Hopefully this page answers some questions a lot of you have been asking lately! Also a SCENE CHANGE. Wow!
Did you know that my Patreon backers got to see this page a whole day early? For only $2 a month you can too!
Hopefully this page answers some questions a lot of you have been asking lately! Also a SCENE CHANGE. Wow!
Did you know that my Patreon backers got to see this page a whole day early? For only $2 a month you can too!
77 Comments
Oh my God, Tony’s face in panel 3
Also is that a wild Jim I see in panel 5?
He has brown hair. I bet that’s Paul.
It’s Paul. Note the brown hair.
Unless they thought hopping green and orange Elenor (or other bandersnatch) was Jim.
Ah. You’re right. It looked green on my other screen. :(
And, remember: in this time-frame, Jim is a university student in Missouri. He’s met Michelle, but she hasn’t turned yet.
It does make me wonder how things are going for Paul and Jon, without Jim and Lorne feeding off each other’s teasing behaviour toward those two.
Also in the background, there’s Iris outside of Queen Anne’s Books
Yay! Tony is finally happy! Let’s see how long it will– half a page. Well… it’s still progress, I suppose.
Party-Thongs are a very mythical species… obviously.
Aw, Blanche, always looking on the bright side of things. <:
Also, are those Manticores chilling out on the roof in panel 5? :0 I didn't think there would be any around in an Avalon!
they look like they have their tails clipped, or shaved.
There was a wild post somewhere about this, they do it as a gesture of good faith. Kory said they’re called Statler and Waldorf.
Statler and Waldorf? Like the hecklers from the Muppet Show? Awesome!
Non-manticores can’t pronounce their real names.
Yeah; so those are nicknames. The tail-clipping is to remove the dangerous poisonous spines so they can’t lash out with them. Something like asking a cowboy to leave his guns outside the saloon, except these guns are built in, so it’s really a big sacrifice…
They’re possibly also a reminder of the existence of Ike Sanford, and that in rare instances it does work that way…
And here I thought it was possible with Ike, because manticores are classified as “Monsters”?
(As he stated on the third page of chapter 3 of “Exchanges” or so…)
Tony is adorable when he smiles.
Hey! It’s Paul and Statler and Waldorf!
Good to see he’s getting the hang of walking.
What kind of toilets do they use that clipping his tail feathers wasn’t an important issue for him?
While many tailed creatures can use their medallions to easily use human toilets, there must be a wide variety of toilets in the Avalon to support monsters and those without medallions…though I suppose a simple bucket or hole in the ground might suffice.
Some of the monster creatures might not care and just go in the street or wherever they please…
That makes me wonder how many intelligent “monsters” live in the Avalon(s)? Unlike the other residents they have no choice but to hide away in Avalons, so I would almost think they’d make up the majority of the population; but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Hmmm, interesting point about the toilets. Maybe the standard for the Avalon is to mount it in the floor like Asian squat toilets.
Hm. Well, Tony is avian, so I’d assume that it works a lot like a bird: step up on a perch (or something) and poo in the toilet from there.
I guess that would be a lot like a squatting toilet.
Oh god, I nearly spat soda on my screen….
If he “expels” under pressure like a large bird…
Can you imagine what could happen after he learns to fly and decides to master “bombing runs”?
Eat your hearts out pigeons and seagulls… Here comes the new “Stuka over Disneyland!” ;P
-Badger-
maybe he just sits “side saddle”
can we all stop talking about Anthony’s pooping habits now okay cool thanks
Annnnd this is the part where my maturity ran out, and I started giggling at work.
My own son is questioning my sanity now. I’m laughing so hard I’m crying.
Be a good parent, spare him the uncertainty, and proceed to some practical experimentation (sans posting of results here) now. :-P
Well at least this way, Tony can get used to the flight feathers gradually as they grow back instead of having them suddenly appear like they did. XD
Oh goodness, Tony looks *so happy* in the 3rd panel. I don’t think we’ve ever seen him so happy.
Heh.
Blanche is carrying a pair of drumsticks in his belt.
