :’D
Yes! :D
I sympathize way too much with bloodcarver here.
I’m going to be honest, I still don’t quite get what dragons did wrong. Like I could very much have missed something but it seems like dragons asked sphinxes for amulets which at the time seemed to be a need to avoid being hunted and the sphinxes basically insulted them and then said no, somewhat dooming them to being hunted and unable to hide.
In the specific case of Worset and Jocasta, The dragon ALSO made the misstep of phrasing their request as a threat, and burned down their shop when Jocasta responded poorly to that threat. Jocasta regretted it immediately and was willing to maybe make Medallions for the dragons to break the cycle up until that point…
Aye. this had the real consequence of putting many, many others in danger who would’ve relied on the amulets. Then there was the hunting and slaughter of kin. :S
Ives seem to finally be free of a glitch that kept me in your updates page telling people you be back January first I’ve just been sitting her refreshing the page every day and begins stuck in it until today wen I hit refresh….
Michelle talks about what the Dragons did in the Great War, and says nothing about what the Sphinxes did.
Am I seeing things or is the dragon not looking to hot? Scars, hanging..ears?
lol, poor guy seems to be having a pretty bad day.
It is true that the Sphinxes said “no” when the dragons came asking/demanding amulets for themselves. There is definitely a bit of discrimination on the Sphinx side. Classifying some as “beasts” and thus unworthy of medallions. (example, harpies, maniticors, dragons).
However, the dragons should have asked, not demanded. And even if all Sphinxes were raging jerks in the past……genocide is a bit extreme on the.dragons part. Yes humans were hunting the dragons but it is clear the dragons were quite capable of adapting to life in hiding. The Sphinxes were asses, but there lack.of.aid didn’t come close to genocide.
This, yeah. Am I missing something, though? Did the Sphinxes commit genocide or something? I didn’t think they did, but.
I suspect that Michelle’s picture will appear in the next edition of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary under the definition of awkward. Still, kidnapping someone to apologize for kidnapping someone earlier does subtract for from Bloodcarver’s credibility. Perhaps a more public apology would have been better.
I think starting the conversation by saying he would like to apologize instead of telling Michelle and Greg to be quiet would have done wonders toward making life simpler for all parties.
If he’d said “Shhh! I need to talk with you.”, he might have bought himself enough time, so he wouldn’t have needed to kidnap Michelle a second time.
Unfortunately, Greg’s panicking left him with no time for options.
Bloodcarver didn’t kidnap Michelle this time, to apologize for kidnapping her earlier. Michelle is running on anger, and she is the one bringing up the past events.
Anyone else think that Michelle’s face in panel 6 looks like a face that Jocasta would make? Hm. Almost like they’re related or something….
You know, I don’t remember too many stories where a dragon has actually apologized for screwing up… Especially to a non-dragon!
Bloodcarver is likely in the same position as Michelle, remember that it wasn’t ‘every dragon’ that demanded Medallions, it was one who didn’t handle the situation very well. Bloodcarver could very well be the last or among the last dragon as they are supposedly extinct as well. He could have been born into a position where responsiblity has been thrust on him like Michelle, and he is just as scared and confused trying to figure out whatever it is he is supposed to do. Magical knowledge didn’t give Michelle the answers, Bloodcarver could very well be in the same boat, and he doesn’t have the friends Michelle has to support and anchor him, he’s still viewed as a monster by the hidden community, and can’t blend in with the normal world which has basically overtaken everything else. Is it any wonder he tries drastic things to get things done? He has no idea what he is doing and no one to help him.
This. Bloodcarver possibly being Michelle’s mirror image with scales. I have kind of been hoping for this to be a thing ever since it became clear that Bloodcarver wasn’t happy with who he was working for and with kidnapping Michelle in the first place.
I know it’s out of character for the entire comic, but I fully expect to have Bloodcarver absolutely be so frustrated that he drops an F-bomb in the next strip along with his apology. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit, having dealt with stubborn folks myself more than a few times over the years.
Naw, he’s a dragon. He’s above such words. Who needs the f-bomb when you are capable of squishing other beings like bugs or you can turn them to charcoal? Not that he’d do those. I can just imagine he’s just be raised to be above cursing, because he has all that power.
YES. THE FRIENDSHIP BEGINS.
I honestly like Bloodcarver. So far he was really cool in the past. Yes he kidnapped her before, but didn’t see the point in what he was doing. Now he wants to talk, and has loads of interference. Fear of dragons is an annoyance to dragons that just wants to work things out. I’ve always figured that there are many different dragon attitudes, but because dragons can be pretty devastating towards other species, it takes only a few bad apples to make all other species think all dragons are nasty creatures. In my opinion all dragons have devastating capabilities. However, not all of them wish to be devastating.