Now I have this overwhelming curiosity to see his dad….
-Badger-
Maybe Elise has formally been sacked from The Four Horsemen, following the events in Exchanges.
If that’s the case then Blanche would need to do a fair bit more practice work with the band.
That had occurred to me.
Could also be that he is now thinking more seriously about his skills, and is more interested in finding a regular gig with a band?
Greater levels of practice would be mandatory in either case, of course.
-Badger-
Aww, it’s great to see Tony looking so much happier. And Blanche seems to have shed the velvet from his antlers!
no, those antlers still look kind of velvety to me.
In the character study of Blanche and his antlers, on the SD Wiki, it shows that the antlers shed velvet over the course of September, and are free of velvet by November.
I bet at this point Tony would be happier being a “normal” magical creature with a medallion than a… whatever he became.
I mean, he’s probably rather used to the avalon (or at least too busy wallowing in self-pity to keep pondering about the avalon’s weirdness), so he wouldn’t freak out that much about being any other creature, but if he had a medallion he could at least return to a common human life.
Happy Tony is best Tony.
Alrighty, you got out of it once, Tony, but once your feathers grow back you’re flying
That depends on a number of things.
1. What Tim is able to learn over the coming months in the strip, of the spellbreak which transformed Anthony.
2. Whether Anthony learns how to keep his feathers permanently and properly clipped.
3. Whether Anthony ever wants to learn to fly.
4. Whether the internal structures of Anthony’s bones were transformed to the hollow, lighter, bone structures of a bird.
“Unique.” And with hands that are nicely configured for making impressive air quotes, Tony, don’t forget that!
Plus those bird feet provide a wider and more stable base for standing than those human feet you had, plus you can use them to perch. There must be a few perches in advantageous positions and possibly at leg-up height – great for when a venue’s packed…
Zech: …For our last number tonight, we’re covering The Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again, but with some new lyrics – dedicated to one of the avalon’s newest residents! Alright- *launches into intro*
I’ll be perching on my seat,
With the claws upon my feet,
And the body I grew up with is now gone,
And the stag who led me on,
Tries to tells me nothing’s wrong,
It’s all lies, and my toe bones are too long.
CHORUS:
I turn my back on my new constitution,
Take a swipe at my new evolution,
Gripe and weep at the change all around,
I pick my ankles up, sashay,
Not like yesterday,
Try to get on my knees and pray,
I might change back again.
The change should not have come,
Blanche said so all along,
I was screwed by a medallion, that’s all,
And the world is not the same,
Though it’s only me that’s changed,
Cos I can’t go back to where I was before.
CHORUS
I lose my home and my family besides,
Everything I’ve known in my life is a lie,
I can’t spread out my feathers and reach for the sky
‘Cos I know, with these hips and thighs, I can’t fly.
Now nothing in the street,
Looks so accessible to me,
And my clothes must be replaced by the by,
And few parts of me are left,
In a way that feels quite right,
And my sideburns have grown longer overnight.
CHORUS
BREAK
Hate my new bod,
Not the same as my old bod! *coda*
Tony: ………
Dermot: Hey, steady on the perch, there!
David: Yeah, no falling off, mate – someone could get hurt! More important, you could get perch-banned!
Rupert: Huh, I understand how he feels – that number just doesn’t work without the synth setup…
Yay, filk!
Oooooh, triple facepa^H^H^H^H^H^Hfinger-quote-sign! Mind the mood swing! :-D
Peryton! \o/ Next we’ll be seeing alphyns and enfields, I hope. :)
Welp, those two are heraldic creatures, while perytons are a modern literary invention, but other heraldic creatures have made an appearance, so yeah! A creature with the head of a fox and eagle forelegs? I’m all for it!
I wonder if that last panel, as well as once again reminding us Tony doesn’t much approve of his current predicament, is intended as some kind of foreshadowing; especially if his dad turns out to be the root of all his problems.
Or his mum, but I don’t think that’s too likely. Then again, that’d be a wonderful plot twist
The real plot twist would be if it turned out that aellean harpy was in the family history on both sides of the family.
Oh dang imagine that.
“Unique.” A fancy way of saying “There’s nobody else like you.”
Also a polite way of saying “We have no idea what you are or how to fix you.”
In a less polite context, “dear GOD I hope I’ll never see another one the likes of you”. :-/
Interesting idea.
If Tony turns out to be a siren of the older type- The bird body mentioned- Then what happens the first time he tries singing?
The fact that he is based on a frigate bird, (A marine species) does make that seem more likely.
Add that his mom seems to be Greek, and a case of circumstantial evidence seems to be growing…
It would be VERY interesting if it turns out his mom is a siren… And knew it all along.
-Badger-
I think he would still be an anomaly, since Sirens are traditionally female.
As are harpies, which is also the most accepted theory, even to the characters themselves.
OMG, he’s a Tangata Manu! The Tangata Manu, winners of an egg collection/swimming contest on Easter Island, were often depicted n art as ” Frigate Bird/Human hybrids.” So he’s likely to have some Polynesian ancestry; this fits with his father being a sailor.
Can I assume that Tangata Manu aren’t exclusively female?
They may even be exclusively male.
I got that impression honestly.
Wow… I looked up that contest, and it was kind of terrible. The “contestants” were all men in important positions in their society, and they would appoint men of lesser station to do the (often deadly) race for them. Once someone managed to find the first sooty tern egg of the season, fast, fashion a basket to carry the egg in, swim back across shark-infested water, and climb a steep cliff with the egg basket tied to his forehead, the “contestant” who appointed him gained all the glory and was treated as a religious icon (“Tangata Manu”) the rest of the year. I’m not sure if the people who actually risked their lives got anything for it at all.
Well congrats Kory, you have now made your comic yet another one that I must put in my “do not take a sip of coffee while reading” list. If I had been sitting any closer panel 5 would have ruined my keyboard, as it I just have to change my pants. :P
Boy howdy, son! Fullbody Manticores! They were always my favourite. Before reading SD I joked around with a friend about me secretly being one. (But who /really/ knows?)
It’s a sad fact that they’re feared in the community. Possibly the only reason being their poisonous tails and viscous teeth. The first being a friendly reason of why they chose to have their tail docked or sheathed.
I noticed one has a human face and another lion. Would that mean there’re multiple types of Manticore, or is this medallion magic? And will wings ever come into play?
The SD Manticores have sub-species, human and lion-faced, so yeah, there are multiple kinds. Neither have wings (sadly). Probably just a design choice on Kory’s part. Kinda like how they have spines instead of a scorpion stinger-like tail.
I get the feeling that by the end of this whole venture, Tony will have figured out a way to play guitar with his new hands. :3
Yeah, or his feet.
Hey, looks like Tony is standing on his toes like he should! He’s getting used to his new body!
Yaaaaaaaaay
You guys have no idea how much I love Tony’s character
He’s an Archeopteryx. Calling it now.
No, but wait, the guy in the last story was a blend of his mom and whatever his dad was, wasn’t he?
Ike’s birth was a particular and fairly rare magical circumstance. Here, Blanche is talking about how it works when unstable sorcery is not involved.
Hey, if Blanche is still playing the drums, maybe they’re going to band practice? How amusing if they needed someone to fill in for vocals and Blanche suggests Tony because he doesn’t have a “half-bad voice” or something. Cue him singing and everyone immediately fawning over him.
Bam. Siren.
Finally listened and stopped walking on his god damn ankles. its so nice to s tony happy.. i don’t thi
Don’t think we have seen gwnuinely happy tony since the first page of exchanges or the end of the fight scene. remember not to scowl tony your face might stick that way
Blacnhe’s mom reminds me of those creatures that look like canine/bird hybrids. Anyone know what those are called?
If you can only be one or the other, and Ike is both, I guess he’s ‘unique’ too?
Didn’t Ike explain the halfbreed thing to Anthony?
I’d like to know what that fluffy fellow with the book is. He looks a little unicornish.