Okay, I know it’s weird, but I can just imagine Bloodcarver speaks with a lofty, but soft accent and sounds like Mads Mikkelsen (from the TV show, Hannibal).
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Whoa. I hope that’ll finally get through to Michelle that he really just wants to talk. I mean, a dragon straight up apologizing.
It’s hard to work with people who’re stubborn as goats at times…
But yeah. Doing something they don’t expect is usually a good way to finally get their attention. XD
“It’s hard to win an argument with a smart person,
but it’s near impossible to win one with a stubborn person.”
This fits so well with Sphinxes bring really smart, and goats being really stubborn
Wow Michelle is being a bit of an ass.
“Racist” is imo the appropriate term.
Specieist? :D
right, because her prejudices towards dragonkind are what’s making her angry at the individual who just KIDNAPPED HER FOR A SECOND TIME!
She kinda does have every right to be, though
Not really, but based on what this particular dragon did, she is entitled to be wary. As for the other dragons–if any–trust but verify.
With what she’s seen–no reason to trust dragons at all. Every reason to be suspicious. But, potentially being somewhat removed, may help.
That is an issue with longterm memory. It can make forgiveness harder.
So judging a race of stories (which are more than likely bias), collective blame from history and bad experience with one member is totally fine.
Oral history is still history. You would do well to take it into account. The very fact, that all her friends knew that there weren’t any sphinxes left goes a long way to supporting the dragon sphinx war as well as the results. In matters of life and death it is advisable to err on the side of caution.
This, and that he was likely alive and active during some of that time. He has, likely, done things–and is in the service of those who have–and who apparently still hold those beliefs.
Genocide. Its a thing with scars, and so is survival. I’m all for forgiveness–but I can see in abstract where she is coming from. I wouldn’t presume at all, though, to be able to understand the depth of it. Or what it’s like to relive memories so sharply.
Fortunately, if he is willing to apologize–it is a step towards a conversation. Everything begins with a step. And a conversation, one that desperately needs had.
Technically, an apology is explaining what happened – it’s not strictly the same as contrition, though that’s often implied.
Technically, the Merriam-Webster dictionary does not agree with you in regards to this context. There is more than one definition of apology. (See: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apology) In some circumstances, an apology can either be a defense or an excuse for things other people criticize, but regarding one’s own acts, particularly as too many politicians do, it hovers close to a lie.
That’s not ‘talking’ from either party.
Hoo boy. Michelle is in full on “I KNOW THE TROOF” mode.
OMG… Bloodcarvers face in the last panel… The “dragon attitude” must make apologizing so alien to their nature. That whole “ArghICantBelieveImSayingThis” vibe comes across perfectly!
Nah it’s more ” Arg ok I’m sorry now SHUT THE HECK UP before I leave you here for a very long time.” Kind of face.
Dragon apologies are amazing. XD
To be perfectly honest, both parties have very good reasons to be upset, and I’d like to see anyone do better under the circumstances. :D
An apology, though shouted and extremely defensive, should hopefully get Michelle to at least hear him out. That or Bloodcarver will resume a calmer tone after his outburst of steam. He has a simple goal after all, probably with some dire need or consequence behind it, and it’s frustrating when the person you’re trying to communicate with won’t even give you a chance. If he returns to a calm state after the apology, then I think Michelle would be willing to at least hear what he has to say. :)
Bloodcarver is amazing. Poor guy never gets any credit, but he keeps trying to do the sane and nice thing.
Also, apologies with that many teeth are hilarious!
Everyone knows that shouted apologies are the best.
Maybe it’s like in the Elder Scrolls: Dragons just can’t not scream.
I’m in mad, obsessive love with basically every single face expression on this page! Especially 8th, 6th and 3rd panels :’D
Yes! :D
I sympathize way too much with bloodcarver here.
I’m going to be honest, I still don’t quite get what dragons did wrong. Like I could very much have missed something but it seems like dragons asked sphinxes for amulets which at the time seemed to be a need to avoid being hunted and the sphinxes basically insulted them and then said no, somewhat dooming them to being hunted and unable to hide.
In the specific case of Worset and Jocasta, The dragon ALSO made the misstep of phrasing their request as a threat, and burned down their shop when Jocasta responded poorly to that threat. Jocasta regretted it immediately and was willing to maybe make Medallions for the dragons to break the cycle up until that point…
Aye. this had the real consequence of putting many, many others in danger who would’ve relied on the amulets. Then there was the hunting and slaughter of kin. :S
Ives seem to finally be free of a glitch that kept me in your updates page telling people you be back January first I’ve just been sitting her refreshing the page every day and begins stuck in it until today wen I hit refresh….
Michelle talks about what the Dragons did in the Great War, and says nothing about what the Sphinxes did.
Am I seeing things or is the dragon not looking to hot? Scars, hanging..ears?
lol, poor guy seems to be having a pretty bad day.
It is true that the Sphinxes said “no” when the dragons came asking/demanding amulets for themselves. There is definitely a bit of discrimination on the Sphinx side. Classifying some as “beasts” and thus unworthy of medallions. (example, harpies, maniticors, dragons).
However, the dragons should have asked, not demanded. And even if all Sphinxes were raging jerks in the past……genocide is a bit extreme on the.dragons part. Yes humans were hunting the dragons but it is clear the dragons were quite capable of adapting to life in hiding. The Sphinxes were asses, but there lack.of.aid didn’t come close to genocide.
This, yeah. Am I missing something, though? Did the Sphinxes commit genocide or something? I didn’t think they did, but.
I suspect that Michelle’s picture will appear in the next edition of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary under the definition of awkward. Still, kidnapping someone to apologize for kidnapping someone earlier does subtract for from Bloodcarver’s credibility. Perhaps a more public apology would have been better.
I think starting the conversation by saying he would like to apologize instead of telling Michelle and Greg to be quiet would have done wonders toward making life simpler for all parties.
If he’d said “Shhh! I need to talk with you.”, he might have bought himself enough time, so he wouldn’t have needed to kidnap Michelle a second time.
Unfortunately, Greg’s panicking left him with no time for options.
Bloodcarver didn’t kidnap Michelle this time, to apologize for kidnapping her earlier. Michelle is running on anger, and she is the one bringing up the past events.
Anyone else think that Michelle’s face in panel 6 looks like a face that Jocasta would make? Hm. Almost like they’re related or something….
Illumination, chapter 3, page 19.
The bottom three panels.
https://www.skindeepcomic.com/archive/illumination-3-page-19/
You know, I don’t remember too many stories where a dragon has actually apologized for screwing up… Especially to a non-dragon!
Bloodcarver is likely in the same position as Michelle, remember that it wasn’t ‘every dragon’ that demanded Medallions, it was one who didn’t handle the situation very well. Bloodcarver could very well be the last or among the last dragon as they are supposedly extinct as well. He could have been born into a position where responsiblity has been thrust on him like Michelle, and he is just as scared and confused trying to figure out whatever it is he is supposed to do. Magical knowledge didn’t give Michelle the answers, Bloodcarver could very well be in the same boat, and he doesn’t have the friends Michelle has to support and anchor him, he’s still viewed as a monster by the hidden community, and can’t blend in with the normal world which has basically overtaken everything else. Is it any wonder he tries drastic things to get things done? He has no idea what he is doing and no one to help him.
This. Bloodcarver possibly being Michelle’s mirror image with scales. I have kind of been hoping for this to be a thing ever since it became clear that Bloodcarver wasn’t happy with who he was working for and with kidnapping Michelle in the first place.
I know it’s out of character for the entire comic, but I fully expect to have Bloodcarver absolutely be so frustrated that he drops an F-bomb in the next strip along with his apology. It wouldn’t surprise me one bit, having dealt with stubborn folks myself more than a few times over the years.
Naw, he’s a dragon. He’s above such words. Who needs the f-bomb when you are capable of squishing other beings like bugs or you can turn them to charcoal? Not that he’d do those. I can just imagine he’s just be raised to be above cursing, because he has all that power.
YES. THE FRIENDSHIP BEGINS.
I honestly like Bloodcarver. So far he was really cool in the past. Yes he kidnapped her before, but didn’t see the point in what he was doing. Now he wants to talk, and has loads of interference. Fear of dragons is an annoyance to dragons that just wants to work things out. I’ve always figured that there are many different dragon attitudes, but because dragons can be pretty devastating towards other species, it takes only a few bad apples to make all other species think all dragons are nasty creatures. In my opinion all dragons have devastating capabilities. However, not all of them wish to be devastating.
Okay, I know it’s weird, but I can just imagine Bloodcarver speaks with a lofty, but soft accent and sounds like Mads Mikkelsen (from the TV show, Hannibal).
I want Greg’s shirt.
Still want Greg’s shirt.